Writing and Publishing News from

July 12, 2009

Promote Your Books Through Google

Filed under: Book Promotion,Publishing — Patricia @ 5:28 am

One of the first things I read from my list of incoming emails each morning is my Google Alerts. Are you using Google Alerts to:

• Check on your competition?
• Locate promotional opportunities (blogsites related to your book topic where you can leave comments)?
• Find out who’s writing about you?
• Keep up on what’s happening in your genre/industry?
• Discover how your blogsite rates within your industry?

This morning, I found myself listed in Google Alerts related to “writing, publishing, books” TWICE. I saw an excerpt from what sounded like a mighty interesting article at Mike Geffner’s blogsite. When I went there to take a look, I discovered that I was the author. The article is “Guarantee Your Publishing Success” and it’s posted on July 11, 2009 at http://mikeswritingworkshop.blogspot.com

Then I noticed that my own blog post from yesterday is listed in the headlines at Google Alerts this morning.

If you have a book to promote; you’re trying to establish a writing career; or you want to know more about publishing, the genre you’re working in or how you fit into your field, sign up for Google Alerts: http://www.google.com/alerts.
It’s free and it’s kinda fun!

Speaking of Google
I heard an interesting comment on a talk radio show yesterday. The caller asked the computer/internet expert what other search engines he should use besides Google. The commentator said, “Google is really the only search engine.” Is this true? Do you ever use Yahoo, AltaVista or any of the other search engines anymore? Or is Google the only search engine for you?

Your Projects
So what are you working on this summer? A tan? A better relationship with your family members? Or are you hard at work on a novel, developing a freelance writing career or outlining a nonfiction book?

I’m involved with the SPAWN transition. SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org and we’re assembling a new leadership team as we speak. Watch for the BIG announcement in the August 1 issue of the SPAWN newsletter—SPAWNews. (Subscribe for FREE at the SPAWN website.) This means that I’ve been interviewing candidates for the board, working with them, revamping the bylaws (they’re 13 years old), writing press releases and responding to numerous questions.

I’m also working with a few clients on some interesting projects and I’m doing some promotion mostly through published articles. I have an idea for getting some exposure and maybe a new editorial client or two by sending announcements to key publications offering something for free. When I do a free evaluation for an author, for example, they are generally blown away by my observations and suggestions. Those who can afford it (and no one should be producing a book if they can’t afford a good editor) and those who want to produce the best book possible will return to me for a complete edit once they’ve finished their work on their projects.

But I’m not all work and no play. I play with Lily (our new kitten) often throughout the day. I’m planning to spend a week at a beach house to celebrate one of my daughter’s large number birthdays and, once summer is over, I’m flying east with a girlfriend to see the fall colors. After all, it’s those experiences outside of our work-a-day lives that provide us with the material and the perspective to write the next bestseller, right?

If you are planning to write a book, you’re struggling through the process, you’re searching for a publisher or you are trying to market your book in this competitive climate, it’s the right time for you to read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I wrote it expressly for you, you see. Pick up a copy and you’ll see what I mean. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

July 11, 2009

Helping the Author to Get Organized

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 5:33 am

I’ve been working with a client who, like many of you, has just one thing to say and needs help spitting it out. Oh, she knows her topic and she has a thumbnail sketch of her audience, but she is completely overwhelmed and a bit disheartened by the process of producing a book.

She got hoodwinked into giving someone quite a large sum of money up front to organize her material into a book and ended up without a book or the money.

When I first met her to discuss the project, she indicated that she had a following of people eager for this nonfiction book. Now, she says she doesn’t have a clue as to how to market it. Neither does she know how to go about getting it printed.

Yes, she has a copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, and she has read it and continues to refer to it, but she seems to need some personal assistance to guide her at this point.

So this morning, I outlined a plan of action for her. Here’s what I suggested: First, let me say that I will be organizing and editing her book. (Actually, it is a booklet—probably around 50 pages—targeted to a fairly specific audience.)

1: I suggested that she start getting price quotes for printing and binding the book in a variety of ways—saddle-stitching, comb binding, spiral bound, etc. I recommended that she check with a few printers as well as the folks at a local business center. (This book—at least the first incarnation—will not be suitable for libraries and bookstores.)

2: She needs to establish a business—get a fictitious business name, sign up with the State Board of Equalization so she is prepared to collect and pay sales tax.

3: Once she has an idea of costs, she can begin approaching those individuals who have asked for this book as well as the organizations, associations, agencies and institutions who would be interested in it. She needs to develop some marketing material to send as well as hone an elevator speech or a 30-second commercial that she can present by phone and in person. I told her that, if she takes pre-publication orders, she will have a clear idea of how many copies to print up front and she may be able to pay the printing bill. She also needs to give these folks a projected delivery date.

4: I urged her to get organized—keep accurate and complete records reflecting who she contacts and when, their response, when she made a follow-up call, how many books they ordered, her price quote, whether or not they paid up front and so forth. (There are templates in my bookkeeping chapter in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.)

5: I advised that she concentrate only on local sales for now. She doesn’t have a website and probably won’t anytime soon. It makes sense that she tests her book in familiar territory—within her comfort zone. I further encouraged her to ask each individual she approaches for referrals. Organizations and institutions may have affiliates or branches, for example. She needs to contact each of them.

This is my client’s assignment for now. If you are working on a narrowly targeted book or booklet, this plan might benefit you, as well.

Once the book is a book, I will suggest that my client first make sure that her customers get their orders. Then she can deposit any checks she collected for prepublication orders. I would also advise that she visit appropriate gift shops and stores (in this case, it would be hospital gift shops and pharmacies) with her book. Next, I’d like to see her contact all websites related to the theme of her book and arrange for book reviews, interviews, etc.

Order your copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book here: http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

July 8, 2009

Children’s Picture Books

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 6:52 am

I often hear from authors who are putting together children’s picture books. They generally want my professional opinion about their manuscripts, and I can generally offer them plenty of feedback. Unfortunately, it isn’t necessarily the type of feedback they are seeking.

The fact is, I don’t have any expertise when it comes to writing children’s picture books. But I do have something to say to the authors. Here goes:

1: Read lots and lots of similar books. Study the style, the message and the way it is presented. What tense and person do they use in professionally produced children’s picture books? What type of words do they use? How do they get their message across? Become intimately familiar with the mechanics of these books.

I looked at a children’s picture book manuscript a few months ago that used a mixture of present and past tense. I haven’t done the study myself, so I don’t know if this is typical, but it didn’t seem to work well in this instance. I cautioned the author to reconsider this presentation style. One thing I told her to do was to study other books similar to hers to see how they handle this situation.

2: Get involved with a children’s book writers’ organization such as the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators http://www.scbwi.org. Spend time at the Children’s Writers Marketplace at http://www.write4kids.com.

3: Be cognizant of word length. Currently, editors are encouraging authors of early children’s picture books (for children ages 3 – 5) to keep them to 500 – 800 words. Picture books for children ages 4 – 8 can run up to 1000 – 1,500 words in some cases.

4: Experts stress the importance of having a strong main character. And they say that with planning and creativity, you can tell an interesting story through exciting characters even within 500 to 800 words.

5: Create a rewarding or satisfying ending for your children’s picture book. Professionals say, “You owe it to your readers.”

6: Promote your book to the right audience. One hopeful children’s picture book author told me that her book is for parents of children who have this particular problem (which is discussed in the book). I said, “But look at the story and the style of your book—it is definitely written for children. You can’t promote it as a book for parents.”

Sure, parents and grandparents are the ones who will purchase it, but if it is a picture book, your audience comprises young children. So be careful how you pitch your book to publishers and to the public. Make sure you are clear about the purpose, intent, focus and target audience.

Writing for children is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. According to the experts, it’s not just a matter of telling a story around some nice photographs or illustrations. Your book must have meaning and purpose, an interesting plot, strong characters and a teaching element, written in a language and style appropriate for the age group.

As I said, I am not an expert when it comes to children’s books, but I do work with authors of both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts as an editor and publishing consultant. Learn more about my services at http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html. Be sure to read the testimonials. Yes, I have some mighty grateful clients.

Note: I always recommend that authors work with editors who know something about the publishing industry. Just last week, I saw a manuscript that had been professionally edited, yet it wasn’t ready to be published or to be presented to a publisher. The editor (an English teacher) knew grammar, but she didn’t have a clue about preparing a manuscript for publication. The manuscript still had two spaces between sentences, for heaven sakes! To learn more about this editorial rule and others, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Lily
Beautiful Lily kitten is doing GREAT! She is such a delight. It is wonderful to see her completely recovered from her seriously serious accident. (Read more about this at my Catscapades blog: http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades)

People in the know are telling me that it is a miracle that she survived. We are pretty sure that, at one point, she was on her way out. But she chose to stay and boy are we protective parents. If I don’t see her little sweet face for a period of more than 20 minutes, I go looking for her. Can any of you relate? Excuse me now, I must go check on Lily.

July 6, 2009

The Careful Handling of Research Material

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 5:47 am

If you’re like most freelance writers and authors, you write on fairly specific topics. You have your pet subjects and you are always on the look-out for related information, facts, statistics and other resources to enhance your writings. But how do you manage the material you locate online, in publications, from live media, through interviews and so forth? Do you have a good filing system or are you still cluttering the top of your desk with print outs, hand-scribbled notes and tear sheets?

Or worse yet, do you avoid conducting research and collecting data that might augment your articles or book manuscripts because you can’t stand the clutter?

Then maybe it’s time to get organized. How?

There’s the old-fashioned method of filing stuff—the sturdy metal (or lovely polished wood) filing cabinet. Some of my colleagues use cardboard boxes that are designed to store material in hanging file folders. My office grew rather quickly from a two-drawer filing cabinet to two four-drawers and three two-drawers and now I have one filing cabinet. It measures 5 feet tall, 3.5 feet wide and I had it painted bright burnt orange. The 5 large drawers are full.

Some people use computers for storing their research material. If you go this route, be sure to implement a reliable backup system. I actually saw a paperless office once. Unbelievable! Wish I could achieve this, but I’m afraid that I’m a bit of a hoarder. And, despite what the original Heloise used to say, I often do need something even years after I’ve thrown it away. (For those of you who don’t remember, I believe it was Heloise who said, “If you haven’t used it in a year, you don’t need it.”)

When I was heavy into freelance article writing, I was always in research mode. I scoured magazines and newspapers for interesting new topics, material on subjects I was already writing about and experts in these fields. I am constantly researching now on subjects related to writing and publishing so I will have the most updated information and resources for you and for SPAWN members reading my incredible SPAWN Market Update. (Visit SPAWN at http://www.spawn.org). And I maintain systems that seem to serve me well.

I have a “SPAWN Market Update” file folder, which I add to throughout each month. I discard the printouts, notes, etc. once I’ve used them. Or I might transfer the information to my “Writing and Publishing” file folder, which I tap into when I need help coming up with a new article or blog topic.

When I’m working on a book, I will use one of those cardboard boxes designed for hanging file folders to store data chapter by chapter. And I can tell you that it pays to somehow document where each fact, figure and quote came from—especially when you’re dealing with nonfiction. Some publishers want access to taped interviews, for example. They may want their staff to do some fact-checking. Or you might want to double check a figure or get more information from a certain source.

The more organized and thorough you are with your research material, the easier your life will become.

For assistance with research techniques and bookkeeping tips for authors as well as information about distributors, wholesalers, publishers, agents, booksellers, writing a book proposal, self-publishing and practically everything else related to publishing and marketing a book, be sure to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I get wonderful comments about this book regularly. You’ll read some of them at Amazon.com and at my website. I received one last week from a woman who claims my book is much better than that of another well-known author. I won’t mention the name because I’m actually not in competition with anyone. I attempted to write a book that is different enough from anyone else’s books so that you would have access to all of the information you need on writing and publishing topics. So I like to think that books by the major players in publishing complement each other, not compete against each other.

Buying good and useful books by authors you trust is another excellent way of accumulating the research material you will need in order to write, publish and sell your book. Books, especially those with indexes, can be incredible resources and they are easy to store. Just build more book shelves. That’s what I do.

July 4, 2009

Publishing: The Learning Curve

Filed under: Publishing — Patricia @ 2:33 am

How far outside your comfort zone have you stepped with your book project? Do you thrive on the tasks involved with publishing a book or is each new aspect torture? Do you love or hate the learning curve that you face as an author?

If you’re like most new authors, you’ve faced numerous opportunities to stretch as you walk the publishing path, and it isn’t all fun and games. Some authors actually attempt to bypass important steps and responsibilities related to the publishing process. They say, “What do I need an editor for; I know how to write,” or “I don’t want to do any research, so I’ll just go with the cheapest publisher,” or “I’m not going to promote this book—that’s what bookstores are for.”

Authors with these points of view end up being one of the 76 percent of authors who fail each year.

Publishing, for an experienced businessman or woman or someone with a strong marketing background is daunting enough. For anyone without this advantage, it can be extremely intimidating and overwhelming. That’s why so many hopeful authors omit the most distasteful tasks from the process of publishing their books. And that’s also why they fail.

They avoid writing a book proposal. They decide not to spend money for an editor or a cover designer. They may stubbornly reject the idea of participating in book promotion. And several months down the road, when their book is dead in the water, they wonder why.

If you dream of seeing your novel in print, you’ve decided to publish your memoirs or you have a how-to or self-help book in the works, and you want a successful outcome, you need to take the process of publishing seriously. Publishing is a business, after all.

Authors who can shift from the craft of writing and become totally committed to the process of publishing will have the best chance of succeeding in this highly competitive business.

An excellent first step in successful publishing is to read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. I wrote it specifically for those who are new to publishing as well as published authors who are struggling. Do what others who have been reading my blog and following me on Twitter have done lately—order my book and find the publishing path that is right for you. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

• How does publishing work? What are the steps?
• How do you prepare a manuscript for publication?
• What are your publishing options?
• What are the pros and cons of each option?
• How does one locate the right publisher?
• What are your responsibilities as a published author?
• What are the costs of disregarding basic publishing procedures?
• How does an ordinary person successfully promote a book?

These are just some of the things you’ll begin to understand after reading The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Contact me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

July 2, 2009

Writing and More

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 10:03 am

Have you ever thought of selling fillers, such as jokes, brief instructions, little sayings, etc? What about writing greeting card messages or slogans for bumper stickers, refrigerator magnets or buttons?

The idea of writing fillers used to intrigue me and, years ago, I sent some to magazines from time to time—I actually got paid for some of them. My friend and former SPAWN newsletter editor for many years, Wendy Dager, has gotten even more deeply involved with writing slogans and verses for greeting cards. Yesterday, I noticed her article on this subject in Angela Hoy’s Writer’s Weekly Newsletter. Check it out at http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/005457-070

This morning, a gentleman from Arkansas contacted me. He said his wife has decided to become a freelance writer and he is conducting some research in order to help her get started. He found some articles that he thought would be useful to her as well as other writers. And he is creating a pamphlet for members of her writers’ group. As a result of his research, he stumbled across my article on how to make money writing fiction and emailed me asking to use it in his pamphlet. I agreed, as long as he uses my bio at the end of the piece.

Today, I have a woman coming over to show me her first attempt ever at writing. She wants to know if it is ready to publish. She claims, however, that she didn’t compose the material—it is all channeled. She also wants to know how to go about getting this published. She has few options since she has no money and lives on a very small income. As I do occasionally, I am donating my time in an attempt to help her get on the right track with her project.

I think that if I kept some sort of a record, I would discover that I donate many hours over time through email responses to questions from SPAWN members and others. I also do some free manuscript evaluations and I get involved in phone consultations sometimes that I decide not to charge for. I have 3 letters sitting on my desk from prisoners seeking information about publishing. The time I spend responding to them will, of course, be gratis.

But how I appreciate the author or freelance writer who truly understands the value in a professional’s expertise and is willing to pay for it.

One gentleman told me recently that I was an absolute God-send to him—that I taught him so much in one quick session of manuscript evaluation and he wondered how in the world I was able to do this sort of thing for FREE. What I guess he doesn’t understand is that when I give a freeby (offer my articles at my website, give advice, do a quick evaluation, teach a concept and even spend time writing this blog practically every day), I do so with the idea of possibly getting some business. Think of my “freeby” as a sample chocolate. And I am counting on you coming back to purchase a whole box of them to enjoy.

Do you offer something free to your potential clients or customers/readers? Tell me about it. How’s it working for you?

When is the last time you checked out my array of books? You’ll find a sampling at my Matilija Press Website. http://www.matilijapress.com

The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book
A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles
Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book
The Successful Writer’s Handbook (This one is getting a lot of interest, lately.)
The Author’s Repair Kit
Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats
How to Write a Successful Book Proposal
Quest for Truth, A Journey of the Soul (Yes, Metaphysical/spiritual—woo woo stuff)

July 1, 2009

Write To Be Read!

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 7:55 am

Did you change anything about the way you approach your writing after reading yesterday’s blog post? Do you now realize that you were writing more for you than for your audience? Did you discover some ego in your writings that was actually keeping it from being reader-friendly? Knowing this and owning it is a good first step to making necessary corrections and adjustments in your approach to your writing. And, in so doing, you will move ever closer to engaging your readers. Isn’t this your goal, after all—to connect, to make a difference, to share, to educate and/or to entertain?

Of course, before you can speak to your audience, you must identify them. Do you know who you are writing for? Can you visualize your readers? Do you know who wants the information you are presenting?

Stop here for a moment. If you write nonfiction, you may know who you believe “should” read your book or article. You are probably directing your piece toward a specific audience; but are these actually the people who will most likely read it?

Writers are often sort of silent crusaders. We have something to say but, instead of speaking out over the TV and radio waves, we communicate our messages through the written word. Early in my writing career, I decided to crusade on behalf of children. I wanted to make a difference for children by teaching clueless parents some basic parenting skills. And I set out to do so through articles in trashy romance magazines. Why? I figured that many of these readers were probably not your average devoted, educated, aware parents.

Of course, this road led to nowhere. The editors of those magazines knew that the audience I had in mind would not be interested in these articles. Oh no! Most likely, the audience for my parenting articles read parenting and maybe Christian magazines. But most of them already have good parenting skills. Writing for them seemed to me like preaching to the choir. I wanted to make a bigger difference than that.

Are you trying to change the world through your writing? Would you like to convert sinners, encourage more reading, get people involved in environmental concerns, save the whales or stop wars, for example? Maybe you write expressly to promote yourself or your services. It’s okay to have such an agenda, but make sure that it doesn’t come through in your presentation.

Let’s take my desire to teach parenting skills to those who seemed to need help, as an example. If I truly wanted to help, I might have written stories for the romance magazines that included only subtle references to appropriate parenting techniques and the ultimate consequences for parents and children when these are not considered or implemented.

If you want to teach “green” practices to those who seem oblivious, first, determine what types of publications your audience reads or which websites they frequent. Use clever means in your writings to get their attention and, perhaps, challenge them to change some of their environment-damaging ways. Touch these people where they live. Find out what they care about—surfing every day of the year, for example? Hiking? Snowboarding? Make a point using something to which they can relate in order to hit home with your message. Find ways to teach those who are not seeking a lesson but, perhaps need one. Most of all, avoid trying to bulldoze your message through to folks who really don’t care. It is useless.

You’ll find this concept expressed and explained in my ebook, The Author’s Repair Kit. Herein, I discuss the “bulldozer book”—what it is, why it doesn’t work and how to avoid writing one.
Order your copy today at http://www.author_repairkit.html.

Lily Update
I’ve had a few emails asking about Lily, our kitten who had the horrendous accident 11 days ago. She is doing fabulously. Thank you all for caring. Read more about her accident and recovery at my Catscapades blog: http://www.matilijapress.com/catscapades

June 30, 2009

Who Do You Write For?

Filed under: Writing — Patricia @ 9:59 am

When you write a story, how-to or self-help piece or something instructional, who do you write it for? Of course, you’re going to say that it’s for your audience. Right answer! But is it really? You may address your audience using “you” a lot in your nonfiction works. You might believe that you are providing instruction or information for your audience. But are you really? How do you know if your writing attempt will truly engage, touch, teach and/or otherwise resonate with your audience?

I meet authors who are so into their fiction stories or memoirs that they forget completely about their audience. They remain in their own little world of thoughts, memories and fancy word combinations that they pay little attention to their reason for writing this in the first place—to engage members of an audience. They disregard their readers while trying to satisfy their own egos. They are more focused on their way with words than the readability, continuity and flow of their work.

The nonfiction author sometimes confuses the reader by providing too much of the wrong kind of data. A reader on overload doesn’t benefit much from the material he is trying to sift through. Authors often make simple instructions terribly complicated. It takes a knack to write clear instructions.

Many nonfiction authors have trouble organizing the material for their books. Some are not good researchers, so they omit important aspects of the topic they are trying to cover. Others simply don’t know how to appropriately and sensibly present the information. They don’t have a clear intention for their book.

All of these problems make for books that are not reader-friendly.

What is the solution? Number one: Think about your reader and then strive to speak to him/her, engage him/her and entertain, teach, inform him or her.

What are you writing today? Go to your desktop now and read through it. Who is it written for? If it is fiction, is it an enjoyable story or does it drag and seem a little dull? Go back and read a book or short story that really kept your interest. What makes this story different from yours? What can you do to improve the entertainment value of your story?

If it is nonfiction, is it crystal clear, well-organized and informative? Is it easy to read and follow? Have you provided a mix of text, bulleted sections, Q & A, anecdotes and a study program, for example? What, exactly, will your reader get from this book or article? What is your intention? What do you envision the reader walking away with: A new skill, a greater understanding on some topic, a fresh perspective? Do you believe that you have succeeded in providing this opportunity? If not, I suggest going back to the drawing board.

Patricia Fry is the author of 28 nonfiction books and a memoir. Her book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book is designed for authors who are at any stage of writing, publishing or promoting their books. Read the profile for this useful book at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

June 27, 2009

Writing Contests: A Good Idea or Not?

Filed under: Publishing,Writing — Patricia @ 9:03 am

I was one of three final judges in a memoir contest this week. That was an eye-opener. As I understand it, there were several dozen entries which were evaluated by a large group of volunteers. The final judging involved the ten best manuscripts.

Now I’ve judged several writing contests and I know a lot of writers who enter (and some who win) writing contests. But I have to say that, for the most part, I’m not impressed by the writing I have seen in most of the contests I’ve judged. Often, there are two entries that far outshine everything else. And there might be three manuscripts that vie for third place—the judges’ job, then, is to eliminate the worst of them.

While some judges focus mainly on the entertainment value and/or organization of the entries, others give points for continuity and flow. Still others take points away for misspelled and misused words. One judge I worked with recently, knocked off quite a few points for poor endings. Another one would not even read two of the manuscripts because she couldn’t get into the story in the first paragraph.

Why am I telling you this? Why would I want to burst your bubble when it comes to entering contests? Actually, I don’t want to discourage you from entering contests, if that’s what you enjoy doing. Writing contests are definitely plentiful. We publish dozens and dozens of contest announcements every year in SPAWNews http://www.spawn.org. And there are numerous directories of contests for writers, artists, poets, photographers, etc.

There are definite benefits to entering writing contests. Many writers become published only after they have spent many years practicing, studying and entering contests. Each win or honorable mention adds to their level of confidence. Some writers enter contests for the accolades—they want the recognition for their resumes. When you visit their websites or you study their bios, you might read, “Award Winning Writer,” or “Award Winning Author.”

This serves to give writers and authors added credibility. Heck, we can use all of the help we can get to stand out, right? You’ll notice on the home page of the SPAWN website that we brag about our Writer’s Digest designation as one of the top 101 websites for writers in 2006 and 2009. (It should also say 2003 and 2004 as we have had the designation for all four of these years. I’ll have to talk to our webmaster.)

Yes, recognition is good. But for you writers who enter contests in order to get some measure of validity for your work, I have a warning. You need to know that your manuscript may not be judged against others of any real quality. Your win might not be as prestigious as you would like to think. And it’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with feeling really great about winning a contest, enjoying the awards dinner, getting the pats on the back, etc. What I want to warn you about is getting too comfortable with your level of writing expertise.

Enter contests, sure. But still participate in a critique group. Continue to work with a mentor or an editor. Read works by excellent writers. And most of all continue to write.

There are some good books on writing. Especially, if you are interested in publishing what you write, be sure to read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Contact me for a free evaluation of your work. PLFry620@yahoo.com

June 25, 2009

Lessons For Authors

Filed under: Editing,Writing — Patricia @ 6:20 am

Isn’t it grand when you learn something new? I received a manuscript for evaluation recently. I told the author that I thought the manuscript was in pretty good shape, but that he really needed to remove the extra space between sentences.

He told me that he was aware of the new one-space rule, but wasn’t quite ready to buy into it. Even if he wanted to adhere to the rule, he wasn’t about to go back and make all of the changes to his manuscript. He asked if there was a quick and easy way to remove the extra spaces in one fell swoop.

I’ve wondered that, too. I told him my theory—that probably you can use the find and replace feature in Word to remove the extra space between sentences. I had never tested it out, but he decided to. He reported back that “it worked.”

I wanted to report this to you—my faithful blog visitors—but decided to test it out myself, first. So, this morning, I ran a test. Sure enough I discovered that, if you have a manuscript or a paragraph with two spaces between sentences (the old-fashioned way to type), and you want to remove one space, click on “Find and Replace.” Ask to Find “. ” and Replace with “. ” It works mighty slick.

When I attempted this fete with the question mark, however, I was not so lucky. While you may be able to automatically remove the extra space after a period, you will probably have to go in and remove the extra spaces after other punctuation (question marks and colons, for example) by hand.

Why is it now only one space between sentences when anyone over the age of 35 learned to type leaving two spaces at the end of any sentence? It’s because we’re in the age of technology. When we used typewriters, the letters we typed on a page each took up the same amount of space. So, in order to indicate the end of a sentence—to the reader and to the typesetter—we left two spaces at the end. Now, the letters we type on a page using a computer, each take up a different amount of space. Because of this, you can leave just one space between sentences and it is still obvious where the sentence ends.

There are still a lot of people who are unaware of this rule thus; you will see published books with rivers of white running through them. Take a look at some books in your library—those with “rivers” are pretty amateurish, don’t you think?

Professionalize your writing. Start by adhering to the one-space rule. Some people will tell me, “But I’ve been leaving two spaces for 40 years…20 years or whatever…” I say, “Talk to the hand,” because I’m not going to give you permission to be a slacker. Put on your big girl/boy pants, folks, and type the right way every time, all the time—on your manuscripts, in your emails, on your website and blog, when you leave messages at forums or participate in your discussion groups. Practice, practice, practice and soon it will become a habit. You can do it. You really should do it.

For more information about self-editing and some of the new rules created as a result of the technology age, read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/html

Those of you who have this book, I would love to hear what aspect of it resonated most with you. Which part of it has been most valuable to you so far? For most authors, this changes as their project develops. At first, they are excited about the self-editing section. Some really appreciate the chapters that help them to understand the whole publishing scene better. Others totally get into the huge book promotion section. And there are still some who follow the self-publishing chapters explicitly. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Lily Update
For those of you who have been so caring and concerned about our little Lily kitten (see the June 22, 2009 entry), she is still recovering. She still sleeps a lot. She’s playing a little, but for only short periods of time. She still seems somewhat confused and her reflexes are slow. We can only hope that she heals completely and becomes the little flying dare devil she was before the accident. Of course, we will be buying her a suit of armor, parachute and helmet before we send her off on her own to play with the other household kitties.

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