September 2010

NEWSFLASH!: a Dear-Editor.com Giveaway – a FREE picture book edit!

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Dear Readers…

By popular request, to celebrate the six-month anniversary of Dear-Editor.com, the Editor is giving away a FREE EDIT of one picture book manuscript. Deadline: October 10, 2010. Read on for rules….

Dear Readers…

To celebrate the six-month anniversary of Dear-Editor.com (woo-hoo!), the Editor is giving away a free edit* of one picture book manuscript. Scroll down using the blue sidebar on the right for all the rules:

1. Your manuscript must be a PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT (target audience ages 3 to 8), text only.

2. Your manuscript must be COMPLETE.

3. Your manuscript SHALL NOT EXCEED 2,000 WORDS.

4. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified.

5. Deadline: MIDNIGHT, OCTOBER 10, 2010, PST.

6. Winner will be randomly selected.

TO ENTER:

One entry –  SEND EMAIL to Dear-Editor.com using the “Write to Dear Editor” button at the top of this blog. Type “6-Month Anniversary Giveaway” in the subject line. In the body of the email, include TITLE of manuscript, WORD COUNT, and YOUR FULL NAME.

Bonus entry – SUBSCRIBE. Dear-Editor.com subscribers get a bonus entry by sending a second email with “Subscriber’s Bonus Giveaway Entry” in the subject line and your title, word count, and full name in the body. (Note: the Editor will verify!) Not a subscriber yet? Then subscribe now by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this blog and then email your second entry.

Extra bonus entries – SPREAD THE WORD. Blog, tweet, or otherwise electronically tell others about this giveaway to get additional entries. Send an email to Dear-Editor.com with “I Spread the Word!” in the subject line, and in the body include a link to your blog post or your Twitter address or your Facebook wall or whatever social media you used to spread the word. Don’t send screen-shots; attachments won’t be accepted. Include your title, word count, and full name in the body. Spread the word more than once? Then send an “I Spread the Word!” email for each one!

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules will be disqualified, at the Editor’s discretion. The winner will be chosen randomly, using www.Random.org.

*The edit may be a line-by-line “Line Edit” or a “Substantive Edit” in which the author receives general feedback about the manuscript’s overall pacing, organization, narrative voice, plot development/narrative arc, characterization, point of view, setting, age appropriateness, and delivery of background information, as the Editor determines appropriate and necessary after reviewing the entire manuscript.

As promised, friends, this one’s for picture book manuscripts. Thanks to everyone for a fun first six months!

Happy writing!

The Editor

Time to Trash My Manuscript?

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Dear Editor…

I have been sending out my middle grade fantasy. I was writing to my 8 year old but the 2 rejections I received speak about voice. I myself am moved by the voice in children’s books and can certainly attain A GOOD voice in a new book, but should I throw this one away? Believe the two rejections?

Sincerely,

Gemini

Dear Gemini…

Two thumbs down don’t warrant the round file. But since those thumbs take issue with the same thing—voice—let’s take that up. One way to make a “good” narrative voice “great” is to spiffy up your word and phrase choices. Don’t use bland go-to words. Characters don’t sit, they kick back or slump. They don’t get mad, they freak out or huff about. They’re not small, they’re scrawny. But even more than replacing bland verbs with active ones, or innocuous adjectives with spunky ones, look for phrases that force you to re-examine and recast the entire sentence, then the paragraph, then the scene, etc. For example, changing “He was so dumb” to “He was a congenital idiot” opens up a whole new personality for the narrative voice. Look to the last entries in your bound thesaurus (not those free on-line jobbies that are so heinously sparse), at the nonformal usage (“nf”) listings and let them inspire you. Start with a single scene, experimenting with phrases you wouldn’t have considered in the past. A new voice should emerge and take over the scene, and then the next scene, and then the next…. Give that a try and see how it flies.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Do I Have to Read When I Sign?

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Dear Editor…

I was wondering if doing readings of your work at book signings is something you’re required to do as an author?

Sincerely,
Megan

Dear Megan…

No one’s going to whack you with a wet noodle if you don’t want to read at your book signing. What you do at a signing is up to you and the bookseller hosting it, and typically they’ll ask you your preference. If they suggest a reading, though, give it serious thought. Booksellers have a good handle on their store’s clientele and know what they’ll respond to. Happier customers translates to higher sales. If a fear of public speaking is behind your reluctance, I beg you to make squelching that fear your next New Year’s resolution. These days, the bulk of the promotion is on YOUR shoulders. Nothing creates loyal readers better than a personal experience with an author in classrooms, writers’ group meetings, and, yes, book signings.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Writer Credentials

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Dear Editor…

I’m writing a picture book and when putting together my manuscript I understand I have to include a bit about my writing credentials. Problem is – I don’t have any! Is this a barrier to entry or mean I’ll be subject to greater critical analysis than a published author?

Thanks,
Navigating Novice

Dear Navigating Novice…

It’s the ol’ chicken-and-egg resume moment. How do I get experience if no one will give me a job without experience? Feh. Fill the credential paragraph of your query letter with one of these:

  1. a statement explaining why YOU are the person to write this particular manuscript (i.e., it’s about an alien and you’re a former astronaut)
  2. the line “I’m a member of SCBWI. I hope this manuscript is up your alley and look forward to hearing from you.” If you’re not a member, become one. It tells editors you’re serious about perfecting your craft.
  3. option 2 above, minus the first five words. It won’t hurt that you’ve never been published. You just don’t get that extra oomph of credibility.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Are Three Pens Better Than One?

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Dear Editor…

Two writer friends and I have collaborated on a mg novel. Are editors leery of taking on collaborations and working with three authors and three agents? Is there a preferable way to package our talents so that we can be marketed as a team versus individuals?

Sincerely,

Natasha

Dear Natasha…

If your material is The Goods, editors won’t balk at a 3-person writing team. But be ready for extra scrutiny from them and reviewers: Three authors? Must be three times as good! Your voices must be seamless if they’re meant to blend. Or, if there are three different parts, each voice must be distinct, and changing from one to another must offer insight you could only get from that voice.

For insight into packaging a threesome, I tapped my favorite publicity collaborators, the duo at Blue Slip Media. They do point out possible marketing challenges: 3 author names on promo materials is tricky design-wise, and it’d be 3 times more expensive to bring all of you to conferences or go on tour, and having 3 agents pushing for top billing for their authors could be a headache for the Marketing Director. These might be arguments for packaging the group under a pen name—one that hints at or directly declares your team-up. You can brainstorm it with the Marketing Department when the times comes; you needn’t have it completely finalized when you submit. Despite these challenges, Blue Slips says that Marketing would welcome the unique possibilities your threesome offers: 3 sets of networks to tap into, 3 locales where you can push for local publicity, and potential for some great trade coverage (like Publishers Weekly and general newspapers/magazines) for the unusual approach to writing fiction. Having 3 authors makes the book stand out from the pack, a key in publicity. Just be sure you work together seamlessly (that word again!) so you can agree on things quickly and move forward.

I also checked with a publishing law attorney, Lisa Lucas at Lucas LLP. After all, a collaboration is a business partnership, and many authors forget that in the excitement of creating and submitting. Turns out Lisa blogged about this very issue earlier this summer. Her main message: Brainstorm the entire process, consider all the things that may come up, then assign responsibility and memorialize that on paper. For instance, when one author is at a conference doing the selling, should she get a bigger cut of those sales? Your agents, too, must work things out among themselves before bringing in the outside pressure of a publisher. Of course, you can’t predict everything (Lisa cites a case where one author in a collaboration commits murder—yikes!), but do take to heart her message about proactively discussing touchy things.

Happy writing!

The Editor

Should Flashbacks Be Feared?

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Dear Editor…

In my critique group my fellow authors warned me about the dangers of flashbacks in fiction. They suggested a prologue, but I have heard that prologues can also be deadly to a manuscript. Can you give me some advice on this matter?

Many thanks,
J

Dear J…

I have this niggling feeling you’re looking for ways to set up your story before it happens. As in, Psst! Hey, Reader, let me tell you something about the character before you start. Don’t do that. You have plenty of time to slip them background info once they care about your protagonist and the problems ahead of her. If they don’t care about her, they won’t give a fig about the things that happened in her past to make her who she is today. Instead, open with your character doing something that reveals her personality and hints at her problems. Then sprinkle in the background essentials, teasing them out with little references and then doing a Grand Reveal in a clever, unexpected way. Flashbacks are often big backstory dumps, so use them sparingly and with caution. Prologues are okay as long as you’re not just looking for a dumping method that doesn’t being with the letter “f”. The prologue must be entertaining in its own right. It’s not a free Psst! Hey Reader! moment. That’s when prologues become “deadly.” Readers want action in the first words, not explanation.

Happy writing!

The Editor