I went to three performances/readings in a week all in Nanaimo, B.C. at different locations with three different storytellers. It’s always inspiring to see and hear how writers and storytellers are putting their work into the world. Ivan Coyote is a storyteller from Whitehorse, Yukon who travels the world and publishes books – twelve so far that they have authored or co-edited. And Ivan has created four short films and three CDs that combine storytelling with music.

Sheila Norgate who describes herself as a “feminist rabble rouser” is a visual artist from Gabriola Island who has created several one-woman shows often using as a resource her awesome collection of vintage books aimed at women on the subjects of etiquette, charm and beauty.

Susan Juby is a creative writing professor at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo who has written several books in various genres and is probably best known for her books that became a television series: “Alice, I Think.”

All three are writers. They started with the blank page or the blank screen and explored and discovered and opened themselves up to their own vulnerabilities.

Besides going to readings, I find it a lot of fun to get together with some local women writers once a month at the Nanaimo Bakery. I did that recently too! We don’t have an agenda and we get to have a laugh or two and share information about the publishing world while enjoying a very reasonably priced brunch. I highly recommend this informal way of gathering to share tips and offer support.

Ivan Coyote is a storyteller and performer who tells stories on the page as delightfully as in person. I noticed many local storytellers and writers at Ivan’s show at the north branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) among the audience of over 200 hundred. That’s rare for a library event! Ivan had been doing some school shows on the island which usually have to do with anti-bullying. You can count on poignant moments and lots of funny ones when Ivan tells their stories. They open their heart to share what’s there and in the case of the library event, love went pouring back to Ivan.

Ivan’s latest book is Rebent Sinner (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2020) with stories, long and extra-short, about what it means to be trans and non-binary today.  Have a look at Ivan’s website: www.ivancoyote.com.

Sheila Norgate is a performer in that she reads her script on a particular theme, adds photographs, film clips, her own captions and music to creates an entertaining show. Her technical acuity is amazing as now Sheila adds voice over or captions to vintage movie clips. FEM NOIR was described as “a blistering condemnation of misogyny.” And indeed it was with hundreds of years of facts and figures that Shelia blended with some humour. We needed that aspect as the continuing abuse of and disregard for women is staggering. The latest show I attended was a humorous one called “Mrs. Frank Hokum’s Better Living Through Improved Hostessing.”

If you sign up for Sheila’s newsletter, you’ll hear about new shows and new paintings. Have a look at Sheila’s website: www.sheilanorgate.com.

Susan Juby did a reading at the Harbourfront branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) as part of the library’s reading series called “Big Names, Little City.” It really was a performance as Susan read with liveliness and humorous asides and kept the large audience engaged. When I say “large” audience, there were more people than we usually get for a poetry reading for instance.

Susan has written in various genres and became known for her YA series Alice, I Think which was made into a TV series. There were three books in the Alice series beginning with Alice, I Think.

Susan was reading from a work-in-progress that is a humorous detective novel set on a fictional gulf island at a fictional retreat centre. That’s funny just reading that because we know the fictional stuff is based on some experience. (Susan will be at Hollyhock on Cortes Island to finish the book.) The other manuscript was a middle school book that has been sold to Penguin. It’s called Me Three and is about a young boy who is bullied at school because his father has been accused of sexual misconduct. Susan got thinking about the kids in these situations. Have a look at her website: www.susanjuby.com.

Susan has had the same agent for twenty years. During the Q & A someone in the audience asked about agents and although Susan didn’t get to answer where to find one, I can say look in the acknowledgements of the books you are reading in the same genre as the one you are writing and you’ll find a name or two. There’s also a list of Canadian agents on the Writers’ Union website.

As for what they’re looking for, the agents will let you know on their websites.

Many Canadian authors have American agents. Here’s a link to a guide you can download: The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents

Not all publishers require an agent. You can send your manuscript and/or a book proposal directly to them but have a look at the publisher’s website to see when their “reading period” is. I’m thinking of small poetry presses and presses like Caitlin located in British Columbia. Ivan Coyote’s publisher, Arsenal Pulp Press, as with many independent publishers have their submission guidelines on their website.

Literary agents also have their own guidelines for submitting manuscripts.

Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents (New World Library) has a listing of U.S. literary agents and what they’re looking for. The Author’s Checklist: An Agent’s Guide for Developing and Editing Your Manuscript by Elizabeth K. Kracht is a new book from New World Library. Elizabeth Kracht is a literary agent with Kimberley Cameron & Associations and a freelance editor who lives in Tiburon, California.

After several years of evaluating manuscripts, Kracht began to make a list of the pitfalls. “Almost every general developmental note I’ve ever given to an author is within the pages of The Author’s Checklist,” Kracht said in an interview with Monique M. Muhlenkamp, NWL’s Publicity Director. There are lots of useful tips whether you’re writing fiction, memoir or other nonfiction and they’re all in a reader-friendly format.

Lucky you if you have a completed manuscript. Now you can think about who your audience may be. That’s something you’ll need to include in a book proposal. Fiction writers may be able to get away with not having an “author platform” but the rest of us need to have some sort of reach into the community. A blog is a good idea and there’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to name a few.

On the top of the checklist for “Author Platform,” Elizabeth Kracht asks: “have you established a visible digital footprint?”

The Author’s Checklist outlines what to include in a book proposal which you’ll need for a non-fiction project. For memoir, you’ll need a proposal and the complete manuscript. For fiction, there’s no need for a proposal but your manuscript needs to be complete. Along with a proposal for non-fiction, you’ll need a “query letter” and that’s covered too. Yes, lots to think about besides actually writing the book.

The longest chapters have to do with a fiction manuscript: Characterization, Dialogue, Plot and Setting. As Kracht points out in her chapter on “Memoir,” memoir writers can often benefit from the advice given to fiction writers. “Your memoir should focus on the most pivotal events of your story and be written out in scenes so the reader feels they are in the room with you . . . “ Your memoir may have elements of more than one “subgenre,” but you’ll need to focus on one. It could be grief, spirituality, recovery, travel, or surviving a traumatic event for example. And “avoid the temptation to account for all the time that passes between pivotal events” is a good tip!

Writing a book can be a fascinating learning process. Getting your manuscript ready for an agent and/or publisher is using another part of your brain. I have done it and it can be quite satisfying as you get in touch with all aspects of your book and putting it out into the world.  As for the promotion and publicity aspect, you need to be up for that too.