1.      Karen’s Fiction Korner

2.      My Book is Published How do I Merchandise it?

3.      The Published Poet—Operating a Poetry Writing Group

4.      Who Are You Writing For?

5.      Finding Just the Right Anecdote

6.      Quick Article Sales

7.      The Bulletin Board

8.      Roswell Says

9.      The Booksite

   10. Duane’s Speaking Schedule

 

 

Karen’s Fiction Korner

By

Karen Newcomb

 

Here we are going into February, where romance fills the…stores.  The Author’s Guild reports that romance sales are dwindling, that romance publishers are cutting their lines by a third.  Has the reading public finally gotten tired of romance?  Or is it they are tired of bad romance?  Somehow I think romance will always be around and the publishers know that, but want to consolidate lines to save the bottom line.

 

Question:  I travel all over the world and love writing long descriptive passages about the places I’ve been but my critique group says it doesn’t fit the story.  What am I doing wrong?

 

Answer:  Chances are you are telling and not showing through your character’s eyes as he/she sees what you want him to see.  Or, the description doesn’t belong where you have it and it is actually a sequel to the scene.  There are times when an opening descriptive passage actually sets up the mood of the scene to follow, especially in mysteries.

 

What nobody talks about

 

I thought I’d talk about the hard nose facts of advances in this issue.  All authors want to get the best deal he/she can from a publisher and that’s exactly writers why most want an agent.  When in fact, agents don’t want authors who can’t bring in the big bucks.  Here’s a quick ‘guideline’ to advances.

 

            A ‘nice deal’ is from $1.00 to $49,000    (where most authors fit in)

            A ‘very nice deal’ is $50,000 to $99,000

            A ‘good deal’ is $100,000 to $250,000

            A ‘significant deal is $251,000 to $499,000

            A ‘major deal’ is $500,000 and up

 

There are so many different aspects that go into a publisher offering the various deal makers that it’s almost impossible to tell authors why.  The bottom line for any publisher is how much will this book make for them.  There are exceptions that make no sense, but when they offer the huge bucks they can usually assume they will lose on the deal.  But that one big deal is where they will put their money in advertising, promotion and author visibility.

 

Let’s start at the beginning.

 

An author has an idea for a story.  A smart author will take the time to know who his/her reader is and in which category they write.  When they finish the novel they put it aside for a while before going back to edit, edit, edit.  In the meantime they write a top-notch query letter and send it to as many editors (not in the same publishing house) that take his/her kind of book.  The query letter is so concise as to what the book is, the plot, the premise and goal of the novel that it catches the attention of one or more editor.  The editor then calls, e-mails or simply writes on the query letter to send him/her the manuscript.

 

Ah, your foot is in the door of one or more publishing houses.  The author sits back and waits…and starts another book while they are waiting. 

 

The editor reads the manuscript and likes the idea, even though there may be a few technical problems with the writing.  She/he takes the manuscript to their regular editorial board meeting and presents the manuscript to the board.  She/he pitches the story idea to the board and why she/he thinks they should buy it.  In steps the sales team to determine if they can make money on the book or not and who is the competition in that field.

 

If the author is lucky the editor will make an offer on the manuscript and contact the author.  Here’s where the tricky part comes in.  I’ve found that the committee has a dollar figure in mind but they don’t tell the author how much they have really decided on, they go low and to see if the author accepts.  They do the same with agents.  The only reason an agent gets a higher amount is because the agent get 15% of everything the book earns and has to ask for more.  If an agent has taken on your book, that agent will have spent a lot of time and some money on getting that manuscript noticed.

 

New authors are not offered much more than $1.00 to $5,000.  Then, if the book makes the sales and goes to reprint the author’s next book (provided the publisher will buy the next book) will be given a higher advance, maybe $7,000.

 

Now there are exceptions to the rules but the reality is that a ‘major deal’ means the author has something explosive to divulge to the reading public that will make the book fly off the bookstore shelves or perhaps the publishing house needed to take a loss on a book. 

 

My advice is to print out the ‘deal’ list, tape it to the computer so that you can see the amount of money that is actually out there and available and as you write…keep the figures within sight of your goal.  Who knows maybe someday you too will be reported on as just signing a ‘major

 

 

 

MY BOOK IS PUBLISHED; HOW DO I MERCHANDIZE IT?

By Joe Fabel

 

Aggressively!  What is definitely required is wide exposure and name recognition.  How can this be accomplished effectively within your budget?

 

There are four parts to my process of merchandizing a book:  working with the publisher, liaisoning with established author groups, networking with known authors and, finally, personally organizing author readings and book signings.

 

1. Working with the publisher:  (the particular one I chose for this book…PublishAmerica.com. 

·        PublishAmerica.com invited me to submit a mailing label list of 100 people.  They mailed these out at their own expense for me.  This information alerted the individuals to the soon to be release book.

 

·        PublishAmerica.com allowed me to use (as often as I wanted) an Electronic Postcard e-mailing which contained a color picture of my book’s cover as well as a blurb on the book.  It also listed an order form and the e-mail address of the publisher.

 

·        PublishAmerica.com announces my book with a listing to Bowker’s Books-In-Print, wholesalers like Baker & Taylor, Brodart Co., and Ingram.  They make the book available through online bookstores such as www.Amazon.com, www.Borders.com, www.BarnesandNobel.com, Chapters.com and through the 50,000 corresponding “bricks and mortar: stores”.

 

·        I am able to order/purchase book copies through PublishAmerica.com initially at a 50% discount.  I use these books for my privately arranged author readings and signings.

 

2. Liaisoning with author groups:

 

• I joined the American Authors Association group for the benefits of such association.

 

• The AAA has arranged a session at a local TV station where I will be interviewed about my book.  AAA’ clout made this possible.  This is exposure to a wide audience in my area.

 

• AAA has listed a large number of my poems on its website with my e-mail address.

 

• AAA is including me in upcoming author displays and signings.

 

• AAA is exposing me and my book to its wide membership.  I have written book reviews for a number of these members.  Such networking has produced sales.

 

• The strength of AAA is “do for others and they will do for you”.

 

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3. Networking with known and successful authors in the area:

 

• Whenever I find news articles listing author signings in my general area, I make it a point to attend and participate however possible.  This provides support for that particular author.  The benefit to me is networking.

 

• While attending other author’s readings, I have been invited to read from my book.  This provides me with name recognition.

  

4. Individual organizational actions to promote my book and poetry:

 

• I have used my computer (Print Shop 12) to construct attractive business cards listing only that particular book just published.  Additionally, I have computer generated posters and flyers for promotional activities.

 

• I have arranged interviews in local newspapers to speak of myself as an author and to promote my book.

 

• I have established my own website to promote my work.  Additionally, this website contains written reviews of my book with order forms to be downloaded.

 

• I am contacting other authors in the area to form a cooperative to write reviews for each other’s works.  Thus each author will have listed a number of written reviews by identified authors. This will be a positive promotional for each of our books.

 

• On every occasion I hear or see another book published by an author I am acquainted with, I e-mail a congratulations.  In response to this, I have had most of these people network my book.

 

• Other organizations:  I am an active member of the local Historical Society as well as a participating member of the local Civil War Round Table.  At meetings of both groups I have invited to give readings of my book of poetry.  The Historical Society as elected me to be their Poet Laureate with the obligation of a new poem for each monthly meeting.  This provides me.  With a wider audience for my work since the public attends these monthly meetings.

 

• And, of course, every signal relative and acquaintance receives an Electronic Post Card. 

 

Joe Fabel has had a large number of poems, children's stories and short stories published individually in various anthologies and magazines.  He also has been active as a book reviewer.   He has had a book of poetry published through Publishamerica which can be purchased through www.publishamerica.com/books/7401 website.  Copies also can be ordered through Amazon.com as well as Borders.com, Chapters.com and BN.com.  He is presently preparing a second book of poetry for publication. You can e-mail him at PAPAJOE157@aol.com 

 

 

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The Published Poet

By Michelle Ailene True

Author of True Reflections and True Emotions

michelleailenetrue@yahoo.com

www.michelleailenetrue.com

 

 

 

“Operating a Poetry Writers Group”

 

Once you have started a poetry writers group, it’s important to know a few things in order to keep it running smoothly, minimize disruption, and keep things on track during your meetings.

 

1. You are the leader of this group.  If you don’t feel you are much of a leader, don’t despair. Like all other interpersonal skills, leadership develops with training and/or experience. Don’t be afraid of it.

2. Once you have outlined the goals of the group (during your first meeting), make sure you develop a meeting agenda that you can use to hand out at all future meetings (or email in advance).  Determine how much time you will spend each meeting on sharing news about local open mikes, working on workshop assignments, or taking turns reading poems aloud.  

3. A great idea is to divide the amount of time you have by the number of people.  Each person gets 5-10 minutes to read their work or talk about a new poetic form they found, or a new book, website or other resource.  Since everyone’s interested in making sure they get their turn, they will be more cooperative in keeping things moving along and on track.

4. If people start going off-track, gently interrupt them.  What works for me is “I’m sorry to interrupt, but in order to have time for everyone to read their poems tonight, we really need to get back on track.”  If you have someone who consistently interrupts or gets people off track, you will have to pull them aside or email them and ask them to stop or they will have to leave the group. 

5. Get everyone’s input – if anyone wants to lead a discussion on a poet’s work or about the newest U. S. Poet Laureate, or lead a workshop on how to write a sonnet, put those items on a future meeting agenda.  Make sure everyone agrees to devote the meeting to this issue.  You may want to do this type of education workshop once every quarter.  Library books and the Internet are excellent sources for finding poetry workshop/exercise ideas!  You may want to ask a local college poetry/writing instructor to give a workshop. 

6. As the group grows, you may find that you need more time.  As people if they would like to start 30 minutes earlier or end 30 minutes later, or both.  Go with the majority.  Remember, the time should be based on your schedule, as you are the leader!

7. With growth you may also need more room.  When a group has 15 or more people attending every meeting it’s probably time to split the group into two groups to make things more manageable.  See if you can find someone who will lead the other group and let them determine a regular meeting place, date and time.

8. As the group gets to know each other, you may want to suggest that the group publish a chapbook of up to 5 poems from each person.  Members can split the printing costs, and then each is free to sell their chapbooks and keep the profit.  Or you may decide as a group to donate the profit to a specific local charity.

 

Running a poetry writers group is well worth the effort; the result is stimulating conversation, inspiring poetry and friendships with others who share your passion for poetry!

 

Next Month: Promoting Your Poetry Writing Group

 

In addition to writing “The Published Poet” column for The Professional Authors Newsletter, Michelle is the author of two books of poetry: "True Reflections" (released 9/04) and "True Emotions" (to be released 3/05).  She is currently compiling her third book of poetry ("True Identities") as well as a non-fiction book and a science fiction book.  She operates a poetry writers group and an online poetry magazine.   She mentors high school students interested in a writing career and reads her work at local poetry open mikes.  She is a member of the Arlington Poetry Project, a group of poets that meets twice a month to perform public poetry readings.   She is also a member of several local, state and national literary organizations.   She can be contacted by email at michelleailenetrue@yahoo.com or through her website: www.michelleailenetrue.com

 

 

 

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Who You Are Writing For?

 

I don’t care what you are writing: articles, non-fiction books or a novel. You need to know who your audience is and what he or she is looking for before you start writing. I have, for instance, been working on a book called Hiking after 50. Who is my audience? As I break it down, the aging baby boomer and seniors from about 60 into their 70s. One of the things I know is that this age group is hiking in record numbers and belong to hiking groups nationwide. Many live in retirement villages around the nation. Most are hiking to enjoy the outdoors and stay fit.

 

The aging baby boomers are almost defiant about this. They vow to never grow old and to keep challenging life. They also say today’s 60 is like the older generations 30. I know enough to never call them seniors. As you can see when writing a book you need to keep this is mind all the way through.

 

How does this work for articles? Same thing. I picked up a copy of the weekend newspaper insert, USA Weekend If I want to write an article for them I ask who am I writing for and how do I slant my query.

 

The issue I looked at had a health article titled  “The 10 most exciting New Developments to Help Your Parents Live Longer, Healthier Lives” So? What does this mean?  Think about it. This is a magazine for 30 somethings who are starting to worry about their parents. They have young children. Live in fairly nice houses and make a good income. In short they are generation Xers.

 

If I want to write an article for this magazine I must write for this audience.

In thinking about this remember that people have different vocabularies, value systems and levels of understanding.

 

So before you start, always ask yourself these questions.

 

What kind of a job does my reader have?

How old is he or she?

How much does this reader make?

Did he or she graduate from high school? College?

How many children are in the family?

Is the reader married, single or divorced?

What does this reader do for fun?

What political party does he or she belong to?

What kinds of magazines or books do they generally read?

What else do I need to know to write for this reader?

 

Once you answer these questions, you then write directly for that reader. If there is anything that will help insure a sale this is it because your book or article will talk directly to your reader.

 

 

 

 

Finding Just the Right Anecdotes

Many magazines require one to several anecdotes—that is people who have lived what you are writing about to illustrate the points you want to make in your article. How do you find this? I’ll give you one example. Teri Brown writing in an article for Writer’s Digest points out that she needed examples of long-haul trucker families that were home schooling their children. What to do? She went online and found the phone number for a home schooling group. The group found her seven home-schooling truckers and she made the deadline for her article.  This idea works so try it next time you get stuck.

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Quick Article Sales   

Is There a quick way to ensure an article sale? Sure, Grab your reader and hang on to him or her until you ring them out at the bottom of your article. Here are some steps.

 

1. Start with the Gee-Whiz factor.  Every article needs a twist that compels the reader to read on. Here are a two.

 

Cats may have nine lives—but dogs go to haven! Just ask Stephen Haneck who spent $200,000 building a church for dogs. National Enquirer

 

And one from Backpacker Magazine

 

We tossed the toughest contenders in the ring and tested them for 6 months to determine which packs, bags, boots, clothes, and tools deserve the title of featherweight champion. Here’s who crawled out alive.  Backpacker magazine

 

Start with a common statement like “Barreling north on Interstate 5 in the late afternoon, with the Siskiyou Mountains before me slipping into shadow and lofty Mount Shasta glowing orange in my rearview mirror. I suddenly find I’m no longer in California.”   Now you throw in a kicker which goes in the opposite direction like this one. “Not so strange, perhaps, except for one thing: Oregon still lies a good 20 miles ahead.” Viva Magazine

 

Not all leads do this, but the best ones do.

 

2. Include a “Hey John”

This occurs when the reader turns to her husband and says, “Hey John take a look at this.”

 

Not every lead has a “Hey John,” only those that startle you with the facts. In the dog church story it’s not the fact that he built the dogs a church but that he spent $200.000 doing it. As for Viva magazine it has the author going into Oregon before he leaves California.

 

3. Tell the “whole” story in the lead.

 

Readers want a justification for reading the article. Most are impatient so if you don’t give him or her a capsule of what’s in the article they won’t read on.

 

4.      Just the facts please

Give the details of what is going on. For instance, in the Viva story, the author says this. “In a pasture just off the highway, the words STATE OF JEFFERSON appear, painted in eight-foot letters on a barn roof.”

 

5. Use great transitions

 

6. Mix it up Use narrative, statistics, quotes and anecdotes.

 

7. Stay Simple: Concentrate on using first level words. For instance (3^rd: vehicle, 2^nd:car, 1^st: red Volkswagen)  --no vehicles please—

 

8. Use active verbs Substitute (John held the book) for (the book was held by John). 

 

9. Clichés are Okay  For instance the Viva article says. “Gilbert Gable described himself as the “hick mayor of the westernmost city of the United States.”  Use them sparingly but they do provide color.

 

10. Ending an article: Tell them what you told them. That is go back to the beginning of your article, then turn it some way to end it.

 

Here’s one I did for an appliance trade journal

Lead:  “A few years ago, sales of high-end, middle and low-end appliances could be depicted in the form of a pyramid.”

 

Ending: “By paying attention to the high and low ends of product appliance lines that appeal to its marketplace, a dealership can ensure that it does not miss the movement of consumers to different ends of the market.”

 

I call this my safety valve method because it works every time I get stuck.     

 

 

The Bulletin Board: Nationwide Writing Announcements

 

Sacramento, CA: California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch presents the Sell What You Write Workshop Series. This Saturday February 5, 2005, Duane Newcomb Author of several thousand articles and 32 books, Will present Sell Every Article You Write. Includes checking out article markets, article basics, learning to acquire magazine savvy and a lot more.  Cost: CWC members $40, non-members $50. lunch included. Call Karen Newcomb at 530-273-7234 or e-mail knew@thegrid.net

 

The club will also hold two more workshops in this series, Simplified Grammar for Writers, April 2, 2005 and How to Write and Sell the Novel June 11, 2005.

 

All workshops are held on Saturday, 9:00am to 3:00 pm at Luau Garden 1890 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA (across from Arden Fair Mall next to Mervyn’s).  All interested writers welcome. Each five hour session: Members: $40, non-members $50 (Includes lunch). For more information and a brochure contact Karen Newcomb knew@thegrid.net or call 530-273-7235

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Roswell Says

Well now I’m really confused. My writing teacher told me I had to start my novel the day something different happened, so I did.

 

It started, “It was a dark and stormy night and Penelope Jones lay draped over a park bench—dead!”

 

You should have seen the problem that sentence created. My teacher started yelling at me. The lady sitting behind me hit me over the head with her umbrella and the rest of the writing students decided not to speak to me.  I hope you can tell me what I did wrong. I was just trying to follow instructions. Sometimes I think this writing business may be too complicated for me. You can e-mail me at Roswell at dnew@thegrid.net

 

 

P.S. The school is talking about suspending me for a week.

 

Roswell Newcomb, Managing Editor and Office Dog

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The Booksite

Duane Newcomb’s On Line Author’s Magazine: Find agents, writer’s conferences, writer’s clubs, fiction, poetry, copyright, fair usage, time management for writers, publicizing your book and a lot more. I add to this every month so the Booksite constantly grows.  www.thebooksite.net

 

The California Writer’s Academy:

Want to sell what you write? Take an online writing course from the prestigious California Writer’s Academy. It will change your entire outlook toward writing.

www.bookforce.bizland/californiawritersacademy

 

 Duane’s Speaking Schedule

Saturday Feb. 5, 2005: Duane Newcomb will conduct the Sell Every Article You Write workshop for the California Writers Club, Me