| 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 two
minutes.
|
| 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 |
A couple of weeks ago,
someone asked about www.poetry.com, and then last
week...
|
| mel
boring |
I got a good tip about
them, so I wanted to post this:...
|
| bitty |
A huge article was done
on Poetry.com in The Dallas Morning News.
|
| bitty |
News check archive at
Dallasnews.com for poetry.com
|
| mel
boring |
THANK YOU, bitty, for
that good info!
|
| mel
boring |
Here's the GOOD
NEWS!:...
|
| mel
boring |
GOOD NEWS from Traci
Markou: My good news is that a publisher has requested my
manuscript. I just want to encourage all those writers out there to
keep trying, as my teacher (Idella Bodie) kept assuring me: keep
sending your work on, it will find a home.
|
| mel
boring |
You are ABSOLUTELY
right about persistence, Traci! CONGRATULATIONS, you PERSISTENT
submitter!!!
|
| mel
boring |
GOOD NEWS from Rose
Ross Zediker: My good news to share is an acceptance from Story
Friends. They purchased my story, One Is Enough?. No publishing date
is set on for it. But Story Friends is a new market for me and that
is always one of my yearly goals...to "crack" a new
market.
|
| mel
boring |
Rose Ross Zediker has
gotten LOTS of GOOD NEWS lately....
|
| mel
boring |
For one thing, we
published an article of hers last Friday on our web site. MUCH
CONGRATULATIONS, Rose!!!
|
| mel
boring |
Last week, remember we
talked about a picture book contest that costs to
enter?...
|
| mel
boring |
Well, I asked Jon Bard
of write4kids.com about that, and he wrote back this week. Here is
his response:...
|
| mel
boring |
A word from Jon Bard of
write4kids.com about the "costly contest" mentioned last week: We
aren't involved in the contest in any way, apart from ABC (stands
for American Book Cooperative) buying an ad in our Children's
Writing Update e-zine. ABC is a non-profit organization founded by
Rita Mills (former Managing Editor at Arte Publico Press) that's
very active on the Texas publishing scene. (They're a networking
group for authors, printers, marketers and other publishing sorts
focused on independent publishing. I believe they're also the folks
who are heading up the creation of the Houston Festival of Books in
2005). In checking them out, we discovered that recent events
they've held have featured the likes of John Kremer and Dotti
Enderle, so we felt pretty comfortable with them buying the ad
space. I agree the entry fee is a good deal higher than typical
contests, but I expect it has to do with the value of the grand
prize (over ,000 in editing, illustration, printing and promotional
work). For them not to take a huge bath on this, I suppose they
needed the higher entry fee. Again, we have nothing at all to do
with the contest in any way. It's admittedly an unconventional
approach they're taking and we'll see how it works out for them.
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS, Jon, for
letting us know! I'll keep in touch with Jon to see how that contest
goes!
|
| mel
boring |
Here is more about
www.poetry.com:...
|
| grandy1983 |
I have never submitted a
poem to them, but other writers have told me they have submitted a
poem and have been asked to buy various items to display the
poem.
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS,
grandy1983!
|
| mel
boring |
LW told us: I feel
stuck in a rut on the "format" I use in writing a short story or a
picture book. I set up a problem that the character(s) has/have and
then always have him/them come up with 3 solutions. The first 2
solutions, of course, do not work. Then the 3rd one does. I had read
somewhere that this was a good format. Is it? Is it the only one
that works? I read an "easy" short story in HIGHLIGHTS magazine
where the author set up a "problem" and then had one unfortunate
thing happen after the next. The ending was that what they were
going to do that day, turned out to be happening the following
week.
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, LW, that is
usually a good pattern to follow....
|
| mel
boring |
It isn't the only one
that works, however....
|
| mel
boring |
And it MAY be that
you've "staled" using that rather "rote" method....
|
| mel
boring |
What I would suggest is
that you start with the conflict, the problem,...
|
| mel
boring |
and start the story
with just THAT. Let the characters "guide you" and "suggest" how the
problem/conflict might be solved....
|
| mel
boring |
This may provide you a
FRESH way to write fiction stories....
|
| mel
boring |
Try NOT KNOWING the
ending when you begin the story, LW,...
|
| mel
boring |
and just let your
thoughts guide you, from the CONFLICT/PROBLEM--which you'll START
the story with...
|
| mel
boring |
to the development of
the resolution. If it comes in three tries, fine. But MAYBE it'll be
resolved in ONE try!
|
| craig |
what is the difference
between a novel, novelette, and a novella. If one is written on a
subject do the others have to be written on the same subject like a
trilogy.
|
| mel
boring |
The MAIN difference is
just LENGTH, craig....
|
| mel
boring |
A novella is a SHORTER
novel. If a novel for children is about 200
pages,...
|
| mel
boring |
then a novella might be
100 pages, or fewer....
|
| mel
boring |
A novella could EVEN be
just 50 pages, if the conflict is raised, worsened and resolved in
just 50 pages....
|
| mel
boring |
"Novelette" is simply
another word for "novella," craig.
|
| mel
boring |
R asks this question: I
am writing a fictional story about a historical figure where little
is known about her background. I created the background and events
in her life based on the research I was able to dig up. Do I need to
document the research material in a bibliography even though the
story is fiction?
|
| mel
boring |
No, because the story
sounds completely fiction, R....
|
| mel
boring |
If you had adhered to
the FACTS of this person's life strictly, then it would be
nonfiction....
|
| mel
boring |
But as you describe it,
it is FICTION, so you don't need a bibliography....
|
| mel
boring |
SOMEtimes a fiction
book WILL have a biography....
|
| mel
boring |
If it is about the
CIVIL WAR (or UNcivil War!), and you draw a lot on the facts of that
war, then a bibliography would be in order, even though it's
fiction.
|
| mel
boring |
I'm not sure if RED
BADGE OF COURAGE has any kind of bibliography, but THAT's the kind
of novel which COULD have one.
|
| writermom |
I am working on a fantasy
novel, it was suggested that I outline the novel even though it is
already mostly written. Is there a good source that you can
recommend for outlining novels or is it basicalluy the same as the
stuff I have been writing for ICL?
|
| mel
boring |
The stuff of the ICL
courses is the BEST on outlining I've ever seen,
writermom....
|
| mel
boring |
Look back at that
material, and see what they teach about
outlining,...
|
| mel
boring |
and outline
accordingly....
|
| mel
boring |
Where an outline will
come in handy, writermom, is when you submit a query for the
novel....
|
| mel
boring |
THEN you'll have that
to fall back on, because SOME publishers ask for an
outline....
|
| mel
boring |
So it's a wise thing to
have one, even if you write the outline AFTER you write the
novel....
|
| mel
boring |
By the way, I have a
VERY SCANTY outline before I write--sometimes
none,...
|
| mel
boring |
so I most ALWAYS write
an outline AFTER I write the book, simply because I'll need one for
querying publishers.
|
| rite
1 |
About the plot building:
if you resolved problem in 1 try...
|
| rite
1 |
would it have a lot of
twists and turns?
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, it should have as
many twists and turns, rite 1,...
|
| mel
boring |
as the LENGTH of your
story will allow....
|
| mel
boring |
The resolution of the
conflict should NOT be easy....
|
| mel
boring |
And perhaps the 1-2-3
plan you mentioned earlier will apply to...
|
| mel
boring |
two or three twists
and/or turns in the resolving of the problem.
|
| mel
boring |
By the way again, the
1-2-3 plot plan works BEST with very young
readers/listeners....
|
| mel
boring |
They have a LOVE for
that steady, predictable 1-2-3 pattern,...
|
| mel
boring |
as in the story of the
THREE LITTLE PIGS, for instance...
|
| mel
boring |
But OLDER children, say
age 6 and older, get away from so much love of that 1-2-3 pattern,
rite 1.
|
| mel
boring |
BT wonders: If a
publisher offers a contract, is it best to have it read by a
literary attorney who would represent the author's best interest? I
get the feeling from publishers that an author is only their ticket
to financial gain. Some might be interested in quality and accuracy,
but the profits are the number one goal. Again, where can I begin to
find this type of an attorney?
|
| mel
boring |
If you don't have an
agent, BT, yes, a literary attorney is a GOOD
choice....
|
| mel
boring |
Such an attorney
understands book contracts, and can help you on a one-time basis,
before you sign it....
|
| mel
boring |
My own experience with
publishers is that most of them are NOT out just for financial
gain....
|
| mel
boring |
If that were true,
there would be little concern about LITERARY
quality....
|
| mel
boring |
And I see LOTS of
concern in the publishers I've worked with about literary quality,
even beyond sales....
|
| mel
boring |
While it's TRUE that
publishers see dollar signs when it comes to books like the HARRY
POTTERs, MOST children's publishers ARE concerned about literary
quality.
|
| rite
1 |
At what age should you
scrap the 1-2-3 pattern for readers?
|
| mel
boring |
Starting at about age
6, rite 1. It is then that children grow away from a preference for
great predictability.
|
| tkat_2 |
what's the difference
between mainstream and Literary work
|
| mel
boring |
A GREAT question,
tkat_2!...
|
| mel
boring |
"Mainstream" refers to
what we call "trade books," the HARRY POTTERs and the AMBER BROWN
books, for instances....
|
| mel
boring |
That's NOT to say that
those books I mentioned are not "literary work."...
|
| mel
boring |
But the BEST examples
of "literary work" are the COLLEGE PRESSES, and small presses, as
they're called....
|
| mel
boring |
At college presses, for
instance, they often publish the writings of their
professors...
|
| mel
boring |
And while those
writings may not come out in the "main stream," they are of HIGH
literary quality....
|
| mel
boring |
They will have smaller
audiences, obviously, than the HARRY POTTERs and AMBER
BROWNs....
|
| mel
boring |
It's not that literary
presses put out BETTER books, but are just more concerned about
LITERARY matters.
|
| jodyjl |
Is there information on
the ICL website regarding the advanced course? It seems all the
information is related to the beginning/magazine writing
course.
|
| mel
boring |
jodyjl, MOST of the ICL
web site info IS about the Basic Course, simply
because...
|
| mel
boring |
that's where people
BEGIN....
|
| mel
boring |
After you have taken
the Basic Course, you may be offered one of the advanced
courses....
|
| mel
boring |
And because those come
AFTER the Basic Course, that is why you see little about them on the
ICL web site....
|
| mel
boring |
I can tell you that, in
what I'll call the Book Course (because I can't remember the exact
title right now! (-:})...
|
| mel
boring |
you would write ONE
book for the entire course, writing and rewriting, learning to
outline, and to market. That is a more CONCENTRATED course than the
Basic Course....
|
| mel
boring |
And ALL the advanced
courses are more concentrated than the Basic Course,
jodyjl.
|
| mel
boring |
I see I didn't answer
BT's question about WHERE to find a literary
attorney....
|
| mel
boring |
You'll find them MAINly
in big cities, BT....
|
| mel
boring |
So look in the phone
book for the largest city near you,...
|
| mel
boring |
to try to find a Yellow
Page listing for an attorney that LOOKS
"literary."...
|
| mel
boring |
If you DON'T find one,
phone the attorneys that are there, and ASK the receptionist who
would be a literary lawyer, in their firm, or another
firm.
|
| mel
boring |
kay kay writes to say:
I read the transcripts for last Tuesday. You talked about SIRS, and
selling reprint rights. SIRS contacted me about an article, and
offered me the same price for it as I was originally paid. Should I
have asked for more, as you talked about? Or is asking for an amount
reserved for when they don't offer?
|
| mel
boring |
As a rule of thumb, kay
kay, the same price as you were originally paid for it is
GOOD....
|
| mel
boring |
SIRS and other
companies are also interested in using a story or article on the
Internet....
|
| mel
boring |
And a rule of thumb is
that for one year's use on the Internet,...
|
| mel
boring |
you should receive what
you were originally paid for it....
|
| mel
boring |
For two years' use,
TWICE as much, and so on....
|
| mel
boring |
I and a couple of other
people who checked in here have had offers,...
|
| mel
boring |
and have responded with
those kinds of terms....
|
| mel
boring |
I'll let you ALL know
if and when I hear back.
|
| noodle |
Hi Mel! When submitting a
nonfiction article, if I have
|
| noodle |
a sidebar, where do I put
it? The end of the article?
|
| mel
boring |
Hi, noodle! NICE to
"see you"!...
|
| mel
boring |
Sidebars should go as
CLOSE AS POSSIBLE to the part of the article they are related
to....
|
| mel
boring |
For example, if you're
writing about caterpillars, and you have a sidebar about the Monarch
caterpillar,...
|
| mel
boring |
the editor will place
it NEAR that the Monarch info in the final
layout....
|
| mel
boring |
So, what YOU can do in
submitting the manuscript is to make a box, right near where your
sidebar "belongs,"...
|
| mel
boring |
and type in the sidebar
info there, in the body of your article,...
|
| mel
boring |
but separated from it
by the box around it....
|
| mel
boring |
You can ALSO just put
the sidebars at the end of your article, label them "Sidebars," and
the editor will understand....
|
| mel
boring |
For an example, look in
HIGHLIGHTS or CRICKET to see where and how they put
sidebars.
|
| mel
boring |
TD asks: What is an
average advance and royalties for a picture book? Also, can you tell
me what should be in a contract, and what not to accept in a
contract?
|
| mel
boring |
TD, the range I heard a
children's book agent talk about just in
January,...
|
| mel
boring |
was from about four
thousand dollars to twenty thousand dollars....
|
| mel
boring |
Of course, there will
be SOME below that--maybe for a few hundred
dollars,...
|
| mel
boring |
and a few over that,
maybe fifty thousand dollars for an author like Maurice Sendak
(though I DO NOT know that to be true of his
advances....
|
| mel
boring |
The advance is "an
advance against royalties," as it's called....
|
| mel
boring |
That means that the
royalties for your published book have to "pay back that
advance."...
|
| mel
boring |
The royalty percentage
for books is GENERALLY ABOUT ten percent....
|
| mel
boring |
With a picture book, it
may be four or five percent, because it is shared with the
ILLUSTRATOR....
|
| mel
boring |
In a second or further
printing, publishers sometimes up the royalty to twelve percent,
maybe fifteen percent later....
|
| mel
boring |
Here's an example off
the top of my head:...
|
| mel
boring |
If YOU sold a book that
will sell retail for ten dollars, and you are given a ten percent
royalty,...
|
| mel
boring |
the PUBLISHER will
calculate how much they think the book will earn...
|
| mel
boring |
in its FIRST year out.
And the rule of thumb is that a book should...
|
| mel
boring |
earn back its advance
in ONE YEAR. So if you sell a ten-dollar book, and are given a ten
percent royalty,...
|
| mel
boring |
they might give you two
thousand for an advance,...
|
| mel
boring |
if they think the book
will sell twenty thousand dollars' worth of copies in the first
year,...
|
| mel
boring |
in order to apply the
two thousand you might receive in advance.
|
| mel
boring |
After that, all your
royalties are paid twice a year,...
|
| mel
boring |
usually after December
31 and June 30.
|
| mel
boring |
Momof3 wonders: I'm a
new student and I've just sent in assignment 1. I hear rumblings
about sending in our assignments via email. My question is this: Is
it possible to send our assignment by email instead of mail? and if
so, how do we get that started?
|
|
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, unlike when I
taught for ICL up till about four years ago,...
|
| mel
boring |
Momof3, you can NOW
work by e-mail, if you have a computer, and your instructor has one,
AND is taking lessons by e-mail....
|
| mel
boring |
The way to find out,
Momof3, is to e-mail Student Services and ask if you can do
it....
|
| mel
boring |
Their e-mail address
is: studentservices@inst-child-lit.com
|
| mel
boring |
So ASK them,
friend!
|
| mel
boring |
Here's some MORE good
info for BT:...
|
| cup |
BT should contact Susan
Titus Osborn at Susanosb@aol.com
|
| cup |
for an evaluation of her
contract for sixty dollars.
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS, cup! I think
Susan Titus Osborn MAY write a column in the SCBWI
Bulletin.
|
| t
green |
would "Charlotte's Web"
be considered literary, and the GOOSEBUMPS series considerend
mainstream?
|
| mel
boring |
YES, t green, CHARLOTTE
would be MORE literary,...
|
| mel
boring |
and the GOOSEBUMPS
series (which title I was trying to think of earlier--thank
you!)...
|
| mel
boring |
would be more
mainstream.
|
| dawgprint1 |
Mel, do you have a
suggestion of a book or a website that might help with middle 1800
southern dialogue?
|
| mel
boring |
I would put in the
search words "southern dialogue" in Google,
dawgprint1,...
|
| mel
boring |
"Google it," as Linda
Sue Park said recently....
|
| mel
boring |
That will find you I
think MANY sites that have it...
|
| mel
boring |
ALSO, look in the
reference section of a larger library....
|
| mel
boring |
At the BEGINNING of
those Dewey Decimal Numbers, like 0000 to 0100, ...
|
| mel
boring |
there are some very
LITERARY books, and SOME that deal with dialects--I think you prolly
meant dialect rather than dialogue....
|
| mel
boring |
Look in those
lower-number sections, starting at the very beginning of the
reference section, and you'll find them!
|
| mel
boring |
BR wants to know: I
would love to do freelance editing or proofreading from home. Is
doing that from home a possibility or am I dreaming? If it is
possible, how would one go about seeking such
opportunities?
|
| mel
boring |
MOST of that is done,
BR, by people who live CLOSE to the publisher that has it
done....
|
| mel
boring |
If you live near New
York, you could, for example, "go door to door" of publishers and
ask....
|
| mel
boring |
However, people who
HAVE ALREADY worked for the publisher are usually given proofreading
jobs, BR....
|
| mel
boring |
Here's a tip: Find a
SMALL publisher NEAR you and ask. Chances are BETTER at small
publishers....
|
| mel
boring |
Look under "Publishers"
in the Yellow Pages to find them.
|
| mel
boring |
C e-mailed to ask us:
What is the best format for a Table of Contents, for a nonfiction
children's book?
|
| mel
boring |
Put the title of the
book at the top, centered, C....
|
| mel
boring |
Then list the chapters
1, 2, 3 and so on, WITH their chapter titles, in order down the
page.
|
| mel
boring |
SW asks for our
thoughts: I’ve been offered a contract for my mid grade novel from a
small e-press. They publish in digital format and trade paperback
POD. Is this a good move for a first novel, or would I be better
served holding out for a bigger publisher. I am grateful for the
opportunity, but torn, because of marketing constraints. Any
thoughts?
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, I think it would
be a GOOD deal, especially for a FIRST novel, as you say,
SW....
|
| mel
boring |
It would be a good way
to get started, and you can always go for bigger publishers
later....
|
| mel
boring |
But as tight as the
market is today, I personally think an e-press that wanted your work
would be a good deal for you!
|
| mel
boring |
CR asked about
copyright: I thought I read in one of your e-mails news something
about copyright issues. Something about if you put a copyright
symbol in front of your name, that piece of work is considered
copyrighted? I was wondering if you could reprint that, or better
clarify it for me.
|
| mel
boring |
Yes, the law (as of
about ten years ago now) states that if...
|
| mel
boring |
you put the C in a
circle, followed by your name, followed by the
year,...
|
| mel
boring |
THAT copyrights the
work even as you write it, CR.
|
| mel
boring |
featherpen needs to
know: I know that writers should submit Christmas stories eight
months in advance to magazines. What about book publishers? I am
working on a Christmas story for a picture book. I might finish it
in May. Should I wait until next Feburary to send it to
publishers?
|
| mel
boring |
A good rule of thumb
for submitting seasonal books to publishers,...
|
| mel
boring |
is ONE YEAR ahead,
featherpen....
|
| mel
boring |
You will find SOME
smaller publishers who don't need that much lead
time,...
|
| mel
boring |
but regular publishers
are in production a year ahead of the coming-out of a
book.
|
| mel
boring |
lisalisa wonders: I
have recently received three rejections on different pieces from the
same editor at a magazine. On each one of them, the editor has
written a reason for the rejection but also a nice compliment. In my
last two cover letters I have mentioned these other stories when
submitting the next and thanking her. Do I continue to do this as
long as she keeps writing nice comments? Do I also keep telling her
my meager credentials in each letter, or do I start skipping that
part? I feel like she's encouraging me to send more things (and one
note even said so), but am I kidding myself here?
|
| mel
boring |
YES, lisalisa, I would
advise you to continue JUST as you are doing....
|
| mel
boring |
That editor would NOT
do that unless she saw a writer developing in a way she
LIKES....
|
| mel
boring |
And she may just skip
over your credentials next time, but DO include
them...
|
| mel
boring |
AND KEEP TRYING,
friend, you've got an OPENING DOOR there!
|
| mel
boring |
AH asked, in response
to Rose Zediker's article on our web site: I'm interested in Rose
Ross Zediker's suggestion of writing for this market, but Children's
Magazine Market offers little in the fiction category. Do you know
of a fuller resource listing periodicals in this market?
|
| mel
boring |
Look in WRITER'S
MARKET, AH....
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| mel
boring |
published annually, it
has ADULT AND CHILDREN'S magazines, and a good
variety....
|
| mel
boring |
ALSO, look in THE
CHILDREN'S WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS MARKET (CWIM), which has even
more that you can try.
|
| writerx |
Hi Mel,for the writing
course, Paula Morrow my instructor
|
| writerx |
mentioned sidebars should
go at the end of the article
|
| writerx |
the publisher would
decide if they wanted to use themor not
|
| mel
boring |
THANKS, writerx! My
friend Paula Morrow made a GOOD suggestion
there!...
|
| mel
boring |
Putting them at the end
DOES give an editor the chance to decide, whereas the editor might
feel "pressured" if they are put throughout the
article.
|
| mel
boring |
Hey, I'm overtime
again! THANKS for coming!...
|
| mel
boring |
"See you" Thursday
evening for Pegi Dietz Shea's Guest Chat?...
|
| mel
boring |
And I'll see you next
Tuesday!
|