Two years ago, I had just moved to Colorado and wanted to meet more writer-types like me. As luck would have it, the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer?s conference in September was just down the road, so off I went. For those in the area, I highly recommend attending this one if you can. There is so much great information shared by both local and national professionals, you just can?t help but finish the three day event feeling more pumped to keep writing than you ever have!
The speakers and events were excellent, but I have to tell you, the best thing of all was getting to meet some fantastic?and by fantastic I mean INCREDIBLY AWESOME?people. Susan Spann, mystery writer and publishing attorney, is exactly that. Knowing her and seeing her reach her publishing goals has been one of the coolest experiences for me. She is hands down one of the warmest, smartest, and funniest writers you?ll ever meet, and I feel fortunate to call her a friend.?
So without further ado, an interview with Susan.
First, tell us about yourself. Your background, your writing history, what you?re writing right now and what it?s about. Most of all, tell us all the juicy details about your exciting publishing contract!
I am a transactional publishing and business attorney, which basically means I specialize in contracts. I represent a variety of publishers and authors (both traditionally and independently published). I also speak at writers? conferences, blog and tweet about writing issues, in the hope of helping share information with authors at all stages of their writing careers. I see the transfer of information ? to clients and interested authors both ? as an important facet of my legal career.
As an author, I write mystery novels. My current series focuses on the adventures of master ninja Hiro Hattori, who solves crimes in 16th Century Kyoto with the assistance of his friend and sidekick, a Jesuit priest named Father Mateo. The first three books in the series recently sold to Thomas Dunne publishers, and the first novel (currently titled SHINOBI) is scheduled for publication in Spring 2013. I?m very excited to see it in print!
On to more general, writer-ly questions.
How long have you been writing?
I plagiarized my first book when I was five. Not, perhaps, the most auspicious start for a future author and intellectual property attorney, but I loved birds and ?The Bird Book? was one of my favorites. I spent a week copying the pictures (and some of the words) onto construction paper, tied it with yarn and ?created? a version of my own.
I?ve been making up stories ever since. Fortunately, my originality has improved.
What made you first pick up a pen (or laptop, computer, etc.) and want to write?
I?ve made up stories in my head for as long as I could remember. My practical inspiration for writing fiction came from my ninth-grade English teacher. Her ?short story? assignment prompted me to refine a fantasy world I?d been building in my head for several years. In the end, I asked her if I could turn the short story into a novel-length manuscript, and she agreed to read it. By the end of the year, I?d written almost 50,000 words. I was hooked on writing novel-length fiction, and in one form or another I?ve been writing it ever since.
Why mystery? When we met, you had written at least one historical fiction book; have you written in other genres? What type of story do you have the most fun writing?
I?ve written full-length manuscripts in fantasy and historical fiction as well as mystery, but I self-identify as a mystery author. It took me several manuscripts to get there, but once I started writing SHINOBI I realized that mystery is really ?my thing.?? I love the puzzle element and all the ?moving parts? ? and I enjoy murdering my imaginary friends. (Sick, but true.) I still love the other genres, and read widely, but when it comes to writing I?m going to stick with mystery for now.
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What or who are your inspirations and influences?
They are far too numerous to list, so I?ll give you a sampling.? A list of my writing influences would have to include both Orson Scott Card (Ender?s Game is one of my all-time favorite novels) and James Rollins (author of the Sigma Force thrillers). I?ve probably read Ender?s Game a dozen times, and it never loses its power to captivate me and make me think. I?d love to write a novel that impacted readers that way.
James Rollins is an inspiration on both a personal and a professional level. I?ve met him and seen him present at writers? conferences ? he?s a New York Times bestselling author, but he genuinely cares about helping other authors and about talking with writers, even those at the beginning of their careers. He also writes a rollicking good story. I own every one of his novels and most of them are tattered from multiple readings. I aspire to write as well and to interact as personably as he does.
Is being a soon-to-be-published writer what you thought it would be? What expectations did you have for yourself, and how is your current trajectory comparing with that?
I?m really enjoying the process. I see so much of publishing in my day job that I have a fairly accurate impression of the process, but there?s a surreal quality about it happening to me. The morning after I learned my novels had sold to Thomas Dunne, I literally woke up and told myself ?Curiouser and Curiouser? ? because life looks very strange on this side of the looking glass.
The biggest surprise to me was discovering that publication doesn?t actually move you along the ?worry curve? ? it merely shifts the curve along the spectrum. Before an author finds an agent, she worries whether she will find one. After she finds an agent, the worry shifts to finding a publisher ? and from there, to whether anyone will actually like the book. Since I spend a significant part of my professional life counseling other authors not to worry, it surprised me to find that I wasn?t immune to the emotional effects.
Why do you write? What motivates you?
I write to silence the voices in my head.
In some ways, that?s literally true. When I don?t write for a day or two, I feel a pressure in my mind, as if I need to sit down and get back to the writing process. That feeling, and the motivation that accompanies it, have grown stronger in the last four years since I made the decision to focus on my writing and work toward publication.
I don?t literally ?hear voices? ? but I?m not truly happy if I haven?t spent some part of my day on writing (or editing, which counts as writing where I?m concerned).
In your opinion, what makes a great story?
Anything that keeps me from thinking about the dirty laundry.
For me, a ?great story? keeps me up at night when I should be sleeping, and stops me from remembering there?s laundry in the wash. In some cases, it?s the characters that draw me. In others, it?s the plot or pace. Mostly, though, a great story is defined by an author?s ability to draw me into a world that replaces my real one while I?m reading and makes me long to return there after I?m through.
What are some of the challenges you experience with writing?
I have the attention span of a hyper-caffeinated squirrel. I am easily distracted by shiny objects, the Internet, my aquarium and cupcakes. Mmm?cupcakes. My biggest challenge is keeping my behind in the chair.
Who are your favorite authors or books in your genre? In other genres?
In addition to Orson Scott Card and James Rollins, I?m a big fan of Lee Child (who writes the Jack Reacher series), and P.D. James (who I consider one of the masters of modern mystery). In nonfiction, I like Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air is a good one) and John Elder Robison. I think Be Different is mandatory reading for authors.
What is your writing process? Are you a dedicated everyday writer, or catch-as-catch can? Do you have any special rituals or activities you do that help you prepare to write?
I write first drafts without editing. I don?t allow myself to make even minor changes until the entire draft is complete. Then I go back and revise. The first 4-5 drafts are for my eyes alone. The next 2-3 drafts pass through my peer editors and critique group, and by draft 8 or so I?m comfortable calling the work ?complete.? On balance, I?d say 80% of my writing hours are actually spent in editing.
I try to write (or edit) every day, even if only for an hour or two. My daily goal is 5,000 words (if I?m working on a first draft) or 2 chapters (if I?m editing). Five days a week I write at the office, after I finish my client work for the day. Five days a week I write at home (three weeknights and two weekend mornings). The other evenings are dedicated family time with my husband and son.
I don?t know if I?d call it a ritual, but I usually feed my seahorses before writing. It keeps them from banging their noses against the aquarium glass while I write. Also, I drink coffee. Lots of coffee.
What made you decide to go the traditional publishing route of becoming agented then going through a publishing house over the new wave of self-epublishing?
I made the decision to pursue a traditional road after considering all of the benefits and disadvantages ? on balance, traditional publishing met my goals and needs better than the independent road. For example, as a publishing attorney I do business with other authors and publishers every day. It?s easier for me to avoid conflicts of interest if someone else is proposing my work to publishers ? and I couldn?t think of anyone better for that job than my agent, Sandra Bond. I trust her completely and am thoroughly pleased with our business relationship. In addition, having a publisher handle typesetting and production frees me up to focus on my clients? needs.
Ultimately, I think the decision to pursue traditional publishing was exactly right for me. I also think it?s a very personal decision that each author needs to make for him-or-herself ? and I?m doing a lot of blogging and personal appearances this year to help authors learn how to make that very decision.
You have been speaking at writer conferences about the legal side of publishing for authors. Is your law background in copyright/intellectual property law? What has your experience as a speaker been?
My practice has focused on intellectual property and publishing law for ten years now, and I?ve seen a lot of changes during that time ? far more than I?ve seen with regard to my other business clients. I love being on the ?cutting edge? of publishing and helping authors ? published and unpublished ? learn more about publishing and copyright law. That?s one reason I enjoy speaking at conferences ? authors are generally bright and eager to learn as much as they can about managing their careers.
More and more often, I?m finding that venues (writers? conferences, blogs, libraries, and radio shows) are asking me to speak about the various options available to writers and how authors should choose among them. The message has shifted from ?this is how you do it? to ?how you decide what to do? ? and I?m pleased to see authors taking responsibility for managing their careers as they would any other business.
You also started the brilliant and invaluable #publaw hashtag on Twitter and your blog. I personally want to thank you for bringing such immeasurably important information to the writing world. What has your experience with this feature been like? Do you get the sense that you?ve been able to help a lot of writers who otherwise might not have had access to this kind of legal advice and information?
Thank you for the compliment! I started the #PubLaw hashtag to fill a void in Twitter?s otherwise strong support for the writing community. Twitter?s hashtag system offers fantastic resources for authors ? from community building (#MyWana and #AmWriting to name two), to agent advice (#AskAgent and #10QueriesIn10Tweets) and much more. I started #PubLaw to offer information about contracts and publishing law, as well as a resource for authors with questions best answered by an attorney.
I do have a sense that #PubLaw is filling a gap in a positive way. It lets me reach a broad audience of authors who might otherwise have no access to legal information ? and I think that?s a very good thing.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Anything else you want to mention or elaborate on?
Nora Roberts probably said it best: ?Ass in the chair.?
Writers write. It?s what we do. Even if you have to start slowly ? 10 or 15 minutes at a time ? the only way to make progress is to write. And edit ? under-editing is like under-baking a cake. You might call it dessert, but if it?s indistinguishable from the soup course, nobody?s coming back for seconds.
Thank you so much for having me here ? I?ve really enjoyed the interview!
Thank you again, Susan. It?s been a treat to have you on my blog and spend more time getting to know you. For everyone reading, please visit Susan?s super-informative blog here, talk with her on Twitter @SusanSpann, and don?t miss #PubLaw on Wednesday afternoons. And mark your calendars for the debut of Shinobi in Spring 2013!
UPDATE: Susan will also be speaking at the 2012 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Conference for the second year in a row! W00t! Her two scheduled talks will be on how to choose between publishing options, and a class called "Law for the Lone Wolf," giving business and legal advice for independent and self-represented/self-published authors. The conference is September 7-9. I hope to see some of you there.
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