A Go-to Guide for Writers
Posted on 31. Aug, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, The Writing Coach
Elizabeth Bauman
As an editor and a writer, there are a few online resources that I rely on to answer my questions and give me inspiration. Whether I’m struggling to remember a grammatical anomaly or seeking advice on how to overcome writer’s block, these are the resources I use the most:
Chicago Manual of Style (Online)
The ability to look up quirky citations without reaching for my hardcopy of the CMoS is essential during marathon copy editing sessions.
The Subversive Copy Editor Blog
Written by Carol Saller, a senior manuscript editor at the University of Chicago Press, this blog is full of excellent tips and expert observations for writers and editors. Add her to your RSS feed and you’ll learn about language, grammar, and the exciting world of publishing – all with a hefty dose of wit and charm.
Presents “quick and dirty tips for better writing.” Check out her Twitter feed (@GrammarGirl), her podcast, and her book for fantastic advice that will change the way you write for the better.
The NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, which occurs every November) host their own web forum which is full of helpful conversations for fiction writers looking to improve their craft. Whenever one of my fiction authors has writers block, I send them to the NaNoWriMo forums for tips and tricks to overcome it.
This Website and Twitter feed (@AdviceToWriters) is bursting with amazing advice and quotes for all sorts of writers. Add them to your RSS and follow them on Twitter: they never fail to inspire.
So, authors, what are your go-to resources?
The Birds and the Beasts: Good News for Non-fiction Writers
Posted on 27. Aug, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Book Marketing, Getting Published
Hilary Smith
When I’m browsing the fiction in a bookstore, I’m like the choosy female bird in a nature documentary. I’m fickle. Picky. Suspicious. I actively try to find fault in a novel’s efforts to seduce me into buying it, no matter how showy its feathers and how elegant its sales copy. More often than not, I walk out of a bookstore empty-handed—not because I don’t love fiction, but because my aversion to spending money is stronger than my temptation to buy a novel whose characters may or may not enchant me.
It’s a teensy bit different for non-fiction.
A few months ago, I was eagerly awaiting the release of my first book from a traditional publisher and looking for ways to promote it. My local library was sorely lacking in books on this topic, and the information I found on the internet was infuriatingly vague (“send press releases to important media contacts”—yes, but how do I find those important media contacts, and what do I say in my press release?). The local bookstore didn’t have what I needed either.
That’s when I turned from a fickle bird into a blood-thirsty beast.
I went online and bought three different e-books about book promotion within ten minutes. All of them were self-published: two of them were written by freelance book publicists who were selling their self-published e-books through their websites, and the other one was by a self-published writer on Amazon. It was, for me, a veritable book-buying rampage.
This latent beastiness is exactly why non-fiction writers should be very, very excited about e-books.
Unlike fiction, where readers need to be seduced, convinced, and subtly cajoled into taking a nibble, non-fiction readers are already hungry (or, in my case, ravenous). Not just hungry, but impatient. I want to know something; I want answers to my questions, solutions to my quandaries; and if I can click a link and pay $5-20 to get those answers RIGHT NOW, I’ll do it almost every time.
Here is a hungry beast’s list of demands:
High-quality, in-depth information on a specific topic. Whether it’s book promotion or bee-keeping, hungry reader-beasts want the kind of detailed information they can’t find for free on the internet. Can you promise us information we can’t find elsewhere?
Instant gratification. Can you answer my question or solve my problem right now if I click on this link to download your e-book? Yes? Well, alright.
Solid writing and well-organized information. Hungry beasts get very, very angry if they download an e-book riddled with confusing sentences and disorganized information. A good outline for your e-book is crucial (I’ll give tips on this in a future post).
Delivery on promises. Hungry beasts get especially rageful if an e-book makes promises (“How to Get On Oprah In The Next Ten Minutes”) and then doesn’t follow through. Always give readers what you promise in your book’s title. If you build up our trust, we’ll keep coming back for more.
In the next few posts, I’ll talk about how to make your e-book irresistible to readers by coming up with a tantalizing title, killer table of contents, and a promise readers can’t resist. The hungry beasts are out there—all you need to do is show up with the feast.
Barnes & Noble For Sale, And Why You Should Care
Posted on 19. Aug, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Book Marketing
Hilary Smith
A few days ago, I met a Frustrated Writer at a pizza place. This Frustrated Writer had written what he thought was a pretty good book, but it had been rejected by all the agents and publishers he’d queried. He was considering self-publishing, but complained that his book would never be successful because (and I quote) “the only way to sell books is to do signings at the major bookstores, and they don’t take self-published authors.”
This sentiment struck me as so ridiculously inaccurate that I choked on a mushroom. But the truth is, many would-be authors share this Frustrated Writer’s outdated assumptions about the book business: that brick-and-mortar stores are the most important outlet for book sales, that only traditionally-published authors are capable of going on book tours, and that in-person events like book signings are the most worthwhile and, let’s face it, glamorous use of a new author’s time and effort.
Nothing going on in the publishing industry today demonstrates the inaccuracy of these beliefs more than the fact that the Barnes & Noble chain of bookstores has recently been put up for sale.
Barnes & Noble has long been the biggest book retailer in the United States, with almost 800 stores across the country. Many of those stores will very likely close their doors in the next few years, and those that remain will devote more floor space to promoting the Nook, B&N’s e-reader device. In a few more years, there may be radically fewer brick-and-mortar bookstores at which people like Frustrated Writer can dream of doing book signings.
The “For Sale” sign on Barnes & Noble should be a red alert to writers everywhere that we need to update our assumptions about what it means to write, sell, and promote a book. A great blog can be a thousand times more effective than an expensive, inefficient, and (cover your ears, Frustrated Writer) totally unglamorous series of book signings, and having the right link to your e-book can generate more sales than having your book face-out on top of an (imperiled) Barnes & Noble shelf.
In the next few posts, I’ll talk about how writers can adapt and even thrive in the changing publishing climate. Until then, keep your ear to the ground. Hear that rumble? That’s the sound of brick-and-mortar model of book-selling tumbling down.
Building a Relationship with your Copyeditor
Posted on 17. Aug, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Copyeditor's Desk
Elizabeth Bauman
Having your manuscript professionally edited is not easy. Debut novelist Emma Rathbone recently blogged that having her book edited was 80 percent harder than she originally anticipated.
Copyediting is about more than adding a few commas and correcting rogue typos. It’s an arduous, involved process that demands both trust and communication. If you keep the following in mind while you and your editor work to perfect your manuscript, you will get the most out of the process (and maintain your sanity along the way).
1. Talk with your editor.
Open lines of communication are necessary to form an effective, dynamic relationship with your editor. She should feel comfortable asking you questions and you should be quick to answer them. If you and your editor are able to work through issues as a team during the editorial process, the marked up draft that she returns to you will be stronger and you will have less work to do as you address the proposed changes.
2. Trust your editor.
Know that your editor’s primary motivation is a flawless book. All too often the authors I work with act as if I am second guessing their expertise when I query a fact or request a citation. Keep in mind that your editor’s incentive is never to undermine your hard work. Rather, she is striving to create the best book possible. So when your editor makes suggestions, don’t take it personally.
3. Make the most of your editor’s skills.
The diverse skills your copyeditor has may surprise you. Copyeditors are more than just grammarians. As you build your relationship with your editor, rely on her to help you refine your writing style. Query her with passages you know need clarification. Ask her, when she has finished editing your manuscript, where there is room for improvement for future projects.
4. Thank your editor.
Your editor’s time is valuable and, no doubt, she spent many days (and probably many more late nights) combing your manuscript for dangling participles, split infinitives, and awkward transitions. As such, it is very important to thank your editor. If you are happy with the end result (and – if you follow the advice above – you should be!), be sure to thank your editor in your acknowledgements!
Submission Tips from an Insider’s Perspective
Posted on 11. Aug, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Getting Published
Elizabeth Bauman
Submitting your manuscript or query letter to a publisher is a trying task. The dread of a possible rejection, combined with the hope of acceptance, creates a whirlwind of anticipation and anxiety that can leave you feeling confused and uncertain about whether or not you’re putting your best literary foot forward.
During my day job, I review hundreds of manuscripts and proposals each year and, as such, I’d like to share some essential tips for sending your project to a publisher for evaluation:
First, make sure your project fits. Each press has an established mission, as well as a forecast of books they’d like to publish in the future. If your project is not something that they’d normally publish, you’re wasting your time and postage. More importantly, your book will sell more copies if it is placed with a press that specializes in your genre.
To avoid sending your work to an inappropriate press, spend time examining the publisher’s website. Read their mission statement and FAQ to collect information regarding what types of books they’re currently interested in contracting.
Second, while you’re checking out the website, look for submission guidelines. The quality of your work should make it stand out – not the formatting. Many presses refuse to evaluate projects that do not match their established guidelines. The result? Your manuscript may be returned (or – worse – tossed into the recycling bin!) without so much as flipping the first page. Generally, presses want hard-copy submissions that are single-sided, typed in 12-point Times New Roman Font, and – if you include the manuscript or sample chapters – double-spaced.
Third, don’t be a pest. Typically, the press’ editorial assistants will let you know when to expect a response. Don’t call or email regarding your project’s status until that time is up. The acquisitions editor that is reviewing your proposal knows you’re excited, but they need time to look it over themselves, coordinate an outside review, and crunch the
numbers before making a final decision.
Fourth, in the event that you are rejected, do not burn bridges. Instead, thank the editor who made the decision for the time necessary to conduct a thorough review and ask if they can recommend an alternative publisher. Your gratitude and positive outlook will undoubtedly encourage the editor to take the time to lend you a hand.
Seeking a publisher is daunting, but – if you keep these tips in mind – your journey should be less trying.
Write Your Own Best-Selling Business Fable, Part II
Posted on 22. Jul, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, The Writing Coach
Suzanne Murray
Two weeks ago, we offered three of our home-grown tips for writing a best-selling business fable. This week, we’ll continue the topic by bringing you some wisdom from classic fiction writer Kurt Vonnegut. (Think Cat’s Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five.) In his book Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, Vonnegut shares eight rules for writing fiction. Here are three of our favorite, which can help you continue to craft a business fable worthy of the best-sellers list.
Vonnegut’s Tip #3: “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.”
Conflict drives stories. So ask yourself, what is the main problem that drives your fable and how will it ultimately be resolved? No one wants to read a book about a person having a picnic on a clear-skied day. But give your character a challenge to overcome, and you’ve got something to keep your audience’s interest. Add rain, wind or hail—add ants or a swarm of bees—and then your main character has a challenge to beat, while your book’s audience has a reason to read on. Give your characters a conflict to overcome—even if it is finding a glass of water—and readers will have a reason to stay with your story.
Vonnegut’s Tip #2: “Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.”
Great stories have villains and foes, but your fable also needs a leading character that readers can root for. This will give your audience a reason to care and a reason to stay invested in your story. The conflict itself (à la the quest for a glass of water) will provide fodder for your readers to care and root for a character. But the conflict alone will not be enough; the character also needs to be likable in some way. Giving your lead character quirks and idiosyncrasies will make her more realistic and relatable. Your readers aren’t perfect and they don’t want the characters in the books they read to be perfect either. When crafting your business fable, find ways to make your main character likable but realistic.
Vonnegut’s Tip #4: “Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.”
As the fable’s creator, you may have a vision for every detail and every event in the story’s unfolding and back story. The more detail you have about your characters and the events that shape them, the richer your story can become. Yet, readers do not need you to spell out every single detail—only those that matter. Once you have written the first draft of your fable, go back and reread it. Is all of the material you included needed? If a sentence does not reveal something relevant about one of your characters or does not help the drama of the story progress, delete it or revise it so that it does. Readers will stay with your fable—and recommend it to others—if you make every sentence count.
Choose Your Words Carefully: How to Use Your Writing to Defuse a Bad Situation
Posted on 01. Jul, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Business Writing
Heather Duncan
We’ve all been there before. A client or an employer is unhappy, or perhaps asking some tough questions, and a lot depends on how you choose to respond. The tone of your writing and your choice of words is extremely important in these situations, and how you come across to your audience might make or break an important business deal.
Assuming that you must respond in writing (via email, for example), here is a list of things to keep in mind.
1. Regulate the tone and voice of your response.
Tone and voice are both extremely important when writing in a business context. As a quick review, tone refers to the writer’s attitude toward his/her subject, while voice is a little bit harder to define. According to Case Western Reserve’s Sage Writing Guide, “Voice is that peculiar — sometimes very peculiar — quality that allows the audience to read a sentence and know that you wrote it.”
You’ll need to carefully regulate your use of both in this sort of scenario. You don’t want to sound irritated, impatient, or confrontational. Your voice should send the message that you are an expert and you are in control of the situation. Accomplishing this, however, is often easier said than done.
Consider your writing as objectively as you can. Try reading your sentences out loud, placing emphasis on different words and altering your tone of voice. Place yourself in your audience’s shoes and try to keep your meaning as clear and unambiguous as possible. Ask yourself what your response says about you and your role in the situation.
2. Consider the context of your writing carefully.
The tone of your writing should vary somewhat according to who you are addressing and why. Is this your boss, or is this a co-worker? A client? How long have you known this person (or people)? Are you writing to give them bad news, or are you clarifying a difficult situation?
Consider what it is you are trying to accomplish and modify the content of your writing accordingly. Always keep your goals in mind.
3. Pay attention to structure.
If you have to give bad news, it’s best not to immediately come out and say it. Start with something positive or at the very least neutral to ease your audience into the rest of the content.
Van Rhys, Meyer and Sebranek offer the following model for giving bad news in Write for Business, called BEBE (buffer, explanation, bad news plus alternative, exit) :
- Buffer–for example, ” Thank you for your application and the interview yesterday. Our team has reviewed your credentials and come to a decision.”
- Explanation–give the facts, e.g. “We received an overwhelming number of applications from highly qualified individuals for this position.”
- Bad news plus alternative–delivered clearly and without emotion, e.g. “Unfortunately, we are unable to offer the position to you at this time. However, we will keep your application in our files and we will let you know if another opportunity arises.”
- Exit–use a polite and (if possible) positive closing statement.
4. Choose words with neutral connotations
This is definitely not the time and place to get emotional or vent your frustration. If you’re already fired up, take a few minutes to calm down and relax before you attempt to compose your writing. Avoid passive-aggressive phrases like “It seems that…” or “It appears…”. Be as direct and straightforward as possible. It is also best to avoid intensifiers like “really,” “absolutely,” and “totally.” These often make you sound upset or agitated.
5. Don’t beat around the bush
Avoiding the facts makes you sound nervous and unsure. So does padding your writing with unnecessary material. Even if you are at fault, it’s best to be as direct as possible. Beating around the bush will only make you look worse in the long run. And avoid playing the blame game. Again, it is crucial that your writing come across as unemotional as possible.
6. Ask someone else to read it first
I cannot stress enough how helpful a good proofreader can be. Have a friend or co-worker that you trust look over your message before you send it. Two sets of eyes are always better than one. Not only will asking someone to proofread your work decrease the odds that it will contain typos or grammatical errors, but it also offers you the chance to see how someone else interprets your tone. Does it come across as neutral and professional, or confrontational and irate? These questions are difficult to answer yourself.
7. Choose an appropriate sign-off
Whether you are writing a letter or an email, your sign-off will leave a lasting impression on your reader/s. There are many options to choose from, and it’s mostly a matter of personal preference; some of the most common sign-offs are “Best”, “Sincerely”, “Yours”, etc. Depending on the context, you may want to use whatever sign-off you are most comfortable with, or you may want to tailor it to the situation. Whatever you decide to use, make sure it fits the overall tone of the message.
Savvy business writing is a skill that takes years to develop, and it is often a trial-and-error process. These tips should give you a head start in composing professional correspondences that inform and defuse at the same time.
Write Your Own Best-Selling Business Fable
Posted on 30. Jun, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, The Writing Coach
Suzanne Murray
Who Moved My Cheese? Our Iceberg Is Melting. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The classic fable format has been growing as a business-book genre since Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson first popularized the technique more than twenty years ago in their best-selling One-Minute Manager.
But turning your business knowledge into an instructive yet entertaining tale worthy of readers’ time and money takes practice, skill, and effort. Here are three useful tips to get you started.
1. Show, Don’t Tell
While nonfiction business and self-help books regularly tell the reader what to do and how to do it, business fables don’t have that luxury. The goal is to communicate wisdom through real-time action, character dialogue, sensory description, and plot development. So instead of telling the reader that Joe Smith hired Jane Doe for the job, describe how Joe extended his hand to Jane, gave a hearty handshake, and said, “Welcome to the team.” By using physical details and the nuances of how events unfold as symbols to convey meaning, you will be able to avoid directly telling the reader your business wisdom (a somewhat uninspiring prospect when one is hoping for a good read) and instead be able to show the reader through the way in which the story progresses and develops. This can be a far more engaging and entertaining mode of communication.
2. Be Mindful of Time
Many of the successful fables describe a tale that occurs over a relatively short period of time. To help you stay focused and to keep plot development tighter, look for a storyline that plays out over a year, a few months, or even a day. You can carry this principle right down to the level of the chapter as well. Although there will be times when you may want to zip the reader quickly through an event to get to another event or place and time, use such techniques consciously, saving them for well-placed transitions. This will help to ensure that you share the play-by-play advancing action that is happening in a given scene and avoid simply telling the reader what happened (helping with #1 as well).
3. Less Is More
In nonfiction business (or self-help) writing, more tends to be better. After all, you don’t want to simply introduce a concept and then leave the reader hanging. But in fables—as in film—less really is more. Most readers are intelligent and perceptive. Give them a hint, a symbol, a metaphor, or a short burst of powerful dialogue and they will catch your meaning and think you are clever in the process. Wax too philosophical or dwell too long on a particular symbol and the reader may feel like you are beating him or her over the head with the obvious.
Crafting a business fable that both engages and instructs is a delicate process. The trick is to take the reader through the journey of a very good story that “just happens” to convey wisdom in the process.
The Chapter Outline: Part I
Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, The Writing Coach
Lauren Villagran
You’ve got a great book idea and 300 pages sprawling before you to fill. Now what?
Getting started on a book project can be overwhelming for even the most seasoned author. You can take a key first step to giving structure, form and organization to your book by creating a chapter outline. The outline will eventually serve as a roadmap to guide your writing, keeping you on track over months of work and ensuring your story retains its arc (in memoir or fiction) or your premise reaches its logical conclusion (in nonfiction).
If you dedicate time and energy to a detailed outline, the book will practically write itself. The thoughtful organization that is often the outcome of a well-developed outline is likely to make the book that much more engaging to the reader.
Take Dave Eggers’ What Is the What. This book is a novel – borderline nonfiction, actually, rooted in history – about a Sudanese boy’s 25-year journey through years of war and famine, refugee camps and refuge in the U.S. The saga covers much personal, political and historical ground, much of it unfamiliar to the American reader. While I don’t know if Eggers created an outline, it’s abundantly clear that he gave the book’s organization serious thought before he sat down to write. The story opens with a robbery in the present: the narrator is held hostage in his own home. As the narrator lives through this one terrible day, he recounts his harrowing journey from Africa to America to his captors and everyone he meets as the day progresses. This organization lets Eggers jump around in history without confusing the reader, who is always rooted in the events of a single day in the narrator’s life. And because the narrator is always speaking to some character he encounters on that one day in his life, the storytelling feels natural, even brilliant.
In Eat, Pray, Love, author Elizabeth Gilbert organizes her memoir first according to country – Italy, India, and Indonesia – then divides the three sections into 36 parts. This is not at all random; the sections add up to 108, the number of beads on a traditional yogi “rosary.” The number is a three digit multiple of three, which is a symbol of supreme balance – exactly what Gilbert was after when she set out on her journey.
So what is the thread that ties your story together? What type of structure best reflects the story you want to tell, or the message you want to convey? Writing stream of consciousness might have worked for Jack Kerouac in On the Road, but for most writers, a firm outline is the best first step.
How to Craft a Winning Book Proposal
Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by admin in Author's Corner, Book Marketing, Getting Published
Robert Murray
So you’ve written a book, or have an idea that you think you could turn into a best-seller. Now what?
In order to spark the interest of a publisher, you’ll need a convincing book proposal. The book proposal is a lot like a business plan for your book, showcasing its merits. It defines the core readership of the book, both in type and scope; presents a comprehensive review of the key themes, story arc and raison d’être; paints a compelling picture of the publishers’ new partner—you; evaluates the market environment in which the book will compete; and offers a strategy through which you believe the book can best be sold, with you as a central player.
In short, a book proposal should describe your platform as an author (what you’ve published, what you bring to the audience in terms of appeal, etc.) and outline the marketing plan and competitive landscape for the book.
Here are the sections that usually make up our book proposals:
- Overview of the Book (describes the main themes, the “hook”, any key structural aspects)
- About the Author (describes with author’s expertise of the subject and/or experience as an author)
- About the Market (describes the audience, being as quantiative as possible)
- About the Competition (describes other books out there that are similar and characterizes how this book compares and why)
- Table of Contents
- Chapter Summaries (1-2 paragraphs describing each chapter of the book)
- Sample Chapters (full chapters taken from the book).
Proposal requirements vary from publisher to publisher, but these sections are nearly always asked for. If you’re a first-time author writing a children’s book, cook book, fictional work, or photo book, the publisher is likely to want to see a nearly completed book rather than just some sample chapters.
For a sample book proposal, click here.