| mel
boring |
Join us this afternoon
in the AUDITORIUM-Scheduled Events Room for an "Open Forum" with Web
Editor Mel Boring. Mel has published some 25 magazine articles and
stories, as well as eight books for the young readers market. He
taught writing for 18 years, while being home husband and parent to
two of his four children, and doing his own writing. He welcomes
your questions on time management, getting started, writer's block,
marketing, writing rights, writing earnings, or anything else you'd
like to discuss. Bring your QUESTIONS to this open forum-in five
minutes.
|
| mel
boring |
Here's another wonder
of English while you wait:...
|
| mel
boring |
The farm was used to
produce produce.
|
| mel
boring |
It's the use of the
term "produce" there that is the wonder.
|
| mel
boring |
The Tuesday afternoon
"Open Forum" will begin promptly at 4 Atlantic/CANADA, 3 p.m.
Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, and noon Pacific. While
you wait for the "Open Forum" to start, feel free to use your ASK A
QUESTION button RIGHT BETWEEN THE YELLOW "MAP" AND THE RED QUESTION
MARK IN ICHAT to post some questions for the discussion group-two
minutes from now.
|
| mel
boring |
Good afternoon! Welcome
to this Tuesday afternoon's "Open Forum" session. I'm your
moderator, Mel Boring, and the Web Editor for this site. We're back
for an informal time of answering any questions you might like to
ask, on any subject. So feel free to ask what's on your mind--and
I'll tell you what's on mine! First, please read these
announcements, then we'll get started.
|
| mel
boring |
IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS:
Send questions you'd like answered or discussed by using your "Ask a
Question" icon/button. (It looks like a thought bubble icon, RIGHT
NEXT TO THE RED QUESTION MARK.) The moderator (me, Mel Boring) will
post the questions one at a time in the chat room and do my best to
answer them. Also note: If you want to make it possible to ask the
longest question you can, first type "/ask" (without the quotation
marks), then leave one space after the end of "ask", then type as
many characters of your question as you can. If your question is not
complete, send the second part next, then if necessary the third,
etc.
|
| mel
boring |
WARNING: If you don't
post anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in
15 minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to
the moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay
active and remain online.
|
| mel
boring |
Hi again! If you hear
me munching here today, it's the Dove dark chocolates I got from my
Valentine, Carol!...
|
| mel
boring |
We have lots of GOOD
NEWS today, and THANK YOU for sending it!...
|
| mbvoelker |
I have good news this
week. My article, Writing Without Guilt, is up on the Long Ridge web
site: http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/st04
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS, Mary
Beth!!! I for one will be there to read that article as soon as I
can!
|
| mel
boring |
GOOD NEWS from Marion
Tickner: After receiving 4 rejections the first week in January, I
finally have some good news to report. First of all, I sent two
articles to Audrey Baird at ONCE UPON A TIME. Today I received her
acceptance of BOTH articles.
|
| story as a
Christmas gift for my sister-in-law. Usually it's a children's
story, but last year I tried for a grown-up story. She suggested I
submit it somewhere, which I did. Today I received my story back in
my SASE -- but it wasn't a rejection. Just a "Dear Marion" rather
than "Dear Author" letter because I had submitted |
|
| Christmas story)
and a suggestion to resubmit 6 months before December. You can bet I
have that on my diary to do then! |
|
|
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
CONGRATULATIONS to you,
Marion!!! Marion is a contributor to our web site. ONCE UPON A TIME
is a very prestigious on-line magazine--well done,
Marion!
|
| mel
boring |
Here is a question that
I don't know the answer to, but I thought YOU
would:...
|
| mel
boring |
Here's a question I
don't know the answer to, but some of you probably will: I have two
stories written for The Highlights Fiction Contest. Will they accept
multiple submissions? If so, would I have to send out two manuscrpit
packages; both including their own cover letters,
etc?
|
| mel
boring |
Some of you probably
have found an answer to that question, which I will post here if
you'll message me with the answer.
|
| mel
boring |
Also, last week Steve
Manning was mentioned, a person who offers a writing course on the
Internet...
|
| mel
boring |
wherein he claims you
can write a book in just 14 days....
|
| mel
boring |
Here is a comment about
him, in answer to someone asking about him last
week:...
|
| grandy1983 |
I have heard something
about Steve Manning, Artist, and I do not remember who told me, but
he is NOT reputable from what I heard. I do not know about the
course, but you should definitely check into this further before
committing yourself to this course.
|
| mel
boring |
If any OTHERS know
anything about Steve Manning, pass it on and I'll let everyone
know--and THANKS, grandy1983!
|
| mel
boring |
First question
today:...
|
| molly22 |
Is it ever appropriate to
submit an incomplete middle grade novel manuscript
?
|
| mel
boring |
The ONLY time to do
that would be if you submitted just a sample chapter or chapters,
molly22....
|
| mel
boring |
Many publishers ask
FIRST to see only a sample chapter--usually the first chapter, but
could be another....
|
| mel
boring |
OR they might ask to
see two or three chapters. That might be the first two or three
chapters, OR chapters of YOUR choosing....
|
| mel
boring |
Otherwise, if a
publisher wants to see the WHOLE manuscript, you would not mail an
incomplete manuscript.
|
| mel
boring |
SL wonders: In a recent
chat THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman was recommended and in
reading the book I found he recommends beginning each chapter
halfway down the page. This isn't the way I learned to begin
chapters in my Institute course. What do you
recommend?
|
| mel
boring |
This is a presubmitted
question, and I had to tell the asker, embarrassedly, that I
couldn't remember...
|
| mel
boring |
where the ICL courses
tell you to begin the first page. Does anyone remember? If so, I'll
come back to this question later. Message me with where ICL tells
you to begin the FIRST page of each chapter.
|
| jamielee |
Where can I find good
help marketing my book?
|
| mel
boring |
If you mean SELLing the
book to a publisher, jamielee, you'll find that info in ICL's
CHILDREN'S BOOK MARKET, which lists hundreds of publishers who buy
books....
|
| mel
boring |
Or you can use the
CHILDREN'S WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS MARKET, published by Writer's
Digest Magazine....
|
| mel
boring |
Both are good, though
the ICL marketing book is more thorough, and more often
UPdated....
|
| mel
boring |
If, instead, you meant
help marketing your book AFTER it's published,
jamielee,...
|
| mel
boring |
you can find some
suggestions at Harold Underdown's Purple Crayon website
at...
|
| mel
boring |
www.underdown.org
|
| mel
boring |
I would also suggest
using the words "marketing books" on the Internet, and I think that
will take you to all kinds of sites.
|
| mel
boring |
Here's an answer to
where to begin the first page of a chapter from Mary
Beth:...
|
| mbvoelker |
Just looked at lesson
10B. It doesn't really have a manuscript format for the chapters. I
used the formating out of the Children's Book Market book, which
puts the chapter heading -- Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc. -- 5 inches
down the page just like the beginning of a short
story.
|
| mel
boring |
And I remember now, the
ICL courses DO recommend starting a first page FIVE INCHES from the
top of the page--that is, the title should go
there....
|
| mel
boring |
If a page is 11 inches
high, and ICL recommends starting FIVE INCHES down the page, that
would be ALMOST at the middle of the page,...
|
| mel
boring |
which is where THE
FIRST FIVE PAGES book recommends you start the first page of each
chapter.
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS,
mbvoelker!!!
|
| george
kulz |
Mel, I just wanted to
update you on my story... if you remember I sent one to Spider last
May, got a letter in September to resend it, and I still haven't
heard so I sent an inquiry out. I'm awaiting a
response.
|
| mel
boring |
Thank YOU, george, for
updating us on that. We'll be eager to hear when you receive a
response--so please let us know!
|
| craig |
what kinds of contest are
best for a beginner to enter and can you stay around for a
while
|
| mel
boring |
One good contest to
enter, craig, is the HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN fiction
contest....
|
| mel
boring |
I think it's deadline
this year is February 29, so you could still enter that
contest....
|
| mel
boring |
One contest that I
think would have less competition would be the POCKETS Magazine
contest....
|
| mel
boring |
I don't know when the
deadline for POCKETS is, but it would be a good contest to
enter.
|
| roseystuff |
Ask, Am I considered
published? I am writing a cover letter,
|
| roseystuff |
I am a paper, radio Ad
Copy Writer.
|
| mel
boring |
YES, roseystuff, you
ARE a published writer!...
|
| mel
boring |
Your newspaper copy and
your ad copy have been "made public,"...
|
| mel
boring |
and that is the basic
definition of published....
|
| mel
boring |
So by all
means,...
|
| mel
boring |
you should mention that
in any cover or query letter!
|
| mel
boring |
Here's another GOOD
answer to where ICL says to start first pages:...
|
| barbi |
Mel the 2004 children's
book market says to start a new chapter page 5"
down
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS,
barbi!
|
| mel
boring |
Another Good Question
from E: I have heard other writers discuss the book course that
follows the magazine course. I would love to enroll in this course,
too, but I don't know how to go about it. Is it necessary to be
recommended by my instructor to take the course?
|
| mel
boring |
Here is a good
question, presubmitted, to talk about in conjunction with the ICL
materials....
|
| mel
boring |
If you are taking a
basic ICL course, at the end of the course,...
|
| mel
boring |
your instructor will be
asked to recommend you....
|
| mel
boring |
So the first you may
know about that is if you are offered the book course AFTER you
finish the basic course....
|
| mel
boring |
BUT, BEFORE you finish
the course, say on the third-last assignment or so, ASK your
instructor to recommend you....
|
| mel
boring |
I was asked sometimes
to recommend a student in a basic course for the book course, and I
did it....
|
| mel
boring |
So just ask your
instructor ahead of time, E!
|
| dreamwanderer |
What is a good source for
finding out about various contests.
|
| marguerite |
Where is the best place
to get contest info?
|
| mel
boring |
GREAT MINDS think
alike, as dreamwanderer and marguerite have
here!...
|
| mel
boring |
One good source is in
the back of the CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE MARKET....
|
| mel
boring |
Beginning on page 322
of the 2004 edition, they list magazine contests, dreamwanderer and
marguerite....
|
| mel
boring |
Contests and awards are
ALSO listed for BOOKS at the back of ICL's CHILDREN'S BOOK
MARKET....
|
| mel
boring |
You'll find the POCKETS
Magazine contest in the back of the CCM, and here is their
deadline:...
|
| casey |
Pockets contest is from
March 1st to Aug 15th.
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS, casey! I see
the beginning of the POCKETS deadline is coming up!
|
| realityczech |
how do we get a list of
monthly themes from magazines (such as Hopscotch)? This information
is not listed in the Market Guide or on the website for most mags.
Do we call the mags, or do we send a SASE requesting the information
on themes? is not listed on the website or in the Marlis not listed
on the website or in the market guide. Do we send a SAS is
not
|
| mel
boring |
Write and ask HOPSCOTCH
for their theme schedule, realityczech....
|
| mel
boring |
They'll be glad to send
it to you, even withOUT a SASE...
|
| mel
boring |
I don't see any mention
of sending a SASE for their theme list in the CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE
MARKET, so they will send it just for asking.
|
| mel
boring |
It's better to WRITE
them than to phone them, reality czech....
|
| mel
boring |
I would say that ANY
magazine with themes would be glad to send you a list just for
asking.
|
| mel
boring |
Here is the answer to
the question about multiple submissions to the HIGHLIGHTS Fiction
Contest:...
|
| paige |
Mel, if the question re
the Highlights contest hasn't been answered yet, Highlights website
give all the info. It says to mark the ms or envelope FICTION
CONTEST. No entry form or fee req'd. Multiple subsmissions
accepted.
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS,
paige!!!...
|
| mel
boring |
I would suggest, as was
also asked in the question,...
|
| mel
boring |
to send EACH entry in a
SEPARATE envelope!
|
| spotslover2 |
ask/ Aren't editors
interested in children's publishing only
|
| mel
boring |
I'm not SURE I
understand this question completely, but I THINK I
do...
|
| mel
boring |
When you list
publishing credits in a query or cover letter to CHILDREN'S
publishers,...
|
| mel
boring |
should you list ADULT
publishing credits? YES!...
|
| mel
boring |
Even if the magazine
you're writing to is for children, the editor WILL be impressed with
your writing-for-adult credits, spotslover2--and I hope that's what
you meant.
|
| dreamwanderer |
I also have written news
paper articles and advertisements for The Pacific Stars and Stripes
Newspaper and a local overseas radio station. I have had one poem
published in a highly competitive campus publication The Akros
Review. How would you list them on a cover letter?
|
| mel
boring |
Just list then the SAME
way you've listed them in your question,
dreamwanderer....
|
| mel
boring |
I might say in a cover
letter: "My articles have been published in THE PACIFIC STARS AND
STRIPES Newspaper. In October, 2003, my article, "How Can Children
Get Library Books When Living Overseas?"...
|
| mel
boring |
was published in that
magazine." Just to give you an example,
dreamwanderer.
|
| molly22 |
What is a good offer for
an unheard of author to receive for their first novel? Should you
always accept your first offer?
|
| mel
boring |
It would vary WIDELY,
molly22, from NOthing,...
|
| mel
boring |
to ,000 to
higher....
|
| mel
boring |
The amount of ANY offer
for ANY book is determined very exactingly,...
|
| mel
boring |
by the marketing
department. They figure out exactly how many copies of the book they
will be able to sell....
|
| mel
boring |
and they the ADVANCE,
as the offer is called, is based on that number of copies
sold....
|
| mel
boring |
and publishers have
that science down very exactly.
|
| mel
boring |
Joyous456 wants to
know: Is it better to try to get an agent first before sending out
cover or query letters to publish your story or simply contact
publishers yourself in the beginning?
|
| mel
boring |
It would probably be
faster and more effective to get an agent,
Joyous456,...
|
| mel
boring |
but you are not likely
to be ABLE to get an agent until you have sold a book or two or
three....
|
| mel
boring |
First of all, most
agents will not deal with STORIES....
|
| mel
boring |
They only deal with
BOOKS....
|
| mel
boring |
And I think also that
it's better for YOU to submit your OWN books at first, because you
can learn so MUCH in doing that.
|
| mel
boring |
MamaLee needs to know:
When sending in poems do you double space? And when it calls for a
limit of lines is there a limit of words per line? I'm assuming I
would send a cover letter. Is there anything else I need to
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, you double-space
poetry also, MamaLee....
|
| mel
boring |
When it calles for a
limit of lines, no, your lines don't need to be limited in their
length,...
|
| mel
boring |
except as they would be
limited by the 8 1/2-inch width of the page, with margins on each
side.
|
| mel
boring |
So the words per line
would only be limited...
|
| mel
boring |
by the width of the
part of the paper your poems are written on....
|
| mel
boring |
With poems, you should
also know that most publishers will let you submit more than one at
a time....
|
| mel
boring |
They may list how many
poems is the limit in their market-book pages.
|
| mel
boring |
Molly22 asked last
week: I was wondering if one writes an historical novel for middle
graders, and if so, should it include a bibliography?
|
| mel
boring |
IF there is factual
information in the historical novel,...
|
| mel
boring |
editors would
appreciate receiving a bibliography, Molly22....
|
| mel
boring |
And YES, historical
novels would be very OK for middle-graders!
|
| mel
boring |
SM e-mailed to ask us:
How long should one be patient in waiting for a response from an
editor? A particular publisher I have submitted to lists a 6-month
response time. I have sent two picture book manuscripts to them with
no response on either. It's been 8 months for one, 6.5 months for
the other. I've left one phone message and one fax inquiring about
them with no response. I'm assuming they are not interested. It is a
publisher that lists that they accept multiple submissions, although
I've not submitted either piece to another publisher yet. Is it time
to do so? Or should I wait longer?
|
| mel
boring |
If a publisher lists a
six-month time of response,...
|
| mel
boring |
then I would wait about
a month after the six months and inquire, SM....
|
| mel
boring |
So it's time to inquire
about the book that's been otu to them 8 months....
|
| mel
boring |
And I would wait about
two more weeks before inquiring about the one that's been out to
them 6.5 months.
|
| mel
boring |
IF you receive no
responses to letters, phone calls or faxes after a month beyond
their turnaround period,...
|
| mel
boring |
I would then write them
a letter saying that, since you haven't heard from them, you are
withdrawing the manuscript to submit elsewhere.
|
| mel
boring |
MS would like to know:
Are dream sequences or near death/falling asleep experiences not to
be used in childrens' books? I used a near death/sleeping experience
in a Christmas story to emphasize the miracle but was told this was
to be cut out of the story to publish it. This is a long way of
asking: What is the latest opinion of dream/ sleeping/near death
sequences in childrens'books? Are they just a
|
| the
author |
|
| mel
boring |
There seems a lot of
interest lately in this, since one of the questions in the
announcement last Monday was about dreams....
|
| mel
boring |
MS, dream sequences are
okay, UNLESS they are the vehicle by which the main character
resolves their conflict....
|
| mel
boring |
It's the "Thank
goodness, it was just a dream!" resolution to conflict that editors
won't want to see....
|
| mel
boring |
But all people dream,
so dreams are a natural in stories or books, just not for resolution
of the conflict....
|
| mel
boring |
As for near-death
experiences, I think they would be appropriate for Young Adult
novels, or for teenagers,...
|
| mel
boring |
but I don't think
editors would favor near-death experiences in books or stories for
younger children, even for middle-grade children--I think editors
would feel that's a NO-NO.
|
| mel
boring |
The "cop-out" you
referred to might have been what the editor felt a writer was doing
by resolving a conflict via a dream, or even a near-death
experience.
|
| mel
boring |
RealityCzech asks: What
is the proper course of action to take when we come up with a better
turn of phrase, or worse yet, find an error in a manuscript AFTER we
have already sent it to an editor? Do we edit it immediately and
resend it with a note of explanation? Do we wait to hear whether it
will be considered and then make a suggestion for the correction?
Or, do we wait for it to be rejected and then resubmit it with the
new wording?
|
| mel
boring |
I would suggest
WAITING, RealityCzech, until the publisher bought the
manuscript....
|
| mel
boring |
Then the editing will
begin. THAT is the time to tell the editor about the new turn of
phrase, or any revision you'd like to make in the
piece....
|
| mel
boring |
Of course, if a
manuscript is rejected, THAT is also the time to make the changes
you've come up with.
|
| mel
boring |
Here is some info about
HOPSCOTCH and acceptance there, since we mentioned them
earlier:...
|
| blondepsycho |
i think Hopscotch is full
until 2007 (2nd hand info)
|
| rite
1 |
I've had 3 spiritual
meditations published in 2 of our ...
|
| rite
1 |
church's Lenton medition
booklets. Is that something I ...
|
| rite
1 |
I could use as a
credential for children's short storys, etc
|
| mel
boring |
IF those meditations
were in your own local church's booklet, I wouldn't recommend
listing them, rite 1....
|
| mel
boring |
But if they appeared in
a DENOMINATION's magazine that was more than local, then yes, by all
means mention those credits.
|
| spotslover2 |
ask/ What children's
stories you've published
|
| mel
boring |
spotslover2, if this
was to ask ME what stories I've published,...
|
| mel
boring |
I'd have to say there
is only ONE in past recent publishing....
|
| mel
boring |
It was a story titled
"The Feather in Ms. Reed's Class" in CRICKET Magazine for June,
1998. And THANKS for asking!
|
| roseystuff |
If you have completed a
manuscript (140 pages), how do you
|
| roseystuff |
decided between
submitting a query or cover letter?
|
| mel
boring |
You look at the
requirements listed for the publisher in a book like the CHILDREN'S
BOOK MARKET, roseystuff....
|
| mel
boring |
IF they want a query
first, then I would query them....
|
| mel
boring |
If they want to see
first a portion or all of the manuscript, then I would write a COVER
letter to send along with whatever portion (or all) of the book I
was submitting to them.
|
| mel
boring |
Our hour is up already!
And it has gone faster today than EVER I
remember....
|
| mel
boring |
I will copy the
unanswered questions that have been submitted up to
now,...
|
| mel
boring |
and answer them in
future Monday announcements about the Tuesday Open
Forums....
|
| mel
boring |
THANK YOU FOR COMING
TODAY!!! See you Thursday evening,...
|
| mel
boring |
when Linda Sue Park
will be our Chat Guest, I hope!
|
| mel
boring |
Bye for
now!
|