Month: August 2010

Stuck @ Chapter 2

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I listened to a few of the moderators podcasts and thought wow, he’s on to something with the writing from different tenses. 

I started out the novel with first person present tense and well, the first chapter was great but, making the transition to having a narriator fill in the gaps is giving me a few problems. 

I don’t really know who to ask questions too b/c in my house only my eleven year old likes books as much as I do and am skeptical to share my ideas with others on line because none of my ideas are copy righted and well… to be honest I have not written a book yet.  I have tons of stuff I have written just nothing published. 

I am stuck on the tense to use and can’t seem to move forward.  It’s like I am caught in the details here banging my head against the monitor. 

I tried writing the three starting paragraphs in different tenses and letting my eleven year old read them and my husband read them. 

It’s supposed to be a childrens book and the one she liked the best was the first person one.  My hubby liked the other one where I changed it to first person past tense. 

Am gonna copy my first three Paragraphs here.  In different tenses.  If you were a ten to tween child which one would seem more understandable and appealing. 

Any feed back would be much appreciated.  Thank you!

First person past tense:

That day was like any other late summer day.  The clouds partially covered the sky the birds in the distance and me sitting at the computer contemplating the course of the day.  Garage sales, antique shows, and flea markets and other unusual thrift stores awaited.  Mom was an avid collector.  She inherited quite a fortune from my grandfather this allowed her to extend her arms into an area that before was just a hobby.
I geared myself up to go with her that day after all, it was much better than staying home and studying for midterms.  I had mastered the art of procrastination so waiting until the last minute to study was far from unusual.  Luckily college was not like high school.  Mom was more lenient and I was able to stay out a bit later than when I was younger.  Her main motto was that we should network with other important people.
Though I neglected to see how hobnobbing with the well to do crowd would help in the future.  All I could see at the time was the back stabbing and eccentric need to keep up with the neighbor next door.  It seemed like a futile endeavor compared to my own interests in clothes from the cheapest thrift store I could fine.  The outfits I choose back then looked like tattered window drapes in contrast to their lavish clothes.

First Person Present tense: 

Today was like any other late summer day.  The clouds partially covering the sky the birds in the distance and me sitting at my computer contemplating the course of the day.  Garage sales, antique shows, and flea markets surrounded the day. Mom was an avid collector so our normal events consisted of venturing out on one of these excursions.  Her recent inheritance from my grandfather now allowed her to extend her arms into an area that before was just a general interest.  So I geared myself up to go after all, it was much better than studying for my college midterm.  So much easier to just put that off until the last minute.  I had mastered the art of procrastination and cramming for the next test.  Luckily home in college was not like high school.  Mom now allowed me to stay out later and to visit more with friends from college.  Her motto was that we should network with other important people.  I neglected to see how hobnobbing with the well to do crowd  would help me in the future.  All I saw was the back stabbing and eccentric need to keep up with the Jones’ next door.  It seemed like a futile rat race where my preference in clothes from goodwill looked like tattered window drapes compared to their lavish outfits and summer get ups. 

Thanks:)

I feel like if I can figure out the tense then I will be home free.

How To Write The Ending Of Your Novel

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There is plenty of writing advice about the first 10 pages, the importance of hooking the reader at the start and making an impact in the first paragraph. But what about making sure that the reader wants to buy your next book?

If your ending sucks, it can leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth and will ensure they don’t want to read your next book. So here are some tips on writing endings for your …novels:

  • Don’t cheat and suddenly have everything work out fine. This is lazy and the reader isn’t fooled. For example “And Jesus lived happily ever after”. From ‘How Not To Write A Novel.
  • You can surprise the reader but you must also satisfy them. There should be more than one possible ending to a book, so the reader doesn’t just give up as they know what will happen. It’s worth foreshadowing this ending with hints in the rest of the book though so that they are surprised but it is not entirely out of the blue. Paraphrased from Holly Lisle. This is also covered by the disappointment of twist endings at Kim’s Craft Blog.
  • Don’t use sappy extraneous contemplation. This is the big problem with the ending of Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol‘. The last chapter or two is just watching the sun rise and thinking about the experience. Boring and pointless.
  • Some genres have an expected ending that you can’t mess with. If your genre is romance, they have to get together at the end. There’s no getting around this unless you want to change genres! You also need to keep some characters alive if you have a series of books planned.
  • Don’t forget to end the book (or explain it is a trilogy!). I recently read ‘The Passage’ by Justin Cronin, a very chunky post-apocalyptic, majorly hyped novel. I enjoyed it but was hugely disappointing in the ending which basically didn’t end. There were so many loose ends so I went onto Twitter to see if anyone else felt the same way. A wonderful fellow tweeter pointed out that the book is first in a trilogy! However, this doesn’t excuse the feeling of disappointment as the brilliant ‘Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins is also the first in a trilogy and wraps the story up and yet still leads onto the next book. It’s definitely a balance.
  • The resolution comes after the climax. The ending does not have to be in that last action/adventure scene. It needs to be after the climax so the story is rounded out. In film, “the audience can catch its breath, gather its thoughts and leave the cinema with dignity” From ‘Story’ by Robert McKee.

    The graph on the right shows the climax and then resolution – from my seminar notes!

Here are some of comments from Twitter – thanks to all who contributed!
  • Make it satisfying. Doesn’t have to be good or happy, but readers want to be satisfied. @Kessbird
     
  • Surprise the reader and definitely tie up the lose ends (I hate sub-plots that are just abandoned!) @graywave, author of ‘TimeSplash’
     
  • Emotionally move the reader in some way to make her feel that her money was well-spent. @jchutchins , author of 7th Son thriller trilogy
  • Think of the biggest, most mind-blowing final conflict you can. Then make it bigger. :) @AlanBaxter, author of ‘Realmshift’
     
  • I always start with the idea of where I am going, makes it so much easier to get there! @PhilippaJane , author of ‘Chasing the Bard’
     
  • End on a note of anticipation. Leave with the reader wanting more. @teemonster , author of Billibub Baddings books
  • “…and then the world exploded” @ShearersBooks
     
  • Endings in a book must come natural, but “out of the box” at the same time. @myotherhand
     
  • Write the ending out fully that comes to mind. Then try cutting the last line or paragraph. It’s often an improvement. @vickigundrum
  • Ending depends on the beginning. in my two novels i have chosen unhappy ending and the third one a happy ending. @sudampanigrahi
     
  • End with a question to encourage comments. :) @code_and_prose
     
  • Always go back to your opening point. @smuttysteff
     
  • Figure it out before you write the beginning! @ChrisMorphew

 

This is a reprint from Joanna Penn‘s The Creative Penn.

Getting Ready to Publish

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The very first thing to do when you start thinking “Should I self-publish?” is to find out what kind of publisher you might become. This decision is critical because it will influence the decisions you make down the road about organizing your publishing business, if you start one, budgeting for your book, and the way the book will be manufactured.

In order to help decide on your publishing path, take a look at these articles on the different ways to be a self-publisher:

What Kind of Self-Publisher Am I?

Two Kinds of Self-Publisher—Which One Are You?
Self-Publishing Basics: Four Ways to Publish Your Book
5 Good Reasons to Self-Publish Your Book
7 Reasons Not to Self-Publish—Is This You?
The Self-Publisher’s Self Questionnaire

Now that you know the direction you want to go, it’s time to do some homework. You’ll have to establish your company with local authorities, pick a name for your press, and establish yourself in the world. You’ll be putting in place the infrastructure your new company will need to launch your book. You’ll deal with companies like Bowker and get your ISBNs in preparation for publishing your book.

Preparing for Publication

How to Create, Register and List Your New Publishing Company
Slow is the Best Speed for Self-Publishing

You’re just about ready to start your publishing life. It’s natural to feel a little nervous about the world you’re entering, but pretty soon you’ll feel right at home. Each time you make progress toward publication, or to increase your readership, you add valuable experience. For most self-publishers, this book is the first one they have written and published. It’s daunting to have to learn everything at once.

Becoming Part of the Community

Becoming part of the community of self-publishers, indie writers, editors, book designers, marketers and everyone else associated with indie publishing gives you the opportunity to learn from dozens of experienced people.

5 Things That Shouldn’t Surprise You About Self-Publishing
Top 5 Discussion Forums for Self-Publishers
3 Indie Publishing Discussion Groups: Getting Your Questions Answered

There’s no other way to say it: Self-publishing can be an exhausting and demanding job, but it’s also satisfying in very unique ways. Sometimes when you’re getting started it helps to remember both sides.

Getting Up and Running as a Self-Publisher

6 Ways to Jump-Start Your Self-Publishing Career
8 Answers That Help Self-Publishers Get Up and Running

And even though we won’t talk about marketing until later in this journey, it’s time for your publishing company and you as an author to have a presence online. The sooner the better. Authority and influence build over time.

Author Platform: What Are You Waiting For?

And the next step in your journey is Planning Your Book. Onward.

This is a reprint from Joel Friedlander’s The Book Designer.

Top 10 Novel Writing Mistakes

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I don’t know about you, but I learned to write, and am still learning to write, the hard way. I made the novel writing mistakes and then figured out what I should have done. I’m certain it’s the same for many, if not most, novel writers.

Regardless of how you learn, if you keep your eyes open for these top ten novel writing mistakes, your novel will have a stronger chance of acceptance.

 
[ Listen to a PODCAST of this article. ]
 
Beyond the common errors in spelling, word use and punctuation, I feel the top ten novel writing mistakes are:
 
1. Weak Characterization
2. Ineffective Dialogue
3. Poor Plotting
4. Point of View Errors
5. Flat Writing
6. Too Much Backstory
7. Summarizing
8. Failing to Target Your Writing to Your Audience
9. Lists
10. Too Much Description
 
Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail, shall we?
 
Weak Characterization: It is imperative you serve your readers a healthy diet of characters with believable motivations, realistic actions and fully formed relationships. You reader needs to know why your major characters do what they do and why they feel the way they do. Read more about CHARACTERIZATION
 
Ineffective Dialogue: Dialogue is one of the trickiest aspects to a novel. It must sound like people speaking to each other when, in fact, character conversations are nothing like conversations between people. Your novel’s dialogue must be much more compact and plot focused, yet, you must retain the personal aspect of it. Read more about DIALOGUE
 
Poor Plotting: Plot is the bread and butter of your novel, and a well structured plot is a blend of art, psychology and the craft of writing. An effective plot requires, pace, motivations, a believable storyline, character arcs and so much more. Read more about PLOT
 
Point of View Errors: POV relates to which character sees the action that transpires within your plot. Irregular shifts in POV proves difficult to the reader, and maybe even worse, POV errors can creep into your novel with little trouble. The secret is to reserve each character’s POV to a single chapter. Here’s more on POV
 
Flat Writing: Flat writing occurs when you input narrative or dialogue that has no meaning to the plot. It shows you’ve lost control over your story due to lack of a plan, lost interest or maybe something as simple as you’re tired. When you find narrative or dialogue that doesn’t move your story forward, it’s time to edit it out.
 
Too Much Backstory: Backstory is anything that came before chapter one. It’s history. The problem is backstory tends to stop the novel’s momentum. More often than not, it’s not necessary to the story and should be eliminated. If backstory is necessary, work it into your story in small nibbles rather than large bites of information and only after the major plot is developed. There’s more on BACKSTORY
 
Summarization: This harkens back to the classic saw of "Show. Don’t tell." In lieu of simply stating a fact in your narrative, develop this information by way of character actions and dialogue. For example, don’t simply say your character is good at math. Have a scene where his math skills are put to the test and he excels. There’s more on "SHOW, DON’T TELL
 
Failing to Target Your Novel to Your Audience: Most writers, especially those new among us, often fail to come to grips with the fact your writing is a business venture. As a consequence, novels are often written without a focus on those who will eventually purchase your product. For example, if your story lends itself to the male market, you don’t want too much emotional action. In contrast, if your market is the adult female, you’ll not want too much in the way of blood and guts. Save that for your teenage male audience.
 
Lists: A common sign of a novice writer is his use of lists within their novel. A classic example of this is with the description of a meadow. The new writer will name all the flowers in the field. It’s usually better to paint a verbal picture with only a few details and allow the reader’s mind to fill in the blanks. In the example of a meadow, you might mention the wavering patches of red and violet as the wind sweeps over the ground in lieu of the list of flowers.
 
Too Much Description: In the same light as lists, the readers imagination is what makes your novel come to life. Too much description imposes your imagination upon the reader. With this in mind, don’t tell him the cloud formation looks like an elephant, unless the elephant is necessary to the story. Instead, tell them the clouds created formations in the sky and allow them to "see" whatever they formations they wish. This will make the story much more personal, and thus enjoyable, to your reader.
 
Are there more common errors in novel writing? You bet. However, if you focus on these ten early in your writing career, you’ll be well on your way to that elusive well-received novel.
 
Now, which of these errors do you commit and what have you done to fix them?
 
Until we meet again, know I wish for you only best-sellers.
 

This is a reprint from C. Patrick Shulze‘s Author of Born to Be Brothers blog.

The Beginning of the End?

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This post, by JA Konrath, originally appeared on his A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog on 8/6/10.

Dorchester just announced it is cutting its mass market paperback line and focusing on ebooks.

A few months ago, Medallion announced the same thing.

I’ve heard, through sources who asked not to be named, that sell-through for paperbacks is as bad as 20%. In other words, out of ten printed, only two sell.

Now what’s going to happen if more publishers follow this business model?

Here’s a possible scenario.

1. Fewer paperbacks are published. Publishers either eliminate their paperback lines, or begin publishing more selectively, in smaller numbers, to cut costs and losses.

2. Bookstores have fewer books on their shelves, and sell fewer books as a result. Which means less money to the publishers.

3. Publishers downsize, since the ebook market, though growing, doesn’t bring in the same money as print does. In order to maintain positive cash flow, they bill their accounts to pay up.

4. Their accounts–bookstores and distributors–can’t pay up. They don’t have the money to pay for the books they’ve sold–which they bought on credit. So they begin returning other books on the shelves to get credit for those.

5. Now there are far fewer books on the shelves, which means far fewer sales.

So when publishers stop printing as many books as they are now, the delicate balance will shift.

What does this mean to you, the author?

The main reason we need publishers is for distribution. We can’t get into Wal-Mart or Borders on own own. They can. So we accept 8% royalties in order to sell a lot of books. But if publishers are no longer printing books, there is ZERO reason to sign with them, because they no longer have that advantage. Especially when we can earn 70% royalties on our own.

If you do sign with a publisher, make sure it contains a clause that states they MUST release it in print, or revert the rights back to you. Make sure there is specific wording for "out of print" that doesn’t include ebook sales.

But, if you do sign with a publisher, do you think you’ll ever get your rights back?

Let’s say I’m running a publishing company. I see ebooks are the future, and I’ve got three new authors coming out in print. I gave these authors healthy advances, and there’s no way they’ll earn out these advances with print sales.
 

Read the rest of the post on JA Konrath‘s A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog.

A Copyright Battle for the 2010s

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This article, by Michael Baumann, originally appeared on AllBusiness.com on 7/1/10.

The struggle to control and monetize intellectual property is hardly a new one for publishers and other content creators, but it is one that is constantly evolving. With an ever-changing set of technologies for creating and distributing content, users tend to create new norms and come up with new ways to circumvent intellectual property law faster than publishers can find ways to stop them.

Content creators are doing their best to stay ahead of the curve, protecting and monetizing their material while still being able to market and sell their wares. On the other hand, users are trying to keep from running afoul of the law. 

Mobile Devices and Rising Costs

In the past decade, perhaps the biggest change in how people consume digital content is where they consume digital content. In 2000 (or even as late as 2004 or 2005), that place was at a desktop or laptop computer, usually through a wired Ethernet connection. Today, that place is almost literally anywhere in the civilized world.

"Digital once meant the web to most people," says Chris Kenneally, director of author relations for the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). "Most people got to the web one way – they sat at a desk and worked at a desk. That was only 5 years ago." Today, that has changed. "What we have seen, of course, is devices like the iPhone and other smartphones change that completely," he says.

Where publishers previously only had to create one form of an article or photo, the burden is now on content creators to produce material that can be viewed on screens and interfaces as large and complicated as desktops and projectors or as small and simple as the iPhone. For example, NYTimes.com produces five versions of each article, according to Kenneally. With digital publishing getting more complicated, it becomes more and more important that content providers can maximize their return on investment.

"Each of the platforms requires its own special development," says Kenneally. "It used to be you put the ink on the printing press, run the ink through, and youVe got a newspaper. Then you’ve got the pixels for the website, and that was its own separate branch of the business. I can’t take the same text and float it out on all these different platforms – it’s just a cost issue."

 Marketing and Monetization

 

Read the rest of the article on AllBusiness.com.

Top 10 Ways Authors Can Use Twitter

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It’s Twitter week here at the Savvy Book Marketer! In today’s post, I discuss the many benefits of Twitter for authors. Tomorrow, novelist Graham Storrs shares his secrets for planning a successful round-the-world virtual book tour on Twitter. On Thursday, Tony Eldridge and I will be presenting the Boost Your Book Sales With Twitter Teleseminar.

Top 10 Ways Authors Can Use Twitter

Twitter is a great tool for building an author platform and promoting books. Here are some of the top ways authors can benefit from Twittering:

1. Help others by sharing information, while you gain a reputation as an expert. Nonfiction authors can post links to helpful articles, recommend resources, and teach mini-lessons. Novelists can talk about their genre. Children’s authors can promote literacy, share information about the benefits of reading for children and young adults, and offer tips on how to select age-appropriate reading material.

2. Meet potential customers and stay in touch with existing customers. Promote your Twitter URL everywhere you’re listed online, and include keywords in your tweets to attract followers who are interested in your topic or genre.

3. Stay on top of news and trends in your field or genre and get ideas for your articles and blog by reading the tweets of the people you follow.

4. Promote live and virtual events such as book signings, podcasts, virtual book tours, book fairs, teleseminars, and book launches.

5. Gain visibility and new followers by hosting a Twitter contest where you give away a prize to a randomly chosen winner, or give a free gift to everyone who follows you and re-tweets your contest message.

6. Ask for help and get instant responses. When you request product recommendations, referrals to experts, or help with a technical issue, it’s amazing how helpful folks are.

7. Spread good will by helping your peers. Introduce other people in your field or genre, or recommend other related books or products.  Re-tweet interesting posts from people that you follow.

8. Promote your book and other products and services. The key is to be subtle and make promotional tweets a small percentage of your overall communications, so people feel like they gain value from following you, not just a stream of sales pitches.

9. Meet other authors, experts, publishers, marketers, and vendors. Twitter is ideal for networking and it’s a great place to meet potential joint venture partners.

10. Keep in touch when you’re on the road. There are a number of applications that facilitate twittering from mobile devices.

Have fun! It’s fascinating to meet people from all over the world, gain a glimpse into their lives, and develop a cyber-relationship.

To learn more about using Twitter to promote yourself and your book, join Tony Eldridge and I on August 12 for the Boost Your Book Sales With Twitter Teleseminar.

This is a reprint from Dana Lynn Smith‘s The Savvy Book Marketer.

Encourage others to buy your book, and to upgrade to a hardcopy version!

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If any of you want to see a pretty cool idea to encourage others to buy your book, and to upgrade to a hardcopy version, please see my link at

http://kck.st/cgXgnB

Cliff

Author Fay Risner To Speak At Athena Club Nov. 8, 2010

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Nov. 8, 2010, the Belle Plaine, Iowa Athena Club has invited me to speak about my Civil War book – Ella Mayfield’s Pawpaw Militia – A Civil War Saga In Vernon County Missouri. ISBN 1438235461. Sold on Amazon, ebay and http://www.booksbyfaybookstore.weebly.com It seems only fitting that today’s members in a club that was founded in the 1800’s would be interested in history from that era.

Awhile back, I signed up on a website for Iowa authors. Iowa Center for the Book – http://www.iowacenterforthebook.org This is the site the Athena Club looked on to find an author. They found my name and list of books.

　

I’m getting prepared for the Athena Club meeting. I kept my bulletin board from the book sale at a Civil War reenactment last year. A hand drawn map of Missouri points out Vernon County’s location. The map is covered with statistics like how many battles and scrimmages were fought in Missouri. Across the top of the map is the definition for bushwhacker and jayhawker, plus pictures of a bushwhacker and two Union soldiers stones which are my great grandfathers buried in the Montevallo Cemetery and a picture of a woman’s grave who was a slave before the war and lived to be almost 100. Montevallo’s only black citizen after the war, Isabel Taylor was my parents neighbor in the 1930’s. In plastic covers, I have a copy of my great grandfather’s discharge paper, a picture and a story about Isabel Taylor from the Nevada Daily News. I’ll set out a stack of business cards so the club members know how to contact me later for future sales and a box of my other books to go through for those that like my different genres (Amish, mystery, western or Alzheimer’s themes) while I talk.

Bushwhacker Ella Mayfield’s story was an easy one to write. History provided me with details and dates of battles and towns burned by Union soldiers. The 1887 Vernon County History book supplied information about the Mayfield family. The authors point of view about the Civil War others wouldn’t know that didn’t live in that area until I wrote this book and talked about the era. My book is considered fact based fiction. The conversations and some of the details I added were my imagination because I wasn’t there.

An added plus for me, my parents grew up near Montevallo. We went there to visit family and friends often when I was a child so I know the landscape well. For many years, I’ve revisited that area, traveling in the same places that my parents and Ella lived.

Women, who homesteaded with their husbands, were sturdy, hardworking individuals. They could shoot a squirrel rifle, ride a horse, wield an ax and hold on to the reins of work horses or mules struggling to pull a small plow across unbroken sod. All the while, they had just delivered a baby or were expecting another one. It’s no wonder, these same women were able to hold their own among men in Ozark bushwhacker bands. The Mayfield family were considered heroes in Vernon County during the war. They suffered as much as any other family. Ella lost two husbands, two brothers and two brother-in-laws to Union soldiers and in the end was burned out of the timbers that hid her and her band so well.

Homesteaders weren’t interested in slavery. They had large families to help farm the 160 acres they signed up for. To keep that land, they had to build a cabin and plant crops for five years then the farm belonged to them. When the war started, family members, women, children and elderly were left behind to protect their homes and land. They fought to stay on the land they had put so much sweat into making their home. Years later, bushwhackers that come to mind are the James brothers and Younger brothers. Living in a land completely destroyed by fire and battles, these men chose to be outlaws rather than make an honest living. That was not how the bushwhackers of Vernon County began. Early on, the men came home from battles, disillusioned by battle losses, death of friends and relatives. The battles they were sent to fight were too far from home to protect their families. These men chose to become bushwhackers and fight at home to try to keep the Kansas Jayhawkers and the Union soldiers from burning their homes and killing their families. Angered by raids made on what belonged to them, the bushwhackers raided in Kansas, burning and killing. Ft. Scott Union soldiers tracked them back into Vernon County. Hit and run fighting was easy for the bushwhackers with vast timbers to disappear into, caves to hold up in and creeks to ford to hide their tracks. By the end of the war, the few women, children and old men left in their homes ran out of food to give the bushwhackers. The Union soldiers saw to that by destroying extra food, gardens and taking away milk cows to keep starving settlers from giving aide to the militias. The sympathizers had to move away from the areas to survive. That didn’t stop the bushwhackers. They were afraid to shoot what little game was left for fear the soldier patrols would hear a shot. Instead, they lived on berries, nuts, persimmons and pawpaws. Finally, the Union General, Thomas Ewing, in Kansas City issued Order No. 11. Burn Cass, Jackson, Bates and most of Vernon county south of Kansas City to run off all the southern sympathizers and what was left of the bushwhackers. That did it. In the smoky haze of spreading fire, Vernon County citizens and the last of Confederate solders fled to Arkansas.

That’s when Ella and her second husband gave up the fight. A few months after they arrived in Arkansas, Ella’s husband was killed. I tried to find out what happened but so far don’t know the answer. Ella came back to Vernon County, married a man farming not far from where her family’s farm had been. She used her first name, Amanda, which as time passed helped others forget her involvement in the war. After so many hardships, Ella had a normal life. She farmed with her husband, moved to Oklahoma later in life and is buried there beside her husband.

Now thoughts about summers -Yesterday and Today

Last Thursday was my husband’s birthday. I brought his 89 year old mother out for the day. In he afternoon, one of his sisters brought her two grandchildren that think coming to our place is like visiting a zoo. Our son joined us after he got off work. It was a super day with low humidity and warm sunshine that made our ash trees shade feel good. This was a day reminiscent of days in the Ozarks when I was small. In those days, my family spent many hot afternoons under a large maple tree, sipping real lemonade and Kool Aid. Our fan, compliments of a feed store, was a small piece of cardboard with a tongue depressor like handle. Many weekends when relatives came to visit, the grownups sat in the shade while the kids played. Dad bought a 50 pound block of ice which he busted up in a gunny sack, and everyone including the kids took turns cranking on the ice cream maker. We didn’t seem to mind the heat in those days. Maybe because we didn’t have air conditioning, we were acclimated to Missouri’s humid heat.

Many a summer evening, my family sat outside until bedtime. We had a porch swing. When my younger brother and I were small, my parents sat in it with us while Dad told us stories about what it was like when he was a kid or the Civil War stories his father told him about his grandfather. When we outgrew the swing, we sat on an old quilt in the grass. Dad bought a telescope. He pointed out stars and constellations, told us the names and let us look at them. The moving star that traveled from North to South was Russia’s Sputnik.

The house stayed hot through the night. We slept on the floor in front of the front porch screen door with a small, old fan stirring the air some. I was agile enough in those days not to mind the hard floor. The only reason I’ve thought twice about those days was Mom’s story about the large black snake that crawled under the screen door and slithered across the floor. The creature was looking for a cool place, too. At night for a summer or two, we slept sideways on an old iron bed out in the yard. Summers tended to be hot and dry so my parents didn’t worry about the old mattress getting wet. If a shower came up and passed through, the sun came out. The mattress was baked dry by bedtime. We lived on a blacktop road, but no one came by after ten o’clock to see us sleeping outside. That was the whole neighborhood’s bedtime so traffic was nonexistent until morning. My parents woke up at daybreak to milk cows. When passerbys drove by during the day, they probably thought the bed was a trampoline for the kids.

Now it’s summer in Iowa. The heat index of 104 one Wednesday was enough to drive my husband and I out of our un-air conditioned house that evening until the sun set. Not much of a view from our yard these days with ten feet tall corn plants all around us. One night, we watched four hot air balloons float near our house, turn and go back the way they came, but that Wednesday night and since then it has been too hot or stormy for balloons.

Another evening, my husband made the mistake of digging out a dandelion near my clematis vine which housed a minature nest of baby red headed finches. The frightened birds flew out into the lawn and bushes. After the surprise wore off, they decided they weren’t ready to leave home just yet. From several directions, the young birds made a clicking sound, trying to talk their mother into coming for them. Finally, my sympathetic husband hunted each baby up and put them back in the nest so their mother could find them. That quieted them down.

Most summer afternoon and evenings, we’re content to watch panting sparrows and warbling jenny wrens. How do those tiny birds muster up such a loud song? As you can see if my husband and I have any kind of breeze, plenty of shade, a refillable glass of tea and song birds entertaining us, we’re easy to please. Maybe it’s because we know what winter will bring.

　

　

　

E-books and the Ever-Decreasing Circlets of Hardback Books

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Yesterday we looked at Amazon’s latest move in their stand-off with Penguin (Pearson Group) over negotiations on the implementation of the agent model on e-books by the major publishing houses. Amazon have reduced some new penguin titles in hardback to $9.99 to telegraph to their customers that they want control and flexibility on retail pricing rather than be under constraints imposed by the agreements they have with publishers.

Amazon know publishers are deeply uneasy about the future for hardback books as the lead format release for a new title, and while Amazon are taking the hit on a $9.99 discount, they are send a very clear signal out to their customers—we’re on the side of the of the customer and just look at what these publisher guys are trying to do to us.

I questioned the real resolve major publishers have to get behind the development and promotion of their e-book strategy, and while this year’s London Book Fair came and went in a whisper, last year’s Fair underlined for me the first inkling I had that UK publishers were just not willing to embrace e-books in the way they needed to. My feeling now is this reluctance may actually extend to many US publishers, who may like to be seen to be actively behind the steady rise in e-book sales, but secretly they are hoping the market levels and bottoms in the next couple of years so they can revert back to their tried, trusted and sacred printed book. I commented yesterday on the resolve of publishers to seeing e-books take off. 

“I have one overriding feeling about the agency model adopted by the major publishers in their agreements reached so far with Amazon – whose executives have spent many an hour locked away behind polished doors – and it is the belief that publishers are still not wholeheartedly behind the growth and development of e-books. What I see is the battle for control rather than any innovation and prosperity for e-books.”

Judith Rosen, of Publishers Weekly, on Friday, highlighted the approach of Circlet Publishing in the USA, a small press run by Cecelia Tan and her husband, Corwin, since 1992. Three years ago they had to stop publishing print editions of their titles due to a financial downturn, and instead, in an effort to revitalise the business, they focussed on e-books for their science fiction erotica lists. Tan never saw the move as a means to become an e-book publisher, but an effort to rescue Circlet Press. She told Rosen in the Publishers Weekly article:
 

"There’s still no replacement for the ‘real’ book. Three years ago Circlet was essentially dead in the water. Bookstores weren’t ordering in the quantity they used to. There’s been a real shrinkage of the erotica shelf. [In 2008] That’s when I taught myself to format for the Kindle.”

Through a mix of fundraising campaigns on www.circlet.com, Tan hopes to raise $5,000 for Circlet Press’ first printed book in three years by creating a CD compendium edition of twenty of their best e-books. It was interesting that Angela Hoy of Booklocker.com commented of the article on Publishers Weekly. Booklocker were a pioneer of selling e-books online way back in 1998. In fact, Booklocker did not sell their first printed edition until a year later.

So, the bigger question remains…
 
Why are publishers secretly terrified of e-books and what it will mean for the publishing industry?
 
Publishers are correct to point out that taking a book from submission to print ready file costs the same amount whether it is intended for print or e-book format. Beyond this stage is where publishers incur their biggest expense—on printing, marketing and distribution. The marketing expense will always focus on the sector where the largest sales are, and up till now it has been through media and in-store promotion. It is print runs and distribution discounts which eat away at publisher budgets. In an ideal e-book dominant market, print-runs are reduced and if we are to use the agency model as a future business template, then 30% is what the retailer gets, less than what is negotiated for many print book discounts.
 
For a $10 paperback, an e-book should not cost to the customer any more than $6.99 as an e-book, and its hardback counterpart has not place costing any more than that whether it is being released for the first time or not. Where publishers can be innovative is offering a hardback edition for the retail and library market bundled with an enhanced e-book edition. Attempting more than that from the buying customer is extracting more than the publishing centre will hold.
 
It is time for publishers to access the true value of books in whatever format or medium they are published. The real battle for the survival of the hardback—something publishers seemed desperate to hand on to—is not in their hands, but rather entirely dependent on how slowly or quickly universities, libraries and book clubs move to embracing digitalisation, and something tells me, in these financial times, it will come a lot sooner than later.
 
 
Circlet Press is a Cambridge, Massachusetts publishing house founded and managed by Cecilia Tan. It specializes in science fiction erotica, a once uncommon genre, and its publications often feature BDSM themes.

Tan founded the house in 1992 after researching the markets for publication of her own stories, which combined science fiction plotlines with explicitly sexual themes. At the time, science fiction publications turned away such material as unsuitable for their audience, and most publishers of erotic material were hard-core pornographers and uninterested in any material whose plotlines extended beyond the simple formula encounter story (in which two people meet and sex ensues).

The ground-breaking combination of sex-positive, woman-centered erotica with science fiction and fantasy themes came as a result of Tan’s editorial vision that rather than combine the worst clichés of both genres, the mixture could instead expand the boundaries of what was possible in each. Science fiction had developed a somewhat deserved reputation for being dismissive or neglectful of human character development issues like love, lust, attraction, and family issues, while erotica was definitely ripe for something beyond the encounter formula. Placing stories into a science fictional or magical context allowed writers for Circlet Press to remove their stories from their contemporary political context and sidestep issues such as feminism, AIDS, and sexual identity politics.

 

This is a reprint from Mick Rooney‘s POD, Self Publishing and Independent Publishing.

5 Self-Publishing Lessons I Learned From My Toddler

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It’s amazing, being a mother of a toddler, how much this little girl has taught me in just the 1 1/2 years she’s been with us. What’s even more amazing is that many of those lessons can be applied to self-publishing.

Lesson #1: Anything worth doing takes time. My daughter has been a little slow in using “big people” words, until recently. In fact, up until a few days ago, she would refuse to say words we knew she knew how to say. I can only guess the reason behind it was she wanted to be sure she could say it right before putting it out there for everyone to hear. In self-publishing,  throwing your work out to the general public before you’ve refined it to its best is a very bad decision. It’s bad for sales, bad for your reputation and bad for other self-publishers’ reputations. If you think it’s worth publishing, then take the time to do it well.

Lesson #2: Learn to have patience, with yourself and those around you. Tiny Tot, as we affectionately call her, can throw some of the best tantrums when she loses patience with a toy that isn’t doing exactly what she wants. She’s actually lost patience with herself, not the toy. Thankfully, Grandma has helped her cope with those moments by teaching her to tell herself that it’s okay, with a little patience she’ll be able to do what she is trying to do. (We now hear her repeating “okay” to herself on those occasions.) As a self-publisher, you want to make it all happen right now, but that’s not the way it works. It takes time to build a fan base, time to connect through social media. Everything takes time and that’s okay.

Lesson #3: Sometimes it helps to explain what you’re doing. Refilling a sippy cup of milk used to cause a melt-down. She was getting what she wanted, more milk, but she didn’t understand what had to happen to get it. Since we began explaining each step as we do it we’ve managed to avoid those tantrums. I’ve found gathering support for my self-publishing venture easier to gain when I explain exactly what it is I’m doing along the way.

Lesson #4: If you’re having a hard time making anything do what you want, take a nap (or at least a break). When my little girl starts throwing tantrums over the smallest things, a piece of paper she can’t fit into a bottle or the opening of the freezer instead of the refrigerator (she’s still working on how to make her wants known), I know it’s time for some downtime be it a nap or just a drink and some quiet rocking time with Mama. I understand where she’s coming from because when I get tired and/or frustrated with a project I know it’s time for a break — or to go to bed when I’m burning the midnight oil. Coming back to a project refreshed means being able to look at it from other angles and maybe finding a solution I didn’t see before.

Lesson #5: You can do anything you set your mind to so long as you don’t believe you can’t. Tiny Tot has done some things I didn’t think she’d be able to. For example, at eleven months old she said her first (and only to date) complete sentence. She asked her Grandma, “Can I do that?”, meaning she wanted to help Grandma re-load the dishwasher. If her Grandma and one of her aunt’s hadn’t also heard her say it, I would have believed my mind was playing tricks on me. She didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to be able to do that, but she did it. Self-publishing can be like that. There are a lot of experts who say you can’t do better than break even by self-publishing; however there are people doing just that. In fact, it’s said that self-published fiction books (especially in eBook form) are the least likely to be purchased and yet Independent Authors like Joe Konrath are doing quite well. These people have been told they “can’t” do what they’re doing. They just don’t accept that they “can’t.”

I’m glad I’ve taken the time to get to know my little girl because she’s given me some wonderful tips. Listening to what my toddler teaches has made my life, and my self-publishing career, a richer experience on The Road to Writing.

 

This is a reprint from Virginia Ripple‘s The Road to Writing blog.

‘Views from Sandhausen – Experiences from a Foreign Service Assignment” is complete

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‘Views from Sandhausen – Experiences from a Foreign Service Assignment” is complete. It is the story of our life in Germany. Many of you have seen bits and pieces; this is the whole story, and will be available in Hard cover, Soft cover, and e-Book formats – nearly 300 pages with photographs, beginning in November.

Because of Lynn’s significant medical bills I have had to go to a Venture Funding model. Interested parties can go to the site http://kck.st/cgXgnB
 
to purchase shares in the venture. A $15 dollar share will return a signed Soft cover copy of “Views” with you name included as a sponsor.
 
A $25 dollar and up share will return a signed Hard cover copy of “Views” with you name included as a sponsor.
 
ALL Shareholders names will be included in the book as Sponsors. That means that your name will be in the Library of Congress, in our book, forever. What a great thing to have and display to future generations?
 
My Author e-Mail address (for your questions and feedback) 
 
Book blog address (to allow you to monitor my progress towards a November launch)  http://flaauthor.wordpress.com/
 
and my LinkedIn addresses are below.  http://www.linkedin.com/in/clifffeightner
 
There is also a link to the Kickstarter.com site that I have established to help defray the costs of production.  http://kck.st/cgXgnB
 
I’m really excited by this project. We have often been asked to tell our story of those three years; here it is in a 300 page illustrated book, in your choice of formats.
 
I thank you all for your support!
 
Warm Regards,
 
Cliff 

Author and I.T. Project Management Professional

"Lynn’s Story"

"View from Sandhausen – Experiences from
a Foreign Service Assignment"

Available November, 2010

Kickstarter Contributions: http://kck.st/cgXgnB

 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/clifffeightner

http://flaauthor.wordpress.com/

http://www.cfeightner.com

Some Words of Advice to Dorchester Authors

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I went on line late this afternoon and was bombarded by the swirl of news and commentary about Dorchester Publishing’s decision to switch to an e-book/POD approach to publishing. At first I simply felt a wave of sympathy for those authors who found their familiar world swept away, particularly those authors who had books that were supposed to come out this fall and were in the middle of marketing campaigns designed around traditional trade paperbacks and brick and mortar stores. See for example the discussion on the Smart Bitches website.

Next I thought about what advice I would give these authors from my experience this past year as an indie author whose book, Maids of Misfortune, is in both ebook and POD formats. Like many of the commentators on the Smart Bitches site, I would suggest that once they know for sure where and when their books will be available they take advantage of their social networks (facebook, myspace, twitter) and their author websites and blogs to get the word out.

If they haven’t yet developed those social networking tools or they don’t have their own website or blog-it was high time they did so anyway, so this will provide a powerful motivator for them to do something they had probably been saying to themselves (and to their agents) they should be doing for some time.

I would recommend Publetariat and the blogs Creative Penn and There are No Rules as good places to start.

But then, I suddenly thought, wait a minute! Many of the Dorchester authors have something that most indie authors would love to have, a backlist. As I scrolled down and looked at the long list of books that some of these authors had, I couldn’t help but notice how many of them were listed as “out of stock,” and I thought, OMG, these authors need to run–not walk to J.A Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, and read every one of his posts for the past year. Because what Konrath has done for authors is show how they can turn their backlists and their previously unpublished works into a decent living.

First of all, it seems to me there should be no excuse from now on for Dorchester not to start making these out of stock books available in POD and/or ebook format, and if they don’t, the authors should be negotiating to get those rights back.

Second, if they do have the rights to any of their past books, once they have converted those books to electronic form (and there are lots of guidebooks and real people out there anxious to help authors do this for relatively modest prices), they can start to use those books if priced correctly (or offered for free) to drive a new audience to their published books with Dorchester.

Third, if they have any short stories, novellas, or books that they love but were never able to sell, these also can be offered for free or at low prices as a way to boost sales for their published books. I can’t stress too much how important reading Konrath is to understanding the effectiveness of this sort of strategy.

For example, even as a complete novice, who self-published her first historical mystery eight months ago, I have already gotten to the point where I am selling about 300 books a month, making about $2 a book (my ebooks sells for $2.99). Imagine what I could be doing if I had a more books to sell and an already established fan base?

So my advice to Dorchester authors is to begin to imagine this future where today might just be the day when they took control of their destinies and ended up making more money from their writing than they had ever hoped to do. I wish them all the luck in the world.

 

This is a cross-posting from M. Louisa Locke‘s The Front Parlor blog.

Screenplay Writing Interview III with Shannon L. Arrant

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Here is the final segment of my interview with screenwriter and independent filmmaker Shannon L. Arrant. She provides some critical information and links for your consideration.

A writer just finished her screenplay. What should her next steps be?

Registering [the] script should be [the] first priority. It can be registered with either the WGA (www.wga.org) or the Library of Congress (www.copyright.gov). Each offers different prices and different benefits for registering so choose whichever one appeals to you the most.

Once your script is registered, give it to anyone and everyone who is willing to give you an honest critique of it. Websites like Zoetrope (www.zoetrope.com) are filled with screenwriters who will review your work in exchange for you reviewing theirs.

Don’t give it to just fellow screenwriters, though. Give it to your family, friends, coworkers; pretty much anyone you can think of. If people that aren’t associated directly with the film industry find it entertaining to read, they should find it entertaining to watch, too.

Once you get their reviews, don’t feel like you need to make all of the changes suggested to you but don’t flat out ignore their comments, either. Use the suggestions that will ultimately improve your script and discard the rest.
How do you know which ones those are? This is where getting as many reviews as possible comes into play. If there’s an area that a lot of people are having problems with, then work on fixing it. The rest of the suggestions you receive can be included or not, depending on whether or not you feel they’ll improve your screenplay.
A great side benefit of giving your screenplay to as many people as possible to review is it will also help you network. Networking is vital in the film industry. Even if someone isn’t directly a part of a production company, you never know who they know that is.

What are the best ways a screenwriter can network?
Aside from telling anyone and everyone you’re now a screenwriter, attending screenwriting conventions (if you can afford it), being active on websites geared towards screenwriters and production companies like IMDb pro (www.proimdb.com), entering screenwriting contests, and interning with local production companies are all great ways for a screenwriter to network.

How does someone go about locating production companies to intern with?
The best place I’ve found is your local Cragislist page. Independent production companies are always looking for people to help with their latest film. Be sure to check ‘tv/film/video’ under the jobs section and the ‘creative’, ‘crew’ and ‘talent’ sections under gigs. Because Craigslist has started charging to post job openings in certain cities, a lot of production companies are now using the gigs section to place their open calls for talent and crew.

What screenwriting contests do you recommend?
The Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Competition sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (www.oscars.org/awards/nicholl/index.html) is by far the most prestigious screenwriting competition in the United States. If you do well in this contest, you stand a great chance of having your screenplay optioned.
 

The PAGE International Screenwriting Awards (www.pageawards.com) is another excellent contest to enter. It’s another of the more popular screenwriting contests out there and offers some great prizes. For an extra fee, you can also receive the judge’s notes and feedback they left while reading your screenplay. Considering the judges for the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards actively work in the film industry for production companies, this can give you invaluable insight into what other production companies think about your script.

The biggest problem with the previous two contests is that they only happen once a year. What do you do if you finish your screenplay but miss the deadline? That’s where Script Savvy (www.scriptsavvy.net) comes in! Script Savvy has a new contest each month, making it convenient to enter whenever you’re ready. The entry fee is reasonable and they offer two different levels of feedback on your screenplay. Every entrant also receives a PDF of over 400 agents and managers that are accepting new screenwriters. That alone can be well worth the cost of the entry fee.

Does a screenwriter need an agent?
No. Although, as with writing a novel, having an agent can make some things easier. They can submit your screenplay to more production companies and generally should know which companies are looking for your type of script.

How can he go about finding an agent?
Aside from getting the free PDF from Script Savvy of agents and managers if you enter their contest, IMDb Pro, other screenwriters, and a good ol’ Google search are some good ways to get that information.

What are some ways a writer can publicize her screenplay on her own?
In the internet age we live in, having a website is a must. It doesn’t have to be a website dedicated solely to your screenplay. All you really need is a place to post a synopsis, your contact info, and anything else you feel is important. Take your time to make this website as professional looking as you can. Always remember, you are selling not only your screenplay but yourself as a screenwriter. The more polished and together you are, the more likely you are to find someone interested in buying you both.
 

If you can afford it, film a trailer and upload it to every video hosting site you can think of. Even though you may not have any intention of producing your screenplay on your own, it’s easier for someone to invest money into producing your work if they can get a good idea of the potential of the finished product first. It could also get a lot of people interested in watching a completed film of your screenplay. The number of views alone could get someone interested in producing it for you. Whatever you do, if you go this route, don’t forget to link the video to your website!

How do you write a good query letter?
Read a lot of query letters. You can find examples of both good and bad ones through a Google search. Once you have a query letter written, give it to anyone who is willing to read it to get their reaction from it. If, after reading your query letter, they are intrigued enough to want to learn more, then you know you’re on the right track.

How does someone find production companies to send her screenplay to?
Remember how you can find an agent? It’s pretty much the same, except without the nifty PDF of information from Script Savvy.
 

As with novels, there is a proper etiquette to submitting your screenplay to production companies. First and foremost, do your research to see if they are accepting submissions in general and whether or not they are even interested in screenplays like yours. If the production company accepts unsolicited submissions, always send a query letter first. Don’t even think about sending your screenplay unless they ask for it or the submission policy on their website says it’s okay to do so. Failing to abide by proper etiquette will only wind up annoying the very people you want to option your script.

What should someone do if he receives an offer on his screenplay?
Before accepting any deal on your script, do some research first. Check out the company, see what (if anything) they’ve been producing lately and what they have queued for production.
 

Find out when they anticipate production will begin on your screenplay. If they don’t have the cash to produce it immediately, get them to give you a business plan that specifically states how they plan on getting that money and how long they expect it to take.

Always get a date listed in your contract of when the production company loses their rights to make the film and it reverts back to you, especially if they don’t have the money up front to produce your film. Otherwise, you wind up with a production company holding all the rights to a screenplay you poured your blood, sweat, and tears into that isn’t filming it, ultimately costing you the chance to get it produced by someone else.

What should he do if he doesn’t receive an offer on his screenplay?
Whatever you do, don’t despair! If you are confident your screenplay isn’t in desperate need of a rewrite, there are plenty of reasons why an excellent screenplay might not get picked up right away. It might be written in a genre where it’s difficult to get produced period, such as is the case with historical dramas. Or, it could be something as simple as it’s just might not be getting into the right hands at the right time. You can keep trying or take a break and try again later. You could even produce it yourself.

With the invention of digital camcorders, video sharing sites, companies specializing in print-on-demand media, and widely accessible editing software, it’s easier than ever to make your own movies and it’s inexpensive to boot. While I wouldn’t recommend attempting to film your feature length screenplay masterpiece that you converted from the best novel you’ve ever read, don’t be afraid to get out there, shoot some short films, and experiment! You just might find you have talents that lie outside the realm of writing.

Shannon L. Arrant is both an author and a screenwriter who has been blessed enough to work in various roles both onscreen and off. She has several short stories and an anthology available for download for free on her website at www.ShannonLArrant.com. Anyone interested in more information about her completed screenplay that has been hailed as the female version of ‘Braveheart’, the historical drama inspired by true events entitled ‘Sisterhood of the Sword’, can receive it by contacting her through her website: www.ShannonLArrant.com

 

This is a cross-posting from Bob Spear‘s Book Trends blog.

Letters of Love

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Love can be lustful,

Love can be offensive,

Love can be vulgar,

Love can be erotic.

 

 

 



Love can be lonely,

Love can be open,

Love can be virtuous,

Love can be emotional.

 

 

 



Love is liking,

Love is organic,

Love is venus,

Love is endless.

 

 

 

Love was lost,

Love was over,

love  vanished,

Love  expired.

 

 

 

Love will lure,

Love will ooze,

Love will vindicate,

Love will embrace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Love is and can be many things,

none greater than an eternal mystery.