Of course I love it when students write to me. Here's a letter I received over the summer and my response.
Dear Mrs. Brown,
It's me Lauren! I am working on the manuscript of my book. I was just wondering if you had any helpful writing tips. Could you recommend any good publishers? I was looking online and I found a publishing company called Publishers America. They quite good but, I wanted a professional opinion on a good publisher.
Lauren Parsons
Dear Lauren,
It is so wonderful to hear from you! I DO have some publishing advice for you. First of all, before you submit your manuscript to anyone, you need to find a really good editor. Often a high school level or higher English teacher is the best because they won't charge you for their work. Be sure to thank your editor in the final version of your book.
The next advice I would give you is NOT to self-publish or publish using Publish America or similar companies. The reason is this: many awards and distributors will not even look at anything that resembles self-published work. There's a wonderful resource called "Writers Market" that gives the names and addresses of publishers and literary agents. You can find it free at your local library, but it's better if you can subscribe online because then you can search for publishers who are looking for books just like yours. It increases your chances of getting published if you send to publishers who want what you've written.
After your book is finished and edited, you need to start writing a query letter. You can find sample query letters online, but basically, it's a one-page letter telling about your work. The first paragraph is an attention getter. The second is a very brief summary of your book. The third paragraph is about you as a writer, your experience and whatnot. Don't be afraid to say you are a first time author, and be sure to include your age. I think it will help you. The last paragraph is information as to how the publisher can reach you.
You begin the publishing process by sending out hundreds of these query letters. For every one company that wants to see your manuscript, there will be at least 20 who reject you, but don't worry about that. It happens to us all. I tried to make a little game out of my rejections. Every "no" brings you one step closer to a "yes," so be excited when you get a "no." When a publisher responds to your query letter, that means they want to read your manuscript. So, send out a completed, bound manuscript to every publisher who has accepted you. This leads you down another road... The actual acceptance process from the publisher. They will either accept or reject you AGAIN.
Keep in mind the math behind all of this. If you send out 100 query letters, chances are, you'll get about 5 acceptances. Out of those 5 acceptances, you might not receive a single contract offer. The more query letters you send out in your genre, the more options you will have when you have to decide which company to sign with.
You don't need a literary agent at this point. When you use Writers' Market, be sure to query publishers who take "first time
Awesome video showing the power of video conferencing in the classroom. (Best content begins after the talking head guy stops and the video goes into the schools.)
http://dotsub.com/view/f5530d69-424b-4fa3-a609-2fd733f2e545
Top 10 Back-to-School Reads for Middle School
Brennan, Sarah Rees. Demon’s Lexicon. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Margaret K. McElderry. 2009.
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–In this riveting debut novel, 16-year-old Nick and his older brother, Alan, are accustomed to life on the run. Since their father was murdered, the boys have been forced to slay demons set on them by magicians seeking the powerful charm stolen by the boys’ mother. Nick is furious when Alan receives a first-tier demon mark while saving a neighborhood boy. While seeking to remove it, Nick begins to suspect that his brother is lying to him about the reason for the magicians’ attempts to kill them and about why their mother screams whenever Nick touches her. Fans of the Supernatural television series will be hooked from the novel’s opening lines (The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn’t have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink.). Even teens who don’t consider themselves genre buffs will appreciate the solid writing, fast-paced plot, and sense of authenticity that Brennan gives to the shadowy world between ordinary, modern-day London and the otherworld of demons and magicians. Though Nick and Alan’s story is mostly resolved with Nick discovering the truth behind his father’s death and his mother’s fear of him, readers will no doubt clamor for the next book in this planned urban fantasy trilogy.–Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD
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Brown, Mary Calhoun. There Are No Words. Lucky Press. 2010
From Midwest Book Review
The most terrifying future is a future you cannot change. “There Are No Words” tells the story of a mute girl who finds herself with a voice, but sent back decades ago. With the knowledge of a train wreck that will kill one of her grandfather’s friends, Jaxon MacKenzie finds herself in a time before said accident. But a twelve year old girl can’t do much to stop a government train…can she? “There Are No Words” is a charming story of determination and friendship, highly recommended.
From Feathered Quill: 5 Stars
There Are No Words is narrated by Jaxon, a 12-year-old girl with autism who lives with her grandparents. Though she shares with the reader that she cannot speak and describes her intense reactions to sound and touch, this is not really a book about autism. It is an adventure whose protagonist happens to be autistic.
Jaxon also proves to be a strong, quick-thinking girl with a crush on a black boy and a friend who, in 1918, likes to wear boys’ pants and shoes under her dresses. Author Mary Calhoun Brown defies many stereotypes. Teachers and parents looking for a book with strong female characters or gentle, nurturing men will find them here. The book also promotes awareness of autism without presenting it as a problem to be overcome. In fact the main problem from Jaxon’s point of view is that other people do not understand autism and treat her as though she is stupid
gatorball.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/why-should-school-districts-invest-in-technology/
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Everyone who knows me knows I'm a huge fan of using technology in the classroom. The blog linked above is just one example of the chatter going on about using technology. Whether you like it or not, states are mandating that technology be used to educate our students. One very inexpensive way to do this (yes, here comes the Skype plug) is to use Skype. It's a free service that allows experts in nearly every area to visit your classroom at no charge to you. Authors love it, myself included.
Here are a few other sites to help you incorporate technology into your classroom.
http://www.techsavvyed.net
http://www.ateachersguidetohappiness.com
http://www.mydigitalfamily.org
If you'd like to have me visit your classroom, contact me at [email protected].
I have to admit, I laughed out loud while reading this book. And, no, it's not the kind of book I normally read. You see, I'm a book snob. I try not to be, but I can't help it.
The Brain Full of Holes is a light-hearted read, intended (no doubt) for middle grade boys. In this installment of Martin Chatterton's series, The Brain (a kid-sized Sherlock Holmes) and Sheldon (his likable and fallable Watson) find themselves in Switzerland living with Sheldon's food-burning mother and new stepfather, Captain Schnurrbart, a high-ranking official with a secret Swiss operation. Strange events begin to ensue, including hole-less Swiss cheese and trumpets filled with spaghetti.
A very attractive, blonde Helga shows up on the boys' doorstep in need of help finding her father, a truck driver who disappeared inside the Furcht tunnel, truck and all. The Brain and a smitten Sheldon set off with Helga to find her father and stumble upon a series of rather fanciful characters, flying carniverous cows, animated motherly grandfather clocks and replicas of Captain Schnurrbart that wield ray-guns capable of shooting people into other universes. It is all rather silly.
As it turns out, a particle accelerator and an evil butler from another dimension are behind the bizarre happenings, and it's up to The Brain to save the day and Sheldon's budding love life with Helga.
Having not read Chatterton's earlier story The Brain finds a Leg, I found myself having trouble getting into the book in the first few chapters. His writing style is fun and easy, however, and before long, Chatterton's wit and word play won me over. For example, The Brain tells Sheldon about dark matter that was created as a by-product of using the particle accelerator. This "dark matter" was discovered, according to Chatterton, by Professor Duzzent, and is referred to as "Duzzent Matter." Puns like this are anchored by unlikely characters make this book a lot of fun to read.
Readers will appreciate the author's descriptive skill. In his characterization of Professor Weiss, Chatterton writes, "The Professor was a massive lump of a man, a brown-skinned mountain of flest wrapped in a beautifully made three-piece suit of white velvet that must have used up most of the world's white velvet supply... A constant river of sweat poured from his brow. He mopped and dabbed at his face with a lavender-scented puple silk handkerchief the size of a parachute... A thin goatee curled around the chin nearest to his mouth." I think I actually know a guy who looks just like this, minus the white velvet suit. I mean, who doesn't, really?
I wish Martin Chatterton the best of luck with his series for young boys. Goodness knows I can't get my middle-grade son to read anything. I'm leaving my copy of The Brain Full of Holes on his bedside table with all the others, hoping my son will pick it up to read.
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