Tue Feb 25 14:51:50 2003

Event end time:

Tue Feb 25 16:04:38 2003

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Hello, I wanted to tell you about two things I promised BEFORE I overlook them! (-:}...

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First, people have asked about getting things translated...

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pages on the web, messages, and other things not in English--or our native tongue....

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The question was answered recently by someone who refered to "babelfish," and I have investigated that--and have USED it, to my delight!...

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Here is the URL for "babelfish," a service of the AltaVista Web Site:...

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SORRY! I disremembered that if I put in a URL, it GOES there! I'm back!

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Here is the URL for "babelfish," Mel said carefully....

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babelfish.altavista.com

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If you put in that URL, you'll be taken to a box, into which you can type what you want translated....

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For example, I wanted to surprise my Spanish-speaking son, Zack, so I prepared an e-mail in English, then translated it to Spanish in babelfish! (-:}

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The other thing I wanted to tell you about is a MARVELOUS article on the web about children's books written by celebrities....

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There are SOME children's writers who get quite heated up that celebrities like Henry Winkler should get so EASILY published for CHILDREN....

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But this article puts it ALL in perspective:

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http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2003/0223/kidlit.htm

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Check that BOSTON GLOBE article out--it's VERY encouraging to us NON-celebrities too! (-:}

vera

Can publishers reject a book just because they have a different view in a particular matter?

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First question--a leftover....

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Yes, Vera, a publisher COULD reject a book manuscript because they have a different point of view on a particular matter....

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BUT, it is NOT likely. Any individual editor is BALANCED by other editors, the sales force, and people from all departments,...

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so they must be more cosmopolitan than to reject a book just because they personally disagree with its viewpoint--IF it's a good book!

mbvoelker

We have a number of new chatters today. Would you like me to insert the URLs for the chatware instruction articles again?

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Mary Beth asks a VERY good question. WELCOME to all of you who are new today!!!...

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Yes, Mary Beth, would you please post the URLs for those VERY HELPFUL articles about how to use our chatware?

kay kay

Mel, someone asked about a writing grant in a previous...

kay kay

forum. I didn't know you could get a writing grant. Who...

kay kay

gives these and how can we get them?

mel boring

There are many organizations that give writing grants, kay kay, in answer to your GOOD question....

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First of all, for ICL students, in the back of the CHILDREN'S BOOK MARKET...

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in a section called "Contests and Awards," some are listed, such as...

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The Barbara Karlin Grant....

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Another source for grants is the SCBWI, who give grants yearly. They have one, for example, the deadline for which is this Friday, for writing a nonfiction book....

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For those of you unfamiliar with grants, they would give you a sum of money so that you can free up time to JUST write your book. It's a GOOD deal!

dawgprint1

Would easy reader picture books be only board books or can they be hard cover books?

mel boring

Easy reader picture books, yes, could be hardcover books, dawgprint1....

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The basic term "Easy Reader" refers (rather generically) to books that a beginning reader could read by her/himself....

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So they might be hardcover books. In fact,...

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Board Books (the ones with few pages, whose pages are THICK cardboard, might be "below" the category of Easy Readers....

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That is, Board Books are EITHER READ-TO's, for adults to read to children, but Easy Readers are meant to be read by children on their own, who are just learning to read.

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GOOD question, dawgprint!!!!

ckm

I have a deadline and MAJOR life stresses right now.

ckm

Any recommendations on how to keep my focus on writing?

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Yes, ckm, and an EXCELLENT question for ALL of us!...

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I suggest you devote some set period of time to writing each day....

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if it's ONLY an hour or a half-hour....

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SQUEEZE that half-hour or hour in when you KNOW there will be no interruptions, such as at 3:00AM, if you can do that,...

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OR the hour JUST before your children come home from school, if THAT works for you,...

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ANY time period when you know that the ONLY distractions you'll have to deal with are your INNER stresses....

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Then use that time period for ONLY writing, fighting back the stress forces and ANYthing that would keep you from it. Will you try this, ckm, and they come back and share with us how it HAS or HASN'T worked, please?

silverdove

When a ms is sent in how does it get distributed.....

silverdove

do certain editors get particular mss?

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When any magazine publisher receives a manuscript, silverdove, they usually have a person like a receptionist who opens it first....

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IF that MAGAZINE publisher has several magazines, or different editors (for fiction, nonfiction, poems, etc.),...

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then the "receptionist" routes it to the right person, before it's even probably read....

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At a BOOK publisher, it's a big different. They probably have a receptionist person who OPENS everything, just to screen out junk mail, advertisements, and the like....

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THEN that receptionist hands over all manuscripts to the "Readers." There may be only ONE reader, but the job of a reader is to...

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read every manuscript, and "separate the sheep from the goats." (-:}...

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That is, the reader(s) ferret out the BAD manuscripts...

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and I do mean ONLY the BAD ones, silverdove. For example, if...\

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some writer typed out the "B" section of the Brooklyn phone book (just to see if the publisher was listening?),...

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the readers return that one--if the publisher's policy is to return....

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THEN, the manuscripts that the readers (who may just have graduated college) feel are the "sheep" are then given to which editor wants that type of manuscript....

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For example, if a publisher does NONfiction books, there will be one editor who handles them, so the nonfiction will go to him or her.

tigger

I'm writing some sample devotionals for a magazine. These samples will be used to determine whether or not I get an assignment, but there is no payment for the samples. The letter I received did not specify whether the pub will get to "keep" or publish these samples. But I'm wondering if, once I send them, they become property of the publisher. This is not specified in the letter I received. I hope to write a whole book of devotionals someday, so I don't want to lose the rights to these two devos, as one is where I will get the title for the book. Should I be bold and just call them and ask before I send the samples?

mel boring

Excellent question, tigger! I don't think that ANY mag publlisher would turn around and publish your samples...

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AND to protect them, all you need to do is...

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put the c in a circle for copyright, followed by your name, plus the year, and they WILL be copyrighted from the moment you write them. THAT is what the newest copyright law says. P.S.: I HOPE you get the assignment, tigger!

sam

Do you often run into writers who worry more about success

sam

than failure?

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SUPER way to word that, sam!!!...

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No, I have to say MOST of the writers I've heard--posting on the Internet lists, for example--seem to worry more about FAILURE....

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For recent example, on one of the lists I subscribe to, recently there was much ado about how easy it is for CELEBRITIES to publish books for children....

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and so MANY of the writers seemed to cry "Unfair!" and be worried that celebrity books take a share of the marketplace we cannot then have for ourselves....

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My feeling is that NO MATTER how many celebrities publish children's books,...

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if I have a skyrocketing, smashing, super book idea, it is GOING TO SELL, no matter what the competition....

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I LIKE the attitude you seem to be suggesting, sam, that we should put our concentration on SUCCESS not FAILURE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU SHARED!

kay kay

As a student of ICL, will I ALWAYS get the options to...

kay kay

purchase the magazine and book market guides?

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Yes, kay kay, you will always get the option to purchase the magazine and book market guides....

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I can't think of ANY reason they would stop offering you that, unless there were a complete earthquake of the world, and what was left floated away on a Great Flood! (-:}

ekuffmom

Can you tell me the differnce between a book idea and a story idea?

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Yes, ekuffmom--and WELCOME--a story idea is more limited....

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to begin with. That is, the conflict may be more temporal, more quickly resolved....

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For example, a conflict of baby brother taking all of big sister's toys is one that could be rather easily resolved--so I think of that as a STORY idea....

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On the other hand, take a conflict like MOVING to a new state, THAT's a conflict worth a book....

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Incidentally, the FIRST STORY I ever published was about twin girls who were given one baby buggy by grandma,...

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and the conflict was "ownership" of the buggy, rather easily resolved....

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On the OTHER hand, a conflict of MOVING is the conflict behind HOOT, a Newbery honor book, and that conflict provides an entire (and GOOD) book, because a conflict like that is more complicated....

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INCIDENTALLY, HOOT was written by a successful author for ADULTS, for home this was his FIRST children's book, and it DESERVED the Newbery Honor, I feel.

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For those of you who joined us after we started, this is an "Open Forum" session where you are free to ask any writing and publishing questions you have, and your moderator (Mel Boring) will do his best to answer them--the sky isn't even the limit!

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The question doesn't seem to want to pop through, but pegs1 has a GOOD question....

pegs1

Could these grants be used at any college or Univ?.

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Yes, IF the money they grant were used to go to college or university to take a course...

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that was pertinent to the writing of the project the grant was granted for, pegs1....

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That is, the money can usually be used for ANYthing that will get the book written, like college courses....

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You WOULD probably specify in your grant application that this was something you might do with the grant money.

silverdove

Isn't there a site that has a list of words for a ....

elise2

For a beginning writer for children, what would you

silverdove

particular age group?

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WHOOPS, I mixed up TWO questions....

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For silverdove's question, yes there are web sites with word lists....

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I have used them, but I can't think of the URL's right now....

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What I would suggest is to use a search word like "word lists," silverdove, and I'm SURE you'll get to the children's word lists that way....

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ALSO, here is a book I recommend:

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CHILDREN'

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WHOOPS!...

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CHILDREN'S WRITER'S WORD BOOK...

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by Alijandra Mogilner, published by WRITER'S DIGEST BOOKS....

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That book has lists of words that can be used, organized by GRADE LEVEL. It is a FANTASTIC book.

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NOW, here is the question from elise2:

elise2

For a beginning writer for children, what would you recommed as first steps?

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First of all, elise2, I would recommend publishing in children's MAGAZINES before you tackled children's BOOKS....

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That is because it is EASIER, and takes so much LESS TIME....

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You can submit a MAGAZINE story or article, have it accepted AND published, all withIN one year....

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but a BOOK is a LONGER project...

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It may easily take you ONE YEAR just to SELL a book, then you face the hazards between acceptance and publication that could take at LEAST a year alone....

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Then the PUBLICATION may take a year MORE....

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Of course, the main reason to go for MAGS first is that the competition is not so stiff, elise2....

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So you can kind of "practice" for books by publishing in mags. AND it is STILL THRILLING to get a mag byline, believe me!

creativedoreen

Are there retired publishers who would critique new writers?

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Hi, creativedoreen! And WELCOME, if this is your first time here--or even if it isn't!...

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Yes, there are retired publishers who critique new writers,...

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and I heard about one recently, who retired from Harcourt Publishers in San Diego. I WISH I could remember her name, but she lives in the Pacific Northwest now....

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How to find her would be to write to HARCOURT CHILDREN'S BOOKS, at...

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Suite 1900; 525 B Street; San Diego, CA 92101...

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and ask them WHO the former Harcourt editor was who is now critiquing books. I KNOW they'll be glad to tell you.

buttercup

Can you give us a word count for an sasy-to-read YA book?

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Actually, buttercup told me that that "sasy" should be "easy."...

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An Easy-Read for YA's would be what is called a "Hi-Lo Book," buttercup....

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That is, the level of the subject--or the story if it's fiction--must be HIGH, ...

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but the VOCABULARY must be LOW....

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That is to accomodate YA's (who would be age 13 and up) who have reading difficulties, but still need books of high interest to them.

casey

I just attended a conference where the editor from Eerdmans was main speaker. Here's how she does it. She looks through the pile, picks out the Exclusive Submissions first, and anything else she'd like to look at, and gives the rest to someone else to sort, etc. I'm impressed.

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I am impressed, too, casey! And THANKS for sharing that with us!...

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The "Exclusive Submissions," I might explain,...

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would be those she found whose letters said they were ONLY submitting it to Eerdmans.

ccollier

Mel, thats neat to know about the copyright law, would this

ccollier

replace the form you fill out for and register with the

ccollier

government

mel boring

Yes it would, Christine....

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I know a lot of writers are antsy that their material will be copied, and do pay the fee for copyright registration,...

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but it is REALLY unnecessary. AND what I explained HAS been tested in court, so it DOES work--AND saves money, besides!

tigger

How do we get the c in a circle on our computers, Mel? I think we discussed this before in a forum, but I can't remember how to do it. Thanks for your help! :o)

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Here's a GOOD follow-up question that will have to be our last....

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tigger, you probably have a file on your computer called "Character Map." Look for it by using Search and those search words, "Character Map."...

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In THAT function are all kinds of crazy-looking characters. SOMEWHERE in the many lists you'll get in Character Map, there IS a "c" in a circle. THAT's the best way. If ANYone else has a good way, why not send it to me at...

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webeditor@institutechildrenslit.com

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and I can share it next week. SEE YOU THEN, and THANKS for coming!