My feeble attempt at writing...

How to Write a Book Proposal | Examples to Help You

2009-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

How to Write a Book Proposal Examples to Help You: "Don't Sell the Book → Sell the Proposal"

One thing all writers have in common...

2009-12-16T14:49:00.001-08:00

Rejection letters. Now, they can be put to good use.
Bill Shapiro (editor of Other People's Love Letters) is looking for literary rejection letters, planning to publish them in a 2010 collection entitled, Other People's Rejection Letters.
Visit his blog:
http://literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com/

Straight from Publisher's Weekly Magazine

2009-12-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

Introduction
Successful writers are also avid readers. Reading work by other writers is essential to developing your craft and helping you learn where to submit your work. Gauging the kinds of books that different publishing houses focus on can give you a sense of which publishers might be interested in your writing. Reading the works of other writers can also help you find agents interested in work similar to yours, discover current literary trends, and determine how other writers craft successful manuscripts.

Small Presses vs. Large Publishers
In general, major publishing houses do not accept unsolicited poetry manuscripts and rarely look at unagented or unsolicited fiction or creative nonfiction. Editors at major houses are more interested in writers who have already published a book or those whose work has already appeared in large-circulation trade magazines such as The New Yorker [11] or Harper’s [12].
We suggest you begin your search for a book publisher by looking at small presses and university presses, which are often open to the work of new authors and do not always require writers to contact them through an agent. Although they do not have the resources of larger publishing houses and offer smaller advances, they are usually more willing to help you develop as an author even if your books aren’t immediately profitable, and they are open to a wider range of writing. For information on hundreds of small presses, please visit our Small Presses [13] database.

Chapbooks
Chapbooks are slender booklets, usually 25 pages or less, published by small presses or writers—generally poets—themselves. A chapbook can serve not only as a platform for publishing but also as a poet’s calling card or networking tool—or as a way to earn money, as some writers charge a modest fee for their chapbooks. Many poets assemble chapbooks on their own, with the use of a computer, a software program for designing pages, a photocopier, and a stapler. Some companies design, print, and collate chapbooks for a fee.

Submission Guidelines
Before you submit a manuscript to a publisher, be sure to request the publisher’s submission guidelines, which will include whether they accept unsolicited manuscripts or prefer manuscripts to come via an agent and whether the editors want a full manuscript or a sample of the work, a query letter, a synopsis, or a book proposal. With any written correspondence, always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). You can learn more about the submission process from Writer’s Market or other directories of small presses, and from The Art of the Book Proposal (Tarcher, 2004) by Eric Maisel, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write (Perigee [15], 2002) by Elizabeth Lyon, and How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998) by Judith Appelbaum.

What to Expect from Your Publisher
Publishers of poetry books, mainly small presses, are generally more open to the work of unknown writers, and accept unsolicited submissions. Many small presses hold annual poetry contests in which the winning manuscript is published. Along with publication, the winner may receive a small cash prize, usually not more than $1,000. These contests are great opportunities for the beginning writer. Many presses that offer contests publicize the contest and the winning manuscript; some of these are listed in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine [16]. Small presses typically don’t have the resources to offer large advances, so it’s best to keep your expectations in check. They typically don’t have large sales and/or marketing departments. Most small presses will provide distribution for your book, and some will help you arrange publicity (scheduling reading tours and sending review copies to book reviewers). But you’ll most likely have to pitch in to help generate interest in, and sales of, your book.
Commercial publishers of fiction will offer you a contract that will stipulate, among other things, your advance amount, deadlines, and word length. Depending on the terms of the contract, the publisher might then pay you a signing amount, which is a portion of your advance. Once you complete a final draft of your manuscript and turn it in, the editor will read it, and he or she might request broad or specific changes. The editor might then either work closely with you as you revise or wait in the wings until you submit a revised version. When the editor accepts the manuscript as a final version, the publisher will probably—again, depending on the terms of the contract—pay you another portion of your advance amount. Then the publisher will begin the process of production: copyediting the manuscript, designing the book, choosing a book cover, writing cover copy, and coordinating the many steps that must occur in order for a printed book to hit the shelves. While all this is going on, the publisher’s sales department will work on promoting your book to booksellers, and the marketing department may work on a strategy for publicizing the book. It can be a long process, and sometimes months might pass between conversations with your publisher, but once your manuscript is in the publisher’s hands, things are under way.
As stated above, most small presses do not have sales or marketing departments. Writers publishing with small presses will generally shoulder the responsibility of marketing their books. University presses may have larger budgets than most small presses; they may actually have marketing budgets and strategies in place for getting your book sold. Ask potential publishers up front what they will do for you.

What to Expect from a Standard Book Contract
The point of any legal contract is to specify the arrangement between the parties. A standard book contract protects both author and publisher by stipulating such things as when a manuscript is due, what its length will be, what its publication date and cover price will be, how much of an advance against royalties an author will receive, what the author’s royalty rate will be, and what kinds of electronic and territorial rights the publisher will be granted.
Often, industry standards dictate the specifics: For example, a standard royalty rate for a book bought by a major publisher is 10 percent of the retail price of the book on the first five thousand copies sold, 12.5 percent of the retail price on the next five thousand copies sold, and 15 percent of the retail price on all copies sold thereafter.
With small presses, royalty rates are likely to vary. If you have an experienced agent, he or she should be able to help you navigate your way through the contract and may be able to negotiate more favorable terms for you. Either way, before signing a contract, you should be sure you understand what the clauses mean and how the terms might affect you. Good resources for finding out more about contracts are the Authors Guild [18] Web site and the National Writers Union [19] site. The Practical Writer (Penguin [20], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful essays about understanding and negotiating contracts.

Marketing and Distribution
In general, major publishing houses have much larger budgets for marketing and distribution than small presses do, but the amount of time, effort, and money that any publisher puts toward launching a book depends on a variety of factors, including the available resources, the projected success of the book, the size of the book’s print run, and the advance paid to the author.
Because of waning media attention for books and an increased focus on profits among many publishers, competition is fierce. Publicists simply do not have time to do a great PR job on every book. For most books, publishers will at the very least send out advance reading copies or galleys—copies of the book in a preliminary bound stage—so that booksellers and critics can read the book before it’s published and decide how much attention they want to pay to it. For some books, publishers will run print or radio ads, sponsor book tours, arrange for readings and book signings, and try to interest journalists in profiling or interviewing the author.
Books that aren’t slated to receive this kind of attention from major publishers, and books that are being published by small presses that lack the resources, need other kinds of marketing. Writers can learn to do some publicizing of their own or try to hire an outside PR firm. The Practical Writer (Penguin [21], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, contains a number of essays that outline strategies and ideas for promoting one’s own book. Another reliable resource is Judith Appelbaum’s How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998).

Self-Publishing and Print-on-Demand Companies
Self-publishing companies are companies that charge authors a fee to publish their books. Print-on-demand companies are companies that—again, for a fee—store electronic copies of books and print and bind them, in specific quantities, only when orders are received. Both types of companies differ from traditional publishers in that the writer, not a company, is the publisher of the book. The writer invests in his or her own work, absorbing all losses, enjoying all benefits, and retaining the ownership and distribution rights of the book. The writer is responsible for marketing and distribution—a huge undertaking. Typically, distributors, bookstores, and libraries won’t carry self-published books, and book reviewers won’t review them. Lately, though, self-publishing has been receiving some positive attention in the national media.
A word of caution: Some self-publishing and print-on-demand companies don’t edit or copyedit the material they’re given, and if the writer doesn’t take the responsibility of getting the book copyedited, the result can be a shoddy product. It’s recommended that writers get references from other writers who’ve worked with the company in question.
What is a Vanity or Subsidy Press?
A vanity or subsidy press is one that charges a fee to publish an author’s work, and then, unlike legitimate print-on-demand companies, retains the rights to the book. Sometimes these presses even make authors buy copies of their own books once published. They may pay the author royalties from book sales, but the majority of sales go to the company. This is unethical. When authors pay to have their books published, they should retain the rights to the books.

Other Resources
Along with essays on the literary life, every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine includes articles with practical applications for both emerging and established writers. The Practical Writer (Penguin [23], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful articles on developing your writing career.
Your local librarian or bookseller can help you find books that list markets for writing, including Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and Writer’s Market Companion, all from Writer’s Digest Books [24]; The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses (Dustbooks [25], 2006); CLMP [26]’s Literary Press and Magazine Directory (Soft Skull Press [27], 2007); and Literary Market Place (Book-mart Press, 2007). If you are looking for a translator, visit the American Literary Translators Association [28] Web site. If you need a ghostwriter, contact the American Society of Journalists and Authors [29].
Source URL: http://www.pw.org/content/publishing_book

National Novel Writing Month

2009-11-30T20:27:00.000-08:00

This website offers an interesting challenge: write 50,000 words in 30 days...
They value quantity not quality. Which some may say will eventually help with the quality and ease of your work.
Note to self: Remember to do this next year.

Being thankful

2009-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the following:
1. Having a wonderful, supportive, loving family.
2. Meeting a group of friends that truly understand the things I say.
3. For Scooter, who says goodbye to me in the morning and greets me when I get home.
4. Being able to go to school.

During these times, I think of where I've been and what I have been able to be a part of to become the person I am.

I would like to write stories that embody the everyday struggles people share in common. Because no matter who you are or where you come from, you have had to struggle with something. The hard part is to be right in the middle of it and not be able to see how it will all pan out.

Suggestions for productive reading

2009-11-15T20:29:00.000-08:00

Tips from several different writer's magazines about reading your work or the work of others:
1-Observe scenes
2-Study dialogue
3-Locate passages that establish the setting
4-Note the conflict
5-Chart the novel's resolution.

Some of this is self-explanitory but, it is good to see it written down. If you haven't already noticed, I like lists.

Find the right publisher

2009-11-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

Guide to finding the perfect publisher for your manuscript. (information gathered from a link from SCBWI website)

1. Determine the audience's age

2. Select the topic or genre of the book

3. Jot down names of all the categories your manuscript will fit into

4. Write a descriptive statement for your book (mention the genre & 2 adjectives that capture the personality of the book

5. Write the cover letter

6. Hunt for publishers that want your book

7. Mark the SCBWI publishers that answer yes to the following questions:

-Do they accept submissions or queries from writers like me?

-Do they accept submissions for the age range my manuscript targets?

-Do they accept submissions of this type?

8.Make a list of these publishers

9. Go to their websites to see what they are currently publishing.

10. Do those books look like yours?

11. If they aren't similiar, cross them off your list

12. Go to the library and check out the titles you listed and READ them

13. Everytime you read a book, write the publisher down and add the title with the adjectives to your list

14. Highlight the publishers with the same adjectives as yours

15. Locate submission policies for each publisher.

16. Follow the guidelines

17. Submit and wait.

Storyboards

2009-11-05T20:27:00.000-08:00

"Storyboards are one of several tools recommended when working with students for whom the visual and the concrete are helpful elements in absorbing abstract ideas. Our authors have found that this technique is especially helpful in reading and writing instruction."-Scholastic.com

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3750806

Storyboards can be useful for authors of stories as well. It allows the writer to visually follow the outline of their story.

SCBWI Membership

2009-10-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

I just got my package in the mail! Very exciting!

Observation #2: Follow the scent

2009-10-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

This is Part 2 of the "Observation Deck" I am pulling from. Today's card was "Follow the scent" in which I am instructed to think about a time when I smelled something that brought back memories:

A couple weeks ago my sister and I went to eat at a Korean bbq restaurant. As we entered the place she turned to me and said, "Oh my god, that smells so good." I replied, "Yeah, I know. I can't wait." She didn't know this, but I lied. I couldn't smell the delicious bbq meat conveniently cooking on everyone's tables. I have a problem smelling scents right way. I have no idea when this started. As long as I can remember I've had sinus problems, ear aches, etc... It hasn't bothered me as much as it has these past two years. Two years ago, I was at work typing something on the computer when my co-workers came up to me and said the all to familiar "Oh, my, god, that smells so good!" Most days, I just agree with people when they say that and just take their word for it. This day, I became curious, What could smell that good at work? They replied, "Can't you smell the Christmas tree they just put up in the front of the office?" This saddened me. I immediately thought to myself, This is sad, I can't smell Christmas.

And, that's the thing about the power of Christmas, just the thought of it can make me miss a scent I haven't thought of in a while. Even though Christmas is more than a month away, I miss being able to smell it. I miss the smell of cinnamon that has no choice but to make it's way into our house during this time of year. I miss the scent of hot chocolate and the smell of the air when it is cold or the smell of the masa when my family gets together to make tamales. I miss that.

Although I haven't completely lost the sense of smell, the fact that it is impaired has made me appreciate the few times I am able to smell something in the air. It has made me notice the little things in life. And, hopefully this will help with whatever it is I begin to write about in the future.

Fully Disclosed.

2009-10-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Soon, Bloggers Must Give Full Disclosure
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/business/media/06adco.html

I just want to put this out there... All of the books I read were purchased by me. But, if any booksellers want to send some books on writing my way, I would gladly accept them.

Observation #1- Locate the Fear

2009-10-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

As part of my quest to unlock the writer's block, I will start to complete the exercises listed in a tool kit I got called "The Observation Deck" by Naomi Epel. It is a deck of cards with different techniques to help writers get through each step in the creative process. Epel suggests that you can "work your way through the deck systematically or your can shuffle the cards to determine your next move". I shuffled the deck because I'm crazy! (and also because I didn't read her suggestions until after I shuffled the deck).

The first card I pulled from "The Observation Deck" had one phrase "Locate the fear". This is a formidable task because if I locate the fear then, I have to confront it. I can't just pull the covers up over my head and wait for it to go away.

There are a lot of people, places and/or things to be afraid of. Let's start with "people" and then move on with the other types of nouns.

One person I am definitely scared of is: Peter Lorre. It's not just the bulging eyes and the creepy voice it's, it's... OK, it is those two characteristics about him that scare me. Mainly the creepy voice, but also the eyes. Eyes are the windows to your soul. And, man is his soul ugly.

Next, I am scared of clowns. I know, I know, cliche. Allow me to go further into my past. Many years ago when I was a girl, my grandmother came to visit us. She was used to walking long distances; I was not. My grandmother made me walk from Los Angeles to Long Beach (there were probably bus rides in between) so that we could sit and watch the "Ringling Brothers". Then we went home and my cousins made me watch "IT". S-C-A-R-Y. Part of me can't really ever believe Tim Curry isn't really a clown terrorizing little kids.

"How could you ever be scared of a place?", if you find yourself asking me this question, then you have never read a book called "Ghosts of the Haunted Coast." I don't know why but, a large part of my childhood was devoted to reading ghost stories and then being scared about them that night. I am scared of the ocean. There's more of it then us. Enough said.

This brings me to "things". By definition a thing is usually "an inanimate object." I'm scared of things that usually animate themselves or come to life. For example, dummies on occasion come to life. They can be summoned by reading poems left in old books or by warlocks. It doesn't really matter how dummies come to life, the fact is they do. And, what I'm scared of is that they will come to life when I am asleep and run their creepy knife-like fingers through my hair or swirl them around my ear (I hate that) and down my spine. (ugh.) What's also freaky about dummies is that they scatter really fast. If you are trying to fall asleep with the covers over your head, you can hear their little footsteps scatter around your room. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Now that I have located and resurfaced all these fears, I get to go lay down and pretend to sleep while the clowns and the dummies plot my ultimate demise.

Outdating yourself

2009-10-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

References in your Manuscript
Mary Kole answered my question!

Research

2009-10-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

TODAY's TO DO LIST:

Find out how to write a book
Buy/Borrow literature on the subject of publishing your work
Become a member of a writer's association
Connect with other writers

"Don't listen to those who tell you that writing a children's book is easier than writing a book for adults." This is the advice most children's book writers will tell you and it is absolutely right.

A huge part of my project has to do with research. Most of the month of September was spent asking myself this question, "How do I start writing a children's book?"

1. Find out how to write a book
I started visiting the library more often. Then, when I started racking up late book fees, I switched to Barnes and Noble and Vroman's bookstores. The first book that caught my attention was "Book in a Month" by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. Bingo! "I will read this book, follow the directions, and be finished with my book in a month", I thought. I was wrong. Sometimes a little thing called "your life" steps in and makes you not want to write anything for, like, a week. Then, that "month" turns into "a month and a half". Though, Schmidt has some pretty great advice that I will go into some other time.
For now, I have split up the tasks of writing and researching. Half the time, I write and the other half, I research. Needless to say, today is a research kind of day.
Researching publishers, websites for writers, subscribing to different e-newsletters like Publisher's Weekly etc...

2. Buy/Borrow literature on the subject of publishing your work
Amazon.com says this about "Writer's Market 2010":

It is the "most trusted guide to getting published"
"Written by writers for writers and backed by 89 years of authority
The #1 resource for helping writers sell their work.
Used by both seasoned professionals and writers new to the publishing world
Has helped countless writers transform their love of writing from a hobby into a career.
Nowhere else but in the 2010 Writer’s Market will you find the most comprehensive and reliable information you need.

So, of course I bought it. And so far so good... It is my publishing bible. I read it every night before bed time. And, I do whatever it tells me...[oooh, scary]

3. Become a member of a writer's association

I joined the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). I read somewhere on VerlaKay.com (a website for writers) and Writer's Market 2010 (writer's bible) that some publishing companies will not accept work unless you have a literary agent or you are a member of the SCBWI. So, for $85/year you can belong to the SCBWI and network with other children's book writers and illustrators. They hold workshops and critiquing events different parts of the U.S.

4. Connect with other writers
http://www.kidlit.com/ is a "site for writers, readers and fans of children's literature written by Mary Kole associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency!"

The other day, I wrote to Mary Kole and asked, "How do I make my characters meaningful to audiences today? Essentially, how can I prevent from sounding outdated?" Mary replied, "Jac, Thanks for asking. References are a tricky subject. Do you mind if I answer your question on the blog? I'll write a post about it this weekend." To which I replied, "I wouldn't mind it at all. Thanks."
I can't wait to read what she says!

NEXT BLOG: Observation #1-Locating the fear.

Attempt at mobile blogging

2009-10-03T22:58:00.001-07:00

"oh yes, I love technology...but not as much as you, you see. But, I still love technology"-Kipp Dynamite

Day 1 of the blog

2009-10-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

I've always loved writing: my thoughts, interesting words that POP into my head, random emails to my friends etc... Two years ago I made a decision, I am going to stop entertaining ideas that one day, I will be "discovered" and be made an instant movie star. Instead, I am going to be the next J.K. Rowling. I am going to write children's books. I am going to write the kind of books I would've liked to read as a child.

My problem is: I don't know anything about the actual business of writing children's books, I don't know where to begin to do this, and I didn't really like reading when I was a kid.

Therefore, I enrolled in grad school. Next year I will be getting a Master's General Education.

Among other very important things, I've learned about children's literacy and teaching phonics to children.

This semester, I've started my last class before my comp exam. Possibly the hardest class since high school Biology: an independent study class entitled "Children's Book Publishing".

Goals for this class include:

1) Research publishers and their submission requirements

2) Write a Children's book

3) Submit book to publishers

4) Get published

5) Obtain a major motion picture deal for the rights to my book

6) Get a part in the movie

7) Become rich and famous

8) Direct

That's All!!

This will be interesting....