| janfields |
December 14, Night Open
Forum begins in five minutes. You may ask any question relating to
writing or the writing profession or the writing life -- in five
minutes.
|
| janfields |
December 14, Night Open
Forum begins in two minutes with moderator Jan Fields. Now, let me
review how to ask questions so they make it into the
transcript...
|
| janfields |
If you want to ask a
question and be sure it has a chance to be posted, you'll need to
use either the "ask a question" button on the bar across the middle
of your screen. OR type /ask...then space once and type your
question. That passes the question to me and I can post it for
answer. If you type the question in the bar at the bottom of your
screen, I may not see it.
|
| janfields |
Welcome to Night Open
Forum! I'm glad of those who came to chat with me so close to
holiday time.
|
| janfields |
Just before chat
started, I was chatting with zoie about illustration notes, and
wanted to say something about that for the
transcript.
|
| janfields |
In novels, chapter
books, magazine stories, and most other story
forms...
|
| janfields |
it is part of our job
as writers to use words to make pictures in the head of the
reader...
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| janfields |
In the picture book, we
don't do that.
|
| janfields |
The pictures come from
someone totally different.
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| janfields |
So our words serve a
different purpose...the show movement
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| janfields |
Which a static picture
cannot do.
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| janfields |
They let us
hear...which a static picture cannot do.
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| janfields |
They let us use all of
our senses OTHER than sight.
|
| janfields |
But static viewing is
left to the illustrator...and editors prefer we not put much of that
in.
|
| janfields |
So most of your
manuscript will be action or dialogue.
|
| janfields |
Movement or
sound.
|
| janfields |
And specifics of static
image won't be up to you.
|
| janfields |
So if you always
visualized your protagonist as having blonde curls and red footie
pjs
|
| janfields |
That doesn't
matter
|
| janfields |
And you don't put it
in.
|
| janfields |
When the book comes
out...your protagonist might be a bear
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| janfields |
And buck
naked.
|
| janfields |
But the things your
protagonist does...rumble, race, roll and hop...those go
in.
|
| janfields |
Those are
yours.
|
| janfields |
Illustration notes, on
the other hand, are saved for those things that the
editor/illustrator must know
|
| janfields |
in order for the book
to make sense.
|
| janfields |
Sometimes your text,
for example, says one thing...like OLIVIA says something about her
making sand castles and becoming quite good.
|
| janfields |
But the JOKE only works
if the illustration shows what an understatement "quite good"
is
|
| janfields |
So you would add a note
that says something like [Art Note: Olivia's castle should be
amazing!]
|
| janfields |
And leave it to the
illustrator to interpret that into a castle, or a
skyscaper
|
| janfields |
So even in art notes,
leave room for the illustrator to be the
illustrator.
|
| janfields |
Okay...I have some
questions that came in email this end of week.
|
| janfields |
One is on a perennial
favorite...the pen name...
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| janfields |
Veronica: I would like to
use a pen name. However, at this time I would prefer not to have a
literary agent. So, how should I let potential publishers know I
want to use a pen name? Should I let them know during the
query/cover letter or after then have accepted a manuscript? How
would I be paid? Would the check be made out to me or the pen name?
How would I file taxes? Also, is there such a thing as writer/editor
confidentiality similar to that of doctors and their
patients?
|
| janfields |
If you are at the
"submitting" stage for a BOOK manuscript
|
| janfields |
You do not need to talk
about pen names in the submission
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| janfields |
and editors don't want
to hear it.
|
| janfields |
If you are at the
submitting stage for a MAGAZINE manuscript
|
| janfields |
Then you need to let
the editor know that you'll be using a pen name
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| janfields |
in the
submission.
|
| janfields |
This is because you are
going to do a huge amount of back-and-forth between you and the
publishing company for a book
|
| janfields |
So you should wait
until you have settled that they are actually going to publish your
book
|
| janfields |
before you discuss pen
names.
|
| janfields |
The pay for the book
will come to you in YOUR name.
|
| janfields |
Unless you set up an
account to legally accept money in the pen name.
|
| janfields |
The second choice is
incredibly complicated, so I've been told.
|
| janfields |
So, you'll want the
check in your real name.
|
| janfields |
The publisher will have
your real name and your real social security number on file so that
won't affect your taxes, it's still YOU who made the sale, not your
pen name.
|
| janfields |
There is
no...zero...nada...zip...confidentiality between a publisher and
you.
|
| janfields |
They will spill your
real name in a hot New York minute if they feel it will increase
sales
|
| janfields |
or will get them out of
hot water.
|
| janfields |
So if you're using a
pen name to hide for some reason, you may have
problems.
|
| janfields |
Mostly people won't
care about your "real" name
|
| janfields |
but from what I've
heard from other authors, unless the idea of the pen name came from
the publisher,
|
| janfields |
the publisher is not
going to be particularly mum about it.
|
| janfields |
I know the publisher
went along in a big way on Daniel Hadler's books...under the name
Lemony Snickett
|
| janfields |
But the whole thing was
a publicity stunt.
|
| janfields |
So that's a whole
different kettle of fish.
|
| janfields |
Martha: I found an online
magazine that I am interested in submitting to, my question is since
at this time, they do not pay authors for their stories, if you
submit a story they want to use, may you send it to publishers who
do pay for accepted material?
|
| janfields |
If the online magazine
wants ONLY electronic rights and the print magazine DOESN'T want
electronic rights, you could sell to both as long as you let both
know about what you are doing.
|
| janfields |
Honestly though,
neither is likely to like it.
|
| janfields |
Magazines, even
electronic magazines, like to think they get the first exclusive
shot at publishing the story/article
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| janfields |
Unless they buy it AS a
reprint.
|
| janfields |
So if it comes out
somewhere else first, you won't be in breach of contract, but you
will have royally ticked off a couple editors.
|
| janfields |
So, what I do, is
create a submission "plan" for each story.
|
| janfields |
And I send FIRST to the
market the pays the most.
|
| janfields |
And is also a good
match.
|
| janfields |
Then if they pass, I go
to the next best payer that is also a good market
match.
|
| janfields |
I won't send to any
magazine that isn't a good match for the story,
though.
|
| janfields |
But most fiction pieces
really will work for more than one publication, especially for
younger kids.
|
| janfields |
Martha: Also, when you
submit a nonfiction ms to a publication such as Highlights, do you
send a bibliography? If so, what is the format for doing
so?
|
| janfields |
Yes, in fact Highlights
says they like to see THICK submission packets for
nonfiction.
|
| janfields |
For example, for an 800
word article that I sent
|
| janfields |
I sent the 3-pages of
manuscript.
|
| janfields |
Plus a page of
bibliography.
|
| janfields |
Plus about 15 pages of
copied source material with the "facts" I used
highlighted.
|
| janfields |
THEN, I sent
later...TWO letters from experts who had reviewed the manuscript and
made suggestions
|
| janfields |
And a revised
manuscript to match their suggestions.
|
| janfields |
So...yes, biblio and
copies of source materials.
|
| janfields |
As to how to do a
bibliography, I always alway always always use EASY
BIG
|
| janfields |
Easy
bib
|
| janfields |
http://www.easybib.com
|
| janfields |
It's simple, it's free,
the format will be consistent, and you can paste the result into
WORD
|
| janfields |
and add your normal
manuscript headers
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| janfields |
And make any changes
you might want.
|
| janfields |
But that site saves me
hours of work.
|
| janfields |
Wee Willie Winkie: What
is Locust Point Publishing Consulting? Is it a agency for writers or
for publishing houses? What is your opinion on
them?
|
| janfields |
Okay, I looked up
Locust Point...you do find the most interesting
companies.
|
| janfields |
Now, first, I've never
dealt with them, so this is going to be more about companies that do
what they are doing.
|
| janfields |
One thing they want to
do is be an agent/and PR person for authors.
|
| janfields |
And another thing they
want to do is be a marketing consultant for self
publishers.
|
| janfields |
And another thing they
want to do is to be a book doctor.
|
| janfields |
Now, being ANY ONE of
those things could result in a good product
|
| janfields |
Trying to be all,
suggests you've got way way way way way way way too many eggs in one
basket
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| janfields |
And it has a teeny bit
of conflict of interest feel to it.
|
| janfields |
Since you don't want
someone who is a book doctor also "representing"
you
|
| janfields |
Because they have no
real incentive to do a good job since they've probably already
fleeced...
|
| janfields |
um....
|
| janfields |
charged you for
editing.
|
| janfields |
Which an agent never
never never never never never has any business
doing.
|
| janfields |
But they would say the
AGENT side of them didn't do that...it was the EDITORIAL side that
did that.
|
| janfields |
They want to make money
from everyone...and when you do that, it's really hard to get me to
believe you do a good job for anyone.
|
| janfields |
So, my opinion. Again,
I don't know that company myself
|
| janfields |
But I've known of ones
like it
|
| janfields |
And they didn't help
people...and sometimes they made things worse.
|
| janfields |
And certainly they cost
a lot of money while doing it.
|
| janfields |
Agents aren't supposed
to cost you ANY money.
|
| janfields |
And as a writer with
your first book, hiring a promotion company is simply flushing money
down the loo
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| janfields |
Because they aren't
going to do ANYTHING to help increase sales
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| janfields |
that a real publisher
doesn't do better.
|
| coloradokate |
Pockets is still holding
a story of mine; supposed to decide this month. I've moved. Do I
send a forwarding address to the submission address? Or just hope
the P.O. does its job?
|
| janfields |
Well, you can wait on
the post office...or you can email if you have an email
address.
|
| janfields |
Or you can drop them a
note.
|
| janfields |
I usually INTEND to
drop them a note, but actually forget and the post office handles
it.
|
| janfields |
I will need to wrap up
the transcript in a couple minutes -- does anyone else have a
question for tonight?
|
| janfields |
I don't want anyone to
miss a chance to ask if they have
one.
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