Tue Mar 04 14:55:08 2003

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Tue Mar 04 16:03:52 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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In the next few minutes, do you know someone you'd like to invite to our Open Forum? If so, please do!

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We have a couple of very newsWORTHY announcements before we begin this afternoon....

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First of all, Mary Beth Voelker and her family have found a house, for those of you who don't know. They will move in on the couple's 14th Anniversary. DOUBLE CONGRATULATIONS, Mary Beth!

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Secondly, Stephanie Rocker emmed me to say she was thankful for the advice she's received from the Open Forum, because...

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It was because of what she learned here from us all that she submitted an UNrequested rewrite of an article to CRICKET....

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And they are going to PUBLISH Stephanie! CONGRATULATIONS, Stephanie!!! Your news is good news for us ALL!

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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.

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We have had a record number of pre-submitted questions this week, and I want to begin with those. Here's the first:...

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If an agent sends you a letter requesting a revision of your manuscript, and you agree to revise, is the agent now representing our work?...

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And would it be unethical to revise and submit directly to a publisher without the agent thereafter?

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EXCELLENT questions from Dionna Mann!...

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First of all, if an agent asks you to revise, and you do, that is not the agent's consent to represent you....

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AFTER you submit the revision to the agent, then s/he would propose or not propose representing you....

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Yes, I believe it would be unethical to submit directly to a publisher without the agent BEFORE you've submitted the revision to the agent first.

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Here's a second question. When I have a story to submit for consideration and I have read a magazine's guidelines thoroughly, send in the story I think best suits them...

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and I get a letter back saying, 'We regret sending your story back, but, we can not consider it at this time.

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Was it the CONTENT of this story, or was it just the wrong theme?

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It MAY be that the magazine only considers stories/articles CERTAIN TIMES of the year, such as in March and October. So you would need to check that out and make sure, because they may be sending it back because it wasn't THEIR time to consider submissions....

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In THAT case, no, it wouldn't be the CONTENT that was the reason for sending it back to you. ALSO, they may be FULL UP, and have to stop considering submissions for the time being. BUT it IS POSSIBLE, though I doubt it, that they just used those words to reject the story/article.

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We announced recently that bettyboop graduated from the ICL course. She replied recently,...

bettyboop

Mel, just want to say...I got my diploma in the mail on Saturday. It is very professional looking. I have just about wore it out looking at it so much. SMILE

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THANKS, bb, and CONGRATULATIONS again, friend!

casey

If I want to submit an exclusive submission, where would I note it? On the envelope? On the cover letter or in the letter itself?

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You would note it the letter, casey....

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What you would explain is that you are sending it to other publishers/magazines at the same time....

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And you would put it in the TEXT of the letter, rather than just as a "P.S." or footnote of some kind....

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that you are NOT sending this EXCLUSIVE submission to any other publisher....

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What I'm saying is that telling an editor that this is a SIMULATANEOUS submission, OR an EXCLUSIVE submission, either of those should go in the text of your letter, cover letter, casey. THANKS for that question!

b-marie47

You mentioned earlier that putting a circled C on your ms, is all it takes to copyright your work. Is it really that simple? Is there a place to read the copyright laws? And how often are they revised?

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Hard to believe, I KNOW, but that is IT! Here is the URL for some straightforward copyright information:...

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http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

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What you'll find in that article is the author telling you that your work is copyright from the moment you write it, and he tells you to put your name, the copyright symbol, and the year--though he doesn't mention the symbol we talked about last week....

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By the way, since then, someGOODone of you emmed me to tell how to make the copyright symbol EASILY--without being in Word or any word processor....

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To make the copyright symbol, just press CONTROL-ALTERNATE and the "C" key. It's EASY!

cup

What is the word count range for a Hi-Lo book-junior high?

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Here is a GOOD question that was asked last week and never answered....

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cup, the word count would be, first, the number of words needed to tell the story....

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But within the junior-high, grade 7-9, age 12-14 range, there is a natural limit....

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For fiction, that range would be ABOUT 12-15,000--rather short to match the usually-short attention spans of the Hi-Lo audience....

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They COULD be SHORTER or LONGER, depending on the publisher. I'd suggest you find a pub that does Hi-Lo books in a market guide, and see if they give word length. If not, you could write to them and ask for guidelines, including length.

silverdove

Is it possible to send in two mss for the same idea......

silverdove

changed to fit the age group?

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Yes, silverdove, it IS possible. That is because a story for, say, ages 4 to 6 would be very simple, while a story for the middle-graders, about age 8-12, could be more complex....

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So, with the same THEME, it could be written for EITHER of those groups, or BOTH....

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Here's an example. If the general theme were CAMPING, for the age 4-6 group, it might be two or three children sleeping out in a tent in the BACK YARD for a night....

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For middle-agers, it might be a group of a dozen or so kids of age 8-12 going on a weekend-long, or week-long, camping trip. Same theme, different audiences.

lizr

Carolrhoda/Lerner question - since they only accept in March and Oct & take about 6 months to respond- can you send them more than one manuscript

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You CAN send ANY publisher more than one manuscript at ANY time they accept, lizr, but I don't recommend it....

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When confronted with TWO manuscripts by the same author, they will MOST LIKELY pick ONLY the BEST of the two....

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BETTER for YOU to make that choice, and send them only one, and prevent an editor feeling you're "ganging up" on her/him....

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Pick the best ONE for Carolrhoda/Lerner, and send the OTHER somewhere else.

kimmy

I thought editors viewed copyright marks on work as....

kimmy

amateurish and would rather it not be done?

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SOME editors would think it amateurish, kimmy, and that's a chance you take....

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Partly this is because most publishers consider copyrighting THEIR prerogative....

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In the process of publishing your book, they will arrange for it to be copyrighted in YOUR, the author's, name....

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So they may feel you are "getting ahead of them." That is why I suggest, if you feel antsy about putting the copyright symbol on your work, don't. But IF you worried that it might get into a situation where it would be used without your permission, then the c in a circle is the way to go.

kaibre

How would you work characters into a historical article and make it a blend of fiction and nonfiction. What are the rules for creating a character within a nonfiction article. I will be creating the dialogue Not quoting anyone.

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Here is a question from last week that I wanted to bring back....

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The blend of fiction + nonfiction is sometimes called "faction."...

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The rules, then, for creating a character in faction are the same as in fiction. The main character must be...

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a character your readers will like, and not feel antagonistic to....

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Of course you would create all the dialogue in the case of faction.

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Dolly just messaged me to say she'd tried the CONTROL-ALTERNATE "C" for the copyright symbol, and it didn't work. It WON'T work here with the chatroom software, Dolly.

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But in word processor programs at any level, it will work. Try it.

ranchosmoment

Could it be that copyrights are more necessary on scripts...

ranchosmoment

than book manuscripts?

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GOOD point, ranchosmoment! Yes, because magazine manuscripts are more "fleeting," it may be more necessary to use the copyright symbol. But with books, not so necessary--thanks!

lizr

is 'faction' also historical fiction - or is there a difference between the two?

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Historical fiction isn't called faction because it is a genre recognized in itself, lizr....

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Technically, if you fictionalize history, it would match the definition of "faction."

pegs1

I was asked the other day what World Rights are??

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World Rights are VERY inclusive, pegs1, and a rather NEW term, I think....

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If a publisher buys WORLD RIGHTS, it means they get to be the first to publish it ANYwhere in the WORLD....

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So, if you thought you might sell a story overseas, say to a children's magazine outlet in Hong Kong, you couldn't....

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do that after you have sold World Rights.

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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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Here's another pre-submitted question....

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I have written a children's story with rhyming text. However, since my test rhymes it is in stanzas and looks funny if it isn't....

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How do I submit my story? Do I keep it in stanzas, change it, or do I need to submit it as a poem rather than a story? So asks Kathy.

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Kathy, editors will expect a story that rhymes to be in stanza-form, so it wouldn't look funny to them....

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It WOULD look funny to them, AS it does to you, if it rhymes and was NOT in stanzas. Keep it in stanzas, Kathy.

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I have self-published two mystery books for children. Is it possible to...

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still continue sending out both ms to publishers? I am hoping one will...

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accept the series for their list.

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Yes, if you have SELF-published, YOU own the copyright, so it is your privilege to sell it. So, by all means, SEND OUT your self-published books to publishers--and we SEND YOU LUCK, friend!

poldrawolf

why do i have to click on ask question instead of type below

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GOOD question, poldrawolf....

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it's because if you type your question below in the box, it will interrupt the flow of the words coming across on the screen....

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So we ask you to submit them so that I can present the question AFTER the one before, so it doesn't interrupt the flow of words on the screen. THANKS for asking, poldrawolf!

kay kay

When submitting a book proposal and there is more than one book in my series, do I mention this, or just the one book?

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I suggest JUST ONE book, kay kay, and here is why....

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An editor LIKES to feel that the idea for a series is THEIRS. That is part of the bailiwick of being an editor, to come up with series ideas....

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If YOU send them several books, or tell them that you have a SERIES of books, they may back off a bit, feeling you're taken THEIR prerogative....

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So what I suggest is that you send them the ONE book of the "series" that is the best, and EITHER let the EDITOR suggest a series...

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OR, YOU suggest a series AFTER your first book is successfully published.

ranchosmoment

Is using an agent the best way to sell a manuscript?

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There is MUCH that the answer to your question DEPENDS on, ranchosmoment....

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IF it is your FIRST book, I feel it is best for YOU to sell it, because you learn the "ropes" of publishing more....

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In fact, I suggest you sell your first SEVERAL books, to learn the give and take of dealing with publishers....

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AFTER you have sold a few books, THEY an agent might be interested in you, and take it from there....

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But what you've learned in the process of selling your FIRST books will ALSO help your agent, because you'll understand what's involved....

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There is also this: If you haven't sold ANY books, you would have to have a blockbuster to interest a good agent. So my advice is to DO IT YOURSELF--FIRST!

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I'm sorry...

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I just got knocked off the internet BIG-TIME!...

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But I'm back!

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I'd better give you the warning I'd better take MYSELF...

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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.

passion

It seems like there are too many magazines that are using

passion

ALL RIGHTS?

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Yes, it DOES seem that way, passion....

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The reason for it is that magazine publishers are developing MORE projects than just publishing one magazine....

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For example, CRICKET Magazine, who used to buy ONLY FIRST RIGHTS, now wants ALL rights....

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Partly because they have a MULTITUDE of different magazines and educational projects, and now book publishing, so they want to be able to use...

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an article, for instance, BOTH in their magazine and maybe in an educational publication of some kind....

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Of course, HIGHLIGHTS is also doing similarly, and has quite an extensive bit of educational publishing besides just their magazine.

deej

How do you submit a picture book with little copy?

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EXCELLENT question, deej. For a picture book, you type the manuscript the SAME way as for a regular book or a story, BUT...

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you show page breaks in your picture book manuscript. I do that with asterisks, like this * * * * *, where a page should end....

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Picture book editors are WELL prepared to follow this, or ANY convention you might have to show page breaks.

paige

When a ms is being considered by an editor, how often should a status enquiry be made without "bugging" or putting pressure on the editor to make a decision?

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First of all, paige, inquiring at the END of their stated period of consideration is A-OK, and they will expect that, or should if they don't....

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AFTER that first inquiry, they may tell you WHEN you might expect to hear back....

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If NOT, they I would inquire for EVERY period of the six weeks or three months, or whatever, that they state as their consideration period.

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I am SORRY that there are EVER so many more questions than there is time!...

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I will bring some of them into my next announcement of Open Forum as I did on Monday. People seem to have appreciated that. Meanwhile, here's a quote to leave you with...

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A writer is like a bag lady going through life with a sack and a pointed stick collecting stuff. - Tony Hillerman

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BYE till next time! THANKS for being here!