Here’s a link to some agent pet peeves–including my agent, Cherry Weiner. The author did an article for Writers’ Digest, and these are the comments that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. Some of these seem so obvious, but clearly agents see this stuff, or they wouldn’t have to comment on it!!
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Agents+Chapter+1+Pet+Peeves.aspx
Kids are great for putting things in perspective, coming up with incredibly wise and funny comments, and just generally keeping you grounded in what matters.
Yesterday, my daughter and I were driving back from an errand and she asked me to put on her Taylor Swift CD. Daughter loves Taylor Swift. Taylor is her first musical crush. You remember those–when you could not get enough of a song or album (yes, I said album) by a particular group or singer. If it came on the radio, you turned it up full blast. You saved your pennies until you could buy the 45 of the song (yes, I said 45), or, if you had enough allowance, the whole album. You learned all the lyrics, sang along at the top of your voice, and knew the bio of your favorite singer down to his or her favorite color.
That’s what it’s like for daughter and Taylor. She asked me if Taylor had any brothers or sisters. I have no idea, but it prompted me to ask her what it is she likes so much about Taylor’s music.
“It makes strawberries and blackberries blossom inside me,” she said.
Wow.
That’s pretty darned expressive for eight-almost-nine-year old. Daughter’s first food crush was fresh-picked wild blackberries, so putting these two loves together like this says a lot.
But I know what she means–that feeling of something blooming inside. I get it sometimes when I’m writing, and I know that when I feel that feeling, the writing is right. And I don’t want to stop. Any more than I can stop playing that song I love or stop cramming those luscious fresh-picked wild blackberries into my mouth.
Do strawberries and blackberries blossom inside you when you’re writing? What does it feel like to you when your writing is right?
Blackberries are in season right now, and they are succulent this year with all the rain we’ve had. Find some to pick, put on your favorite song, and do some writing. Then, let me know how it feels.
Candace
What do we mean by “Amazing Story,” you ask? A story that grabs us by the throat, demanding we pay attention. A story that tugs at our heartstrings. Beautiful words with a lyrical quality. A well-told tale, showing the author is a master storyteller. These are some of the elements we’re looking for in an Amazing Story.
Guidelines
Every entry will receive a free critique!
(Optional: To receive a thorough line edit, enclose an additional $5 per story, plus 9 X 12 SASE with enough postage for returning your story.)
DEADLINE: Postmarked by July 31, 2008.
ENTRY FEE: $5 per entry, maximum of three entries. Submissions without entry fee or inadequate fee will be returned to contestant if SASE is provided.
PRIZES: 1st Place $100
2nd Place $50
3rd Place $25
RULES:
1. Open subject, open genre. (No porn or gore.)
2. Unpublished at time of submission, original work of contestant.
3. Standard manuscript form: 8 1/2 x 11 paper, typed and double spaced, pages numbered, 12 point Times New Roman.
4. No more than 2,000 words, excluding title.
5. Paperclip your story, no staples.
6. Cover sheet for each story, with contestant’s name, address, phone number, email, and title of entry.
7. Postmarked no later than July 31, 2008. DO NOT SEND BY CERTIFIED MAIL!
8. Mail in 9 x 12 envelope or larger with sufficient postage to:
Amazing Story Contest
c/o Amy Harke-Moore
104 Harke Lane
Old Monroe, MO 63369
9. Checks payable to: The Write Helper
10. For free critique, enclose either a business-sized SASE or email address so we can get your critique to you. For optional $5 line edit, enclose 9 x 12 SASE with enough postage to return your story.
11. Online entry available at thewritehelper.com.
Contest is open to everyone. For a list of winners, check our website: thewritehelper.com after September 1, 2008.
Decision of the judges is final. Not responsible for lost or misdirected entries. Winning entry has the opportunity to be published on our website. Manuscripts will not be returned.
The next MWG (www.missouriwritersguild.org) conference, for writers in all genres and for all ages, will be April 3-5, 2009 in Cape Girardeau, MO. Mark your calendars; it is sure to be a hit. Here is some information from president, Patsy Bell Hobon:
“To kick off the conference we will have a workshop on public speaking for writers, Online communications and promoting your book using the newest and most economical technologies, book readings and author signing, a poetry fest,and a networking opportunity you won’t want to miss. All this, is on Friday!
We will send out details about Saturday and Sunday later.”
Thanks!
Margo
Thanks to everyone who emailed me or left a comment or question here. You can still leave comments or questions on any post this week and be eligible to win the free critique from Editor 911 (www.margodill.com, click on Editor 911). I really appreciate Amy and Candace hosting me this week, and it has been a great experience. Now on to today’s topic. . .
There are two large writing groups that I belong to, and I plan to always belong to. They are Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI www.scbwi.org) and the Missouri Writers’ Guild (MWG www.missouriwritersguild.org). In this post today, I thought I would share with you why I joined a large group, how to network within the large groups, and some of the benefits. Even if you don’t live in Missouri, you can join the Missouri Writers’ Guild and be a full member. If you don’t write for children, there are several national writing groups for all sorts of genres—just do a Google search for romance writing groups or national writing groups or your genre, and see what you come up with. If you have a specific question about your genre or you belong to a national writing group, please leave us a comment below for other writers to see! Thanks!
Why did I join?
I joined SCBWI because I had learned that this was the organization to belong to if you wanted to write for children. I wanted to write for children, so I joined. Other writers told me that some editors and agents would accept queries and manuscripts from SCBWI members but not other writers. Joining the group showed that I was taking this writing journey seriously. When I joined SCBWI, I automatically joined my state chapter also for no extra cost. It is extremely helpful to belong to a group of writers who live in my region and who I can meet with throughout the year.
I joined MWG because several of the members of my critique group belonged, and they suggested I join once I met the membership requirements. I wanted to belong to this group because it showed that I was a published author and again, taking my writing seriously. For both of these groups, there are numerous benefits, which I will explain next. Most national/state/large writing groups have similar benefits, so be sure to check them out if these two groups do not fit your career goals.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of both of these groups are endless. I’ll start with SCBWI. One of the biggest benefits is their members’ only section of their website. I love this section because as a member, I can go to a pdf file and find the name of an editor to send my manuscript to. Some of the listings in this document will also tell me what the editor has previously worked on, so I can see if she would be a good match for my work. Another great benefit is belonging to the Illinois chapter. This chapter has a wonderful listserve, and every day, I am connected with children’s writers through email. This listerve provides publication opportunities, good news from other writers, questions, and announcements. It is a valuable tool I use on a weekly basis. SCBWI also provides several workshops and conferences each year, and if you are a member, you often get to register early AND at a cheaper rate.
With MWG, the benefits are also helpful to my writing career. They have a website where I can post my bio, speaker information, and my book when it gets published. I can write articles for the MWG website or post ones that have already been published, and then I can put my contact information with the article. The MWG also has a Google group where members can send publication opportunities and announcements. Like SCBWI, the MWG has chapters, and my chapter, Saturday Writers (www.saturdaywriters.org) has given me endless opportunities to hear writers, publishers, editors, and agents at their monthly meetings and workshops. MWG also has a yearly conference with wonderful speakers and chances to meet editors and agents. As a member, I can register early and at a cheaper price. Both groups also send a quarterly newsletter full of industry news, member news, markets, contests, and articles about the writing craft.
But how do you network in such a large group?
My answer to this is you have to get involved. In both of these groups, I have volunteered my time, and I am active. You have to attend the conferences and local workshops. You have to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you.
With SCBWI, I try to post on the listserve when I can. I don’t just sit back and read everything other people post. I also volunteered to write an article twice a year for their newsletter. I lead a critique group, made up mostly of members from SCBWI. I also attend the workshops and conferences when I can. While I am at these events, I talk to other members and the speakers. Even if you are shy, you have to come out of your shell and talk to at least one person at a conference. You never know where this contact could lead you. You can always start the conversation like this, “So, what are you working on?” or “So, what do you write?” Because I volunteer for things and lead a critique group, some people know my name even if they don’t know my face, so this starts conversations also.
With MWG, I took a much larger role—I became the president. When you are president of a large organization, you meet a lot of people in the group as well as meeting and talking to a lot of the speakers. If you have the time and opportunity to become an officer of a writing group, I do recommend it. I started as the 2nd VP, and now I am the past president. Although these offices took a lot of my time, I have made valuable contacts and learned new skills. I know how to put together a weekend-long writing conference and not go broke! I know how to write a grant, and I know how to contact speakers and negotiate contracts. I have had to write copy for the newsletter to fill-in blank spots and for the president’s message. You don’t have to be the president to get the benefit. But I know writing organizations always need volunteers. VOLUNTEER—this is the way to meet people and connect within the larger group.
I want to thank Amy and Candace again for hosting me. If anyone has questions on anything, please let me know. Again, my email is margodll@aol.com if you are having trouble posting. I will be happy to answer anything or just to hear about your experiences! Please share with all of us.
Happy Writing!
Margo
www.margodill.com
Thanks to everyone who posted a question or comment on Monday. I know some of you had trouble getting a password. If you are having a problem, you can email me at margodll@aol.com, and I will post your question/comment for you. Your name will be put in for the free critique. Now, on to the topic of the day!
Last July, I opened my email inbox one day, and there was an email from an independent publisher, White Mane Kids (www.whitemane.com) . I thought for sure it was a, “Sorry, we’re not interested,” email, but when I opened it, I was totally surprised. They wanted to publish my middle-grade, historical fiction novel, Finding My Place! They wanted to send me a preliminary contract. WOW!
So, how did this all come about? It was a long process, and it is still going on. But I hope after you read this post today, you will have some inspiration, hope, and a few tips about submitting your manuscript to agents or publishing houses.
I started researching and writing this book in the fall of 2001. I was actually scheduled to fly to Baton Rouge on Sept. 14, 2001 to visit some friends, rent a car, and drive to Vicksburg, Mississippi to do my research. But as you notice with the date, no one was flying then due to the terrible tragedies on September 11, so I wound up driving to Vicksburg later that week for research. It took two and a half years to write a rough draft of this book and take it to my critique group. Then I revised it again and took it to another critique group for about two years. So, I started seriously submitting it in the fall of 2005, and I actually kept revising it as I was sending it. I am not recommending my process. I had no idea what I was doing. It was my first novel!
How did I send it out, and how did I know who to send it to? The first two places I sent it to were an editor and agent I met through the Missouri Writers’ Guild conference in 2005. The agent rejected me within a couple months, but she sent me a letter with revision suggestions. (The editor rejected me like a year and a half later.) I followed her suggestions and sent it to Walker and Company in New York. I found their listing in a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI www.scbwi.org) publication because I am a member of this group (which I will talk more about on Friday.) I had an editor’s name, Emily Easton, and I followed the guidelines, which were to send a query and first three chapters if I remember correctly. She wrote me back and asked me to send her the whole manuscript. This was INCREDIBLY exciting until I got her rejection. The rejection was nice, but she said that my book wasn’t really marketable at the time, and I should try a smaller publisher or more school and library markets.
I followed her advice and sent queries to two smaller publishers—White Mane Kids and Blooming Tree Press. Again, I found both of these listings through children’s publications I subscribed to. I found White Mane Kids in the Children’s Insider newsletter (www.write4kids.com), and I found Blooming Tree Press through a children’s listserv I belong to through SCBWI. Both of these companies wanted query letters, a synopsis, and sample chapters. I sent these, and both requested the full manuscript. This entire process with these two companies took almost a year! My point here is this is not a fast process. Another point I can share with this experience is I tried to follow the advice of the people in the industry when they rejected me. If they took the time to write a note to me, I listened to them and revised my manuscript based on their advice.
So, what happened once I got the contract? When I received the White Mane Kids contract, I was lost. I did a little research on the Internet, but I was still lost. There was a lot of legalese in the contract, and I needed some help. I have a friend, who is a lawyer and interested in book contracts, so she read it over for me. She said it was pretty fair, but she told me to negotiate a few points. I tried to negotiate a few points, but as my husband said, “You are a tiny fish in a huge sea. You better take what you can get.” So, they gave me a couple of my negotiation points, I signed the contract, and then I waited again. ☺ I do recommend getting someone to look over a contract for you—whether it is a lawyer or an agent, even if you are the smallest fish.
The editor sent me my manuscript back, along with a bunch of instructions for how they wanted it formatted and turned back in, some corrections I needed to make, and a huge booklet for me to fill out. I am not sure if this is how every company does things, but I was grateful that White Mane Kids wanted my opinion in so many decisions. In the booklet, they asked me for 10 title suggestions, my bio, my thoughts on jacket and catalog copy, and authors to send a galley to for a blurb. I actually emailed authors I know, who write for children—and in the genre of historical fiction—and asked them if they would provide a blurb. All of them said yes.
White Mane Kids also needed a photo for the cover of my book, which meant I had to go get professional photos taken. A local photographer actually has a business package, so this wasn’t such a painful process. He takes photos for authors and businesses, where people put their photos on their business cards, etc. So, I did all my corrections to the manuscript, filled out my paperwork, prepared my electronic versions, and sent it all to them in December 2007. Then, I waited again.
I have had a few email exchanges with them this year, and I knew it would take at least 12-18 months for them to publish my book because they are a small company and have a lot of manuscripts they want to publish. The email exchanges with the editor and marketing department have been about what I wanted the catalog copy to say and if I had ideas for the cover of my book. They are hiring an artist to do an illustration for the cover. I also know I should expect galleys in the fall from a recent email exchange with an editor. I think and hope I should expect to hold copies of Finding My Place in 2009!
So, this has been my dream-come-true experience. From the time I had the idea in a fifth-grade classroom to the publication date will probably be about eight years! It actually doesn’t seem that long, and I try not to think about it too much, but I just can’t wait to hold my book.
If you have any questions on agents, editors, queries, submissions, market listings, revision, critique groups, or you want to share your own experience with us, please do! Remember, if you are having trouble leaving your comment, you can email me at margodll@aol.com .
Thanks!
Happy Writing!
Margo Dill
www.margodill.com
Isn’t that what we all want? Working at something we love? I can’t show you how to make millions. But I know there are some writers out there who are interested in learning how to make money while writing. It really is possible to get paid every week for writing. I am going to share with you some places I’ve gotten paid, and some ways that other writers get paid, and hopefully, these will help you to reach some of your goals.
My two regular sources of writing income are from my region’s newspaper, The News-Gazette, and a website company, Demand Studios. I am a news correspondent, which is a fancy word for stringer, for the newspaper. On a regular basis, I cover school, village, and library board meetings. These articles are written in one night after I attend the meeting. I have developed a good relationship with my editor (which you will hear many writers say is extremely important), and now she gives me feature articles or column pieces to write also. I became a stringer after answering an ad in the paper that said if you live outside of Champaign-Urbana, and you like writing, give the editor a call or email. I have also heard of writers calling a newspaper editor and asking if stringers are needed.
Demand Studios (www.demandstudios.com) is a company who owns several websites. I write for www.ehow.com through them. If you just write for eHow, without going through Demand Studios, you do not make as much money or on a regular basis. Demand Studios is looking for writers, and you can apply on their website. They put you through a trial period, and an editor checks all my articles before posting them. They do pay through Paypal, which if you don’t have a Paypal account, I recommend getting one.
If you are a teacher or were a teacher or even love writing for kids, another place to get paid for your writing is through educational companies. I have written for Reading A-Z and a standardized testing company. With both of these places, I sent in a resume, cover letter, and writing samples. I waited and waited, and eventually an editor emailed me and asked me to write something. I have only written for Reading A-Z one time, but for the standardized testing company, I write for them a few times a year. I do email editors if I haven’t heard from them in a while and mention I enjoyed writing for them, and I am available for any assignment when it comes up.
Like many writers, I also write for magazines—on-line and print. Two magazines that I write for on a regular basis are WOW! Women On Writing (www.wow-womenonwriting.com) and Teachers of Vision. With both of these, I queried them first, and then I established a relationship with the editors. Now, I still query them, or they will email me if they have a need. I wish I could also write for some bigger national magazines, but I am still working on that. Like all writing, breaking into some of the larger glossy mags takes persistence and time, a really great connection or source, or an incredible idea. If you have written for a big mag, please let us know about your query and article in the comment section of this blog post, so we can all learn from you!
I also started my own editing business, Editor 911. I decided one day to do this, put information about it on my website, made some flyers and hung them up, and waited for people to contact me. I have to say I almost jumped up and down when someone actually called me and asked for Editor 911. That was two years ago. Since then, I have had a regular stream of clients, and some people have asked me to do more than one editing job for them. Some people pay me through Paypal, and some prefer checks. I prefer Paypal—it really is great if you don’t use it yet. I know some writers sponsor their own writing contests, teach on-line writing courses or lead writing workshops, have become writing coaches, and design or write resumes or websites. There are a lot of choices to make some extra money for the creative writer!
I also check the job boards, although this is something I just started doing, but it is how I found out about Demand Studios. The thing about the job boards is you have to be fast. If you see a job opening that interests you, then you have to apply for it IMMEDIATELY. Chances are, a hundred other writers have seen the same opening and have applied immediately.
Here are some websites for job boards:
I also subscribe to a couple newsletters where I get jobs and markets delivered to my inbox. You can find these at
I hope you find something in this blog useful. I also hope you will make sure to get PAID for your writing. There are so many places that pay—don’t give away your writing for free unless it is a good career move (like an important literary magazine.) Yes, I do still work on my creative writing, and I do work as a substitute teacher, so I am busy. But it is fun to write and get paid, and I am hoping some day, I can sub even less and write even more!
Thanks for having me on the blog this week, Scribes Tribe!
Happy Writing!
Margo
www.margodill.com
Hello writing friends,
Put down those barbeque tongs! We interrupt your summer to announce that past President of the Missouri Writers’ Guild Margo Dill Balinski (http://www.margodill.com/index.html) will be guest blogging right here this week.
Margo (writing as Margo L. Dill) is a freelance writer, children’s author, and elementary school teacher, living in Mahomet, Illinois. Her work has appeared in publications such as On the Line, Grit, Pockets, Missouri Life, ByLine Magazine, and The News-Gazette. Her first book, a middle-grade historical novel, will be published by White Mane Kids in 2009. She is a regular columnist for the online magazine, WOW! Women On Writing. And we’re fortunate to call her a friend, but I don’t think that counts as a credential.
Margo’s guest blogging schedule follows:
Monday, July 14th–Freelance 101: How to Make Some Money Doing What You Love: Margo blogs about freelance opportunities to explore, how to manage your time, and get paid for writing.
Wednesday, July 16th–When Your Dream Comes True: Getting a Book Published: Margo will share with you her experiences of getting a children’s novel published by an independent publisher.
Friday, July 18th–National Networking: How to Meet and Greet Writers from all over the country: Margo will discuss joining and being involved with national and state writing organizations and how to get the most for your money.
As a special added incentive, those who ask a question or post a comment will get their names put into a hat for a drawing for a free 10-page double-spaced critique from Editor 9-1-1-Margo’s editing service.
So, make sure you get a front-row seat starting tomorrow!
Candace and Amy
NPR on Book Returns
National Public Radio (NPR) produced a piece June 13 about the issue of book returns. To listen to this six-minute piece, visit www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91461568 and click the “Listen Now” button.
Simon & Schuster Signs on with LibreDigital
Simon & Schuster has joined with LibreDigital, who will provide digital distribution for the publisher’s electronic content. Ellie Hirschhorn, executive v-p and chief digital officer for Simon & Schuster, says, “Our new digital warehouse will afford us the flexibility to syndicate our content to meet the needs of a wide variety of partners, from social networks to portals to retail sites.” Publishers Weekly, June 24.
www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6572730.html?nid=2286&source=title&rid=1324272525
or: http://tinyurl.com/4rd3a3
Reader Statistics
In a poll conducted by Random House/Zogby, 86 percent of the respondents seek out books by authors they like. Fifty-two percent of people’s book purchases are swayed by cover art, and 43 percent of people go into a bookstore looking for a specific book. Read more statistics at: www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6565475.html
Publishers Weekly, June 2.
The Future of Bookstores
According to research from Next Big Thing, half of young people aged 18-24 years old think people will still be using bookstores in 20 years. Of this age group, 28 percent were favorable towards the idea of e-readers and 40 percent liked the idea of downloadable chapters of books. Although some publishers at The Bookseller’s Reading the Future conference (where the statistics were presented) were concerned, The Book People CEO Seni Glaister commented, “Content is king - always. As an industry I hope we don’t spend too much time worrying about technology and let’s protect our copyright, make sure downloads are available.” The Bookseller, June 16.
www.thebookseller.com/news/61072-young-see-threat-to-bookshops.html
Small Publishers Feel Power of Amazon’s ‘Buy’ Button: http://tinyurl.com/6ab5d7
The book factory: Authors pressured to crank them out: http://tinyurl.com/49v5nk
One in Twenty Buy Kindle e-Book Rather than Print Version
At the 2008 BookExpo America convention, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos revealed that one in 20 people buy the electronic version of a book rather than the printed version. However, Kindle e-book sales account for only 6 percent of overall sales titles “where two versions – a hard copy and an electronic version – were available.”
Times Online, May 29.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4027106.ece
Or: http://tinyurl.com/4djzsz
Book Output Increased in 2007
According to figures released by R.R. Bowker, production of “traditional” books rose 1 percent in 2007 to 276,649 new titles. The biggest increase, however, was in the production of “on-demand, short run and unclassified titles.” There were 134,773 of those titles put out in 2007, up 39 percent from 21,936 in 2006. In total, 411,422 titles were produced in 2007. Publishers Weekly, May 29.
www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6564566.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=1324272525
Or: http://tinyurl.com/4wc4gg
Borders Cut 274 Corporate Positions
Borders Group Inc. cut 274 jobs as part of its plan to reduce annual expenses by $120 million over 18 months. The cuts came from most all of its departments, with the exception of the newly reorganized buyer/planner group.
Yahoo News, June 3.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080603/ap_on_bi_ge/borders_group_cuts
Or: http://tinyurl.com/3keh5p
Lightning Source Now Ingram Lightning Group
Ingram has consolidated its book division and print-on-demand (Lightning Source), into one unit: Ingram Lightning Group. John Ingram says this consolidation will “help us serve the book industry better and faster … [and help] our companies work more nimbly.”
Publishers Weekly, June 5.
www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6567729.html?nid=2286&source=link&rid=1324272525
Or: http://tinyurl.com/3efzoa
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