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0 Comments on Something for Those Researching an Agent. as of 1/1/1900
 Apparently, I am on the right track with my social networking process. This article by Harold Underdown cites Charlesbridge’s Donna Spurlock on social media networking potential. Be sure to check out the site and read the rest of this informative look at social media and how a writer can use it to promote their books.
http://www.underdown.org/social-networking.htm 
While preparing for the SCBWI professional retreat, “Thriving in a Changing Industry: Cyber-Promotion Tools for Authors and Illustrators,” I emailed my friend Donna Spurlock, who works in the marketing department at Charlesbridge. I wanted to confirm my general sense that although things have changed from the days when authors and illustrators were just expected to do school visits and answer letters, publishers don’t want people to spend all their time marketing. Here’s what she said, which is so interesting I am quoting it in full:
“You are right, expectations are a bit higher for authors to get out and about and do something themselves. Obviously, we (CB specifically, but publishers in general) are active in social networking as much as possible, promoting the company and each season of books and getting into as much nitty-gritty about specific books and personalities as we can, but the authors and illustrators really need to take the ball and run.
     
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun02/yolen.htm This is a great interview with one of the most prolific writers of our time. Check it out.
A Conversation With Jane Yolen by Claire E. White (Excerpt)
No, but I have seven rules:
1. Write every day
2. Write what interests you.
3. Write for the child inside of you. (Or the adult, if you are writing adult books.)
4. Write with honest emotion
5. Be careful of being facile
6. Be wary of preaching
7. Be prepared for serendipity
     
As my regular readers know, I love the information that I get from Twitter.com’s #kidlitchat on Tuesday night. One focused on Agents and How to Get One.
RebeccAgent, BostonbookGirl, Elana Roth, were just a few of the agents who participated in the chat and offered words of wisdom to the new writer as well as the more experienced writers.
Some of my takes from the chat is that agents like
1. Writers who follow submission guidelines. They have worked hard to make it as simple as possible. It’s a red flag for some agents.
2. Writers who submit one project in a query with 1-2 brief (one line) other project ideas. The pitch must be accurate as well. Practice writing your synopsis several times to get it just right.
3. Writers who use good grammer in their submissions. It tells them that you are a professional and are serious about writing.
4. Writers whose work has a spark to incite interest in the submission. If you want others to love your book, it doesn’t hurt for you to love your book. Share your passion.
5. Writers who submit concise, tight submission. There have been query letters that are less than perfect accepted but with the competition so fierce the actual book need to be as close to ready to be published as it can be.
6. Writers that include their writing credits and a brief bio. This can include sites that you are on so they can get to know more about you. Remember they are people too and do your research. It is as important for them to do their research on you as a potential client as it is for you to do your research to make sure that the fit is a mutually good one.
7. Writers that commit no faux paus. For instance, if you go to a conference, don’t pass your manuscript under the toilet stall. It has actually happened to an Agent/Editor.
8. Writers who are patient and treat them the way they want to be treated. Everyone has different things to bring to the table. If you want someone who is willing to do some editorial task, don’t expect the agent is who is more about selling to do those tasks.
Places on the web that you can check out for details on the individual agents include their own personal sites, Preditors and Editors, AgentQuery, QueryTracker,Publishers Market Place, and Verlakay.com, as well as asking other authors for recommendations/referrals.
     
Thanks to a fellow writer on Twitter.com, I read an excellent article. Here is a little about Michael Stearns. I have no idea if he is accepting new clients or not but if you follow the link below it will help you find out the info you need.
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Michael Stearns is the founder of Upstart Crow Literary, and an agent specializing in children’s books. Formerly editorial director and foreign acquisitions manager for HarperCollins Children’s Books, before that he was Senior Editor, Director of Paperback Publishing for Harcourt Children’s Books. He has worked on hundreds of books for children and adults over the course of twenty years in the industry. |
http://upstartcrowliterary.com/blog/?p=921
Agenting Picture Books v. Agenting Novels: Part One of Two
Posted by Michael under On Writing
Some weeks back I was in Chicago to give a couple of talks at an SCBWI conference. While I was in fine form for much of the conference, I punted my final talk, to my chagrin. Part of the issue was an ill-advised, last-minute rejiggering of my notes and talking points into a confusing mess of arrows and write-ins (a poor idea, as it is all too easy to lose the thread of an argument while speaking); but more the issue was an inability to get my head around the topic.
     
 I love reading a great rhyming picture book. They are what is really attractive to me but alas, I am not a rhymer. Just ask some of my fellow critique members. I can handle a line or two but that is it. This is an excerpt of a great article on rhyming. To read the rest of the article go to
http://www.smartwriters.com.
by Dori Chaconas
“Please, no rhyming stories.”
I heard it at conferences. I read it in the market guides. What? No rhyme! But I love to write in rhyme! What about all those beloved nursery rhymes? Surely they had laid the foundation for rhyming picture books.
I put the ideas for rhyming stories on my I’d-Better-Not-Do-It list, and there they stayed until I became involved in a good critique group. The writers in that group started to sell their stories, and those stories were written in rhyme. And it wasn’t just an occasional rhyming story that sold. They sold consistently. Like magic, within three years, members of the group sold a total of thirty-six books. Twenty-seven of those were written in rhyme. Then I sold three picture book manuscripts—all written in rhyme.
     
http://www.underdown.org/mf-rhyme-and-meter.htm This is a December 2005 excerpt from Musings by Margot Finke. Be sure to check out the rest of the article as it has a lot to offer a writer.
Below are a variety of excellent resources that will help you unravel the mystery of writing rhyme and meter. Craft rhyming picture books that become dog-eared with love.
“To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme” by Dori Chaconas. Read this amazing article. Dori nails the subject. Clear, precise information, and the many instructive examples make it seem easy. If you long to write great rhyme, this is one article you don’t want to miss.
Anastasia Suen: Take her picture book class if you want to study rhyme & meter. Her book, Picture Writing, is a must, if you plan to write in rhyme.
Beginners Site For Rhyme: Follow links to more advanced sections.
Poetry4kids: See how Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, Patricia Hubbell and others do it. Plus other poetry resources. Try Poetry Lessons first.
Writing Picture Books by Marisa Montes is a general introduction to writing picture books. You PB needs to have everything mentioned on this website, PLUS great rhyme and meter.
     
Editors on the Move. @ CBI Clubhouse.com. This is just one of the many helpful articles, interviews, videos, etc, that can be found there. Be sure to check it out and become a fighting bookworm. It is well worth the small monetary investment you make. Follow this husband and wife team, Jon Bard and Laura Backles, on Twitter.com as well. A special thanks to them for all they do.
Editors on the Move: Latest Children’s Publishing News (Updated for November)
Nov 13th, 2009 | By Laura Backes | Category: Market & Submission Updates
From the ever-changing publishing world, the latest from Sourcebooks, Clarion, HarperCollins and more.
 We’ll update this list as information becomes available, with the most recent updates on top. Children’s book divisions are in bold italics, imprints of those divisions are in blue italics, and editors or imprints no longer with that publisher are in red.
This list will focus on changes to children’s book departments only.
November 2009:
>> Sourcebooks
Sourcebooks has added a new young adult imprint, Sourcebooks Fire, to debut in Spring 2010. Genres will include romance, humor, mystery and fantasy.
>> HarperCollins Children’s Books
Tara Weikum has been promoted to Editorial Director from Executive Editor.
>>Dog-Eared Publications
This publisher is not accepting submissions at this time.
>> Clarion Books
Daniel Nayeri will join Clarion as an Editor effective November 30.
>>Mary Jack Wald Associates
Literary agent Mary Jack Wald will be retiring and dissolving her agency later this year.
>>East/West Agency
Mary Grey James is a new agent with East/West Agency (1158 26th Street, Suite 462, Santa Monica, CA 90403). She will represent children’s and adult books, with a special emphasis on Southern writers.
________________________________________________________________
August 2009:
>> Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Fiona Simpson is the new Editorial Director of Aladdin. She had been an Executive Editor at Scholastic.
>> Egmont USA
Ruth Katcher is now on staff as Editor-At-Large. She had been an Executive Editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books.
>> Penguin Young Readers Group
Jill Santopolo is the new Executive Editor of Philomel Books. She was formerly an Editor with the Balzer & Bray imprint of HarperCollins.
>> FamilyFun magazine is now called Disney FamilyFun.
>>Nickelodeon Magazine Group plans to fold its Nick and Nick Jr. magazines by the end of this year.
     
 It is no secret that a newbie writer has to make some decision about what resource books they buy. Money is often limited. That is why this find was such an unexpected pleasure. I got it this last year for a $1.00 at my local library. While this edition of Simon and Schuster’s Handbook for Writers CD Rom-Interactive by Lynn Quitman Troyka is from 1999, the content is still quite relevant.
When reading about writing, one tip was offered that I felt was particularly important for a writer to know. Simon and Schuster’s book offers this checklist: (Paraphrased by me.)
Know who your audience is.
Know their ages and genders. Know what ethnic backgrounds. Know their hobbies and interests. Know what they want to read. Then, target your book toward these factors.
Ten years later, this checklist is just as pertinent to a book’s success.
Steven Meltzer, Associate Publisher/Executive Managing Editor of Dutton and Dial covered it in his Iowa SCBWI conference presentation during “the first sentence” exercise. He asked conference writers to first write down a first sentence that would hook the reader. Then he asked various participants to tell him what makes their book appealing to their readers. He asked them to tell a little about why a reader would want to read their book.
He was talking about marketing specifically but in truth marketing starts as soon as an idea is written down. A pb writers knows that there is a difference between what a three-year old likes and what a seven-year old does and takes those factors into consideration when they develop their book’s plot. A mg writer knows what kids that age are interested in reading.
The take-away from this is that while some books might not have been published recently, the value they offer a new writer is very relevant to developing a great career. Being a succesful writer means doing one’s research.
     
 A recent blog entry and comments by Natalie Murphy made this article catch my eye. 4 Tips for Choosing the Right Word
February 11, 2008 The date it originally was written.
How do you choose the right word for the right situation? The most powerful words tend to be the shortest and, not coincidentally, the ones most basic to the English language. A long-time editor gives more advice about choosing the right word.
Here are a few thoughts on choosing the right word from “English Through the Ages,” a reference book by William Brohaugh:
- Keep word and phrase choice appropriate to the context. For example, streetwise characters in a novel wouldn’t likely use technical jargon or acronyms. Nor would the writer of a novel about streetwise characters. One lesson here is to let word choice in the narrative conform at a certain level to the word choice of the people populating the narrative. For instance, formal narration lacking contractions wouldn’t serve a story about rural folk, nor would colloquial narration serve a story about high society — even if the characters themselves spoke completely in context.
- Listen for what sounds right. I’m thinking of the TV mini-series Merlin, in which a medieval character states, “My mind is made up.” I don’t have reference to when the idiom “make up your mind” was first used, but I suspect it wasn’t in use in Arthurian times, and even if it was, it sounds modern. Better the character have said something that sounded a bit archaic, like “My mind is firm.”
- The precise word isn’t necessarily the right word. Susurration might be more precise than murmur in a given passage, but if the word is confusing or (see above) at odds with the context or the atmosphere of the story, a less-precise word might actually be the better choice. This is true only if “less-precise” isn’t synonymous with “wrong.” A less-precise word can still be the right word.
- The most powerful words tend to be the shortest and, not coincidentally, the ones most basic to the English language. Said Sir Winston Churchill, “Broadly speaking, the short words are best, and the old words best of all.” Words like kin, thanks and small, for instance, are deeply rooted in Old English before A.D. 1000, while words like relatives (from the 1600s), gratitude (in use by 1450) and tiny (from the 1500s) are from succeeding generations. But again, it’s best to choose the word that communicates your point while evoking or echoing the tone of your manuscript, and if it’s the longer word, so be it.
     
Ginny Wiehardt’s writing has been published in journals such as the Notre Dame Review, Shenandoah, and Hotel Amerika. She has additional experience as an editor and a creative writing instructor.
Writing in a Recession
Get Back to Basics with Your Writing
By Ginny Wiehardt, About.com
For many of us, the recession means more time: there’s less (or no) work, and less (or no) money for entertainment. Within limits, this can be a good thing for a writing practice, which in turn is a good thing for our lives. Ready to find a silver lining in the gloom and doom? Read on.
Whether your schedule has changed recently, or you just want to carve out regular time for your most important, if unpaid, work, these suggestions will help you to re-imagine your days. You might start each day’s writing session with a prompt or exercise, or you might dedicate a portion of each day to your novel. Try to write at the same time each day, if possible. A regular schedule staves off writer’s block and provides a sense of stability and well-being.
You may well ask, “What market?” Well, journals are still being printed, and even small publishers press on (excuse the pun). Use this time to think about where your writing might fit — and even start submitting work. In addition to taking a first step toward publishing your writing, you’re likely to discover at least a few writers whose work inspires you.
3. Or Put Publishing on Pause.
Better yet, use this time to write without thinking about publishing at all. In taking publishing off the table, we open up to other possibilities. What will we write without that distraction? Might our work be more innovative, more original as a result?
Instead of writing for the market, write purely about what interests you, no matter how strange or seemingly unmarketable it might be. Writing has always been a tough career choice: even in the best of times, authors wrote out of some intrinsic need or a deep enjoyment. Touch base with your original impulses for writing now.
Even if you have a lot of time on your hands, you’ll find that you can’t realistically spend a whole day writing — no matter how good it sounds. Stay motivated with books about craft or the writing life; or learn the old-fashioned way, from classic literature.
Not only is reading one of the most enriching ways to pass your time, it’s also one of the cheapest. After you’ve tried the library, turn to Bookmooch.com to swap books with Moochers around the world, or Abebooks, for used books. And if you do have money to spend, support our indie bookstores, which are hurting now more than ever.
Most everybody has one novel in ‘em: you don’t have to wait for NaNoWriMo to get yours down. We’ll recover from the recession eventually, but you’ll have that accomplishment the rest of your life. And having a new project — and a fruitful new source of escape — will keep your mind off your troubles.
6. Be Inspired.
Now you have time for all those good, creative activities that fueled your imagination when you were young. Take long walks, visit museums and galleries, people-watch. If you can manage to turn off your worries about the future, you’ll find opportunities for daydreaming. This sort of unstructured time is essential to any art: it’s just that we don’t usually have the luxury of indulging it.
Volunteer for a literary organization, create a writing group, take a writing class, if you can find an affordable or free one. All of these things will get you into a community of other writers, and hopefully get you excited about writing. Communities are essential in challenging times; the value of your new support system will extend beyond your writing.
Indeed, anything you can do to focus on your passions, in this case, for literature and writing, will help you survive, if not thrive this year. While everything else may be in a downturn, you can foster a sense of forward momentum in at least one area of your life.
http://fictionwriting.about.com/bio/Ginny-Wiehardt
     
By: peg366,
on 10/6/2009
Blog: Peg366's Blog
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#Kidlitchat, October 6, 2009 9 EDT- 6 PDT
I am officially christening Tuesday as my chat day, starting with a mention of #kidlitchat. See my next post for other places where great chat happens on Tuesdays.
Please find time to join all of us chatte rs, and co-hosts Bonnie Adamson whose illustrations/books can be found at Raven Tree Press and Greg Pincus.
#Kidlitchat is a fast paced time where everyone is welcome to offer their thought and feeling about different topics related to writing.
Greg shares his more of his vast knowledge at thehappyaccident.org
Despite technical challenges last week, we have continued to grow as a group. With every genre in the children’s literature field represented, the knowledge one can gain is awesome. Don’t just hear it from me, come hear it for yourself.
Hope to see you there.
     
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In this past week, I’ve had several different points of view about the value of blogging offered to me by some fellow writers. Of course, I have my own view as I blog, Duh! It wouldn’t be very smart for me to dislike blogging, now would it?
The Co-Hosts of #kidlitchat.
I really enjoy rhyming books, I seem to find something soothing and restful in the sing-song verses. I especially like to read them to the little one at bed time as they seem to find them restful as well.
Maueen. http://www.thepizzagang.com
Maureen,
I agree. I find them restful as well. From my early days working with preschoolers as well as my times with my own nieces and nephews I have found rhyming picture books a pleasure to read.
My niece who stayed with me for a while as a little girl and I loved being cuddled up on the couch reading.
Thanks so much for checking out my blog and leaving me a comment. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to do so. Stop by again as I am always adding more.
Peg Finley/peg366
Great Post. I love rhyme as well. I find is comforting but many editors would rather see “no rhyme, than bad rhyme”, it’s really too bad.
Suzanne http://writingonthesidewalk.wordpress.com
Suzanne,
Thanks for the nice comment.
If the truth be known, I actually would rather not rhyme if I can’t do it well. I do find them comforting to read and will continue to pick those rhyming books up and dream about being able to rhyme.
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Feel free to stop by any time. I am always looking for new things to add to the blog.
Peg Finley/peg366