Writing the Jacket Copy

For most book buyers, there is a specific process we follow when deciding whether to buy a book.

• First, we look at the book cover--both the title and art
• If the cover interests us enough, we flip over to the back and read the jacket copy.  (For hardcovers, you find the jacket copy on the inside cover.) 

I helped to write the jacket copy for Whisper Falls.  I expected it to be hard, and I was right. There is so much to achieve in approximately one hundred words.

Obviously, we want to intrigue the reader enough that they want to read the story. We have to touch on the book's setting, identify the main characters, and hint at the struggle they are facing. But we can't reveal any plot twists.

I had a really hard time with that last part.  It took three tries for me to hint without revealing.  (Thanks to my cousin Llewellyn for helping with Try III. That version did the trick.)

Lastly, I read it out loud to ensure it flowed smoothly and then sent it off to Spencer Hill for their approval.

Here is the final version of the jacket copy for Whisper Falls.

While training for a mountain bike race, high-school senior Mark Lewis spots a mysterious girl dressed in odd clothing, standing behind a waterfall in the woods near his North Carolina home. When she comments on the strange machine that he rides, he suspects something isn't right. When Susanna claims to be an indentured servant from 1796, he wonders if she's crazy. Yet he feels compelled to find out more.

[The first paragraph gives the setting(s), background on the two main characters, and enough detail to identify the genre/subgenre of the book.]

Mark enters a 'long-distance' relationship with Susanna through the shimmering--and temperamental--barrier of Whisper Falls. Curious about her world, Mark combs through history to learn about the brutal life she's trapped in. But knowledge can be dangerous. Soon he must choose between the risk of changing history or dooming the girl he can't stop thinking about to a lifetime of misery.

[The second provides insight into the struggle in the story that the protagonist will be battling.  I hint at the problem without revealing any major plot points.]

I hadn't seen the cover art when I drafted the jacket copy, but I love how much they "match".

Getting the History Right

It takes a lot of effort to get the history right in historical fiction.

The author has to think about everything that a person experiences.  Food, clothing, housing, technology, and transportation are visible parts of life that change over time.  But there are plenty of aspects that are not so visible--such as political, moral, and religious beliefs. Sleeping, hygiene, and health behaviors. Attitudes toward marriage, children, work, humor and recreation, social class, education, ethnic groups, and women.

The research for Whisper Falls began six years ago when I visited Tryon Palace in New Bern.  (I love that place.  I've been back two times since, each time focusing on a different aspect of colonial life.)  The docents were extremely knowledgeable and happy to share what they knew.

When I asked about servants, one of the docents/reenactors told me that little is known about the servant class.  Most servants didn't know how to write, and the ones who did would've had a hard time affording ink and paper.  Bottom line: a writer can interpret what it might have been like and it would be hard to dispute.

Cool.  The pressure was reduced somewhat. But, still, servants worked for wealthy people--so I had to learn about both.  My research efforts included:

• Visits to the NC State Archives, NC History Museum, Mount Vernon Estate and Grist Mill, Tryon Palace, Carlyle House, Monticello, Bennett Place, Joel Lane House, and Claude Moore Colonial Farm
• Reading letters, journals, inventories, cookbooks, and newspapers from the period
• Reviewing historical blogs, scholarly works, old maps, and history tomes
• Exchanging email with experts (such as a grist mill association)
• Attending workshops on history; attending a colonial fashion show (where I was able to view up-close-and-personal some 18th century undergarments)
• Preparing 18th century recipes (tasting mandatory)

I also read historical fiction that targeted the same period, although this is a tricky thing to count on.  There is no guarantee that the history is correct.

All these efforts may seem like overkill--but I don't mind.  I love the research.  It's just pure fun for me.  

The Cover!

While training for a mountain bike race, high-school senior Mark Lewis spots a mysterious girl dressed in odd clothing, standing behind a waterfall in the woods near his North Carolina home. When she comments on the strange machine that he rides, he suspects something isn't right. When Susanna claims to be an indentured servant from 1796, he wonders if she's crazy. Yet he feels compelled to find out more.

Mark enters a 'long-distance' relationship with Susanna through the shimmering--and temperamental--barrier of Whisper Falls. Curious about her world, Mark combs through history to learn about the brutal life she's trapped in. But knowledge can be dangerous. Soon he must choose between the risk of changing history or dooming the girl he can't stop thinking about to a lifetime of misery.

Title: Whisper Falls (Whisper Falls #1)
Author: Elizabeth Langston
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com)
Release Date: November 19, 2013
Formats: Paper, e-book

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...

I can reveal the cover for my book on Friday. We'll also include the jacket copy.

I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!



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Counting down...

Whisper Falls releases in precisely fourteen months.  That's only 426 days away.

Seems like a long time to you?  Well, it seems like a long time to me too.  But I'm still crazy busy.  In addition to the day job and paying attention on occasion to my family, I have two other books to write and a debut novel to finesse.  I've spent the last two weekends on research trips. I've bought a gazillion reference books. And, along with my publisher, I'll be revealing the cover to Whisper Falls in 8 days.  I really have to learn how to pace myself.

Perhaps the coolest busy-ness of all is booking promotional events.  Yes, indeed, they are trickling in.  I've penciled several events into my calendar already, such as:

• A blog interview in January
• Book Expo America (BEA) in May
• A possible readers conference next summer
• A possible TV interview next summer

I want to say 'yes' to everything.  I hope that's realistic.  Of course, I can't neglect the day job. Or the daughters. Or the husband...

It's a Global Reading Community

When my agent sold Whisper Falls to Spencer Hill, she negotiated the contract to include World English rights¹ only.  I retained foreign rights, i.e. the ability to sell my book for translation into other languages.

Earlier this week, Agent K asked me to send her my favorite version of the manuscript.  She believes it's a good time to market my book overseas. So I pulled Whisper Falls out, dusted it off, tweaked a word here and a punctuation mark there---and sent that file winging its way across cyberspace.

As of this hour, Agent T (who specializes in selling books outside the US) has my manuscript.  The waiting begins!

¹World English rights: the right to print, sell, and distribute the book in English anywhere in the world. If readers buy (legally) a English version of the book in Canada/NZ/etc, Spencer Hill will be the publisher.

The Scary Stuff

An author's job is to write good books.  I've been working hard to acquire that skill for years.

But once published, there are many other tasks that an author must absorb. We must learn how to read contracts. We must learn to handle the finances and taxes of the self-employed. We must plan to attend conferences or workshops to improve our writing craft. And a huge part of the published author's job becomes the marketing of her books.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of books are published. Publishing houses cannot afford to market all of their titles.  Word-of-mouth is still one of the best ways to get readers interested in a book.  Authors accept the burden to encourage word-of-mouth when they accept a publishing contract.  We have to talk to people about our books and hope they'll love the books enough to talk about them in turn.

Trying to sell my books to readers was the part of this job that scared me the most.  By nature, I am an introvert. I enjoy being alone. Going to parties or giving speeches or selling products--I don't enjoy that.

The reality has been far different than what I expected.  I like talking to people about books.  I love discussing my characters and stories.  I enjoy sharing my experiences about the publishing industry.

Today, I attended an event for math tutors.  I talked with high school and middle school teachers--and mentioned my book.  Before I left, I'd handed out three business cards, offered to be a guest speaker at their schools, and had a wonderful time doing it.  I love the idea of visiting with students, answering their questions about this business, and getting them fired up about writing.

The part of the author job that I dreaded most turned out to be much more fun than I could have imagined.