Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
What makes a reader tell others about a book? Today we’ll look at the novel Swamplandia! by Karen Russell to see what caused it to rise from the status of debut novel to best-seller. Here are the elements I believe made the difference:
A compelling cover. The story is of the Bigtree clan, which runs the cheesy Florida tourist stop, Swamplandia! until their mother, who swims with the alligators every night through swampy water with tourists as the audience and lives to tell the tale, dies of cancer. The tourists, who make the stop to watch the phenomenal swimming feat, are disappointed to find she died not from a reptilian attack but of a common disease, move on to the newest tourist attraction,a dyst0pian Disneyland, World of Darkness. As one Amazon reviewer said, “In truth, I picked up Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! as a bit of a lark. The gaping maw of a ferocious alligator on its cover propelled instinct number one. Heck, who doesn’t love gators?” The cover does its job, communicating that this story has an unusual location and a young girl as a protagonist. - A strong hook. I found Swamplandia! on Publishers Weekly best-seller chart. It was featured with a pic of the cover in a side note along with a brief description. I was hooked, all right. I wanted to check out this book. So I downloaded sample chapters on my Kindle to see if the writing held up to the book’s promise. As I was reading it, all I needed to tell friends was that Swamplandia! was a Floridian shabby tourist stop and what the young protagonist’s mother’s job was there, her death, and the family’s financial plight as a result, to hook other readers. The lesson: Create a story that an enthusiastic reader can talk about quickly. Can the story be summed up in a few sentences?
I remember talking to a writer friend at a writers conference and asking what he was working on. Ten minutes later, he was still trying to explain the plotline. I responded politely, but I thought, “Gator bait. No one can talk about that book in a few sentences.”
I know authors love to lay out all the complexities of their characters and plotline, but you need to be blunt with yourself: Can you or a reader or, more importantly, a publisher’s sales rep, talk about the book’s essence in a few seconds? If not, it doesn’t matter how nuanced your story is or your book’s purpose, it’s a carcass floating amongst the gators.
- A unique setting. Invite the reader to explore some aspect of our culture he or she has never considered. It will set your work apart from all the others. Even if you’re writing the seemingly nonstop popular Amish, you can set your work apart. Tricia Goyer’s Amish series takes place in Montana (unique!) and with a depth of characterization of Amish and Englischers that distinguishes it from many other Amish. (I’ve read the readers’ comments and know that’s why readers responded to it so positively.)
- Stellar writing. Carl Hiaasen, multi-published author, wrote a guest review of Swamplandia!, describing it this way: “It’s very rare, among the tonnage of manuscripts and galleys that land upon one’s desk, to come across a young novelist so inventive and versatile, yet so thoroughly in control….Her prose is both shimmering and stark. ‘A huge hole in the middle of the ceiling opened onto a clear night sky; it looked as if some great predator had peeled the thatched roof back, sniffed once and lost interest.'” Booklist described it as “ravishing, elegiac, funny, and brilliantly inquisitive.” Wouldn’t we all wish for such reviews?
But here’s the thing: If you go to Amazon, you’ll find the customer reviews are mixed. Several people bought the book based on reviews and anticipating a stellar reading experience, but they were disappointed. I was enthralled with the book until I reached a point about 2/3 of the way through when the book took a dark turn–which is hard to do in a pretty dark book to begin with. But I wanted to shout, “Don’t take the book there!” when I realized what was unfolding. One reviewer wrote that he left the swamp feeling sullied. Yeah, which was all the more disappointing after riding through the swamp waters and all the wondrous eccentricity of the characters and their circumstances to end up in the muck. Sigh.
Nonetheless, Swamplandia! is instructive. It didn’t take a perfectly composed work (at least according to many readers) for the items bulleted above to put Swamplandia! on the best-seller list.
Examine your WIP. What makes your storyline unique from other books in your genre? Is the difference eccentric or weird? (That’s an important distinction that hopefully your critique group can help you with.) Can you talk about your book in two sentences? If not, what can you do to create a stronger hook for your book? Let’s see those two sentences…
I don’t like that cover. It looks like father and daughter are waiting to be eaten by the alligator (kind of like King Kong). The jaws on that alligator remind of the crocodiles I saw in Botswana.
If I feel the need to read about alligators or crocodiles, I stick with Lyle from the “The House on East 88th Street” which was a favorite of mind when I was a child. The cover is definitely more inviting.
OK … I’ll play. Here’s my wip: A key attached to a quilt opens the past Rose Prescott has wanted to forget … a past that includes a prison warden’s wife, an eccentric prison matron, and the mother Rose thought dead. And now the nightmares have returned, and Rose begins to wonder if they’re really dreams, after all.
I often choose books and wine based on the cover (or label). I’ll confess that the cover of Swamplandia doesn’t really grab me. I think maybe it captures the “darkness” that’s coming and I don’t enjoy dark books in general.
As for summing my book up in two sentences. I can. “Thirty-five-year-old Ella Phillips’ earliest memory is of nearly drowning—a memory that stands certain and clear until her beloved Grandma Bess tells Ella that before she fell in the water, she walked on it. Her search for the miraculous truth leads her to faith in unexpected ways.”
Now. Based on feedback I’ve gotten from contest judges, I need to condense my writing so it lives up to an interesting premise!
Hello Janet, here are my two sentences on one of my unpublished novels about a religious vocation called “God’s Apparel”:
When Monica Dunbar, a teacher from England, is summoned to the funeral of the mysterious death of the Mistress of Villa Carlucci on Venetian Hills, she did not imagine she would meet the man who would extinguish all other loves, the renowned Fashion Designer, Alexander Carlucci, who although accused of the murder does not deter Monica from loving him- however, unknown to herself, she has yet a greater adversary to conquer- God.
Inspired by the life of Chino Bert, the Italian Fashion Designer and designer to Jacqueline Kennedy, who at the height of his career abandons all to don God’s apparel, the habit of a Franciscan Friar.
I love the Swamplandia cover and hook.
This post has opened my eyes to something. What I have done with my hooks is write about the character’s dark night of the soul, because I’ve figured that I have just a few seconds to get an editor to read on to the three-paragraph synopsis. So the two lines don’t need to tell the story, but they need to convey the conflict and the horrible decision the character is faced with.
But this isn’t how I’d try to hook a reader, because it gives too much away. So now you have me thinking, “There’s always more to learn! How do you hook a reader?” I guess the answer might be to distill the inciting incident instead of the dark night of the soul. Am I on the right track?
But here’s my hook (for editors) for my present WIP. I’d love critique if anyone has an inclination, because I’ve been wondering if this premise is strong enough.
A sweet princess trades her naiveté for cynicism after she is sold into slavery by her best friend (she believes). Years later, she escapes, only to run head-on into the betrayer, and she must decide between trusting him, at the risk of her life, and killing him.
Stephanie, I like your summary so much I am debating whether to postpone my run today to go to your website. Unfortunately, I’m addicted to running, so my Saucony’s and ear phones are winning, but I’m sure I’ll come back to your site after my run.
Just knowing Swamplandia takes a dark turn turns me off and I like dark things. I think we all want some hope. I don’t like fairy tale endings because they’re not realistic, but I do like a little bit of hope.
We obsess so much with pitching agents, editors and publishing committees and getting past those necessary hurdles.
But, ultimately the make or break is writing something so compelling that beloved reader will put their reputation on the line with people they care about and say these words…”You’ve got to read this.”
That’s why we don’t get any sleep.
Janet,
Sometimes I feel this blog is like a workshop and it’s delicious! I have learned so much here.
I appreciate your analyzing a real book to illustrate your points. I have a few questions…
1. Regarding the cover of a book: How much input does an author have? Do authors suggest ideas or does it depend on the publisher? Who has the final say? It sounds like a lot depends on the cover for nonfiction as well as fiction.
2.Regarding the idea of a “unique setting”: Isn’t this a bit subjective? What I would consider “unique” may seem humdrum to someone else. I am thinking the characters and the sequence of events make the setting seem unique. Even a small, nowhere place like “Big Stone Gap” (Virginia)by Adriana Trigiani can become unique in the hands of a master storyteller.
3.Regarding “stellar writing”: Again, is this not a subjective matter? I hold on to hope with the story of Kathryn Stockett who wrote “The Help.” She received 60 rejections from agents or publishers. Sometimes she wasn’t sure why her manuscript was turned down. She persevered though, continuing to re-write and revise her WIP. I can only imagine the shock of those who turned her away…who would have guessed this book would be so popular and now there is talk of a movie.
4. Regarding creating a “stronger hook”: Can you suggest resources to “test” a hook? My writing group is precious and seem more like family to me and I am not sure they will be tough enough to do a thorough dissection.
My WIP: It’s a fictionalized story-cookbook inspired by tea room events, including a brief description of teas, recipes and a photograph of the recipe. Reviewing Harvest House Publishers tea books, my WIP is unique in that it does not revolve around tea party themes or seasons of the year and it is not a devotional. Other publishers books about tea are usually about the history of tea or tea recipes from famous hotels or areas.
Two sentences: “Once Upon A Tea Room: Stories and Wisdom from Nammer Kathy” is a fictionalized story-cookbook inspired from tea room events. Nammer (Grandma) Kathy writes letters to her grandchildren sharing stories, a bit of tea lore and recipes with photographs, ending each chapter with a nugget of encouragement.
I welcome help with these two sentences.
Thanks again for your enlightening post.
We have disagreement! How great is that?! To like the cover or not to like the cover, that is the question. The cover worked for me because it conveyed the unusual setting so vividly, and it does match the book’s tone. So maybe those who aren’t jivin’ with this cover wouldn’t like the book either, which is quirky, dark and has magical realism in it.
Stephanie, a good thing about your hook is that it wouldn’t fit anyone else’s book, just yours.
Sarah, your hook is a grabber. Each word counts, and the final sentence gives the idea a lovely twist.
Eva, my response to your hook (and maybe it’s just me) is that I’d rather have you center it on the designer whose life inspired the novel. I’d want to know it what way you used that inspiration for your novel’s idea.
Sally, you’re right: You don’t need to focus on the dark moment in your hook, instead, focus on the question that carries the reader through the book, not necessarily the inner issue that the protagonist struggles with.
The point of the hook is to draw the reader/editor/agent into wanting to know more. It’s an enticement.
Here’s the hook for my historical.
A young woman sneaks onto a cattle drive bound for the gold fields to escape an arranged marriage only to find the trail threatens more than her heart.
And the hook for my suspense.
A heart transplant recipient discovers her donor’s death wasn’t an accident and uncovers a tiny mountain town’s dark secrets someone will kill to keep hidden.
I didn’t like the cover, but that’s just my taste. Thanks for addressing the fiction side today.
Interesting thoughts and discussion thread! Isn’t it amazing that even a bestseller can polarize readers?
I like your comments on summarizing our work. I’m a big fan of Randy Ingermanson’s snowflake method. It forces me to narrow down my focus before I start writing. Here’s what I have for my current wip:
When a college dropout discovers she can finish her real estate degree by completing an internship, she fills the role by agreeing to find a new shop owner for an Amish tourist development. But can she persuade her friend and longtime crush to showcase his woodworking skills and open a business, when he’s determined to keep them a secret?
Thanks to Books and Such blog posts in the past, I’ve been working on succinct hooks for my non-fiction works, too. I’m finding that being able to whittle the topic summary down to two sentences (or so) greatly helps with my focus!
I’m with those who dislike the cover… but, I’m also not a fan of alligators, swamps, or dark twists. Hah.
I love the cover and the tone it conveys. And I, too, like Sarah Thomas’s hook. I also am interested in Sarah Forgrave’s book.
This was an interesting post! The comments are as interesting in discussion as the post, too.
Kate, sorry, I didn’t see your comments when last I checked this post. To answer your questions about covers, the amount of an author’s input depends on the publishers. Many New York publishers will show you the cover as a courtesy. Done. That’s it. Other publishers ask for ideas from the author before the designer even gets started. Sending samples of covers you like helps the designer to set a direction. Not that the designer has to pay attention to any of that input. But the author does get to see the cover design (and sometimes more than one option) and give input. One publisher I work with won’t stop working on a cover and title until the author and publisher agree this is The One. So it varies a lot from publisher to publisher.
A unique setting is a unique setting. I think everyone would agree we see very few books set in the Floridian swamps. A small town setting is not unique. But that doesn’t mean the book is bound to be a dud; it does mean the author has to make the characters, the conflict, and the writing stellar because the setting can’t be a factor in creating a compelling hook.
Your two-sentence summary does a good job of telling me about the book, and it tells me what’s unique about it. I would worry about a story being combined with recipes and photos because it sounds as though you’re combining fiction and nonfiction, which is likely to mean a book that straddles genres. Neither bookstore nor publisher knows what to do with genre stradddlers.
Melissa, both of your hooks are good in that they describe the setting and the conflict in a compelling way.
Sarah, your hook is great in that you have a little twist at the end.
A good place to test your hook? I’d try finding a critique partner who is a very good critquer. Or even just friends of yours who like to read the type of material you write. If you toss your hook out there, and no one’s eyes light up, no one says, “Ooo, I’d like to read that,” then your hook isn’t working.
Thanks for all your comments. I love this discussion.
I think I posted a little later than most everyone else, but am glad you checked back. Thanks Janet for your very thorough response. I really appreciate the time you take to not only encourage, but to be honest.
And your suggestion for testing a “hook” is helpful. I think I need to trust an interested response and not presume the person is just being “nice.”
Thanks Janet, your comments and the hooks others posted have been very helpful.
Thank you Janet for your comment- precious!
To me the cover screams middle grade fiction. I never would have expected a semi-dark novel. Of course it is certainly distinctive– you won’t mistake this for any other.