Tag: publishing

“Book Bits” provides daily information for writers and readers

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn books, fiction4 Comments

Writers like keeping up with contests, tips and techniques, publishers and magazines where they can submit their stories and articles, and advice on how to market their work once it’s published.

Readers like keeping up with their favorite writers, upcoming books in the genres they read the most, and information about authors’ future book signings and other appearances.

Book Bits brings you the links to this kind of information six days a week.  Quite simply, Book Bits is a blog in which every post is a list of links covering the latest reviews, books and author features, contests,  marketing and social networking advice, “writer’s how to” posts, and essays and features about authors, books and publishing.

Book Bits Titles

Book Bits is numbered from the first issue onward toward infinity. The higher the number, the more recent the post.  The titles are designed to attract attention, so they include the names of authors/events most likely to lure people into the post. For example, the title for this morning’s post looked like this:

Book Bits #117 – Hedy Lamarr, Roberto Bolaño, Elmore Leonard and more writing news

So now you know I’ve made 117 posts. This one included a review of Roberto Bolaño’s latest novel, a biography about Hedy Lamarr, and an article about author Elmore Leonard who, says “why not,” when asked why (at age 86) he’s still writing.

This morning’s Book Bits had 24 links.  In addition to those attention-getting names in the title, the other offerings featured a link to a blog hop where you might win a Kindle, a story about the return of the Lit Fest to Haiti, and the names and novels of the ten finalists in Georgia’s Townsend Prize for Fiction.

Naturally, some posts will bore you. My top picks on those days will be authors you’ve never heard of or genres you never read. I try to include a variety, though, in hopes that every time you stop by, you’ll find at least one link you want to click on.

Some posts will take over you’re entire day because, heck, you’ll want to click on every feature, news story and review. The reviews will tempt you to read books. The contest announcements will tempt you to write books, or maybe short stories or poems.

This morning, you might have followed the link to this review:

  • Review: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – “With characters that will inspire the imagination, a plot that nods to history while defying accuracy, and a love story that promises more in the second book, this is sure to attract feminist readers and romantics alike.” – Booklist

Or the link to this advice:

  • Lists: 10 Ways to Get Paid for Online Writing, with Lior Levin – “Selling words for dollars is easy, if you are aware of two things: -How to put down the words together. -How to sell your piece in the right market.”

I invite you to surf over to Book Bits, read a few posts and see what you think. That’s sort of like kicking the tires on the car you just might want to buy. Unlike the car, Book Bits is free.

Sure, you’ll see some banners at the ends of the post with links to my author’s site and my novels. Maybe those banners will tempt you. If not, have fun. Goodness knows, I have a lot of fun every day finding the news and rev iews for each post. I tell me wife I’m working, but I think she suspects I’m just surfing the net for the heck of it.

Coming in tomorrow’s Book Bits, a link for a wonderful piece of satire that pokes good-natured fun at the Antiques Road Show (imagine people bringing in crime evidence rather than antiques) and some pithy advice for authors planning to self publish their books. Oh, and reviews, too. There are always reviews.

—Malcolm

P.S. When the “Book Bits” title is short enough for me to squeeze in an extra word, I add the #bookbits hashtag to help people find the posts on Twitter. Now, here’s an example of a book banner:

contemporary fantasy for your Kindle

Knock it Off: How to Be Treated Like the Writing Professional You Aspire to Be

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn writing3 Comments
Zeidel

Today’s guest post by author Smoky Trudeau Zeidel (On the Choptank Shores – A Love Story) offers tough-love advice for aspiring writers who have become frustrated with the road to publication. Zeidel is the author of two novels, two non-fiction writing books, and a book of prose, poetry and photographs about the natural world (Observations of an Earth Mage).  A book reviewer and a former writing instructor, Zeidel is also a professional editor.

KNOCK IT OFF: How to Be Treated Like the Writing Professional You Aspire to Be

by

Smoky Trudeau Zeidel

Recently, I’ve done a little bit of Web surfing, checking out places writers and aspiring writers hang out. You know the places: water coolers at Websites, Facebook pages, Yahoo groups. As I surfed, I found a disturbing trend.

There is a lot of whining going on among unpublished writers about the fact they are unpublished. Some of that whining is aimed at those of us who are published. Not only whining, but some very unpleasant name-calling.

I have a bit of advice for any of you who may be in that category of frustrated, unpublished writer, that advice being: KNOCK IT OFF!

You heard me right. But before you brand me a heartless  meanie with no compassion for the little guy, let me assure you that isn’t the  case. I taught fiction writing for many, many years. I’ve taught and coached  literally thousands of unpublished authors, helping them learn their craft, polish  their manuscripts, giving them guidance. Heartless meanie is not the right modifier  here.

Let’s look at a handful of problems I’ve seen this past week:

Writers who want others to do their legwork for them. I’ve seen at least ten writers post comments to the effect that they’ve written a book,  but don’t know what to do next. They beg “someone who’s been there” to tell  them what to do next.

Writers who have an over-inflated opinion of themselves and their  writing. I’ve seen people swear their book is as good as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, or that  it is a guaranteed best seller. I’ve heard them say they write like Stephen  King or J.K. Rowling.

Writers who cannot spell, yet complain they cannot get a publisher or  agent to look at their book.  The  word “your” is spelled Y-O-U-R, not Y-E-R. It’s “for sure,” not “fer sher.”

Writers who complain that those of us who are published have written  books that aren’t as good as theirs, or, worse still, they bash another  writer’s blog, or Goodreads book reviews, or other online writing—or bash the  author personally. This, perhaps, is the most dangerous thing of all I see on  the Internet—writers complaining about—and sometimes downright bashing—other, currently more successful, writers. Bad karma, bad karma! If I see those posts where you trash talk someone else, publishers can see them, too. Don’t think for a minute  they won’t find out you said unkind things. All they have to do is plug your  name into a Google search and they can come up with who said what and where,  and yes, they do Google writers. There is no anonymity on the Internet. If you  can’t say something kind, it is best not to say anything at all.

If you are guilty of even one of these transgressions, you  need to shape up! Here’s where that bit about me not being a heartless meanie  comes into play: I’m going to give you some suggestions for doing exactly that.

Do your research

Do a Google search with the words “How to Get  Published” in the search box. When I did that, I came up with 165 million results! If you can’t figure out what you need to do with that wealth of  information at your fingertips, you perhaps need to find a different avocation.

I’m not suggesting you can’t ask for tips on your Facebook  pages. Asking politely for tips is completely acceptable. But complaining that published writers won’t tell you what to do next is whining. No one likes a whiner.

Along the same lines, if you do happen to find an author who  is receptive to giving your some hints, don’t abuse their good graces. It is  fine to ask if they have any tips for you. It is not fine to ask them to critique for free your book, or to introduce them to your publisher. It is not  fine to email or message them ten times a day.

Control your ego

 Of course you think your novel is wonderful,  and you should! Writing a novel is hard work; just completing the task is  worthy of a congratulations. But don’t brag about how great it is. It’s up to  readers and reviewers, not you, the writer, to say if your book is as good as  some other book, or if your writing style is like a famous author’s.

Learn to spell, and learn proper punctuation, grammar, and syntax rules

I can’t emphasize this enough. If spelling is not your strong suit, look up  words you are unsure of, and have someone who can spell well proofread your manuscript. Buy a Chicago Manual of  Style, the industry-wide standard for all things word related, and study the  chapters on punctuation. Learn how to use a comma. Never, ever have I seen so many books where the writer didn’t have a clue how to use a comma than I have  in the past few months. It’s enough to make this editor pull her hair out. And  watch your syntax. “This morning I saw a deer driving Rachel to work” is bad syntax—unless you have very talented deer in your neighborhood.

Be polite – Everywhere

That means on Facebook, in chat rooms, on Yahoo Groups, and when you comment on blogs. If you cannot be polite, do not  say anything. I know my  publisher lurks on Facebook, and I know of at least two other publishers who do the same. If I see your post, they will, too. One snarky comment could cost you dearly. You don’t hurt the author or publisher you are snarking about, because serious authors (and publishers) don’t take these snarks seriously—except when it comes to judging the person who is being snarky.

Bottom line is, if you want to be treated like an author, and not just a wannabe writer, you need to act the consummate professional.  It’s no different from being a doctor, lawyer, or barista at Starbucks. Do your job well and be kind, and you will be treated accordingly. Whine and whimper  about how unfair the world of publishing is, and expect to live with the consequences.

–

Smoky’s writing combo book containing both her books, Front-Word, Back-Word, Insight Out and Left Brained, Write Brained: 366 Writing Prompts and Exercises is available at both Amazon and Smashwords.

Publisher Cancels Novel Found to Be Based on True Story

On By Malcolm R. CampbellIn writing3 Comments

New York City, January 4, 2009–Conglomo House announced this morning “with substantial remorse” that it has canceled the scheduled February 1st release of Mack Hooper’s novel Stiffs Scattered Down a Lonely Road because the book was found to have been based on actual events.

While police in Hooper’s hometown of Junction City, Texas, have long questioned the synchronicity of the plot line with local events, Conglomo House editors steadfastly defended the novel as “a pack of lies” since last summer even though the first-time author failed the standard pre-contract polygraph test when he claimed he wasn’t telling the truth.

According to uninformed sources, the discovery of truth in a novel is evidence per se of breach of contract.

“Ignoring the results of the polygraph test was a bad judgement call on our point,” said former acquisitions editor Nell Quickly. “We were in too much of a rush to get Hooper’s shocking, sharply written thriller about the horrifying demise of a minister’s five former trophy wives out to the public.”

Junction City police chief Hank Kruller told reporters at a County Line Road news conference that gossip columnist Monique Starnes, writing about the novel in the local Star-Gazer, caught his attention when she said, “This story is so real, readers will smell fresh blood on the page. You just can’t make stuff like this up.”

“While I thought Starnes was just another fru-fru reporter out there making it up, I began to suspect Hooper wasn’t,” Kruller said.

According to Conglomo House editor in chief Fred Smith, publishers often find it necessary to cancel memoirs that turn out to have been faked, but withdrawing a novel based on claims of veracity is unusual.

“Speaking off the record,” said Smith, “I’m a busy man trying to reduce the amount of red ink around here, so don’t expect me to run for the border when some small town Barney Fife leaves me a voice mail asking if I know that all five of Hooper’s ex-wives have come up missing.”

Hooper’s agent Lucy Lake, his greatest fan ever since the manuscript for Stiffs Scattered Down a Lonely Road arrived in an old gun case three years ago, said she not only saw the novel as the best crime fiction to come across her desk in years, but one that would bring “hen-pecked male readers” a substantial amount of vicarious pleasure.

“Mack told me the stains on the manuscript were ketchup,” she said.

When confronted with the shallow unmarked graves scatted down County Line Road three miles from his parsonage, Hooper confessed to having based his novel on the unsolved crime. He was subsequently taken into custody for obstruction of justice and improper use of poetic license.

“If he’d come forward when he began writing the novel and told us who his protagonist Jack Cooper really is,” said Kruller, “we might have been able to close this case before all of Hooper’s wives were dead and buried. What a great memoir that might have made for the bean counters at Conglomo House.”

 

from the Morning Satirical News