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.

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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

mrsmouse just welcomed me back--THANK YOU!...

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It is GOOD to be back! I've missed you, and these Tuesday get-togethers!

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We have questions already--that's neat!...

george kulz

I sent a manuscript to Spider magazine at the beginning of

george kulz

May. I didn't receive a response in over 4 months so I

george kulz

sent a letter. A response came back saying they did not

george kulz

receive the manuscript. Should I just resend the original

george kulz

manuscript and the original cover letter back to them?

mel boring

Long question, but I think I've got all the parts, george!...

mel boring

First of all, SPIDER says they respond in 2 to 3 months,...

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so sending them a letter after FOUR months is RIGHT in order!...

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I'm sorry to hear that your manuscript was, as we say it, "lost in the cracks."...

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YES, by all means, submit again to them as if you'd never submitted in the first place, george,...

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using the orginal manuscript and the original cover letter....

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When they receive it again, chances are they won't have any record or memory of having received it before....

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For the "record," that has only happened to me ONCE in 34 years of submitting manuscripts....

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While it's true that I am NOT a heavy submitter, that means at least 1000 submissions in 34 years with only ONE manuscript not received....

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So the mails are pretty faithful, but it's still heartBREAKING when this happens!

c3zh

I am writing an article where I am interviewing 3 "experts". Should I give them part of my paycheck when published?

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No, c3zh, it's not customary to give them part of your income fromt he article....

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What I usually do is, for sure, send them a copy of the magazine when the article comes out....

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I have interviewed a LOT of people in 34 years, and NOT ONE has ever even suggested I give them part of the paycheck when it's published....

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And dividing the small paychecks writers receive between 3 experts wouldn't net any of them very much! (-:}

nkk

I recently joined ICL. Can I send mss to contests, or wait?

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YES, by ALL MEANS, nkk, DO send manuscripts for the contests! You don't need to wait, friend.

remus

Hello Mel, great to have you back. We all missed you (:-) I was wondering how to go about when setting up a ms. In graphic design it is considered highly unprofessional if you don't use "right justify" for text but I heard that that this is not liked by publishers for mss. Is it true that they don't want that and if yes why do they prefer it not to be flush on the right?

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THANK YOU, remus! You all cannot KNOW how much that means to me. It was as if I'd been on another planet for a while,...

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and it's SUPER to be back here doing what I LOVE....

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And thank YOU for being here. ALSO, THANK YOU, Kristi Holl, for doing this job BEYOND the call of duty while I am away!...

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As to your question, remus, yes, TEXT publishers don't like right-justify--everything lined up along the RIGHT margin, the right side of the page....

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It's a "lefty thing," remus....

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SOME publishers (mainly book publishers) justify BOTH right and left,...

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but always, at least the LEFT edge is justified, lined up....

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If you justify BOTH sides, you know that it creates very unequal spacing between words,...

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and editors DISlove that, believe me!...

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So I can't suggest you justify BOTH edges....

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Here's a suggestion (from this one who does NOT do graphic arts, remember)...

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that you send TWO copies, one justified on the LEFT for the TEXT publisher, and one copy justified on the RIGHT for the GRAPHICS publisher....

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Let me know, remus, how you THINK this might work, today, OK?

mayuri

I recently met someone (in the subway station!) with…

mayuri

a very interesting job. She agreed to an interview. I…

mayuri

want to do it before she loses interest, but I don’t…

mayuri

have a specific angle or mag picked yet. Do you have…

mayuri

suggestions on how to do an "open-ended interview"…

mayuri

that would incorporate several possible slants?

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You're right, mayuri, to do it right away, before the "spark" of your spontaneous meeting dies out....

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And I don't think you NEED to choose a specific angle or magazine before the interview....

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I would tell her before interviewing that you don't have a specific angle or mag, that you want to let that "rise out of" the interview....

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I think you'll find her cooperative and understanding....

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Then after you interview her, looking back at your notes--or even in the MOMENT of the interview,...

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you will probably see an angle rising out of the interview....

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Then when you know the ANGLE, it'll be much easier to choose the magazine....

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So do the interview, then decide on an angle, then choose a magazine.

nkk

how is a sample copy different from the actual? Which...

nkk

one is better/cheaper?

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If you're speaking of sample magazine copies sent out by magazines, nkk,...

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the sample may be a PAST issue, while the actual copy would be the CURRENT copy....

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The OLDer copy would be cheaper, but the CURRENT copy would be better....

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For example, if CRICKET were to send you a sample copy from January, 2003, the current, November, 2003 copy would be better because SOME subtle things might have changed since January, 2003.

mrsmouse

Is there anyone at ICL I should notify that I received an...

mrsmouse

...acceptance letter from Highlights for Children, besides..

mrsmouse

...my instructor, of course? Thanks.

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FIRST of all, mrsmouse, CONGRATULATIONS!!!...

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When you notify your instructor, she/he has a form to send to ICL to notify THEM....

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So notifying your instructor should be enough....

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IF your instructor fails to submit the form to notify ICL, they may not find out....

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What I would suggest is that you notify your instructor,...

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and ALSO e-mail the ICL counselors to let them know. That way you'll cover all your bases!...

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HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, that's a PRESTIGIOUS publishment, mrsmouse--CONGRATULATIONS!!!

c3zh

If a publisher says they try to respond in four months and the four months is up, how long should I wait to contact them?

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Maybe about two weeks AFTER the four months is up, c3zh,...

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If they SAY four months, then you have every right to contact them at the end of four months,...

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but I think giving them about a 2-week leeway is probably wise.

remus

When you put page numbers on a book ms. Is it better to use "1, 2, 3" or "1 of 218, 2 of 218, 3 of 218" ?

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It's better to put 1 of 218 and so on, remus....

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The reason is that even ONE page might get lost of a manuscript,...

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so it's good for an editor to know the 218 TOTAL, as well as the number of a particular page....

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Nowadays, there are a LOT of functions going to the "Page 1 of 218," and so on; so it's very acceptable to do it that way.

izzy

Welcome back, Mel!

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THANK YOU, izzy! You make me feel SO GOOD! (-:}

mrsmouse

*Blush* Thank you!

mrsmouse

Thanks Mel! It was ICL

mel boring

You are WARMLY WELCOME, mrsmouse!...

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HIGHLIGHTS was one of my first publishings many years ago, and I remember how GOOD that made me feel.

remus

I was always curious about how many students on average an ICL instructor has at one time?

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I have been out of ICL teaching since 2000, remus, but at that time, there were instructor with from 125 students,...

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to, I had at one time, 500 students....

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But before you "choke" on that, remember this:...

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An instructor doesn't hear from ALL of their students every week....

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In a typical week when I was teaching, I received about 20 lessons to do in that week....

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So an instructor can easily manage hundreds of students....

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yet only have "a class of about 20" in a typical week.

janel

hey, Mel: do you ever allow interviewee to read article bef

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I haven't gotten the rest of your question yet, janel,...

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but I think you meant letting an interviewee read the article BEFORE it is published, right?...

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No, I wouldn't, and MOST interviewees don't even expect that....

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You can explain to them, IF they ask, that you're on a tight deadline, and there wouldn't be time to send it out for them to see first....

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And I have found interviewees very understanding, janel....

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It might happen OCCASIONALLY that there is an interviewee who MUST see it before,...

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like perhaps they have a supervisor who insists on seeing it...

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And that can be handled, I believe, but MOST of the time, they won't even ask to see it beforehand.

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RRZ asks: Recently I completed a children's picture book manuscript for the Christian genre. Several of the large Christian publishing house only accept fax submissions. I have access to an out going fax, but not an incoming fax. Do you know if they only respond via fax to these submissions or through mail/email?

mel boring

It's best that you ASK them beforehand, RRZ, if they respond ONLY by FAX,...

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If they do only respond by fax, here's a suggestion....

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Our local library will RECEIVE faxes for me, ...

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and I sometimes use that way because my official fax is one that I have to sit and wait specifically for a fax on our phone line....

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So I give them our library fax number....

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Then our librarian phones me when a fax comes in....

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She sometimes charges me 50 cents or a dollar a page, but that's a bargain when I need to receive one, RRZ.

soradina

Welcome back Mel! George and I are in the process of planning a website for freelance children's writers. Do you have any suggestions for us on how we can get started?

mel boring

THANK YOU, soradina! That's a great idea for freelance children's writers, a web site....

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I would poll children's writers that you KNOW and ask them what they would like to see on the web site....

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What I would like to see on that web site are 1) freelancing opportunities you come across,...

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like contests, or even magazines or book publishers who WANT certain kinds of manuscripts....

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2) I think some GENERAL information would be in order, such as HOW to FORMAT a manuscript for publication, or about postage and how to handle that part of submission of manuscripts....

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3) I would want ENCOURAGEMENT for me as a freelance writer in a very LONELY occupation....

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That might mean encouraging stories from the lives of successful children's writers, like J.K. Rowling, that would encourage ME. GOOD FORTUNE with your web site! Let me know, please, when you have it up and running, will you?

remus

Four years ago I had a well-known book publisher wrote back to me that she loved the idea for my picture book but it wasn't working in that form. She said she would like to see it as a novel rather than a picture book. Now I have finished that novel and I am ready to submit it. However, in the meantime this publisher no longer accepts unsolicited offers or query letters. Do you think I can still query them since they were interested back then? Or should I forget about them?

mel boring

Yes, remus, by all means query them about this novel....

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Query the very editor you dealt with back when it was a picture book,...

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if they are still there. But you have "business pending" with them from before, so YES, go ahead and try to connect with them again!

kay kay

When sending a book to a publisher, do you list actual word count, or page count?

mel boring

List the actual word count, kay kay....

mel boring

Publishers DO think in PAGES, but the word count is the most tangible and immediate--and they can figure page count from that, kay kay. GOOD question!

mel boring

LAM asks: I would like to know if, when writing a book, can we legally use song titles as the chapter names? Also, I wonder what the rule is about writing a story, based on characters in a song. Is that off limits?

mel boring

Any time you use song titles (which are VERY copyrighted) it's best to ASK for permission....

mel boring

Songs and lyrics are very TOUCHY, especially these days since NAPSTER and the like have brought about lawsuits. It's safest to ask the song publisher, LAM....

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If the characters you use in your story are involved in a plot similar to what the song is about, I would also suggest asking, LAM.

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scribbles says: This may sound dumb, but what is a Novella? I know it is smaller than a Novel and larger than a Short Story, but I am confused as to its length. I have had 2 children's books published and they are about 120 pages in a trade paperback. Would that be a Novella?

mel boring

120 pages could be EITHER a novella or a novel, scribbles, and no, it's NOT a "dumb question.

mel boring

What should decide it for you is IF the publisher DOES novellas, or if they just call them all novels....

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My understanding is that about 100 pages or less is a novella--except for short stories. But inquire of the publisher whether they publish novellas.

george kulz

Is it a good idea to get some kind of receipt back from a

george kulz

magazine to see if they actually received it?

mel boring

GOOD you asked, george, because I just did that today!...

mel boring

You can ask for a receipt, but that might require a signature at the magazine's end, george,...

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and that can tie up time, and sometimes bother a publisher....

mel boring

Here's what to do. For about 75 cents now, the post office will put a special label with a green strip on it...

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on your manuscript envelope. On that sticker is a number (like ER 014341954)....

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Then you can log onto the United States Postal Service site (www.usps.com) and check on the whereabouts of your manuscript....

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I just submitted a manuscript revision this very morning, and I have that number....

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Tomorrow, after the manuscript envelope has had a chance to take off,...

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I'll go to the USPS site, and plug in my number and it will tell me,...

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that the parcel was sent from my post office at ___:o'clock; and eventually it will tell me when it arrives at the publisher in New York.

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Clove wonders: How do you schedule your day to stay on track with your writing?

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EXCELLENT question, Clove!...

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The first thing I do personally is to WRITE FIRST every day....

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I start my day very early, when no one else is awake, and put in at least FOUR HOURS on it....

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After that four hours, then I allow myself to do other things, the business things of a writing career....

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It's a HARD answer but a GOOD one: WRITEFIRST, then do other things....

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EVEN if you only do 15 MINUTES of actual writing at first, do it FIRST. THen you can increase your time.

nkk

the course says to send out orders for samples but I thought

nkk

it might be cheaper to borrow from a library or buy locally

nkk

besides, how many samples should I request for?

mel boring

It IS cheaper to borrow them from a library, nkk, and you should by all means try to do that....

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Buying them locally is also cheaper, because you save postage....

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When I was an instructor, I felt that a DOZEN magazine samples at a time was a good number to request, nkk.

nkk

mel, writerscrossing.com is a very good site for freelancing

mel boring

THANKS, nkk! And for sorantina and remus, that would be a GOOD site to look over!

mrs.write

Can I use a newspaper article and picture I submitted that was published without my name as a clip?

mel boring

Yes, mrs.write, and tell them when you submit that clip that you ARE the author of it. That makes a GREAT clip!

kay kay

Mel, how did you get into being an instructor?

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The most important requirement is that you be published, kay kay,...

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the second-most important requirement is that you be recommended by someone who IS an instructor....

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A friend of mine who was an ICL instructor recommended me, and I had been published--though not a lot, and I became an instructor in 1983.

remus

have just completed the basic course of the ICL and graduated. Now I plan to take the book course. Can you tell me why there are only so few instructors (I believe there are only 10) teaching that course? Is it because the ICL doesn't feel other instructors are qualified? Or is it because you have to pass an exam to teach that class? What is the story behind it?

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It is simply because the book course is MUCH more difficult to teach, remus....

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So some instructors don't want to teach it--though many more could....

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The difficulty is because a BOOK project is MUCH more involved than a story or article project....

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The one book project lasts all through the book course, so it gets very complicated--and to me, VERY INTERESTING, as well!

gira

Someone is researching for me in another country, how

gira

should I give them credit?

mel boring

If it's a book, gira, you can use the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to credit or thank them....

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If it's an article, you can put a note at the end to acknowledge them....

mel boring

Then in the acknowledgement, you can tell where they live and work, the city and the country....

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This is MORE than just business, it's a COURTESY. And researchers really appreciate it, and can use your acknowledgement as a credit for their own work.

janel

Mrsmouse: How did HFC contact you, phone, contract, snail mail?

mel boring

mrsmouse will want to respond. Meanwhile, I'll give a guess they use snail mail--as they used to.

c3zh

When you interview a person, do you warn them that there is no guarantee of publication?

mel boring

Yes, c3zh, I ALWAYS do that, so they will know. Your thinking is very PROFESSIONAL, c3zh!

gira

How to notate credit to interviewee in article?

mel boring

Usually they consider the mentioning of their name in the article as enough notation....

mel boring

But you could, at the end of the article, put a thank-you to the interviewee, gira.

cup

Did you already talk about your literary "lawsuit'?

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No, I haven't yet, cup, but since I see I've stayed overtime, I'll talk about it....

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I won't mention the publisher's name, but only because a colleague of mine still has their suit against them pending, and I don't want to disturb that...

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There were three charges we brought in Conciliation Court against the (book) publisher:...

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1) They claimed "overstock discounts," 2) They charged us for illustrator's fees and 3) They didn't credit us with what were called "Scrapbook Pages." Let me explain:...

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1) Overstock discounts occur when a publisher sees that your book sales are declining. It is UNDERSTANDABLE that they don't want to print up a BIG STOCK of books and get stuck with them....

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But in THIS case, six years ago, when there were NO signs the books' sales were declining, they claimed "overstock."...

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So I (we, because there are FOUR authors involved in the series) lost money because the publisher discounted sales to customers as much as 70% (to clear out "overstock" quickly)....

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2) The publisher charged us HALF of the illustrator's fees when the book was LICENSED to another publisher to do a library and school edition--stronger binding and so on....

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Our contract for the library edition did NOT allow them to do that, but they DID it....

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3) The "Scrapbook Pages" were "blank" pages, with only borders and a couple of words and page numbers on them....

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The publisher took those pages OFF in the calculation of our royalties, as if they weren't "real pages."...

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So I had to get up before the judge and explain these three charges....

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I HOPE I haven't bored you so far. BUT, last Friday my attorney called and said WE WON ON ALL THREE COUNTS!...

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I was ecstatic, partly because they'll have to pay us for what they didn't give us before....

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and MOSTLY because writers are OFTEN not considered important in the happening of these things....

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So I felt we scored a victory not ONLY for ourselves, but for writers in general. (-:} --maybe even for YOU!

mrsmouse

Congratulations!

nkk

congratulations for winning, Mel!

mbvoelker

Congratulations. Worth missing you for a couple weeks. :-)

mel boring

THANK YOU ALL! I have to admit that it was massive trauma to go through it all,...

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BUT it is MASSIVE JUBILATION now, and for ALL OF US WRITERS!

mayuri

So THAT's where you were! Congrats! :-)

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THANK YOU again! Actually, from September 9-16,Carol and I were vacationing in BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA....

mel boring

It was the BEST vacation we've ever had, and...

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GOOD preparation for the trauma of the trial. (-:}

mel boring

Here's an answer from mrsmouse about the previous inquiry:...

mrsmouse

janel, it was by snail mail.

mrsmouse

Mel, thank you. I queried Pam Zollman after her chat...

mrsmouse

...and it was that article, formerly assignment 4, that was

mrsmouse

...contracted. Your 'moving' help paved the way. THANKS!

mel boring

By the way, to all of you, this recommendation:...

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CRAFTS are perhaps the MOST wanted by magazine publishers (for those who publish them, anyway)...

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so if you WANT to get published first-time, writing a craft is a GOOD way to go....

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Especially good at HIGHLIGHTS, where they use lots of crafts--and Pam Zollman is a PEACH of an editor!

janel

Thanks, mel, you're a mind reader: from janel

mel boring

You're welcome, Janel!

nkk

what is the book course?

nkk

can't we write a book without taking the course?

mel boring

The book course comes AFTER the basic course, nkk....

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and you only get into the book course via recommendation of your instructor in the basic course....

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The reason is that a book is a much more difficult undertaking, involving more time and complication.

mel boring

By the way, here's a tasty tidbit more about mrsmouse's craft article at HIGHLIGHTS:...

mrsmouse

...assignment number 4, an edible craft artcle.

mel boring

YUM!

janel

I thought you could use up to 5 words of song without permis

mel boring

The rule of thumb is that you can quote up to 50 words of any writing without asking permission, though there are exceptions....

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Another part of those same rules say no more than a page to a page and a half TOTAL in ALL of a book you are quoting it in.

mayuri

Do you suggest writing every day as a practice even when...

mayuri

you're not writing a specific piece for a specific market?

mel boring

YES, by all means, mayuri! Writing should become as close to an "involuntary act" as you can make it.

mayuri

If you get recommended for the book course, can you...

mayuri

defer taking it for a while?

mel boring

Yes, you can, mayuri. I've had students who delayed taking it for a year or more. ICL welcomed them back to the book course!

mel boring

I really must go now, friends, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

janel

Thanks, mel, it certainly hasn't been boring

cup

BLESS YOU, MEL!

mel boring

THANK YOU ALL, and I'll see you here next Tuesday. I also hope you can come for the GUEST CHAT Thursday evening,...

mel boring

when Suzanne Lieurance will be with us, to talk about FREELANCING. She is an expert and very successful at it.

mel boring

BYE for now!