A country song by mother-and-daughter duet Naomi and Wynona Judd, “Why Not Me?“, features a woman wanting to know why the man she loves prefers another woman. In other words, what’s wrong with her that makes her unworthy of his attention and affection?

Freelancers can relate.

Going against the false mantra that one must provide a unique service or product to succeed, many freelancers provide the same type of service (career coaching, fitness counseling, retail shops, funeral homes, etc.) to pretty much the same kinds of clients. Some are geographically restricted (e.g., landscaping companies) and others are not (e.g., marketing). There are a lot of businesses out there trying to distinguish themselves from their local and global competition as the best option for the multitudes of potential customers.

Let’s be candid: not every vendor suits every customer for that product or service. Customer service concepts don’t align with every customer’s expectations. If you’ve seen the unreasonable examples of buyer requests for writing and editing gigs, then you know what I mean. Some customers don’t match some vendors.

The match between customer and vendor depends in large part on personality. I’ve taken on projects that seemed great, but which turned into regrets. When one hires a service, there’s an expectation of respect: respect of the client for the vendor hired to do the work and respect of the vendor for what the client wants. Without that mutual respect, the project crumbles, giving rise to resentment and animosity.

The vendor-client relationship also depends upon the management of expectations. The bad advice to under-promise and over-deliver leads to what architects used to call scope creep. Basically, that means the client begins to expect more and more for the same or lower prices, which leads to the vendor losing time and money. I find that the best way to manage expectations is to delivery precisely what I promised. If I deliver “added value” (meaning: free service) then it’s a gift to a favored client and I make sure that client knows it. This is a one-time deal.

To avoid scope creep, I have learned to put limits and/or boundaries in my contractual terms of service. For instance, a fee of 10¢ per word for fiction writing includes a maximum of three rounds of revision. If the client is satisfied with only one round of revision (after that round), then so much the better for me. If the client is not happy with the content after a third round of revision, then there’s a problem, a big problem. Either the client doesn’t know what he wants or has miscommunicated what he wants or I have entirely misunderstood what the client wants. Fortunately, that rarely happens.

The multitude of choices always means that someone loses. Hiring manager who post job vacancies receive myriad applications in response for a single open position. Many apply, several are viable candidates, only one is hired. Each person is different and unique, but as a group they can be classified into categories. Hiring managers will discard those whose qualifications do not match the must-have competencies and/or experience the company needs.

Of course, therein lies a Catch-22 (thanks, Joseph Heller). You can’t get the job without experience, but you can’t get experience without the job. In freelancing, this results in vendors taking on work that pays paltry wages in order to acquire the needed experience. For those learning on the job, so to speak, the service or product delivered is substandard. That leads to another Catch-22: the poor quality of the service or product justifies the client’s low expectations and low fee as well as his disrespect for the service provided.

A successful freelancer is one who manages to connect with a client and deliver what the clients wants to the client’s satisfaction. A lot of freelancers may be matched to the same client who is not obligated to select any of them. Or the client may want to work with a particular freelancers, but not be able to afford that vendor’s service. This is not the freelancer’s fault, but it may result in lost business if the freelancer cannot exercise sufficient flexibility to convince the client that he’s truly a good choice. The factors influencing that decision may boil down to gut feeling or intuition: Can I trust this person?

I’ve yet to see someone who could write an algorithm for trust or intuition. So, why not me? It could be a client doesn’t want to pay me the price I charge for my service. Perhaps there’s a mismatch of expectations: I won’t give a free writing or editing sample of 2,000 words to help the potential client make a decision as to whether to hire me. I won’t promise unlimited revisions. I won’t do some things that I consider untenable risks or costs of doing business. Perhaps I don’t have the exact experience or knowledge the client wants. That’s understandable. Or maybe our personalities clash. There’s no need to be rude, but when civility is a strain, the working relationship will be rough and unpleasant. Why burden oneself with that?

Why not me? Myriad reasons answer that question, and just as many answer the question of “Why me?” I truly want the best and do my best for my clients and that requires shared respect and civility.

Like genres (and sub-genres), certain tropes in fiction literature go through cycles of rising and ebbing popularity. Because “my” genre is romance, I’ll focus on those plot devices which I find tired and in dire need of abandonment in that genre.

• Secret baby. Not only does this trope glamorize or glorify promiscuity, but it promotes irresponsibility. For whatever reason, the heroine–who usually gets pregnant from a one night stand–cannot believe she’s pregnant practically until the time the baby is being born. Then, of course, she assumes all the blame and does not inform the father that she’s pregnant. Reasons–none of them good–abound for this failure to let the baby daddy know he’s got a kid on the way. In some variations of this trope, the baby is a few years old and occasionally near adulthood. Whatever happened to not falling into bed with someone on the first date? Sex has consequences.
• “Broken” hero/heroine. This trope usually alludes to some trauma–emotional and/or physical–in the character’s background. Oftentimes, it’s as simple as a nasty breakup of a relationship that leads the character either to swearing off all future romantic interests and/or treating the opposite sex as disposable. The authors who write such plot contrivances have obviously never heard of therapy and use the past trauma to justify the character’s ongoing, reprehensible treatment of others.
• Antiheroes. I love an alpha male hero in romance, but not those who are dismissive, abusive, cruel, or overly controlling. This typifies most “dark” romances with antiheroes and usually incorporates elements (if not wholesale adoption) of BDSM. Abuse, rape, and other abhorrent behavior of the hero toward the heroine typifies “Omegaverse” and mafia romances and similar fiction. Regardless of any future power exchange, the male protagonists of such stories start off as repulsive jerks and remain repulsive jerks.
• TSTL heroines. Imbecilic female characters usually end up paired with the antiheroes described above. Authors who write these female protagonists tout their characters as intelligent and feisty despite all evidence to the contrary. They either have backbones the consistency of overcooked noodles and do great impressions of a doormat, or they suffer from terminal stupidity shown by harebrained decisions, overreaction, and an impressive inability to engage in critical thinking.
• Lost job and cheating boyfriend/fiancé. This is the scenario that launches thousands of romances. The heroine loses her (crappy) job and discovers her boyfriend (or fiancé) cheating on her the same day. This, of course, sends her spiraling into a series of bad decisions, usually aided and abetted by a sympathetic friend, a gallon of ice cream, and too much wine. Honestly, it’s not the indulgence in wine and ice cream that gets my ire, it’s the idiotic advice given by the best friend for the heroine to sleep with as many men as possible in an effort to “get back on the horse.” The lost job part just doesn’t result in the heroine taking the next reasonable step of looking for new employment, generally because she somehow falls into the arms of the uber-rich hero.
• Billionaires. Anyone who reads romance might be forgiven for getting the impression that there’s a single, handsome billionaire standing on every street corner. It’s the Cinderella theme all over again … and again … and again. Well-to-do just isn’t good enough; the hero must be able to buy and sell small countries. In that same vein, I take issue with the authors of historical (e.g., medieval, Georgian, Regency, and Edwardian) romances, who seem to entirely focus on dukes. A quick glance at Debrett’s Guide to the British peerage quickly confirms that, really, dukes are in extremely short supply and bachelor dukes even more so. Like billionaires, you won’t find one on every street corner or in every ballroom.
• Abduction/Stockholm Syndrome. Yeah, I’ve written these myself. However, abduction does not necessarily lead to being loved or cherished, especially when combined with nonconsensual sex. In fact, I have a lot of trouble envisioning how such a scenario redolent of physical/emotional/sexual abuse would actually lead to a loving relationship, but the heroines of far too many of these romances cannot think beyond their excited hormones. In fact, my one novella that dwells on this trope–The Barbary Lion–I make two strong points: 1) the hero always keeps his word and 2) the heroine plots, escapes, and eludes the jerk for a good long while, during which he realizes the error of his ways. That novella ends with the hero, Atlas Leonidus, negotiating with the heroine for her willing return to him. The reader knows he will keep his promises to her.

Author Susan Stoker does a great job of using several of these tropes in ways that don’t demean the heroines and that don’t relegate the heroes to what have become stock antihero characters. I always appreciate an author who can incorporate a standard plot device or trope without it feeling worn and tired and strive to do the same in my stories.

I field a lot of questions from new and aspiring writers who get the jitters when they finish their drafts and think it’s time to release their debut novels to the world. They stutter to a halt and wonder what to do next. Will people like their books?  How will people find their books? Their anxiety builds and they seek guidance. Candor more often than not serves their interests better than flattery, even if it’s not what they want to hear.

If you’re one of those authors, set your fear aside. Someone won’t like your book, probably lots of someones. So what? You can’t please everyone. Now …
Regarding traditional publishing:

1. Remember that no publisher is obligated to buy your manuscript. (Neither is any agent obligated to represent your manuscript.)
   
2. Some publishers don’t accept unagented manuscripts. Refer to the publisher’s author guidelines to make sure.
   
3. Target those publishers and/or agents who actually handle books like yours and are accepting submissions.
   
4. If you’ve edited your work to the best of your ability, then make sure to format your manuscript, synopsis, etc., per the publisher’s or agent’s submission requirements.
   

In other words, do your homework. (Just for the record, “doing your own homework” doesn’t mean pestering others to pick their brains.)

Because I’m not entirely heartless, I do have some references for you. The Writer’s Market and Literary Marketplace are both venerable and reliable sources of solid information about and guidance to the publishing industry. You’ll find a proliferation of other sources online, too. If you can’t afford to purchase a printed copy or online subscription, then hie thee to your local public library’s reference section for free access.

Once you’ve narrowed down the publisher and/or agents to whom you want to submit your work, head to their websites to determine whetherhie
​ they’re even accepting manuscripts. If so, find the person who handles your work–it’s always better to direct your submission to a specific person than to a department in general–and follow the submission guidelines.

I cannot stress that enough: follow the submission guidelines. Agents and publishers don’t want to work with authors who can’t follow direction.

Most submission guidelines will request manuscripts or the first 50 pages or first three chapters of a manuscript and an outline or  synopsis. The manuscript should be formatted in standard manuscript format. This is important. Again, you’ll find myriad sources online that provide instructions on how to write a proper synopsis and on this specific type of document formatting. I like the classic formatting explained by William Shunn. Standard manuscript formatting is a holdover from typewriter days when the standard format enabled an editor to quickly estimate with astonishing accuracy a manuscript’s word count. Editors continue to specify it.

Your submission to the agent or publisher will include a query letter. Again, Google and the aforementioned resources are your friends.
Regarding self-publishing:

1. Remember, if you’re publishing your own book, then you are responsible for all the work that a traditional publisher would do to produce a book that meets industry standards for professionalism. 
   
2. I strongly advise writers who publish their own work to hire professionals for editing, document formatting, cover design, and even marketing. (f you want to know what services I provide, go to my SERVICES page.)
   
3. No, no one will care about your book. With over 1 million titles published every year, the competition for readers is overwhelming. Don’t count on being a unicorn. You must invest time, effort, and probably money in marketing, advertising, and promotion to sell your book. You might consider hiring a marketing professional to assist with this, too.
   

Book publishing is a business and running a successful business takes money and reliance upon experts. Don’t expect people to invest in your work if you won’t.

Finally, if you self-publish your book, do not expect a traditional publisher to pick it up. Except for extremely rare circumstances, that never happens.

#henhousepublishing #publishing #business