The Importance of Honest Feedback

By Judy Penz Sheluk

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Writing is a solitary pursuit, one where we spend countless hours of our lives, often laboring over a single sentence or paragraph for more time than most of us care to admit. So, it’s only natural that we become protective of our words. After all, something that took hours to perfect must be, well, perfect, right?

If only that were so. Unfortunately, as writers, we are simply too close to our work to see the flaws. Oh, we may find the typo on page 75 on reread, the one where we’ve called a car a cat (though even that is iffy), but the overuse of a favorite trope, phrase, or gesture (my characters love to nod). Maybe not so much. And that’s why we need feedback.

Feedback comes in many forms and at various stages of the writing process. The most important thing to remember is that you are looking for an honest and unbiased evaluation of your work. You may not agree with every comment or suggestion, but you should at least consider each one without becoming defensive. Consider it “thick skin” training for the rejections you’re almost certain to face going forward. 

Let’s look at some options:

Writing Critique Groups

While there are no hard and fast rules, these work best if the group is small—three to five people—allowing each member time to read and respond without becoming overwhelmed. It’s essential to establish parameters from the get-go, such as weekly word count limits and the type of feedback expected. 

While critique groups can be invaluable for some writers, they should never be the final step in the review process. As you become immersed in your work for months on end, you lose objectivity. Those intimately familiar with your work will too.

Alpha Readers

Readers who provide detailed and constructive feedback, both positive and tactfully critical, about your book’s premise, plot, characters, and other elements. This is the place to include readers who have knowledge of the technical elements in your manuscript. 

Whether you choose to hire a professional, or ask a trusted friend or relative, they should be aware that they are commenting on an unpolished (first) draft. They should also be avid readers of your book’s genre or sub-genre. Consider this the first test drive of your overall story from a reader’s perspective. 

Beta Readers

Beta readers (or betas) critique finished manuscripts before they are published. It’s advisable to have betas who are familiar with your genre/sub-genre. Betas can be friends, family members, teachers, members of online writing groups, or other writers willing to do a manuscript swap. This will help identify the finer points of your book that may need an adjustment. Ideally, you’ll have no fewer than two and no more than five, allowing for a comparison of opinions without the risk of opinion overload. If one beta reader doesn’t understand why your protagonist hates red, that might be a point worth clarifying. If two or more betas don’t get it, it’s a must-fix. 

While betas are an excellent way to obtain (often free) feedback, they do not replace the role of a professional editor. There is one school of thought that because traditional publishers pay for editing, there is no need for authors to incur this expense if their intention is to traditionally publish. 

Let’s look at that statement. Is it true that traditional publishers hire and pay for editing services? Yes. However, it’s equally true that agents and publishers receive thousands of submissions from aspiring authors every year. While there are no guarantees, a professionally edited manuscript may increase the odds of acceptance. 

Developmental Editing

Also known as substantive or content editing, developmental editing is the first step, focusing on big picture story elements. The developmental editor will also assess and shape draft material to improve flow and organization by revising or reordering content and clarifying plot, arc of action, characters, and/or thematic elements.

Line Editing

Also known as stylistic editing, the line editor focuses on coherence and flow, eliminating jargon, clichés, and euphemisms, while adjusting the length and structure of sentences and paragraphs, and establishing or maintaining the overall mood, style, or voice.

Copyediting

Ideally combined with line editing, the copy editor checks spelling, grammar, punctuation, and usage, and ensures consistency in character names, places, descriptions, and other details. Copy editing also covers fact checking and/or obtaining or listing permissions needed (e.g., use of song lyrics or trademarked products). The copy editor may create or work from a style sheet.

And there you have it, feedback in a nutshell. Now all you need to do is write that book. Hey, if it were easy, everyone would do it.

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About the author: A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited.

Judy has also written two how-to guides to publishing. Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide was the Winner of the 2024 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award for Best Nonfiction. The follow-up to that book, Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, provides an insider’s insight into the world of self-publishing. 

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors, most recently as Chair.

No One Wants You to Fail

By Judy Penz Sheluk

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The deadline is looming and you’re wondering, not for the first time, if you should apply for a Killer Nashville panel spot. The fearless side of you says, why not? Even if you apply, you may not get selected. After all, it’s your first conference. Maybe, even, your first book. Should you fill out the form and hit “Submit?”

In a weak moment (or perhaps one of false bravado) you decide to go for it. And now you’re second (and third) guessing the wisdom of that decision. Perhaps you’re even thinking of backing out—surely there’s a long list of authors more than willing to replace you, right?

Well, yes, almost certainly. And you wouldn’t be the first (or the last) author to have a change of heart. But before you send in your regrets, there’s one thing you need to remember:

No one wants you to fail.

Think about that for a moment. Have you ever sat in the audience while a speaker struggled? Of course you have. Did you snicker at their discomfort? Take pleasure in watching them bumble and stumble along? Or did you feel their pain and embarrassment, almost as though it were your own? My guess is you silently rooted for them, knowing they’d been rehearsing for days, if not weeks.

I’ll be honest. Public speaking in any form doesn’t come naturally to me—I think of myself as an introverted extrovert. In other words, I “can” be an extrovert when it’s required, but I’m happiest when I’m alone in my office making stuff up. Preferably in pajama pants, my dog lying under my desk.

It seems like only yesterday that I was nervously pacing the halls of the host hotel before my very first panel. It was 2015, my debut year at Bouchercon Raleigh, and the organizers had put me on a panel with Tom Franklin, the American Guest of Honor. 

Tom Franklin! Author of the Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. It doesn’t get much scarier than that. But I took more than a couple of deep breaths and told myself I could do it.

Was I perfect? No. Not even close. But I survived to tell the tale. And you will too. Because the only way you’ll really fail is to never try. 

But hey, you’re an author. You already know that. 

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Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of Finding Your Path to Publication and Self-publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie, as well as two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

A note from Killer Nashville: We’d love to see your interest in panels for this year’s conference. Click here if you’re registered and would like to take part in a panel. 

When “The End” is Just the Beginning

By Judy Penz Sheluk

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Ten years ago, when I sat down to write my first novel, the thought of self-publishing never crossed my mind. To be fair, times were different then. There was a greater stigma to self-publishing, and vanity presses had (deservedly) earned their reputation as the bottom feeders of the book publishing industry.

As an established freelance journalist and magazine editor, I was also no stranger to seeing my name in print, with bylines in dozens of North American newspapers and magazines. I assumed—wrongly, as it turned out—that my good reputation would help pave the way to a traditional publishing deal. 

It didn’t, and in July 2014, after several (mostly nice) rejections and one offer from a New York City agent to ghost write a book in exchange for a small share of any royalties earned (I turned her down), I signed a contract for The Hanged Man’s Noose, the first book in my Glass Dolphin mystery series. 

I vetted the publisher, an independent press based in Oregon, as well as anyone can prior to submitting. I checked online reviews and ratings of the books in their catalogue, read a handful of titles to ensure they were well edited, then contacted three of their authors who, like me, belonged to Sisters in Crime. Feedback about the publisher was overwhelmingly positive. Quality editing, proofreading, and cover art were all handled in a collaborative manner with the author. Royalties were reported monthly and paid promptly. I was further assured by the publisher’s Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers approved standings.

Despite all that, when it came time to find a home for the first book in my Marketville mystery series, I decided to query elsewhere to make sure all my eggs weren’t in one basket. I’d heard too many tales of authors whose series had been “orphaned” (an industry term meaning the premature cancellation of a contract due to the publisher shuttering its doors or discontinuing the genre). That wasn’t going to happen to me.

Except, it did. Twice. It turned out having multiple baskets didn’t offer the security I thought it might. 

It didn’t come as a huge shock; traditional print media had been declining for years, and my years in the magazine world taught me to read the signs of impending closure. One publisher had systematically begun to release every one of their authors from their contracts. The other had all but stopped communicating, including royalty reports and updates on books-in-progress. By July 2018, both of my series were officially orphaned. 

Few “orphaned” authors find a new home for their existing series, even after months, sometimes years, of trying. Some start over. Some give up. I did neither. Both failed publishers had given me knowledge of the industry. I understood what loomed on my horizon, and a few months prior to being officially orphaned, I’d set up my own imprint, Superior Shores Press. I was ready to take my destiny into my own hands.

I’ve learned a lot since 2018, made a few miscalculations along the way, overcomplicated some things, underestimated others. I’ve also guided a couple of traditionally published authors through their own indie journeys and, at the request of my then-local library, developed a presentation titled Finding Your Path to Publication, which led to a second presentation, Self-Publishing: The Ins & Outs of Going Indie.

Both of those presentations led me to research and write two step-by-step publishing guides in 2023. Finding Your Path to Publication released in May, followed by The Ins & Outs of Going Indie in December. I don’t kid myself. These sorts of niche publications are unlikely to earn me what I like to call “Stephen King money,” but it is my sincere hope that they will help other authors—whether orphaned, published and looking for a change, or still at the querying/getting rejected stage—a place to explore options and opportunities. 

Because authors should help authors. And because sometimes the end is just the beginning. 

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A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of Finding Your Path to Publication: A Step-by-Step Guide, as well as two mystery series: the Glass Dolphin Mysteries and Marketville Mysteries, both of which have been published in multiple languages. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Anthologies, which she also edited. Judy has a passion for understanding the ins and outs of all aspects of publishing, and is the founder and owner of Superior Shores Press, which she established in February 2018.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served on the Board of Directors for five years, the final two as Chair. She lives in Northern Ontario. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.

10 Tips for Submitting to an Anthology

By Judy Penz Sheluk

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I’ve been on all sides of the anthology fence, as a story submitter, a publisher, editor, and judge. I’ve felt the thrill of acceptance and the sting of rejection (as the intake coordinator for Passport to Murder, the Bouchercon Toronto anthology, I had the dubious distinction of sending a rejection letter to myself). As the Chair of Crime Writers of Canada, I’m currently co-coordinator for the association’s 40th Anniversary anthology: Cold Case Crime.

For the past three years, my indie imprint, Superior Shores Press, has published a multi-author anthology of mystery and suspense on June 18th. Each time, the process has been the same: Come up with a theme, post a Call for Submissions in October (with a deadline of mid-January) on my website, share it on social media and in various writing groups, and wait for the stories to roll in. To date, I’ve received close to 300 submissions from multiple countries and accepted 60 stories.

So how does one make the cut from 300 to 60? The truth is, reading is subjective. I’ve yet to read an anthology where I’ve liked every story in the collection (my own anthologies excluded, of course). The best you can do is even your odds. Here are 10 tips to help you do just that:

1. The theme matters, but...

Most anthologies have an underlying theme. That means no matter how good a story is, if it doesn’t meet the theme, it probably won’t be accepted. That said, there’s usually some flexibility. The way I word my Call for Submissions is that the theme “must be an integral part of the plot, not necessarily the central theme but not merely incidental.” Which brings me to my second point.

2. Don't be obvious

Let’s say the theme is Halloween. Rather than ghosts, goblins, black cats, carved pumpkins, or trick or treating, think of something that fits but is still unique. And no, I’m not here to give you that unique idea, that’s on you. The bottom line is you want to stand out from the crowd. In other words, your first idea (and maybe even your second or third) is probably someone else’s, too.

3. Does it meet the word count guidelines?

Some anthologies are very strict about word counts; one word over and you’re out. For my anthologies, I request stories from 1,500 to 5,500 words, though a few less or a few more words wouldn’t mean an automatic rejection. I do, however, draw the line at submissions several hundred (and in one case, several thousand) words over. There’s somewhat flexible and then there’s being an Olympic gymnast. 

4. Does it meet the criteria?

In my anthology callouts I say that “Traditional, locked room, noir, historical and suspense will be considered; however, do not submit stories with overt sex, violence, or excessive bad language.” And yet, you guessed it, I receive all of that and more. Submit to a market that suits your brand of storytelling and give yourself a chance.

5. Did you format accoding to the publisher's specifications?

I always request Times New Roman 12, double spaced, 1” margins, .5” indent (no tabs), no header or footer. Word .doc or .docx only. About 50% of authors pay attention to this (headers/footers being the one thing no one seems to want to give up). Will you be rejected for submitting in Calibri 11, single-spaced, with headers and footers? Probably not, at least not if your story is good. But why not show the editor that you can read as well as write? And if they’re on the fence, they might think, “Hey, this author will be easy to work with.”

6. Don't wait until the last minute to submit

You don’t have to be first out of the gate. In fact, if you submit on day one, I’m pretty sure you’re sending me something out of your slush pile that’s been rejected countless times. That doesn’t mean send it in on the last day, or in some cases, in the last hour. Because (and again, I can’t speak for other publishers/editors/judges), I read each story as it comes in, and I’ve already started my long list. And no one wants a long list that’s, well, too long. 

7. Keep those submissions going

There’s no magic number, but some authors like to have at least five short stories on submission at any given time. When one gets rejected, they can tweak it to send somewhere else. In other words, don’t put all your story eggs in one anthology basket. And don’t stop writing while you wait.

8. Rejection doesn't mean your story isn't good

Let me reiterate: a rejection doesn’t mean your story isn’t good. Sometimes it boils down to having two stories with a similar premise and only one can make it in. Other times it might be word count (anthologies need a mix of short, medium, and long). If I’ve got a bunch of “long and mediums” in my “yes” pile, I’m looking for a shorter story. Sometimes, all I need is one more long story. But don’t give up. I once accepted a story where the author told me it had been rejected ten times over several years. He kept refining it, and finally…success! It’s still one of my favorite stories.  

9. Membership has its privileges

I’m a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, the South Simcoe Arts Council, and Crime Writers of Canada, where I’m currently Chair on the Board of Directors. Each of these groups has been instrumental in my development as an author, editor, and publisher. Authors helping authors. That’s what it’s all about. Or at least, that’s what it should be all about. Get involved. Pay it forward. There’s that whole karma thing, you know?

10. Read Short Stories

Short stories and novels are not the same thing. Read as many as you can. You’ll hone your craft and support fellow short story authors and their publishers. That’s a win-win-win. Last, but not least, read past anthologies by the publisher you want to submit to. We all have our likes and dislikes, and those will become more obvious as you study (yes, study) past collections. Oh, and for the record, I really, really, don’t get werewolves.

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A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including The Best Laid Plans, Heartbreaks & Half-truths and Moonlight & Misadventure, which she also edited.  Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she serves as Chair on the Board of Directors. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com.