Sally Hanan's Blog, page 18
August 22, 2017
Sending Those Queries
Sending Those Queries
Inksnatcher
I’ve been sending out queries for my latest novel in the hopes of finding an agent to love it. Here’s the summary of responses so far:
8 said it either wasn’t the right fit for them or their agency.
8 responded with not loving it enough or being ready to fight for it:
I just didn’t connect with it the way I had hoped.
I didn’t feel passionately enough about it.
While I enjoyed reading this sample, I am afraid I did not feel enthusiastic enough to take it further.
I did not feel passionate enough about your project.
I am afraid in the current tough market I do have to be completely bowled over by something to take it on, and I’m afraid I didn’t feel quite this strongly about your work.
I do not feel it is something we could place successfully in the current publishing climate.
I did not feel quite gripped enough by the opening chapters of your work to absolutely fall in love with your concept.
It just doesn’t quite grab my imagination in the way that it must for me.
3 said nice things like
Much to admire, and
There is an awful lot I like about it, and
We all thought your writing was heartfelt and fluid.
2 gave me great feedback which has helped me revise the MS (manuscript).
We felt that the quickly moving passage style in which the work was written made it too difficult for us to connect properly with the characters in the way we would need to in order to offer representation. We wish you the very best of luck with placing your work elsewhere, and would love it if you would send any future work in to us for consideration.
I have read your material, and the story is an engaging one. The synopsis certainly suggests a relatable, emotional roller-coaster. Una is a wonderful, lively narrator, but I found myself less concerned with Ellie’s perspective and wonder if the story would be better served by a single narrator, especially as they are sisters and it would be difficult to get much of a distinction between their separate voices.
I still have many more agents to query, but so far it’s been an enlightening experience, and I hope yours is too. Good luck!
March 31, 2017
Agent requested full MS!
Ireland. 1980s. Seventeen and pregnant, Una Gallaher had to leave home to protect her unborn child. Now she’s found a new life for herself and her son up in Dublin, but all her heart really longs for is home, and it doesn’t help when she discovers the boy’s father she still loves is now dating her sister. Can she push past her shame and longing and give her son what he needs most—his father?
January 31, 2017
Choosing Your Book Formatting Designer
Choosing Your Book Formatting Designer
Inksnatcher
While your cover is the most important part of your book, the interior is the second. Here’s what you can expect at each price level:
$0 A design template with the template’s chosen fonts, footnote style, and images
CreateSpace offers a decent selection. If you’re not very familiar with Word, it can take a while to get the hang of it, but when your budget it low, it’s better than trying to do your own formatting in Word alone. Choose the book size you want and good luck.
$50-$60 A pre-designed template that’s well thought out
I like this choice because you know exactly what you’re going to get, and you can buy it to use in Word, InDesign, etc. One template works for all sizes and eBooks. A lot of my clients have me drop the manuscript into this for them.
$180-$250 A designer will create an interior layout just for you
Fiverr has plenty of designers, usually in other countries, who can do a good job. Your manuscript will probably be dropped into a template they’ve already created for other clients. Prices seem to run at about $1/page, and you get to chose your designer based on portfolios and reviews. Write book layout design into the search box.
$600-&1,000 A custom-designed layout by a professional graphic designer
This is hands down my favorite choice, because you get exactly what you want and no one else will have anything like it. Obviously it’s pricey, but sometimes you’ll find a graphic designer starting out who needs a good portfolio, or someone who is wiling to barter. Here’s an interior my favorite designer did:
If you’d like any further advice or suggestions, feel free to contact me.
January 16, 2017
Choosing Your Book Cover Designer
Choosing Your Book Cover Designer
Inksnatcher
We all want the most gorgeous book cover available, but we’re usually constrained by our budget. Here’s a list of what you can expect at each price level:$0 A design template that you fill in with your chosen image(s) and colors
CreateSpace offers a decent selection. The problem with this option is that writers don’t usually have the eye it takes to create a cover that looks professional.
$50-$100 A single stock photo with colors and fonts matching the colors in the stock photo
Fiverr has plenty of designers, usually in other countries, who can do a good job. I’d recommend this over doing your own with the free template. Some are as low as $30, and you get to chose your designer based on portfolios and reviews.
$200-300 A pre-designed cover that’s then filled in with your choice of fonts and colors
I like this choice because you know exactly what you’re going to get. You can pay a smaller amount if you’re willing to use one others might use as well, but you can pay extra to make it excursively yours.
$600-&1,000 A custom-designed cover by a professional graphic designer
This is hands down my favorite choice, because you get exactly what you want and no one else will have anything like it. Obviously it’s pricey, but sometimes you’ll find a graphic designer starting out who needs a good portfolio, or someone who is wiling to barter. Here’s a cover my favorite designer did:
If you’d like any further advice or suggestions, feel free to contact me.
December 29, 2016
Reviews for Inksnatcher
Reviews for Inksnatcher
Inksnatcher
I’ve been on Thumbtack for a while now and have some great reviews, so I thought I’d share them with you. You can also click through.
Arethia R.“She is one awesome lady. She helped produce my first book and took it to a new level of excellence. She went over and beyond what I expected, and then some. We had kinks to work out in the beginning and it taught me a lot! Thank you for being a part of bringing to fruition, my dream, my gift, from God! My book Words from My Father is a joy to present to the world! The next one will be easier! Thank you again. I wish God’s blessings on your life!”
June 17, 2016 | Arman A.
“Sally is an A+ editor and copywriter. I’m so glad I met her and have developed an awesome, ongoing relationship with her. My favorite thing about Sally is the speed of her work, and her willingness to get it right. In a world of under-delivering, that’s invaluable.”
May 20, 2016 | Jonathan F.
“As a first time author, I knew almost nothing about the process. Inksnatcher gave me help with every part of the process and made it easy, even the things I didn’t know I needed help with! Very fast and very affordable! Highly recommend!”
May 20, 2016 | Shane S.
“My writing skills did not come easy and required patience and persistence. Thankfully Sally was the one to support these. Sally fueled the momentum needed to wrestle with such a lofty skillset. For someone who wants to write, the space to grow into the writer envisioned is equally as important as writing itself, if not more. Sally was this for me..”
May 17, 2016 | Miles O.
“I brought Sally in a bit late in the process of publishing my first novel. While I had a good editor already, I’m a firm believer in having multiple sets of eyeballs involved. Sally caught a number of things we had missed. She also hooked me up with an amazing designer (interior and cover) she works closely with. My first novel is far better for Sally’s involvement. Her rates are reasonable and she’s worth every bit of what she charges, and then some.”
May 16, 2016 | Richard H.
“I’ve worked with people in the past on various projects; however, I have never worked with someone that exhibited the professionalism, timely responses and attention to detail as Sally. I can’t express enough gratitude for her contributions and years on insight to ensure my book represents my best work. There are a lot of people that edit; however if you desire someone that will be the difference between acceptable and greatness, look no further than Sally.”
May 16, 2016 | Robert G.
“Sally of Inksnatcher was able to get to work editing my book quickly. Going through the self-publishing process is very intimidating the first time around, and I was overwhelmed. She did a nice job editing, but I needed a lot more than that. She was able to provide whatever I needed with her knowledge and experience about all aspects of writing and publishing a book. She also has people available to help with cover design, and anything you need really. She always provided a quick turnaround on the many questions I asked. She guided me through all aspects of publishing my first book, which was a big help, and she is easy to work with.”
December 14, 2016
New Review for My Short Stories
New Review for My Short Stories
Inksnatcher
New review for my short stories:
Good things come in small packages. This collection of short stories may be small, but each one shows insight and packs a powerful punch. Some make you smile, some tear you up, and some you walk away from with wisdom you didn’t have before. Well worth your time. You can read one at a time and savor or devour all in one sitting like I did — because you can’t stop.
Paperback $8.97 https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Box-stories-Sally-H…/…/B00OBYAYNO
eBook temporarily free: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1912
November 13, 2016
Keeping Track of the Week’s Work
Keeping Track of the Week’s Work
Inksnatcher
If I were to generalize levels of focus based on personality types, I’d say most writers get distracted easily while editors are more likely to stay focused on the job at hand. Most of us work from home these days and run every aspect of our business(es), which adds to the need to multitask and forget nothing. Keeping track takes effort. Here’s what I’ve come up with to help me stay focused.
Notepad
This gem has been invaluable, and I can’t survive without it anymore. I usually get to use one page for two weeks, and there’s space at the bottom for more random things I need to do — like update a paragraph on my site or mark the time it took me to do a sample edit for a future client.
Google Calendar
On top of noting the day and time in my notepad, I also enter appointments and deadlines into Google calendar. There’s a space to the right of the event in which you can enter the email of the person you are meeting with. When you save, it asks if you’d like to send that person an invite, and that way it gives them a reminder as well.
It works with my e-mail servers nicely, and I have it set up to remind me the day before and thirty minutes before each event.
Microsoft Outlook
While I’m a big fan of Chrome, I’ve used mostly Outlook for years. I have eight e-mail accounts set up on it from three different servers, and I see new e-mails quickly thanks to the notification bar. The layout is clean and it’s easy to find old and sent messages.
Hours Tracker
This app is a delight to use. It’s free to download and use for up to five clients, and after that you can upgrade to whatever level of service you need. For any job I just I hit start and can pause it at any time.
At the end of the week, it tells me how many hours and minutes are spent on each project, and it also calculates the amount in decimals, which makes invoicing that much easier.
With all the things I need to remember hour by hour, the digital helps are great, but my go-to is the paper pad. It’s like reading a printed book vs reading on a Kindle — a delightful experience.
October 13, 2016
My Whole Life – It’s Alright
My Whole Life – It’s Alright
Inksnatcher
Most of the time I’m well aware of how much of my day is wrapped up in a few inches of electronics, but it was only when it was taken away from me for three days that I realized just how much I’m immersed in my world of words. My laptop almost died, but we brought it back to life. 
June 16, 2016
Delete Pending Spam
Delete Pending Spam
Inksnatcher
Website Maintenance
I’ve been a little more faithful in my website maintenance lately, but one of the things bothering me was my pending comments folder. It was full of spam — over 60,000 comments — and I didn’t want to delete 12 of them at a time, as you can imagine….
Thankfully, I found the answer here.
Thank you, Raymond.
