The Heart of The Delay: Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination (AKA Writer's Block)
I am sure that at in some era, at some desk, with some kind of paper (and perhaps some very special ink), some writer has breezed through a lengthy and challenging project from beginning to end with no delays. No...
The Heart of The Delay: Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination (AKA Writer's Block)
How to break into freelance writting
A noble vocation, "freelance" writing takes it name from the days
(rather, "knights") of yore! Those not in the service of a
monarch sometimes hired out their services. Some were said to
carry business cards inscribed: "have Lance - Will Travel."...
How to break into freelance writting
Writing Nonfiction
All of us are authors, and all of us have a book already written within us that needs to come out.
I believe that fiction is the easiest to write because none of what you write can, or needs to be verified and you are only limited by your imagination. On the other hand nonfiction requires...
Writing Nonfiction
Where Do Writer's Ideas Come From?
To those who are not writers, artists, or composers the
creative process seems an allusive mystical gift bestowed upon a
fortunate few who are held in awe by the general population.
When asked "where do you get your ideas" or "how do you do it",
many cannot answer the question because the...
Where Do Writer's Ideas Come From?
Writing Tips For Novice Authors
If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author?"
I believe that successful authors, those who actually write and finish that novel, or book of poetry, or even that book of short stories, and see...
Writing Tips For Novice Authors
Writing Copy For Online Catalogs
What's one of the things that most of your ad copy has in common? You write your copy for one primary product or service. Since most of the ad copy is done in this manner, you may find that writing "Great" Catalog Copy is a little different. Online catalogs are a very popular medium on the...
Writing Copy For Online Catalogs
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Publishing Child Book? Top Ten Tips for Writing Book Pitches That Get Your Manuscript Read
by
Paul Arinaga
Publishing child book? No matter how well-written your child
story is, if you want to get published, you need to grab and
hold the attention of publishers.
#1 -- Grab their attention in 10 seconds or less
10 seconds. That's how much time many editors say they spend per
submission when they're screening.
The first sentence of your pitch is the first thing that an
editor will read, and if it doesn't grab their attention, it
will be the last thing the editor reads. Make sure to stimulate
their curiosity (without being "cute" or "evasive") so that they
want to read the rest of your pitch and then your manuscript.
Remember that your letter may be vying with a huge stack of
other such letters in the harried editor's "slush" pile. Don't
be boring!
#2 -- What's in a name?
Make the extra effort to find the name of the person to whom you
should address your correspondence. Don't just use the names
listed in resource books. Actually call up the publishing house
to make sure that you have the right name (and check the
spelling, too). Writing to a real person makes your chances of
success much higher and follow-up easier, too.
#3 -- Be appropriate
Research has shown that your submission can get into the top 5%
simply by being appropriate. Being appropriate means you're
appropriate in genre, subject, style, etc. Having a good feel
for the types of books the company publishes also helps you
write a better pitch.
It all comes down to researching the various publishing
companies. You can use the resources listed at the back of this
report, do an informal survey at your local bookstore, library,
or on Amazon.com, or ask your librarian if you can access the
publisher's catalogs that are often kept in the back office of
libraries.
#4 -- A pretty face
Presentation makes the life of the harried editor a little bit
easier and more pleasant. Leave a lot of white space, use an
easy-on-the-eyes font and make sure that no words are
misspelled. Paragraphs should generally be no longer than 5-6
lines max.
#5 -- Submission format
Make sure to follow the publisher's submission format guidelines
to the letter. These can generally be found on their website and
in some of the reference books listed at the end of this report.
You can also usually obtain catalogs and author or illustrator
guidelines by sending a written request with a self-addressed
stamped envelope to the publisher.
#6 -- Make replying easy
Always include a self-addressed stamped postcard with boxes to
be checked off by the editor (e.g. with a query letter, one box
would be: "YES, please send me your manuscript"). You want to
lower any obstacles to the editor responding to your inquiry.
#7 -- Don't take "NO" for an answer
More and more publishing houses are hanging out the "no
unsolicited manuscripts sign". But contrary to what many authors
think, this doesn't mean that the door is closed to your
submission. You can still submit a query letter to ask the
editor whether he or she is interested in seeing your project.
If the answer is "yes", you can now send your manuscript marked
"requested material", and the chances of it being opened and
read go up dramatically.
#8 -- Follow-up
Follow-up 3-4 months after sending your initial inquiry, unless
the publisher's guidelines say that you shouldn't expect to hear
from them for a longer period of time. #9 -- Track and
Test
In the direct marketing world, sales letters are continually
tested and their response rate/success rate is tracked. The
letter with the best results becomes the "control". You can do
much the same. Try different variations in your pitch and see
what kind of results they give.
#10 -- "P.S."...
This tip is from the direct marketing world. You won't find it
in any books about publishing children's books.
After the headline or lead, the "P.S." or "post-script" is the
most read part of any sales letter. So, make sure to include a
P.S. What do you say in a P.S.? You can restate why your book
should be published or introduce an additional reason, provide
more credibility or communicate urgency (to motivate the editor
to take immediate action).
Conclusion
Follow these tips and consult the resource books listed below,
and you'll be well on your way to getting your child book
published.
Resource Books
2006 Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market, by Alice Pope
(Editor), ISBN: 1582974020
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books,
Second Edition (Paperback) by Harold D. Underdown, ISBN:
1592571433
Writer's & Illustrator's Guide to Children's Book Publishers and
Agents (Paperback), by Ellen R. Shapiro, ISBN: 0761525157
© 2005 Paul Arinaga. All Rights Reserved.
About the author:
Paul Arinaga is founder of the Child Stories Bank
(http://www.child-stories-bank.com). The Child Stories Bank
provides FREE original children's stories as well as resources
to help writers create and get their stories published, and a
directory of child storybook illustrators.
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