The Worries and Triumphs of an Unpublished Author

The New Direction of This Blog

2011-03-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

So I realized that I have been pretty pathetic about keeping up this blog. Since I'm going to medical school in August, I know I'm going to have even less time (I can only be a starving artist for so long!), and I want to save my extra time for working on my writing career.

I'm not going to give up my writing dreams, however, nor this blog. If you have any questions, email them to sabrosen @ gmail.com and I promise I WILL answer them.

Good luck to everyone, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Building a Platform

2011-03-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

I had a question from a reader:

What is the best way, in your opinion, for an unpublished author to start marketing themself before they are published?

Building a platform is much more important for non-fiction and adult authors than for fiction and children authors. My dad and I tried to publish a non-fiction adult book (we had an agent), but most of the editors felt my dad didn't have enough of a platform to sell the book.

Most children agents and editors books don't seem to care about platform. It is the book itself that is the most important. The audience doesn't care about the author's credibility or credentials. Children authors don't turn as easily into brand-names since studies show that kids don't pay attention to the author name the same way adults do.

That being said, there are things you can do to make yourself stand out. Agents do take you more seriously if you get a MFA in creative writing. You can also publish short stories in magazines or win prizes. SCBWI, for instance, has awards for authors who have not yet been published.

Blogs are of questionable value. Most agents seem to look up blogs only to make sure a potential client isn't crazy - agents have turned down clients because the author overshared on their blog, were overly critical of others, etc. I have heard a story or two about people getting deals from their blog, but I can't confirm they aren't urban legends. Definitely don't advertise a blog if you can't keep up with it!

Most importantly, if your bio is empty, don't try to inflate it. Agents see that as amateurish, and it turns them off.

Also remember: Your platform won't mean anything if the agent or editor does not connect to your story. It is a very subjective career!

Questions from a Reader: Big/Small and Rhyming

2010-10-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

I recently received some questions from one of the followers of my blog. She had two basic questions, which are: "[H]ow do you tell the difference between the big houses and the small?" and "Do you think that rhyming stories are being over done now?" The second question is a lot simpler, so I'll start there.

Question: Rhyming Stories

In a word: Yes.

A large portion of the picture book writing crowd loves rhyming books, but the rhymes aren't always that great. Editors and agents often don't take them seriously anymore, regardless of how good they are. That being said, there are still plenty of agents and editors who love rhyming picture books. My suggestion is to have both and see which do better. Although you want to please the editors and agents, you also want to make sure the story comes from your heart. Those are the books that sell because they produce your best work.

My second suggestion is to really study rhyming picture books before you write your own. In my class "Writing for Children," Liz emphasized how most rhyming books break up the rhythm at some point during the story to keep the kids' and parents' attention (remember, when you're writing picture books, you have two audiences). If you keep the same rhythm throughout the book, it's often boring.

Question: Big vs. Small Publishing Houses

I think the best way to figure out whether a publishing house is big or small is to see if the house is open to unsolicited submissions (manuscripts that don't have an agent). Generally, agents work at submitting their authors' projects to the bigger houses because it means more money (higher advance) and therefore more commission.

One follower of this blog, Lea Schizas and host of the Muse Online Conference, recently opened her own publishing house MuseItUp Publishing in Canada. Lea is a wonderful person, and she has an incredible amount of knowledge about the publishing industry, so I suggest you submit to her! (I know I did.)

That about sums up my answers. If anyone else has questions, please send them my way!

Small vs. Large Publishing Houses

2010-09-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

There are many pros and cons to being published at a small or large publishing house. (This blog post does not include vanity presses, which charge the author to publish his or her book.) Up to this point, I have been trying to publish my own work at large publishing houses like Random House, but I have recently decided to pursue both as small publishing houses may better suit my needs.

Large Publishing Houses

Pros:

In my humble opinion, the biggest benefits from a large publishing house are the distribution and marketing. Books like Twilight and the Harry Potter series have an easier time achieving success because they have more financial backing. Advertisements, prime placement in the bookstores, and a higher print run contribute to more people learning about and then buying a particular book. However, with the turn of the economy, a large portion of the burden is now falling upon the authors to market their own books.

In terms of distribution, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that it is easier to get your book accepted by the chain bookstores (ie Barnes and Noble) from a large publishing house. I think it is fairly clear that having your book in a store like Barnes and Noble may contribute to higher book sales.

The last benefit of a major publishing house is the advance. Larger publishing houses generally give higher advances. If you are having financial trouble, this fact may weigh more heavily in your decision.

Cons:

My biggest fear about large publishing houses is falling into the dreaded "Mid List Hell." Authors who sell books but aren't bestsellers generally fall into this category. They don't get much attention from the publishing house because the publishing house spends most of its attention on their Big List authors. (Since they are a business, it makes sense. Spend the most attention where you make the most money.) But for these Mid List authors, many of whom feel ignored, it isn't a comfortable feeling.

The other big drawback is that you don't have as much control over your book. I personally feel that every comment or suggestion an editor has given me has been fantastic, and I've used almost every one in improving my work. However, if Jennifer Weiner had stuck with her original agent, her book "Good in Bed" would have been called "Big Girl." Yes, this was an agent -- but publishing houses have even more control over your title.

Small Publishing Houses:

Pros:

The best part of being published by a small house is the extra attention. They don't have as many books on their lists, so they can spend more time on each one. The extra attention is especially good for new authors who are still learning the ropes.

Cons:

Yes, small publishing houses don't have the same marketing -- but as I said before, more and more of the marketing burden is falling onto the author's shoulders, big or small house.

Yes, small publishing houses generally can't give advances -- but as long as your book sells, you may come out ahead. Authors with advances don't collect on royalties until they have earned out their advance (read more here), and small publishing houses generally give higher royalties. Just like marketing, advances are currently getting smaller.

Basically, I've sold myself on small publishing houses for the time being. Now I just have to find the perfect one!

Who has worked with a small or large publishing house? Any comments?

I'm baaack!

2010-09-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

So it's been a long time since I've written anything.

Seven months, in fact.

I apologize for my unexplained absence, but I needed to take a mental break from writing. The constant feeling of having success just around the corner and then getting rejected got to me. I also had a lot going on in my life that needed to be taken care of! Like my sister and best friend getting married a week apart, so I had to miss the SCBWI Conference. :( Anyone have anything to share?

Anyway, first things first:

WHO LOVED MOCKINGJAY??????

I firmly believe that Suzanne Collins is one of the BEST authors I have ever read. Katniss, Peeta, and Gale are such memorable characters living in a crazy world. If you want to know how to write a good story, analyze The Hunger Games. You won't be disappointed.

That's it for today! Next time I'll have some info on writing or the publishing world, I promise. Hope to hear from you guys!

SCBWI Conferences

2010-02-04T11:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I had my first job interview outside of my college. It was a scary and exciting experience, and overall it went well. As I got ready for it, I was reminded strongly of how I get ready for SCBWI conferences, so I thought I'd do a post on it.

Whenever I go to a SCBWI conference, I follow certain guidelines that I have set up for myself. My first guideline is: The first step to success is looking your best!

The first time I walked into the summer SCBWI conference, I was surprised at how many people were wearing jeans and sweats. Many of these people were just there to learn, so it makes sense for them to be comfortable. But for those who wanted to network, I think it's a mistake. Part of the conference is marketing yourself as a new author, and you want to show that you know how to market yourself.

When I go to a conference, I always go for a cute business casual. I wear dresses, boots, business jackets, and jewelry. I put on makeup and style my hair. Normally, I'm the girl with no makeup, sweats, and my hair in a bun, and I find it a pain to wake up extra early because I love my sleep. But with hundreds of other people at the conference, how else am I going to stand out?

The next thing I do is let my passion and enthusiasm for children's literature shine. I want everyone to know that writing for children is my life, even though I haven't been published yet. I smile, put a little bounce in my step, and talk with confidence. At first, the confidence is fake. I can't tell you how many times I've walked past an editor or agent, trying to build the courage to start a conversation. After all, these people are my heroes, and not because I'm hoping they will publish me. They've dedicated their lives to producing children's books.

But then I take a deep breath, walk over, and open my mouth. The conversation is so easy that I wondered why I needed to build up courage. These people are wonderful, and we share the same passion. Of course it's easy!

Although my guidelines won't get me a book contract or an agent -- only my book itself can do that -- I feel like they do help me to stand out. Once, one of the SCBWI workers stopped me and said, "Wow, you're smiling. That's so nice to see! Almost everyone else has this tense look on their face." That comment gave me confidence, but it also made me sad that so many people are so stressed out. The conference is an opportunity. It isn't your one shot to make it. If that's what you think, the conference isn't right for you anyway. Just remember to relax, enjoy yourself, and look your best, and the conference will be a breeze.

The Amazon Scandal

2010-01-30T23:59:00.000-08:00

I'm back! It's been crazy hectic since I last wrote, but in a wonderful way. I wrote a proposal for a nonfiction adult book with my dad and we got an agent (submission process starts soon ... fingers crossed!), went on an eleven day trip to Israel, and am now living in Honolulu, Hawaii. Oh, and I thought I was taking the MCAT tomorrow but double checked an hour before the test and realized it was today. Luckily I made it on time. Phew!

In terms of publishing, the news of the day is the Amazon scandal. Essentially, Amazon pulled Macmillan books from its website because the two companies disagreed over how e-books should be priced. If you want to read the full story, check it out here.

Today's been a long day so I'm going to crash now, but I'm excited to have my blog up and running again!

Best Chanukah Present Ever

2009-12-22T12:13:00.000-08:00

I know I said I wouldn't write again until February, but I can't not write this blog post.

This morning, I received an offer of representation from an agent.

Wow. Reading that sentence, I still can't believe it. I, Sheri Rosen, will have an agent.

I can't explain more right now, but I thought this day would never come. Happy holidays to everyone. Dreams can come true!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-11T15:42:00.001-08:00

I'm going to be taking a break from this blog until February because I have too much on my plate right now with the holidays, MCAT, moving, and Israel trip. Thank you all for reading my blog and for actively commenting. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me and I will respond as soon as I can.

Happy holidays!!

Controlling Emotion

2009-12-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Kato mentioned she's about to start a new story with many emotional ups and downs, so I thought I'd address controlling the emotion in a story (which I'm sure Kato will do beautifully!). Aren't you all lucky to get a new post so soon?

One of the most important lessons I learned about controlling emotion in writing was in my class with Liz. I had written a tense scene between a daughter and father, and I'll be the first to admit that the emotion was everywhere. The daughter was mad and then controlling herself and then screaming and then controlling herself and then running out of the room. Big mistake? Yes.

Liz taught me that the writer must have a firm hand in controlling the arc of the scene -- not just the arc of a story. As authors, we need to get our readers from Point A to Point Z with a straight, curved line (because of course the scene needs to pick up speed) and not with a zigzagged up and down spiky line. Make sure your emotions slowly build and then snowball; don't start off strong, back down, increase tension, decrease, and then BANG the scene is over. The scene needs to be coherent.

My other tip about controlling emotion is to realize the difference between drama and melodrama. We like to read about drama, but melodrama turns us off. For instance, two characters not talking to each other or even not looking at each other can create a lot more drama and tension than two characters screaming at each other. My scene with the daughter and father definitely fell more into the "melodrama" category than the "drama," and that also contributed to its weakness. You must make sure that the emotions of the story don't control you. For instance, if your scene is something you might watch on reality TV, you probably want to think about rewriting it.

Writing Emotion

2009-12-08T01:48:00.000-08:00

Phew, it's a busy time of year! An internship, the holidays, moving to a different state, the MCAT, a trip to Israel ... all of these things together create an exciting journey with a lot of emotion. And this brings me to my topic today: the emotional journey of the character(s).

I've been reading a lot of books lately and analyzing what draws me to some books and not to others. There are obvious things like plot and voice, and subtle things like true dialogue and visual imagery. Yet, time and time again, I notice one underlying factor that connects me to everything in the book: The triumph. The disappointment. The learning. The frustration. The high moments and the embarrassing moments.

The emotion.

Readers connect to characters through emotion. When we can feel a character's pain or joy, we think of the character as our deeply personal friend. We forget we're reading. When Harry Potter triumphs over Voldemort, the victory almost feels like it's our own because we were there in spirit for every step. When Frodo turns on Sam because of Gollum, we feel betrayed because we know how faithful and true Sam is, and how horrible and wicked Gollum is. Yet, the authors never write "Harry was triumphant" or "Sam felt horrified by the betrayal." Those lines are flat because the author would be telling us how the character, and therefore how the reader, should feel instead of showing us and allowing us to connect on our own.

These emotions must also connect in an emotional journey that leaves the main character, and hopefully the reader, somehow altered (even if it's subtle). In the classic novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, we follow a black family through the tough times before the Civil Rights era. Cassie, the main character, slowly learns about the ignorance and prejudice toward her people, and she's shocked by the injustice. Each event is slightly worse and more revealing than the one before, culminating in a scene where everything goes to hell. Cassie is irrevocably changed by these life lessons, but she also learns how to be strong and respect herself in the face of adversity. As a reader, I felt stronger sharing these life lessons with Cassie, and I learned firsthand the horrors of prejudice. Yet, if Cassie had known these lessons from the beginning or never really learned them (in other words, if there had been no emotional arc), the story would not have been so profound. How can we as readers be affected and altered if the character we are following is not or has not?

When you write, remember: how can I describe this scene/emotion so the reader understands without me spelling it out? How can I help the reader to connect to my character? And how do all these connections play out in the end to give the character an emotional journey that will affect my readers and their perceptions of the world, perhaps forever?

And the Winner is ...

2009-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

Catherine A. Winn! Congratulations! You have won a free signed copy of Michael Grant's book Gone. Please e-mail me at sabrosen [at] gmail [dot] com with your address so I can ship it to you.

Thank you everyone for participating. I have an idea cooking for my next contest, which I think will be really cool. Stay tuned!

Children's Book Publications, Organizations, Web Sites, and Awards

2009-11-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

My contest closes in five days! If you want to double your chance of winning, refer just one friend!

Today's post is Jessica Garrison's article on "Children's Books Publications, Organizations, Web Sites, and Awards."

Organizations:

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI):
A national professional organization for writers and illustrators of children's books.

The Children's Book Council (CBC):
A non-profit trade organization dedicated to encouraging literacy and the use and enjoyment of children's books, and is the official sponsor of Young People's Poetry Week and Children's Book Week each year.

The Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC):
Affiliated with the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin, the CCBC is a non-circulating research library for adults interested in children's and young adult literature. They are also host to CCBC-Net, a listserv that provides opportunities for online discussions of contemporary literature for children and young adults.

American Library Association (ALA):
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 64,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. Each year the ALSC--the Association for Library Service to Children--administers awards for the most prestigious children's books.

International Reading Association (IRA):
The International Reading Association is a professional organization dedicated to promoting high levels of literacy for all by improving the quality of reading instruction. Its members include classroom teachers, reading specialists, consultants, administrators, supervisors, university faculty, researchers, psychologists, librarians, media specialists, and parents.

National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE):
Works to advance teaching, research, and student achievement in English language arts at all scholastic levels.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) :
Dedicated to improving the quality of educational programs for children from birth through third grade.

(For my list of suggested sites, please visit here.)

Newsletters:

Children's Book Insider:
A monthly newsletter for beginning, intermediate, and experienced children's book writers.

Children's Writer:
A monthly newsletter devoted exclusively to the writing and publishing of children's literature.

Publications:

Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market:
Published annually, the CWIM is a comprehensive paperback reference book which lists book publishers, magazines, play publishers, and greeting card, game, and puzzle publishers. Also includes articles, interviews, and insider reports.

Publishers Weekly:
A weekly magazine pertaining to book publishing and book selling. Reviews, articles, features.

School Library Journal:
A monthly magazine aimed at librarians who work with young people in school and public libraries. Includes reviews and articles.

The Horn Book:
A bi-monthly magazine featuring reviews of the newest books available, articles, and columns covering a variety of aspects of children's books.

Kirkus Reviews:
A bi-monthly publication that reviews approximately 5,000 titles (including fiction, mystery, science fiction, foreign language, non-fiction, and children's) per year. The reviews are written by specialists selected for their knowledge and expertise in a particular field.

Awards:

Randolph Caldecott Award:
The Caldecott Medal honors the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

John Newberry Award:
The Newberry Medal honors the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Coretta Scott King Award:
Is presented annually by the Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream."

Mildred L. Batchelder Award:
The Batchelder Award is awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

Pura Belpre Award:
The Belpre Medal honors a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Michael L. Printz Award:
The Printz award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Robert F. Sibert Information Book Award:
The Sibert Medal honors the author of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year.

Magazines:

*Babybug helps kickstart an infant's or toddler's lifelong love of books. The publication contains simple rhymes and fanciful stories and is designed for a six-month to two year-old baby.

*Ladybug helps trigger good reading habits in children aged two to six, enticing them with its beautiful, colorful, and very readable stories.

*Click: Aimed at kids aged three to seven, Click opens up the worlds of science, nature, and the environment in a way that's fun and accessible.

*Spider's amusing stories, poetry, and articles canvas a wide range of subjects. Children aged six to nine love this magazine and its wonderful coverage of science, history, biography, sports, travel and technology, not to mention puzzles, games, and brain-teasers.

*Cricket: Adventure. Fantasy. Nature. Sports. Cricket is geared to kids nine to 14 years old. Every issue is filled with folk tales and fantasy stories, poetry and non-fiction writing, science and nature articles, recipes, craft ideas, and book reviews, all of which help the young reader explore the world around them and build their imaginations.

*Cicada is a magazine for teenagers and young adults age 14 and up. It offers high-quality fiction and poetry dealing with the issues of growing up, leaving the joys and pains of childhood behind, and becoming an adult. Cicada also encourages its teen readers to submit their own writing for publication.

Hopscotch for Girls:
This award-winning magazine for girls aged six to 12 stretches girls' imaginations while instilling traditional values. Each issue includes stories, jokes, riddles, poems, cartoons, contents, and science experiments.

Boys' Quest:
Aimed at boys aged six to 12, Boys' Quest encourages wholesome, traditional values in its selection of stories and activities, featuring jokes, riddles, puzzles, cartoons, cooking recipes, building projects, science experiments, and more.

*Publications that are part of the Cricket Magazine Group.

That's the rest of Jessica Garrison's handout. Hope you found the information useful, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Internship at Big Agency

2009-11-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last post that I haven't had as much time to write lately, but there was a reason I didn't tell you: I was interviewing for an internship at a Big Agency. Today, I found out that I am now officially an intern for this Big Agency. I am very excited, and I hope I'll find out a ton of useful things to tell you guys.

However, this agency has asked me not to write about them directly on my blog, so I won't. And please don't try to figure out who they are ... I'm not dropping hints. :)

Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at sabrosen [at] gmail [dot] com. Also, my contest for a signed copy of Michael Grant's Gone is still open, so refer your friends!

Word count

2009-11-16T12:30:00.001-08:00

I apologize for not blogging more these past few weeks -- my life is going to be pretty busy through January, so my blogging probably won't be consistent. But I promise I will still blog when I can!

Today, I thought I'd talk about word count. I find word count to be confusing because there are so many different ways to count words -- the Microsoft Word tool, multiplying the number of pages by 250 words, and the old way where you had to count the number of lines per page, figure out your average number of words per line, and then multiply that by the number of pages.

However, I know a lot of editors and agents discount word length and actually go by the page count of your novel. For instance, we learn that a YA manuscript should be between 60,000 to 80,000 words (and maybe longer for fantasy). I spoke to an agent today, and she wants the manuscripts to be between 200 to 250 pages (and no more than 300 for fantasy -- especially not for a debut novel).

This agent also told me that right now, picture books should be snappy and no more than 500 words (unless it's nonfiction, and then it can be over a thousand words).

MG should be 25,000 to 30,000 words (80 to 100 pages).

Jessica Garrison on "Dial's Top Tens."

2009-11-05T14:15:00.000-08:00

The name of this article is "Dial's Top Tens: Helpful Things to Think about as you Write and Revise Your Story."

The top 10 questions Dial editors ask when looking at a manuscript:
1. Who is the readership for this book?
2. Does this story surprise me and take me to places I didn't expect?
3. Is this a main character I care about?
4. Am I personally moved by this story or situation?
5. Is this a theme/emotion/concern that a lot of kids can relate to?
6. Is the voice/character authentic and real? Does it sound like a kid, or more like an adult trying to sound like a kid?
7. Does the action of the story move at a good pace and hold my interest? Does it build tension as the story moves forward?
8. Would this picture book story be visually interesting for 32 pages? Could I easily envision the illustrations for this?
9. Has this been done a million times before?
10. Will I want to read this manuscript ten (or more!) times?

*The next two lists are not meant to dissuade us from writing stories about these themes or topics. Rather, they're meant to point out that such subjects are popular (and for good reason!). With that in mind, it's crucial to create a story with a fresh, unexpected angle and voice. What will set your story apart?

The top 10 topics for picture books submitted at Dial:

1. A new baby
2. Barnyard stories
3. First day of school
4. Cleaning up your room
5. Tooth fairy
6. Christmas/Halloween
7. Visiting grandma and grandpa
8. Wanting a pet
9. Dealing with a disability
10. "Hi! My name is ... and I am seven years old!"

The top 10 topics for novels submitted at Dial:

1. The new kid in middle school or high school
2. Choosing between the popular crowd and the social outcast with a heart of gold
3. High fantasy with a prologue and tons of characters with unpronounceable names who go on a quest
4. Dealing with parents going through a divorce
5. Dealing with the death of a parent or sibling
6. A sulky, angsty, "too cool" teen who must learn to get over him/herself
7. A kid trying to save the cranes, dolphins, redwoods, etc.
8. A kid who's sent to live with a cranky aunt/uncle/grandparent and who discovers the older person is okay after all
9. War historical fiction, especially set during World War II and The Revolutionary War
10. A "normal kid" who discovers she/he has some kind of magical power

Editor's Day Part 5 -- Kate Angelella

2009-11-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

Kate Angelella is an assistant editor at Aladdin/Simon & Schuster. She specializes in middle grade and tween fiction, although she has also done YA. She is a heavy line editor and likes to be hands-on.

Ms. Angelella's talk focused on the elusive "voice." A great voice is one that she will want to read aloud and share. It has to hold up in order to engage her, so it will be a worthy investment of her time.

Essentially, the author's goal with voice is to enchant and enthrall the reader. The voice should create imagery so vivid, and without drawing attention to itself, that the reader forgets she is reading. To do this, the author must be careful with her language, word choice, and dialogue (and beware of too direct dialogue).

Then Ms. Angelella gave us her e-mail and said we can submit our full manuscript!

And that's all the speakers from Editor's Day!

Now it's time for my personal anecdote. During lunch, I was not seated with one of the editors, so the conversation flowed. We talked about our books and our successes, and I mentioned I had a few agents interested in my manuscript. Then, a man at the head of the table said I should talk to his wife, Kate. Sometimes I can be incredibly thick, so I said, "Kate who?" It turned out he was Ms. Angelella's husband, and he introduced me personally to her. At the end of our conversation, Ms. Angelella gave me her business card and told me to submit to her.

Moral of the story: You never know who you're talking to at these conferences, so always be your bright, smiley self!

Round-up from the Intern

2009-11-01T00:22:00.000-07:00

The Intern recently finished her internship and summed up her experience in this blog entry.

For instance, did you know that the acquisitions editor listed in Writer's Market doesn't always exist? This way, the publishers can instantly know if the solicitations come from informed sources or people who have found them from Writer's Market.

Make sure to check it out!

Gone came in the mail today

2009-10-29T15:42:00.000-07:00

I finally received the autographed copy of Gone in the mail today. Seeing the cover reminded me of how much I loved the book. I have to admit, I was tempted to keep it -- but luckily I have my own autographed copy! Whoever wins it in my contest will be a very lucky person. Don't forget to refer people (and let me know) to win extra tickets!

Jessica Garrison on Popular Children's Book Formats

2009-10-27T15:30:00.001-07:00

Ms. Garrison has one of the best dictionaries, so to speak, on popular children's book formats, which is the fourth page of her handout. Not sure what format your book should be? Get ready to find out!

Picture Books
Picture books, generally aimed at children eight years old and younger, are published in various shapes and sizes (both hardcover and paperback) and tend to have a few lines of text per page (at Dial, they prefer their picture books to be 1,000 words or less). Most picture books are 32 pages long, but may be as long as 48 pages. Picture books rely heavily on illustrations to help enhance the text and are usually reproduced in full color.

Board Books, Lift-the-Flaps, and Novelty Books
Appropriate for infants to pre-school-age children, board books, lift-the-flaps, and other novelty books are often, but not always, driven by established characters rather than by original characters or concepts.

Easy-to-Reads
Easy-to-reads are often series written for the beginning reader (grades K-3) to help him/her develop the skills and confidence to read independently. These books have simple vocabulary and sentence structure and use illustrations both to enhance the stories and to provide visual cues for words that may be unfamiliar.

Chapter Books or Transitional Readers
These books are written for children who have mastered reading on their own (generally grades two to four) but who are not yet ready for the demands of a longer novel. Chapter books pair longer texts with black-and-white illustrations and run approximately 64 pages. Like easy-to-reads, chapter books are often series.

Middle Grade Novels
Written for grades four to seven, middle grade novels tend to have longer texts, usually in chapter form, and may run 150 to 250 pages (though these days, sometimes more). Middle grade novels might sometime include black and white illustrations, but usually there are no illustrations at all. These books often feature characters in contemporary or historical settings, and the stories themselves can take the form of mysteries, historical fiction, humor, coming-of-age tales, etc.

Young Adult Novels (YA)
Geared toward readers as young as twelve and as old as their early twenties, the material in YA novels is generally more sophisticated in tone and content than material in middle grade novels. YA novels also have no limit on page count and may be upwards of 300 pages long.

Nonfiction
Children's nonfiction ranges from picture books to YA titles, covering a variety of biographical and historical subjects.

Editor's Day Part 4 - Jessica Garrison

2009-10-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Jessica is an editor at Dial Books for Young Readers. She looks for fresh, authentically voiced picture books, chapter books, 'tween and teen fiction with commercial appeal and literary heft--in other words, rich, emotionally true, character-driven stories with great hooks. Her interests tend to straddle the commercial/literary divide and run the gamut from dark future dystopias to relevant historical fiction, white-knuckled adventure to poignant/irreverent coming-of-age tales, sassy chick-lit (with lots of brains and heart) to updated fairytales with a twist--plus everything in between.

Jessica told us that hardcover is traditionally a literary tradition, and they are trying to make it more commercial. Also, when you write your story, think of the plot as a wave instead of as a story arc. In other words, the plot shouldn't be symmetrical, but in the shape of a wave. There should be acceleration as you reach the climax.

She looks for five components in a book:

1. Great voice.
2. Authentic and rich characters.
3. Strong plot.
4. Immersive atmosphere.
5. Reason for it all.

What is the whyness of it all? Every story has a quest for a goal, and every scene should be progress or impediment toward that goal. Books also need a balance of character and plot, introspection and description, action and dialogue. The story should be visceral as well--we need to feel like we're there and can see the place.

Her pet peeve is a long, extensive query.

Jessica also gave us a very useful packet of paper entitled: "Tips, Hints, and Translations: Good Things to Know About Children's Publishing." This packet itself may take me a few entries to write up, but there's a lot of fantastic information, so read up!

The first article is "Becoming a Children's Writer: Ten Tried and True Tips."

1. Read everything you can get your hands on! Reading will help you understand why you want to WRITE a book versus why you want to be a READER.

2. Don't let the allure of trends eclipse your own voice. There's a big difference between knowing which books and writers you like--and trying to imitate them. Don't strive to be the next Dr. Seuss or J. K. Rowling--write your OWN story.

3. Write with your audience in mind. Your work should speak directly to the issues and concerns of your intended audience. Think narrative, prose style, characters, and kid appeal.

4. Know your market. Children's magazines and trade and educational publishers have very different needs. Understand which market YOU'RE writing for.

5. Find a writer's group. Join the SCBWI, take a writing class (groups often form afterwards), talk to people you meet at conferences. Workshops can provide a safe, nurturing environment to "test drive" your work.

6. Do your research. Subscribe to on-line list serves and critique groups. Attend conferences. Ask your writer friends which editors send form rejections and which ones write personal letters. Seek out assistant editors, who often have more time to develop new writers. Read newsletters, browse catalogs, visit bookstores and libraries.

7. Be professional. Check on submission policies, write succinct but compelling cover letters, and include an SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) with your manuscript if the publisher calls for it.

8. Be prepared to take criticism, and learn how to turn rejection into something positive. Revision can be the most important part of the revision process.

9. Be patient. If you're serious about writing, you need to have realistic expectations about the time and effort it takes. Writing is a challenging craft that changes as you do, according to who you are, what your experiences are, and what moves you.

10. Write from the bottom of your heart. The "you" that comes across in your writing and in your stories is something nobody can teach. Give something back. Make sure your book has earned its place in the world.

There are six more pages, and I promise to post those later. Happy writing to everyone!

A Poignant Essay for Writers

2009-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

I haven't really posted from other blogs, but I am today! On Editorial Ass's blog, she linked us to a beautiful essay about writing that really inspired me. I hope it will do the same for you.

Contest for Mary Kole

2009-10-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Want to have your first 30-pages critiqued by Mary Kole at Andrea Brown? Then click on Kidlit Contest to find her contest rules! Ms. Kole is one of the newer agents at Andrea Brown, and this is her bio:

Mary came to children's literature from a writer's perspective and got involved at Andrea Brown Literary Agency to see what it was like "on the other side of the desk." She quickly found her passion here and, after a year of working behind the scenes, has officially joined the agency. In her quest to learn all sides of publishing, she has also worked in the children's editorial department at Chronicle Books and is currently earning her MFA in creative writing at the University of San Francisco. Mary's passion is editorial work. With all of her clients, she will be using her well-honed editorial eye to develop each project to its full potential before going out on submission. When she's not reading manuscripts and queries, she's devouring books by some of her favorite authors, like Laurie Halse Anderson, Libba Bray, Sara Zarr, Jake Wizner, M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfeld, Frank Portman, Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan, Elizabeth Scott, Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart and many others. She looks forward to traveling to conferences and regional SCBWI events in the future to meet with writers and actively build her list.

At this time, Mary is only considering young adult and middle grade novels and truly exceptional picturebooks. She's seeking fresh, unique voices and idiosyncratic characters who, by book's end, she knows like a friend. Her favorite stories are character-driven but well-plotted... a mix of fast pacing, emotional resonance and beautiful writing. Boy books, girl books, first person, third person, it doesn't matter... she's looking for a literary spark with commercial appeal. While she's not interested in high fantasy, science fiction, thrillers or horror, she would love to consider realistic/contemporary, urban fantasy and fantasy/adventure, historical, paranormal and mystery manuscripts. One of her favorite genres is magical realism: a story set firmly in our world, only with a twist—magic, danger or something that turns "reality" on its ear—to make things more interesting.

In all things, voice is absolutely essential to each project that she takes on... make sure yours is as strong as possible. Funny manuscripts have to be really funny to tickle her but, once they do, they rise to the top of her submissions pile. On the other end of the spectrum, Mary adores manuscripts rife with emotional honesty and raw, truthful moments... stories that make her tear up and punch her in the gut. Favorite themes include: family, home, unlikely heroes, discovering one's voice, finding one's equilibrium after a big life event. She looks forward to reading your work!

Editor's Day Part 3 - Michael McHain

2009-10-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

Michael McHain is a screenwriter, a reviewer for the National Center for the Study of Children's Writing, and adjunct professor at San Diego State University in the Department of English and Comparative Literature. His session was about structuring novels/films/etc. to create conflict.

Michael told us that good stories keep you focused on what happens next, in the future. In order to do that, you have to hit certain spots of the story at certain times. He broke it down for us. (The explanations may be slightly short because he only had 15 minutes to explain everything.)

0-10% Set up.

During the first 10% of your novel, you need to set up your world and characters to create empathy in the reader. What is the puzzle the reader wants to solve? Remember, it's better to confuse your reader for 1 minute then to bore them for 10 seconds.

At 10%: Inciting incident

About one tenth of the way through your work, you need the inciting incident, which will change the world as we know it.

10-25%: First response

Your character will try the easy way to return her world to stability.

At 25%: Turning Point #1

The "dramatic question" is posed. In other words, the character will deliberate the puzzle you set up because her first attempt didn't work.

25-50%: Progress

The character seems to be having success with solving the puzzle/returning the world to stability, BUT ends in failure.

At 50%: Midpoint/Reversal

This is the point of no return. We and our characters are fully committed, and we accept there is no going back to the way things used to be.

50-75%: Complications

The title says it all: obstacles to our character's path. But it seems as though the character is making progress.

At 75%: All seems lost.

This happens right after the character seems to have gained everything. Our question has been answered, but the future looks bleak.

75-100%: Climax.

We are at the height of the action. What's going to happen? How can this all possibly be resolved?

At 100%: Final push/resolution.

Stakes are high, the characters have worked their hardest, and now it's time for you to resolve the story.

Contest! Win a signed copy of Michael Grant's GONE

2009-10-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

Want to win a free signed copy of Michael Grant's amazing novel Gone? Well, you've come to the right place! Here are the rules:

1) Everyone who follows my blog by December 1st automatically has one ticket in the raffle.

2) If you refer someone to my blog and they start following it, you and that person both get a ticket in the raffle. The more people you refer, the more tickets you get, and the higher your chance of winning!

3) If you refer someone and they follow my blog, send me an e-mail at sabrosen [at] gmail [dot] com so I make sure you get credit for your work.

4) Refer everyone you know!

(Also, if you want to tell me how you found out about my contest, that would be great.)

Here is a review of Michael Grant's Gone:

From Booklist

*Starred Review* It’s a scenario that every kid has dreamed about: adults suddenly disappear, and kids have free reign. In this case, though, it’s everyone 14 and older who disappears, and the harsh reality of such unreal circumstances isn’t a joyride after all. A girl driving with her grandfather plunges into a horrific car wreck; gas burners left on ignite a home with a young child trapped inside; food and medical supplies dwindle; and malicious youths take over as the remaining children attempt to set up some form of workable society. Even stranger than the disappearance of much of humanity, though, are the bizarre, sometimes terrifying powers that some of the kids are developing, not to mention the rapidly mutating animals or the impenetrable wall 20 miles in diameter that encircles them. This intense, marvelously plotted, paced, and characterized story will immediately garner comparisons to Lord of the Flies, or even the long-playing world shifts of Stephen King, with just a dash of X-Men for good measure. A potent mix of action and thoughtfulness—centered around good and evil, courage and cowardice—renders this a tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless. Grant’s novel is presumably the first in a series, and while many will want to scream when they find out the end is not the end, they’ll be glad there’s more in store. Grades 6-9. --Ian Chipman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editor's Day Part 2 - Alexandria LaFayette

2009-10-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Next we heard from the author Alexandria LaFayette, who wrote Worth, which won the 2005 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and Upriver, which was published in serial form in newspapers across America. Alexandria was extremely good at imitating other accents (especially the Irish and Scottish), and she was very entertaining and animated. She's a very nice lady with a bunch of interesting stuff to say, so here we go!

One of the main issues with beginning writers is that each of their characters has the same world view. When all the characters have a distinctive world view, the scenes and story immediately have tension, action, and drama because every character has his own agenda/motivation. This leads to dialogue at a slant, where characters don't reveal everything upfront. People aren't confessional by nature, so they aren't going to tell you everything. Most things people say are one part truth and one part lie. But you, as the author, should know both halves the story. This way, you can tell the story more slowly, creating suspense and sympathy for your characters.

Since people rarely mean what they say, you must know what's underneath. Reveal one piece at a time, so the way we see a character slowly changes. As Alexandria put it, deliver your characters on a feather: one strand at a time. This way, your characters are integrated into your story rather than being one big lump.

Then you have to ponder how your characters got this world view. Think about their cultural contexts and where they live. How will this affect their likes and dislikes? Their wants and needs? All of these things will shape their action.

For first person narratives, you must be careful how their world view affects their imagery. Imagery should be unique to each character, because people don't see things the same way. If you ask ten people to describe the same room, they will all say something different.

For historical fiction, you have to balance being true to the character but accessible to the audience. You want to match the dialogue and dialect--but you don't want to try and make it completely accurate. Dialogue is best done with flavoring, such as with word choice and word order. Don't spell things out phonetically, because then people will read the letters instead of the words and will be knocked out of your world. Also, don't fall into stereotypes, since they can be insulting. Instead, try to mimic the structure of their native language.

And that was it for her speech!

Editor's Day Part 1 - AnnMarie Harris

2009-10-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I attended Editor's Day in Santa Ana for the Orange County chapter of SCBWI. It was a whole day of fun, information, and excitement, so prepare yourselves! (I'll break down the day over a few entries since I'm busy with my book and life plans.)

First we heard from AnnMarie Harris, who is a senior editor at Scholastic Trade Paperback. She currently edits engaging and entertaining middle grade paperback series for boys and girls, so that was the focus of her talk.

A hardcover series is the fille mignon of series, so it tends to be richer and fuller. However, it is more expensive to produce, so hardcover series tend to be shorter and smaller in scope, and have a smaller print run (ie 30,000 books versus 70,000). Since paperback series are cheaper, more of them can be produced, and they can go on for years. For instance, seven Harry Potter books were produced over ten years, while ninety-nine Baby-Sitters Club books were produced over ten years.

There are three ingredients that go into a paperback series:

1) The series must have a hook that can create a limitless number of story ideas. The hook may be a cast of characters, ie Sweet Valley Twins, or may be a theme, such as a babysitting club or horror stories (Goosebumps).

2) The series must actually have series potential. It must be able to create many new stories that are fresh but also kind of the same.

3) The series must have a formula that is followed in every book. The formula is different for various series. For instance, in the Geronimo Stilton series, every book starts with Geronimo enjoying a peaceful evening, but then he is jolted out of his relaxation by a friend and a dire situation.

There are also four general rules for paperback series:

1) Each book must have a plot that resolves at the end of the book. Unlike a hardcover series, there doesn't have to be an overarching theme. Kids outgrow series fast, so you don't want to have a lot of strings that makes them feel unsatisfied when they move on.

2) There must be high interest and commercial appeal. Since paperback series are cheaper, more can be produced, so there has to be a broader appeal. You may want to write a series about badminton, but you will have to change it to a more popular sport like basketball to get a larger audience.

3) There must be a current and modern appeal, unless you're writing a historical fiction series like Dear America. Paperback series don't have the same shelf life or backlist appeal, so the books can't feel dated. Make sure your characters are listening to iPods instead of CD players, etc.

4) There must be a "here's what you missed" chapter. Kids don't read every book, so this chapter is sort of like the "Here's what happened last week" intro to a television series. This chapter describes the characters and other things pertinent to the series.

AnnMarie also gave us advice for writing a series proposal. You need to describe your hook, which should be fresh, original, engaging, and different. Then you give a detailed outline or synopsis for your first book, which introduces your characters and sets up your stories. Lastly, you can write a short paragraph that delves into plots for books 2, 3, and 4 to show that your book has series potential. Each of these plots should only be 1-2 sentences -- the most basic you can make it.

You want to make sure your series is grabbing. For instance, humor sells, especially to reluctant readers who tend to be target for paperback series. Since they are reluctant about reading, you want to make it fun for them. Also, since boys tend to be the reluctant reader, you may want to have boy friendly content, such as engaging action or sports (which must be a popular sport, such as basketball). Although you can write a girl series, you must have an awesome hook because there is already a lot out there for girls. AnnMarie is also a fan of animals as the main character.

Since AnnMarie works at Scholastic, their books must be very clean -- no kissing, absolutely no bras, and minimal hand holding. Essentially, it's just crushes.

AnnMarie then opened up for questions.

Q: What is the average word count for your series?
A: For 7-10 year olds, the average word count is 4,000-10,000 words. For 8-12 year olds, the average word count is 25,000-30,000 words. If the series has a lot of pictures, it may only be 10,000-15,000 words.

Q: Do your characters age?
A: That depends on each series, although generally they don't age for paperback series.

AnnMarie also gave us her contact information since she is accepting full submissions from attendees of the conference! Don't you love SCBWI?

The Muse Online Writers Conference

2009-09-26T01:16:00.001-07:00

Back in July, I signed up for a free online writers' conference called the Muse Online Writers Conference. I didn't know anything about it, but someone told me they enjoyed it the year before, so I thought why not?

Then the organizer, Lea Schizas, told us she was adding pitch sessions. For five minutes, we would have the opportunity to pitch to an agent or editor and have their undivided attention. This sounded great, and I immediately requested Caryn Wiseman from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. I found out today I was accepted and will be pitching her my manuscript on October 12!

Registration is closed for this year (it was closed way back in July, I think), but make sure to check it out for next year. There's a lot of good information on all sorts of subjects, but I am definitely most excited about my pitch session. Although I could query Caryn anyway, it's a good way to stand out from the slush pile!

The First Worry

2009-09-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Do you ever worry about whether books will still exist by the time someone's ready to take a chance on you? Or that the majority of people will still have the capacity to read? (Joking, but let's not talk about the school that's taking out their 20,000 books to replace them with cappuccino machines and TVs. Or that they wanted to shut down all the libraries in Philadelphia.)

In this digital age, where iPods have replaced the CD and Kindles are just starting to emerge, do you ever worry that you'll never see your book in print? That, if you finally get lucky and you find the perfect home for your book, you'll only see it on a screen and never get to hold the finished product in your hands?

My reasons for writing don't just include seeing the final thing in my hands. That's a reason far down on my list. But I imagine that will be the moment when I feel the catharsis of knowing the exhausting process of writing the damn thing is finally over. And I can't imagine that reading other people's books will be as fun when you read them all from the same tiny electronic device. After all, music sounds the same whether you hear it from a radio, the Internet, a CD, or your iPod. But reading a book from an electronic reader is vastly different than reading an actual book.

It's like the failed "new Coke" experiment. Pepsi did a lot of taste tests where people almost always said they enjoyed the taste of Pepsi over Coke. Coke kind of freaked out at the news, so they spent millions (billions?) of dollars coming up with a new product, called "New Coke." But it was a disaster. Everyone hated it. Turned out people initially liked Pepsi better because it was sweeter, but they enjoyed Coke after more prolonged experiences, such as drinking the whole can or even a case. It was the experience that made them like Coke, not the initial sip.

There was also an experiment they did with two types of alcohol. When people did a simple taste test, they usually preferred A over B. But when they had the whole experience, which included the packaging, they preferred B over A--barely. Then the researchers switched the packaging for the two alcohols, and people almost always chose A. Sometimes it's the packaging and the whole experience that people respond to--not just the content.

So, yes, I'm worried about the future of publishing. That if books become digitalized, there will be a few hard core readers, but it won't appeal to the general population. That even I may not be so drawn to reading anymore. Of course the Kindle has its advantages (well, mostly space), but will it win over the more costly option of actually printing books?

(Here's a secret: I'm not worried about this just because I write. I'm considering entering publishing as an agent or editor. But it's hard to find a job, and who knows what will happen?)

Book Signings Part 2: The Debut Author

2009-09-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

I went to Michelle Zink's book signing tonight, so I thought I would update the last entry with a few more tips for debut authors. She did a fantastic job, seems like a wonderful person, and her book (Prophecy of the Sisters) seems like it will be a delicious read so you should buy it.

Anyway, she had about 30 people show up, most of whom she already knew. However, there were a few new faces (like me), so she did sell some books. People had plenty of questions for her, and there was a surprisingly long line. I was impressed because she seemed to have connected to most people from New York (the book signing was in California), so she networked well to bring a crowd to the book signing.

Also, she had a technique that I found very interesting, and I thought I would share the results with you. When people asked her a question, she asked us one back. A lot of people wanted to share their answers, and it was a pretty good technique to keep us engaged.

Q: Why do you decide to pick up a book?
A: Covers, jacket flaps, first page, recommendations.

Q: Do you use book blogs for recommendations?
A: A few people said yes, but they were mostly book bloggers themselves.

Q: Do you prefer hardcover or paperback?
A: Almost overwhelmingly hardcover. One or two people mentioned paperback because of the financial reasons, but that was it.

Q: Do you prefer series or stand alones?
A: Not a single person said stand alones (although I myself prefer series, I do find stand alones refreshing sometimes).

I thought that was an awesome way to survey the audience, and I may steal this technique if I ever get my book published!

Book Signings

2009-09-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been to a lot of book signings over the years. I've also heard a lot of writers speak. (Julie Andrews, Eoin Colfer, Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi, Meg Cabot, Gay Talese, Jennifer Weiner, Candace Bushnell, Frank Portman, Bruce Coville, Richard Peck, Karen Cushman, Larry King, D. J. McHale, Anne McCaffrey, Sherman Alexie, Jodi Picoult, M. J. Stirling, Art Spiegelman, Sarah Dessen, Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus, Angie Sage, Tamora Pierce, Ray Bradbury, Christoper Moore, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Michelle Zink.) I've even given a mock book signing myself.

Since I'm attending three book signings this week, including debut author Michelle Zink's, I thought I'd spend some time talking about them.

First, if you're an unpublished author, go to every book signing you can. Some areas will have more than others, and I'm blessed that my local Barnes and Noble holds so many (although in October, I'm driving over an hour to see Cinda Williams Chima). You learn a lot from published authors, especially since someone almost inevitably asks, "What advice do you give for aspiring authors?" (And isn't it cool to have a signed copy of their work?)

The part I find most invaluable is watching how authors do their book signings so I'm ready when it's my turn. It's hard to get up in front of a bunch of kids or teenagers (or even adults) and try to hold their attention for a half hour or hour. It's scary, too. Luckily, I already have a bunch of tools in my belt, and I'm ready to share it with you!

1. Don't read from your text for more than 1-2 minutes, if at all.

Thanks to Eoin Colfer ("My publisher told me I better read to you"), I know that sometimes you don't have a choice about whether or not you read. And if you pick the right part, like Sarah Dessen did, it can entice members of the audience to buy your newest book. (It was also cool to hear her southern accent; the character made so much more sense to me!)

However, if you pick the wrong text or go too long, the audience can get bored. When the author reads their text for too long, I see people fidgeting and whispering to their neighbors. They want to hear the author talk about themselves, not read something they're probably going to read anyway. One author read his entire first (adult) chapter. Fifteen minutes later, people quietly got up and left.

So if you decide to read from your book, remember: You want to interest your readers, not bore them.

2. Be funny.

What? Comedy?? Oh, no! I'm not a funny person at all! I can't pull this off!!!!

Okay, yes, not everyone's funny. The nice thing about book signings is that people react the exact same way. This means you can predict their responses and plan your spontaneous jokes. Remember how you're always thinking, "Man, I should have said this!"? Well, next time, you can! And if people laugh at a joke, you can use it again the next time. Success!

For instance, I went to see Jennifer Weiner twice. She lives in Philly, so the Jewish part of Penn and the writing part of Penn both invited her to speak at my campus. Being the book-loving, booksigning freak that I am, I went to both. And you know what? She said the exact same things! Even jokes I thought were spontaneous.

So you don't have to be naturally funny to be funny at a book signing.

Plus, all the authors that really impacted me have been funny. Humor is a useful tool to get and keep people's interest. And that's another reason why you go to book signings: you see how the audience reacts and the questions they ask, and you see how the author handles it all. Then you can think about what you would do and say. For instance, you almost always hear, "How did you get your ideas?"

3. Talk about yourself and your journey to writing--but not for too long.

People are always interested to hear how you started writing and got published. There is always at least one hopeful writer (me) in the audience wanting to hear your story, and the stories are almost always inspiring. When I'm waiting in line to get my book signed, I always listen to people talking about the story and how cool/inspiring/heart-wrenching, etc. it is. That tells me it impacted them.

The same thing applies to reading your work, though: if you go too long, people will get bored. And that's not what anyone wants.

4. Leave ample time for questions.

I have only been to one book signing where no one had questions. I finally asked a question out of pity for the authors, but that's unusual. Usually, the authors have to say, "Okay, one more question..." and leave a bunch of raised hands to ponder their questions for eternity. (Just kidding! Those people can ask while you're signing their book or they can e-mail you or Facebook you ... because of course you have Facebook.)

Ten to fifteen minutes always seems like a good amount of time. Give enough information to satisfy your audience, but don't talk about it too long or--yup, you guessed it--they'll get bored.

5. Be nice.

This seems kind of obvious, but I recently attended a book signing where the author was mean to someone. Yes, the kid asked a question that had already been amply answered, but the crushed look in his eyes as the author condescendingly asked him a bunch of questions proving the question had been answered really stuck with me. These kids see you as their hero, and it's an experience they probably won't forget. I mean, think about it: they stopped playing their video games to drag their parents out the door and drive them to see you talk. You really mean something to them. It's an incredible thing. Don't hurt their feelings.

Book signings are a great way to promote your book and get people to buy it. If you have the opportunity to do one, do it! And if you get nervous, just remember that these people took time out of their busy lives to see you because they admire your work that much. They're already prejudiced in your favor, so it will be hard to disappoint them. Have fun, strut a little, and sell your stuff!

Critique Groups -- Do I Join?

2009-09-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Since I'm founding a new critique group today with my friend Jen (Surf City Writers), I figured writing a blog about critique groups would be rather timely.

(Shout out to SoonToBePublished, the other critique group I started!)

Whether or not to join a critique group is a really important decision for writers, especially since critique groups are not for everyone. Also, some critique groups may do your work and morale more harm than good. So here are some things to consider:

1. What is everyone else in the group writing?

I took a class called "Advanced Fiction Writing" at Penn (classes at Penn are structured like critique groups with the addition of a teacher). I was excited about this class because I heard the teacher was a great editor, and I thought he would help me improve my writing.

There was just one problem: he was only interested in "literary" writing. Everything else was beneath his attention.

In the first class, I made the mistake of mentioning how I had attended a SCBWI conference in New York. From then on, every thing I wrote in that class was apparently for children and therefore trashy.

However, I've learned a lot from that experience. First of all, my skin is a lot tougher, and I don't let one opinion get me down. Secondly (and the point of this story), make sure whoever critiques your work actually likes your work. If they don't, their advice won't be very helpful. Yes, this teacher turned out to be a great editor, and I learned a lot from his advice--to other students.

As a subcategory, you want to make sure you like their work. It's hard to slog through writing you don't like and then to try and give useful advice at the end of it.

2. Do you know how to ignore advice?

If you don't know how to ignore advice, I would strongly advice against joining a group. I know that may sound weird, but I've been in a lot of classes and critique groups over the years, and people have the strangest ideas for your work. They think you should take it in this direction, or ooh wouldn't it be so cool if this happened? Sometimes they completely misunderstand what I'm trying to do (in which case I ignore their advice but realize I need to make my concept a bit clearer), and sometimes they just think their idea is better.

The most important thing is to stay true to your vision. Sometimes that means saying no to advice. However, you may want to consider why they are giving you that advice (ie if they want you to suddenly throw in a genie, maybe the scene is too slow) and think on your own for a better way to fix the problem.

That being said, don't overly ignore advice, either. You may mutter to yourself about how no one understands your vision, but if everyone is saying the same thing, there is definitely a problem there that needs to be fixed. Again, you don't have to fix it the way everyone tells you, but you ought to do something about it.

3. How often does the group meet?

If the group meets too often for your schedule, that could be a problem. You don't want to hastily critique someone's manuscript and expect them to spend hours and hours on yours. That's just not fair. (Make sure the reverse doesn't happen to you, either.)

If the group doesn't meet often enough, you could always join a second group. It will take longer to critique all your work, but you'll have more advice. It depends on which you find more important.

4. Does the group meet online or in person?

I'm a part of both types of groups because I find online writers can dedicate more time to critiquing your work (say, continuously over two weeks rather than at the last minute before a meeting). However, meeting in person gives more of a social aspect.

I like both equally for different reasons, but that's just me. You might like online because you don't have a set schedule for when you need to critique--just post your critique any time before the deadline--or you may like in person because you desperately need to get out of the house every once in a while. Writing can be a lonely craft.

5. How good are the writers?

You don't want to be a good writer with a bunch of people who are just starting out--but you also don't want to be a beginner with a bunch of people who have been published. It's important to find people who are at your writing level so you can focus on different aspects of the work.

For instance, beginning writers will need to focus more of their attention on the craft itself. Advanced writers can spend more of their time on the story. A beginner probably won't be able to contribute as much to someone who has been writing for a while, and an advanced writer may not necessarily want to teach someone how to write. It's very hard to mix beginning and advanced writers, and it's much easier to grow as writers together.

That being said, it can of course be done. It depends on you and your fellow writers, and what you both want to get out of the experience.

That is my first five criteria for whether or not you should join a critique group. And remember: no critique group is for everyone. If you do join a critique group, you need to make sure it's the right one for you, and you are the right person for them.

What do you think? What criteria do you consider? I think the rest of my criteria fall into the category, "Do I want to stay in this critique group?"

Hmm ... that's a good idea for a next post. :)

A Conversation with an Editor

2009-08-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was lucky enough to have a conversation with an editor about what she does all day in the office and about various technical aspects of how authors get paid. I thought I knew a lot more than I did, so I am pleased to share this information with you.

First of all, editors almost never read or edit while they're at the office. They almost always do that in their own time, which is why they must absolutely love a book before they acquire it.

They also go through contracts, keep up with the submission log, tweet for the company, lightly check facts, proofread for others, write lots of copy and rejection letters, register CIP (copyright), and attend a lot of meetings (acquisitions, big book, publishing, and production), most of which are once a week. If they are an assistant, they also have to do all that stuff, like filing and scheduling appointments.

Then I asked the editor how they decide on the advance for an author and his/her book. Of course, like everything else in this field, it really depends. Some of the factors are what they think they can sell, what similar books are selling for, what they think they will need to pay to get the book, and what kinds of rights they are trying to secure. In other words, it's not always about the book. And just like in normal business, the seller wants to acquire the book for as little money as possible and the buyer wants to sell it for as much money as possible.

Lastly, I asked this editor how "earning out" an advance works, and when the royalties kick in. This editor said it's funny because a lot of authors think royalties are amazing, but most books don't sell enough for the author to earn royalties. (It does happen, though.)

So basically, here's when the author gets royalties:

When a book sells, there are two places the money goes (for simplicity's sake, let's refer to them as Jar 1 and Jar 2). Jar 1 is for the publisher, and usually about 80% of the profits goes to Jar 1 (it depends on the contract). This 80% pays for the costs that went into the book, ie printing, labor, and design, and will hopefully cover all these costs so the publishers can make money. Jar 2 is for the author, and is generally about 20%. Before the author makes money out of Jar 2, however, enough money has to be put into Jar 2 to cover the advance. When the money in Jar 2 equals the advance, any extra money that goes into Jar 2 becomes royalties for the author.

Phew! Confusing, right?

These jars are part of how the advance for the book is determined. Before the publishers buy a book, they will run a profit and loss statement that takes all of these factors into account, ie how long it will take for the advance to earn out, the amount the book will make based on information you put in, etc. If the numbers do not look good, then the advance is probably too high.

Please let me know if you understand this, because I know I had a lot of trouble figuring it out!

Writing Websites

2009-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

There are a few websites to which every aspiring writer should subscribe, so I thought I'd spend a blog putting them down. If you know of any others, please let me know!

1) Verla Kay's Website for Children's Writers and Illustrators.

Not only does Verla Kay have fantastic advice for writers, but she also has this thing known as the Blueboard. It is message boards where writers (published and unpublished) can communicate about lots of things, like 101 Things You Learned from Reading YA (best thread ever), response times from editors and agents, and query critiques to give your query that extra oomph. Once you're registered, you have a lot more access to the important information, so I suggest you register. Be careful what you say, though: editors and agents will stop by and read the boards occasionally, so you don't want to say anything rude or out of line.

2) Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

SCBWI is one of the leading organizations for children's writers and illustrators, and it is invaluable especially for the unpublished writer. At SCBWI conferences, you learn about the industry, network with agents and editors, and have opportunities to show off your writing and improve it. Tons of writers have gotten published because of SCBWI, and all of my triumphs started happening after I joined it. I'm hoping that I soon will be an SCBWI success story.

Besides the national conferences, there are also regional events that can be very useful. My chapter has an annual editor's day (which I'm about to attend), and an annual agent's day, where you spend time working more closely with an editor or agent. Regionals also have schmoozes where you can meet your fellow writers and critique groups you can join to improve your stories.

3) Publisher's Marketplace.

If you're a professional in the field, you'll probably pay to subscribe to the whole thing. As an unpublished author, however, you can get a free subscription to stay updated on the news in the industry and to keep tabs on some of the deals that are going on (which agents are selling which authors to which editors) with Publisher's Lunch. The Children's Bookshelf gives you weekly updates specificially on news in the children's industry.

4) Query Shark.

Query Shark posts query letters that people have written and critiques them. The change in people's query letters is simply astounding, and a few of them have gotten the much coveted "Yes!" Even if you don't want to post your own query letter (here's to hoping mine is posted), reading the other letters and the advice is invaluable.

Then, of course, you should start networking with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, and your own blog. When you finally have a contract, you'll have a solid base of people to whom you can promote your book and create that buzz to make sure your book sells!

Apparently if you help create buzz, you're known as a "Big Mouth." I was just named as a big mouth at a certain publisher's marketing meeting, since that's where my editor friend works.

I may not have been brought up at a publisher's meeting because they want to buy my book ... but I was brought up at a publisher's meeting!

:-D

My First Triumph

2009-08-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

The person mentioned in this blog shall remain anonymous because I absolutely love her for helping me. She definitely had no obligation to me. I just want to tell everyone good news to help keep our spirits up, since being unpublished can be hard on the soul sometimes.

Anyway, a NYT Bestselling author critiqued the beginning of my manuscript. She told me that it was one of the most polished manuscripts she's EVER read, and she asked for a synopsis because she wanted to know what happened next.

Well, I kind of freaked out at this news. This author is very respected in the field, and she liked my work?!?!?! How cool!

SCBWI Summer 2009, Day 4

2009-08-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

The last day of the 2009 conference opened with Dinah Stevenson and her speech, "May the 4 C's Be With You: An Editor Suggests Strategies for Hard Times."

Her four C's were:

1. Creativity. As a writer, you have something unique to say. Be faithful to that which exists in no one else.

2. Craft. Love is blind, and a writer loves his/her work.

3. Community.

4. Chocolate (or some other treat).

She left us with some parting words that I found inspirational:

Writing a publishable book is hard. Once you've done that, getting your book published is easy.

Juvenile books were #2 for all books sales in 2008 (mystery books being #1). Incredibly, people spent 3.16 billion dollars on children's books in 2008.

My first breakout session was with Sarah Davies from Greenhouse Literary. Her website is www.greenhouseliterary.com, and she strongly suggests than you visit it before you submit to her.

Interestingly, she told us that 90% of revenue comes from 10% of books. It is these 10% that pay for everything else and give the publishing houses their reputations. These books are called "breakout" books, and her speech was, "A Recipe for Writing the Breakout Novel: 5 Ingredients for Success."

Her 5 ingredients:

1) An inspired concept. You need to know the market, but don't write derivatives of current bestsellers. Know who you are writing for--what gender and age? Seek a truly original and clever concept, and make it your Unique Selling Point. Know your pitch BEFORE you start to write.

2) Larger-than-life-characters. Know them so well (including backstory) before you start writing that you don't need to explain them. Show don't tell. Description has no value in itself--use it to reveal character. The primary revealers of character are conflict and dilemma. And dialogue: the external of conversation must reveal the internal agenda of your characters.

3) A high-stakes story. What do your characters stand to win or lose? Think big! Create a good outline--a structural A-Z (and she pronounced it zed. I miss London). How do you plan to reach Z? Plant your subplot seeds so they escalate tension right through to your climax.

4) A deeply felt theme. What is the reader left with at the end of the story--what spiritual or moral message? A newly perceived truth about what it means to be human? Embed this theme into your story's concept and plot. Stockpiling adjectives/adverbs/metaphors is not a 'deeply felt theme.' It is over-writing and kills pace and engagement.

5) A vivid setting. The setting should be imbued with emotion. Make your place a character in the story.

If it's a story she wants to read but hasn't found yet, she must find it.

If you have a paranormal story, you need a really fresh twist.

You need your USP -- unique selling point.

Don't write until you have an outstanding, clever pitch. 2 minutes is too long. Can you sum it up a few sentences? How about words? You need to concentrate your focus.

The important parts are not what you say but what you whisper. (A very beautiful way of saying show, don't tell.)

What you say is not always as important as what you don't say--the external reflects the internal agenda.

And then she added a sixth ingredient: The special alchemy of voice. You need to be a musician, and your inner ear must be trained.

She is unusually editorial and is looking for that spark that makes her sit up, even if the plot is rough. Make sure to read her blog about queries and spend time on her website (people spend an average of 2 minutes, which isn't enough time).

Now, this was probably pretty dorky of me, but I went back to see Ari Lewin a second time for "Revisions: How an Author and Editor Work Together to Make a Good Manuscript Great." I loved her so much from the first breakout session that I did something I swore I'd never do: I went back to see the same person a second time.

Ari told us that 3 drafts of a book are normal. She spends 2-3 eight hour days editing a full manuscript, which she has to do on her own time (not in the office). That is why she must absolutely love a book before she acquires it. She will talk to writers before she acquires it to make sure they share a vision for the book because she will never make a book what she wants.

Ari loves to poke holes in a fantastical world. Less senior editors can edit more, so they're more likely to take on a book that needs more work. She has to ease people into the editorial letter because it can be overwhelming--and stop working on your manuscript while you're waiting for her editorial letter!!

If a writer doesn't like Ari's suggestion for his/her book, Ari doesn't care as long as they address the problem somehow. You want to fix it another way that works? Fine. She picks her battles carefully. A word or a line usually doesn't bother her if the author likes it--unless it will significantly cut sales, and there isn't a good reason. Then she'll fight back because it's crucial to the success of the book.

Her author, Cinda Williams Chima, has a website cindachima.com with tips for writers.

Look out for "the word" that you overuse 30/40 times. Most authors have this word, and they laugh when it's pointed out to them.

Then there was the signing party, and that was it for the 2009 conference!

So now I have to share my own little personal story of the day:

After Sarah Davies, I headed back to Steven Malk's breakout session to thank him for being so kind to me the day before. I told him that when he waved at me, I felt so cool because Steven Malk was waving at me!! He laughed, and this woman with him said, "Oh, Steve, wave at me! I want to know what it feels like!"

So apparently this woman was his mom. She was absolutely delightful and classy, but I was so embarrassed. At least I understood why he was cracking jokes about overbearing Jewish parents.

I will leave you with this thought: The editors and agents at the conferences (and yes, even the amazing Steven Malk) are human. They're not superstars or celebrities, they get bored and tired like the rest of us, and they don't like being hounded because you see them as a stepping stone to a greater fame. I always feel like I connect well to them because I treat them like they're human and let my enthusiasm for their work shine.

The wonderful thing about children's editors and agents is not only are they human, but they tend to be the very best and kindest type of human.

Searching for Christian Imagery in Harry Potter

2009-08-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

This story about searching for Christian Imagery in Harry Potter appeared today on the Children's Bookshelf of Publisher's Weekly (if you don't have at least the free subscription to it, you should, even if it's just to read, "Tales from the Slush Pile"). I think it's funny how desperate some people are to categorize books one way or the other -- does Harry Potter promote Satanism or Christian ideals?

Why does it matter?

If a book is good, you're going to learn from it no matter what approach it takes. Harry Potter teaches us about friendship, love, and magic. Could it teach us something about Satanism or Christian ideals? Maybe, if you work really hard to spin it that way. But Harry Potter isn't about teaching, just like most good children books. They're written to entertain and make you feel good. People need to remember that.

I recently heard an author say that whenever a book of his gets banned, he sends a box of his books to the nearest libraries. At the SCBWI conference, Sherman Alexie told us that he feels bad for kids who get excited about reading his book because it's banned ("What? This is it? Where's the dirty stuff?"). Banning is kind of pointless because then people want to see what's so wrong with it. We tend to be perverse that way.

Once I heard that there are two ways to ensure your book makes the NYT bestseller list: either it becomes one of Oprah's books, or the Catholic church bans it.

Man, I hope the Catholic church bans my book one day.

SCBWI Summer 2009, Day 3

2009-08-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add that Day 2 ended with the Blue Moon Ball. I almost didn't stay, but Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why) told me it was a lot of fun, so I'm glad I listened to him because I had a blast! At the party, I ran into Katherine Applegate (Animorphs) who is one of my heroes from when I was a kid, and her husband Michael Grant (Gone, Hunger). They have to be the nicest couple ever. I am so lucky to be friends with them and Jay. Even if I never get published, the three of them have made the conferences worth it for me.

Anyway, Day 3!

Sunday opened with a lovely speech from Dan Yaccarino, an illustrator and author of picture books. Every stage of his career opened with a "Yes!" -- and it wasn't always from a publisher, but sometimes from him. For instance, someone asked him if he had a text to go with some pictures that she (and I) loved. Even though he didn't, he said, "Yes!" She asked him to fax it to her as soon as he got home, so he sat in Starbucks, bought their largest frappacino, and wrote for a few hours. Only two words were changed.

Next we heard from Holly Black. I have a lot to quote from her speech "Examining the Strange: The Basics of Fantasy Writing," so I'll paraphrase again:

Writing is a conversation with what came before. (For instance, Tamora Pierce loves adventure fantasy novels, but almost none of them featured girls. So she started writing books with girls as the heroes in response to what came before.)

Fantasy is labeled as escapist, but it doesn't have to be. It is the land of the metaphor; it actualizes metaphors. A changeling feels alien because she is alien. This means that you have to be careful with your metaphors and what you're saying because you're saying real things about us and our world.

Fantasy is strange and magical. It makes one tremble while fascinating them--there should be a mixture of fear and awe. The mixture of fear and awe is what makes our work fantastical.

We must believe the fantasy we are reading. We have to believe that the writer actually saw Elfland, and they are telling us about it. Therefore, as writers, we must be concrete. How does our world work? The real world elements must really be real for us to believe the fantastical. (Patricia C. Wrede has a fantastic list of worldbuilding questions, which is on the website http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/.) Fantasy is like historical fiction in that we can never actually visit this world, so we have to convince our readers that it is a place we have been.

There is also a difference between day/night magic. Day magic works exactly the same way every time, and the rules are explicity spelled out, like science. But for night magic, the rules are seldom spelled out, and the character has to intuitively work it out.

****For fantasy, there are two kinds of plots:****

There is the fantastical plot, which has rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

There is ALSO the human story, which has the same elements but must start before and end after the fantastical plot.

Holly Black used the example of a dragon ravaging villages. How do you bring that to a climax? Does the dragon destroy bigger and bigger villages every time? The normal plot arc doesn't seem to work.

But then you examine the king and his story. The king's brother is in love with his wife. Does he send his brother out to fight the dragon and probably never return? Or does he go himself instead to leave his wife and brother with an open pathway to each other? Does the story end with the king dying as he tries to slay the dragon? Or does he manage to slay the dragon and survive? What happens next?

I am so excited that Holly Black is visiting my bookstore next month because I will defintely be there to hear her again.

For the first breakout session of the day, I attended Elizabeth Law's "Five Tips, Five Goofs to Avoid, and a Bit About Egmont," partially because my friend from college happens to be her assistant. This friend of mine is going to be a powerhouse editor one day so I feel very lucky to know her.

Anyway, her five goofs:
1. Publishing a book because it's commercial but not because you like it. 3 times, she tried publishing books that she didn't like because she thought they would be commercial, and they failed.

2. Spending money hoping to build a book into a big book.

3. Changing the age to fit something that doesn't work.

4. Not talking to your editor or agent.

5. Not taking your career into your own hands. If you're polite, respectful, and keep the conversation short, there's no problem with following up.

Five tips:
1. Start social networking early. Follow editors and agents on Twitter and their blogs. Use livejournal, Facebook, Twitter, etc., because you're going to need to reach your readers with these tools.

2. Make sure you have a story that goes with your voice. Lately, she has been getting books with lovely voices but no stories. You need both.

3. Don't write for a trend. It's better to do what you do well.

4. Follow up with an editor or agent 3 months later (and my addendum: if they don't specifically prohibit you from following up)

5. Don't complain while you network

Elizabeth also opened the doors for unsolicited manuscripts to Egmont for three months. Part of their profits go to a charity in Scandinavia.

Afterwards, I attended the breakout session "From Idea to Hit Book: The Writer-Agent-Editor Team" with Steven Malk, Krista Marino, and Frank Portman. All three of them are incredibly nice people, and I enjoyed listening to them. The situation was pretty specific though, so there's not a lot of details to know. If you can work with Krista or Steven on anything, you are an incredibly lucky person. I especially connected to Steven, and I hope to see him again in the future.

Now for my personal part of the day:

When I was heading to my car, I spotted one of the agents talking to someone in the lobby. I wanted to tell her how much I enjoyed listening to her, and we ended up in this earnest conversation. She asked me for my pitch, which I had never delivered in person before, and then gave me her business card and requested the whole manuscript! She also gave me incredible advice on my life, and I am very grateful to her for that. I wish her all the success with her clients and submissions!

Aaand that's all for Day 3, folks!

SCBWI Summer 2009, Day 2

2009-08-25T15:08:00.000-07:00

Since I have some extra time, I thought I might as well write up Day 2 of the SCBWI summer 2009 conference. (For those of you who don't know about SCBWI, it stands for "The Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators." If you are serious about getting published, SCBWI is a good place to start.)

My day started with the amazing Karen Cushman, who gave the speech, "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities." I was very excited to hear her speak since I loved her books as a child.

Anyway, here are a few paraphrased quotes that stuck out to me:

The function of freedom is to free someone else.

We are here as writers to make our dreams come true.

Conventional wisdom for writers (none of which work for her):
Put your butt in the chair
Don't edit your first draft
Cut 10% of your manuscript
Write every day

Inside you, you have an editor and a critic. The critic tells you your book is awful and unreadable. The editor tells you how to improve your book. Dump the critic from your brain immediately! Doubt and fear are obstacles of your own making.

The conventional wisdom tells you to write what you know. But, in reality, you should write what you WANT to know! So show up, pay attention, tell the truth, and let go of the outcome.

By writing down your story, you are giving power to your thoughts.

We connect with a character's emotions, not their physical appearance. To tell readers about them, we must know them first--their hates, their fears, their loves. When we describe them, it should not be idle description, but something that tells us about their inner thoughts. For instance, if our character is lying, what happens to his/her face or posture?

Stories come from our character's convictions. For instance, fairytales are not written to tell us that dragons exist, but to tell us that they can be beaten.

Publishing is out of our hands. We cannot make an editor take our book. We write because we are writers--publishing is only one reason we write.

Isn't Karen Cushman a true gem?

After Karen, I attended editor Ari Lewin's breakout session, "How an Editor at Disney/Hyperion Evalutes and Acquires." Here is one reason why it is beneficial to attend an SCBWI conference: although her house is normally closed to unsolicited submissions, she opened her doors to attendees for one month. That is a very exciting opportunity for an unagented and unpublished author, and it is almost impossible to find.

Anyway, Ari told us that she does most of her editing and reading at home, so she really has to love what she acquires. She also doesn't usually read cover letters because she cares only about the writing. She wants good, compelling, and engaging stories with an original, fresh, and believable voice. The voice should not be generic or stereotypical, like GIRL or KID. For a book with great girl dialogue, she suggests E. Lockhart's The Boyfriend List.

If a book suffers in the engaging plot and momentum category, she can fix that (and often has created plots for her books out of nothing). However, she can't make your premise sensible or your voice interesting. Make sure your voice is age appropriate--if your novel is YA, make sure your character thinks about YA things.

Ari is oversaturated with paranormal stories, especially werewolves. She had to turn down a really great werewolf book that she loved because her list already has too many werewolf books. (Although the book did sell to another publishing house.)

Ari does NOT buy historical, quiet/slow, or problem novels. (Problem novels are books about bulimia, abuse, etc.)

This is her earn out formula:
retail price of book x royalties x # copies

She also defined a non-contractual revision: The editor will write notes and suggestions for the manuscript. As a professional rule, the writer will resubmit their work with the changes first to this editor. If the editor still does not want to offer the writer a contract, the writer is free to ship it around to other publishing houses with the changes, if they so choose.

Q: What problem do you see with most submissions from SCBWI authors?
A: Fantasy books that start at the climax. If the world blows up at the beginning, why would the reader care? The reader shrugs and says, "So what?" because they don't feel connected to that world yet.

Next we had the agent panel with Marietta Zacker from Nancy Gallt, Kelly Sonnack from Andrea Brown, Dan Lazar from Writer's House, Sarah Davies from Greenhouse, Brenda Bowen from Sanford J. Greenberger Associates, and Stephen Fraser from Jennifer De Chiara.

For submissions:
Marietta wants a snail mail query oozing passion.
Kelly wants an e-query with the first ten pages.
Dan Lazar is looking particularly for middle grade.
Sarah wants an e-query (look at her website for how to submit).

Q: How is the recession affecting the publishing industry?
BB: Fewer people doing as much and more work.
SD: Sales are flat and editors are leaving, but we're still selling books.
SF: It's been our best year ever for selling books.
DL: There is less money for books and advances than six months ago.
KS: The kids' industry is hurting less than the adult industry. Adults are now reading YA, so there's a bigger market. However, publishers are being more selective and taking fewer risks.

Q: How do you balance editing vs. selling?
SD: If there is more potential in the query than the finished work, can't create a voice out of nothing.
SF: Will edit, but it's not the primary job.
DL: Can spend 4-6 months editing.
KS: Likes editing, being hands-on.
MZ: Will edit but it depends on the manuscript (some don't really need it, for instance).
SF: Editors don't have as much time anymore to work on books.

Q: What is the role of an agent?
BB: Nurturing creative careers.
SF: Some agents work book by book. (None of the ones on this panel do.)
SD: Loves strategies.

Q: Do you ship the second book around to multiple houses or keep it in the same house?
DL: Harder to work in multiple houses.
SF: Will shop it around as an economic move to try and earn a higher advance.
DL: Thinks creating a name with the house will bring more money in the long run.

Q: What should authors look for in a contract with a publishing house?
DL: Option clause, royalties, etc.
BB: High discount, ie for places like Amazon, often means reduced royalties for the author. Just because they're discounting doesn't mean you want reduced royalties.
SF: Out of print clause (print on demand), still want to get royalties when it's out of print. (I personally know an author who didn't get royalties when they brought her book back--significantly edited but with her name still on the cover.)

Q: What last word do you want to leave with us?
DL: Keep reading.
BB: Only connect.
SD: Squeeze the juice from the fruit. (Everything comes from plot and character.)
SF: Spoil with encouragement--every good book has a home.
KS: Wants to fall in love.
MZ: Communicate well and with passion. What's in your heart? Make us fall in love with it.
DL: Hard to write a query letter. The best way to pitch is not to harp on themes or ideas. Use specific details.

For my second breakout session of the day, I chose Krista Marino and Anica Rissi, "Two Editors Look at the Teen Movement." Again, a great reason why you should attend SCBWI conferences: Krista Marino also opened her doors for a year to unsolicited submissions. She wants the ENTIRE manuscript. Bet you wish you'd gone now, eh? ;)

Krista is an editor at Delacorte, where she works mostly on middle grade and YA. Anica Rissi works at Simon and Pulse, where she works purely on YA.

They told us that the teen movement has only exploded in the last ten years (which is about when I started buying YA as a preteen!), including new age ranges and creativity. The genres blur more than for adults. Chain stores are wary of debut authors. Delacorte is good at getting behind big books. Both of them want closed series, ie trilogies, but prefer strong stand alone books.

Online marketing is really starting to blossom, too. Teens can build relationships with authors that never existed before, and can follow them in new and exciting ways.

Teens are also moving away from books that resemble our own world. The world is scary now, so books are getting edgier and darker. That's why YA is boundary pushing, and about figuring out who you are. There should be an immediacy of the moment in your writing, an intensity of emotion and experience. Everything must have layers, and there should be a contemporary voice.

If you don't sell out your advance, you're considered a failure no matter how high or low your advance was. (Scary, right?) Because of the recession, even the paper quality of the books are going down. Galleys cost more to print.

Lastly, I heard Wendy Loggia's "I Wanted to Love This: 7 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Gets Declined." Basically, she talked about the manuscripts she was close to buying but chose not to for one of these 7 reasons.

And the 7 reasons are:

1. Nice writing but no story. Nothing happens. She won't risk taking on something just because she likes the writing.

2. Too similar to other novels she's worked on. She likes if you've researched her and wrote something suited to her taste, but it's tricky if it's too close (like a traveling scarf instead of pants). Generally, she likes her old ones better, and yours seems like a cheaper imitation. She also won't take it if it's too similar to other books in the marketplace, to books on her list, or other imprints in Randomhouse. As a side note, she loves books about friendship.

3. The author doesn't know who the reader is. If there's no potential for chain stores or school/library, the book won't sell. It must be for at least one of the two. A book like this may be one that's too quiet.

4. The writer seems like a difficult person to work with. Don't criticize books that the editors edited, even on your blogs--which editors can check before agreeing to buy your book. Don't write every detail of how hard you worked. Don't say anything unprofessional or mean about others in the industry. Don't overshare on your blogs or website.

5. Can't connect to your voice. Everything else may fall into place--an interesting plot and concept, etc.--but if there's too much telling or if the voice is predictable, she won't buy it.

6. Authors who submit too early, before they are really ready. They are too eager to get their book out.

7. Project will not stand out on list.

These days, Wendy is a lot tougher on acquiring books. The publishing houses are now doing profit and loss statements on each individual editor, so editors can't take the same risks anymore.

Wendy is also accepting unsolicited e-queries now. Since she and Krista work at the same imprint, Delacorte, it's time to choose who would be a better fit for your book!

And that was the end of Day 2.

SCBWI Summer 2009, Day 1

2009-08-25T13:02:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who celebrated my birthday with me yesterday! It was utterly fantastic, and I can't believe I have to wait 364 days until my next birthday.

Today, I've decided to record day 1 of the 2009 SCBWI summer conference for everyone who couldn't be there. The conferences are always inspiring and rewarding, and I recommend everyone who can to go. I won't record all of the information (there's simply too much) but the bits I found particularly helpful.

First, I attended the "First Pages: Making an Impression in 250 Words" with Jordan Brown. He told us that we should start as close to the end of the story as possible. In our first page, we should establish:

1) Character
2) Voice and atmosphere
3) What will happen in the story?

The first, character, is the most important aspect. Since character drives plot, everything comes from the character. This does not mean we should focus on the character's physical appearance, however. We should describe what is IMPORTANT to the character.

If we are writing in first person, we should tell what the character notices and decides to tell us. What the character thinks is important, and he/she will not notice every single detail in her environment. Pick the details that are important to him/her and to the story.

Next, we need to establish how the story will be told. What kind of story are we reading? As a writer, we need to be the tour guide of the story--how will we regard situations? Funny? Scary? We also need to lay out the rules of our story.

Lastly, what will happen in the story? By this, we mean what will be at stake? What stands to be lost or gained? You want to make sure the reader moves to the second page.

Although the first page is most important, you also want to make sure that the book is as important as it can be. This story must be the most important story that can possibly happen to our character. Make sure that is your story, and then write it down.

Jordan Brown then answered a few questions for us. I found two of the answers most helpful. Although I'm using a question/answer format, I am completely paraphrasing his answers.

Q: Does a prologue count as the first page?
A: Yes. But some editors hate prologues, so make sure it is absolutely necessary to your novel. If it is, keep it. If not? Cut it.

Q: What about for trilogies?
A: Trilogies generally follow a format. Book 1: Establish a group of rules for your world. Book 2: Throw that group of rules in the trash. Book 3: Bring the rules/trashing of the rules together.

After Jordan Brown, I attended the panel for "Success Stories: Four Editors Distill the Secrets of a Successful Book."

Ari Lewin from Disney-Hyperion spoke about Cinda Williams Chima 's The Heir Chronicles. Ari told us that she attributes part of Chima's success to the fact that her novels are companion books, not sequels or follow-up novels. In other words, you can read them in any order. (I myself picked up the second book first by accident.) Chima also has a good pace, appeals to boys and girls, and has a great cover design. Lastly, she wrote a real-world fantasy, in which it seems real and familiar but has a huge secret underneath it all, and that appeals to readers who might not normally enjoy fantasy.

Jennifer Hunt defined a "backlist gem" to us, which means it sells year after year. A "career changer" book puts an author on a map, and a "great debut" means that a solid fanbase will be expecting the second book.

Then, Lin Oliver asked our editor panel what makes a book successful. According to Jennifer Hunt, success isn't about numbers but about the career and the long life of a book. Jordan Brown agreed, saying that books have different expectations to be deemed "successful" because they hit different markets and ordeals.

For the second breakout session, I chose Marietta Zacker's "A Look at the Publishing Industry from the Perspective of an Agent." She is an agent at Nancy Gallt's Literary Agency, and she was absolutely wonderful.

Marietta's emphasis was on passion. Books should have heart, struggles, joy, and passion. They need to be exceptional. As writers, we need to create passion for generations to come.

Before submitting, we should write and rewrite our manuscripts, and ask, "Who will share my vision and passion? Why am I writing what I am? Is it deep within my soul? Have I written a letter that is professional and passionate?"

Marietta does accept unsolicited queries. For now, snail mail is best, although Nancy Gallt Literary Agency will soon be accepting e-queries.

And that was the end of day 1. More to come!

My Birthday

2009-08-24T01:00:00.001-07:00

Today is my birthday, and birthdays have always been special days for me, so I figured it was a good day to start blogging. I'll start with the worries and triumphs tomorrow because today is for relaxation and fun!

Tomorrow (or, more accurately, later today) I will be heading down to my grandma's lake with my California friends, family, and boyfriend for some barbecuing, kayaking, boating, and swimming. My grandma's lake has always been a good time, and I've had some of my best memories with my boyfriend and friends there.

Like that one time I went with my French friend Claire. While we were kayaking, we decided we wanted to swim, so my boyfriend Tristan jumped out of our double kayak. As a joke, I started paddling away. Before I could get back to him, the lifeguards "rescued" him, asking if he was in need of assistance or medical attention. He still accuses me of abandoning him to his fate.

Claire then decided that she wanted to be rescued by an American lifeguard. Before we knew it, she had jumped in the lake very happily and the lifeguards zoomed back out. This time they told us if we jumped again, they'd kick us out, so that ended that.

Good times.