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So, while I've been gone (from the blog) putting my office in order, I've been seriously thinking about the Buried Editor Book Club idea that was suggested as a use for the forum. I really liked the idea, but I didn't really know what books we should start with. And then we started the character discussions.
Last night, I had a scathingly brilliant idea, and I have decided that the first books for the Buried Editor Book Club should be books that are great works of character. And since we've been discussing primary and secondary characters and using secondary characters to help you show characteristics of your primary character, I have selected some books that I think exemplify this concept.
So, the first Buried Editor Book Club Selection is: 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore
by Jenny Offill. In this book, the reader learns a lot about the first person narrator (the little girl) by how the other characters react to the things she does. However, what makes this book so extraordinary is that there is no dialogue, and the other characters never once say a word. It is all told in the pictures and in the way the girl reacts to the reactions.
That, at least is my opinion. However, this is a Book Club, and thus the book should be discussed. I would like to hear what others think about the book and the characters. I've already set up a discussion board. Go there and let me know what your ideas have been.
Yesterday we looked at primary characters, so today we'll look at secondary characters -- basically everybody else in your story.
 |
He may be fully developed
with distinctive traits, a
personality, and back-story,
but Dumbledore is a
secondary character. |
Secondary characters can be divided into 3 groups:
- Major secondary characters: These are the ones we think of when we say secondary characters. These characters are nearly as important as the primary character(s) and may have their own backstories and subplots. In Harry Potter, some major secondary characters would be Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Dumbledore, and Snape.
- Minor secondary characters: These characters are less well-developed but are still distinctive enough to possibly be memorable. In Harry Potter, this would be the Weasley twins, Professor McGonagall, and Neville.
- Filler characters: In a movie, these characters would basically be extras. They are the folks you need to fill out a scene or the world, but they are generally stock characters with no real distinctive features. In Harry Potter, most of the student body falls in this category.
Secondary characters are important for a variety of reasons. Obviously they help fill out your world. They make it more realistic. But what makes secondary characters so interesting is the way they interact with your primary character. A reader can learn a lot about a character by seeing how he/she interacts with others. (This is true about real people too.) It's a great way to impart information by showing it instead of telling it. Also, secondary characters will view the primary character different from the way the primary character views him/herself. This kind of multi-layered approach can really add depth both to your characters and the story as a whole.
Finally, secondary characters can act as a foil to the primary characters. For example Malfoy is the foil to Harry Potter in school. He is what Harry could have been had he been raised by an important wizarding family aware of his heritage instead of by the fiercely muggle Dursleys.
Today we are starting at the very basics of character -- the primary versus the secondary characters.
 |
Which have your read? I've read all of HP
and only the first 2 in CB. |
Just like in real life, the book world has your A-list, B-list, C-list, etc. characters. And no, I don't mean the difference between Harry Potter and Charlie Bone. (Both are wizards at school in series put out in America by Scholastic. One is a household name, the other is less known, a B-lister if you will.) Here, I'm talking about the A-list (or primary) characters and the B, C, and D-list (or secondary) characters in your story.
Your primary characters are the leads in your story. These always include your protagonist and may include your antagonist (if there is only one or a primary antagonist). Your primary character may or may not be your narrator. However, your primary character is, literally, the most important character in the story. This is the person that wants or needs something, and the entire story will be about that character trying to fill this want or need.
Some memorable primary characters:
- Olivia (picture book)
- Amelia Bedelia (early reader)
- Clementine (chapter book)
- Calpurnia Tate (middle grade)
- Sabriel (teen)
(For some reason all female characters popped into my head first thing, but of course there are many memorable male primary characters.)
Books can also have multiple primary characters. This occurs when there is a shared protagonist or you can think of it as the book having an ensemble cast.
Some great examples of books with multiple protagonists:
- Toot & Puddle (picture book)
- Frog & Toad (easy reader)
- Magic Tree House (Jack & Annie) (chapter book)
- The Penderwicks (middle grade)
- 13 Reasons Why (teen)
If you don't have a strong, compelling primary character (or characters), you aren't going to have a good story. These people (or pigs or dogs or whatever) have to provide the motivation for the reader to keep turning the page. Of course, the way you can help explore your characters is through their interactions with secondary characters, which we will talk about tomorrow.
 |
| Who doesn't know this famous character? |
Last month when we practiced the parts of the book proposal, we looked at the overall manuscript. Each of us took our manuscript and worked on how it was presented to the world as a whole.
Now though, we are going to start looking at the individual pieces that make up a great manuscript. And of course the key thing that keeps a reader reading is the characters.
Don't get me wrong. Lots or other parts of a story are important too, especially plot. I know I'm the kind of person that is less interested in a character's growth than what happens next. I have been known to even finish books I don't like simply because I want to know the ending.
However, the sad truth is if you don't have compelling characters none of the other stuff matters You have to write characters that readers are going to be interested enough in to find out what happens to them.
So, for the foreseeable future, we are going to be working on making our characters as compelling as possible. (Notice I said compelling, not likable. There are some great books out there with anti-heroes even in the children's section.) I'll discuss different types of characters, and we'll do different exercises to help strengthen our characters. And remember character is very important regardless of whether or not your writing a picture book or the next Great American Teen Novel. Get ready to really get to know your characters.
I only had 3 people enter the book proposal contest, so congratulations! All three of you are winners! I'll have your proposal critiques back to you by the end of the month.
I must confess to being a little surprised that there weren't more entries, but I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that I was overwhelmed by TLA the last 2 weeks and wasn't able to post a flurry of nagging reminders.
So, it turns out that if you stay in your booth the whole time repeating your pitch over and over again (yes, even I have to know how to pitch books), you generate interest and name recognition for your company, but you don't produce much interesting material for the blog. However, here were the highlights of the TLA conference for me:
- Giving out over 200 copies of Dry Souls
to the teens at the conference on Thursday-- If the kids had a yellow shirt, they got a book. Many of them thought the premise was pretty cool too. I hope we start seeing reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and the web from them. - Having the booth next to Candlewick-- I can sum up the greatness of that in one word: Traffic.
- Having my authors sign-- 3 out of 5 my authors were able to make it this year. Besides being wonderful to see them again, I now have lots of signed stock.
- Selling 42 Emerald Tablet to Taylor Middle School for their bookclub-- They are going to read the book and then come join us in Austin one day to meet PJ.
- Having the Texas Sweethearts & Scoundrels have an ice cream social at my booth-- There was ice cream. There were authors. There were librarians. How could it not be great?
And now, after that very long week, I'm taking the next 3 days off. But you shouldn't be doing the same. My
book proposal contest ends on Monday, so this is the last weekend to polish them up and make use of the
forum for feedback. See you back on Tuesday.
I am excited to announce that I have survived my very first TLA setup day all by myself. I've only been to TLA as part of Blooming Tree. CBAY has never exhibited before, and it's very exciting to have enough books to fill a whole booth. I posted some pictures over on Facebook if you're curious to see the booth.
My plan for this week is to do a bunch of tweets, Facebook, and video updates throughout the conference. So, be sure you're subscribed to everything so you can see the fun!
I have just spent the last few weeks getting ready for my booth at TLA next week. I have been ordering bookmarks and buttons and tshirts and posters, buying tables and table cloths and book stands. However, this is not what the usual person does to get ready to attend TLA (or BEA or ALA or any of the other large book trade shows).
So, since most of you are published and soon to be published authors, I thought I'd examine preparation for a large convention from that perspective.
Convention exhibition halls are a great place for authors to network and get a good look at what is happening in the publishing world. All authors, even unpublished ones, should try to go to a convention if at all possible. Before you go, here are some things you should do:
- Buy an exhibits-only badge -- Unless you are a librarian or bookseller, the classes at ALA or BEA aren't going to be that pertinent to you. Exhibit-only badges are significantly cheaper.
- Print business cards -- If you have a book out, make sure your cover or some information on the book is on it. Also make sure you have your website and/or blog address too.
- Check out the conference signing schedule -- This way you will be able to plan your days and make sure you get autographs from your favorite authors.
- Check online for other authors and bloggers who will be there -- Then, try to meet up with these groups. Often groups of bloggers and/or authors will get together for drinks. This is a great time to meet new folks and discuss marketing and publishing strategies.
And once you are at the convention, there's a bunch of stuff you shouldn't forget:
- Do not be shy -- Talk with everyone. After all, pretty much everyone there also wants to talk with you.
- Grab as many free books as you can, but be discerning -- Publishers only bring a set number of giveaways. Don't grab a book if you don't think you'll read it or give it away. Taking books you don't actually want only deprives people who would have read the book from getting it.
- Wear comfortable shoes -- I cannot stress this one enough. Dress levels vary at the different conferences, but even if you decide to wear heels to something, make sure you can stand and walk around in them for 8 hours or so.
- Blog/Tweet/Facebook about your experience -- Conventions always make great material for discussion and writing.
- Have fun -- If your not exhibiting, there's no reason why you should be stressed. Be laid back and enjoy the experience. It can be quite a wild ride.
In what sometimes feels like a lifetime ago, back when I was still in grad school (you know, last year), back when I was still working on actual class-work instead of my long, drawn out thesis, I wrote a paper on a brilliant fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones called
Howl's Moving Castle. A fun, exciting book that turns fairy tale conventions on their heads, I loved both this book and its companion,
Castle in the Air
for years. So, you can imagine how excited I was when a third book,
House of Many Ways
, came out two years ago. Ever since, I've been eagerly awaiting Jones next book.
Unfortunately, I'm going to have to wait a very, very long time.
You see, last week, Diana Wynne Jones passed away at the age of 76. Although a collection of her articles will be released in 2011, it is not the same. We will no longer see great Jones works like her masterpiece of form,
0 Comments on Goodbye, Diana as of 1/1/1900
I meant to post this yesterday, but I got distracted and forgot.
My picture book cover letter contest winner was Oliver Collosal submitted by Debra Mayhew.
Congratulations!
And thank you to everyone who entered the contest.
The Buried Editor's Book Proposal Contest has officially begun.
In order to enter all you have to do is send your full book proposal (and if you don't remember what all the parts are click here) to the dedicated email that I have set up for this contest: [email protected]. All emails need to be received by April 18, giving you two full weeks to polish those proposals up.
Here are the complete rules:
- All entries must be received by 11:59 PM CST April 18, 2011.
- No attachments. Just copy and paste your proposal into an email. I realize this will make some long (and sometimes ugly format-wise) emails, but I that's fine for this contest. I would not encourage that for an actual submission somewhere.
- Only do the parts of the book proposal that are pertinent to you. If you haven't written a series, don't write a series overview. If you've written a picture book, send that complete manuscript instead of the first three sample chapters.
- Entries must be a proposal for a children or teen book; however, you can enter any kind of children/teen book in any genre. Even ones that CBAY doesn't normally consider (including non-fiction).
Prize:
There will be 5 winners who will each receive a full (free) critique of their book proposal, including the sample manuscript/chapters.
General info:
- Technically, entries are not being submitted to CBAY Books, I will not be responding to every entry, just the winners. However, there's a chance that if I really like the book proposal that I see, I might ask you to officially submit it to the AE at CBAY Books.
- You can enter a book proposal for manuscripts that have been previously rejected by CBAY since, like I said, this isn't technically a CBAY submission.
- Questions? Comments? Enter them below.
The very last portion of a book proposal is your biography. This is the chance to brag a little bit about yourself and to tell the editor/agent pertinent information about yourself. For example, say you've written a middle grade novel where the kids are running around trying to outwit an ancient Mayan prophecy and you also happen to be the world's current leading expert on all things Mayan, that would be something to include in your biography. Or perhaps, you run a blog with 1500 followers that offers advice to parents adopting children from China, and you wrote a picture book about a little boy going with his parents to pick up his new baby sister from China. Again, that would be something to mention.
Also, this is the time to remind the agent/editor (you've already mentioned it in the cover letter) if you are a published author. You can also enclose a one page list after your bio of your top publishing credits. However, again, use your discretion. If you've published 45 magazine articles, 12 short stories, 16 novels and edit an online journal, you don't want to list every single credit. Hit the highlights.
To practice your bios, go to the Forum and post it. No one will criticize what you've done, we'll just give you feedback so you can show yourself in the best light.
And that my friends, concludes Book Proposal March. You have now read (and in some cases practiced) all of the elements of a good book proposal. But don't stop practicing. Remember, in a couple of weeks I will be holding a Book Proposal contest. The top 5 book proposals will receive a free critique of their proposal (including the sample chapters/manuscript in the proposal), and ALL entries in the contest will be considered for publication by CBAY Books. You can submit any genre, any age, anything -- even stuff you might not think is appropriate for the CBAY lists. After all, you could still win a critique, and I'm also considering an ebook original imprint that will publish more than SF/fantasy. I'm thinking of broadening my scope, so to speak, but I have to see what's out there before I decide.
Rules, information, and deadlines for the contest will go up tomorrow. So, keep posting on the Forum (in any of the parts of a book proposal, not just author bios) to get your book proposal in the best shape possible.
The other major component of the marketing portion of a book proposal is where you detail out your marketing plans for your book. This section consists of your:
- Promotion Plans -- Things you can do to get others to spread the word about your book.
Examples would be things like blog tours, reviews (blog or traditional), small contests. - Marketing Plans -- Things you can do to directly tell people about your book.
Examples would be postcards, book marks, your blog or newsletter, book release party, school visits. - Promotional/Marketing Opportunities -- Things that could be done that you do not personally have the resources or contacts to do yourself.
Examples would be ARC mail outs, bookstore tours, advertising in major market publications.
This section can be simultaneously the most fun and the most frustrating section to work on. It can be fun because you get to put all of your not inconsiderable amount of creativity to use thinking up ideas to catch readers attention. It can be frustrating because many of these ideas have already been used, and it helps remind you just how difficult it can be to stand out from the crowd.
When brainstorming for this, dream big. If your picture book has a blimp in it, put "flyover town by blimp covered in jacket art" on your list. However, when you actually go to write up your marketing ideas for your proposal, be more realistic. You and your publisher probably won't have the funds to hire and deck out a blimp. But, you might be able to "print jacket art on blimp shaped balloons to giveaway to kids." Put that option on your proposal instead.
Now, it's time to practice identifying your markets and marketing ideas. Go to the
Forum, and post a small (1-2 sentence) description about your book and your potential markets and/or marketing ideas. At this point, we're still in the brainstorming stage, so put down anything you want. All of us on the boards will then give feedback on how realistic we think your ideas/markets are.
While we wait to see who will win the Picture Book Cover Letter Contest, I feel that we can go ahead and move into the marketing portion of the book proposal. From here on out the rest of your book proposal is dedicated not to your actual writing itself, but how to ensure that others are made aware that your written word is out there to be read.
The first thing to consider (so not coincidentally it falls first in a book proposal) is the potential markets for your book. Obviously the primary market for your book is whatever age range you wrote it for. But there are lots of secondary markets for children's books. The other more obvious ones are:
- The Adults in the kid's life (guardians/parents/grandparents)
- The Educators in the kid's life (teachers & librarians)
- Siblings just a little bit above or below the primary market
In fact some of these secondary markets are so important that they are actually primary markets themselves. After all, a Newbery winner is marketed more towards the librarians than the actual kids that might someday read it.
And then there are the other secondary markets that may take some brainstorming to come up with. These markets tend to be either seasonal or extremely niche, but they are still very important. Some examples of markets like these are:
- The Graduation market -- Many year-round inspirational picture books experience an uptick in sales around graduation - the most obvious being Oh, The Places You'll Go - when people buy this picture book not for the 5-6 year old it is normally intended for but for high school and college graduates.
- Expectant mothers -- Many people buy these women picture books for their future babies, but there are also several picture books that appeal more to these women than they ever will to their children. Books that fall into this category would be things like Munsch's Love You Forever.
So, how do you figure out what secondary markets your book might appeal to?
The easiest way is to find books that are similar to yours and see which markets that publisher is targeting. Now, before you say your book is completely unique and there is no comparable book on the market, think again. The particular idea you are using for your book may be unique, but most likely you are writing in an existing genre (even if that genre is Pop-up books or non-fiction guide to fictional creatures). Find books in that genre that are most similar to yours. Also, you'll want to find examples that are not the absolute bestsellers. I may have written a series about a bunch of kids at wizard school, but I'm going to compare it to the Charlie Bones series not Harry Potter. After all, statistically speaking, my book is unlikely to become the cultural phenomenon Harry Potter is, and most likely the publisher will have a marketing budget for my book more comparable to Charlie Bones series rather than Harry Potter book 7.
Once you've determined your comparable books, see where they are marketed. Periodically look for them in a bookstore and see where they are displayed. Do they pop up on Mother's Day displays? Then perhaps a good secondary market would be Moms. Also, look online and see what markets the publisher is trying to reach. A Google search (once you've gotten scrolled past all the blog reviews) will get you that.
Finally, after you've determined your primary and secondary markets. You type them up into a pretty little list with the name of each of your markets and the reason why you think your book would appeal to it. Here's an example for the Book of Nonsense:
- Primary Markets:
- Children ages 9-12 -- Both of the main characters turn 13 in this book
So, I read all of the entries, and I have picked the two I would be most likely to request if I was a general editor/agent. I had a hard time narrowing it down to just two. There were a couple that appealed to me more as the kind of book I actually publish, and there were two that had great summaries in their letters, but the rest of the letter fell just a tad bit short. These two, in my opinion, had the best overall letters.
Now, it's time for you to vote. Here are the two entries:
Number 1:
Dear Ms. Editor,
In response to your recent request for fantasy picture book manuscripts, I'm submitting my 312 word story Oliver Colossal for your consideration. This is a multiple submission.
Oliver is a just a regular boy, except for one thing. He’s a giant among averaged-sized people. When his mother decides that giants shouldn’t need a special blanket, she takes his favorite comfort away. Before long, Oliver’s extra large case of insomnia causes big trouble in Tiny Town. In the end, only Oliver knows what he really needs to fix the problem.
I'm an active member of SCBWI and I meet regularly with a critique group.
Thank you for your consideration of my manuscript. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Number 2:
Dear Ms Editor,
Please find enclosed a disposable manuscript of JEREMY STRICKER AND THE HAPPY BOTTOM (483 words) for consideration with [Publisher].
This is the tale of the happiest fanny in the world -- and the unhappy boy attached to it. Having a dancing and singing (make that tooting!) bottom isn’t easy. But things only get worse after Jeremy Stricker confronts his derriere. Will Jeremy and his tush ever make peace?
I have enjoyed reading such [Publisher] titles as [ABC] and [XYZ], about stand-out protagonists and their offbeat paths towards acceptance. I hope you will find this story to be a worthy addition to your book list. In a planned sequel, Jeremy and his booty team up to foil a couple of dirty, rotten (but sensitive-nosed) thieves.
A writer, student, and mother, I have published over 20 articles in trade journals and magazines including, most recently, in Girl’s Life. I am a member of SCBWI.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://4198588.polldaddy.com/s/D6EFD3C926C6F0E6"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;View Survey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>
Ah, the time has come to test the cover letters and one page summaries you've been practicing. Announcing:
The Buried Editor's Cover Letter/One Page Summary Contests
There will be 2 categories for this contest with one winner in each category. They are:
- Picture Book Manuscripts:
To enter this category you will need to post a cover letter for your manuscript on the forum board set up for this contest. The cover letter needs to be just like a cover letter you would attach to the top of a manuscript submission.
Prize: The winner will receive a free critique of the manuscript mentioned in the cover letter.
- Chapter Book/Middle Grade/Teen Manuscripts:
To enter this category you will need to post a cover letter and one page summary of your manuscript on the (separate) forum board set up for this contest. Again, this should be exactly like the cover letter and one page summary you would include as part of a submission.
Prize: The winner will receive a free critique of the first 3 chapters of the manuscript mentioned in the cover letter.
Rules:
- You can only enter one manuscript in one of the categories. So, pick your best cover letter!
- This is not the time to offer feedback to each other. You'll be able to see other entries, but do not comment on them.
- This is open to all manuscripts including ones that have been rejected by CBAY in the past. The only manuscripts that cannot enter are the ones that are currently under consideration by CBAY. This is 8 picture books and a few other projects. If in doubt email me, or submit a cover letter for a different project.
- I will not be picking the winner. I will choose my two favorites in each category, and then we will vote on this blog.
- Finally, I'll be picking the two for voting based on the quality of the cover letters/summaries not on whether or not the book is right for CBAY. This is unrelated to CBAY's wants or needs and will not result in any kind of publication. The prizes are literally just critiques.
Best of luck!
As of this point, every person who has submitted a manuscript to our picture book call should have received some sort of response from us now. If for some reason you didn't, please let us know so we can see what happened.
If I asked to hold onto your manuscript, then I will be contacting you in the next 10 days about editorial ideas I have, things I need from you, etc.
If your manuscript ended up being rejected, do not despair. You were in very good company. I only requested to continue looking at 8 manuscripts. I also would like to thank you for taking the time to send your work to us. Even though I wasn't able to personally respond to all of the submissions, I am still honored that you were willing to let me consider your work.
I'm so very excited because I get to welcome back Assistant Editor (aka Rebecca). She originally left CBAY to go to grad school, but she'll finish that up this year, and for now is returning back to her old title. This is exciting for me because it means the editorial staff is no longer just me and Intern, it's now me, Intern, and AE. Yippee!
I realize you probably don't really care. Your thinking, "Okay, cool. But that doesn't really affect me."
Au contraire, mes amis. Au contrarie.
AE has just spent a fair amount of time interning at Scholastic where she spent most of her days wading through slush and queries, and apparently she must be feeling withdrawls because when I suggested that we open submissions up to teen queries, she thinks, and I quote, that it "all sounds exciting". Insane, I know. So, we're going to hash out exactly how we want to do this, and then post the new submission guidelines both here and on the official CBAY site.
However, I thought I'd give you all advance warning so you can start polishing up those old teen manuscripts you've got lying around and generally perfecting your query letters.
At this stage in our book proposal, we are going to pause and take a brief break. Everything we've done so far are things you might find yourself submitting during a general submissions process. Since every publishing house/agency is a little bit different, some might want your to query with a letter and a summary, some might want a submission with letter, one-page summary, series summary, and first three chapters, and some people just want a simple query letter. Everyone is different, and that is why it is so important to always check the website of the publisher/agency you are submitting to to check for their most recent guidelines.
After this point, everything we will work on in the book proposal will be geared more towards marketing. These elements are rarely submitted during a submissions process, but they are important things for you to consider, especially after your book is under contract. However, don't think you should wait until then to start brainstorming. You never know when someone will ask you about your marketing plans, and these days, authors are expected more and more often to have some sort of idea in place.
But that will be for the second half of this month. For the rest of this week, you should continue to polish your cover letters and one-page summaries. Why? Because in the near future I'm going to run a contest for cover letters/one-page summaries. There will be 2 categories: cover letters only contest for picture books, and cover letter plus one page summary for middle grade and teen books. I know MGs and teens that it's unfair that you have to write two pages, but it's really hard to do a one page summary of a picture book. The winner in each category will get a free critique of their full picture book manuscript or the first 3 chapters of the MG/teen manuscript (depending on which category he/she wins). I don't have a date for the contest, but as soon as I do, I'll let you know.
Until then, keep practicing. And if you haven't tried posting for feedback on the Buried in the Slush Pile forum, you really should. Everyone's been giving great comments over there.
There are two types of book series:
- Set Series - the kind with a set number of books planned from the beginning.
These are the series where every single book has a complete plot arc (or should), and then the overarching series also has a plot arc. The best example that every one will instantly understand would be the Harry Potter books. In each book there's a plot (Harry getting the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry saving Ginny from the Chamber, Harry competing in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, etc.), but the series itself has an overall plot (Harry vs. Voldemort). From the beginning, there were going to be 7 Harry books, and by golly, (even if some of them got kind of long) there were 7 Harry books. Other examples of series like this would be the Percy Jackson books, the Series of Unfortunate Events books, and locally, The Forgotten Worlds Series from CBAY. - Open-ended Series - the kind where each book is its own stand-alone adventure.
In these books, you can have as many adventures as you can think up. The only thing that carries over are the characters. Beloved by book packagers and the ghost-writing teams, these series can literally go on indefinitely. The most famous are the various series produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate (Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobsbey Twins, etc.) However, there are also modern day versions like The Babysitter's Club (who may or may not be written personally by Martin -- I won't pretend to know) and many chapter book series written by a single author like the Magic Treehouse Books and, my favorites, the Judy Moody books.
And just like there are two kinds of series, there are two ways you can write a series summary:
- One paragraph summaries
This is where you write a one paragraph summary for each one of your proposed books in the series. In these small summaries you need to detail the major plot arc in its entirety. So, yes, you will need to give the plot away. This type of summary is appropriate for both set and open-ended types of series. However, if you are doing an open-ended series and dream of some day producing 46 books, do not try to think up a summary for 46 books. Limit yourself to around 5 for now. - Full page summary
This is where you write a one page summary of your the overreaching plot of your series. Exactly like a one page summary of a single book, this is a short-story summarized version of what the overall series plot arc will be. Obviously, this style of summary only works with a set series.
Like one paragraph and one page summaries for books, series summaries can be difficult to write. However, if you plan to do a series, at some point (unless you already have the entire series written and sometimes even then), you will have to do one of these. No one is going to contract a whole series without an idea of where it is going or the kind of books you are going to do.
So, over at the
forum I have set up a board for folks to practice their series summaries. And even if you aren't working on a series at the moment, this might be a good time to make one up. You never know when you might have characters you are so in love with that you want to keep writing about them.
As of last night, I have officially read every single submission I received. Still, that leaves 142 manuscripts to respond too. Intern has a busy couple of weeks ahead.
Of course, Intern won't be going it completely alone -- there are at least 29 responses that I want to write myself. However, that still leaves 113. On the plus side that means everyone should have heard something from one of us by the end of the month. On the negative, all of the 113 (and most of the 29) are rejections. Man, all of us (you and me both) hate rejections.
So, I'm happy at the way the new Buried in the Slush Pile Forum is working. The layout is clear (if unexciting), and it's easy to find all of the different people who want feedback on their various summaries. Best of all, the ones I haven't viewed yet are marked as new, so I don't miss anyone. I also can't argue with the free price tag. Supposedly there should be ads running around somewhere, but I haven't seen any.
A few people have started posting their summaries, and the feedback they've been getting has been great. No one has said anything I wouldn't, and some of my comments have just seemed superfluous. We're going to keep working on these through Sunday, so if you haven't posted anything yet, there's still plenty of time. On Monday, though, we'll be moving on.
But as great as the forum has been for critiquing, I've been wondering, what else could we use the forum for?
One idea I had was to have a board on there dedicated to submissions. We could have a thread on that board that could deal with who/where is accepting submissions and a link to the place's submission guidelines. As you run across someone accepting (or no longer accepting) submissions, you could add it to this thread. We could also have a thread profiling editors and agents so that when you go to figure out where to submit, you would have some names and editorial preferences to see if your work would fit that person's tastes. I'm actually working on a (free) manuscript submissions workbook that I'll be debuting in the next few weeks that has a worksheet like that.
What ideas do you have for the forum? I am open to any and all suggestions.
A long, long time ago (as the song says), I posted about one page summaries. What I said then is still true now.
A one page summary, or book synopsis, is a one page third person short story of your novel. It's one of those few times that you can tell a story without a single scene, and obviously since you have one single-spaced page, in as few words as possible. Your summary tells the entire plot and subplots of your novel, introduces all major and possibly a few minor characters, and introduces the major thematic elements. Like your one paragraph summary in your cover letter, it also needs to be illustrative of your writing voice and give the editor/agent a sense of how the manuscript will read. Not quite as difficult as a one paragraph summary (because you have more words), these can still be hard to write. It can be hard to figure out what is important enough for the summary. I find that the easiest way to write one of these is to make an outline of your novel with all the major plot markers listed. Then you'll know what you have to include, and you can make choices from there.
More than any other part of a book proposal, the one page summary is where you really get to know your manuscript, where you can really evaluate what does and does not need to be in your novel. Do you find you have 12 subplots and can't fit them into the summary? Then it might be time to reevaluate the necessity of all those twists and turns.
For the rest of the week, we're going to practice the one page summary. Since Facebook did not have as sophisticated of a discussion board as I had expected, I have set up a new forum over at ProBoards: The Buried in the Slush Pile Forum. It's not as pretty as the Ning forum was, but this one is free, and Ning no longer is. I know. Bummer.
I have already started the one page summary board. All you have to do is start a new thread in that group, and then paste your summary in. (Don't worry about the character count. You get 60,000 characters which is roughly 32 double spaced pages. You are aiming for around 500 words which is around 5000 characters.) To leave feedback, just reply to that particular thread. This way no one who wants to participate will be overlooked. (I missed one yesterday, and even once I knew about it, I still had trouble finding it. Hence the switch in forums.) As always, general rules of critique etiquette apply, and on this forum, I have the power to remove comments and ban members for bad behavior. This has never, ever been a problem in the past, but I will exercise that right if necessary.
Finally, a note for the picture book authors: I'm sure you noticed that I kept referring to a one page summary of a novel. Obviously trying to write a one page summary for a picture book would just be silly. However, you can still participate if you like. Feel free to use this time to perfect your one paragraph summary, and then take the additional space on your page to really explore your characters and get to know them -- their motivations, their wants, needs, etc. Granted, very little of that will actually make it into your manuscript text, but it will help you to know these things. For example using Becky's Don Quixote picture book wip, if the little boy's main motivation is to get Mommy's attention, then learning this would help Becky decide if the activities he participates in are helping him try to achieve that goal or if they are just silly for silly's sake. When you're done, feel free to post your paragraphs (and maybe a sentence or two about what you've learned if you like) on the forum. Just be sure to prominently feature Picture Book Practice at the top so we won't be try
The first part of any book proposal (or submission for that matter) is the cover letter. A query letter is also, in many ways, identical to the cover letter. Basically, these are incredibly important things to be able to write. Also, you're going to be writing quite a few of these over your professional career, so you might as well learn how to write them now.
Of course, I talked extensively about cover letters during the picture book submission process back in January. To review that post where I talk in detail about cover letters (electronic, query, or otherwise), click here. Today though, we are going to quickly review the parts, and then do a little practice.
Again, the parts of a cover/query letter are:
- Introduction
Where you explain how you know the editor/agent and why you are submitting/querying. - 1-2 paragraph pitch
Where you sell the book. - Series Pitch
Where you define and explain the series. - Biography
Pertinent information about yourself. - Conclusion
Thanks for allowing to submit/Ask politely to send the manuscript.
Again, for more detailed explanations, go
here.
By far, in my opinion, the most important part of the letter is the 1-2 paragraph pitch. You really have to make the book sound intriguing, yet not give away everything. You don't want to rid the book of it's suspense. You need to try to convey the voice of your writing, but still keep everything in a short 1-2 paragraphs.
Since I consider this section so important, I thought that for the rest of today and tomorrow we could practice writing these. If you haven't already, join the
Facebook Buried in the Slush Pile Page. Click on the discussion link in the left hand box. I've already started a One Paragraph Summary discussion thread. To post your own one paragraph summary of the book you're building your book proposal for, click "reply to topic." Although in the cover letter you can take 1-2 paragraphs, for this exercise, try to limit yourself to only one paragraph.
After that, look at other people's summaries and offer them feedback. You can do this by hitting reply just under their paragraph. And if you don't want to post a paragraph right now, still feel free to offer feedback to others. I'm sure everyone will appreciate it.
Of course, that being said, let's remember some critique rules while we're at it. Positive comments are always encouraged, but of course negative comments are necessary for growth. When posting a negative comment like "This summary doesn't work for me" always follow it with an explanation. Was the plot arc unclear? Could you not tell from the paragraph which character was the protagonist and which the antagonist? Things like that. And at no time is flaming or general "this sucks", "your writing is terrible", "find a new pasttime" allowed. Those types of comments are absolutely prohibited. The children's writing community is about fostering new writers and supporting one another. It is not about bolstering your own ego while tearing someone else's down. Let's continue that tradition.
In the past I've allowed people to critique one another's work on this blog without incident. Let's keep in that way.
So, I worked again on Submissions last night, and I now have the following statistics to give you:
Total received: 231
Number left for me to personally read: 76
Number still needing a response: 149
Number I have requested to keep looking at: 3
Number I have requested be resubmitted as another type of project: 2
Number I have requested a rewrite: 1
What all this means for me:
Since the number was not so overwhelming, I decided that I would personally look at all the submissions and not just depend on Intern's (excellent) judgment. However, I have a lot going on, and this is slowing me down. However, my new goal is to try to look at 10 a night. The number we still need to reject also means that we had to resort to form letters, although since I'm terrible about not giving advice, I've marked lots of them with small notes for Intern to include in the letters. A few of the letters are actually coming from me.
What this means for you:
Do not despair if you have not heard from me or CBAY yet. It most likely means I haven't read you. That's all. People whose books that I so far want to hold have been told. Not hearing from us doesn't mean we like or dislike your book. It doesn't mean anything. However with nearly 150 left to respond to, we most likely won't hit my optimistic deadline of March 15, but we will certainly be done by the end of the month. (And since that's a full month before the 3 months I originally estimated and still officially cite, I'm quite excited.)
Finally, I have to thank Lisa for emailing me and suggesting I do this. It was a great idea, and I confess, not one I had on my own. In fact, if you ever have an idea of something you would like to see on this blog or a question you would like to see answered, do not hesitate to let me know. You know, if people started asking me questions again, I could bring back "Question of the Week." I'm just saying...
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