Writing and Publishing News

What distracts you from writing? Do you have cats wandering in and out of your office while you write? Are there children in the house? Maybe your spouse is retired and at home. Perhaps you’re distracted by something as simple as a sunny day or friends going out to lunch or for a round of golf.

Do you allow temptations to lure you away from your writing? Or do you stand strong against the call to go read a novel, watch a cooking show or mow the lawn? How do you handle the lure that threatens to take you away from your writing? If your writing is suffering, your earnings are down and you’re missing deadlines, you probably tend to cave in the face of distraction. On the other hand, if you collect enough each month to pay the bills and add to your nest egg, you’ve probably established some excellent work habits.

What are some of the habits of highly successful writers? Read on.

1: Establish a schedule and stick to it.
Hobby writers write when they feel like it—when inspiration strikes. Most successful career writers write according to a schedule. At least they begin their career by adhering to a strict schedule. After a while, writing is so much a part of their life and their routine that they no longer have to think about a schedule. They write according to the needs and expectations of their publishers, agents, readers and themselves.

2: Say “No” to distractions.
Most people find it difficult to write amidst activity. Barking dogs, a blaring TV, frolicking children, constant interruptions are not conducive to the act of writing. Choose your writing time and place carefully. Learn to say no to lunch dates, shopping trips and those other luxuries you enjoyed before you decided to become a career writer.

3: Set rules.
Retrain your friends, family and neighbors to respect your writing time. I always recommend that writers give when they take away. When you decline an invitation to lunch on Thursday, offer, instead, a jog together with your sister, for example on Saturday morning.

4: Look at rejection as an opportunity.
Rejection is difficult for a writer at any stage of his/her profession to accept. But it is part of the career package and a writer or author must learn to accept this fact. Now, how can you turn a rejection into an opportunity? By immediately turning the submission around. Either resubmit the same query or story to another magazine, change it to fit a different type of publication or come up with one or several new ideas.

5: Say “Yes” to unexpected opportunities.
Sometimes we miss opportunities. We don’t see opportunities or we just let them go—disregard them. I’ve learned to say “YES” to most opportunities and I figure out how to make it work later. An editor might ask me to write a piece on a topic I know nothing about. I say “yes” and then start conducting research. Someone might invite me to participate in a workshop in Wisconsin a week after I return from a writer’s conference in Honolulu. This actually happened. I said “YES,” and then figured out how to make it work.

6: Take risks.
Writing for publication involves constant risk-taking. You’re always trying to write what the editors, publishers and the public want. It’s a constant second-guessing process. What are you afraid will happen if you choose the wrong topic or present it in the wrong way? You’ll be rejected. And you might be rejected even if the topic is right on and the writing is, too. Maybe you don’t have enough confidence to send your article idea to a major magazine or your book proposal to a large publishing house. How will you ever know if your manuscript would be accepted if you don’t even try?

7: Promote, promote, promote.
Writing for publication, whether it’s articles, short stories or book manuscripts, requires constant promotion. It is rare that a publisher or magazine editor comes looking for the writer. We, the author or the writer must constantly put ourselves out there. We have to come up with the article ideas, for example, find the right magazine and pitch it in the right way. For the most part, we will not make sales beyond what we pitch. This is also true for authors with published books. Your book will sell for as long as you are willing to promote it.

Learn more about how to establish a freelance writing business in my book, A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. http://www.matilijapress.com Or take my online, on-demand article-writing course. $125 for 6 weeks. Sign up at:
http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm

Sign up for my NEW online, on-demand Book Promotion Workshop. $200 for 6-weeks. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookpromotion.htm

Order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. If you are a new or struggling author who is seeking publishing success, this could be the best $19.95 you’ve ever spent. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a committee to create an okapi, or so they say. How many people does it take to produce a successful book? Quite a few, actually.

The first-time author generally believes that it takes two people—the author and the publisher. It all sounds simple and straight-forward, doesn’t it? In reality, producing a good book and selling it takes many, many people. But the author should be involved in every phase of the process.

What does the process entail?

First there is the idea. As the author, you will perceive of a story or see a need for a nonfiction book. Your next step should be to write a book proposal. You may take a class or hire an expert to assist with this. Why do you need a book proposal? This effort will tell you whether you actually have a book at all. It is also your introduction to a publishing contract.

After completing the book proposal, you’ll spend months or years writing the book and fine-tuning it. Again, you may consult with writing experts along the way and take a few classes.

Other people come in throughout the writing process when you solicit illustrators, during the research process or when you seek expert testimonials, for example. And then the book needs an editor and maybe a proofreader. Often, authors ask friends to read their books, as well.

Next comes the publishing staff. If you self-publish, you need to hire a cover designer. If you aren’t Pagemaker savvy (for example), you’ll hire a page setup expert. And then there’s the printer and all of those holding the key to obtaining your ISBN, barcode, copyright, PCIP and so forth. If you go with a fee-based POD “self-publishing” company, you’ll be turning your manuscript over to their staff to handle all of these tasks. And if you land a traditional publisher, he will use his workforce to accomplish these details.

After publication you will need to get the word out about your book. At this point, you’ll most likely involve book reviewers, newspaper columnists, magazine and newsletter editors, appropriate website hosts, appropriate bloggers, distributors, wholesalers, bookstore managers, PR people from civic organizations, book festival coordinators and so forth. You might consult with an expert with regard to publicity or hire a publicist.

If you do it up right, you may have as many as 300 people involved in your book by the time you sell your first 1,000 copies. In fact, without them, you may never sell that first 1,000.

Sure, writing is a solitary activity. But if you plan to make your book public and if you want to see it succeed in the marketplace, it’s going to require a community.

Read more about all aspects of writing, publishing and promoting your book in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Sign up today for my 8-week online book proposal course starting September 15 and complete your book proposal by Thanksgiving. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

One of my book proposal course students landed a contract with Houghton Mifflin!!!

So often, we choose to move forward on projects without taking the time to gather the information and knowledge we need. This is particularly common in publishing. We figure that if we can write it without assistance, we can publish it on our own. Besides, there are an awful lot of companies and individuals out there willing to show us the way.

Countless hopeful authors, when they’re ready to publish their memoir, novel, book of poetry, children’s book or self-help book, for example, will make one research effort. They’ll do a Google search and, woolah, they find a company willing to publish their book sight unseen for a fee. And they search no further. Some of them luck out and fall into a nice situation. But most do not.

It’s after they make some hasty decisions and begin to notice that book production and sales aren’t going the way they expected, that most new authors will start asking questions and conducting research. And it’s with hindsight that they lament their initial decisions.

I’m working on my messages to the Words of Wizards Writers’ Conference attendees next month (October 11) in Phoenix and the writers in Prescott, Arizona October 15. And the theme is, knowledge.

Don’t just launch out with your book manuscript in tow eager to find someone/anyone interested in publishing it. Don’t glom onto the first opportunity that presents itself. Don’t go blindly into a publishing agreement. Know what you’re doing.

• Study the publishing industry.
• Know what your options are.
• Understand the possible consequences of your choices.
• And be fully aware of your responsibility as a published author.

Publishing success is that simple and that complex.

How many of you would start a business without knowing something about the industry, the product, your suppliers/distributors and your competition. You wouldn’t go into business without a business plan, would you? If you were seeking space for your store or suppliers for your business, you wouldn’t go with the first ones that you stumbled across without first knowing all of your options and comparing them. You wouldn’t sign the first contract someone handed you without completely understanding it. Yet, countless authors do just that!

Publishing is a business, too.

If you are writing a book, have written a book or plan to write a book, no matter whether you are contemplating self-publishing, POD publishing or landing a traditional royalty publisher, you WILL need to write a complete book proposal. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. Let me walk you through the steps of creating your book proposal. Sign up for my online Book Proposal Course, starting September 15, 2008, today! http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

What will a book proposal do for you?
• It will tell you whether or not you actually have a viable product.
• It will help you to determine your target audience and where you’ll find them.
• It will assist you in identifying your competition and determining if there is actually a need for this book.
• And it will help you to establish your platform and a marketing plan.

And if you don’t think that any of this is important in today’s highly competitive publishing climate, you must be living on a different planet.

Sign up for my online book proposal course starting September 15, 2008. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

For additional information about the Wizards of Words Conference, go to http://www.wizardsofwords.org

If you live near Prescott, AZ, plan to join us at the Prescott Library October 15, 2008. I will speak at 7.

In this blog today, I meant to give you resources for learning more about the publishing industry, but, instead, I got sidetracked on the importance of knowledge and the book proposal. Tomorrow, I will bring in some resources that will help you to learn volumes about the publishing industry. In the meantime, if you want to reach me, PLFry620@yahoo.com. For articles, information, my showcase of books, my schedule of events and MORE, go to http://www.matilijapress.com

We all make mistakes. Just this weekend, when Virginia Lawrence and I were proofing SPAWNews, she found where I had inadvertently used it’s in place of its. Yes, even when we know better, our fingers will sometimes slip or our minds will experience a glitch. This is why those extra sets of eyes are so important. I recommend hiring an editor AND a proofreader for your book manuscript.

Here are some mistakes I’ve seen recently while working with clients, in emails and in the course of Internet research.

“greatings” instead of “greetings.”
“80’s” instead of “’80s.”
“past” when the author meant “passed.”
“out cast” instead of “outcast.”
“Rogers’ vase” instead of “Roger’s vase.”
“He was to fat,” instead of “He was too fat.”

Quotes versus Italics
I often see instances of dialog or quotes in Italics AND within quotation marks. Choose one or the other. Generally, it is quotation marks for dialog or expert quotes, for example, and Italics for thoughts. Quotes from other works, song titles or lyrics, etc. can be noted in Italics, as well. Do NOT underline words or phrases. Generally, you will use Italics, instead.

Clichés
Publishers (and readers) like to see fresh writing—fresh phrases. So avoid using clichés such as: “Luxury he couldn’t afford.” “In a New York minute.” “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” “Left out to dry.” “Like getting blood from a turnip.”

Punctuation
You all know that it is one-space between all sentences now, right? The two-space rule we were taught when we learned to type is as passé as the typewriter is.

Also, the em dash no longer dangles between the two words it separates. To create an em dash, type the first word. Without spacing, type two dashes and then type the next word. When you hit the spacer bar after the second word, the em dash is formed.

Numbers
Age is represented in numerals𔃍 years old or he’s 35. Write out numbers under 100—twenty-five mules, seventeen doves. I had one client who took my instructions to heart. Just before his cookbook went to press, he went through and wrote out all of the numerals in each recipe. In case you are wondering—NO, you do not spell out the numbers in recipes. Use numerals.

Overuse of Words
You don’t need to say, “In the year, 1987.” “In 1987,” will suffice. Do not say, “He spoke saying…” Simply say, “He spoke.” Or “He said.” Or “According to Ben,” etc.

Avoid repeating words. How would you rewrite these sentences? “The hawk appeared as it flew above his dwelling before the sun had risen above the trees.” “The burly man sat right down on the ground to the right of the dog and asked the dog why he was staring at the ground, right there.”

Watch Your Tense
It doesn’t matter if your story is written in the present, past or future; what is important is that you stay in the correct tense. Don’t write, “I see that Maggie is climbing out of bed and was going in to start washing her face.” Or this, “He was on his way to the bakery and now the truck breaks down. He will spend the next 30 minutes sitting on the freeway and wait for a tow truck.”

Singular/Plural
I think these errors are probably due to pure negligence. The writer just isn’t paying attention. Who would purposely write this? “The remnants of history is what makes the story so interesting.” Or “Woman are able to vote now.” Or “When birds fly, his wings catch the wind.”

The written word makes for a fascinating study, doesn’t it? If you recognize your manuscript above or even if you think it is pristine, before sending it to a publisher or before self-publishing, conduct your own self-edit. Then hire a good editor and maybe even a proofreader.

For help with self-editing, read Chapter Nine in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. (2007 edition)
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Here’s a site with tips for catching and correcting errors. Check it out.
http://www.sellingbooks.com/five-top-tips-for-catching-and-correcting-errors-in-your-business-writing

Read this article, especially if you are writing fiction.
http://www.eclectics.com/articles/selfediting.html

Contact me if you’d like a $20 manuscript evaluation. PLFry620@yahoo.com

Don’t forget to sign up for my online book proposal course starting September 15. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

We’re putting the finishing touches on SPAWNews this long weekend. SPAWNews is the official newsletter for SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). http://www.spawn.org.

It’s a process. Our newsletter editor, Sandy, in St. Louis, compiles the newsletter and includes her editorial. Several of us contribute things such as book reviews, Q and A, contests, opportunities, announcements and relevant articles. Then two of us proof the newsletter before it is handed over to the techi gal who puts it online. This month there are over a dozen events and contests reported. The book we’ve reviewed this month is our newest give-away book (FREE book for joining SPAWN). It’s Mark Levine’s, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.

So type on over to SPAWN during the next few days and take a look at our September SPAWNews (it should be posted by Monday or Tuesday—September 1 or 2). http://www.spawn.org. Click on “Newsletter.” Read the September edition and some of those in our archives.

Join SPAWN and you will have access to the even meatier SPAWN Market Update—a more personalized, more valuable, beneficial and important newsletter designed specifically for the serious writer/author/artist.

I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and I have never seen one like the SPAWN Market Update. I originally designed it based on my own needs and requirements as a professional freelance writer and author. And I strive each month to gather the information, resources and opportunities you can use in order to grow your freelance writing or art business or succeed as a published author. You must join SPAWN to access this newsletter: http://www.spawn.org
Click on “Join SPAWN Now!” It’s $45/year and, as I said in a recent blog post, you can earn or save many times this amount after responding to some of the opportunities, etc. in just one edition of the SPAWN Market Update. I’d like to make a one-time offer to my blog readers:

Free Offer
Contact me with “SPAWN Market Update” in the subject line and I’ll email you a copy of our September edition of this jam-packed newsletter. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I sound kind of jazzed up about SPAWN this morning, don’t I? Well, I am. There have just been so many authors helped through the information and resources they’ve discovered at the site, in the newsletters and through our forum and SPAWNDiscuss group. And then there are those who say, “I wish I had found SPAWN before I made all of those bad decisions with regard to my publishing project.”

Get Back to Your Writing Work
This weekend is the unofficial (or maybe it is the official) end of summer. The kids are back in school. Your summer vacations are just a memory. And many of you are looking forward to getting back to work writing your book, promoting your book or pumping up your freelance writing business. I have some articles on my site that you might find helpful in meeting your particular goals. Here are a few:

How to Finally Build a Freelance Career or Finish That Writing Project. http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/write_freelance.htm

8 Steps to Getting Your Articles Published.
http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/8steps.htm

Choose the Right Venue for Your Work
http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/publish_writing.htm

There are dozens and dozens more articles at my site and at the SPAW site. So take some time this weekend and go on a learning spree.

Do You Need a Good Editor?
This is also a good time to think about hiring an editor for your article or book manuscript. Don’t go it alone. Every author needs an editor. Send your project to me for an evaluation and estimate. You won’t be sorry. This one decision could make or break your chances as a successfully published author.

PLFry620@yahoo.com.

It’s tempting to just push on through and write that book without coming up for air until it is finished. Then, while your book is with your choice of POD “self-publishing” companies, you relax a little and decide to take this time to learn something about the publishing industry. You purchase a good book on the subject, such as The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And you start listing all of the things you maybe could have done better, smarter, wiser… Your confidence drops and you wish you could start all over.

If you are thinking about writing a book or you are currently in the process of writing a book, STOP! Study the publishing industry, first. Read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
• Learn how the modern-day publishing industry works.
• Discover your publishing options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.
• Learn some writing techniques.
• Find out how to self-edit.
• Discover the value of hiring a good editor for your manuscript no matter what your publishing choices.
• Find out why it is important to write a book proposal and receive guidance in producing one.
• Learn about distributors and wholesalers, and library and bookstore sales.
• Learn how to locate, approach and work with an agent or publisher.
• Discover what the big world of book promotion entails.

Folks, this is all stuff you MUST know if you want to successfully navigate the publishing industry, and the best time to start your study is before you decide to write a book.

Read books like mine, of course. But also join publishing organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), SPAN and IBPA (formerly PMA). Read their newsletters. Subscribe to additional newsletters and magazines within the industry. Did you know that you can get the highlights from Publisher’s Weekly, for example, sent to your email box FREE. Sign up for Google Alerts using keywords related to your topic, genre and publishing, in general. Every morning, you’ll receive lists of appropriate articles, sites and blogs you can check out. Here are some links for the above-mentioned organizations and services:

Order The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

SPAWN. http://www.spawn.org
SPAN. http://www.spannet.org
IBPA. http://www.pma-online.org
Google Alerts. http://www.google.com/alerts
Publishers Weekly FREE daily news. http://www.publishersweekly.com

And don’t forget to sign up for my online book proposal course which starts September 15, 2008. For $200, you’ll have the opportunity to complete your book proposal within this 8-week period with professional assistance and feedback. If you want to work with me outside of the course, the fee, from start to finish, could be more like $500 to $1,500.
Sign up today at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

I’ve always been one to get bored easily. But I can quickly find something interesting to do. It’s imperative, to my sense of well-being, that my days are filled with variety. I had that variety while I was raising my three daughters. I enjoyed practically every aspect of homemaking—caring for my girls, preparing healthy meals, decorating the house, gardening, sewing (I did a lot of sewing) and so forth. When I took a job outside the home (once the girls were grown), I made sure that my life included elements that involved family, home, learning, stretching, growing, creativity, people, laughter, activity and animals.

As many of you know, I’ve been writing for publication for 35 years. Even my choice of careers allowed me variety, for I started out writing articles for magazines. I wrote on family issues, relationships, animals, self-improvement and many, many other topics. My published (and yet to be published) books are on an eclectic array of topics requiring diverse research tactics. Of course, the process of promoting books also affords the opportunity for variety. An author might find herself writing articles to promote her book one day, speaking to a group the next and conducting an online interview the following day. She will write press releases, research distributors and the library market and attend book festivals, for example. There’s no lack of variety when it comes to book promotion.

Now that I work with other people on their projects through teaching, conducting workshops, editing, consulting and so forth, I find that my days are still all about variety. Just this month, for example, I’ve been editing a middle school children’s book. I helped a client design her book cover, scrutinized some author changes in a book that’s ready to go to press, edited a few chapters for a long-time client, edited another client’s book proposal, taught a book proposal workshop, practiced a speech for the Wizard of Words Writers’ Conference coming up in Phoenix in October, negotiated for books to give away with SPAWN memberships, wrote the 13-page September edition of the SPAWN Market Update, wrote an article for SPAWNews, reviewed a book for SPAWNews, posted my daily blog almost daily, shipped books almost daily and did the necessary bookwork, wrote and submitted a handful of articles on writing/publishing, fought to get Borders Books to pay on an outstanding invoice, taught the last two classes in my online article-writing series, agreed to two speaking engagements and I’ve responded to a dozen or so questions. And this was a fairly slow month.

People ask me how I manage, at my age, to put in such full days. I think it has something to do with the fact that I thrive on variety. Plus, outside of my work, I strive to eat 5 to 10 fruits and vegetables per day (that takes a bit of creativity in itself), I walk 2 to 3 miles every day, I garden, I’m caretaker to two formerly feral cats and I maintain a home, a family (I’m part of 4 generations of women) and a social life (I saw Mama Mia a few weeks ago, visited the zoo with a friend and participated in planning a major class reunion this month and I’ll tour a dahlia garden this weekend.)

Do you arrange for variety in your days? Or are you stagnating? Do you write regularly and enjoy the process? Maybe you’re promoting a book. Vary your promotional activities and see how much more fun it can be. And don’t forget to take care of yourself.

This is the last day of my discount offer. Sign up today and get $20 off of the 8-week online book proposal course. Sign up TODAY at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm The online classes begin September 15, 2008.

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com with your questions.

Don’t you sometimes feel as though you are all alone in the world of book promotion? You reach out with announcements and information about your wonderful book and all you hear is silence. You wonder if anyone is listening. You question whether your message is breaking through. You worry that you are not hitting your mark—that you aren’t reaching your audience.

You are writing articles for publication or submitting short stories. You’ve had a few book reviews. You left numerous posts, recently, at various related sites and you’re adding to your blog almost daily. You handed out about 50 business cards at the local Chamber mixer and left a stack of cards on the sign-in table at your class reunion this summer. You send press releases to appropriate publications regularly. But still, you have periods when you hear nothing but silence.

I’ve been promoting books for 30 years and I can tell you that it takes enormous effort and persistence to sell books. You’ll have flurries of sales at events such as book festivals or presentations. But where are your customers during the rest of the year? Why don’t they respond to your promotional endeavors? Why do you hear so much silence?

Readers are fickle. You can’t count on them to buy your book when you think they should. Like you, they are busy. They are overwhelmed. They are being bombarded every day with suggestions from other authors—″Buy my book!” “No, buy this one!” They have limited funds and time for frivolous things like reading for pleasure. They must limit themselves to only a few self-help or informational books on their favorite subjects. There are numerous reasons why consumers resist buying books or why they procrastinate.

Our job as authors is to create books that are actually needed/wanted by a large segment of the population. It is our responsibility to figure out how to reach these people and to entice them to purchase our books. And it isn’t easy. Nobody said it would be easy. Book promotion is a full-time job for the energetic, imaginative individual. If you don’t have the time, energy or imagination—if you don’t have the ability or willingness—you might as well give up the idea of fame and fortune through authorship.

It’s tough. It’s sometimes lonely. But it can be incredibly rewarding. Do yourself a favor, instead of imagining your promotional efforts being ignored—instead of feeling defeated each time you DON’T get an order—imagine thousands of people saving up their money to purchase your book. Imagine people everywhere reading your promo material with keen interest. Imagine folks seeking ways to purchase your book. Imagine them lusting after your book—yearning to own it. This will keep you on track. You’ll realize the importance of continuing your bombardment of promotion. You’ll understand the value in keeping your book and yourself in front of your audience.

At least, occasionally, do a Google search using your book’s title and another one using your name. This will help you to see how widespread your marketing efforts are reaching.

It may seem as though your efforts are going unnoticed. But truly, no promotional activity is wasted. While some specific activities might appear to lead nowhere, in reality, someone did notice. Maybe it was many people. And it may be weeks, months or even years before you will reap the benefits of your specific endeavors.

Just yesterday, I received an email from a woman who saw my picture on my brochure many months ago and decided then and there that I am the editor she wants to work with.

A couple of weeks ago, a woman contacted me after reading an article I wrote two years ago. She had some questions and ended up purchasing my book The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. She also hired me to do a manuscript evaluation.

I gentleman I met at a book festival last year contacted me recently ready to have his manuscript edited. He also ordered a copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the Author’s Workbook.

It may seem as though you’re blowing in the wind with your promotional attempts. But, just because you don’t receive immediate feedback, doesn’t mean your efforts are going unnoticed. Hang in there. First, make sure that you have a viable product. This is your job prior to producing your book. Then promote, promote, promote.

Don’t forget, my next online Book Proposal course starts September 15. And if you sign up this week, you pay only $180 for the 8-week course. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm Deadline for the discount is midnight Friday, August 29, 2008.

I frequently get question from clients, SPAWN members, authors and freelance writers that I’ve met at various events and those who find me through my site or writings. These questions range from simple to complex. Some of them I can answer off the top of my head and others take some research—research that the writer or author could have done. And a good writer/author should know how to conduct research. I think that, sometimes, the individual just wants a second opinion or reassurance from a presumed expert.

Here are some questions I’ve received recently and my somewhat condensed responses:

“How should I handle quotes in my manuscript?”

Note: This client is using a mix of dialogue (in quotation marks), thoughts (in Italics), song lyrics, comments from others and expert quotes throughout her book manuscript.

I told her that she can indent and single-space quotes to set them off, use a different font, separate them using borders/boxes, for example. I suggested that she consider all of the aspects she is including in her manuscript (dialogue, thoughts, comments, etc.) and choose a logical way of setting them apart. Then be consistent. What is important here, more than anything else, is consistency and clarity.

“Do I need permission to quote from a certain Bible?”

I took a look at the copyright page for this Bible (one of the many newer derivations of the original) and it clearly states, “No permission needed for fewer than 500 passages.” I pointed this out to the author. Then I reminded her that I am not an attorney and I recommended that she talk to an intellectual properties attorney to be absolutely sure. I gave her the email address for the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and suggested she see what information she could get there. http://www.vlaa.org

“I’m going to write someone else’s story, where can I find a form I can use in creating an agreement between us?”

This was easy. I just did a Google search using keywords, “ghostwriting agreement forms” and several sites popped up. “Collaboration Agreement” also worked. I pointed this writer in the direction of the book, Business and Legal Forms for Authors and Self-Publishers by Tad Crawford. There are also a couple of sites to try: http://www.copylaw.com/forms/forms.html or http://www.textbookpublishers.com/contracts.html

“How can I make sure I am choosing the right ’self-publishing’ company?”

Another easy one. Read The Fine Print of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine. He rates, analyzes, ranks and exposes the contracts and services of 45 “self-publishing” companies. If you plan to go with a POD self-publishing company (including PublishAmerica), you must read this book, first. It WILL save you money and heart ache.

Side note: You can get this 320-page, $17.95 book FREE by joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). http://www.spawn.org

“I’m going to self-publish, do I still need a book proposal?”

YES!! A book proposal is actually more for you, the author, because it will help you to determine whether or not you have a viable product. Is there a market for this book? Can you identify the competition? Who is the audience and where are they? Do you have a platform related to the topic/genre of this book? What is your marketing plan? These important questions will be answered throughout the process of developing a well-researched book proposal. In fact, if you can’t answer these important questions, you are not ready to write this book. The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book includes several chapters on how to write a book proposal. Or take my online course (see below).

“Should I send a query letter, a book proposal or the completed manuscript to the publisher?”

Always, always study the publisher’s submission guidelines before submitting anything. Different publishers have different submission policies and you want to start your relationship by adhering to his/her wishes. You’ll find submission guidelines at the publisher’s website. Read page 24 of the 2007 edition of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book for help in locating submission guidelines. Some publishers tend to play hide and seek with their guidelines.

Contact me if you have questions. Contact me if you need an editor. And remember, this week only, you can sign up for my 8-week Book Proposal Course and get $20 off the price. (Course begins September 15, 2008.) This offer is good through August 29, 2008. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm. Check out my other online, on-demand courses at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Come on, the kids are back to school, summer is nearly over, now is a good time to work toward your writing/publishing dreams. Sign up for the course of your choice. And be sure to order your copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Contact me with comments/questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

I love book signings. I like attending those of my colleagues (I believe it’s important to support our fellow authors in this way) and I enjoy greeting people who attend mine. I had a very successful book signing at Borders Westend in Nashville March 31 of this year. We attracted something like 21 people, who came to hear me talk about publishing. Many of them bought my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. In fact, I shipped several copies of the book a few weeks ahead of the presentation and quite a few books had already been sold by the night of the event. The books were selling so well, that the manager, who so graciously welcomed us to the Nashville Westend Borders, asked if I had any more copies I could leave with him. He ended up with 31 copies total.

Guess how many have been paid for to date—nearly 5 months later? NONE! Zip!! Zero! Not even one of them.

I am to the point of frustration, as you can imagine.

Of course, I’ve been in touch with the manager of the Nashville Borders store and the accounts manager (who has since left) numerous times. When I can actually speak to a live person, or when they happen to respond to my emails, they assure me that the check is in the mail or that they will check into it. A couple of times, I had to resend the invoice. All I get are promises and lies.

Finally, I sent a letter to the Accounts Payable Department at Borders’ Headquarters. I included a timeline of my presentation in Nashville, my conversations with the store manager and my attempts to get paid. There was no response. So two weeks later, I attempted to contact the Borders main headquarters Accounts Payable Department by phone. I left numerous messages. Finally a live person called and left me a message. They don’t seem to know anything about my invoice. I had to send it again. (Or maybe this is just their way of stalling me so I will eventually forget about it and go away.)

On August 20, I sent the copy of the invoice and a timeline of events since the date of the signing (March 31) to Borders Headquarters Accounts Payable Dept. Since then, I’ve made several follow-up calls and have yet to speak to a live person. So I still have not been paid and I still don’t know truly what’s going on. All I know is that I am growing more and more frustrated.

I’ve posted versions of this dilemma at SPAWN’s discussion site, SPAWNDiscuss, asking if anyone else has had a problem collecting from Borders. No one has responded, except with their own bookstore problems—none related to Borders. I can’t find anything while doing a Google search to indicate that others have had similar problems with Borders. So I am assuming that I just fell between the cracks. However, I do have a few smaller outstanding invoices that Borders hasn’t paid over the years—invoices that I didn’t pursue.

Does anyone know what’s going on with Borders? Have you done business with them? Do they pay you? Has anyone had trouble? How did you resolve problems with them? Any information or advice would be welcome.

In the meantime, don’t forget that I’m starting a new book proposal course September 15, 2008. Sign up this week (August 25-29, 2008) and get a discount. Here’s the information:

Write a Successful Book Proposal. Every author needs a book proposal. Let me successfully walk you through the often intimidating process of writing one. 8 weeks, $200. The next class starts September 15. Sign up this week (August 25-29, 2008) and I’ll give you the course for $180. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

Questions? Comments? PLFry620@yahoo.com