Monday, April 16, 2012

Peter Senftleben, editor at Kensington Books, speaks from the heart at HCRW meeting

One of the advantages of belonging to a writers' organization is the contact with others in the field. Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, which meets in Raleigh, N.C. the second Saturday of the month, makes a point of providing meaningful information at each meeting.

In April Peter Senftleben of Kensington Books in New York gave tips on how to get your work read.
He said what dedicated writers know, yet he reminded them to store these hints in their memory banks:

* Keep voice in one person's head per scene or chapter.
* Keep the same tense. Don't jump from past to present and vice versa.
* Make sure there's conflict. There's no story by playing "nice" throughout.
* Grab interest in the story immediately.

Peter expressed dedication to his job, hunt for good stories and sincerity in his suggestions. What came across more clearly, sprinkled along with his humorous asides, was his interest in helping writers get published. He cares! He really does! He talked of the overwhelming amount of manuscripts he receives, as all editors do, yet he pays attention to them.

Those rejection letters have more meaning from Peter because after listening to his presentation and suggestions, we know he wants the best books to be published. He's one of the good guys!