What happens to my book proposal? April 8, 2010

Chip McGregor is one of those guys who seems to do it all—blogging, speaking, writing, finding future best-selling authors, securing over 1,000 book deals . . . blah, blah, blah. It’s enough to make the lesser gods sick, but you can temper your loserville/lessergod pain quickly when you read all of the great advice Chip gives you in his blog.

Chip’s latest post is about the journey your proposal takes once an agent asks for it. Many times your novel/non-fiction opus might not pass through the golden doors of publishing for reasons you’ve never thought of.

Read more here.
                                                                 
And for some other insights on what happens to your blood, sweat and tears:

From proposal to published book.

The parts of the proposal agents focus on.

Thoughts from author/editor Diane Eble.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Murders and forensic investigations March 8, 2010

I found a wonderful book at the library the other day—Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigations at America’s Most Infamous Crime Scenes by Emily Craig.

Ms. Craig has a background in medical illustration, but she is now the state forensic anthropologist for the commonwealth of Kentucky. Her descriptions of sculpting facial features onto skulls, examining rotting flesh on bones, and noting the impact of hard instruments on a skeleton can help a crime writer tremendously.

“Unflinching, compassionate, and beautifully written. I was hooked from page one.” ~Sue Grafton

While the book is well written, I kept turning the pages wanting to find out more about how the crimes were resolved, not just the information about what Ms. Craig did with the victims’ bones. As writers, though, this might make the book all the more important to us—it can bring our imaginations to the point of constructing new plots that dance among the details of her discoveries.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

A novel process—getting your novel published February 21, 2010

A novel is written. So many hours over coffee and chocolate and excuses to not do housework. It’s quite the deal, really. I should write another one. But then . . .

First edit
Storyline—Does it make sense? Does it flow?
Characters—Are they believable? Are they likeable?
Length—Is it the required length for the genre?
Plot—Does the suspense/tension build?

Second edit
Drivel—Are there sections of pointless rambling?
Writing—Is every word necessary?
Chapters—Does every chapter end with a hook?

Third edit
Spelling—Is everything spelled correctly?
Punctuation/grammar—Are all my sentences complete, my apostrophes in the right places, and my periods frequent enough?

Fourth edit
Find a few friends who
a) are not close enough to me to care about disappointing me?
b) are kind enough to read the manuscript at all?

Fifth edit
Make almost all the changes my knowledgeable friends suggested without muttering some Hogwarts, um . . . blessing over them.

Query
Come up with a stunning paragraph that forces the agent/editor my manuscript will be sent to to stop popping caffeine pills and gasp in excitement.

Proposal
Make every word about my manuscript dazzle like a disco ball.
                                                                 
Mail
Send in the darn thing.

Wait
And wait
And wait

Get mail
Receive a form rejection letter
or a really nice and encouraging, but still a rejection, message.

And that’s when it’s time to rewrite my novel or start another one.

Personally, I think that’s how Amy Tan came up with the title The Joy Luck Club. It describes the writer’s life to perfection.

P.S. I wanted to insert this photo so badly but couldn’t do it in a hurry. Check out the disco ball lady here!

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Fabulous book promotion guide January 25, 2010

Oh my goodness, this lady is just brilliant!

I wrote about Stephie Smith a few weeks ago because she has an excellent chart on different writing contests you can submit to, but I just discovered a newer feature of her site . . . a book promotion guide!

Below is her list of every suggestion she has to promote your book. C’est incroyable! Hop onto this table’s contents as fast as you can.

Advertising
How To Articles
PR Agencies
Book Review Sites
Mailing Lists
Promotion Tips
Blogs / Interviews
Online Classes
Video Trailers
Chats
Website Stuff
                                                                                                                     
And is Stephie content with providing this to struggling artists such as ourselves? Mais non! She also provides the following list of writers’ resources.
                                       

General Writers’ Resources
Agents
Different Genres
Promoting Your Book
Blogging and Blogs
Grammar, Punctuation
Publishing Your Book
Book Review Sites
Money, Taxes & Jobs
Romance Reading
Contests & Exercises
News on Books & Publishing
Romance Writing
Craft of Writing
Pitching Your Book
Writing Scripts

Historical Resources
American History
Fashion & Costumes
Scotland
Architecture, Landscaping
Industrial Revolution
Ships & Naval History
Coinage
Medieval-18th c. England
Titles, Bios & Genealogy
Crime and Punishment
Pirates, Smuggling, Trade
Victorian Era
Culture (Art, Speech, etc.)
Regency Era
World History

You are probably thinking by now that Stephie is a good friend of mine and we have this pact to help each other out. Not so. I found her site quite by chance and feel that all her hard work must be proclaimed from the highest rooftops. This is a fabulous accomplishment and it’s all for us!

Ok, I’ll calm down now, and I’ll quit with the exclamation marks. Again, here’s her page of writers’ resources.

If you’d like to thank her for making all her hard work available at no cost, you can buy her booklet here.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Writers’ market guides—which one should you buy? January 2, 2010

Writer’s Market, one of the standard submission guides writers use, seems to have taken its 2010 edition down a rocky path. Amazon reviewers are not impressed.

“This edition missed the boat completely.”

“This edition is substandard.”

“This 2010 Writer’s Market is the last edition of this book that I’ll be buying.”

“Somebody needed to proof the manuscript before publication.”

Other online book sellers seem to copy the reviews from Amazon, so I am limited in my resources; nevertheless, my thought is that the researchers and editors for Writer’s Market may have taken to resting on their laurels rather than upgrading (or even maintaining) the quality and content of the 2009 guide.

Needless to say, I won’t be buying this year’s Writer’s Market. My choice would be Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents 2010.

Amazon reviewers, so far, have given it four and a half out of five stars, and to top that,

“the twentieth edition has been has been completely revised. The updated layout includes new symbols and callouts designed to give readers the information they need most in a quick and accessible format.”

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Timeless Christmas Classics December 20, 2009

What are the best Christmas books of all time? There are lists to be found everywhere, but the best lists are filled with the books that have proven themselves to be classics.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas Dr. Seuss

“The Grinch, whose heart is two sizes too small, hates Who-ville’s holiday celebrations, and plans to steal all the presents to prevent Christmas from coming. To his amazement, Christmas comes anyway, and the Grinch discovers the true meaning of the holiday.” —Product description
                                                                                                                                  
A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens

The three spirits of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future haunt mean old Ebenezer Scrooge one night, with the intention of turning him into a nice guy.

                                                                                                                                  
The Night before Christmas Clement Clarke Moore

“Twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house
not a creature was stirring
except for a mouse . . .”
                                                                                                                                  
The Nutcracker E.T.A. Hoffman

“This vivid tale of intrigue, wicked curses and rodents hot on revenge satisfyingly reveals why the Mouse King and the Nutcracker were such bitter enemies.” —Amazon
                                                                                                                                  
The Little Drummer Boy Katherine K. Davis.

“A magical figurine—a regal drummer whose companionship and soulful percussion offer comfort to a lonely child—is accidentally cast out with the trash. The drummer boy braves a string of harrowing encounters with wildlife, a steep fall from a bell tower, and the blustery winter weather the only way he knows how—by dutifully playing his drum.” —Booklist
                                                                                                                                  
The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg

“The tale of a young boy lying awake on Christmas Eve only to have Santa Claus sweep by and take him on a trip, with other children, to the North Pole.” —Amazon
                                                                                                                                  
The Gift of the Magi O. Henry

“In a shabby New York flat, Della sobs as she counts the few coins she has saved to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim. A gift worthy of her devotion will require a great sacrifice. Jim, meanwhile, has made a sacrifice for Della that is no less difficult. As they exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, the discovery of what each has done fills them with despair, until they realize that the true gifts of Christmas can be found more readily in their humble apartment than in any fine store.” —Product description
                                                                                                                                  
The Very First Christmas Paul L. Maier

“Maier . . . sets the story in the American West, where a curious 8-year-old boy named Christopher wants a ‘real’ bedtime story. His mother then tells him the miraculous story of the Nativity.” —Amazon
                                                                                                                                  

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

The quest to make money through writing December 1, 2009

I recently wrote to a friend who makes approx. $140,000 a year from writing, and she is not a novelist (not that novelists make that much; try $15-$30k instead). She has managed to build up her writing and editing business to the point where she now has a list of repeat clients, and she has fine-tuned her weekly process for getting new work. I asked her what her advice to me might be were I to recreate her footsteps in my town, and here is what she advised:

Scour craigslist for listings for writing/editing and also under the Art/Media/Design. Often there are freelance opportunities there that might fill the need.

Next contact local newspapers and magazines. Call and ask to speak to the managing editor. Don’t email as it is easy to ignore an email, less easy to ignore a call. At least if they say no, you can still ask to send a resume and now you have a contact person.

Also, contact local advertising agencies. Sometimes they are on the lookout for people who can write good marketing material. Even if that is not your forte, you can learn.

Look for employment elsewhere until you can get a foot in the door. Small local papers are often the way to go, because once you have a couple of articles published in a weekly or monthly paper, you have the beginnings of a portfolio and the ability to link from your site to the articles.

Day One of my quest for paid work began with verve.
Day Two could be stated as beginning with swerve, but I’ll save you the details for another day.

What I have done so far
I scoured Craigslist.

I found Demand Media. I liked what I saw, but was it true that they managed to pay their writers every week, and was it true that they didn’t expect free content for pennies? I did what I always do when I’m not sure—I typed a search into Google for Demand Media and added the word “review.” Here’s what I found. I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and apply as a writer.

$5-$15 an article might be pittance, but it’s still money, and if I don’t make some, I’ll have to look for a 9-5 job standing at a checkout desk for $7 an hour. I’d rather starve, slowly, in a basket of snakes.

Demand Media wanted a resume, so I dutifully did another search on how to write one that would be different from all the others that came their way, but one that wouldn’t be so artsy-fartsy that they’d throw it away. I found this site. I’ve written stellar resumes for clients that have gotten them fabulous jobs, but I wanted to be creative, not stuffy, with this one, and so I looked to outside inspiration. (On a side note, never feel as if you have to be a total original with the things you do—everything, including writing, is a mishmash of the things that have influenced people over time.) (On another side note, if you want to write resumes, I highly recommend this fabulous book, Resume Magic—it was my personal trainer.)

I wrote, or should I say created, my resume and applied.

The worst thing I could do now would be to do nothing until I hear back from Demand Media. The point of this quest is not to make a few dollars; it is to earn an income.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

The 2009/2010 top blogs on writing November 30, 2009

Michael Stelzner posts a yearly list of the top ten blogs for freelance writers. This year’s list is compiled from hundreds of votes, and here’s where you can find it.

Michael is the author of the very popular “Writing White Papers” blog. He has a book out—Writing White Papers—which tells writers how to write white papers or grow in their skill level. He’s also one of the big dogs when it comes to writing for major clients like Microsoft and Motorola, and he currently has 20,00 subscribers to his blog, so don’t limit yourself to following the top ten list; follow his blog, too.

More about Michael and how he can help you write and market your white paper writing skills.

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

You can buy Joy in a Box November 24, 2009

I am delighted to announce that
My collection of flash fiction, Joy in a Box, is now available in print. This is the perfect book to give as a gift to someone who likes to read stories that are short and sweet, because each story only takes two to three minutes to read. Put it in the downstairs restroom, beside the coffeemaker, or on the coffee table.

The sun pulled the daylight down with it, the silky nuances of dusk wrapping themselves around the strange couple, and Penny’s thoughts hovered in their folds. (Note Attached)

Genres
I’ve added as many genres as possible in the book in order to appeal to all tastes, and the stories are even clean enough for teenagers to read. Many of the stories have won placement positions in writing challenges, and others have caused readers to think, ponder, believe, imagine, reflect, feel, consider, suppose, assume, sense . . . (thesaurus, anyone?).

On went the motor of the walking machine; flip flap went the fat on the insides of Dorothy’s thighs. Dust flew abundantly in all directions. (Absolutely Fabulous!)

Reviews
“Her poignant crystal clarity of truth and honest point of view gather together in the smallest set of words for each short story. The antagonist—generally a normal aspect of any written story—isn’t entirely concrete, malleable, even visible. We’re not talking about a villain dressed in black here, or a mean old lady out to skin 101 dalmations for their fur to make coats. The conflict is something inside rather than outside. The plot is more based on thought than on action. The story moves more on the concept of memories than on events, sort of like . . . Haiku.” ~ Pierre Dominique Roustan, author of The Cain Letters

“It takes a special talent to write a complete story in a few words. Sally Hanan has that talent, and most of her stories have an interesting twist ending.” ~ Lena Nelson Dooley, award-winning author of Wild West Christmas, Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe, and Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico

“A well-written and thought-provoking book of inspiring stories. Each story was so different. This book is about more than JOY; it stands for HOPE!” ~ Fran Lewis, author of My Name is Bertha, Bertha Speaks Out, and Bertha Fights Back

Where to buy this work of genius
You can buy Joy in a Box for $11.99, with shippping by UPS, here. I haven’t got it available on other online stores yet, as I need to come up with $99 to cover the ISBN and channel distribution costs. Yes, that’s what it costs.

She smiled—one of those fizzy drink kind of smiles that pops tiny bubbles of air to the lips over seconds of time. Then she went back to reading. (In The Orange-Sherbet Light)

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM

 

 

Publish your e-book with Smashwords November 16, 2009

Smashwords is a great idea Mark Coker thought up. Why not set up a site on which writers can upload their e-books for free and then sell them to the public? Mark’s beta site went public on May 6, 2008. Since then, the company has added support services, tagging, coupon generators, publishers’ pages, a marketing guide, writing contests, affiliate marketing, and distribution agreements with Barnes & Noble and Sony.

“Over one billion of the world’s roughly 6.5 billion inhabitants subsist on less than $1 a day. Paper books are simply too expensive for most of the world.” ~ Mark Coker, Smashwords

Here are some of the pros and cons of publishing an e-book with Smashwords:

PROS
—The moment your book is ready and formatted (according to the Smashwords formatting guide), you can upload your Word file and let the world read it.
—Smashwords converts the Word file into many optional reading formats to make your book compatible with most of the book-reading devices available these days. Formats available: HTML, JavaScript, Kindle, Epub, PDF, RTF, LRF, Palm doc, plain text download, plain text Web view,
—You retain all rights to your book.
—You get to decide how much of the book you want readers to preview.
—Smashwords continues to negotiate with various online retail outlets to ensure the best possible distribution potential for your book.
—Smashwords only takes a 15% fee and you get to keep the rest (and you can change the price as often as you want to).
—Writers from all over the world can publish their books with Smashwords.

“By moving books into the digital realm, we can start to change the economics of book publishing, while at the same time making great independent books available to people of all economic backgrounds from around the world.” ~ Mark Coker, Smashwords
                                                                 

CONS
—You tend to post it too quickly, before you are positive there are no formatting mistakes or before you give it the final read through.
—Most writers practically give their books away so it’s still hard to make a decent profit.
—You cannot post other people’s reviews of your book, only the reviewers can. It’s already a blessing to have someone read and review your book, so it feels even greedier to ask them to then go to the site to post the review again.
                                                                 

I began the process of uploading my flash fiction collection, Joy in a Box, a few months back, thinking it would lessen the pain of not having the printed version for a while. It’s great to have a place where readers can preview the first three stories, and, because of Smashwords’ free coupon generator, it has been extremely useful to be able to link reviewers to it.
                                                                                                                                  

 

Every piece of writing needs to be clear and precise. With microscope in hand, Inksnatcher’s writing and editing service will hone any work until it glitters in the light of a 1,000 watt bulb. INKSNATCHER.COM