When I first started writing, I was under the impression that one shouldn’t read books in the same genre as one was writing, in case you were to ‘subconsciously’ copy another writers work. This is is far from the truth and very naive. Writers have to read everything! Voraciously too. The more you read, the better you will be able to write.
This is especially the case if you are writing for a specific genre. You need to know what current trends are for plot and character development and how authors are presenting their work in today’s market. One market that comes to mind is the romance novel. Try reading a current romance, say a Harlequin novel, then go to a garage sale and pick up a Harlequin novel from the 1980′s. You’d be surprised how the genre has changed and how open the writing is today. I also notice that the level of writing has improved and the standards of writing are so much better today.
How can you write a mystery thriller if you’ve never read one. Science fiction and fantasy are other genres that are so different from mainstream, that you’d need to read those books as well.
If you are writing for the children’s market, prepare to read books for all separate ages. This is especially true for picture books. You can get an idea also of what is being published, and current trends in children’s book publishing.
I discovered there is no need to worry about your subconscious. Usually when I read a book in order to study elements of the book, I become so engrossed in the novel, that I forget my main purpose for picking it up and just enjoy it. I am sure though my subconscious must be learning something from the exercise that will help me with my future manuscripts.
Writing Exercises while away on vacation
Blogging here at aboutwritingandpublishing will be sparse over the next week, while I take a much needed vacation break. I wrote in another blog (journalsandpapers.com) about travel journals and writing and suggested a difficult exercise.
Writers have to think and be able to describe senses to set up a scene effectively. When I was on a recent vacation to Mexico, while at the beach I pulled out a notebook, closed my eyes and tried to come up with a list of words or phrases that matched what I was feeling with my senses. It was actually quite difficult to do. I wanted to grab a thesaurus. I had to take into account what I was hearing and all that I was hearing, like the waves coming in, the birds, beach play noises and sounds of the wind and trees. Then I had to listen to what I was feeling. The tickle of the breeze on my skin, the warmth of the sun, the taste of the salt in the air, the feel of the chair I was sitting in.
This is a great writing exercise and can be done anywhere. Try a restaurant sometime – that one really touches all of the senses. Or a playground. Try to describe pool noises and children squealing. What does riding on a bus sound like? Or sitting in a convertible waiting for a train to pass.
You never know when you will be writing about one of these scenes and all of a sudden you have to conjure up some words. If it’s the dead of winter and you are wring about a beach setting, you may find the words a little hard to come by. Now if you had a notebook of some beach experiences written down, you would be in a much better writing place.
Tags: researching scenes and setting, writing exercises, writing scenes
Twilight Movie Release
So what makes the Twilight Series so popular with teens? Tonight in movie theaters around the country, teens are already lining up for the opening of the Twilight movie. The books, Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon and Breaking Dawn, a series about a love/vampire story written by Stephenie Meyer are simply entertaining. They are ripe with well defined characters. I noticed with this series too, the setting is very pivotal to the characters and their needs.
It’s not often setting comes to play within a plot, but in the Twilight series, how can a family of vampires live anywhere else but in the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington State in a town where it always rains – ergo, no sun. Meyers intertwines the setting amongst the characters like roots twisting in a pot. You can’t have one without the other.
Bella and Edward, two opposites that should not attract, do and the reader is drawn into an emotional mystery of will he, won’t he. Should she, will she. Edward is a respectable, virtuous vampire and what father wouldn’t like him, except for the weirdness factor. Bella is an ordinary teen who doesn’t need to be the queen of the prom to catch the best looking guy in the school.
It seems like the Bella/Edward saga should end with the 4th book, but my writer’s intution says that Meyer’s left one opening in the plot that could lead to a fifth novel. What do you think?
As writers, we all need them, have used them at one time or another, have even started one or two ourselves. I’m talking about writer’s groups. If you are starting out, love writing and want to be in a community of like-minded individuals, then a writing group is for you. If you are a well-seasoned writer (is there such a beast – and what flavour are they?) you may no longer have a need for a writer’s group.
Writer’s groups are great to bounce ideas around, to find information about markets and to have your work critiqued (if you dare), and to learn about the craft of writing. Where some writer’s groups fall apart, especially if offering critiques, is they don’t take into account the writer’s experience. Yes, it’s true a critique is meant to go through the work and point out any and all mistakes and offer advice regarding character, plot and setting, etc. I have been in a few writer’s groups though where the one having the critique done on their work sits in the hot seat and actually becomes roasted.
It is easy for the critiquer to forget about the experience of the writer and simply crush any and all words written, change the complete plot and plan new characters. Remember, it is the author’s work, critiquers are meant to give suggestions. A good critique offers constructive changes, and points out errors in the manuscript which make the story hard to understand. These could be changes in plot, characterization, syntax, etc.
Find a writer’s group that has the goal in mind to help you succeed and learn as a writer. Ego’s tend to engage fully at some writer’s meetings. If you come out of the meeting wondering if you can and should ever write again, then find another group. If you come out feeling like you’ve learnt something new, can take the constructive comments on your work and continue editing and writing, then you have found a wonderful writing group.
When submitting your finished manuscript to publishers, it is best to research the publishers guidelines. Look for ‘submissions’ or ‘author’s guidelines’. Even if they are not posted, it is best to follow the submission guidelines as listed below.
Prior to submitting: Ensure that your manuscript is in the best writing shape possible. Have it edited by a writing group, or editor. Make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Read it aloud – you would be surprised how many errors you can catch this way. It is not uncommon to have greater than 10 editing drafts. If you’ve only done a couple – go back and take another look (or two, or three.. or four… you get the drift).
Read the guidelines; some publishers only request a few sample chapters depending what you are submitting. If you are submitting a children’s picture book, you can send the complete manuscript. Even if the guidelines are not listed on the publishers site, give them a phone call to find out exactly where to send your manuscript, to whose attention, and what should be included.
Even if you are submitting electronically, you can adhere to these guidelines with your manuscript:
~ Manuscript is typed on an 8 1/2″ x 11″ format, high quality white bond paper.
~ Double space manuscript text.
~ Margins should be 1 to 1 1/2 inches on top, bottom and left and right hand sides.
~ When submitting by post, ensure you print letter quality printouts – replace your ink cartridge if it is printing faint letters.
~ Sometimes the guidelines will request a cd, the file should be saved formatted as above.
Submit the manuscript with a Title Page:
~ Type your name, address, phone, and email address in the upper left corner.
~ Type your word count (rounded to nearest 10 – 25 words), number of pages (excluding title page) in the upper right hand corner.
~ Type your title centered about 5 inches from the top of the page, two lines below it, type your name (byline).
Content Pages:
~ Use a common font, such as Arial, Times, or Times New Roman, with a size of 11 or 12 pt.
~ On the content pages following your title page, type your last name and title in the upper left corner of each page.
~ Type the page number in the upper right corner of each page.
~ Or in the upper right corner you can use this format: Last Name/Title of Manuscript/Page x.
~ Chapter heading should be typed about half way down the page (about 5″).
Cover Letter:
Always include a cover letter. Make this brief, do not exceed one page. Write a small paragraph of introduction of the manuscript and yourself in a business letter format. Do not ask them to edit or comment on your manuscript. They simply don’t have time. If you are sending your manuscript by email, then the email would be your cover letter, with the manuscript attached (CHECK first – some publishers do not accept attachments). Address the cover letter to the person listed in the submission guidelines.
Mailing:
~ Do not staple your pages. Clip them together with the signed cover letter on top of the title page.
~ Mail in a 9 x 12 (or 10 x 13) envelope (manila colour is good).
~ Include a #10, SASE, if you only wish a reply by letter. If you want your complete manuscript returned, enclose the same sized envelope (e.g. 9 x 12) with sufficient postage for return.
~ Do not send by registered mail. Use regular, priority or first class mail.
We will go more in depth on email submission in another post. The important thing to remember when submitting a manuscript is that you want to appear professional, knowledgeable, and as an experienced author. Come off sounding cheesy and amateurish and your manuscript won’t be read as they will figure you are an incompetent writer.
There are many kinds of publishers and if you are looking at getting your manuscript published, you should know the differences. Notice I said manuscript in the last sentence. That’s because even though you feel like you’ve written a book, it is not actually a book yet until it becomes published. Not yet published – then your work is a manuscript.
Types of Publishers:
Trade Publishers: Of these are big publishers such as Random House, and Harper Collins. They produce mass market books and usually have well known and best selling authors on their lists. Their budgets for publicity are huge. They don’t often give new authors a chance, and usually deal with Literary Agents. Many small and medium publishers exist that look for unique works and sometimes do take on new authors, and they deal in niche markets such as poetry or specialty books. What are called trade books, are put out by the trade publishers.
University Presses: Several universities run their own publishing houses and market their books the same as Trade Publishers. You will find non-fiction, trade books and art and scholar books being published. Books published by these houses can be extreme literary works of art. It depends on what they are looking for.
** If your manuscript is accepted by a University or Trade Publisher, you will work with their editorial departments to finalize your manuscript and they will ask no money of you. You will receive advances and/or royalties on the number of books sold. You can and will be expected to help market your book, but the publisher will have several marketing catalogues and distributors already in place, so you don’t have to worry about where to send your books.
Subsidy Publishing: Several years ago this was also known as ‘Vanity Publishing’. Depending on how much money you can afford to spend to get your book published, a subsidy publisher will do it for you. You will also find several poetry books published this way. Contest entries which provide winners to be published in a chapbook or poetry book for a fee are also considered subsidy publishers. They will do everything from the layout to design and printing of your book (short story/anthology/or poetry chapbook). They do not guarantee a superior product. Do your homework and research these publishers.
Print on Demand (POD) Publishers: These are an offshoot of the subsidy publisher. Depending on the package you buy, you can edit and layout your book ready for print, have your own designer or have the POD publisher do pieces of the work for you. As more and more authors seek help with the marketing of their books, some POD publishers are also offering small marketing packages as an incentive to get you to contract with them. These might include a listing on their online store or a promise of distribution to some outlets. Do your homework when researching this type of market. Sometimes you find that the contract discusses rights, and you may be signing the rights of your work away to have the POD publisher print your work for you. Also, you may end up having to buy copies with a small reduction of cost.
** You have to determine the market you want to sell your book in as you will be doing all of your own marketing if you go with a Subsidy or POD Publisher. These types of publishers are good depending on your project (family history, niche markets, local and educational/seminar markets), who your market (audience) is going to be, and the number of copies you need to publish.
Self Publishing: Some people confuse Self Publishing with POD or Subsidy Publishing. With Self Publishing, you take on the whole and complete project yourself. All you contract out and pay for is the printing and delivery of books. You own all rights to your work, and all the books you receive. You will be responsible for the editing, artwork, and design, layout and readying files for the printer. You are also in charge of the marketing. If you want 100% control of your book, how it is published and what it looks like then self publishing is a great way to go. With self publishing you can determine the number of copies you require being aware that smaller amounts will be far more costly than runs of 1000 or more books. You will want to select a printer who is familiar with reproducing books.
As you can see the options are open. You need to determine what goals you want for the work you need published. As an example, if you want to become an author whose book is available to everyone, and only do the odd book signing and book tour, than Trade Publishing is for you. If you have written a cookbook, and know you only want to sell it to 100 or 200 of your favourite family and friends, then a subsidy or POD printer may be of service. If you know how to do editing and layout, are a graphic artist, know the printing industry and are not afraid of marketing, then take the whole project on yourself and become a self publisher.
Not covered here are desktop publishing, e-book publishing, educational publishing and co-op publishing.
If I’ve missed any that you may be aware of, please leave a comment. If you think of other comments which may be helpful, don’t hesitate to leave those too. Everyone has their own opinion on a type of publisher to pick. There are also pros and cons of each type of publisher (we’re not delving into that quite yet).
Tags: self publishing
I Love to Write Day - November 15
November 15, 2008 marks the 7th annual ‘I Love to Write Day’, created by John Riddle, an author from Delaware. The reason Riddle started this day for writers and anyone who wishes to participate was to, “…encourage people of all ages to practice their writing skills”.
You can participate by writing anything, whether it be a poem, story, letter, chapters for a novel or a simple paragraph, just write something. Riddle’s web site, www.ilovetowriteday.org, explains the details and says, “On the first ‘I Love to Write Day’, 11,328 schools from across the country held special writing events and activities.”
This year, Riddle’s goal is to have an, I Love to Write Day program, in over 25,000 schools. We’re helping John Riddle here at aboutwritingandpublishing, by spreading the word and encouraging writers, teachers, librarians and anyone in the community to participate in this unique event.
Riddle’s article, ‘I Love to Write Day‘ was featured in the online Working Writer newsletter (Nov/Dec 08), where he discusses how I Love to Write Day became an idea while driving to a writing conference.
Grab your pens and paper everyone and practice your writing skills on November 15.
Yesterday I was doing a book signing at Chapters in Calgary, promoting my new children’s picture book, McKenzie’s Frosty Surprise, and was surprised by the number of people that inquired about, ‘How to get started [writing]‘. Most admitted to wanting to always write, but not quite knowing how to begin.
I didn’t want to be rude, but I felt like saying, “Just sit your butt down and write.” But, that’s not as easy to do as it sounds, and silently I re-thought the idea. If you’ve never been one to sit and write, but feel the urge to write, but don’t know where to start, you need a prompt- something to get you going.
One way to get started is to check your local community leisure center, library, or event newspaper and see if there are any places offering workshops or classes on creative writing. Take the beginner class, and go prepared with a pen or a few pencils and a scribbler. Don’t be worried that you will have to share. Sharing is totally optional in most all of the classes I have been involved with. Be prepared to go with an open mind and willing to try something that may be new to you.
You can also pick up a Writer’s Digest magazine at your local bookstore. To learn about writing, you need to start reading about writing and writing resources. Your local librarian can suggest a number of books on the subject. Pick up a few and start reading about writing. A plumber handyman wouldn’t start tearing apart pipes without a bit of knowledge first (okay, so there might be some wives out there that might disagree with this concept). But you get the idea.
Immerse yourself into the world of writing and learning about it and soon, the stories will be flowing across the pages.
Tags: how to write
Wow, where does one start. Writing and Publishing is such a large, expansive topic, two individual topics really. Recently in a marketing meeting, discussing how to market my small business, Wood Lily Publishers, the marketer suggested articles relating to the business of selling children’s books. However as an author and publisher, my love of sharing information on these topics won out.
I’ve been asked by so many people, “How do I start writing that book I’ve always wanted to write?”, or “I’ve written a children’s book, how do I publish it?” or “I’ve written and published a book, now how do I market it?” I’d like to answer some of those questions with this blog. Writing, publishing, and marketing of books, especially children’s books is not an easy task. Throw into the mix: who is your audience; do you want a traditional publisher; or to self publish; where are you going to market- bookstores, or niche markets, and you end up with a whole lot of questions.
Baby steps is what the marketer suggested, so here is where we’ll start, with baby steps, explaining and discussing this whole topic of writing and publishing. Welcome to our journey.
Tags: book marketing, children's books, self publishing, Writing and publishing
