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For the last few weeks I have been working on author Susan Shaw’s website.  Her first published book was THE BOY FROM THE BASEMENT published by Dutton Books.  The funny thing is in 2002 I went to an PA SCBWI First Page Session in Doylestown, PA and her first page was one of the pages read.  I did not know who wrote it, but it starts out with a boy locked in the basement with no food, clothes, blanket by his father.  It was very dark and shocked me at the time.  I was writing picture books and hadn’t read any middle grade or young adult novels, so I wasn’t familiar with what was being written.  Of course now, I am writing middle grade and young adult, but that little boy has stuck in my mind for all these years.

Then Eileen Spinelli recommended me to Susan and I was face-to-face with the story.  Yesterday, I asked Susan if she attended that First Page Session and she said she did and told me how it ended up being contracted by one of the editors attending.  You can read the first few pages on Amazon.  The writing pulls you right in, so I have added to my Christmas “wish list” of books.  To view Susan’s other books go to: www.authorsusanshaw.com .

This got me thinking of the importance of getting yourself and your work out there.  You never know where meeting someone will lead.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I try to shout out your successes.  But I think it is good to remind you of how serendipitous success can be.  We have had members sell a book with literally an elevator pitch.  One writer had her first contract come from meeting someone in a funeral line.  Other member found her agent by having a friend introduce her to this big agent at a house party.  So many times an editor will call me to ask if I could contact the person who wrote a first page that they really liked.

If you read this week’s Illustrator Saturday, you already know that Micah hit on this when he said, “My girlfriend at the time, (now wife) and I went to see about purchasing a cat from a woman named Star. I had a pocket-sized portfolio that held a bunch of paintings and whatnot. Somehow she ended up seeing the portfolio and said I should meet with her friend Sue. We ended up not getting her cat, but it was the beginning of a long and wonderful working relationship with Sue who wrote “Even Superheroes Get Diabetes” and “The Princess And The Peanut.”” – which Micah has illustrated.

It is easy to stay home and write or illustrate, but there is more to getting published.  You have to put yourself out there.  Meet people, not just the editors and agents, but also fellow writers and illustrators.  I know someone who talked about her book to another writer and that writer was sitting at lunch with an editor who said they were looking for a cowboy picture book.  That is exactly what the other writer had told she wrote.  That writer immediately ran over to the cowboy picture book woman and took back her manuscript to the editor.  The cowboy picture book landed a contract that week.

See what I mean about success being serendipitous? Heck, who would ever expect going out to look for a cat or talking to the person behind you in a funeral line could end up with getting a book contract?

Even if you plan to self-publish, you still need to go to conferences and network.  You want to get your name out there and really need to learn everything you can about the publishing industry, since you will be doing it on your own.  Don’t just jump in and self-publish a b

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Today, I recived the local Chamber of Commerce's monthly newsletter and perused the calendar. It's only November, but this month alone, four meals, three meetings, two coffees, and one open house are scheduled.

Wonder how jam-packed the December calendar will be?

But as I perused these offerings to get together with business leaders, chamber personnel, and the public, it made me pause and consider how much networking can be accomplished at events like these.

If your holiday season is fastly filling up, consider using some of these tips to make the most of the thankful and merry season.

1. Be prepared. Business cards, a writing utensil and a notebook are staples in my purse. Use them!
2. Prepare your elevator pitch. Describe what services you offer in a few sentences.
3. Determine your goals for the event. Do you want to cover the event for an article? Simply interested in learning new information? Hope you meet a certain individual or group of people?
4. Be the hostess, even if you are a guest. Introduce others and help them feel at ease.
5. Follow up with people you meet and any contacts they may introduce.
6. Thank new sources and keep them updated about your work.
7. Don't overindulge. A plate in one hand and a drink in the other makes it difficult to greet others.
8. Have fun!

Networking builds business, and if writing is YOUR business, use these opportunities to expand your potential customer base and deck the seasonal halls with your writing savvy.

by LuAnn Schindler
Read more of LuAnn's work at her website.

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Networking is about getting yourself and your work noticed (preferably in a good way), but with over 43 million blogs on LiveJournal alone, it's easier said than done.

(Read more ...)

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This past weekend held our Annual Writer’s Retreat at the Princeton Hyatt. The novel people worked on refining their manuscripts and synopses. Here are some of the things we discussed in my presentation:

Why do you need a synopsis?

1. To help you sell your book.
2. To use as a writing too.
3. To help start a discussion with an editor or agent.

What are the industry standards?

1. One to three pages.
2. Written in present tense or 3rd person POV.

What is the first thing I should do?

1. Capture the reader’s attention.
2. Start with your hook – the set-up – what you might read on the back or inside cover of the book.
3. Convey the tone of your book.

Okay, so that what I would do in the first paragraph, but what do I do after that?

1. In the body of the synopsis you should lay out the general plot developments in chronological order.
2. Share the escalating series of turning points.
3. Define conflicts.

a. What does the main character(s) want?
b. What needs is he trying to fulfill?
c. State the crisis.

4. What issues drive the main character(s) forward?
5. What personal issues hold the main character(s) back?
5. Include any points that take the reader in a different direction before climax.
6. What is the point where the main character changes, moves forward against all odds, etc.
7. What decision must he make?
8. Build to the end resolution
9. Make sure you give-a-way the ending resolution – no cliffhangers.

Is there anything I shouldn’t do?

1. Don’t waste words
2. Don’t tell every plot point.
3. Don’t include unimportant details.
4. Don’t include secondary characters.
5. Don’t over describe setting.
6. Don’t include back story.
7. Don’t keep secrets.

Things to check:

1. Is your synopsis between one and three pages? Double spaced if more than one page?
2. Does the opening paragraph have a hook to keep the reader reading?
3. Is there good flow between paragraphs.
4. How you gotten to the who, what, where, when and why in your synopsis?
5. Do you think you captured the flavor of your manuscript?
6. Are your main characters’ conflicts clearly defined?
7. Did you show your characters goal, motivation, motivation, conflict?

Your synopsis should give a clear idea as to what your book is about, what characters we will care about (or dislike), what is at stake for your heroes, what they stand to lose, and how it all turns out.

8. Did you indicate the setting?
9. Did you show character growth?
10. Have you hit on the major scenes, the major plot points of your book?
11. Did you resolve all important conflicts?
12. Have you avoided all grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes?

Other things to think about:

1. Are your characters sympathetic?
2. Can the reader relate to them and worry about them?
3. Is this story marketable? Hint: Look at publisher catalogues. How does your story stack up? Are they publishing books similiar to what you have written? If, so how succeesful were those books?

Hope this helps you as much as it helps the writers at the retreat. Our editors -
Connie Hsu and Heather Alexander were GREAT! Everyone wlked out with so much knowledge.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Conferences and Workshops, demystify, Editors,

1 Comments on Synopsis Tips and Questions, last added: 10/3/2011

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The Third Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign has begun. Hosted by Rach Harrie over at Rach Writes, this campaign is a way to meet and make connections within the writing community through blogfests and contests. You’ll meet writers just like you, who are at various stages in their writing. You’ll make new friends, perhaps even find a critique partner or beta reader, within the same genre. By blog hopping to participants' blogs and leaving comments, you’ll be paying the support forward and helping them to build their online platform while building your own. You may even get a new follower or two! Just click on the links to the Third Writers’ Platform-Building Campaign to get more details. Continue reading →

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With so many new people signing up for our various events, some are getting confused on exactly what each one offers.  So I wrote up the descriptions that people could refer to when they had questions on the NJSCBWI events.  I’m sure I have missed things.  If you have attended one of these events and notice something missing, please let me know.

FIRST PAGE SESSIONS:

Everyone who attends gets to hear their first page read.  These areheld during the week, starting at 4pm, ending a little after 6 PM.  There is an optional dinner is provided withthe editors.  Dinner usually ends by 8 PM.  Costs for members: $30, plus $30 for dinner.

All the first pages are read aloud by volunteer readers and two editors/agents give feedback on what they heard.

Everyone brings three copies of a first page of a single manuscript with them. Do not put your name on the paper, but do include a title and indicate the genre (picture book, chapter book, middle grade, young adult, non-fiction).

Your manuscript must fit on a single sheet of paper. If you submit a second sheet, only the first one will be read.

Use standard manuscript formatting—double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman or Courier font, one-inch margins all around, half-inch indents for each new paragraph, single column of text. Start at the top of the page, though, instead of spacing down like you normally would for a first manuscript page.  (This applies to all submissions, at all events)

A first page has 23 printed lines (not sentences!), including the title, of text from your manuscript.  That means if you have a picture book, you will be able to get a large portion of your manuscript on that first page.  It does not mean only the sentence or two
that would appear on the first physical page of the printed book.

If your text rhymes, put each rhyme on a new line. Do not leave a blank line between stanzas.

MENTORING WORKSHOPS

These workshops are one day workshops, typically held on Sundays.  Breakfast is available at 8:15 AM.  Program starts at 8:45 AM.

Everyone attending receives a 20 minute one-on-one critique.  Novel Attendees submit the first 30 pages of their manuscript along with a synopsis, 35 days prior to the workshop.  Picture book people submit their full picture book 35 days prior.

Everyone is placed into Writing Groups for peer critiques.  These are exchanged with your group a month before via e-mail. Each member of the group will read and critique the other group member’s submission prior, so everyone is ready to discuss their critique for each.

When one person in your group is meeting with their editor, someone else’s manuscript is being discussed by the group.

Lunch is provided in the cost of the workshop and attendees get to sit at lunch with the editor/agents.

Before and after lunch we have a First Page Session (Please see above description).

The day ends with a Q & A with the editors/agents.  End time is no later than 5 PM.

WRITER’S RETREAT

This is a small Weekend Workshop. Two editors spend the weekend no more than 18 attendees.  Start time 3 PM Friday.  End time 3 PM Sunday.  All meals are included in the cost of the weekend.  All meals are with the editors/agents.

Everyone receives a 45 minute one-on-one critique with their mentor.  The first 30 pages, plus synopsis or a full picture book text is submitted 35 day prior to the weekend to give the editors/agents enough time to critique.

At this time everyone will e-mail the other people in their group their manuscript, so they also will have time to critique in advance of the workshop.  Novel groups normally contain 5 per group. Each group critique receives 45 minutes, too.

Other things included during the weekend:

First Page Session (See above).

Various Workshops:

Example:  This year we are having Pitch and Blurb Writing

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A fun day was planned as I was set to meet up with Monica right outside of Anthropologie, where the first portion of the event was taking place. When I arrived, Monica was waiting outside for me, talking to a very statuesque, attractive and stylish chick with REALLY great hair and an awesomely happy yellow flower brooch! It was none other than Holly herself, and I was a little star-struck, got tongue tied for a minute there. It happens, when you meet someone you admire sometimes. We've all been there. Anyway, Holly was just about to run into Anthro to get the set-up going, and Monica and I were off skipping to ma-loo for a morning beverage. How pedestrian does Starbucks sound, when it's right next door to a Max Brenner chocolate emporium restaurant (one of Monica's favorite places)? Of course we popped in there for some morning pre-event Mexican Hot Chocolate! Yum!

Monica Lee is just the brightest crayon in the box! Hello, she is so much fun!

Then, it was off to Anthro and upstairs to the Mood Board Demo where I was so happy to see my friend Ellen Crimi-Trent, whom I knew was coming to the signing but it was a pleasant surprise to see her at the Mood Board event.

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Come out and join us.  I promise you will have a dog gone good time.

The last two Summer Networking Dinners are being held next week on Aug. 23rd and 24th.  We have a spot available for Aug. 23rd and one spot on Aug. 23rd.  If you are already secured your spot for Aug. 23rd, then please look for my e-mail listing your dinner choices.  People on the 24th do not have to make their entree choices in advance.  People on the waiting list for September 8th in Princeton, NJ.  I am working hard to try to add and editor or agent for that dinner, so don’t give up, yet.

Remember you can sign up for the First Page Session taking place at the Wyndham Hotel and Conference Center on September 20th.  Sarah Dotts Barley, Associate Editor at HarperCollin and Ariel Colletti, Assistant Editor at Atheneum/Simon and Schuster will be joining us for the session and dinner afterwards.  Click here for more details.

There are two spots available for the Writer’s Retreat being held at the at the Hyatt Regency September 30th to October 2nd in Princeton, NJ.  Connie Hsu, Editor at Little, Brown, and Company and Heather Alexander, editor at Dial Books for Young Readers will be out mentors.  Click here for more details.  Anyone who has sign up to attend, please make sure you have your manuscripts ready to submit.  The deadline is August 27th.

Don’t forget that about the NJSCBWI Free Craft Day on November 5th.  Space is limited, so you need to register in advance.  There will be a dinner afterwards with the editors and people can chose to stay for dinner and hear our quest speaker, agent Stephen Frazer.

On November 6th, there will be a Mentoring Workshop and Illustrators’ Day.  The Hyatt Regency is giving us a reduced price for anyone who wants to stay over on Saturday night.  Here is the link to more info for this weekend of events.

So many of us know Rebecca Frazer, Aquistions Editor at Jabberwocky/Soucebooks.  I have confirmed that Rebecca has resigned and will be letting me know very soon as to what she has up her sleeve.  In the meantime, it will not help to mail your manuscripts and query letters to Rebecca.  Check back for more details on this turn of events.  We certainly wish Rebecca the best and hope she can still be involved with all of the SCBWI.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: authors and illustrators, Editor & Agent Info, networking, News, Publishers and Agencies Tagged: Networking Dinners, NJSCBWI, Writer's Retreat, Add a Comment

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I started the summer with good intentions. But somewhere along the hectic schedule, I got off kilter. My daily word count dropped. My creativity level plummeted. I could blame it on the heat wave. Or I could face reality and admit that I needed a spark to get my writing back on track.

That spark came when I saw a news blurb about a weekend writing conference sponsored by the Nebraska Writers Guild and since the location was only 90 miles down the highway, I decided to attend. It offered a handful of morning sessions and time to write. (Plus, it was free!)

Now that I've returned home with a bounty of fresh information and business cards, what do I do with this information? Store the cards for later perusal? Put away my notebook with pages of notes and ideas?

Nope. After the writing conference, it's important to make use of the information immediately. I've already typed the notes I scribbled. It's a good practice because it reinforces the main ideas and helpful hints offered by the presenters. When it's fresh in your mind, you'll put the information into practice. That should translate into more sales.

I'm also in the process of sending notes (yes, handwritten) to the writers and publishers I met and traded writing stories with. Such a varied group of writing interests! This personalized detail to attention will help networking efforts. Perhaps a collaboration or publishing contract will result from these introductions.

And most importantly, now that I'm home, it's time to plant rear end in chair and write. It's time to put inspiration into action.

The spark has reignited!

by LuAnn Schindler. Read more of LuAnn's work at http://luannschindler.com/. Graphic design by LuAnn Schindler

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I've been spinning my own webs for a while now. One strand is my site (www.MillerWords.com), another is Facebook (and countless other social sites) and then, of course, this blog.

As the web grows, I seem to be catching a lot of delightful little things. I often find wonderful, positive comments from you, my readers. It really makes my day to see someone respond to my words.

Another neat thing is all the people in "the business" that I connect with. There are so many authors out there trying to do what I am trying to do. I know how busy each one is, yet many take the time to reply to emails and respond to friend requests. Who would have thought I would be "friends" with James Patterson, Vincent Zandri or Dan Poblocki to name a few. Then there are the bloggers and other people that work extremely hard to make our stories part of your life, like Giovanni Gelati.

I know there are many others that I haven't listed, but thank you to all of you as well. Thank you to Comfort Publishing for giving me the first opportunity to spin this web.

I know this is kind of a random post, but that's the mood I find myself in and that's what blogs are for, right?

And thank you, reader, for getting caught in my web!

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I’m still in the process of moving cross country, so I’m posting another oldie-but-goodie from the archives. I hope you enjoy it! In the meantime, I’ll try to get all these boxes unpacked so I can start writing new blog posts for you.

You’ve found an editor on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Should you ask to connect? Will the editor think you’re a stalker? If you connect, do you have to reign in your free expression, lest the editor sees photos of you with a lampshade on your head on Facebook, or catches your Twitter post about a PITA magazine? I spoke with editors and social media-savvy writers to give you the do’s and donts of networking with editors on social media.

Should I friend my editor?

Editors are fine with writers connecting with them on LinkedIn since it is a business network, but when it comes to their Facebook profiles, many editors have a “keep out” attitude. Here’s what three of them have to say:

“To me, my personal Facebook page is just that — my personal Facebook page. LinkedIn is another matter — that’s where professional interaction/online Rolodex-keeping should occur.”
— Editor at a national health magazine who asked to remain anonymous.

“I feel that Facebook, is my ‘private fun’ networking site. While I’ll occasionally (and that’s very occasionally) post a clip there, it’s mainly to stay in touch with family, friends, etc. I rarely even friend a coworker on Facebook actually. So if a writer was trying to network professionally with me via Facebook, I would likely not be too receptive to that.”
— Dennis McCafferty, Senior Writer (and an editor) at USA Weekend

“I view LinkedIn and Facebook differently. LinkedIn is a business site, and thus it makes sense to ‘link’ to writers. I use it as a tool to keep good writers in my network; I’m starting to use LinkedIn like a Rolodex. However, Facebook is more personal — I don’t like mixing business and my personal life. If a writer I don’t interact with on a social level tries to ‘friend’ me on Facebook, that to me is crossing a boundary. I’d certainly not recommend using Facebook for job or assignment hunting.”
— Michael Berg, Managing Editor at the custom publisher McMurry, Inc.

While you shouldn’t friend an editor you’ve never written for before, or who you have only a business relationship with, it’s fine to friend editors you’re, well, friendly with. Take Michelle Rafter, who owns the WordCount blog and writes about how businesses and consumers use social media for clients such as Inc.com, Workforce Management and YourSecurityResource.com. “I’ve friended several of my editors on Facebook,” she says — but those editors have all been colleagues of Rafter’s at some point in her career; for example, one was a fellow staff writer at a newspaper where she worked. “Before I’d friend any of the other editors I currently work with, I’d have to work with them for a while first to get to know them,” Rafter says. “My true test: being as comfortable chatting about non-work stuff as I am discussing my next assignment.”

Twitter seems to be a better platform for connecting to editors than Facebook — for your own privacy as well. “I’m probably following thirty editors, mostly on Twitter,” says

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With the conference behind us and summer arriving this week, I thought I would remind everyone of the Summer Networking Dinners taking place with editors and agents in NYC and one in September in Princeton.  I have added information for the editors and will add agent info later this week. Please do not rush out to submit to the editors on this list. Most are not open to unsolicited submissions. Please check out the info from additional sources.

IMPORTANT:  If you sign up to join one of the dinners, you will receive the most up-to-date detailed information on the editors and agents attending the dinner.

Sign up: Don’t miss the chance to build a relationship with an editor or agent. As writers and illustrators we always feel like we are being judged, but the fact is, we are judging, too. Attending events like these where you can meet editors and agents, allows you to form opinions about who you would like to work with. Everyone is not a fit for you, so save yourself some time and join us. The networking dinners are a great way to find out who is right for you in a non-threatening venue.

July 5th – Cafe Centro - in their private dining room. Includes glass of wine, salad, dessert, and choice of entrée. $150 Time: 6:30 pm

STEVEN MELTZER- Associate Publisher/ Executive Managing Editor, Dial, Dutton, Celebra. Great PB books, fiction or narrative nonfiction. Some nonfiction (PB only) Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Edgy, YA.  He suggests that authors need to answer certain questions when they send a book to an editor: What makes your book special? What is the unique draw of the book? What makes it exciting? Is there a curriculum tie-in? Timely topic? Historical setting? What are the comparison titles?

Steve has edited many books for young readers, including John Madden’s Heroes of Football: The Story of America’s Game; The Sydney Taylor award-winning, Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Greg Harlin; Barbarians! By Steven Kroll, illustrated by Robert Byrd; Useful Fools by C.A. Sc hmidt (a Booklist Best Book of the Year). Also, Every Cowgirl Needs a Horse by Rebecca Janni, illustrated by Lynne Avril, and Mud Tacos! by Mario Lopez and Marissa Lopez Wong, illustrated by Maryn Roos.  He has also helped many unpublished SCBWI writers find their way to publication.

EVE ADLER, Editor, Grosset & Dunlap. Eve works on a variety of formats from baby to YA, and is looking for manuscripts for all ages: PBs, MG novels, and YA. She has worked with award-winning authors and illustrators such as Kimberly Willis Holt, Elise Broach, and Janet Tashjian. She enjoys manuscripts with a fresh voice and exceptional writing; for MG and YA projects, she likes contemporary, edgy, historical, coming-of-age, humorous stories, and for PBs. She‘s most interested in texts that have a curriculum tie-in or educational hook.

SHAUNA FAY is an Assistant Editor at G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group. Shauna works on everything from PBs to YA novels. She has edited the PB book, Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby, and has worked on Jack Higgins’ YA action series written with Justin Richards, as well as Jan Bret’s Snowy Treasury, and Goodnight Goon and Runaway Mummy by Michael Rex. While open to books for all ages, she is particularly interested in MG fiction with a strong narrative voice, historical fiction, and is a sucker for a romantic ending. She is also interested in young funny, simple picture book texts and is open

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For episode #99 we’re talking New Orleans as we preview some of the upcoming YALSA-oriented events happening at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference. First we talk to Penny Johnson, who gives us the big rundown on The Nuts and Bolts of Serving Teens Pre-conference. Then Blog Manager MK Eagle interviews Matt Moffett about The Table Talk Mashup Program and things close out with Gretchen Kolderup giving us a nice overview of the Speed Networking for YA Librarians event.

2011 ALA Annual Preview

If  you prefer, you may go to the YALSA Podcast Site, download the Mp3 file and listen to it on the Mp3 player of your choice. To avoid missing future episodes, add the feed to Itunes or any other rss feed tracker.

To find out more about these and other YALSA-related events happening at this year’s annual conference, take a look at the YALSA Conference Wiki.