Jan is Jan Fields, moderator of this interview with Linda Joy Singleton, and Web Editor of the ICL Web Site.

Green shows names or usernames of people and the questions they asked Linda Joy Singleton.

Jan: Welcome to tonight's guest chat with series author Linda Joy Singleton. I’m your moderator, Jan Fields. I'm delighted that Linda has agreed to chat with us tonight as she is both one of my favorite series authors and one of by favorite folks. Linda Joy is a fountain of information both on writing and selling series fiction (the ups and the downs) and on collecting series fiction -- it's always good to love the kinds of books you want to write. So feel free to ask what's on your mind--and she’ll tell you what’s on hers! Nice to see you here, Linda Joy!

Linda Joy: Thanks, Jan! I'm really thrilled to be invited.

Jan: I understand you've always loved series books; Who is your all time favorite series author?

Linda Joy: Yes, series books were important to me early on, and when I was 13 I wrote fan letters to my favorite authors. My favorite author, Margaret Sutton, author of the 38 Judy Bolton mysteries 1932-1967, wrote back. The other author, Carolyn Keene, was a syndicate of writers, not one person, and I never heard from her (g)

Linda Joy: Margaret and I corresponded for a few years, then we met when she came to my high school graduation party. She lived to be 98, and I was also honored to co-write a Judy Bolton mystery with her.

Jan: What was the name of that one?

Linda Joy: The Talking Snowman, and it's the only self-published book I've done -- which was a whole different experience.

Jan: You've done a little of everything, haven't you, including ebooks?

Linda Joy: Yes--I have about 7 e-books available. I even won the Eppie for best children's E-book a few years ago, which was wonderful.

Jan: Wow, how has that worked out? Writers ask me about ebooks sometimes and I really don't know what kind of sales children's authors normally see from ebooks.

Linda Joy: To be honest...not much money. In fact my tax guy was surprised to see paychecks of less than $20. But I love to try new things and e-books is something that will get big someday.

Jan: Okay, time to hit some questions from the folks in the wings...

Linda Joy: High concept plot, like what you see on TV or in movies, and unique setting-characters. Like my Regeneration series was about a group of teens who found out they were cloned and their lives were in danger. Or on the character end, a series like Phyllis Reynold's Naylor's, Alice books show a wonderful character.

Jan: I really liked the Regeneration series, didn't you win an award for that?

Linda Joy: Regeneration was chosen as a 2001 ALA Quick Pick.

Linda Joy: Again, the Alice series is a good example of a series with the age starting young and getting older.

Jan: So is Harry Potter.

Linda Joy: What a publisher is going to look at is the complete book, and if they like that enough, they'll consider more with the same character.But it's unlikely they'll contract too many books upfront unless you've written series before. I'm seeing more of a trend at the moment for short series, even trilogies.

Linda Joy: For my first series sale, I had an agent who submitted my complete book. When I got The Call that Avon was buying My Sister The Ghost, it was for one book until the next day I had another call saying they'd decided to contract 3 books (and later one more).

Linda Joy: Unless you know a publisher is looking specifically for series, it's safer to submit one book with a note it could be a series.

Jan: ebooks exist in computer files, not print (though some ebook publishers ALSO do print-on-demand editions). But for most ebooks, you download them as a computer file.

Linda Joy: E-books are published almost like traditional publishers. When I sold e-books, I submitted exactly as I did to tradtional publishers: I had to wait two years for a contract and then had lots of editing. An artist was hired by the publisher and my books were eventually promoted online. But there isn't much of a market yet for e-books for kids, so I don't make many sales.

Linda Joy: What I find useful is also having these books in paperback form for when I do school talks. If you're curious, go to my website afterwards and look up my book, Double Vision; it's a e-book.

Jan: So your ebook publisher does softcover as well as electronic versions?

Linda Joy: All of my e-books are available in paperback format.

Linda Joy: yes, I wrote #59 for Sweet Valley Twin. It was probably the hardest writing gig I've ever done. I had 3 editors all marking different things on the manuscript...and one of those editors is now famous as the Sisters of Travel Pants author.

Jan: Was your name on it?

Linda Joy: No, my name was not on that book...but I snuck some names inside the story for fun.

Linda Joy: Series usually need to have a longer viewpoint for the characters and plots. For instance, I'm getting ready to submit a new series and I have 6 plots on my "potential plot" page. But for the proposal, I only write a synopsis and chapters for the first book.

Jan: ONLY -- HA! I am terrified of synopsis. You must be a synopsis wiz by now.

Linda Joy: I love writing synopses! I just wrote one in first person which was a new challenge.

Linda Joy: Well if you notice the tops about the ups and downs of writing series...I keep having dry spells after losing editors/publishers.

Linda Joy: I've only had one instance where a publisher asked me to write a series for them. That was Cheer Squad, in 1996-1997, and I wrote 6 books for Avon.

Jan: And learned a lot about cheer leading.

Linda Joy: Yeah--I researched by posing as a coach at a 4-day cheer camp and I dedicated that book to the entire squad of girls.

Linda Joy: Nope. So imagine my shock when an editor asked me to write that series? I said YES, then hung up the phone and panicked. I was super shy girl in school and didn't even talk to popular cheerleaders. But then I started asking around and took two cheerleaders to lunch, went to competitions, and joined a cheer listserv online.

Linda Joy: Networking with other authors and by being in writing groups. I've seen some posts about ghostwriting work in SCBWI's newsletter. I found about my opportunites from other authors and by going to conferences. Most packagers will ask for a sample, which I call a "writing audition"

Linda Joy: Yes, it's fine to query a specific packager to ask about their series work. Usually publishers will have arrangements with packagers, so you'd contact the packager. A packager is a middle-company that acts like the publisher in all aspects except they don't actually print the books -- They hire the writers, do the editing, often create the cover, too -- then hand the package over to the publisher, saving editors work. You can ask for information on writing for them. The trick of knowing about packagers is to look at the copyright of series and often instead of the author's name you'll see "Alloy" or "Parachute Press."

Linda Joy: I have heard some editors get touchy about being approached with a series from a new author, that they'd rather focus on just one book to start with. But there seems to more paperback series coming out lately, so editors may be more open to series than a few years ago.

Linda Joy: I love series books! I have this amazing collection of series books from the late 1800's to current series, including most of the Babysitter's Club books. And at a SCBWI conference about 8 years ago, I met Ann Martin -- what a special lady she is!

Linda Joy: When I sold my psychic series, THE SEER, there weren't many supernatural series, but now I see many more of them. Right now I'm reading one in fact from Scholastic called Premonitions. So..supernatural is still going strong. I get lots of nice comments from fans who enjoy THE SEER and want more books like that

Linda Joy: Boy series seem to be in demand from librarians and publishers. I just read the start of a new YA boy series called Desert Heat by Ron Cree which was really exciting and will be a hit with readers

Linda Joy: I don't really know but a few years ago I noticed more religious books than I do now.

Linda Joy: Plot. The idea for my first series, MY SISTER THE GHOST, happened because I saw a report on TV about twins. And I had a friend who'd lost a twin to drowning and wondered if the ghost of that twin would be with her sibling.

Linda Joy: Definitely! One of my writing friends just sold a time travel.

Linda Joy: At the moment I don't think the market for younger series is as strong. I heard that the demongraphic for readers has stronger numbers with teens currently. But good books WILL sell...don't let the market stop you from writing what you love.

Jan: I wanted to catch this one because it's important. The New York Literary Agency is an arm of ST Literary -- the originator of the Childrne's Literary Agency. These "agencies" make their money strickly from fees. Writer Beware has not be able to find a single instance of a sale from one of these agencies to a reputable commerical publisher. Don't waste your money and your submission time.

Linda Joy: Use good storytelling skills mixed in with some TV advertising-sound bites. Editors want to see your voice and an idea that will hook readers.

Linda Joy: Hmmm...I have science fiction elements, but my books are more contemporary magic realism.For instance when I wrote about cloning, I studied it and mixed in facts I learned. And for writing about psychics in THE SEER, I've gone to psychic fairs and used lots of interesting things I've learned.

Linda Joy: I love SCBWI conferences. I've gone to the one in LA/Nationals for over 15 years. And on Saturday I'm going to a conference in Davis, CA where editors/authors will speak.

Linda Joy: I wrote constantly as a kid, but it wasn't till I was in my late 20's that I joined a writing group, a critique group, and started selling. My first sale for money was from a Parents Magazine.

Linda Joy: STRANGE ENCOUNTERS (titles Oh, No! UFO, Shamrocked and Sea Switch) -- I really love the middle-grade voice and Cassie is more like me than other characters.

Linda Joy: LOL...too many! There are the original 52 in hardback, then Wanderer paperbacks came, then the Nancy Drew Case Files. I am most proud of my first edition of the very first Nancy Drew which is in bad condition, but very rare (g)

Linda Joy: And in 1992, I met Mildred Wirt, who wrote 22 of the first 25 Nancy Drews

Linda Joy: For packaged work it was always a flat fee (usually )...For my original series it was from to with a small royalty (that rarely earns out).

Jan: Please, explain 'earns out.'

Linda Joy: Earning out means that for instance when I get an advance of ,000 and royalties about 6%, I don't get any royalties until the ,000 had been paid back.

Jan: Just a quick break to say the winner of the book drawing is LILYPHENIX -- she will choose among several of Linda Joy's books and receive an autographed copy. Congratulations.

Linda Joy: Congratulations, And I just want to share that I'll have a new book to offer soon. Advance copies of the 4th THE SEER, SWORD PLAY are waiting for me tomorrow. SWORD PLAY has my spookiest opening -- with a ghost appearing at night.

Jan: Ahhh, the one that made you the swordswoman you are today.

Linda Joy: yes--I took fencing lessons because I couldn't write the fencing scenes without knowing how it felt. It was very exciting and I hope it makes the book more real to readers.

Jan: And you have other cool news you could share -- about a certain cover in Chinese?

Linda Joy: Oh--the foreign books. Yeah--I need to put them on my website -- I just received Chinese editions for DON'T DIE DRAGONFLY and LAST DANCE. The covers are like anime and very gorgeous!

Jan: I heard about them on a mailing list -- you can learn a lot through lists :-)

Linda Joy: I did post them on the MG-YAwriters site at yahoo which anyone can join. I'm the moderator of the MG-YAwriter site and invite anyone who wants to to join

Linda Joy: Good question! There are different techniques for handling the weaving in of information. Some authors include a foreward to explain things. Some authors just jump in as if each book is separate. What I prefer to do is to weave in the background information in small doses. But the biggest problem I found was when I wrote the Cheer Squad series. By the 6th book, I had SO many characters and background stories that my first attempt at Chapter One was bogged down with characters, So I tossed it out and just kept in a few characters and wove important info in slowly.

Linda Joy: One YA plus a series proposal which is nearly ready to submit.

Linda Joy: Nope, but my wonderful husband is my "art patron" and allows me the luxury of writing time. And I keep hoping for a series to hit it big like Meg Cabot...she's my idol!

Linda Joy: Yes -- they are all ghost written. Packagers usually put them together and writers "audition" to write for the series. Before I got the Sweet Vally Twin job, I auditioned for Nancy Drew...but wasn't accepted.

Linda Joy: Think of your synopsis as a selling tool -- imagine if it were a TV commercial and start off by getting attention, then just tell the story.

Linda Joy: Not essential, but a good one can really help. I've had excellent help from critique friends. But really the final word is the editor and too many opinions can be confusing.

Linda Joy: I did a school visit last week to an elementary school and it was wonderful. Usually my visits happen because a friend will recommend me. I've found that the audience loves stories, so I just tell all the real stories behind my books and share my love for books.

Linda Joy: I tell the story like I would if I were describing the book for a friend. I give a sense of the character, what she wants, then the things that conflict on the road to her desires. I don't go into great detail about all characters or scenes.

Linda Joy: Yes, but not in detail.

Linda Joy: About 5 months. I used to write faster, but my internal critique makes me rewrite a lot and slows me down.

Jan: Do you do a lot of pre-writing -- research, outlining, stuff like that?

Linda Joy: I spend a few weeks usually on pre-writing, taking notes and looking for the right opening.

Linda Joy: I don't have an agent now (although I've been looking recently). I've had two agents, one retired and the other cut back on her clients. And having a good agent can be wonderful -- I still miss having one, but I've sold 7 books on my own since then.

Linda Joy: An exciting premise gets me going -- like writing about a psychic teen who just wants to fit in at school. And it was really fun to create a spirit guide for Sabine (The Seer) as her sidekick.

Linda Joy: I've self-published one book because I knew there were readers eager for it, but to create a strong writing career, it's better to focus on traditional publishers. Of course having e-books has been cool and gives me a variety of books for school talks.

Linda Joy: All the editors I've heard speak at SCBWI events say: voice of a character. They want to fall in love with your book, and if they love you, that's a bonus.

Linda Joy: Ask published writing friends for advice on contract language and don't be afraid to ask for changes. You can always ask for more free books and be careful not to sign an option clause that restricts you from selling future books to other publishers.

Linda Joy: Agents get 15% -- Usually they can negotiate for more money or better terms to equal out their fee.

Jan: Agents also usually get 20% on foreign and subsidery rights deals. And some agents get reimbursed for their submissions costs from your advance. Not all agents do the last. But their money comes out of what you get paid from the publisher -- not out of your pockets.

Linda Joy: It's kind of strange with an agent because they get your money first then send you what's left.

Linda Joy: I prefer the challenge of writing for kids who are a more demanding audience.

Jan: Let's talk a bit about the challenges of building a fiction career. We've had speakers tell us that getting published does not mean you've arrived. How has that played out in your career?

Linda Joy: I've gotten published, had those books go out of print, gotten published with a new publisher, had those books go out of print, repeat. I've worked for 6 publishers and SWORD PLAY (coming out soon) will be my 31st published book...yet I'm still trying to make a name for myself. I'm really hoping SWORD PLAY sells so well that Llewellyn wants more books, because as of now they don't.

Jan: So what keeps you in the game through the rough spots?

Linda Joy: I love it. Like falling in love even though it makes you crazy. And I guess I enjoy a challenge, so I keep trying new things.

Linda Joy: My books have stayed in print for usually about two years each time. Then the publisher decides to sell the remaining books to a discount house and I'm on to a new publisher. Except for Llewellyn, who publishes my THE SEER and STRANGE ENCOUNTERS series, they keep most of their books in print (thank goodness!)

Jan: A book is declared out of print when no more are intended to be sold at full retail and no more are planned to be printed.

Linda Joy: It varies...with REGENERATION they did about 20,000, but with THE SEER, it's usually about 4-6,000.

Jan: Wow, nice run in the regeneration series.

Linda Joy: Berkley is a larger publisher and at first they were really supportive of the series. I still have hopes to get Regeneration back in print someday.

Linda Joy: It's good to have that in your contract, but editors don't always follow through, as I found out with Regeneration and Cheer Squad. So it's best to keep after your editor to make sure you get copies before the series ends.

Jan: So you didn't actually get a chance to save those from the remainder bin even though it was in your contract?

Linda Joy: no, and I tried to order the books, but by the time I got to the right person, they'd already been remaindered. I did get some books -- like I have a lot of copies of #5 and #6 Cheer Squad...which I sell for very cheap!

Linda Joy: yes, usually at writing events as being the only author at a bookstore is kind of lonely. I get the best promotion response from school talks.

Jan: So what's your favorite way to promote?

Linda Joy: My favorite way is by speaking at SCBWI events, then my 2nd favorite are school talks. I also love writing events, like I'm speaking at Cal Day at Berkley Campus in April

Jan: And do you charge for your school visits?

Linda Joy: I usually charge $400 from and up -- that's mostly local.

Linda Joy: If you get your rights back. I asked for my rights from Regeneration, My Sister the Ghost -- But so far I've found that unless you're a huge name, publishers aren't as interested in reprints.

Linda Joy: Gosh, I've had SO many! Writing series results in wonderful fans. Like I just had a fan letter for Regeneration from a reader in Sweden saying she was going to write about me in a report. And yesterday I got a package from a young girl with her story for me to read. Then there was the boy in African who wanted me to sponsor him. Definitely interesting experiences!

Jan: You even had someone write fanfiction for Regeneration once, didn't you?

Linda Joy: yes -- that was a huge honor...I was flattered.

Linda Joy: The e-books are single-title books, and I'm especially proud of DOUBLE VISION, which is about a girl stopping a murder by going into an alternate copy of her own world. I have a few books submitted that I would love to sell which are single titles, too.

Linda Joy: I've been write about 2 books a year, but also sending out proposals and other writing stuff.

Linda Joy: I spend a lot of time doing blogs, too -- just started a My Space one today. My Live-Journal blog is pretty active. My Space is new and I'm still trying to figure out how to get friends. I really enjoy Live Journal! That's where I reveal my most personal secrets.

Linda Joy: I always remember what it felt starting out and try to give back what other authors were kind enough to give me. My Space will hopefully attract fans, although some have already posted to me on Live Journal. I have a link to my email from my website, which is where I think more fans find me. I also have cute pet pictures on my website.

Linda Joy: Nope -- I'm not as good at non-fiction, but that's a good idea. For now I get excited about fiction and don't see that changing...I have two single titles books I keep thinking about that I don't have time to even start yet.

Linda Joy: I read constantly...always a book in my purse (why I prefer paperbacks). When I really love a book, I write a review on my blog, too. And I listen to audio books in the car, right now I'm listening to E. Lockhart's Fly on the Wall (very good!)

Linda Joy: Not any more, but if somebody asked me, I would. One of my first sales was a quiz called What's your BP? (Book Personality)...matching types of books to readers. It was published in TEEN Magazine and my co-writer and I made a few dollars.

Linda Joy: Online is my fave marketing tool...the website, blog, plus I do talks. think it's really good to start promoting before a book comes out, as publishers look at presales to mark success. I offered a writing contest for kids to promote, which was fun. I think each book has it's own personality and finding what makes it different might give you marketing ideas

Jan: And with that, we've hit the two-hour mark. The chatters say thank you (very enthusiastically, I might add.) You're an inspiration, and you're awesome.

Linda Joy: Thanks! This has been really fun -- you're a fantastic moderator. Thanks everyone! See you in my blogs.

Jan: Can you share the urls for those -- blogs and website?

Linda Joy: Okay, here they are: http://www.LindaJoySingleton.com, www.LiveJournal.com/users/LindaJSingleton, and at My Space I'm under LindaJoySingleton. And my books are all available online and/or in most bookstores (hint...). Sword Play comes out soon!

Jan: I'm looking forward to that one.

Linda Joy: And if you think it sucks that Llewellyn turned down my 5th The Seer proposal (which was very exciting) let them know (g). Thanks everyone! Night!

Jan: Good Night and Thanks for coming -- watch the scheduled events and newsletter for the next speaker date!