Friday, December 18, 2009
How to Write a Book Proposal | Examples to Help You
How to Write a Book Proposal Examples to Help You: "Don't Sell the Book → Sell the Proposal"
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
One thing all writers have in common...
Rejection letters. Now, they can be put to good use.
Bill Shapiro (editor of Other People's Love Letters) is looking for literary rejection letters, planning to publish them in a 2010 collection entitled, Other People's Rejection Letters.
Visit his blog:
http://literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com/
Bill Shapiro (editor of Other People's Love Letters) is looking for literary rejection letters, planning to publish them in a 2010 collection entitled, Other People's Rejection Letters.
Visit his blog:
http://literaryrejectionsondisplay.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Straight from Publisher's Weekly Magazine
Introduction
Successful writers are also avid readers. Reading work by other writers is essential to developing your craft and helping you learn where to submit your work. Gauging the kinds of books that different publishing houses focus on can give you a sense of which publishers might be interested in your writing. Reading the works of other writers can also help you find agents interested in work similar to yours, discover current literary trends, and determine how other writers craft successful manuscripts.
Small Presses vs. Large Publishers
In general, major publishing houses do not accept unsolicited poetry manuscripts and rarely look at unagented or unsolicited fiction or creative nonfiction. Editors at major houses are more interested in writers who have already published a book or those whose work has already appeared in large-circulation trade magazines such as The New Yorker [11] or Harper’s [12].
We suggest you begin your search for a book publisher by looking at small presses and university presses, which are often open to the work of new authors and do not always require writers to contact them through an agent. Although they do not have the resources of larger publishing houses and offer smaller advances, they are usually more willing to help you develop as an author even if your books aren’t immediately profitable, and they are open to a wider range of writing. For information on hundreds of small presses, please visit our Small Presses [13] database.
Chapbooks
Chapbooks are slender booklets, usually 25 pages or less, published by small presses or writers—generally poets—themselves. A chapbook can serve not only as a platform for publishing but also as a poet’s calling card or networking tool—or as a way to earn money, as some writers charge a modest fee for their chapbooks. Many poets assemble chapbooks on their own, with the use of a computer, a software program for designing pages, a photocopier, and a stapler. Some companies design, print, and collate chapbooks for a fee.
Submission Guidelines
Before you submit a manuscript to a publisher, be sure to request the publisher’s submission guidelines, which will include whether they accept unsolicited manuscripts or prefer manuscripts to come via an agent and whether the editors want a full manuscript or a sample of the work, a query letter, a synopsis, or a book proposal. With any written correspondence, always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). You can learn more about the submission process from Writer’s Market or other directories of small presses, and from The Art of the Book Proposal (Tarcher, 2004) by Eric Maisel, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write (Perigee [15], 2002) by Elizabeth Lyon, and How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998) by Judith Appelbaum.
What to Expect from Your Publisher
Publishers of poetry books, mainly small presses, are generally more open to the work of unknown writers, and accept unsolicited submissions. Many small presses hold annual poetry contests in which the winning manuscript is published. Along with publication, the winner may receive a small cash prize, usually not more than $1,000. These contests are great opportunities for the beginning writer. Many presses that offer contests publicize the contest and the winning manuscript; some of these are listed in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine [16]. Small presses typically don’t have the resources to offer large advances, so it’s best to keep your expectations in check. They typically don’t have large sales and/or marketing departments. Most small presses will provide distribution for your book, and some will help you arrange publicity (scheduling reading tours and sending review copies to book reviewers). But you’ll most likely have to pitch in to help generate interest in, and sales of, your book.
Commercial publishers of fiction will offer you a contract that will stipulate, among other things, your advance amount, deadlines, and word length. Depending on the terms of the contract, the publisher might then pay you a signing amount, which is a portion of your advance. Once you complete a final draft of your manuscript and turn it in, the editor will read it, and he or she might request broad or specific changes. The editor might then either work closely with you as you revise or wait in the wings until you submit a revised version. When the editor accepts the manuscript as a final version, the publisher will probably—again, depending on the terms of the contract—pay you another portion of your advance amount. Then the publisher will begin the process of production: copyediting the manuscript, designing the book, choosing a book cover, writing cover copy, and coordinating the many steps that must occur in order for a printed book to hit the shelves. While all this is going on, the publisher’s sales department will work on promoting your book to booksellers, and the marketing department may work on a strategy for publicizing the book. It can be a long process, and sometimes months might pass between conversations with your publisher, but once your manuscript is in the publisher’s hands, things are under way.
As stated above, most small presses do not have sales or marketing departments. Writers publishing with small presses will generally shoulder the responsibility of marketing their books. University presses may have larger budgets than most small presses; they may actually have marketing budgets and strategies in place for getting your book sold. Ask potential publishers up front what they will do for you.
What to Expect from a Standard Book Contract
The point of any legal contract is to specify the arrangement between the parties. A standard book contract protects both author and publisher by stipulating such things as when a manuscript is due, what its length will be, what its publication date and cover price will be, how much of an advance against royalties an author will receive, what the author’s royalty rate will be, and what kinds of electronic and territorial rights the publisher will be granted.
Often, industry standards dictate the specifics: For example, a standard royalty rate for a book bought by a major publisher is 10 percent of the retail price of the book on the first five thousand copies sold, 12.5 percent of the retail price on the next five thousand copies sold, and 15 percent of the retail price on all copies sold thereafter.
With small presses, royalty rates are likely to vary. If you have an experienced agent, he or she should be able to help you navigate your way through the contract and may be able to negotiate more favorable terms for you. Either way, before signing a contract, you should be sure you understand what the clauses mean and how the terms might affect you. Good resources for finding out more about contracts are the Authors Guild [18] Web site and the National Writers Union [19] site. The Practical Writer (Penguin [20], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful essays about understanding and negotiating contracts.
Marketing and Distribution
In general, major publishing houses have much larger budgets for marketing and distribution than small presses do, but the amount of time, effort, and money that any publisher puts toward launching a book depends on a variety of factors, including the available resources, the projected success of the book, the size of the book’s print run, and the advance paid to the author.
Because of waning media attention for books and an increased focus on profits among many publishers, competition is fierce. Publicists simply do not have time to do a great PR job on every book. For most books, publishers will at the very least send out advance reading copies or galleys—copies of the book in a preliminary bound stage—so that booksellers and critics can read the book before it’s published and decide how much attention they want to pay to it. For some books, publishers will run print or radio ads, sponsor book tours, arrange for readings and book signings, and try to interest journalists in profiling or interviewing the author.
Books that aren’t slated to receive this kind of attention from major publishers, and books that are being published by small presses that lack the resources, need other kinds of marketing. Writers can learn to do some publicizing of their own or try to hire an outside PR firm. The Practical Writer (Penguin [21], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, contains a number of essays that outline strategies and ideas for promoting one’s own book. Another reliable resource is Judith Appelbaum’s How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998).
Self-Publishing and Print-on-Demand Companies
Self-publishing companies are companies that charge authors a fee to publish their books. Print-on-demand companies are companies that—again, for a fee—store electronic copies of books and print and bind them, in specific quantities, only when orders are received. Both types of companies differ from traditional publishers in that the writer, not a company, is the publisher of the book. The writer invests in his or her own work, absorbing all losses, enjoying all benefits, and retaining the ownership and distribution rights of the book. The writer is responsible for marketing and distribution—a huge undertaking. Typically, distributors, bookstores, and libraries won’t carry self-published books, and book reviewers won’t review them. Lately, though, self-publishing has been receiving some positive attention in the national media.
A word of caution: Some self-publishing and print-on-demand companies don’t edit or copyedit the material they’re given, and if the writer doesn’t take the responsibility of getting the book copyedited, the result can be a shoddy product. It’s recommended that writers get references from other writers who’ve worked with the company in question.
What is a Vanity or Subsidy Press?
A vanity or subsidy press is one that charges a fee to publish an author’s work, and then, unlike legitimate print-on-demand companies, retains the rights to the book. Sometimes these presses even make authors buy copies of their own books once published. They may pay the author royalties from book sales, but the majority of sales go to the company. This is unethical. When authors pay to have their books published, they should retain the rights to the books.
Other Resources
Along with essays on the literary life, every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine includes articles with practical applications for both emerging and established writers. The Practical Writer (Penguin [23], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful articles on developing your writing career.
Your local librarian or bookseller can help you find books that list markets for writing, including Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and Writer’s Market Companion, all from Writer’s Digest Books [24]; The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses (Dustbooks [25], 2006); CLMP [26]’s Literary Press and Magazine Directory (Soft Skull Press [27], 2007); and Literary Market Place (Book-mart Press, 2007). If you are looking for a translator, visit the American Literary Translators Association [28] Web site. If you need a ghostwriter, contact the American Society of Journalists and Authors [29].
Source URL: http://www.pw.org/content/publishing_book
Successful writers are also avid readers. Reading work by other writers is essential to developing your craft and helping you learn where to submit your work. Gauging the kinds of books that different publishing houses focus on can give you a sense of which publishers might be interested in your writing. Reading the works of other writers can also help you find agents interested in work similar to yours, discover current literary trends, and determine how other writers craft successful manuscripts.
Small Presses vs. Large Publishers
In general, major publishing houses do not accept unsolicited poetry manuscripts and rarely look at unagented or unsolicited fiction or creative nonfiction. Editors at major houses are more interested in writers who have already published a book or those whose work has already appeared in large-circulation trade magazines such as The New Yorker [11] or Harper’s [12].
We suggest you begin your search for a book publisher by looking at small presses and university presses, which are often open to the work of new authors and do not always require writers to contact them through an agent. Although they do not have the resources of larger publishing houses and offer smaller advances, they are usually more willing to help you develop as an author even if your books aren’t immediately profitable, and they are open to a wider range of writing. For information on hundreds of small presses, please visit our Small Presses [13] database.
Chapbooks
Chapbooks are slender booklets, usually 25 pages or less, published by small presses or writers—generally poets—themselves. A chapbook can serve not only as a platform for publishing but also as a poet’s calling card or networking tool—or as a way to earn money, as some writers charge a modest fee for their chapbooks. Many poets assemble chapbooks on their own, with the use of a computer, a software program for designing pages, a photocopier, and a stapler. Some companies design, print, and collate chapbooks for a fee.
Submission Guidelines
Before you submit a manuscript to a publisher, be sure to request the publisher’s submission guidelines, which will include whether they accept unsolicited manuscripts or prefer manuscripts to come via an agent and whether the editors want a full manuscript or a sample of the work, a query letter, a synopsis, or a book proposal. With any written correspondence, always include a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). You can learn more about the submission process from Writer’s Market or other directories of small presses, and from The Art of the Book Proposal (Tarcher, 2004) by Eric Maisel, Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write (Perigee [15], 2002) by Elizabeth Lyon, and How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998) by Judith Appelbaum.
What to Expect from Your Publisher
Publishers of poetry books, mainly small presses, are generally more open to the work of unknown writers, and accept unsolicited submissions. Many small presses hold annual poetry contests in which the winning manuscript is published. Along with publication, the winner may receive a small cash prize, usually not more than $1,000. These contests are great opportunities for the beginning writer. Many presses that offer contests publicize the contest and the winning manuscript; some of these are listed in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine [16]. Small presses typically don’t have the resources to offer large advances, so it’s best to keep your expectations in check. They typically don’t have large sales and/or marketing departments. Most small presses will provide distribution for your book, and some will help you arrange publicity (scheduling reading tours and sending review copies to book reviewers). But you’ll most likely have to pitch in to help generate interest in, and sales of, your book.
Commercial publishers of fiction will offer you a contract that will stipulate, among other things, your advance amount, deadlines, and word length. Depending on the terms of the contract, the publisher might then pay you a signing amount, which is a portion of your advance. Once you complete a final draft of your manuscript and turn it in, the editor will read it, and he or she might request broad or specific changes. The editor might then either work closely with you as you revise or wait in the wings until you submit a revised version. When the editor accepts the manuscript as a final version, the publisher will probably—again, depending on the terms of the contract—pay you another portion of your advance amount. Then the publisher will begin the process of production: copyediting the manuscript, designing the book, choosing a book cover, writing cover copy, and coordinating the many steps that must occur in order for a printed book to hit the shelves. While all this is going on, the publisher’s sales department will work on promoting your book to booksellers, and the marketing department may work on a strategy for publicizing the book. It can be a long process, and sometimes months might pass between conversations with your publisher, but once your manuscript is in the publisher’s hands, things are under way.
As stated above, most small presses do not have sales or marketing departments. Writers publishing with small presses will generally shoulder the responsibility of marketing their books. University presses may have larger budgets than most small presses; they may actually have marketing budgets and strategies in place for getting your book sold. Ask potential publishers up front what they will do for you.
What to Expect from a Standard Book Contract
The point of any legal contract is to specify the arrangement between the parties. A standard book contract protects both author and publisher by stipulating such things as when a manuscript is due, what its length will be, what its publication date and cover price will be, how much of an advance against royalties an author will receive, what the author’s royalty rate will be, and what kinds of electronic and territorial rights the publisher will be granted.
Often, industry standards dictate the specifics: For example, a standard royalty rate for a book bought by a major publisher is 10 percent of the retail price of the book on the first five thousand copies sold, 12.5 percent of the retail price on the next five thousand copies sold, and 15 percent of the retail price on all copies sold thereafter.
With small presses, royalty rates are likely to vary. If you have an experienced agent, he or she should be able to help you navigate your way through the contract and may be able to negotiate more favorable terms for you. Either way, before signing a contract, you should be sure you understand what the clauses mean and how the terms might affect you. Good resources for finding out more about contracts are the Authors Guild [18] Web site and the National Writers Union [19] site. The Practical Writer (Penguin [20], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful essays about understanding and negotiating contracts.
Marketing and Distribution
In general, major publishing houses have much larger budgets for marketing and distribution than small presses do, but the amount of time, effort, and money that any publisher puts toward launching a book depends on a variety of factors, including the available resources, the projected success of the book, the size of the book’s print run, and the advance paid to the author.
Because of waning media attention for books and an increased focus on profits among many publishers, competition is fierce. Publicists simply do not have time to do a great PR job on every book. For most books, publishers will at the very least send out advance reading copies or galleys—copies of the book in a preliminary bound stage—so that booksellers and critics can read the book before it’s published and decide how much attention they want to pay to it. For some books, publishers will run print or radio ads, sponsor book tours, arrange for readings and book signings, and try to interest journalists in profiling or interviewing the author.
Books that aren’t slated to receive this kind of attention from major publishers, and books that are being published by small presses that lack the resources, need other kinds of marketing. Writers can learn to do some publicizing of their own or try to hire an outside PR firm. The Practical Writer (Penguin [21], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, contains a number of essays that outline strategies and ideas for promoting one’s own book. Another reliable resource is Judith Appelbaum’s How to Get Happily Published (Quill, 1998).
Self-Publishing and Print-on-Demand Companies
Self-publishing companies are companies that charge authors a fee to publish their books. Print-on-demand companies are companies that—again, for a fee—store electronic copies of books and print and bind them, in specific quantities, only when orders are received. Both types of companies differ from traditional publishers in that the writer, not a company, is the publisher of the book. The writer invests in his or her own work, absorbing all losses, enjoying all benefits, and retaining the ownership and distribution rights of the book. The writer is responsible for marketing and distribution—a huge undertaking. Typically, distributors, bookstores, and libraries won’t carry self-published books, and book reviewers won’t review them. Lately, though, self-publishing has been receiving some positive attention in the national media.
A word of caution: Some self-publishing and print-on-demand companies don’t edit or copyedit the material they’re given, and if the writer doesn’t take the responsibility of getting the book copyedited, the result can be a shoddy product. It’s recommended that writers get references from other writers who’ve worked with the company in question.
What is a Vanity or Subsidy Press?
A vanity or subsidy press is one that charges a fee to publish an author’s work, and then, unlike legitimate print-on-demand companies, retains the rights to the book. Sometimes these presses even make authors buy copies of their own books once published. They may pay the author royalties from book sales, but the majority of sales go to the company. This is unethical. When authors pay to have their books published, they should retain the rights to the books.
Other Resources
Along with essays on the literary life, every issue of Poets & Writers Magazine includes articles with practical applications for both emerging and established writers. The Practical Writer (Penguin [23], 2004), which was edited by the staff of Poets & Writers Magazine, also includes useful articles on developing your writing career.
Your local librarian or bookseller can help you find books that list markets for writing, including Writer’s Market, Poet’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and Writer’s Market Companion, all from Writer’s Digest Books [24]; The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses (Dustbooks [25], 2006); CLMP [26]’s Literary Press and Magazine Directory (Soft Skull Press [27], 2007); and Literary Market Place (Book-mart Press, 2007). If you are looking for a translator, visit the American Literary Translators Association [28] Web site. If you need a ghostwriter, contact the American Society of Journalists and Authors [29].
Source URL: http://www.pw.org/content/publishing_book
Monday, November 30, 2009
National Novel Writing Month
This website offers an interesting challenge: write 50,000 words in 30 days...
They value quantity not quality. Which some may say will eventually help with the quality and ease of your work.
Note to self: Remember to do this next year.
They value quantity not quality. Which some may say will eventually help with the quality and ease of your work.
Note to self: Remember to do this next year.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Being thankful
I am thankful for the following:
1. Having a wonderful, supportive, loving family.
2. Meeting a group of friends that truly understand the things I say.
3. For Scooter, who says goodbye to me in the morning and greets me when I get home.
4. Being able to go to school.
During these times, I think of where I've been and what I have been able to be a part of to become the person I am.
I would like to write stories that embody the everyday struggles people share in common. Because no matter who you are or where you come from, you have had to struggle with something. The hard part is to be right in the middle of it and not be able to see how it will all pan out.
1. Having a wonderful, supportive, loving family.
2. Meeting a group of friends that truly understand the things I say.
3. For Scooter, who says goodbye to me in the morning and greets me when I get home.
4. Being able to go to school.
During these times, I think of where I've been and what I have been able to be a part of to become the person I am.
I would like to write stories that embody the everyday struggles people share in common. Because no matter who you are or where you come from, you have had to struggle with something. The hard part is to be right in the middle of it and not be able to see how it will all pan out.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Suggestions for productive reading
Tips from several different writer's magazines about reading your work or the work of others:
1-Observe scenes
2-Study dialogue
3-Locate passages that establish the setting
4-Note the conflict
5-Chart the novel's resolution.
Some of this is self-explanitory but, it is good to see it written down. If you haven't already noticed, I like lists.
1-Observe scenes
2-Study dialogue
3-Locate passages that establish the setting
4-Note the conflict
5-Chart the novel's resolution.
Some of this is self-explanitory but, it is good to see it written down. If you haven't already noticed, I like lists.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Find the right publisher
Guide to finding the perfect publisher for your manuscript. (information gathered from a link from SCBWI website)
1. Determine the audience's age
2. Select the topic or genre of the book
3. Jot down names of all the categories your manuscript will fit into
4. Write a descriptive statement for your book (mention the genre & 2 adjectives that capture the personality of the book
5. Write the cover letter
6. Hunt for publishers that want your book
7. Mark the SCBWI publishers that answer yes to the following questions:
-Do they accept submissions or queries from writers like me?
-Do they accept submissions for the age range my manuscript targets?
-Do they accept submissions of this type?
8.Make a list of these publishers
9. Go to their websites to see what they are currently publishing.
10. Do those books look like yours?
11. If they aren't similiar, cross them off your list
12. Go to the library and check out the titles you listed and READ them
13. Everytime you read a book, write the publisher down and add the title with the adjectives to your list
14. Highlight the publishers with the same adjectives as yours
15. Locate submission policies for each publisher.
16. Follow the guidelines
17. Submit and wait.
1. Determine the audience's age
2. Select the topic or genre of the book
3. Jot down names of all the categories your manuscript will fit into
4. Write a descriptive statement for your book (mention the genre & 2 adjectives that capture the personality of the book
5. Write the cover letter
6. Hunt for publishers that want your book
7. Mark the SCBWI publishers that answer yes to the following questions:
-Do they accept submissions or queries from writers like me?
-Do they accept submissions for the age range my manuscript targets?
-Do they accept submissions of this type?
8.Make a list of these publishers
9. Go to their websites to see what they are currently publishing.
10. Do those books look like yours?
11. If they aren't similiar, cross them off your list
12. Go to the library and check out the titles you listed and READ them
13. Everytime you read a book, write the publisher down and add the title with the adjectives to your list
14. Highlight the publishers with the same adjectives as yours
15. Locate submission policies for each publisher.
16. Follow the guidelines
17. Submit and wait.
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