EXIT STRATEGY - Ryan Potter

Hello,

Although the official release date of EXIT STRATEGY is less than 48 hours away as I write this, Amazon pre-orders have already arrived at customers' doorsteps. This is my first novel, and it's a very strange-in-a-good-way feeling knowing that complete strangers are officially reading my work. 

What's also surprising is the pre-release interest the book is generating from bloggers I never even contacted. I'm smiling as I type this sentence, because I owe a big thanks to these folks for mentioning my book even before it's been released.

Two examples:

1) Lisa over at "A Life Bound By Books" picked ES as this week's Waiting on Wednesday choice.

2) Valerie at "I Should Be Writing" chose ES as her Waiting On Wednesday pick back on February 9.

Thanks again to anybody who has talked about my novel prior to its official release. I really appreciate it.

Ryan

Hello,

Fellow YA and upcoming Flux author Margie Gelbwasser was kind enough to interview me for the wonderful Flux Friday feature of her blog. Click here to check it out! Thanks so much, Margie!

RP 

Hello,

I'm giving away five copies of EXIT STRATEGY on Goodreads. You can enter to win a copy here through the end of February! Good luck!

RP

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/2826-exit-strategy

Nathan Bransford had a great post a few days ago. He asked a simple question: How important is creativity over craft? Well, that one simple question has generated 200+ comments to date, a healthy number even for Nathan's popular blog. Obviously, then, this issue is a hot one among writers.

Now, I could take the easy way out (many who commented did) and say, Well, it's both, of course!

But it isn't both. At least for me it isn't.  

Find the story and write it the way you see fit. There. That's my one-sentence defense of creativity. Seriously. If the writing rules you learned in school get in the way of how you want to tell a story, then it's time to throw the grammar book out the window. Creativity sets your story apart from all the others. Without it, you have nothing.

Look, I have no clue what  dangling modifiers and past participles are. And you know what? I really don't care. Writing is a feeling as well as a process. Writers (and readers) know when something's wrong with the writing. It's a sense that builds and improves over time. The more you read and write, the stronger that sense - that feeling - becomes. I think you unconsciously learn the rules of grammar that way. To put it another way, reading and writing are the only two grammar classes you'll ever need.

As for the meaning of dangling modifiers and past participles, I'll let the grammar purists obsess over those.

In the meantime, I'll be reading a great novel and writing what I want to write.

RP 

One of the cool things about having a book available on Amazon is their new Author Central feature. I've created a profile page and you can find it here.

And don't forget to pre-order EXIT STRATEGY while you're at it! 

RP

Very cool news! You can now pre-order EXIT STRATEGY from Borders and Amazon!

*Pre-order from EXIT STRATEGY from AMAZON.

*Pre-order from EXIT STRATEGY from BORDERS.

Thanks!

RP

Last week I submitted the latest draft of a 78,000-word YA paranormal thriller to my wonderful agent. I love what I wrote, of course, but it's out of my hands for a while. As a rookie in the writing and publishing business (EXIT STRATEGY launches in about 6 months), I've spent the past few days thinking about what I've learned so far. I'm not even sure I'm qualified to write this, but at the moment it feels like the right thing to do.

Although the list that follows is geared primarily toward newly acquired authors and/or authors seeking representation, some other people might find it interesting as well. Or not.

THE TOP 5 THINGS I'VE LEARNED ABOUT PUBLISHING SO FAR

1. "Yes, you need an agent."

This is hardly breaking news, but I'm living proof that your chances of getting published and paid for your work are far better if you have a reputable literary agent. Yes, it takes time, luck, and talent to find the right agent (and you better have that polished manuscript ready), but if you're willing to do the legwork and you have an interesting, well-written story, your agent is out there somewhere. A famous author once said that if you know how to write, the agents will come to you, but to me that's antiquated thinking. Even the "overnight successes" in this business have usually paid their dues to earn that misleading label.

2. "Your agent is always right."

If you're an unpublished author lucky enough to have landed a good agent, you are in no position to question said agent. Agents know how the publishing business works. It's their job to know. Chances are you, as a newcomer to the business side of writing, know very little or nothing at all about how publishing works. Listen to your agent. Do what he/she asks. Agents know what sells and what doesn't. When your agent requests revisions on something you think is perfect, guess what? It's not perfect.

I landed my original agent in early 2006. It took her more than two years to sell my debut novel, but she never gave up on me. During those two years, I lost count of how many manuscript changes she requested. Some were major overhauls, others minor tweaks, but I never complained. Why? Because every revision made the book better. 

3. "Yup, your editor is always right, too."

Go back and re-read the first paragraph of #2 above, replacing the word "agent" with "editor" each time you come across it. Seriously. It holds.

4. "It's a team effort, not an individual one."

Contrary to popular belief, writing is not a lonely business. Relationships are everywhere. Yes, you devote countless hours to your manuscript, and you probably do so alone or at least in a fairly quiet environment. However, the further you progress in this business, the more relationships you build. From agent to editor to cover designer to publicist to reviewers to bookstore managers...I could go on but you get the idea.

Personally, I'm not even at the publicity stage yet, but my point is that I'm fully aware of and appreciate all of the efforts so many people have already made to make EXIT STRATEGY the best book it can be. The author who plays as an active team member from novel conception to publication is far better off than the author who fancies him/herself as an all-knowing and inflexible recluse.

5. "Enjoy the ride and learn as much as you can."

Look, I have no idea how successful EXIT STRATEGY will be in terms of sales, but I'm not obsessing over it. Still, I do make a point of learning something new about publishing every day. As a soon-to-be-published first-time author, this is an amazing time for me, and I'm not taking it for granted.

Remember that YA paranormal thriller draft I mentioned earlier? I have no idea if my agent will like it. Even if she does, I have no idea if it will sell. I can't predict the future, but I can do things to prepare for it. In other words, as an author, the more you learn about the business side of writing and publishing, the more prepared you'll be down the road.

RP