Ally Carter

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A letter to Baby Author Me (circa 2004)

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Hi everyone!

So today marks a very special anniversary for me.  In a couple of ways.

First and foremost, eight years ago today my oldest niece was born.  It was the day my sister became a mother, my parents grandparents, and me an aunt.  So…ya know…BIG DAY.

But one other very important thing happened that day, and that’s what this blog is really about.

July 13,2004 is also the day my agent went out on submission with my very first book, CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE.  There I was with a new baby niece, but I was also a new baby author.

So I’m thinking about that today.

Eight years.

It isn’t that long in the grand scheme, but in other ways it is forever.  SO much has changed.  And if I could go back in time and talk to 2004 Baby Author me what would I tell her?  Well…here’s a list.

 

STUFF I WOULD (AND WOULDN’T) TELL BABY AUTHOR ME IF I COULD GO BACK IN TIME:

A list by Ally Carter

 

-First and foremost, it is going to be okay.  And, by the way, “it” will totally vary.

Maybe it’s sales or copyedits or titles or covers or co-op.  Whatever it is, it will not kill you.  It will not hurt the people you love.  It will not make you an unhappy person unless you give it the power to do so.  Do not give it that power.

 

-Very soon you will sell a book.  (Yay!)  But then you will become obsessed with promoting that book.  Don’t do it.  Sure, build a website, go to conferences and do the stuff if you ENJOY doing.

But, seriously, the thousands of dollars you’re getting ready to spend on playing cards and business cards and people who are supposed to help you “get your name out there”.  Don’t.  Just don’t.  Put that money into a savings account instead.  Even at less than 1% interest, you’ll get way higher returns there.

 

-Does that mean that an author shouldn’t try to promote his/her book?  No.  But understand that you can’t buy your way to the next rung on the ladder.  You can only buy the illusion that you’re helping your career.  But sometimes the illusion is valuable too.

 

-So what SHOULD you do if you’re not going to spend a six months making crappy playing cards and other things?  Write your next book, that’s what.  There’s a saying in this business:  nothing sells backlist like front list.  So get to writing some more front list.

 

-I know you don’t know anybody in this business now and that is a little scary.  But that’s okay.  You are a baby author.  You aren’t supposed to know anyone.

And that won’t always be the case.  Right now a whole new class of baby authors are being born and a lot of them are going to be your friends someday.  You are going to meet at conferences and book fairs and even a few online.  You will bond over copyedits and covers and deciding what shoes to wear to BEA.

Some people might say that making friends with these people is going to be good for your career.  It isn’t.  Making friends with these people is good for your life.

 

– People are getting ready to start telling you “You should make your book into a movie.”  You will hear it every day.  This does not make you special.  EVERY author hears this every day.  Get really, really good at answering (or ignoring) this question.

 

-And speaking of movies…chill.  Yes, you have wanted to be a screenwriter since you were an even babier author, and yes, you will have people contacting you and offering you money and working toward bringing your books to the screen.  Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.  It is a huge, massive and very chaotic process.  And, most importantly, it’s not YOUR process.  All you can do is make more source material for Hollywood to play with, so by all means, do that.

 

-Don’t quit your day job.  Except when you’re finally ready to quit your day job.  Look, you’re going to be freaked out about something.  Either time or money.  You need to decide which worry you are best equipped to handle.

 

-Whatever you do, don’t get in the habit of doing ____ while you write.  Maybe it’s drinking Diet Coke or listening to music or wearing fuzzy socks.  Why?  Because there will come a day when don’t have your music or your fuzzy socks and you’ve realized that Diet Coke is rotting your teeth and then what are you going to do?

Basically, don’t let yourself get into bad habits.  Sure, writing is a lot more fun when you can do it with a box of donuts on your lap, but please don’t.  I’m still on the treadmill from your blasted donuts.

 

-Don’t judge yourself based on how other author’s careers are going.  Why?  Because 1. You don’t KNOW how their careers are going.  Some people have big reputations and moderate sales.  Some people fly under the radar and sell off the charts.  But, most of all, 2.  It doesn’t affect you.  It doesn’t change you.  All it can do is make you crazy, so do yourself a favor and don’t play that game.

-I’m not going to tell you what trends are coming (and, believe me, trends are getting reading to be a VERY big deal).  Why? Because I don’t think that’s best for you (and us) in the long-run.

This business is a marathon, NOT a sprint.  And, sure, in a few years books about vampires and dystopians and falling in love with supernatural creatures will be hot. But writing books just because they are (or are going to be) hot won’t make you happy.  Writing books you love will make you happy, so do that instead.

Oh, and those hot trends?  Eventually they are going to be cold.  But loving what you’re writing can last forever.  (And, believe it or not, there are some readers who do want funny or sweet or romantic books even if they have to swim against the genre current to find them.)

 

-And the biggest piece of advice I can give you is this: take a sheet of paper and write down five things that would make you really, really happy in your career.  Then write down five things that would be “best case scenario” things.  And lastly write five “in your wildest dreams” things.

Keep that list.  Remember that list.  Because in this business the finish line is constantly moving.  One day you really just want an agent.  Then it’s a book deal.  Then it’s a bestseller.  Then it’s a movie.  Then it’s a castle next to JK Rowling’s.

In short, appreciate things as they’re happening, remember that once upon a time that thing was a dream of yours and that it’s still a dream for someone.  So be grateful every day.

It’s a hard job.  But it’s also a good job.  And more than anything it’s YOUR dream job so try to keep everything in perspective.  Hopefully you and I will get to do this job for many years to come.

 

-Oh, and one last thing, Baby Author Ally …welcome to the yard, meat.

 

Comments

  3. Ally-

    I’ve read all of your gg books 3 times and love them all. I think that you should really keep writing after gg6 i mean in the books Cammie always says how she wants to go on a mission in Rome with Bex by her side and Liz in a room far far away with about a dozen computers so you should write about that and maybe add in Macey and Zach with her and bex. Also I’m only 12 so I don’t know what optioned for film means but if it means that disney asked if they can make a movie about the books then i think they should because your books really create a vivid picture in my head. I really love your books and I hope your niece does or will too and congrats 8 years as being an author thats great! Happy Birthday to your niece!!

    -Emily B

    Reply

    • awww Ur only 12,,, BLESS!!!! (have u read the Heist society books yet)!!!!
      loll….

      British-Gallagher-Girl…xxx.=0

      Reply

    • I’m twelve also and I’ve read all your books twice now I’m re-reading them again so i can buy the fifth one! in fact i just finished don’t judge a girl by her cover and i almost started crying =)

      Reply

      • i am also 12, and there is no series or books that i love more than the Gallagher Girls series ! 🙂 and i reread the books everytime there is a new book in the series :), but i started reading them when gg4 was out… hehe
        🙂 so i guess its not that impressive 🙂

        Reply

  5. sorry this is late but, happy ( late ) birthday to your niece! i cant beleive its been EIGHT years since you have published your first book! that is a HUGE accomplishment ally! 🙂 YAY! also, on july 13, i went to my cousins wedding, so i guess we both celebrated 🙂 i would say to baby author you ‘ i would like to say good luck, but you dont even need luck 🙂 ‘ cuz ally you got mad author skills 🙂 🙂 🙂

    ( p.s. the part about the donuts cracked me up! 🙂 )

    Reply

  6. If you want to see a preview of what Gallagher Girls would look like in a movie, you should go to books and click on a book and at the bottom there is a little video about that book. There isn’t one for GG1 or GG2 though. Gallagher Academy should definitely become a movie (even though Ally doesnt want to hear that) I think that a movie IS in the Cammies future.

    Reply

  7. Awww! I love this!! It’s so sweet! Congrats on all your accomplishments, and happy (belated) birthday to your niece!

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  8. Wow! That was so inspirational! See, I’m 13 and I want to be a writer, but I never get anywhere. But that was really inspirational. Congrats, and thanks for writing. Your my FAVORITE author!!!

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  9. Congrats on making it through eight years as an author Ally and dealing with us demanding fans! JK! So this has nothing to do with this, but I live in Oklahoma and heard you were doing a signing in Tulsa. I live a good 3 hours from Tulsa, but would be willing to drive there if I knew for sure this was true. So……… I heard it would be this Saturday, July 28. Thanks!!!

    Reply

  10. (About my comment above)

    Once again congrats Ally! On being both an aunt & author for 8 years, okay so I looked at some of the older posts and actually tried to figure out about the signing and turns out….. it worked. I know-weird, rite? So….. just wanted to say that I figured it out. THANKS!

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  11. Congrats Ally!!!!!! That is such an awesome coincident that your niece was born on the same day you became a baby author!!!!! I just got the email about you sending in your final draft of Perfect Scoundrels and starting Gallagher Academy number 6!!!!! I would love to fly to Tulsa for your signing but my mom says that I cant go, (sad face). Please come to Colorado for a signing!!!! You are my favorite author ever!!!!

    Reply

  13. Happy (late) author day Ally. You know what I think is funny my one year old niece has the same birthday as your niece. You rock ally and I can’t wait for the next heist society book.

    Reply

    • I am rather curious…. To all you faithful readers like I, who have read GG and HEIST SOCIETY. Who do you think is better: Hale or Zach????? WHY????

      Reply

  19. Miss Ally, I’ve read all of the Gallagher Girl books and all of the Heist Society books and love them so much! I’ve also made some of my friends read them and they love them as well.
    My younger sister isn’t a book reader, the only books she has read are the Hunger Games, and she really didn’t want to read your books. So I paid her to read the first Gallagher Girl book. She’s already on the second and is loving them! Thanks so much for writing such great, clean novels.

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  21. to Becca i like zach better because he is a spy! and well in my mind he seems like the more handsome one. and you can tell how much he loves cammie and wants no harm to come her way and is willing to die for her.

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  22. WOOOOOOOO! UNCOMMON CRIMINALS IS NOW IN MY LOCAL BOOKSHOP!. WOOOO. :). I WANNA PARTY!!!!!. I’M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED. YAY!. IT’S FINALLY OUT!!!!!!.
    Soz, I just happen ot be incredibly EXCITED. :D.
    WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    GallagherGirl_BlackthorneBoy

    Reply

  23. OMW!!! Those are such amazing tips for any baby author!!! And congrats on your eight years of being an author! i really love your books and really want to be an author as well! I think i just might print those tips out and frame them on my wall! your are my favorite author and I hope you come up with more awesome books!!!
    xoxoxo
    Bex

    Reply

  25. THANK YOU so much for this post! I’m a baby author – a few manuscripts, no agent, and big dreams. Like you, I write funny stories, with a little romance. The odds are against me right now. This was exactly what I needed to hear/read this week.

    Reply

  27. hahah you’re so funny Ally 🙂 that’s why i love you! Happy be-lated 8 years of authorship!!! 🙂 you’re the best!

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  29. Hi – really interesting article. .
    And if you don’t mind I would like to refer to it when I write my post later?
    Hope that’s OK. Several things here that I appreciate, especially that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
    You are so right.
    And my legs are very tired, but writing is something I have been doing for ever, so I hope they hold out long enough to get to the finishing post!
    Thank you for sharing such an inspirational letter to yourself.

    Reply

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