Ampersand: Issue Three

"I put the words down and I push them a bit."
--Evelyn Waugh, 1966

In our third edition, Candy Davis is pleased to present an interview with well-known author, Jane Kirkpatrick. She has eleven books in print, and her award-winning essays and articles have appeared in over fifty publications. A lively and humorous speaker, Ms. Kirkpatrick is a frequent keynote presenter at conferences, women's retreats, and workshops.

Joyce Hart, of Hartline Marketing and Literary Agency, will be joining us, along with Dudley Delffs, fiction editor for WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. In this issue they will delve into the mechanics of agenting and editing a published author.

Interviews conducted by Candy Davis.

 REALITY CHECK

EI: I've heard through the grapevine that your first novel was not finished before it was accepted for publication. That's quite an achievement. What factors do you think put you in the ballpark, and could new authors have the same experience at this point, considering the direction of the market?

Jane Kirkpatrick: Yes, it's true. In fact, none of my novels have been written before I sold them. The good news is that I get a contract, and the bad news is that I never know if I can write the novel I've just "sold." I currently have contracts for six novels I have yet to write.

I see the proposal as a way of establishing beginning relationships with an agent or publisher. A writer is asking these people to trust her, and we don't trust people with whom we don't have relationships. Congruence, honesty, reliability, and non-judgment are necessary to a relationship, and a proposal can build the necessary trust. I believe a writer also has to be willing to shift the story somewhat based on what the agent/editor suggests.

I think writers today could try writing a proposal which would include information such as how complete the manuscript is, with it being available by "Dec 1," or whatever, so they know you will write it to the end. Even if someone has already written their novel, I think it's a good exercise to write a proposal and attempt to sell the book that way. It may be easier to get an agent with a proposal, maybe not.

My first book was nonfiction (Homestead). The selling point in the proposal was that it wasn't a story about us so much as a story about dreams. Otherwise, it was a pretty standard proposal for nonfiction. I sent it to three publishers sight unseen (which I wouldn't recommend). The third one purchased it, and then I wrote it.

A Sweetness to the Soul, my first novel, went out as a much shorter proposal with three sample chapters. I focused on what would appeal to people beyond Oregon, beyond those who might like historical novels, beyond people who read westerns. My agent sold it to the first publisher she sent it to, and we then signed a contract for three more books.

The Kinship and Courage trilogy was sold with an even shorter proposal -- only two sample chapters and an overview of how I thought the book would go. I spent most of my time talking about the power of the story. It wasn't just about eleven wagons of women on the Oregon Trail who turned back due to the deaths of their husbands and sons, but about how we all want to turn around and go home when we get bad news in life. The reality is that we don't get to go back. Everyone has a time like that in life-or will. That idea sold All Together in One Place, the first novel in the series.

It was an editor who said to me, "What if you had the women eventually turn around and head west again?" I was stunned. It wasn't in my proposal at all, but it was genius as far as I was concerned. The real story of living in wilderness places is not just about facing the fact that we're there, but it's in how we live with our vulnerability at those times and allow others to help us "turn around" toward new directions and dreams. I like to think that in writing the novel I'd have discovered this on my own, but that editor gave me a jump-start.

EI: As a highly published author, what obstacles and fears do you still face when you send a manuscript out?

Jane Kirkpatrick: The biggest fear is rejection, that the editor/publisher will feel it needs so much work that it isn't useable. I'm also fearful that I need more depth, more skill, more wisdom, more something! Because of the amount of detail in the historical research, I also worry that I'll misinterpret some piece of data that will lower my credibility among readers. In the revision process, I sometimes make changes that I later wish I hadn't. I suppose it boils down to the fear of being both inadequate to be published and unworthy to be read.

EI: What's your bottom line with any writer? How do you tell a seasoned author like Jane that her story needs some adjustment?

Dudley Delffs: My bottom line with any writer focuses on how to make the story better, how to reach its full potential, and give it the maximum authentic impact on readers. I'm trying to help the writer get out of the way of the story her characters are sharing. As part of this goal, I encourage the writer to take risks, to improve the quality of the writing, and to polish the craft and unity of the story as a whole.

With a seasoned writer of Jane's caliber, and really with any writers with whom I work, I try to be a facilitator, a supportive coach, and an honest reader sharing his views. I don't claim to be the expert, or the wise teacher, or the know-it-all editor who understands the market or the industry better than the writer. While I certainly share my expertise, I try to empower the author to trust her instincts and find those places in her characters and her stories where she is most engaged, most excited, most drawn to explore.

It's not only that Jane is so responsive to my suggestions and feedback that makes her an editor's dream to work with, but also her willingness to take risks, to trust her own wisdom, to bring humor and depth into the editorial conversation, and into the writing.

EI: What do you perceive Jane's learning curve has been? How does an author of her stature continue to expand her visibility and her craft? What is the next step?

Joyce Hart: Jane has always been an exceptional writer, whose books are carefully researched for historical accuracy. The next step will be more of what we are already doing. Jane continues to grow as a popular seminar/retreat speaker. WaterBrook has assigned Jane publicists for both the Christian market and the general market, but she still works tirelessly to promote her books. Her work is already well known in the northwest, and we are planning to expand her readership to all parts of the country. We hope the next step will include book tours to the mid-west, east, and southeast sections of the U.S.

 ON MENTAL OUTLOOK

EI: You speak of seeking to live "at the edge of possibility." How have you achieved that without either retreating or stepping over that edge? Are there still ideas that you've not yet dared to explore in writing?

Jane Kirkpatrick: Some of my family and friends might say I had stepped over the edge just by living in what seems to others like the middle of nowhere! I begin each writing day with a reminder to myself that it isn't my job to write the great American novel, nor to get on Oprah. It is my job to show up, to assume the position of a writer, to keep the commitment I've made to tell the story I've been given in the best way I know how, and to trust that I'm not alone in that process. It is still a spiritual journey for me to research and write about subjects that, in the beginning, seem beyond me, overwhelming, in fact. Slowly, as though following a string from the center of a ball outward, the written world opens up and I find my place in it. I can then begin to share it with readers.

I'm taken with historical settings, but there are ideas I haven't yet explored, at least to the depths to which I'd like. I'd say looking at new landscapes of the mind interests me, as well as spiritual seeking and disconnection in contemporary life. I'd like to explore some of those inner subjects, but it's difficult to imagine how I'd manage writing about them. I'm not sure I'm skilled enough yet I've also always felt I cheated a bit by basing many of my stories on the lives of real people, exploring the landscapes of their minds and speculating not about what they did, or when, but why. The women in the Kinship and Courage Trilogy come the closest to creating a story without the spine of biography.

EI: Do you ever catch yourself allowing such a seasoned author to make certain transgressions you wouldn't tolerate in a writer's first book?

Dudley Delffs: Never! No, seriously, I suppose I do vary certain expectations or conventions from author to author and book to book. I believe the fiction writer has more freedom in excavating the story and bringing it to life through language than a nonfiction writer. So in this sense, I don't like enforcing a uniform set of "rules" that will hold up with every novel. On the other hand, individual elements of writing and storytelling are immensely important in their cumulative effect. I try to encourage writers to pay attention, to use the language with great care and precision without becoming overly preoccupied with style or diction or any one element.

I know what a deliberate and conscientious writer Jane is. When I read her first draft, I know that she had cause, and usually a good one, for every word on the page. She's thoughtful and careful with language, with building character, with pacing the story. If I spot a "transgression" in her work, I know that she's aware of the "rule" she's breaking. This is where I do allow a seasoned author to get away with more than an author who's just starting out. I believe it's good to know the rules before you break them rather than just trying to be innovative, shocking, or conspicuous. Ultimately, I ask myself, along with the author, what effect will this "transgression" have on the reader or on the story as a whole. Some characters and their stories demand unconventional means.

EI: I understand that Jane's first novel was accepted for publication under unusual circumstances. What are the chances that a first-time author's work might be accepted on the basis of an idea in today's market? Would you take a chance on an author like that today?

Joyce Hart: I would not contract a new author on proposal, nor would I recommend new authors to try to sell on proposal. I do pass proposals along to publishers, but in the long run it is better to write the book. Most, maybe all, publishers want to see the whole manuscript before they offer a contract to a new author unless he or she is exceptional. Sometimes the proposal looks great but then the author cannot write the whole book.

And then there is the age-old advice: Know which publishers you're targeting, read their books, know what they are looking for, and know your market.

 ON THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING

EI: Do you feel confident about your skill as a writer, or are there still things you are striving to get a handle on? How do you work out disagreements with your agent or your editor?

Jane Kirkpatrick: After twelve books, I know I can write a novel but I don't know if I can write the NEXT novel, so in some ways it's like starting new each time. Some writer said once that he tried not to write the things people skip over. I still strive to get a handle on what people would skip over so I can leave that out! I do struggle with pacing, so as not to lose people in the middle. I'm still working on causation/motivation to be sure that I haven't just "made" a character do something without the story unveiling it. I'd like to be more objective about what I have written, so I don't constantly have to put duct tape on the harpies sitting behind me telling me that what I've written is drivel.

Believing that people are generally cooperative and helpful, and that they're not out to get me, has helped me in all facets of my life. Trusting that I'm part of a team is essential. My agent doesn't want to see me make a mistake with my career and my editor certainly doesn't either. With that as an assumption, we've just been clear, direct, and patient with each other. So far, we've worked through things, so nothing stands out as a problem. I've heard the horror stories from other writers, but I honestly feel I've always received the utmost respect and been invited into collaboration at every step of the way, even about covers, and titles, and marketing questions.

EI: Do you find that Jane accepts your corrections readily, or do you go head-to-head on certain issues? Do you experience difficult conversations with other authors who resist the changes you suggest? How do you handle that?

Dudley Delffs: It's simply wonderful working with Jane. She's always receptive and open to my suggestions and feedback without feeling compelled to act on everything I propose. Jane and I trust and respect each other, which makes the author-editor relationship so much more effective for improving the book and producing the best writing. I can't recall going "head-to-head" on any issue, although I know that we don't always agree. But our conversations always seem constructive to me because we're both committed to the best story. I trust Jane's talent and I trust her integrity.

However, not all authors respond to editorial suggestions as warmly as Jane. Some authors feel threatened or criticized and resist making changes. Some with whom I've worked seem positive and receptive in a phone conversation or e-mail exchange, but then resist making the changes I've requested in the actual manuscript. I learned early on that like most conflicts in life, you have to choose your battles carefully in order to win the war. I try to focus on the most important changes, and dialogue with the writer on why I believe they're necessary, how I think they'll improve the story, etc.

EI: How much input do you give Jane on her upcoming projects? Are you in close contact? What happens when you disagree?

Joyce Hart: Jane and I discuss the books ahead of time, and I usually see the manuscripts as soon as she feels they are ready for someone to read. Any disagreements are minor and we deal with them easily. We are in very close contact, sometimes several times a week.

 ON MARKETING

EI: How did you first define your market and how do you continue to write toward that? Would you love to break out, or are you satisfied?

Jane Kirkpatrick: After my first book came out, a memoir of sorts (Homestead) I asked my brother, a very good salesman, what he wanted in a product that made it easy to sell. He said, "First, you want quality-the best product you can make. Second, you want a story, because that's what will bring people back to you." I believed I had a quality book that was well produced. So, it was the story I had to define.

With that book especially, I defined my market as people who were dreamers, willing to take risks and wondering what might happen if they did. That was the story. My husband and I had done something we'd longed to do, and while it didn't turn out as we'd planned, it was the journey of a lifetime (and still is!). Many of those same dreamers continued to purchase my other titles, in part because writing became an element of that risk-taking. I think they were happy for me that Jerry and I have been able to carve a life out of Starvation Lane. Perhaps it encouraged readers' own risk-taking to achieve their own dreams.

I'd say my marketing added women and history buffs, but also people who love reading about the lives of real people and their journeys. The stories tend to be hopeful and healing, too, which, I think, has helped as inspirational books have increased in market share over the past few years.

Would I love to break out? Of course I'd love to expand my market, have a New York Times Bestseller, have a movie, the usual. But it isn't something I spend much time dwelling on, honestly. When I'm able to help children's mental health groups raise money, or encourage people working in juvenile justice, or participate in a training program for hospice workers, or raise money for Cancer Treatment, or support Christian women's efforts, I'm glad to be in service. Because of my particular blend of mental health and story telling, I figure I have "broken out." New people do discover the stories of these remarkable people and times, so I am content that for right now, I'm in the place where I'm supposed to be, and incredibly grateful to have the privilege of writing and telling stories as my métier.

EI: Based on your experiences with Jane and other successful writers, what is your professional advice on the best venues a writer can pursue in learning the craft of writing at a publishable level?

Dudley Delffs: My best advice echoes what many writers have already heard: read widely--in your own genre and beyond. Pay attention to how successful authors write-best sellers, award-winners, and others you admire. Write where your passion is, about characters you want to explore. Tell stories that matter to you deeply. I see so many proposals from writers trying to hit the market or capitalize on a trend or best-selling brand. There's nothing wrong with these proposals if the writer feels passionately about the project and it happens to meet a current market trend. However, to try and write just to sell something rarely seems to work in my experience. Simply learn more about yourself as a writer-the kinds of stories and authors you're drawn toward, the habits and writing disciplines that fit you best, and the kind of interaction you enjoy with other writers, artists, and creative people. Discover if your writing is an enjoyable hobby or a lifelong calling, and go from there.

EI: Jane has a beautiful website and a professional publicist. She has actively promoted her books in many ways through the Internet, speaking engagements, workshops, and retreats. Is all this work really necessary for any author in building a platform for a writing career? What kind of platform do you require of new novelists?

Joyce Hart: It is definitely necessary to do all this work for an author to build a platform for her/his career. Editors are looking for authors with a platform. The author has to market in cooperation with the publisher's efforts. I recommend that my clients have web sites, make brochures, do mailings to readers, secure book signings, and set up speaking engagements-in short, get their names out there. Otherwise, the book will just sit on the shelf.

 Books By Jane Kirkpatrick

A SIMPLE GIFT OF COMFORT
Hardcover: 64 pages
Harvest House Publishers, Inc., 2002
ISBN: 0736909257
Photography by Lisa Sorensen

With images taken from the natural world of flowers and rivers, woven baskets and trees, this book speaks of walking beside another person with compassion even when we don't know what might be troubling them.

HOMESTEAD, A MEMOIR
Paperback: 282 pages
Maverick Publications, 2000
ISBN: 0892882816

The nonfiction account of Jane and Jerry Kirkpatrick's own modern-day struggle to catch their own dream in the Oregon Territory on 160 acres of "rattlesnake and rock."

The Dream Catcher Series

A SWEETNESS TO THE SOUL
Paperback: 432 pages
Multnomah Publishers Inc., 1995
ISBN: 0880707658

Set in central Oregon, this is the story of the Sherar family and their life with the Wasco, Warm Springs, and Paiute people of 150 years ago. It is the brilliant picture of a love that conquers all obstacles, and offers a powerful testimony to the miracle of God's healing.

LOVE TO WATER MY SOUL
Paperback: 368 pages
Multnomah Publishers Inc., 1996
ISBN: 0880709383

The story of Alice M., a girl lost from a wagon train, who is found and raised by native people. She searches to discover her true identity and pursue her purpose in life.

A GATHERING OF FINCHES
Paperback: 396 pages
Multnomah Publishers Inc., 1997
ISBN: 1576730824

The story of Cassie Hendrick Stearns Simpson, a fiery and passionate woman, who makes a radical choice and must live with the consequences of it.

MYSTIC SWEET COMMUNION
Paperback: 400 pages
Multnomah Publishers Inc., 1998
ISBN: 1576732932

The story of Ivy Stranahan, the first teacher in Broward County. Ivy learns to touch the lives of others and the power of faith in accomplishing her dream.

The Kinship & Courage Series

ALL TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE
Paperback: 416 pages
WaterBrook Press, 2000
ISBN: 1578562325

A group of eleven Oregon-bound women try to return home on the Oregon Trail after the deaths of their men. It is a story of walking in the wilderness and how the power of family, friends, and faith can see us through.

NO EYE CAN SEE
Paperback - 400 pages
WaterBrook Press, 2001
ISBN: 1578562333

A community of extraordinary women fights to overcome the pain of the past and embrace the future. Together they are changed forever as they discover that No Eye Can See all the good God has in store for those who love Him.

WHAT ONCE WE LOVED
Paperback: 400 pages
WaterBrook Press, 2001
ISBN: 1578562341

Ruth and the other "turnaround women" learn to look beneath the surface to discover healing and hope despite life's trail of disappointment.

The Tender Ties Historical Series

A NAME OF HER OWN
Paperback: 400 pages
WaterBrook Press, 2002
ISBN: 1578564999

"Into a man's world of war, ambition, and intrigue stepped a woman, a wife, a mother. Marie." History suggests that the fur-trapping era of 1811 was a man's world. But women walked there, too. This work was cited as one of the top ten Oregon books in 2002.

EVERY FIXED STAR
Paperback: 432 pages
WaterBrook Press; 1st edition, 2003
ISBN: 1578565006

Set in the Okanogan Country of Washington state, Marie's story leads her to finding her gifts and accepting them.

HOLD TIGHT THE THREAD
Audio Cassette
Oasis Audio; Abridged edition, April 2004
ISBN: 1589266587
WaterBrook Press
Paperback: 399 pages
Due in bookstores April 2004
ISBN: 1578565014

Jane Kirkpatrick (www.jkbooks.com) Accompanied by her husband, Jerry, Jane left the suburbs of Wisconsin for an isolated homestead at Starvation Point, Oregon. Undaunted by the challenges of carving out a new home on 160 acres of "rattlesnake and rock," she dauntlessly helped lay miles of phone lines, and took on other frontier-style tasks. Jane jokingly refers to their home as the rural Seven-Eleven. They live seven miles from the mailbox and eleven miles from paved roads.

Dudley Delffs (www.randomhouse.com/waterbrook) is the fiction editor for WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. He has published five books, a half dozen study guides, and numerous articles and stories. An amateur triathlete, Dudley and his wife and three children live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Joyce Hart (www.hartlineliterary.com), founder of Hartline Marketing and Literary Agency, strives to be accessible, rather than distant or unapproachable, representing fiction and non-fiction books to leading mainline and inspirational publishers. Over the years, she has built productive working relationships with editors that help advise the writer and guide his or her work toward the most appropriate markets. "We're proud of our reputation, and also of the rapport we've built with major publishers."

 Bedside Reading

Editors juggle their own reading lists for fun too. Here are the honorable mentions currently crowding the chocolate on their nightstands:

• The Good House, by Tananarive Due
  A suspenseful and terrifying tale of enchantment and magic that stalks a young woman who thought she escaped all that when she left home. You may need oxygen by the time you remember to breathe. Well-written, gripping.
• The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire-Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence,
  by Deepak Chopra
  In this book about synchronicity, Deepak Chopra delves into the spiritual significance of these powerful moments in each of our lives.
• The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
  When Henry develops Chrono-Displacement Disorder, he suddenly finds himself torn from the present to the past where his love for a woman named Clare is threatened by something huge and unstoppable.
• Hearts of Atlantis, by Stephen King
  An ideal masterpiece of in-depth characterization and pathos. This book is a study in how to bring an era replete with stereotypes alive in a way that feels fresh.

 Announcements

First time author, Nikki Arana has accepted a substantial three-book offer with Baker Books/Bethany House. Her first book, A Love Ordained, is Inspirational women's fiction and will be released in the spring of 2006. Angelica Amante, the youngest person ever to graduate from Hastings Law School, must make a career-ending moral decision when the high profile, New York law firm she works for asks her to use her brilliant legal talent to exploit poor Mexican immigrants.

Her second book, A Life Ordained, will be released the following fall and her third book, still untitled, will be released six months later. Nikki's editor was Carol Craig of Editing International. Nikki's agent, Natasha Kern, brokered the deal.

 Ampersand: Past Issues:

Winter 2002: an interview with David M. Wilkinson, a dedicated writer who prides himself on the historical accuracy of his novels.

Summer 2003: an interview with Gerald Grimmett, winner of the Idaho Press Association Award, and author of The Ferry Woman, a novel of the tragic Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857.