Advice for Authors at Every Level of the Publication Journey

with guest Emily Rodmell, Harlequin Love Inspired Editor.

Beginning Writers

If you’ve just decided that you want to write a book or have been pursuing writing for a short period, this is the time to learn. Read craft books. Learn the mechanics of writing. Study plot and conflict. Explore different genres and figure out the one that you enjoy writing the most. 

Connect with writing groups. Meeting with other writers in all stages of their careers can be a valuable experience, whether online in groups such as Seekerville or in person via RWA or ACFW. Start to explore where you want to submit your book. Research agents and publishing houses. 

It’s very important in this stage to finish a book to prove to yourself that you can do it. So many beginning writers have multiple unfinished manuscripts languishing in their computers. I’d advise finishing one, even if it will never be published. Typing the end will be a breakthrough that can propel you to the next step of your journey.


Pre-Pubbed Writers

You’ve finished a book…or ten. You’re writing with publication in mind. Now is the time to refine your work and strive toward publication. 

Just because you’ve finished a book, doesn’t mean it should be published. But even if it’s not, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a valuable learning experience. Each book you write will teach you something and help you grow as a writer. This is a good time to get feedback on your writing. Submit to contests. Judges are often authors or editors or agents, and getting feedback from them can help you refine your work. Find critique partners in the industry. While your mother may love to read your work, you can get more honest feedback from someone who didn’t give birth to you. 

Once you’ve gotten some good critiques or feedback on your finished manuscripts, try submitting to an agent or publisher. If you’re fortunate, maybe one of your contest finals already led to a request. If not, research where you want to submit and follow submission guidelines. 

Some quick submission tips: 

1. Address your submission to a specific person. 

2. Always include a synopsis. 5-7 double spaced pages is the sweet spot. 15+ make our eyes glaze over. 

3. Highlight your experience in your query letter. If you don’t have experience, show us your research and enthusiasm. Tell us why you think your book fits with us. Don’t apologize for your inexperience. 

4. Spoil us. Editors and agents need to know all the twists and turns in your book. This isn’t the place to tease your ending. Tell us everything that happens.

5. Once you submit, start writing the next one. Don’t refresh your email or reread your book and drive yourself crazy finding typos. 


Newly Published Writers

You’ve done it. You’ve finally sold a book. This is an exciting time, but it’s not the time to get complacent. It’s the time to buckle down and work. First, start your next book if you haven’t already. Often, writers find that selling book number two can be harder than the first one. The first one you’ve spent years working on and perfecting and submitting. Then writers try to write the second one in a few months, and it often falls short. So, don’t rush through it. Make sure you go through the steps that you did with the first one. Get critiques. Revise. Put it aside for a few weeks and read it through with fresh eyes. Take your time, so that you don’t submit a book that isn’t ready. And understand that while you’re working on the next book, you’ll still be doing work on the first. Revisions, promotions, dedications and edits will be coming your way. Make time for them. 

Mid-level Writers

You’ve sold a few books. You’ve gotten past the second book slump. You’ve made it. Many writers often fall into complacency at this point. But that is not the way to go. Even if you’ve gotten in a groove and are selling regularly, it’s vital to keep growing and learning. 

Here are some tips to keep your writing moving in a forward direction: 

1. Don’t compare yourself to other authors. Every author has a different journey. Just because someone else writes five books a year, doesn’t mean you must. Make your own personal goals and focus on those. If you compare yourself to others, you’ll always fall short. 

2. Set realistic deadlines. If it takes you six months to write a book, don’t set three month deadlines. Every writer goes at their own pace, and it’s better to have too much time than too little. If you write too fast, your writing quality may go down and impact your career. An editor would rather you set a longer deadline than miss one or turn in a rushed book. And don’t forget to include time for all the things you still have to do for prior books. 

3. Keep up with the industry and trends and adjust and grow your writing. The books a publishing house are looking for change with the calendar. If you’re still writing books that they were buying years ago, you might have trouble selling. Be flexible and look to grow your writing. 

Experienced Writers

Writing is your career. You’ve been writing for many years. People know your name, and it can open doors. Newer authors are coming to you for advice. Surely you don’t need advice, right? Wrong. Publishing is a changing business, and you can always grow and learn new directions. Genres go in cycles, publishing houses open and close, sales go up and down. To keep your voice fresh, you need to stay on top of trends and try new things. 

Here are a few tips for experienced writers:

1. If someone mentored you when you were starting out, don’t forget to pay it back. I was just at the ACFW conference taking appointments, and a good chunk of the writers came to me and said that Tina Radcliffe or Lynette Eason (one of my authors and the newly named ACFW Mentor of the Year) mentored them and sent them to the appointment. Editors always appreciate authors who are great mentors. Thanks for giving back, ladies. If you are experienced, consider sharing your knowledge with others like these writers do. 

2. Don’t assume that because you’ve made it, you don’t need to research and do your homework. We get a lot of multi-published authors who submit to Love Inspired, and it’s often harder for them to sell to us than a new author. Because they submit a proposal without researching and studying what we do and what a series romance book requires. Even if you’ve written 50 books, do your homework before submitting to a new house or agent. 

3. Always keep trying to improve your craft. Strive to make your next book your best book ever. Readers will thank you for it. 

Thanks for listening everyone. I’ll be in and out today to answer questions about writing or the publishing industry or writing for Harlequin. To start the conversation, tell us what stage you’re in and what the best advice you’ve been given is. 

Emily Rodmell is the editor for Love Inspired Suspense. She has acquired more than 45 authors in her career with Harlequin and is always looking for more. Send her your high-intensity romantic suspense novels and unique and interesting contemporary romances. She can be found on Twitter: @EmilyRodmell, Facebook: Emily Rodmell, Editor and Instagram: @nyc_editor_life

All comments go into the party hat for the Weekly $50 Amazon gift card drawing.

One commenter today will win an assortment of Love Inspired books from Seekerville in honor of Emily's visit. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.

We also have birthday videos from three of Editor Emily Rodmell's authors!

Debby Giusti

Terri Reed.

Sharee Stover

From Blurb to Book Love Inspired Contest!!!!

WITH!!!! Love Inspired Senior Editor Emily Rodmell!!! 

As an editor, I’m always in awe of authors who work full time, raise children and still find time to write multiple books a year.  When I’ve asked them how they do it, I’ve gotten answers ranging from getting up before the chickens (and children) to write or staying up late to get words on the page or writing on lunch breaks from work or in the car while kids are at soccer practice. The one thing they all have in common is that they make the commitment to sit down and write, and they stick to it.

Did you know that if you wrote 1,000 words a day, you could have a Love Inspired book (55K words) in less than 2 months? You could build in time for editing, revising and vacations and still complete 4 books a year.

 Your average manuscript page has somewhere between 200-300 words per page depending on font, margins and spacing. So 1,000 words is about 3-5 pages. While a whole manuscript may seem daunting, 3-5 pages is a manageable chunk. If you can write those small chunks every day, they can really add up. If 1K is too much for you, break it down even further. 500 words a day (a measly 1-3 pages) could give you a manuscript in 4 months. With time for editing, you could have 2 books a year, which is the number that a lot of our authors strive for.

To offer you further motivation, Love Inspired just launched a new pitch opportunity yesterday. From Blurb to Book: Pitch, Write and Sell Your Book in 5 months. We’re on the hunt for fresh new voices and are giving you the chance to pitch us your idea. The authors chosen to move on in the pitch contest will get guidance along the way from the Love Inspired editors as they work to complete a proposal and manuscript. Check out our announcement here: 

http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/2658-Announcing!!-From-Blurb-to-Book

You’ve got a little less than two weeks to submit a 100 word blurb and your first page of a book targeted to one of the three Love Inspired lines (Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical). All you need is an idea and the drive to write to take that first step. And you’ll find out if your initial entry wowed the editors 10 days after the deadline!

Last year we had a pitch session called The Search for a Killer Voice, and many of the entrants said that having to meet deadlines along the way helped them stay on track and finally finish a book. We hope the same will be true this year. We’ll be offering guidance, feedback and inspiration as you write your books. We’ve posted two blogs in the forums on Harlequin.com already. One on how to write a great blurb and first page and another on what the Love Inspired lines are looking for (cowboys, Amish, law enforcement heroes and more). There are also forums to ask questions of the editors and to support and interact with your fellow writers.

Looking for even more motivation? In the past few years, we’ve offered contracts to more than 20 authors through our pitch sessions. They’re sharing their success stories here: 

http://community.harlequin.com/showthread.php/2661-Success-Stories.  In fact, three of the authors who sold less than a year ago through our pitch The Search For a Killer Voice, will see their books on the shelves next month. If you want to see what we bought last year, check out Fatal Freeze by Michelle Karl, Presumed Guilty by Dana R. Lynn and Royal Rescue by Tammy Johnson. April also marks the debut of Targeted by Becky Avella who sold through the prior year’s Happily Editor After pitch session.

Anyone who has not been published with Love Inspired can enter. New authors and authors published with other houses are welcome.  Agented and unagented alike can enter. You can use a pseudonym as long as your legal name is in the entry for our records. I hope that you all take advantage of this opportunity. If you’ve never tried to write a Love Inspired book before but always wondered if you could, this is your chance. Love Inspired books have a wide distribution. They are sold through our book club, in mass market retailers such as Wal-Mart, in bookstores and in all major ebook retailers. It’s a great way to get your writing in front of a wide audience of avid fans of inspirational fiction. Start writing today, and you could have a contract by the end of the summer. We’re eager to find and nurture new voices for the Love Inspired lines, and so get started on your blurbs and first pages. I’ll be stopping in today to answer any questions you might have, so fire away.

Bio: Emily Rodmell is the editor for Love Inspired Books. She started her career as a newspaper journalist and at Scholastic before coming to Love Inspired 10 years ago. She has acquired more than 30 authors for the Love Inspired lines in that time and is always on the lookout for more. She loves to see unique plots that surprise her and keep her guessing. When she’s not at work, she loves watching procedural TV shows, exploring New York City and doting on her adorable nephew. Find her on social media here: Twitter (@EmilyRodmell), Instagram (@NYC_Editor_Life), Pinterest (Emily Rodmell) and Goodreads (Emily Rodmell). 

Ruthy note!!! First, thank you Emily for being here, for making Seekerville part of this amazing and fun contest launch and for running a contest to benefit authors. This contest rocks, and it's a premise we encourage daily here in Seekerville... because it's so effective! I've always loved how open Love Inspired is to unagented... untried.... unpublished authors. That gift of opportunity is never taken lightly here! In honor of The Love Inspired Team's surprise, we're giving away 14 (FOURTEEN!!!) surprise packages to several lucky commenters.... so head in, grab coffee courtesy of Caribou and a chocolate stuffed croissant... #Speedbo On to your next great opportunity!

Seekerville Celebrates Love Inspired's LIS Expansion with Guest Blogger and Editor Extraordinaire Emily Rodmell!

Debby Giusti here!

Have you heard the news? Love Inspired Books has expanded their Love Inspired Suspense line to SIX books each month. While many publishing houses have been forced to cut back, Love Inspired continues to grow because of the hard work and dedication of outstanding editors who know their readers and select stories that are sure to please.

To celebrate the LIS expansion and Love Inspired’s continued success, we’ve invited Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell to guest blog with us today. Always generous with her time, Emily has graciously agreed to answer your questions, many of which were submitted to Seekerville some weeks ago. Emily enjoys finding new authors so be sure to share your congratulations as well as pose any additional questions you have about Love Inspired Books.

Now help me welcome Emily Rodmell to Seekerville…

Good morning, Seekerville. It’s always a pleasure to visit with all of you. I’m especially excited to be here to talk about Love Inspired Suspense’s expansion to 6 books a month, starting this month.

Love Inspired Suspense was just getting ready to launch when I started at Harlequin as an editorial assistant many years ago, so it’s been great to see the line grow and be successful over the years. We’re thrilled that we can now offer readers more heartpounding stories of danger and romance each month.

It’s also been great for me as an editor to be able to find new voices for the line. I love the acquisitions part of the job, and giving a writer their first LIS contract is always special. So far 13 new authors have joined the LIS line up for the expansion. I think they’re all amazing, and I hope you’ll add them to your list of authors to watch. They’ve had books focusing on a wide variety of topics such as spies, pirates, snipers, Witness Protection and more.

Keep an eye out for titles by Lisa Phillips, Sarah Varland, Marion Faith Laird, Mary Alford, Elisabeth Rees, Annslee Urban, Rachel Dylan, Virginia Vaughn, Vickie McDonough, Jane M. Choate, Heather Woodhaven & Sarah K. Parker (the sister of longtime LIS author Shirlee McCoy).

Love Inspired uses creative ways
to find new authors. 

 We also are running a pitch called The Search for a Killer Voice in which authors have a chance to pitch their ideas to us and get guidance along the way as they write their stories. So we hope to add more new authors to the list above soon. We’re in the third round of the event and nearing the fourth. I hear a number of the authors participating are from Seekerville. J Congrats on putting yourself out there and making it this far.

If you missed out on this opportunity, don’t despair. We still accept submission any time through our regular channels. If you have a great idea for an LIS book, we’d love to take a look.

I brought a few of the May Love Inspired Suspense books as giveaways. Since we’re so excited about our newer authors, I wanted to highlight a few of the books that I personally love. I’ve brought 2 copies each of Double Agent by Lisa Phillips (Rogue spy heroine, Delta Force hero), Treasure Point Secrets by Sarah Varland (Pirates!) and Grave Danger by Katy Lee (Forensic anthropologist heroine. As a fan of the TV show Bones, I was so excited when she sent me this book).

I hope that you’ll check out these books and all of the upcoming Love Inspired Suspense books on shelves. Now on to some of your questions that Debby Giusti was kind enough to forward.  

Questions:

What process does a manuscript undergo from submission to contract?

Manuscripts are submitted a number of different ways. Some through our online submissions system. Others directly to editors from agents or from conference requests. If a manuscript is unsolicited and submitted through the online system, it goes to the assistant for the line. However, authors can also choose to address their submission to a particular editor. In that case, the assistant would forward the submission to the editor. If a manuscript is requested or sent by an agent, it usually goes directly to the editor. Senior and Executive Editors have assistants, so unsolicited manuscripts usually go to their assistant.

In any case, the rest is pretty simple. The editor reads the manuscript and decides whether to reject, send revision notes or submit it for contract. If we’re submitting it for contract, we write a memo to the head of the line, she reads it and decides whether to give us the ok to contract. In some cases (multi-book contracts, first contracts), there are other layers of approval as well.

If we send revisions notes, it is an open invitation for the author to revise and resubmit. And we’re not just being nice. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent revision notes and never heard another word from the author. If we say we want to see it again, we really do. So take advantage.

Emily's hard at work in her NYC office editing submissions,
looking for new authors and sharing LI news on Twitter.

How stringently do you abide by your submission requirements, such as word count, # of POVs, amount of time the H/H are together, how soon they have to meet, etc.?

Well, all of the ones you listed are ones we’re pretty firm on. In order for us to publish a story, it needs to be within our word count (55-60K for LI & LIS, 70-75K for LIH). If someone submits a book that’s slightly over or under it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, but it would have to be brought into the range in order to publish it.

And we do only want to see the hero and heroine point of view. Though there could be a rare case where we would consider a third POV, there would have to be a really good reason for it. And there rarely is a good enough reason.

As for the amount of time the hero and heroine are together or how soon they have to meet, there isn’t an exact guideline. But we generally want them to meet as soon as possible and be together on the pages as much as possible. These are fairly short books that often span only a few days and the characters are often running for their lives during much of that. It’s hard for the romance to be believable if the characters don’t spend enough time together.

With the international problems facing American military, would LIS consider a series where the American protagonists are based overseas, dealing with terrorist threats in cities like London or Sydney?

Love Inspired Suspense books focus on danger that directly affects the hero and heroine. Terrorism plots usually involve trying to stop mass casualties. So terrorism isn’t something we’re looking for. And we generally prefer that our books be set in North America, but we do on occasion publish books set overseas as long as the protagonists are North American.

LOL with Emily!

 Do you have any favorite settings, and if so will you share with us what they are and why they are special to you?

Our readers tend to gravitate towards small towns. So that’s where most of our books are set. I’m a city girl, so I love when authors can manage to get that small town feel in a larger city. I enjoyed working with the authors who wrote the Texas Ranger Justice continuity series because I was able to set it in San Antonio, Texas, a city I’ve been to many times. But because it focused on this tight unit of officers, it still had that community feel that our readers love. We’re trying it again this year by setting our continuity (Capitol K-9 Unit) in Washington, D.C. My sister lives in D.C., so I’ve spent a lot of time there and love seeing a place that’s dear to my heart come alive on the page. Beyond that, I’m a Florida girl at heart (lived there more than 20 years) so I love seeing Florida settings.

Suspense involves danger and encounters with evil. Are there any situations that you prefer not to see in an LI?

Our books contain a lot of dangerous and bad situations. We’re fine with murder and mayhem ensuing in the books as long as it is not gory or gratuitous. We do try to avoid things like child and animal abuse as it would upset readers.

And as mentioned above, we want the danger to directly affect the hero and heroine, so we avoid things like terrorism or mass casualty situations. It should be the heroine running for her life rather than running to stop someone from a nuclear attack.

Emily visits with many of the Seekers at ACFW.

Are there any specific story lines LIS is looking for at this time?

We’re open to a wide variety of story lines in LIS. I’d love to see more spies. We’d also welcome Amish. And I’m always a fan of creative plotlines that introduce a new type of story in a way that fits our guidelines.

What types of story lines are the most popular with readers?

Our readers love the tried and true stories of brave heroes (often law enforcement officers) and strong heroines. Small town and Western settings are a big draw.

Missy, Janet and Debby chat with Emily at her first ACFW Conference.

 What three things should new authors targeting LIS know before submitting their work?

1.      Love Inspired Suspense books should be equal parts romance and suspense and each should be present from start to finish. One shouldn’t take a back seat to the other.

2.      Suspense and mystery are two different things, and LIS falls in the suspense category. The characters should be running for their lives rather than trying to solve who’s been vandalizing signs in town.

3.      We’re actively looking for new authors, so if you’re looking for a great opportunity to showcase your work, LIS would love to see it.

When you receive a submission, what makes the biggest impression on you?

I can tell when an author has done their homework and read the line and knows what LIS is all about. That shows me that the author is serious about wanting a career with the line. Also, I’m a former newspaper copy editor, so while a typo wouldn’t ruin someone’s chances of publishing, I do take notice when someone turns in a clean manuscript and cover letter.

Follow Emily on Twitter. Here she's announcing the
contract she offered Keli Gwyn. SQUEAL!

What is the first thing you, as an editor, consider when you review submitted manuscripts?

My number one priority is to consider whether or not it would be something that our readers would enjoy reading.

Please explain the editing process a manuscript goes through from contract to publication.

Often times with a new author (and sometimes with current authors) a manuscript or proposal will go through revisions before contract. But once we contract, the acquiring editor may have some notes to pass on to the author from herself and the senior or executive editor. The author revises and turns the manuscript back to her editor. This goes through as many rounds as necessary until the editor feels it is ready to move on to the line edit stage.

At the line edit stage, the editor or a freelance editor will go through the manuscript and edit line by line. At this stage, we’ll ask the author questions, ask her to fix things or adjust awkward sentence structure. Then it goes on to the copy editor who edits for grammar, spelling, repetitiveness, structure and flow. The author gets to make changes in response and then it goes to the proofreader for a final read. The proofreader is looking for typos or mistakes and is the final reader. If he or she comes across any issues, the author is given the opportunity to address them.

Thanks again for having me, Seekerville. I’m happy to answer any further questions in the comments.

Emily, thanks for answering so many questions and for providing such great information about Love Inspired Books and your submission process. We’re cheering on the Villagers who are involved in the Killer Voices Search and encouraging all our writers to consider submitting to Love Inspired. Working for you and with you has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I hope many of the folks who visit Seekerville today will realize the outstanding opportunities available to those who write for Love Inspired.

Emily has graciously donated 6 books today, and Love Inspired Seeker authors have added additional giveaways. We’ll have a total of ten winners, each receiving two books. Leave a comment to be entered in the drawings, and stop back this weekend to see the list of winners.

In honor of Emily’s Florida roots, we’re serving Fresh Squeezed Florida Orange Juice and Cut Florida Grapefruit, along with cooked-to-order eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, assorted biscuits, fresh baked bread, and shrimp and grits for breakfast. The coffee’s hot. Pour a cup and enjoy the buffet as we chat with Emily.

Seekerville Welcomes Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell: How to Pitch Your Book Like a Rock Star!

Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell

Seekerville is honored to have Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell guest blogging with us today. Those of you who follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyRodmell or eHarlequin.com know the many innovative ways she connects with writers and readers to promote Love Inspired Books. Committed to publishing excellence, Emily is always searching for new authors to bring into the Love Inspired lineup. Today, she's providing detailed information about what editors look for in a pitch, which is especially timely for all those meeting with editors and agents at the upcoming RWA National Conference. Thanks, Emily, for sharing your tips on pitching. Now, please join me in welcoming Emily, who happens to be my wonderful editor, to Seekerville!

With conference season upon us, many writers are gearing up for editor or agent pitches. I’ve sat on the other end of those pitches many times as an editor both in person and online, so I wanted to take a moment to share some advice for making the most of the opportunity. Here are some tips to take your in-person pitches from drab to fab.

 • Don’t be nervous. For my first pitch session as an editor, I was sent--by myself--to a place where I was required to take almost 30 pitches. I had never done this before and was a bit nervous, so imagine my surprise when pitchers sat in front of me and were so nervous that some of them were visibly shaking. At the time, I was mystified and thought, “If only they knew I’d never done this before and was just as nervous as they were.” While I’m now a pitch veteran, I still don’t think my fellow editors and agents and I are scary. So breathe. We’re just your average everyday people, and your entire career doesn’t depend on this one pitch session. Even if you don’t get a request, you could still go on to sell a book and have a great career. So take the pressure off yourself.

 • Treat the pitch as a conversation rather than a speech. Editors and agents will love you for it. Think of it this way: you’re trying to sell your book. When you go into a clothing store, which do you prefer? The salesgirl who takes one look at you and sends you where she thinks you belong (i.e all older women directed to the boring grey dresses, and younger women to the flashy neon pink ones.) Or the salesgirl who takes time to ask you questions and find out what you like, and discovers that both of you really want a chic, sophisticated red dress. Editors and agents are the same. We much prefer the author who comes in and has a conversation with us, to the author who comes in and immediately starts rattling off a memorized blurb or reading off a piece of paper for five minutes. Come in, exchange pleasantries, tell us why you want to work with us, offer a short blurb (advice on crafting that below) and ask questions. That will be less pressure for you and more enjoyable for us.

Emily gathers with some of the Seekers!

Now that you know what frame of mind to approach the pitch from, you’re on your way to preparing your materials for the actual pitch, and I have three simple tips to help you make your pitch take shape.

First, kick back story to the background. If you’re pitching a novel, especially a romance novel, here is the key: focus on plot, conflict and hooks rather than back story. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat down with an author who talks in great detail about the hero and heroine’s back stories. When the author finally takes a breath and finishes her pitch, the first question out of my mouth usually is, “So what happens in the book?” Followed by the inevitable answer, “Well, they fall in love.” To which I say, “How?” Cue blank look from author who has spent five minutes telling me about the back story and hasn’t said a word about what happens in the actual book. Back story isn’t going to sell your book, the actual plot of the book will. My colleague, Elizabeth Mazer put it best when she said, “What the reader is going to see is what the character is doing, right in the moment when the action starts--so that's where the pitch should start, too.” 

Second, prepare a short blurb that focuses on hooks, plot and conflict. Now that you’ve taken your focus off back story, put it on the important parts of your story. To craft a short summary of your book that will entice editors and agents, you want to ask yourself three questions: 

1. What are my hooks? Hooks are the selling points for your book. For instance: Cool location (Texas, Alaska, New Orleans), popular theme (Amish, Reunion Romance, Secret Baby), Unique Occupation (pirates, Secret Agents, Bodyguards), Time period (Regency, Western, Turn of the Century), ect. 

2. What is my plot? There needs to be something interesting happening in your book that you can talk about other than, “They fall in love.” What happens to lead them to that point? It needs to be more than them just going on dates or running into each other around town. 

3. What is my conflict (both internal and external)? There needs to be something keeping them from falling in love right away. If both the hero and heroine don’t have a good internal conflict and external conflict then your book will feel episodic (like a series of unrelated “episodes” that are strung together with little to connect them rather than a defined plot that grows to a climax). Internal conflict is simply factors inside the hero and heroine’s minds that could prevent them from falling in love. For example, the heroine’s husband left her for someone else, so she doesn’t feel she can trust men, and the hero puts his career above everything and doesn’t want to show weakness by falling in love. External conflict is the external forces in the plot that could prevent them from falling in love or having a relationship. For example, the hero and heroine can’t be together because the hero is the developer trying to build condos over the nature preserve the heroine manages. 

If your book is focused, you should have no problem answering those questions and coming up with a great pitch that can be two to three sentences. If you can’t answer those questions without going into a long explanation, your book probably isn’t focused enough, and you’d be better off working on it some more before pitching so that you can put your best foot forward with the editor or agent. 

Love Inspired Editor Emily Rodmell hard at work
in her NYC office.

Here’s an example of a pitch that incorporates plot, conflict and hooks: Small town sheriff hero is thrown for a loop when his ex-fiancé  moves back to town and runs against him in the election. As they fight for the town they grew up in, they rediscover the love of their youth. 

Hooks: Small town, sheriff, reunion romance 
Plot: Each wants to win the election without losing their hearts. 
Conflict: They're fighting for the same job, and fighting feelings for each other.

Third, prepare questions. I recommend that you come to the pitch with questions for the editor or agent. If you’ve gotten your blurb down to the few sentences, there should be time left over for you to use the opportunity to learn more about what the editor or agent is looking for. That information can sometimes be more valuable than an immediate request. I actually bought two books from authors who came to the pitch, ran an idea by me that I felt wasn’t for us, then proceeded to ask questions about what did work for us. They then submitted new projects that we eventually bought. 

With these few steps, you’ll be on your way to wowing an editor or agent and selling your book. I hope this has been helpful for you all. If you’re pitching soon, feel free to try out your new short blurbs in the comments. And if you want to put your pitches into action with me, I’ll be taking pitches at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in September. If you can’t make it there, Love Inspired always accepts both agented and unagented submissions year round.

Emily Rodmell and Love Inspired Associate Editors
Elizabeth Mazer and Shana Smith

Bio: Emily Rodmell is an editor for Harlequin’s Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical lines. She is actively looking for new authors (especially romantic suspense authors who can write stories featuring edge-of-your-seat danger and suspense with heart-pounding romance mixed in). For tips on writing and publishing, along with the occasional cute animal picture or NYC slice of life observation, follow her on Twitter @EmilyRodmell

Leave a comment, question or a two-to-three line pitch to be entered into today’s drawings. Seekerville is giving away the following seven bundles of Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical books: 

Georgia Sweethearts, by Missy Tippens 
Yuletide Hearts, by Ruth Logan Herne 
Noah's Sweetheart, by Rebecca Kertz 

Mending the Doctor's Heart, by Tina Radcliffe 
Reunited Hearts, by Ruth Logan Herne 
The Officer’s Secret, by Debby Giusti 

The Bride Wore Spurs, by Janet Dean 
Small-town Hearts, by Ruth Logan Herne 
The Captain’s Mission, by Debby Giusti 

Mended Hearts, by Ruth Logan Herne 
Georgia Sweethearts, by Missy Tippens 
The Colonel’s Daughter, by Debby Giusti 

A Horseman's Hope, by Myra Johnson 
A Family to Cherish, by Ruth Logan Herne 
Baby in His Arms, by Linda Goodnight 

His Mistletoe Family, by Ruth Logan Herne 
Montana Wrangler, by Charlotte Carter 
A Canyon Springs Courtship, by Glynna Kaye

The Lawman's Second Chance, by Ruth Logan Herne
A Canyon Springs Courtship, by Glynna Kaye
The Bride Wore Spurs, by Janet Dean

The coffee's hot and the breakfast bar is open. This morning, we're serving scrambled eggs, hash browns, fruit, pastries, muffins, and grits. Enjoy!

Love Inspired Historical Day in Seekerville With Associate Editor Emily Rodmell

Today Seekerville is celebrating the Love Inspired Historical line.


"Captivating historical romance: love and faith throughout the ages."


Please join us in welcoming Love Inspired Associate Editor Emily Rodmell who was kind enough to agree not only to spending time with us but to judge a Love Inspired Historical pitch contest. Details on that and today's giveaways after our question and answer session with Emily.

What is Love Inspired Historical, and what are you looking for?

Love Inspired Historical is an inspirational historical romance line that publishes books of 70-75K words. We accept all time periods up to World War II. We love Westerns and publish a lot of them, so send them our way. But we’re also really interested in finding a lot of books in different genres and time periods. We’d love to see more Regency, Scottish Highlands, Medieval, missionary, Biblical and other unique settings.

Why submit to Love Inspired Historical?

The Love Inspired franchises have been growing in leaps and bounds over the past few years. Love Inspired went from 4 books a month to 6 a couple years ago, and this year Love Inspired Historical doubled its output from 2 books a month to 4. That means that we need double the amount of authors. We’ve already acquired about 20 new authors since the bump, but we have room for more. LIH is a great place for both published and unpublished authors to submit. We’re one of the few places that doesn’t require an agent, so it’s ideal for new authors with fresh ideas looking for a start. We also can publish our authors multiple times a year. So if you’re published at a house that only wants one book a year from you and want an extra outlet for your work, feel free to send us something. The Love Inspired lines have huge readership numbers that allow you to reach a large number of readers who auto-buy LIH and might not ordinarily pick up your other work.

What are some tips you can give writers targeting LIH?

Read other LIH books and our guidelines to get an idea of what we’re looking for. Then be original. Come up with ideas and plotlines and settings that are your own. Our editorial mantra for the year is “unpredictability”. We want to buy stories that hook us on from the beginning and keep us entertained until the end. We want to see elements that surprise us in a good way. Don’t try to write to a formula. Give us something unique and special that still fits within our guidelines.


What are some examples of recent LIH books that you’ve published that you’re excited about?

Because of all the opportunity for new authors at LIH, I’ve been thrilled to be able to buy some great stories that have recently hit the market. In Lacy Williams’ Marrying Miss Marshal, the heroine is a town marshal in the old West. I loved this story because it was great to see a new take on a woman in a man’s job. In The Reluctant Outlaw by Karen Kirst, the heroine is kidnapped by a gang of outlaws and thinks the hero is one of them. The story keeps you engaged and you can’t beat the hot guy on the cover. And I’ve been thrilled to work on Christine Johnson’s recent series of books set in Michigan in the early 1900s. The hero in the first book (Soaring Home) was a pilot, and the heroine dreamed of being one and wouldn’t back down until he gave her a shot. In her newest book, The Matrimony Plan, a rich heiress thinks she wants the high society guy but finds that a penniless preacher might be the perfect one for her.

Who can acquire for Love Inspired Historical?

Senior Editor Tina James, myself and Elizabeth Mazer are the official members of the LIH team, so we get most of the LIH submissions. But Love Inspired Senior Editor Melissa Endlich and Love Inspired Editorial Assistant Rachel Burkot can also acquire books for LIH.


Melissa Endlich, Emily Rodmell & Rachel Burkot


How does a published author submit to Love Inspired Historical? And may an author writing for another Love Inspired line submit to LIH?

An author published with a different publishing house, should send (or have their agent send) a proposal (synopsis & 3 chapters) to one of the members of the LIH team at 233 Broadway, St. 1001 New York, NY 10279, or if we’re on an email basis with your agent, they can contact us that way. Current LI & LIS authors should contact their editor to discuss if it would be the right move. We prefer that current authors not spread themselves too thin between the lines. So unless you’re able to write a minimum of 2 books a year for each line, try to stick to one specialty.


How does a unpublished author submit to Love Inspired Historical?

Unpublished authors should mail a query letter and synopsis (3 chapters are also acceptable) addressed to one of the members of the LIH team. If we like what we see, we’ll request a full manuscript. So please only query us if you have a full manuscript ready (or almost ready).



Above photo -Joan Marlowe Golan, Tina James & Elizabeth Mazer

The word count for Love Inspired Historical is 70 to 75 thousand words. Is that computer word count? Is there any wiggle room?

That’s computer word count. There’s no wiggle room in the published books, but if you’re slightly over or under at submission, it’s not a deal breaker. We can work to get it at the right number. But my advice would be to submit within the right range.



Your guidelines explain what periods you are looking for but are any time periods saturated? Can you clarify what biblical fiction is and is not?

No time periods are saturated. Westerns are the most popular with readers, so we’re always happy to get those, but we also want to find other unique and interesting settings to bring our readers. The sky’s the limit. Be original. For us, Biblical fiction would probably be the best if it was a fictional character set in Biblical times.


What is the level of sensuality accepted in Love Inspired Historical, and does it vary according to the time period of the book?

Love Inspired Historical books are sweet across the board. When you’re thinking of how sensual you can get, look at it this way. The books should be something that you would be completely comfortable reading and passing along to either your grandmother or your 12-year-old daughter. If it would make you uncomfortable to do so, it’s probably too sexy.


Do you have any POV preferences for Love Inspired Historical?

We require that there be both hero and heroine point of view in any LIH story and prefer not to see additional POVs, but occasionally do make a few exceptions (villains, ect).

What about references to specific religions in reference to historical settings. Is that allowed? How is it handled?

We prefer that specific denominations not be highlighted since we have readers across the spectrum, but it’s handled on a case by case basis. Your best move is to be general.

Thank you, Emily for taking the time to answer all these questions in detail! And check it out, Seekerville made Emily's to do list!!



Bio: Emily Rodmell is the associate editor for Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical. She also coordinates the continuity series for the lines. She is a former Florida girl who lives for sunny days and good books. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyRodmell or on the Harlequin message boards at http://community.harlequin.com/forums/love-inspired/editors-corner-chat-emily-rodmell




Seekerville is thrilled to share a Love Inspired Historical Pitch Contest.

We're keeping this very simple. All pitches will be read by Associate Editor Emily Rodmell. The top two will receive a light critique of a proposal. The contest will run from 10/20/11 through 10/24/2011. Details on the contest tab above. Please note, this contest is open to PUBLISHED AUTHORS as well as UNPUBLISHED AUTHORS. So start practicing your (max) six sentence pitch. Any pitches that are put in the blog comments today will be deleted.


If that isn't enough Seekerville is delighted to share our special giveaways today, made possible by Love Inspired Historical authors and Associate Editor Emily Rodmell. We'll be giving away books and/or prizes every 20 comments until we reach 300 comments. Additionally, one commenter will receive a set of the entire month's LIH releases courtesy of Emily Rodmell.

Winners will be announced in the Weekend Edition, Love Inspired authors and Seekerville authors are not eligible for prizes so their comments will be not be counted. The cutoff for eligible comments is 12 midnight Pacific Coast Time.

Here's a look at our prizes. Be sure to say hi and thank you to these generous Love Inspired Historical Authors!

The following Love Inspired Inspired Historical authors are donating giveaways and will be stopping by to say hi.

• Janet Dean
• Janet Tronstad
• Victoria Bylin
• Debbie Kaufman
• Mary Moore
• Carla Capshaw
• Patty Smith Hall
• Lacy Williams
• Christine Johnson
• Karen Kirst
• Valerie Hansen
• Regina Scott
• Noelle Marchand
• Winnie Griggs

Take a look at these awesome giveaways! Thank you Emily Rodmell, LIH authors and Seekerville.

Click on the Photobucket to peruse the prizes at your leisure!!

Seekerville Welcomes Emily Rodmell!!!

It's a pleasure and honor to have Steeple Hill Assistant Editor Emily Rodmell with us in Seekerville today!

Emily is sharing a lot of great information about publishing and special insider tips on how to catch an editor’s eye. She promises to stop by, as her busy schedule permits, to answer questions and is also providing one lucky winner with a complete set of September Love Inspired Suspense books!

We’ll be doing hourly giveaways from 9 A.M. until 4 P.M. Leave a comment and your email address to be included. The drawing for Emily’s very generous gift of four Love Inspired Suspense books will be held at 5 P.M., and everyone who provides an email address will be eligible to win, including those who may have won earlier in the day.

Emily is a wonderful editor with a knack for knowing how to make a good story even better. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in journalism and also attended the New York University Summer Publishing Institute. Prior to her position at Steeple Hill, she worked at the publisher Scholastic and as a newspaper editor for several daily newspapers. Emily admits that she still misses the sunny Florida weather and lives for summer days she can spend lounging in Central Park with a good book—hopefully, a Seeker book!

Please join me in welcoming Emily to Seekerville...

Happy birthday, Seekerville. My name is Emily Rodmell, and I’m the assistant editor for Harlequin’s three inspirational lines: Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical. I have the pleasure of working with some of the Seeker authors, including Debby Giusti, who asked me to drop by today to talk with you all and to share some details with you about my job and offer some tips on writing for the Love Inspired lines.

At the Love Inspired lines, we currently put out 12 books a month. Love Inspired, which is our contemporary romance line, publishes 6 books a month. Love Inspired Suspense, which is our contemporary romantic suspense line, puts out 4 books a month. And Love Inspired Historical, our historical romance line currently puts out 2 books a month, but we’re very excited that starting in January 2011, the line will be expanding to 4 books a month.

While many people have the perception that the life of an editor is glamorous, we’re really just regular people who go to work every day in an office. We drink lots of coffee (or in my case frappuccinos) and sit at our desks and computers for many hours just like your average accountant or bookkeeper. The only difference is that instead of working with numbers or lists, we have the privilege of working with books. I think most editors would tell you that they love going to work because it’s awesome to get paid for doing something you love--reading. But our jobs entail much more than that.

In any given year, I can be responsible for shepherding 40-50 books through the production process. That includes acquiring the books, figuring out titles, liaising with the art department, working with the author on revisions, editing the book (with occasional help from freelance editors), checking copy edits and typesets and collecting material such as dedications and discussion questions.

I’m also the “continuity coordinator” for all three lines, which means I conceptualize and work with the authors on our popular multi-author series such as: Alaskan Bride Rush, Alaskan Brides, Texas Ranger Justice, Protecting the Witnesses and After the Storm.

All the editors at Harlequin are considered “acquiring editors”. That means a big part of our jobs is acquiring manuscripts that we can publish. Harlequin is a great place for new writers to start out as we’re one of the few publishers that does not require an agent to submit. And the Love Inspired lines are definitely seeking both published and unpublished fresh voices for all three lines. So send us your stories. 

The photo of the Steeple Hill editorial staff (below) was taken at City Hall Park across from the Steeple Hill office. (L to R: Editorial Assistant Rachel Burkot, Assistant Editor Elizabeth Mazur, Senior Editor Melissa Endlich, Executive Editor Joan Marlow Golan, Assistant Editor Emily Rodmell, Senior Editor Tina James)

Last year we acquired 15 new authors across the three lines, and we’ve already topped that number this year. In my years with the company, I’ve brought in 16 new-to-Love Inspired authors and have had the privilege of working with them and the fabulous group of veteran authors I inherited from my predecessors. I’m always looking for the next great manuscript, and it could be yours. If you want to get an idea of what type of books caught my eye and made it out of the slush/contest/author appointment/agent submission piles, check out 15 of those authors’ first books they wrote for us. I’ve listed them below.



• Her Unlikely Family by your very own Missy Tippens. (Missy was the first author I acquired--ever--and will always hold a special place in my heart for that.) Love Inspired.
• Lethal Deception by Lynette Eason for Love Inspired Suspense.
• Killer Cargo by Dana Mentink for Love Inspired Suspense.
• Return to Love by Betsy St. Amant for Love Inspired.
• Dead Ringer by Sharon Dunn for Love Inspired Suspense.
• Double Take by Jenness Walker for Love Inspired Suspense
• Survival Instinct by Rachelle McCalla for Love Inspired Suspense.
• On Wings of Love by Kim Watters for Love Inspired.
• Soaring Home by Christine Johnson (coming Nov. 2010) for Love Inspired Historical.
• Montana Hearts by Charlotte Carter (coming Dec. 2010) for Love Inspired.
• The Unexpected Bride by Debra Ullrick (coming May 2011) for Love Inspired Historical.
• Instant Daddy by Carol Voss (coming May 2011) for Love Inspired.
• Marrying Miss Marshal by Lacy Williams (coming August 2011) for Love Inspired Historical.
• Freezing Point by Elizabeth Goddard (coming October 2011) for Love Inspired Suspense.
• The Outlaw's Secret (tentative title) by Karen Kirst (coming September 2011) for Love Inspired Historical. I had the pleasure of offering Karen her first contract yesterday, so she's very new to the LIH family.

All these books started as a query or a proposal from an author I didn’t know (or their agent) and caught my attention in some way. Books don’t have to be perfect for us to buy them—in fact most manuscripts often need revisions before they’re ready for publication. But a great story and a great voice can trump a few typos or plot issues. I’m always willing to work with writers to fix any issues as long as there is something about the story that really makes me want to keep reading. The only thing that is hard to overcome is a boring manuscript. If I don’t want to keep reading, our readers won’t want to keep reading. So if chapter one doesn’t engage me, I won’t get to chapter two. But if you can inspire me to not be able to put down your book until the end, you’re on your way to a shot at writing for us.

Since so many of you are aspiring writers, I’d like to offer you a few writing tips to help you better target your submissions whether you’re aiming for the Love Inspired lines or for another publisher.

• Read the guidelines and do your homework. This is the most important advice I can give to authors. Our guidelines are available on our website at http://www.eharlequin.com/. If you’re targeting us, or any other publisher for that matter, the first thing you should do before submitting is read the submission guidelines. The second thing is to read the books that the line publishes. I can’t tell you how many submissions I get a year, where it is completely obvious that the submitter has no idea what we publish. We’re a romance imprint. So romance must be the focus of your manuscript. If you send in poetry or literary fiction or a family saga, you’re wasting your time. We’re also an inspirational imprint, so a sexy, paranormal story isn’t going to work for us. Love Inspired Suspense is a romantic suspense imprint, so if you send in a cozy mystery, it won’t work. Reading the books will give you a feel for the tone of any line and should be the first step of any writer who wants to work with us.

• Write what you know. While part of the joy of writing can be living out a fantasy by exploring things that are exciting and outside of the realm of your everyday life, it is important to make sure that you’re knowledgeable about your topics and settings. If you live in a small town in the Midwest, it’s probably not a good idea to set your book in a place like New York City unless you’ve visited extensively (and to be honest, our readers tend to prefer small towns anyway). Or if you’re writing a book about medical professionals, basing your medical setting or actions solely on what you see on Grey’s Anatomy probably isn’t the way to go. Any city or job or setting is going to have its own quirks (and readers who live there or work in that field will be oh so happy to point out your mistakes), so it’s always best to write what you know.

• Write what you love. Your story is going to shine if you’re passionate about it. If you’re trying to write something you don’t like but are doing it because it’s popular, that’s going to show up in your story. We want to see stories that writers love writing, not stories that are simply chasing a popular trend. If you don’t love what you’re writing, neither will readers.

• Be original. The Love Inspired lines are looking for a very specific type of story, but my greatest thrill is finding a story that fits into what we publish, but does it in a unique way. Let me give you some examples from our Love Inspired Suspense line.

In March of 2009, I bought author Rachelle McCalla’s debut book, Survival Instinct. Now Love Inspired Suspense thrives on stories of law enforcement heroes and heroines in danger. It’s the bread and butter of the line, and we have a lot of really talented authors who do that type of story. But I read a lot of them, so when I got a query about an ordinary hero and heroine abandoned on a deserted island who had to find their way back and then unravel a diamond smuggling ring, I took notice. It was a unique idea that still fit into what we published. That got me excited. The same goes for Jenness Walker’s debut LIS Double Take about a heroine who is a cover model for a thriller novel and finds that someone is reenacting the book out on her. And for an example of upcoming, unique editorial from one of our veteran authors, check out Dana Mentink’s book Turbulence, in which the hero and heroine survive a plane crash and find that was the easiest part of their day. The person who caused it won’t give up until he or she finishes them off.

• Make sure your book has a definable plot and hooks. Writers often focus too much on back story and give the actual plot short shrift. Make sure your book has an interesting, compelling conflict that drives the story—something more than just “they meet and fall in love”. If you can’t describe the hooks or essence of your actual story (not the back story) in one or two sentences (like I just did for Survival Instinct, Double Take and Turbulence above), then you probably need to take a hard look at your conflict and plot.

• Do revisions if requested. This might seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a manuscript or proposal that had potential but wasn’t quite there, and I wrote the author a detailed revision letter offering to take a second look at the story if they revised it and then never heard back from them again. I often wondered if they realized how close they could have been to publication. Did they think I was just being polite? If I offer encouragement, it’s because I’m interested in the book. Now this doesn’t guarantee publication. But if one book doesn’t work, maybe the next one will, and building a relationship and showing me that you’re willing to work with us can go a long way. Many people have tackled daunting revisions and gone on to great careers. I bought author Lynette Eason’s first book after telling her to chop 30,000 words off of it. Talk about daunting. But she’s gone on to sell more than a dozen books to us and some to another publisher as well. Revising can pay off.

And since most of Seekerville is published now days and you have a lot of published guests, here are a couple tips for published authors.

• Keep growing in your craft even after you’re published. While it’s awesome to read craft books and attend workshops and have critique partners before you’re published, it’s equally important to be constantly learning and growing after you’re published as well. If you want to have a long career, don’t rest on your laurels. Everyone has room to improve, and the market is always changing. Make sure you’re moving forward instead of standing still.

• Don‘t underestimate the importance of marketing. Often times for a first book, an author will go all out. Blog tours, book signings, newspaper interviews, etc. But by the fifth book, they barely remember to update their website with new information. If you don’t get excited about your books and get out there to promote them, then how can you expect readers to be excited about them? Also, try to think outside the box when it comes to marketing your books. Rather than relying only on book review blogs and online interviews for your marketing plan, also try to get your book in the hands of people who wouldn’t ordinarily read it. For instance, if you live near a military base maybe consider donating books or talking to a group of military spouses about your writing. The same could be said for hospitals, retirement homes, schools or any other number of organizations. Today’s junior high English classes are full of the readers of tomorrow. And personally handing someone a book can be your greatest opportunity for cultivating a lifelong reader.
　
I hope this has been helpful to you all, and I hope that whether you’ve published 15 books or zero that you’ll consider the Love Inspired lines when you write your next manuscript. We’re eagerly awaiting your submissions. I’ll be around today if you have any questions about writing for the Love Inspired lines or about editing or acquisitions in general. I also have a thread on the eHarlequin message boards at http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/steeple-hill/editors-corner-chat-emily-rodmell where I occasionally drop in to answer questions about submitting, so feel free to pop in there if you come up with any questions in the future.

Emily

Thanks, Emily, for being so generous with your time and information. The Seekers and Seeker Friends greatly appreciate you being with us today.

The coffee bar is open courtesy of Starbuck’s and the buffet includes their breakfast treats—Egg Frittata on Artisan Roll, Huevos Rancheros Wrap, Cheese Danish, Blueberry Scones, Banana Nut Loaf and more--so fill your plate and grab a cup of your favorite brew as we chat with Emily.

Be sure to leave a comment and your email to be entered in the hourly drawings -- 9 A.M. to 4 P.M -- with the mega giveaway from Emily of four Love Inspired Suspense books at 5 P.M. A list of the winners will be posted in the Weekend Editon on Sunday!

Contact Seekerville through seekers@seekerville.net, if you are a winner, to provide your snail mail address.  Please note our giveaway rules in the right lower column of Seekerville.