Q&A with Filmmaker Frances Negrón-Muntaner

I'm thrilled to share with you this Q&A with award-winning filmmaker and author Frances Negrón-Muntaner, which, due to her incredibly busy schedule, has been a long-time coming.  I am eternally grateful to you, Frances, for having scraped the few spare moments you had together in order to answer these questions!

From Negrón-Muntaner's website: 

Frances Negrón-Muntaner is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and scholar. Born in Puerto Rico to a family of academics, Negrón-Muntaner’s work spans several fields, including cinema, literature, cultural criticism, and politics. Her education anticipates these various interests: She obtained a Bachelor’s in sociology at the University of Puerto Rico (1986), then a Masters in film and anthropology at Temple University, Philadelphia (1991, 1994), and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Rutgers University, New Brunswick (2000). For her work as a scholar and filmmaker, Negrón-Muntaner has received Ford, Truman, Scripps Howard, Rockefeller, and Pew fellowships. Major foundations and public television funding sources have also supported her work.

Since the late 1980s, Negrón-Muntaner’s work has been considered an important resource in addressing sexuality, colonialism, nationalism, and migration in Puerto Rican/Latino diasporic communities. In 1994, she released the award-winning film Brincando el charco: Portrait of a Puerto Rican (1995 Whitney Biennial, Audience Award at the 1995 San Juan CinemaFest and a Merit Selection at the 1995 Latin American Studies Association Film Festival), the first Puerto Rican film to examine issues of race, gender and homophobia in the context of migration. Three years later, Negrón-Muntaner co-edited the groundbreaking Puerto Rican Jam: Rethinking Colonialism and Nationalism, a collection that questioned the accepted formula that nationalism was the cure of colonialism. During the same year, she wrote the first draft of what was to become “The Radical Statehood Manifesto,” a political intervention that sought to challenge conventional ideas of sovereignty in the Caribbean. In 2004, Negrón-Muntaner published Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture (CHOICE Award 2004), a collection of essays that included “Jennifer’s Butt,” a landmark text for the discussion of contemporary U.S. popular culture.

Negrón-Muntaner has also contributed to the founding of programs and institutions to disseminate the work of Latino filmmakers and intellectuals. She is the founder of Miami Light Project's Filmmakers Workshop, the organizer/fundraiser of several conferences on Puerto Rican/Latino affairs, and a founding board member and former chair of NALIP, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

During her three-year tenure as NALIP's board chair, Negrón-Muntaner actively participated in the creation of the organization’s signature programs (the annual conference, Latino Producers Academy, and Latino Writers Lab). She has also been part of the leadership responsible for the organization’s transformation from a startup operation with a few hundred members in 1999 into the country’s most important Latino producer organization, with over a thousand members and a $1 million budget. For her work as a filmmaker, advocate, and scholar, she was named as one of the nation’s "100 Most influential Latinos" by Hispanic Business in 2005.

Negrón-Muntaner currently teaches at Columbia University's Department of English and Comparative Literature and at the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. She divides her time between Miami and New York City.

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NB: What are the different approaches you take to write your prose, poetry and narrative work?  Do you step into a different persona for each, do they reflect different parts of your personality? Do you have different writing habits for each?

FN-M: Yes, I think different media touch different parts of me. My most successful poetry and prose are concerned with what we can call the insides of me. My essays and films, however, tend to be about broader social themes. Over time, I have also developed different rhythms.  When I started writing, for instance, I would write poetry every day and occasionally write essays. Now I write essays almost every day and poetry on occasion.

NB: How do you know when your poetry is ready to go out into the world? Do you rely on critiques? If so, do you rely on the same set of eyes/ears, or do your reviewers change from work to work?

FN-M: First I read the poem out loud. If it stirs me in an interesting way, I have my partner read it. I consider her a great reader because she can actually pinpoint when the poem lost her. So, I focus on what made her stop reading and I go back to that place in the text. Once I have another version I ask my partner to read it again. She then usually says that the text is perfect but I don't always believe her!

In time, I realized that this was the case because when I ask others to read my work, I am not asking for approval. Rather, I am hoping to discover new ways to tackle my own insatisfaction.

NB: What is your process for working with an editor? Is it a close relationship? Is it the same for writing and film-making?

FN-M: In contrast to almost everyone I know, I like to work closely with tough print editors that literally mess with my work. For example, it is helpful to me when an editor changes a word or a paragraph even if I end up returning to my initial phrasing. This unsettling allows me to read the text with fresh eyes and at times makes me a more articulate defender of my choices. But finding these editors is extremely hard as many people increasingly feel that writing does not require that kind of dialogue.

My relationship with film editors can be more combative. With film I immediately know how I feel about a sequence and why it may not be working. At that point, it doesn't really matter what editors say! Although, at the end, the final film is almost always the result of a much closer collaboration than when I work on a book.

NB: Do you ever listen to your gut and ignore editorial suggestions?
FN-M: All the time. When writing in English, sometimes an editor will tell me that a turn of phrase is not written in the English language. Similarly, a Spanish-language editor will correct a word saying it's not proper Spanish. I sometimes ignore this.

NB: How is the process of film-making different or similar to writing?  Does it have elements of each, poetry, prose and narrative?  Or is it a beast all it's own?

FN-M: Writing is like fighting demons on your own and filmmaking is like leading a battalion into war.



NB: Which language do you work most comfortably in? English or Spanish?  How do you determine which language you will work in?

FN-M: Context, circumstances, and desire; it all depends on who is asking and whom I would like to address.

NB: What are your thoughts on rejections, negative feedback? How do you handle it?

I was asked this once before and I had answered: "When I receive any harsh critique I am like a village hit by a hurricane: Devastation, reconstruction and renewal." Now I do not really see criticism as devastating. It is more of an opportunity to think otherwise.

NB: Looking back, what do you think was the biggest mistake you made when you were starting out as a writer?

FN-M: To believe that writing is about my self-expression. It's really about enabling others.

NB: What words of advice do you wish you had received when you were first starting out?

Fn-M: To see differently is more important than to write perfectly. Although I don't think that I would have listened.

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Q&A with Editorial Consultant Marcela Landres

Marcela Landres

Author of the e-book "How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You"

http://www.marcelalandres.com/E-book.html 

When I became committed to my journey to publication, one of the first "book people" I heard about was Marcela Landres.  As a former editor at Simon & Schuster, publisher of the award-winning ezine Latinidad, and through learning about her editing expertise first hand by reading her phenomenal ebook "How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You", Marcela quickly rose to the top of the ranks of people publishing whom I greatly admire.

When I found Landres on twitter, I was looking for an editor to assist me on the polishing of my middle grade novel that I had "finished".  Through the wonderful thing which is social media, I reached out to Landres about editing my work.  Although I was extremely disappointed to find out that Landres does not handle middle grade (she works with YA and up) I decided to ask her if she would consider answering some questions for Musings.

I have to admit, Marcela Landres was by far the most intimidating person I've reached out to so far in my work at Musings--and if you've been reading this blog for some time, you've undoubtedly seen that I've been lucky to have many incredibly talented and powerful people participate in interviews and guest posts in this blog.  Why was approaching Marcela Landres so intimidating to me? I don't know yet...it's something I'll have to reflect upon.  However, in reality, Marcela Landres was one of the most generous, kind, and open individuals I have interviewed for this blog, and I'm thrilled to share some of her insights into publishing, agents and editors with you now.  I'll shortly be posting a review about her ebook, but until then, if you are serious about becoming a published writer, purchasing this book will be the best $10 investment you've made in your career (yes, even more so than that moleskine notebook).

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Q: Marcela, can you walk us through the publishing process for a writer?

A: Great question! It would take me hours to properly answer it, though. My best advice is to read The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book: Everything You Need to Know in the Order You Need to Know It by Susan Page. After reading it, you will have a realistic understanding of the publishing process. Every writer--even published authors--should read it.

Q: In your opinion, are writers at a disadvantage if they deal with publishers without the assistance of an agent? 

A: Yes. There are several reasons why writers should have an agent, primarily because publishing companies can and do pay smaller advances to unagented authors than to authors who have agents. I can’t tell you exactly how much less money you’ll make without an agent, but I assure you it will be less than what you and your book is worth. 

Q: What services can a writer can expect when working with an editor, and conversely what should raise red flags for a writer?

A: It depends. If you mean an editor at a publishing house, the kind of relationship you will have is often defined by the size of the publishing company and by the company’s expectation of how profitable your book will be. 

At the larger houses, very few authors--the Dr. Phils and Stephenie Meyers of the world--are expected to be hugely profitable. Those authors are given the lion’s share of the publisher’s time, energy, and promotional budget. All other authors will receive, comparably speaking, a minimal amount of handling. In terms of the writing itself, expect your big house editor to invest a weekend of two of her time editing your manuscript; manuscripts that require more substantial editing are usually rejected. 

At the smaller houses, every author is likely to receive much more time and energy than the average author is given at a larger house. The trade-off, however, is that the smaller houses have less money with which to promote your book. On the plus side, editors at smaller houses are more likely to work with you to properly edit your manuscript. Having said this, many talented writers whose sales are too modest for large houses are being snapped up by smaller houses. This is great for small house editors who have their pick of a larger pool of top-notch manuscripts; this is not so great for those of you whose manuscripts need more than a light polish to be ready for publication. 

Alternatively, if you’re really asking what writers can expect from working with a freelance editor, the services are defined by the editor’s experience. There are a lot of freelance editors, but very few of them have worked in the book business, and even fewer have worked in the editorial department of a publishing company. A good editor should not only help you hone your writing craft, she or he should also offer concrete guidance on how to manage your writing career. Reputable freelance editors should have experience:

     1. Working for a book publishing company, not a magazine or newspaper or their school’s literary  journal.

     2. As an acquisitions editor (as opposed to a managing editor, production editor, or any other kind of editor who has not actually acquired books).

     3. Editing the kind of book you’re writing.
 For example, if you write children’s books, the ideal editor would be someone who was an acquisitions editor at a publishing company that published children’s books, and/or has a track record of editing children’s book writers who have gone on to be published.

A freelance editor’s web site should clearly indicate his or her experience and areas of expertise. If not, proceed with caution.

Marcela Landres is the author of the e-book How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You, publishes the award-winning e-zine Latinidad, and is an Editorial Consultant who helps writers get published by editing their work and educating them on the business side of publishing. A member of the Women’s Media Group, she has acted as a judge for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, and was formerly an editor with Simon & Schuster. For more information, visit http://www.marcelalandres.com/

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A Q&A with Executive Director and CEO of LATiSM: Kety Esquivel

Kety Esquivel has over fifteen years of experience in the non‐profit, private and political sectors. Kety graduated from Cornell University where she served on the Board of Trustees. While at Cornell, she organized students to defend issues as varied as financial aid and need-blind admissions to the environment. Her work has taken her to China and Ethiopia with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, she has worked as the New Media Manager for the National Council of Lar Raza (NCLR), and she is a published author and founder of CrossLeft.org. Her commentary has been featured and quoted in stories for the Wall St. Journal Online, HITN, PBS, XM radio, Democracy Now, CNN, Televisa and Univision.  She blogs at her personal blog and at Huffington Post.  She is the Executive Director and CEO of Latinos in Social Media (LATISM).


It's an honor for me to have had the opportunity to interview Kety.  She is a source of great inspiration and is one of the most supportive people I have come across in social media.  (Follow her on twitter).  

This interview has been underway for a while, and I truly feel fortunate that Kety was able to squeeze a little bit of time for this interview between attending the People's World Conference for Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia, organizing the first ever Latinos in Technology and Media MeetUp at SXSW, and getting married, oye! 

Enjoy! 
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You have so many incredible projects going on--how do you keep yourself on track, organized and coherent so that your energy is well-directed and productive? 

Thank you Nilki!  I try to contribute my grain of sand.  I was raised by a phenomenal mother who did it all.  By trade she was a school teacher.  When she came to this country she worked her way up from the mail room to the purchasing department in a Fortune 100 company; and then when she came home each night she took care of her two daughters and her very traditional though ideologically progressive Latino man.  Folks always wondered where she got all the energy to do everything she did.  I guess I'm lucky in that I've taken after her in that way.  What keeps me on track, organized and coherent so that my energy is well-directed and productive is keeping my eye on the prize and not sweating the small stuff.  Whenever I find myself going off track, I just remember why I do the work I do and then it all seems to fall into place, almost magically.   I recently came across the following quote by Thomas Jefferson and it rings pretty true to me, "I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."  I work hard and try and work smart. 

How do you organize your daily activities and thoughts into writing?

 

I email myself any and all ideas.  I find that burst of creativity and inspiration come at me/to me in the most random of times so I am thrilled that I have a blackberry/computer on me constantly. 

I find that having the discipline to sit down and write is both the biggest challenge and the biggest gift.  Once I am sitting at the computer and doing it, the words flow.  It's like being in the zone.  Also, for me writing is an iterative process.  An idea will come and I will flesh it out bit by bit.  It takes time and dedication.  Having a deadline often helps me too.  Without deadlines things continue to shift to the bottom of the pile/long list of to-dos and for better or worse, I have a lot of those. 

My father is a poet, very prolific, composing three or so poems per sleepless night.  Perhaps that's where I get the writer gene from.  I love it and honestly wish I had more time to write in different genres.  I have several ideas of books which are works in progress and I've been meaning to get back to poetry for a while now.  The challenge as with all else is simply finding the time.  

What are the key ingredients for creating high-quality journalistic content?

 

I'd say there are three key ingredients in this recipe: 

#1- staying abreast of what is happening;  

#2- not being afraid to bring your voice to the table; 

#3- being passionate about conveying your message, whatever that is.   

It takes courage to put yourself out there, especially in this day and age when the feedback comes back to you the way that it does, completely unfiltered and public.  In many ways we are living in the wild west where many times anything goes.  Though I am at heart and always will be a citizen blogger, my time working for a communications shop in a DC organization probably helped to round me out a bit too.  I say a bit because now that I am no longer with them I have in many ways reverted back to my natural style. 

I think in journalism, as in almost every other profession, networking and finding a mentor is so crucial for success.  How did you get started in creating your network? How do you recommend new writers build their networks if they don't have the Graduate school platform or funds for conferences?

I was raised to believe that it is important to help your neighbor.  I certainly have been the recipient of good will and several opportunities from peers and mentors who have helped to guide me on the road to success and it has been my hope to do the same for others.  

I think it's very important to see the worth in others work and share with them resources, knowledge and opportunities that you might have and which they might not. There were folks who came before me who shared those resources, knowledge and opportunities with me and it is my hope to be able to do the same for others every chance that I can.    

If there is one piece of advice that I would give to young writers it would be to not be afraid and to ask for what you want or need and be persistent about it.  The worse that can happen is that you get a no and then you are no worse off than when you began.   Conferences are very important; I'm not talking about merely going to them but actually speaking at them and setting yourself up as an expert and presenting.

At Latinos in Social Media we know that there are many Latinos and Latinas who have the chops to be experts on panels, speakers, etc it's just a question of them getting the chance to do so. These are the opportunities that we are aiming to create. The statistics prove that we are the content producers. It is time for us to stop being humble about it and to step into that tremendous gift that we've been given and share it courageously with others. 

What did you have to overcome, in terms of the craft, or art, of writing to be where you are as a writer today?  Is there anything you are still working on, that you are consciously trying to improve? 

I think I will always be a work in progress and the same is true for my writing.  I would like to be able to write faster, less drafts and be more prolific.  If I could live as my father does and never sleep, that would be helpful too, though my partner, Rich, might protest at the thought of that. Rich has been very helpful and supportive and in truth without him, I probably could not have done everything that I have as a writer. 

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Thanks again to Kety, and if you'd like to hear her one big piece of advice to writers, sign up to receive our newsletter which includes advice to writers, news about up-coming book tours, audio interviews and more! Sign up now!

Q&A with Author Johnny Diaz

Author, Boston Globe media writer, and Emerson College journalism professor, Johnny Diaz has carved out a niche in fiction based on his personal experiences as a professional, thirty-something, Cuban-American, gay man living in Boston ("one of the few but proud").  His books include Boston Boys Club, Miami Manhunt and BeanTown Cubans. 

Just recently, Johnny Diaz was awarded an Outstanding Alumni award for the Literary Arts from Miami Dade College.

Somewhere within the whirlwind of receiving awards, publishing, reporting and teaching, Johnny Diaz  recently found some time to answer a Q&A for Musings' readers.

Congratulations on all your success, Johnny, and welcome to Musings!

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Can you tell us a little bit about your writing routine? 

Since I write several news stories a week for The Boston Globe (where I'm a Business reporter) I find that I am constantly writing in one form or another. For the creative writing, I squeeze time during the day, late at night or on the weekends. I usually try to write a chapter in one sitting and then spend that week revising it. Journalism has taught me to be a fast writer so that has helped my fiction writing. So my routine is to write when I can but not to force it either. Let it come gradually. But usually when I start, I can't stop for a good hour or so.

How do you manage your ideas? (do you keep a journal, take notes)

I constantly email myself ideas for scenes, nice phrases or if I don't have a pen handy, I call my work voicemail and leave a message. (This usually happens after a few drinks.) When I return to work after the weekend, I find that I have all these messages - from myself. Then I write down the ideas.  I also scribble some thoughts on a notepad I keep handy during my daily travels.  All the above methods work for me even though they are a bit quirky.

What sort of thoughts and feelings go through your mind when your books are released?

I smile outwardly and inwardly with pride. Whenever I go to a bookstore and see one of my books (or all three) in the fiction section, I find myself scratching my head and thinking "Did I really write these?"   It's a similar feeling that I get when I see one of my stories published in The Boston Globe. I think to myself, "Did I really write that?"  It can be surreal on both fronts.

Do you ever have a sense of fear/nervousness when you begin a new novel?
 Not at all. I look at the blank computer screen and immediately imagine another world. I don't know if it's a creative spirit but something guides me and helps me summon the words, the scenes, and the characters. I've never been able to explain this behind-the-scenes process well. I feel as if the universe sends me these little gifts that propel the writing. I also can't predict when this happens. It's completely spontaneous and whatever appears on the screen is inspired by what happened to me that day. I usually have a general mental outline for a novel but it changes as the writing flows.

Many writers, especially at first, hit a roadblock-how do you overcome the dreaded writer's block?
There is no short cut. You just do it. The same goes for working out and hiking. No one can do it for you. I just plow ahead and write with the same effort as I do when I hike outside of Boston or lift weights. I don't believe writer's block exists. If you're not feeling what you're writing, walk away or then come back to it or read one of your favorite authors and your creative juices will begin to flow again.

Besides writing fiction, you also work as a media reporter for The Boston Globe's Business section, and before that, in Miami as a reporter for The Miami Herald, were you shared in the 2000 Pulitzer award coverage of the federal seizure of Elian Gonzalez and covered some of the biggest breaking stories in South Florida, such as the Gianni Versace murder. Do you find that there is a common thread between journalism and fiction writing?

There was a common thread when I wrote more features stories because I could use my writer's voice (setting a scene, harnessing my eye for details and telling a story) and that complemented my fiction writing. But with my Business stories, I find I can't really use my senses because I am limited by space. The focus is news, the facts and getting to the point fast. It's more formulaic. I am finding that the fiction writing has become more of a creative outlet for me lately.
 

Do you read reviews of your work?

Never! (Just kidding)  I have Google alerts on each of my books so I know when a review is posted somewhere in cyberspace. I can't resist reading them but I've learned in recent years that reviews say more about the reviewer than the author so I have developed a thicker skin. I don't take the criticisms personally but I do try to find a common thread in all of them and strive to improve on that.

Who do you read? Who are your biggest influences?

I have been a loyal follower of Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, who wrote the NYTIMES bestseller The Dirty Girls Social Club and several novels after. (Alisa and I have similar backgrounds - we're both Cuban-American writers, we've both been features writers at The Boston Globe and we write about characters that are trying to find their place professionally and personally.) So she has been a big literary influence on me.  But I also enjoy reading Nicholas Sparks (I have all his books in my bookcase at home) as well as Danielle Steel. (My friends relentlessly tease me about this.)

I enjoy reading romance, love stories and books about the power of friendship. (I also enjoy the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.)   In the past two years, I've also become a reader of the late E. Lynn Harris.  I feel a literary kinship with him. Just as he has provided a mirror of gay and middle-class black America, I've tried to do the same with gay Latinos in the US.

Are there any words of advice or wisdom that you wish you had received when you first started out in your writing career?

Write what you want to write. If you're looking to get published, I would suggest looking at what genres sell and continue to grow because this is a business and books aren't published for charity. I wrote my first book purely for me (it was more therapeutic if anything.) I never thought it would be published until my friends encouraged me to send it out. I just felt good that I had finished a novel.  Having it published surpassed my wildest expectations. and then the others followed. But again, I wrote it for myself. 

Please tell us about your work.  What are you currently working on? 

I am almost done with my fourth novel, which follows a Boston college writing professor who has trouble dating because he feels like the old dog at the bars even though he's 35. He juggles his classes and looking for that special guy while his father grows sicker in Fort Lauderdale from Parkinson's. The father and son heal their old wounds as they take part in a special dance class for people with Parkinson's. Unlike my other novels, this book has one narrator so it's truly his story.

It's so wonderful to have met you, Johnny.  Thank you for your generosity.

De nada! :) Thank you for the interest in my writing.

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To get a sense of Johnny's sense of humor and writing style, check out this post where he interviews his main character from Boston Boys Club and Beantown Cubans, Boston reporter Tommy Perez:

 

http://beantowncubanito.blogspot.com/2009/04/interview-with-tommy-perez.html

Check out this review for his second book, Miami Manhunt (not bad, Johnny!):

"The excellent Johnny Diaz has produced another hilarious arresting novel about that most impossible of all quests: finding love, true love, in Miami."--Juno Díaz, New York Times bestselling author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

On Self-Publishing with Lulu: Q&A with Alexandra Román de Hernández

Alexandra Román de Hernández likes to describe herself as a mother, wife, friend, writer.  Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and a graduate from the University of Puerto Rico (Cayey Campus), Román de Hernández became a "home executive" which she prefers to the title of housewife, after the birth of her first child.  It was at this point that "Las letras and the love for fiction" became her passion.

 Her independently published title, El Valle De La Inspiración (The Valley of Inspiration) is a young-adult fantasy novel about a young writer who travels to Egypt in search of the legendary Valley of Inspiration to regain her muse.  The following is a summary of the book from the author:

Within the land of the pharaohs there is a place known as the cradle of all inspiration and the home of wisdom. Egyptian poets for centuries have tried to find it, to get from it eternal inspiration, but only a few have found, as evidenced by the recent discovery of a tomb in the Valley of the Queens. The hieroglyphics narrates the journey of a young prince poet, who became one of the most acclaimed poets of his era. This finding gives hope to Nailah, a young writer who after the death of her father, who was a famous author and her inspiration, enters a depression that inhibits her writing. Accompanied by her best friend and an Egyptologist, Nailah travels to Egypt to find the Valley of Inspiration, as archaeologists call it. But first, she must find the followers of the ancient Egyptian religion, who are the only ones that can lead her to the valley. 

           

I recently caught up with Alexandra and asked her about her own journey through self-publication.

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It is incredibly hard to publish a book in Spanish in the US.  Did you contact US publishing houses with Spanish imprints at all with your manuscript or did you decide to self-publish from the beginning?

I sent my manuscript to local publishing houses here in PR (Puerto Rico), waited for a response for over a year and since none was given, I decided then to self-publish.



Did you know anything about independent publishing before you jumped in? What kind of research did you do?

No, I did lots of research trough the Internet; it took me approximately two month to actually make the decision based on my research and my findings. I went crazy with it! I look for experiences of fellow writers, comments, opinions, articles comparing sites, anything I could get my hands on. The experience was really good; I took a risk and went with it. 



Why did you choose Lulu as your publisher among all the other independent publishers out there?

It offered some amenities I needed, like for example I wanted to design my own cover and they offered it free of charge. Also, it reaches a wide group of Spanish readers both in America and in Europe. Thru them, I was able to buy my ISBN and also sell the book in Amazon International, Barnes and Nobles and others.



What was the experience like? What was required of you? 
 
At the beginning I had to get acquainted with the system, when I did, which I had previously done with a book I uploaded with them (La dama de Israel: La historia de Judith, a play). After that, it was a breeze! The difference with Lulu and other companies that offer self-publishing, is that you have to do everything yourself. The overall look of the inside and outside of the book, the marketing and promotion, etc. It feels really invigorating to actually to something so ambitious, and have an inside look at all the work publishing houses go through. 



Did you hire an editor before you published or does Lulu offer editorial services?

They do offer editorial services for a fee not included in the package you buy for your ISBN and to be on the internet sites. I actually got in touch with a friend for the editing of the book, and got a bad experience! My advice is hire one.



What services does Lulu offer?

They offer different packages for your convenience. Some include buying your own ISBN; getting one they own; appearing on sites like Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, etc.; other packages with editing and more. In their site you will find them and they have good information on them. If not satisfied with it, you can visit their blogs and read what other have to say or ask questions.

 

Have you had to do all of your marketing and distribution yourself?

Yes, they don’t do that for you, unless, like everything, you buy a marketing package. I did a blog tour that consisted of Spanish speaking readers and interviews in English on Latino sites. I loved it, its lots of work, but worth it. 



What have been your most successful marketing campaigns?

The Internet campaigns are a great tool. For you not only get the local readers, also international ones. I got the chance to meet great people and colleagues, some of them I’m still in contact with and are helping me with my second book.



What have you learned from this experience that you wish you had known from the very beginning?

Not to be so trusting. It got me into some disappointing moments, but what can I say, you learn from the experiences. And the literary world is a rough one.

 

What was your experience with E-publishing? Did you find it straightforward or were there certain pitfalls writers should be aware of?

I will advise that if you have the money to actually get a PR (publicity manager), do it. They know things that even with all the research you’ll do; there will be some areas that you’ll miss. But always look for information, the more the better, so you know what you’re stepping into. They are many successful stories out there of authors who self-publish, and cherish the experience and will do it again.


What are you working on next?

I’m working on a fiction book that takes place in this time, but with characters that are ancient. For now all I can say is that it will be divided in two parts, one of them and that will be the first part, is the story of the antagonists, and the second, the main characters. The story is the struggle between these two, and the desire of the antagonists-immortals to be recognized as the beings above all beings, for they were created perfect by the main characters. I also created a new language based on the Taíno, that’s still a work in progress for it grows with the story. They actually complement each other! The title will change, but I call it, for now, “The Masters of the Elements”.



Will you consider self-publishing again?  If so, what (if anything) will you do differently?

Like I did in the first one, I will try traditional publishing first, then if that does not work, self-publishing. Stories are created to be read, they deserve to see the light.

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Para comprar El Valle de la Inspiración use este link

Q&A with Author Rafael Yglesias

Rafael Yglesias is a novelist and screenwriter.  The son of novelists Jose Yglesias and Helen Yglesias, Rafael Yglesias has been writing since he dropped out of high school to finish his first novel Hide Fox, And All After (1972).  By the age of 21, Yglesias had published 3 novels. Between 1976 and 1984, Yglesias stopped writing novels to focus on starting a family, writing screenplays instead for financial support.

He resumed writing novels in the mid '80s and published Hot Properties, Only Children, The Murderer Next Door, Fearless and Dr. Neruda's Cure For Evil.  

He returned to screenwriting in 1992. His first screenplay to be produced was Fearless, an adaptation of his novel by the same name, starring Jeff Bridges.  His scripts have been produced into motion pictures directed by Peter Weir, Roman Polanski, Billie August, the Hughes Brothers, and Walter Salles.  
Shattered by the death of his father and the illness and death of his beloved wife, Yglesias again quit writing novels in 1996.  His most recent novel (the first in thirteen years) A Happy Marriage (Scribner, 2009) took the top Fiction honor at this year's 30th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. 

Read the wonderful praise for this novel here.

 I'm deeply honored that Mr. Rafael Yglesias was so incredibly generous with his time to answer a few questions about his writing process for Musings.

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What is your major obstacle, or most difficult issue regarding writing?

These days it's feeling confident.  And concentrating.  I make a lot of mistakes, and have a tendency to rush, to want to be finished, a kind of anxiousness that I don't think serves me well.  When I was a young writer I had all those problems and also I needed to avoid being evicted.  The money pressure wasn't helpful.   

How do you attempt to overcome this?

I don't know what to do about the confidence.  I try to ignore the fluctuations in mood that I experience about my work, to regard it as noise.  I've been writing for forty years; it's too late to change professions.  I try to limit how much I write to a couple of pages a day so I don't go too fast.  And I try to force myself to read and rework passages that I've had trouble focusing on.

Literary fiction and screenwriting are two very different mediums.  How do you change "hats" from one to the other? Are you able to work on a screenplay and a novel at the same time, or do you need a lot of space and time between the two? 

Yes, I have worked scripts and novels simultaneously, when I was young and needed the money to raise my family.  I don't think that served me well.  I don't do that now.  I don't need a lot of time between them, but for me writing a story is like dreaming.  If I wake up from the dream I'm having and do something else -- even another dream -- then I lose a connection to its emotion that seems to me vital.  I prefer writing novels and so, now that I don't need to write scripts, I'm concentrating on my books.

On a personal note, what are the positive aspects of being an author and son of highly-regarded authors? Any negative aspects to this at any point in your career?

My father and mother (both were prominent and successful writers) were born into desperately poor families.  They had a long struggle before they were able to find the time to write.  My father published his first novel when he was forty-three, my mother when she was fifty-six.   I was privileged to grow up during their efforts to write and so I learned from their example and had the luxury of trying much earlier.   My first novel was published a few months before my mother's and very much during the heart of my father's career.  I didn't find it was beneficial to me to be thought of as part of a writing family.  It caused misperceptions such as that all of us had good contacts that could help each other.  The best part of it was that I learned from my parents because I grew up in a household that discussed books all the time, and they were full of the energy and discoveries of young writers thanks to their late start.  There were discouraging aspects too.  My parents were nearly as green as I when it came to being published writers.   Hence their advice, in particular their emotional relationship to writing, wasn't mature and in some ways exacerbated my own youthful mistakes.   
 
What words of wisdom, or piece of advice do you wish you had received when you first started out on your journey as a writer?

Try to find some other way of making a living that allows you time to write.  Learn everything you can, especially on difficult or abstruse subjects.  Gertrude Stein said it was not her ambition to know everything, but it does help to know everything when you sit down to write.  
 
Who are some of your favorite writers, contemporary and classic?

Nothing terribly surprising.  Tolstoy, Galdos, Balzac, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Zola, Twain, Dreiser, James, Maugham, Shakespeare, Chekov, O'Neill, Dickinson, Neruda, Frost, Maxwell, Larkin, among many others, are all great.  I'm not that well read; there are dozens of other geniuses I've neglected.  

Nor have I read as much of contemporary writers as I should because I find it hard to work on a novel all day and then read one at night.  Roth, Stead, Toibin, Walbert, Mahfouz, Beth Lordan, Schine, Laxness, my good friend Ben Cheever I've read lately and they're brilliant.  I'm sure there are many others.  First rate writing is abundant.  It's hard to justify writing something new as opposed to reading all the thrilling books that exist. 
 
What are you working on now?

A novel based on my father's life, told from his point of view from childhood on.  It's not a memoir, but a fictionalization of what I know about him, as well as an exploration of how events from a father's childhood and youth affect his son's character without his knowledge. 


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You can find more information about Rafael Yglesias and all of his novels at his website.

Q&A with Tortilla Sun author Jennifer Cervantes

Tortilla Sun, a middle grade novel by Jennifer Cervantes (Chronicle Books) is hitting the bookshelves today May 5, 2010! 

The School Library Journal called Tortilla Sun "...a middle grade novel with ambition."

From the author's website:

Tortilla Sun is a tender, magical story about 12 year old Izzy Roybal who is sent to spend the summer in her nana’s New Mexico village where she is soon caught up in the foreign world of her own culture, from patron saints and soulful food to the curious and magical blessings Nana gives her tortillas. In Nana’s village she meets Mateo, the adventurous, treasure seeking thirteen year old boy who lives on the other side of the bolted door in Izzy’s bedroom and six year old Maggie who is raising her cat, Frida, as a dog and sees marshmallow ghosts float out windows.
When the wind begins to whisper to Izzy, she is soon led on an adventure to learn about her father’s mysterious death, who she really is, and to connect the hidden pieces of her past.


I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Jennifer, a native of San Diego, where I learned, among many other things, what a fun mom Jennifer is for her three daughters!  She even allowed them cameos on her website!

I'm so grateful to Jennifer Cervantes for taking the time out of this very busy moment in her young and burgeoning career as a writer to share some of her experiences with us.

Enjoy the Q&A! Afterwards, don't forget to buy a copy of Tortilla Sun for yourself and one to give away to a special child in your life!

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What activities do you turn to in order to get your creativity flowing?

Sometimes, I like to grab a book off the shelf—one that will inspire me and one that reflects the mood I’m in. Music also gets the old creative juices flowing. I love classical, modern jazz—pretty much anything instrumental. For some reason, lyrics get in the way of my writing. Chips and salsa, or chocolate are pretty good muses too!

There's a quote in Tortilla Sun where Izzy says, "I was good at starting a story.  It was the finishing that was hard."  Did you experience the same difficulty or was there another part of the book that held your biggest hurdle?

I think all writers experience some level of challenge when it comes to certain parts of the story arc. For me, though, I struggled with the “dad” chapter. This is such an important chapter and I wanted it to be believable, beautiful, poignant, and subtle. My first attempt was a melodramatic jumble of words. But it was great when I finally hit the right note. Now it’s portably my favorite chapter in the book.

How closely did you follow word count suggestions? Was it something you had in mind while you worked, or did you just write the story and let the word count land wherever it did? OK, so I hope my agent or editor aren’t reading this, but I really let the story arc develop by pure instinct. I didn’t’ even know how to reach the “word count” since publishing doesn’t go by Word’s word count feature. 



Tortilla Sun is your first book.  What was your experience like shopping your manuscript, or seeking an agent? Did you learn any valuable lessons?

Oh, yes. I learn valuable lessons every day! But probably the one that sticks with me every single day is to have patience. It really is a hurry up and wait business.  I was fortunate enough to get an agent right away. I signed with the fabulous Laurie McLean. But it almost didn’t happen. She had asked for an exclusive, but the ms was already out with a couple of other agents, so I told her I couldn’t give her the exclusive, but attached the manuscript anyway. I went about the submission process and nearly forgot about it. Within a couple of days, she emailed me and said she’d done something she rarely does: she read it anyway.  Lucky for me!  And then the waiting began as she subbed it to publishers. It took over a year, but it was worth the wait because I got to work with the amazing Julie Romeis. 



What was your experience like with your editor?

I was so fortunate to work with Julie Romeis. Her generosity, patience, and skill really helped shape me as a writer. I went through two edits before the manuscript went to copy edits.

Did you use an editor before submitting the manuscript? 
No. But I did work with a wonderful critique group who helped me polish my work to get it submission ready.



Looking back, what words of wisdom do you wish someone had given you when you first started out?

I say this all the time and I will keep saying it. Surround yourself with positive people who will lift your spirits when times are tough. Also, remember to believe in yourself and your art.  I don’t think we ever “arrive.” It is all about the journey and what we learn along the way.


Who are some of your favorite Middle Grade authors today?

Wow! This is tough. I love so many authors, but those that first come to mind would include Pam Munoz Ryan, Shannon Hale, Sharon Creech, and  Deborah Wiles. There are also some debut authors who are richly talented and whom I am lucky to know and to share this journey with, like Christina Gonzalez, Irene Latham, and Lindsey Leavitt just to name a few.


What's next for you? What are some of your goals with your writing?


I just finished a new ms untitled as of this writing. It’s about a ten year old girl Named Nema Paz. She wonders where everyone gets their talents. They have to be something someone is born with, which means she should have found hers by now.  This story is close to my heart for a couple of reasons. First, I think so many kids, and even adults, aren’t quite sure what their “talents” are and we spend too much time comparing ourselves to other people. Second, I wanted to write a story filled with humor and laced with the human elements I try to bring to all of my writing. And of course, I love the characters: Nema, Oscar, and Chit Chat Malone--a cowboy ghost

I think my ultimate goal, is to contribute to the body of children’s literature in some way that touches the lives of my readers, if even for one moment.


Thank you so much, Jennifer! I wish you the best of luck!

Thank you so much for visiting with me, Nilki and allowing me to share my writing journey with your readers!

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Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes
Chronicle Books
May 5, 2010
Ages 9-12
192 pages



ISBN 9780811870153
ISBN10 0811870154

What Now? After You Finish Your Manuscript: Q&A with author Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani is an author, reviewer and freelance writer. She enjoys writing fiction and nonfiction for children and adults. She's had over 300 stories, reviews, articles and interviews published online and in print. Her nonfiction book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing (co-authored with Anne K. Edwards) is a ForeWord Best Book of the Year Award winner. In addition, she's assistant editor of Voice in the Dark Ezine. 
Visit her website at www.MayraCalvani.com

For her children's books, visit www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com

I've had the privilege of working with Mayra several times during the last year, and I consider her to be one of the most generous and gifted writers that I know.  Mayra dedicates a lot of her time to showcasing other authors as the Latino Books Examiner for The Examiner.  

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So you've written your manuscript, joined a peer critique group, made some adjustments, narrowed down agencies, agents and publishers who work with your genre and you think you're ready for the next step. What else needs to be done before you take that next step?

Two things:

Make sure your manuscript is as flawless as it can be. 

Just giving a few chapters to your critique group and doing some adjustments is not enough. Long gone are the days when the average editor or agent had the time to sit down and heavily edit your book. Nowadays editors and agents want projects that are almost ready to go to print. 

More and more writers, myself included, are hiring a professional editor to go over their manuscript before they submit it to a publisher. The traditional publishing industry is extremely competitive and the only way to fight the odds is having a near perfect manuscript. Even if you decide to self publish, any writing you publish will be representative of who you are as an writer, and you owe it to yourself and your readers to edit it as best as you can. The best way to do that is by having a set of objective and professional eyes go over your manuscript. And your friend, sister or aunt doesn’t count!

Write a knock-out query letter.

A query letter is your first ‘date’ with an editor or agent. Agents say that 90% of all queries they receive are unprofessionally written. Guess what? These agents dump these queries in the trash. What can they expect from your book if your query is poorly written? So make sure your query is clear, brief, straight forward and professional. There are hundreds of resources online and many books on how to write a great query letter. Be sure to do your homework first.


Once you've done that, what are the next steps?

Prepare a submission schedule and stick to it. Submit often. Submitting once a month is a drop in the bucket. Consistency and persistence are the keys. You need to have those manuscripts moving around editors’ desks at all times. Nowadays most agents and publishers are okay with multiple submissions as long as you let them know in the query letter.

Keep track of submissions in a notebook, Word.doc file or Excel spreadsheet. 

For each manuscript you send, record the following:

·       Title

·       Query/manuscript/sample chapters

·       Publisher’s/agent’s name (you may want to include their contact info)

·       Date sent

·       Sent by snail mail/email

·       Response

·       Response date

·       Notes

Stick to your submission schedule and in the meantime, start another book!

What can you expect from the submission process in regards to turn-around time, feedback, and rejections?

As far as the waiting time goes, it’s different from editor to editor. Some publishing houses respond in two weeks, while others respond in eight months. Some agents that accept email queries may have a response for you within a day.

Editors and agents are so busy they seldom have time to offer feedback. If they take the time to write a handwritten note and say a few positive words about your manuscript, then you can be sure they saw something special in it. There are many reasons why an agent or editor may not accept your manuscript. It doesn’t only mean that it is poorly written. Maybe it’s not the type of book they’re looking for at the moment; maybe they published something similar a while back; maybe the present market is overwhelmed with similar types of books. This is why it’s so important to do your research before contacting each editor. You have to know exactly what they’re looking for before you submit. The best way to do that is by checking the market guides or better yet, their websites. 

Did you start out with an agent?

I don’t have an agent. I’m in the process of looking for one.


How did you get through your first publisher's doors?

Anybody who wishes to submit to publishers must purchase a copy of the Writer’s Market guide. That’s what I did. Then you have to make a list of those publishers who are open to queries and unsolicited submissions and who are looking for books in the same genre as yours. Follow their guidelines. If they want only queries, then send them a query. If they want sample chapters, then send them that.  Publishers like to work with authors who follow directions.

In my case, I found a nice home for my books among the smaller traditional publishers. 

How do you determine whether to approach an agency first, or query a publisher directly?

If you’ve written a high-concept book with strong commercial potential, my advice is to look for an agent. This is the type of book they want because they’re looking for a sure sale. If your book doesn’t fall in this category, I’d contact the editors directly. It’s better to have a good agent to handle your writing career, but you don’t need an agent to get published. I know many authors who have sold books to traditional publishers and they have done it without an agent. Then, once you’ve sold your book to an editor, you can contact different agents and ‘bait’ them with the sale.


You co-authored a book on reviewing (The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing) what are the three most important qualities of a good book review?

If I have to narrow it down to three, I'd say:

Honesty: Honesty is what defines a reviewer's trade.  Readers, who turn to reviews before purchasing a book, depend on this honesty.  Without honesty, reviews are just marketing copy.

Clarity: A good review should sparkle with clarity.  Sentences should be straight and to the point.  A logical order when describing the plot and writing the evaluation should be followed.  Many beginner reviewers let their thoughts stray all over the place.

Tact: This is especially important in the case of negative reviews.  Stating thoughts tactfully and eloquently while offering examples to support the evaluation will keep the negative review from sounding harsh, mean, or insulting.  Instead of saying, "I hated this book," one can say, "This book didn't live up to its potential for the following reasons..."  When negative reviews are stated tactfully, authors can learn from the reviews.

What can an author expect from book reviews?

I always smile when I get this question. Let me just answer this way: if you’ve never received a negative book review, then not enough people are reading your book.

Book reviews are one of the cheapest forms of promotion for an author. Ads are temporary and expensive, but for the price of a review copy, a review can be posted on a website or blog indefinitely and for a fraction of the cost.  As I mentioned before, a review can also serve as a teaching tool for the author.  If a reviewer points out, using examples, that your plot is unbalanced, then maybe you will play closer attention to plotting when you write your next book.  That said, remember that a review is one person's opinion, so while one reviewer may hate your book, another one may love it.

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A million thanks to Mayra for providing some really fantastic advice for writers! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the submission process-do you use a method similar to what Mayra recommends?