• Proofread your query letter. If a publisher gets a query letter with spelling and grammar errors, it is an immediate red flag. The query is the first introduction they have to your story, so it needs to be polished, organized, and spell-checked.
• Only send a completed manuscript. Presses are continuously receiving query letters for manuscripts. Nothing is more frustrating when you read a great letter, request the manuscript, and then hear that it’s not finished/still being added to/still a very rough draft. You’re job as a writer is to write the book, our job is to edit and publish it. We can’t do our job if you haven’t finished yours yet.
• Research your genre. One of the best tips for becoming a great writer is to first become a great reader. Pick up various books all within the genre you’re writing and study them. Don’t read them just for pleasure, read them for knowledge. Think about the conflict, the settings, the character development, the language, resolutions. Consider the age group who will primarily read your genre and look for trends that specifically cater to those age groups.
• Make your conflict meaningful. Purposeful conflict means conflict that progresses the narrative. We don’t want a fight between the main character and a stranger on the street if that doesn’t cause any progress. What you need to remember though, is progress can be big or small. That fight between the main character and the stranger could cause a physical fight that leaves the main character permanently disabled for the rest of their life, or it could spark a line of thoughts that leads them to make a decision about how to deal with a relationship. Essentially, you want to write in conflict that helps us get to the resolution.
• Write in vivid details. As a reader, one of the best things is to read a book that fully immerses you into its world. If you can’t adequately describe the world you’re writing, then it’ll be harder for the reader, or in this case possible publisher, to connect to the story. Giving small details about setting, emotions, character appearance, etc. will make those things not only memorable, but real to the reader. Don’t be generic. Don’t write that it was a room with a bed and dresser. Write unique details about the bed and dresser. And carpet, ceiling, walls, and anything else. Your job is to draw people in and make the world as real as possible. 

A Record Three Pants On Fire Press Novels Earn High Awards From Prestigious Next Generation Indie

 

Dear Authors,

This post is more of a plea than anything else. It is a plea for conformity to authors submitting queries to Pants On Fire Press. It is no secret that we publishers have a hard time keeping up with the submissions we receive. Now, while it is easy to claim the obvious -- that we are just so busy we haven't the time to review each and every query in a timely manner -- this isn't the case entirely. For a properly submitted query, one that follows our guidelines, we know within 40 seconds if we want to read more. By now, if we do indeed want to read more, we are reading about you, the author. If you followed our guidelines we are learning about you, your writing cridentials and how you plan to market the book. Now we are ready to learn about your story -- the who, what, when and where -- by reading the synopsis. Oh, but wait, you didn't include a synopsis. Author, we need to know what happens in your story -- from beginning to end. I bet you didn't know that fifty percent of our acquisition decisions are based solely upon the synopsis. Do you really think we have time to read  the first three chapters of every query? Ha! That's funny. The requested three chapters are for that rare book that has us begging to read more. Frankly, unless your query has truly hooked us, by now we would have deleted your query. Stinks, doesn't it?

Well, let's stay positive and continue on our query review journey under the assumption that you included the all important synopsis. Minutes pass and we have read the synopsis and want to read more but wait, where are the first three chapters we requested? Oh, they are included in the query but as attachments. Guess what? Delete! Opening attachments is too risky. We are a business. We conduct business with authors, agents, printers, Hollywood studios and so on. You get the idea. We can't afford to open an infected file nor can we afford to infect our business associates.

Realize this. We do not know you. You do not know us. But think of your query and our submission guidelines as our initial hand shake. If you do not conform to our submission guidelines you tell us that you do not want to shake our hand. Well, we don't want to shake your hand either. It's you author. That is right, you are the stymie in the process. Your seemingly odd choice to ignore submission guidelines is the root of the problem. We have taken the time to develop and post our submission guidelines. Additionally, by submitting your query you expect us to take more time to review your query. Follow them and we will take the time to review your query. We wish you well.

Pants On Fire Press     

We have several updates to share with you. First let's talk Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane. This is a fun tale about 14-year-old Jake Weir, who while working on the set of his parents ghost hunting TV show, learns that he can see and hear ghosts. Jake quickly finds himself agreeing to help a ghost investigate a 61 year-old murder.

And it's not just any murder. It's the ghosts murder. It's a fantastic read. We are happy to report that Paranormal Properties is on schedule. We just delivered a heavily edited script to Tracy. Once she returns the script it will be one step closer to production. A rough sketch of the book cover will be available to preview later next week. We can't wait to see what Natalia has come up with. It looks like the teaser trailer will be released sometime before Halloween. Exciting stuff, for sure! Be sure to like the Facebook pages of Pants On Fire Press and Paranormal Properties.

Enjoy the teaser trailer for How I Became A Teenage Survivalist coming to bookstores in 2013. 

Pants On Fire Press seeks an editorial intern to assist with our 2014 acquisitions. Time commitment is 5-10 hours a week. Send a letter of interest to us at editor [at] pantsonfirepress [dot] com. Editorial or publishing experience is not required but obviously preferred. Include your experience if any. Attachments will be deleted. This is an unpaid opportunity.

We are no longer blogging. We are just too busy. All announcements and promotional events will be conveyed through our website and on Facebook.

Authors, fellow small publishers and self-publishers, please, (I'm begging here) be vigilant and do your research on everything from publishing and editing to something as menial as entering a book awards contest. You, the author, are prey! I too as a publisher am preyed upon. I’m not saying be paranoid but just be careful because there are many who think they are experts when they are not. Unfortunately by the time you figure this out, it's too late. You have already paid them for their service. 

When I first researched book awards programs I thought the idea of entry fees was ridiculous. That was until I had a no-duh moment and realized that these organizations have overhead too. On top of that, the ones I was looking at were paying their winners. Painfully, I must confess that I made a rookie error and wastefully entered a lot of children’s book awards programs. Okay, let me cut to the chase and say that based on my experience I recommend the following awards programs to authors, fellow publishers and even self-publishers:

• Benjamin Franklin Awards – there is a fee but it pays a nice award and provides judges feedback. A link to the critique forms for our Catching Santa book may be read here: http://www.pantsonfirepress.com/media.asp. The feedback was well received. The judges made great observations regarding our hardcover illustration resulting in a new cover design and illustration for the the softcover edition.

• Next Generation Indie Book Awards – a class act. Requires a fee but pays a nice award and your book is reviewed by agents. We won Children’s their 2011 Children's Fiction overall category. A link to the certificate for our Catching Santa book may be read here: http://www.pantsonfirepress.com/media.asp.

Enter these if applicable. None charge fees.
• Alex Awards
• Caldecott Medal
• Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals
• Coretta Scott King Award
• Costa Book Award
• Golden Kite Awards – Society Of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• Giverney Awards
• Governor General's Literary Awards
• Hans Christian Anderson Medals
• Horn Book Awards
• International Reading Association Children's Book Awards
• The James Madison Book Award
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal
• Margaret A. Edwards Award
• Mark Twain Award
• Michael L. Printz Award
• Newbery Medal
• Pura Belpre Award
• Sydney Taylor Awards
• Young Reader's Choice Award

I ignore the rest. Oh, and don’t go crazy entering in multiple categories. One category is enough. If you have a winner it will win. Good luck!