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You've got questions? We might just have answers. Send your questions to Jaida or Dani and we'll try our best to address your questions right here!
Q: How do you write a book together?
Jaida: Most co-authors have completely different methods. Dani and I like to take a considerable chunk out of the day (which sometimes translates to all day, wherein we forget to consume nourishment or put on our pants) to get down to business. Dani will write a five to ten page segment, depending on when she hits a block or gets thirsty or just plain doesn't want to write anymore. At that point, she sends the document to me; I read it, give it whatever little edits it needs, and then continue writing where she left off for another five to ten pages. It goes on like that until we look up and realize it's suddenly gotten dark out and our entire day has disappeared. In any case, we like to start from the beginning and get to the end--this can happen pretty fast, depending on how much solid time we have to devote to the project. That being said, "start to finish" doesn't mean we've actually finished. The first, very rough draft is more actual guidelines, anyway like an overly complicated version of an outline. From there, we show the manuscript to a couple of extremely cruel taskmasters who tell us everything that's wrong with it in great detail, and then, in less detail, what possible options we have to fix it. At that point we divvy up the to-be-edited scenes like picking members for your volleyball team and start the whole process all over again.
Q: How does one go about getting an agent?
Jaida: Good question. Unfortunately I personally have no idea. Our agent is Tamar Ellman Rydzinski with The Laura Dail Literary Agency, but we didn't snag her via the traditional "Grit your teeth, ready your shields and start querying" method. So, very sadly, I can impart no wisdom on this front. There are numerous fascinating and informative blogs--some, but by no means all, of which can be found in the links section of this site--that have a lot more to say on this matter than I do, and which are completely invaluable resources.
Q: How do you write a book together?
Jaida: Most co-authors have completely different methods. Dani and I like to take a considerable chunk out of the day (which sometimes translates to all day, wherein we forget to consume nourishment or put on our pants) to get down to business. Dani will write a five to ten page segment, depending on when she hits a block or gets thirsty or just plain doesn't want to write anymore. At that point, she sends the document to me; I read it, give it whatever little edits it needs, and then continue writing where she left off for another five to ten pages. It goes on like that until we look up and realize it's suddenly gotten dark out and our entire day has disappeared. In any case, we like to start from the beginning and get to the end--this can happen pretty fast, depending on how much solid time we have to devote to the project. That being said, "start to finish" doesn't mean we've actually finished. The first, very rough draft is more actual guidelines, anyway like an overly complicated version of an outline. From there, we show the manuscript to a couple of extremely cruel taskmasters who tell us everything that's wrong with it in great detail, and then, in less detail, what possible options we have to fix it. At that point we divvy up the to-be-edited scenes like picking members for your volleyball team and start the whole process all over again.
Q: How does one go about getting an agent?
Jaida: Good question. Unfortunately I personally have no idea. Our agent is Tamar Ellman Rydzinski with The Laura Dail Literary Agency, but we didn't snag her via the traditional "Grit your teeth, ready your shields and start querying" method. So, very sadly, I can impart no wisdom on this front. There are numerous fascinating and informative blogs--some, but by no means all, of which can be found in the links section of this site--that have a lot more to say on this matter than I do, and which are completely invaluable resources.
Here we'll post sneak peeks at upcoming projects, images of characters, and other goodies.
Personal: Our blogs & sites.
Anonymous Bosch: Jaida's blog.
Le Deluge: Dani's blog.
Publishing: Our publisher, &c.
Bantam Dell: Our publisher.
Friends: Amazing authors, fun sites.
Mortal Instruments: Homepage of Cassandra Clare, YA fantasy author.
Holly Black: Author of the wonderful YA books Tithe, Valiant and Ironside, as well as the incredible Spiderwick Chronicles.
Justine Larbalestier's Blog: (And her website.) Justine has a hilarious and thought-provoking blog. I also highly recommend her books.
Libba Bray: Author of A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels.
Miss Cecil: Cecil Castellucci's website. Cecil is the author of Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool , Beige and the incredible Plain Janes.
Diana Peterfreund's Blog: A must-read; Diana writes the Secret Society Girl series, and an upcoming fantasy YA series about killer unicorns.
Great Blogs: Advice & news about the biz.
Pubrants. (Agent.)
Nathan Bransford. (Agent.)
Lit Soup. (Agent.)
Agent in the Middle. (Agent.)
Evil Editor. (Editor.)
Lit Agent X. (Agent.)
Book Ends Lit Agency. (Agent.)
Personal: Our blogs & sites.
Anonymous Bosch: Jaida's blog.
Le Deluge: Dani's blog.
Publishing: Our publisher, &c.
Bantam Dell: Our publisher.
Friends: Amazing authors, fun sites.
Mortal Instruments: Homepage of Cassandra Clare, YA fantasy author.
Great Blogs: Advice & news about the biz.
Pubrants. (Agent.)
Nathan Bransford. (Agent.)
Lit Soup. (Agent.)
Agent in the Middle. (Agent.)
Evil Editor. (Editor.)
Lit Agent X. (Agent.)
Book Ends Lit Agency. (Agent.)