tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54995441920401023672024-02-20T21:42:29.930-08:00Rate Your StorySubmit your manuscript to receive honest feedback from published authors. Jennifer Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05407155763105274979noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-74793903533218622122018-02-19T09:51:00.000-08:002018-02-19T09:51:03.760-08:00RYS HAS MOVED!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are excited to announce our new website!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can now find us online at:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.rateyourstory.org/">www.RateYourStory.org</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for visiting! </span></div>
<br />Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-6159667590459905752018-02-07T07:58:00.002-08:002018-02-07T07:58:48.622-08:00HOW TO BOOST YOUR AUTHOR CAREER & TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES by KELLIE BYRNES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When it comes to getting that elusive publishing contract, we all obviously have to spend a lot of “butt in chair” time writing and honing our craft. However, I think a lot of people limit themselves because they don’t find ways to take their ideas and passion out into the world more.<br /><br />For me, getting my first publishing contract came about because I took advantage of the chance to meet with editors face to face, and have some work critiqued. I wasn’t expecting to be offered a contract quickly, but rather wanted to start networking, developing relationships, and learning directly from decision makers. <br /><br />Since then, I have attended numerous other conferences and related kidlit events, bid on critiques, entered competitions, reviewed books, interviewed creatives, and applied for mentorships and grants. Each step has helped me understand the industry better; learn about particular publisher and editor tastes; come up with fresher ideas; write more suitably for the market; and start to develop my personal author brand.<br /><br />I know from speaking with numerous editors that, when they’re thinking about whether or not to publish a book, they don’t just consider the work itself, but also the person who wrote it. Is the author proactive and immersed in the industry? Do they understand what buyers and readers are looking for? Will they take feedback well? Will they market their books actively? Can they be relied upon? These are all traits you can demonstrate to publishers by taking advantage of relevant opportunities. <br /><br />Sure, you may not get a contract from a meeting with an editor, and they may in fact recommend you rethink the entire story, but look at what you can learn from this. Similarly, you may not be chosen as a finalist in a competition, or receive a grant or mentorship, but in putting your documents together for these opportunities, you’ll probably be forced to think seriously about not only the stories you create, but also why you write, where you want your career to go, and more. This clarity can be invaluable.<br /><br />Of course, if you put in the effort and do the hard work (even when it’s midnight and you’re tired and the last thing you feel like doing is writing that application or editing that manuscript) you might just be selected. Taking advantage of opportunities – which, thanks to the digital age are available to everyone these days, regardless of location – you can get a boost to your confidence and career that is a real turning point. <br /><br />One opportunity in particular that I urge you to consider is government (or private) grants. I have received two from my local Sunshine Coast Council here in Australia over the last year, as part of their Regional Arts Creative Development Fund; I’m sure you’ll find there’s something similar available in your area. <br /><br />The first grant, I used to attend a kidlit conference interstate, where I booked manuscript assessments with editors. Happily, both gave me “Revise and Resubmit” requests, and I’m waiting to hear back on whether they’re interested in pursuing the stories further. Even if they come back with a “no thanks” though, I at least learnt from them in the sessions, made helpful contacts, and know that when I submit to them in future they’ll (hopefully!) remember who I am. <br /><br />For the second grant I did something different. I spoke to one of the coordinators at the Council about my wish to participate in international opportunities that could be pursued online. While this wasn’t something the Council had approved before, I was encouraged to submit my application and have a go. I’m pleased to say the grant was approved, and I was actually asked if I would speak at a Council panel sometime this year to talk about thinking differently when applying for grants.<br /><br />For my application, I created a 12-Month Professional Development Plan that stepped out some of my major goals for 2018, and ideas for achieving them. My plan detailed a variety of memberships, consultations, webinars, critiques and courses I wished to invest in, and how exactly I thought each one would help me reach my goals. I also made sure to link in how I could use the knowledge received from these programs to give back to my local community. Furthermore, I noted that these online activities are better for the environment, because they’re done from home and don’t require travel. I tied this in to the Council’s sustainability initiatives.<br /><br />One of the inclusions on my grant application was a membership to Rate Your Story. I had heard from author friends that this is incredibly helpful because it means you receive critiques from well-regarded, multi-published authors, and that you can have your work critiqued without having to spend time going over other people’s work in return. (While I’m a member of numerous critique groups and find this really helpful, it’s nice to save time too when I need to.) I’m already thrilled that I joined, and am finding the fact that I can submit 18 manuscripts throughout the year prompts me to write more, so I maximize my value – just another benefit for this writer who struggles with “butt in chair” discipline!<br /><br />If you feel like you haven’t been getting as far as you’d like with your author career recently, I highly recommend looking for opportunities you can take advantage of, either in your local area, around your country, or even on the other side of the world. There are lots of them out there if you do your research and stay up to date, and they can really help you take your work and achievements to the next level.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHROHml9x6Mu4Wwsy-QOy4cqHfMCi4314PRzfSvbQn_zQT8_jgw6TCZMk2yDr8X8PKc5s-h0N0mU6b3-hODxyBT1IG6xz8q1zx3Bu6lGb7irG5Z2qOfisMjboA8q_iyBvef3lNgy4dGg/s1600/Kellie-Byrnes-dogs-colour-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1117" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHROHml9x6Mu4Wwsy-QOy4cqHfMCi4314PRzfSvbQn_zQT8_jgw6TCZMk2yDr8X8PKc5s-h0N0mU6b3-hODxyBT1IG6xz8q1zx3Bu6lGb7irG5Z2qOfisMjboA8q_iyBvef3lNgy4dGg/s200/Kellie-Byrnes-dogs-colour-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Kellie Byrnes lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, and is often found out and about with her two cheeky dogs (who both inspire and distract her from her work). Kellie is a children’s author, book reviewer, and freelance writer with a BA degree in Literature.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Her debut picture book, CLOUD CONDUCTOR, will be released in 2018. She is a member of SCBWI and 12x12, and has recently been awarded a mentorship with author Adam Lehrhaupt as part of the 2018 Writing with the Stars program. Kellie’s ghostwritten work has also been published on sites such as Huffington Post, Forbes, Lifehacker, Entrepreneur and Inc. You can find her online at <a href="http://www.kelliebyrnes.com/"><span class="s2">www.KellieByrnes.com</span></a>, on Twitter at @KellieJByrnes, and on Facebook under KellieByrnesAuthor.</i></span></span></div>
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-65718795774863118442018-01-03T13:27:00.001-08:002018-01-03T13:27:08.460-08:00GEARING UP FOR SUCCESS IN 2018 by LISA AMSTUTZ<div class="p1">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Writing is full of ups and downs—the adrenaline rush of getting something published may be followed by months of rejections, sluggish sales, or radio silence from editors. Sometimes it’s tempting to just throw in the towel. But your writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. Take a long view to ensure that you don’t fizzle out after the first lap. Here are some suggestions to help you set yourself up for writing success in 2018 and beyond.</span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1. Scope out the competition</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Any good athlete needs to know their competition. Read the newest books in your genre to stay abreast of trends. Browse the shelves at your local bookstore or categories of interest on Amazon. Which books practically leap into your cart, and why? Consider how you can imbue your own books with that magical quality.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2. Build your endurance</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Marathoners don’t start off running 26 miles. It’s great to have lofty goals as a writer. But while you’re waiting for that book contract, you can build your resume by writing for magazines, newspapers, the SCBWI Bulletin, blogs, etc. Not only will you gain publishing credits, you will gain experience working with editors and connections in the publishing industry. The educational market is another great way to get published and build your skills.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">3. Hone your skills</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Complacency never won any races, and I’ve never met a successful writer who did not keep studying their craft. Continue to improve your skills by taking classes, attending conferences, and participating in challenges or contests. Getting regular feedback from critique partners and industry professionals is essential as well.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">4. Specialize</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">To attain excellence in any sport, an athlete needs to specialize. Writers can also benefit from focusing on a niche. This niche can be narrow or broad. Most of my books generally fall under the umbrella of science, nature, and agriculture, so I consider that my niche. Maybe your niche is humor or history. Consider what you can become (or already are) an expert in, and how you can become known for that expertise this year.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">5. Invest in good gear</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">There’s no law against running a marathon in jeans and flip-flops, as far as I know, but people will take you more seriously if you look like a runner. As a writer, you have a public image to uphold as well. Make sure your social media and website look professional and represent you well as a children’s writer. Agents and editors can and will check out your online presence – don’t miss out on an opportunity because you can’t resist snarking on Twitter or bashing your former agent on your blog. Your website should look neat and focus on what you have to offer your audience. If you haven’t yet established an online presence, make that a goal for 2018.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">6. Join a team</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Even in an individual sport like running, a partner can provide much-needed motivation and support. Writers need a team as well. Participate in challenges, classes, conferences, Facebook groups, or your local SCBWI chapter to network and build friendships with other writers. We need each other’s support, both before and after publication. What new ways can you connect in 2018?</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">7. Run the race</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My marathon-running friends sign up for races far ahead of time to motivate themselves to train. The publishing industry moves incredibly slowly most of the time. In order to keep your career in motion, it’s important to plan ahead. Keep making contacts and submitting your work throughout the year. Set yourself monthly goals for submissions, or find an accountability partner. Book speaking events or sign up for workshops to help impose deadlines on yourself.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year filled with writing success!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lisa Amstutz, a</span>uthor & RYS Judge</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lisa Amstutz loves to make New Year’s resolutions, even though they usually fizzle out by February. She is the author of more than 80 children’s books and numerous magazine and newspaper articles. Lisa serves as a volunteer judge at Rate Your Story and as Assistant Regional Advisor for Northern Ohio SCBWI. She offers website, manuscript, and educational packet critiques. For more information, see <a href="http://www.lisaamstutz.com/">www.LisaAmstutz.com</a>.</span></i></span></div>
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-3556662902252420402017-12-01T09:27:00.000-08:002017-12-01T09:28:28.237-08:00HOW I GOT MY AGENT, OR DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME by Anne Belov<div class="p1">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After banging my head on my computer for more than five years of trying to entice an agent into representing me, I finally got one. Huzzah! But if you are looking for an account of the methodical researching of agents, crafting and polishing query letters to a brilliant shine, so that you can duplicate my effort, this will NOT be that post.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Back in 2009, the recession and the slowed economy caught up with my art career.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Rather than panic and get a day job (did I mention I’d been a self-employed artist for 21 years? Who would hire me?) I did what any sensible person would do. I started drawing pandas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">If you’re wondering what pandas have to do with getting an agent, be patient. I <i>pinky</i> promise that there is a connection.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I moved to Whidbey Island 30 years ago, one of my first friends was writer Deb Lund. She had been working on writing for children for a while, and now has half a dozen+ published picture books. In that kind of offhand way that is the start of so many great things, she said, “You ought to illustrate picture books.” I said something like, “Oh sure, in my spare time.” 20 years later, I had more spare time than I wanted.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When the economy crashed, I started drawing pandas to cheer myself up. Eventually this became a comic with a growing cast of characters, and I started a blog to inflict/share them with the world. I then remembered Deb’s comment of 20 years previously, took a Writing for Children class from her, joined SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), went to a regional SCBWI conference and started on a picture book project. That project became a wordless picture book called<b> Pandamorphosis</b>, about a cat who turns into a panda. It took me close to 4 years to write, draw, edit, and draw some more. I had several very useful critiques through SCBWI, including some with agents and editors. One of those lead to an extended back and forth, but alas, no offer of representation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I made all sorts of mistakes querying <b>Pandamorphosis</b>, including after a very promising conference critique with an art director, sitting on my hands and not querying further for more than a year while this dream publishing house considered my book. In the end, I got so discouraged with the “I love your art, but this project is not speaking to me, but do contact me for your next project…” rejections, that I put <b>Pandamorphosis</b> away. Eventually I decided that if I didn’t clear the decks and do something with it, it would mentally block my doing anything else, so I got some editing and design help and self published it, funding those editorial and production services with Kickstarter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Meanwhile, my internet comic <b>The Panda Chronicles</b> was burbling along, gaining readers and supporters. I started publishing collections of the comics through CreateSpace, but I still wanted an agent. As I traveled along the comics road, I started writing extended story lines that would last for 10 episodes or more. Finally, in 2014, I wrote a 47 episode<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Panda detective story. (each episode being roughly 4 panels) I thought that with some serious editing, it could be reworked into a middle grade graphic novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In one of those random cosmic things that sometimes happen, right around this time (now the spring of 2015) I chanced on an announcement for the Nevada chapter of SCBWI’s mentor program beginning in the fall of 2015, with application deadline and acceptances happening in the late spring to early summer. The announcement led me to their list of mentors and what genres and age groups each mentor was looking to work with. One of the mentors was an agent with an interest in graphic novels. There was another mentor who had worked in publishing as an editor, and was now working as an independent editor. He included middle grade in his lists of genre/age groups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So, with these two possibilities to work with, I read the application directions…oh…about 347 times, got my materials together and sent them in. I spent three months obsessing over whether this would be the dumbest project they’d ever seen or the most brilliant work of genius. One day in early August, I got a phone call from Naomi Canale, the co-coordinator for the mentor program saying that I had been accepted. As it turned out, both my selections for mentors wanted to work on this project with me, but Gordon (the agent) won the toss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Okay, okay already. When are you going to get to the part about how you got your agent?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This mentor program was structured so that you met with your mentor in a weekend conference with all the other mentors and mentees, set up your work plan, then check in monthly with your mentor, sending work back and forth via email. The program concludes with everyone getting together again, and discussing where your project needs to go next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I had initially applied to this program to up my writing/illustrating game, to where I could make the leap from “encouraging rejections” to actually getting an agent and getting published in the traditional sense. If I did not get into the program, I might have kept trying to enter through those guarded gates of publishing, but more likely, I would have continued self publishing my comics through CreateSpace (which I still do: 7 collections of The Panda Chronicles, with the 8th on it’s way) and selling books on Amazon to my loyal readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So here’s the cute, <i>How I got my Agent</i>, part of the story. We had all arrived at the final mentor program weekend in Carson City, Nevada. The first event of the weekend was meeting with your mentor to see what your WIP needed to make it submission ready.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">During the last few months of our online exchange of revision notes, I could tell that Gordon was getting to know who my characters were, and he made several comments that made me feel like he really “got” what I was doing. He knew what my work habits were like, (not to mention my sparklingly witty personality!) and I got to know his editing style. So with all this in the back of my mind, when we came to the end of this meeting, he asked if I had any questions, the question that popped out of my mouth was, “Um...do you want to be my agent?”<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">He kind of smiled, and casually said, “Um…yeah.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">I spent the rest of the weekend in a bit of a daze. We didn’t talk about it again and I started running on the hamster wheel of anxiety. <i>Did I do that? Really? Was he just saying “yes” so he could make a safe getaway?</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">During the weekend, each of the mentors gave a presentation to all the mentees. Gordon’s was the final one of the weekend, and his presentation focused on the projects of both his mentees and what each of our projects needed before being ready for submission. He finished his presentation, and then said, “I’m going to tell you a story that will probably embarrass Anne,” and then proceeds to tell the story of how I asked him to be my agent. And then he said, “Yes, Anne, I’ll be your agent,” and the whole room burst into applause.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Now, I have to say that I got lucky in several ways. First, that I discovered through the mentor process that I could take editorial direction, and second that I found<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>someone who “got” my work and my humor. I went into the program hoping to shape my book into something that could be traditionally published. I hoped to get help crafting a killer query letter. I had no assumptions that Gordon would become my agent (not that it hadn’t crossed my mind). I had decided to make this investment of time and money in my work and I’m really happy that it turned out the way it did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So I think that the takeaway here is NOT that you should ignore the rules about querying through proper channels (my bad). But that when an opportunity to attend a program like this arises, be it a mentor program or an MFA program in writing for children, it would be a good idea to take it. You will improve your craft. You will meet people who will be your friends and support in the trenches of writing and publishing. You will connect with people who can move your career forward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">To date, I think at least six of our group of 22 have signed with agents over the last year and a half. My book is still out on submission, but it had an acquisitions close call at the end of the summer. I believe this book series will sell eventually. Meanwhile, you can find me in my corner of the enchanted forest, painting, drawing pandas, and watching panda videos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">About the Author: </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Anne Belov is a painter, printmaker, writer and cartoonist. You can find her panda satire at http://yourbrainonpandas.com</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Her yet to be published graphic novel, </i><b><i>The Pandyland Mysteries: The Case of the Picturesque Panda </i></b><i>is a detective story with fine art, a mysterious panda of questionable morals, and more than one panda behaving badly. She lives in a post industrial cottage in the woods on Whidbey island in Washington State. Her main regrets in life are that there is no MacArthur Foundation Grant category for Panda Satire, and that pandas are not among the wildlife that live in the woods behind her house.</i></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-75648482799483588472017-10-30T13:07:00.000-07:002017-10-30T13:07:05.883-07:00ENJOY THE JOURNEY by Jenna Grodzicki<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I first decided to venture into the world of writing for children, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it would be magical. The words would flow out of my head and onto the computer screen and in no time at all, I would have a published book. Well, almost three years later, I now know differently. There <i>are</i> certain things about writing and publishing that are magical, but they can also be frustrating, disappointing, and, at times, soul crushing.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">You have a polished manuscript, and you start submitting to agents. Or maybe you already have an agent, and your manuscript is being sent to editors. Then you wait. Several months go by. If you’re lucky, you receive a rejection, so you know to move on. But more often than not, you hear crickets. Rejections are hard and the wait can be unbearable. So how can you stay positive and confident? By celebrating the small accomplishments.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Put a positive spin on those rejections.</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Each rejection means you are one step closer to that yes. I use a Hundreds Chart (why yes, I used to be a teacher) to keep track of my rejections. Coloring in a square actually makes me feel better. It’s a visual representation of hard work and persistence and reminds me how much closer I’m getting. Other writers play Rejection Bingo. Or, use the rejection as an excuse to treat yourself to an ice cream sundae. Whatever you choose to do, rewarding yourself in some small way will lessen the sting.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Take time to look back at your earlier work.</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I look at my earliest manuscripts, I inwardly cringe. But it makes me appreciate how much I’ve improved. When I compare a manuscript I’ve revised and revised with its first draft, I feel accomplished. As writers, we are always striving to improve our craft. Taking the time to see how far you’ve come is worth recognizing. <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Celebrate every word.</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Completing a first draft or a round of revisions is certainly a cause for celebration. But don’t overlook those tiny moments. When you’ve added a sentence that has a powerful impact on your manuscript or you’ve found just the right word after its eluded you for days, applaud yourself. Don’t take each improvement you make for granted.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Celebrate the critiques.</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Receiving a positive critique can help boost your confidence. Hold onto that feeling. Receiving a negative critique may not feel so great, but use it as fuel to push yourself forward. And recognize that every critique you give to other writers helps improve their work. That is a powerful feeling.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Embrace your tribe.</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I first started writing, I never could have imagined all the wonderful people I’d meet in the kidlit community. My critique groups, members of both SCBWI and 12x12, and fellow Clear Fork Publishing authors have become my support system. I value these friendships and am thankful for them every day. Reach out to other writers and keep those relationships close. They’ll make you feel less alone and lift you up when you’re down.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The path to publication is a long one. But each small accomplishment leads you further down that road. If you focus all your time and energy on the disappointments and rejections, you’ll miss all the successes along the way. Don’t forget to enjoy the journey.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">About the Author: </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaRMwrE5_Pp8IPYFj80ZLl9fqb7ys0MradA2GhAe1bok7cntaF314ZlTeER-zv26aITKDon_UQ-5tzaiN6QkiU9V0BwLr5P1_mNCPP_EXMmzZUW3oZf3o4UMDvw7cj7sIGYRNP2qzZNY/s1600/Image-for-Home-Page-683x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaRMwrE5_Pp8IPYFj80ZLl9fqb7ys0MradA2GhAe1bok7cntaF314ZlTeER-zv26aITKDon_UQ-5tzaiN6QkiU9V0BwLr5P1_mNCPP_EXMmzZUW3oZf3o4UMDvw7cj7sIGYRNP2qzZNY/s200/Image-for-Home-Page-683x1024.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Jenna</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #515151;"><span style="color: black;"> lives in Connecticut with her husband, two crazy awesome kids, a cat named Pixie, and a dog named Ozzy. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Boston College and a Master’s in Education from the University of New England. Her first book, PIXIE’S ADVENTURE, was awarded two Honorable Mentions in the 2017 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. She recently traded in her librarian hat to become a full time writer. At all hours of the day (and night) she can be found at her desk, drinking iced coffee and working on her next story. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, Jenna LOVES to read! She also enjoys skiing and cheering for the best team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox.</span></span></span></div>
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-17521127511848023262017-10-03T14:33:00.000-07:002017-10-03T14:33:54.636-07:00<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-e1b088ad-dfc2-7b4f-769f-d8265aa063ea" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Truth Above All in Young Adult Novels</span></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By: Nancy Stewart</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4eu8p-LYsmFkSZTYmo6EP-_Ur0kx1xVTccVO5taVKpB3whqX1cXfiuFySqyT6pM0Wn47rZnKH2QZawWvCeWiOJtaj0OgqY8-cwslLwvP5gASWQbK9_X2t2NPD8LWPc7X6vUYf7DN9m4/s1600/Nancy+Head+Shot+1+%2528Professional+2014%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj4eu8p-LYsmFkSZTYmo6EP-_Ur0kx1xVTccVO5taVKpB3whqX1cXfiuFySqyT6pM0Wn47rZnKH2QZawWvCeWiOJtaj0OgqY8-cwslLwvP5gASWQbK9_X2t2NPD8LWPc7X6vUYf7DN9m4/s200/Nancy+Head+Shot+1+%2528Professional+2014%2529.jpg" width="160" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many of us are painfully aware that truth, one of the ultimate values that makes us human, is being eroded in this day of fake news and stories reworked to suit a particular audience. But does it matter? Certainly, a resounding yes is the answer. One pivotal place where truth should be extolled is within the pages of a Young Adult novel. </span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since the 1990’s, when this category of novel came of age (having begun in the early 1960’s), the subject matter of this novel type has steadily become edgier, more thought-provoking, more prone to take risks. Young Adult literature today reflects the developmental needs of is audience. If authors tell these stories with truth and candor, more young people will read the books, and more will be touched and influenced in the best possible ways. Without the authenticity provided in the pages of such novels, the young reader may find it more difficult to think critically or begin to deal with realities they will face in adulthood.</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In my new Young Adult novel, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Beulah Land</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, published by Interlude Press, November 16, 2017, the protagonist Violette Sinclair, is persecuted by a sociopathic bully in the Missouri Ozarks, where they both live. She also must deal with her mother to discover truths that are painful, and dangerous, and too important to ignore. Vi has to reach deep within herself to find an abiding truth which she hopes will sustain her in her struggle with her tormentor, Dale. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When we, as authors, provide our young readers a framework in which truth lives, we give them role models who will help them make sense of their own personal world. In Vi’s case, her best friend is Junior, the star linebacker in their little town’s high school. It is he who literally runs interference for Vi and saves her life. She returns the favor and saves his as well. Together, they discover truth; what is right, and what is wrong, and the ability to know the difference.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Only when a Young Adult novel, or any novel for that matter, is built on veracity and integrity, is the author able to find comfort in a story well told; a story brimming with interest, and fulsomeness, and abundance of spirit, and that most basic of human values, truth. One lives in hope that the very same comfort will occur within the reader.</span></div>
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For more about Nancy Stewart, and her new novel, visit her website at <a href="http://www.nancystewartbooks.com/">www.NancyStewartBooks.com</a></div>
</b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013415241647712096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-23540743367443275102017-09-05T06:48:00.000-07:002017-09-05T11:17:01.512-07:002017 WRITING CONTEST WINNERS<div style="text-align: left;">
After much deliberation and multiple rounds of judging, we are excited to announce the results of our 2017 Awesome Openers Writing Contest! There were so many wonderful entries and the decisions were difficult to make. Thank you to all of the talented writers who entered and congratulations to all! </div>
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<b>Young Adult </b></div>
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1. FUMBLE by Sherry Howard</div>
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2. THE PARIS LETTER by Luan Pitsch</div>
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3. ALL THE MOUNTAINS WE CAN CLIMB by Evelyne Holingue</div>
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<b>Middle Grade </b></div>
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1. HOOFIN IT TO HOLLYWOOD by Kenda Henthorn</div>
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2. MIDGARD by Erin Ball </div>
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3. LINK LAKOWSKI & THE DEAD HOUSE by Jennifer Hawes</div>
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<b>Middle Grade Honorable Mentions</b></div>
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LONG DISTANCE CALL by Angela Calabrese</div>
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PAINTBALL ASYLUM by Sherry Howard</div>
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<b>Nonfiction Picture Book </b></div>
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1. THE GRIT OF THE FEET by Rupali Mulge</div>
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2. THE LITTLE MONK by Midge Smith</div>
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3. THE LITTLEST LONG RIDERS by Kenda Henthorn</div>
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<b>Nonfiction Picture Book Honorable Mentions</b></div>
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ONE PHOTOGRAPH AT A TIME by Tootie Nienow</div>
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TEACHER IN THE WILLD by Sally Clark</div>
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1. SWINGING OVER THE GRAVY BOWL by Julia Richardson </div>
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2. WHEN PIGS CAN FLY by Kenda Henthorn</div>
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3. COOTIE PIRATE by Erin Ball </div>
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<b>Fiction Picture Book Honorable Mentions</b></div>
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THE FRIENDSHIP BENCH by Nancy Churnin</div>
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DARLING DARLA DANE by Deborah Buschman</div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-42864044643228148912017-08-08T07:03:00.001-07:002017-08-08T07:13:48.770-07:00WRITING CREATIVE NON-FICTION FOR KIDS: TIPS AND TRICKS by KRISTEN FOOTE<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">It seems one of the buzz words around the kid-lit hive these days is “Creative Non-Fiction”.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Creative non-fiction provides a great opportunity to get the most “bang for your buck” in producing a book! It’s a chance to both entertain AND educate.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">And if you struggle coming up with unique concepts and interesting plot lines in your writing, GOOD NEWS: You can often find stories greater and more interesting in non-fiction than ones you’d typically make up in fiction! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">So, if you want to give a go at creating creative non-fiction, here are some steps to follow to simplify the process (and how to avoid mistakes that l learned the hard way):</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>STEP 1:</b> Spend time making a list of things that YOU find interesting. Think back to when you were a child and the things that fascinated you. You’ll be spending a lot of time with this subject matter, so make sure it is something you will genuinely enjoy researching. It also helps to check out what is being covered in classrooms, so that you can create a story that coincides with lesson plans to appeal to teachers. I used fireflies for my first story because I spent so many summers as a child chasing fireflies, and they are a great model for complete metamorphosis (there also happens to be SO many gross/fun/interesting facts about how they grow up!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>STEP 2:</b> Do a quick google search on each subject matter just to see if anything catches your attention that you maybe never knew, or you think you could write a story around. Jot some notes down for each item on your list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>STEP 3:</b> Pick the one that sounds most interesting to you. Then start to research more in depth. Check out books from the library. Read research papers online. Keep track of all the fun things you find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>*TIP:</i></b> You will probably find a LOT of exciting facts! Keep note of all of them, most importantly keeping track of the sources where you found them. This will be important later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsPVp9SnPX_wBThRH5nHBw57y0KaBVXPYaj4FU9-JV0OxRYi8hKmAfFUId1sjDUg5M0zD_8hc7CUfPf6ElUhKvZGfoDVzpBdHfdDR31nbeLze9dRXSBhg8ggLWaUByl1EVFEYzJDnp0k/s1600/shark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="408" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsPVp9SnPX_wBThRH5nHBw57y0KaBVXPYaj4FU9-JV0OxRYi8hKmAfFUId1sjDUg5M0zD_8hc7CUfPf6ElUhKvZGfoDVzpBdHfdDR31nbeLze9dRXSBhg8ggLWaUByl1EVFEYzJDnp0k/s200/shark.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>STEP 4:</b> Get creative! Start brainstorming ways to you can put all the information you gather together that will appeal to kids. You can do this by thinking <b>how</b> or <b>why</b> would a child be interested in your subject matter, or how they could relate to what is happening. A great example of this is the WHAT TO EXPECT series from Bridget Heos, or the DIARY series (of a Worm, of a Spider, of a Fly) from Doreen Cronin. Each of these appeals to kids in a fun and humorous way, different from straight non-fiction. For my HOW TO SURVIVE series, I used these books as inspiration. What started for me as a “Survival Guide” format morphed into a day in the life of school for fireflies and sharks. Because kids obviously have their own experiences in school, that is a direct entry point of interest for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>STEP 5:</b> The most important step: <i>fully </i>research your facts. Even though you are being creative with the delivery of your subject, your information MUST be correct. Much of the information out there has not been properly vetted. Utilize the internet, universities and research facilities to find at least a couple experts or scientists to refer to. It can be helpful to find websites dedicated to your subject matter and then reach out to the admin, who is typically someone really involved in that research. Explain to them that you are writing for kids and would like their help making sure you have your facts straight. They are usually more than happy to share their knowledge, mostly because of the mis-information out there! This is where it is important to go back to your notes and sources to make sure they are indeed factual. It was interesting to me that even “facts” I found in books already published sometimes turned out to be wrong. Often disappointing, because you might find an amazing tidbit of info, and a great way to incorporate it into a story, only to find out that it isn’t technically correct. I had to cut several fun parts of my stories upon finding out that the information I was using wasn’t factual. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>*TIP:</i></b> These experts are generally busy people with a lot going on, so realize you may not get responses as quickly as you would like. Be prepared to ask them specific questions so you don’t waste both of your times. That way once you have a full manuscript ready for them to read, most of the information should already be correct. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7LHenu6bBv9I-IZx5G0M0vUSPqjEwXq4VvxcymKddstXxnMLLEgcLefe68XZaZNPmXj6tenJ_S0384qUOqeC-Zt5PFBC0sNQioROnvLVhVrOM5bBd0h4lnXMdXQmpCcTR6jhm3nxBvg/s1600/firefly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="408" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7LHenu6bBv9I-IZx5G0M0vUSPqjEwXq4VvxcymKddstXxnMLLEgcLefe68XZaZNPmXj6tenJ_S0384qUOqeC-Zt5PFBC0sNQioROnvLVhVrOM5bBd0h4lnXMdXQmpCcTR6jhm3nxBvg/s200/firefly.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b>Other things to be aware of:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">*Identify your age group early on. Make sure what you are writing isn’t above the heads of that age group. Much of my FIREFLY story had to be changed (especially parts relating to mating) to make sure it applied to grades K-3. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">*Create detailed notes for your future illustrator. To make sure your story is truly based in non-fiction, you will need to make sure that the scenes and characters in your book are true to form, even if they are illustrated into fictional characters. For example, the illustrator for my HOW TO SURVIVE AS A SHARK book first created the cover with the great white shark characters hanging out on a coral reef. It was so cute! But, because great white sharks typically aren’t found on coral reefs, I had to request for her to change the whole background. I should have notified her before she began of the types of scenery to be included in illustrations!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">By following these steps, you should be more than ready to compose your creative non-fiction manuscript! Have fun and be ready to entertain your audience. And the best part is that you just might learn a thing or two on the way, too! </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">About the Author: </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjlyoJE8EP5DB4LinHHmoWjdpZ2CeIyEB8TvwOr1lShdmyBpr1fdbdGG8bndNTyQtzVTwsH_LUnxfONKK3RSPJmtgE8YWa0ByL6i8NO3wqkRZWXTXirEygrd25cxFSdzhdGWFKka97jU/s1600/Kristen+Foote.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1063" data-original-width="1600" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjlyoJE8EP5DB4LinHHmoWjdpZ2CeIyEB8TvwOr1lShdmyBpr1fdbdGG8bndNTyQtzVTwsH_LUnxfONKK3RSPJmtgE8YWa0ByL6i8NO3wqkRZWXTXirEygrd25cxFSdzhdGWFKka97jU/s200/Kristen+Foote.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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BLURB: Kristen Foote is the author of <em>How to Survive as a Firefly</em> and <em>How to Survive as a Shark</em>. With a degree in biology, she is a firm believer that learning about science can be fun (and funny!). She's a Colorado transplant who, when not writing, is enjoying everything the Rocky Mountains have to offer with her husband and two kids. <em>How to Survive as a Firefly</em> is her first book. </div>
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WEBSITE: <span style="color: #336699;"><a class="m_1225910177353402923Object" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.kristenfooteauthor.com/&source=gmail&ust=1502286910381000&usg=AFQjCNFz8R4RoIIw9pUaDgYUOgAxHtM5Vg" href="http://www.kristenfooteauthor.com/" id="m_1225910177353402923OBJ_PREFIX_DWT2066_com_zimbra_url" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.KristenFooteAuthor.com</a> </span>TWITTER: @LittleFoote</div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-69574418044696848692017-07-10T12:24:00.001-07:002017-07-10T12:24:43.090-07:00FROM PICTURE BOOKS TO MG NOVELS: Tips on Switching Gears by Rosie Pova<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're a picture book writer, what do you do if one day you get a story idea and realize it's too "big" to fit into a picture book format? Well, that's what happened to me and I had to switch gears. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a process and it was scary at first. But don't panic if it happens to you, too. From my experience, I can tell you that if you follow certain steps and use a few of my tips, you might get more confident in the transition.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But first, let's backtrack a little. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd been happily writing a variety of picture books when all of a sudden, a refrain popped into my head. It was something like that:</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"If I need to be specific –</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this is super funterrific!"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i></i></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or maybe something like that (it's been a while):</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"But I'd say, to be specific,</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this is super funterrific!"</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I knew the story was about a girl who loved to pull pranks. And she wasn't trying to be mean or anything, she just didn't really understand why people weren't amused by her practical jokes. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But there was something deeper behind her behavior. The more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed that her story would fit into 5oo-or-so words, plus a couple of subplots. That was not how picture books worked. No way! A complicated story </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in rhyme?! Absolutely not. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I started drafting . . . chapters! Oh, my! That was so different from writing a picture book: long paragraphs, different vocabulary, no pictures to consider, a BIG picture to consider for both the character arc and the story arc, and so much more. It made me dizzy just thinking about it. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was about 5,000 words in when I realized I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into and did not really know how to pull off a novel-length book. I had to pause and consider my options: shove the manuscript in the virtual drawer or learn how to write a novel. Option number one was </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">not</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> an option – I </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">loved</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> how the story was going and I was so curious to know what happened to my heroine. Plus, how can I ignore the challenge? Can I actually finish a novel? I had to try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so for the five months that followed, I read a few books on novel writing. All this new information was so intriguing and I tried to soak it all up, creating a mental map for my novel. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Around the same time, I joined my very first critique group and got some plot points figured out. I remember how excited I was to be able to talk to someone about writing and get some help. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I kept reading craft books and slowly became more confident in my ability to figure out how a novel worked. But I still had a looong way to go. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, I sought out writing workshops and attended Writer's Digest Chuck Sambuchino's seminar in Dallas, where I lived. I watched Martha Alderson's instructional videos on YouTube and learned a great deal from her. I joined the SCBWI and then another critique group. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After my five-month long pause from writing while educating myself, I returned to my novel. I was lucky enough to have the support of my new critique group and the motivation to move forward, paired with accountability. I was committed to bringing a new chapter every time at our weekly meetings. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inconveniently, my fulltime day job didn't leave much time for writing, but I needed to <i>make</i> the time. Even if it meant a 5 a.m. writing session while the house was quiet and no interruptions were expected. And that's what I did. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Including the five months of learning how to write a novel, it took me eighteen months to finish the book, but I did. I had a first draft and it felt amazing to write THE END of novel-length story! That was only the beginning, of course, for what would lead to a published book many years later. But that's another story. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So here are the things I've learned and the tips I wanted to share:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Read craft books on writing novels.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've assembled a list on my website under Resources to get you started. While you read them, take notes, create a map for your story and start an outline. Even if you're a pantster, I highly recommend outlining your first novel. It was very helpful to me to know the starting point and inciting incident as well as the ending so I can figure out how my character would change and what would need to happen in order for that change to be possible. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Read recently published books in the same genre your novel is.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The craft books gave me the technical knowledge, but it wasn't enough. I still didn't completely get <i>how</i> to apply everything in the actual writing of the novel. That's where the fiction reading comes into place. But read those novels through the eyes of a writer – dissecting, analyzing, extracting the "juice" of good writing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Join a second critique group with middle grade writers.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your picture book buddies might not be able to help you with useful feedback on your novel – don't expect them to, either. Novel writing is different – not harder or easier – just different. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But join a group in which your critique partners will motivate you to keep going chapter after chapter until you finish your first draft, and not suffocate you with revision notes that will be so overwhelming, it gets you stuck. At the first draft stage, you'll need accountability in order to get to the end. At times, it will becomes very tempting to just back out. Don't struggle alone, but seek the support of your critique partners. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Remember that you tell the whole story.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There will be no pictures to complement your words and so your writing needs to evoke the images in the reader's mind. Every scene needs to ground the reader in place and time, make it clear who the characters in the scene are, and avoid info dump at the same time. Your dialogue should be mixed with action so you don't give the impression of "talking heads", your pace should be just right, and the tension should escalate. Oh, and don't forget the stakes! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>*Sigh*</i> That's a tall order. Take a deep breath. Take a short break. Then keep going.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Consider the big picture and keep track of things.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As mentioned above, there are<i> no</i> pictures, but there's a BIG picture. Are you clear on your character's arc? How about your plot – from beginning to middle to end? Can you keep your characters straight or do you forget important details mid-story? Create a journal and make a small portfolio for each character. Use character interviews to get to know these people as if they're real people (they should feel real to readers). Did you add subplots? Not enough or too many? Are they the right ones? The subplots should either support the main plot in some way or be in contrast with it. They can't be random lines of events with no other purpose but to populate your story world. Choose strategically. Don't forget to tie them all in at the end in a satisfying (maybe surprising) way. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope these tips are helpful and I wish you an enjoyable novel writing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>About the author: </b></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjsEbqy3L4vg12WA2xdHXc2I5L5-JlkPOTloQHUXwc8mjuXU2WH4Fc3mVoQLqEwHaRWtBhw2LCdNnCrImQaFZG-VXi-P9lfe_nKfTTk_qLiE_JXOu1IBp5Qk-0Oz_-0ApeLRJbyoQXAs/s1600/P21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1280" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjsEbqy3L4vg12WA2xdHXc2I5L5-JlkPOTloQHUXwc8mjuXU2WH4Fc3mVoQLqEwHaRWtBhw2LCdNnCrImQaFZG-VXi-P9lfe_nKfTTk_qLiE_JXOu1IBp5Qk-0Oz_-0ApeLRJbyoQXAs/s200/P21.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rosie Pova</td></tr>
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<div id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_19717" style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_19718" style="line-height: 44px;">Rosie J. Pova</span><span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_19719" style="line-height: 28px;"> is a children's author, poet, wife and a mama bear of three. She's originally from Bulgaria, now living in Texas with her family. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">Ever since childhood, Rosie has been fascinated with the power of words. Her passion for writing took her on a long journey of discoveries, learning and growth through the ups and downs, but she is grateful for all experiences.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_19727" style="font-variant-ligatures: normal; line-height: 24px; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_19728" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With her books, Rosie dreams of inviting many readers into her make-believe worlds, hoping to touch them with her words. Visit her at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.rosiejpova.com&source=gmail&ust=1499794050919000&usg=AFQjCNFggDbnaEgpii5a8tFA35QvFa3OrQ" href="http://www.rosiejpova.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.rosiejpova.com</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Rosie's books include: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWewKW3o3slFebFe3sTnOOWUEH2IliuMvdoc5Ghw83DQY2Elpk7Rd1u7xivkNe_0hXzA6p_FMmH6fHtqI7XsxbyX2LFVpKEPoK6-1EPUCX8cM3I50bRKbIa1qMW7lNmhk00P83ygbSvY/s1600/Hailey+Final+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1104" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWewKW3o3slFebFe3sTnOOWUEH2IliuMvdoc5Ghw83DQY2Elpk7Rd1u7xivkNe_0hXzA6p_FMmH6fHtqI7XsxbyX2LFVpKEPoK6-1EPUCX8cM3I50bRKbIa1qMW7lNmhk00P83ygbSvY/s200/Hailey+Final+Cover.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/If-Werent-You-Rosie-Pova/dp/1946101958/" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">If I Weren't With You</a></div>
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Spork, Picture Book</div>
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<span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_20371" style="line-height: 28px;"><i id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_20477"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hailey-Queen-Pranking-Makes-Perfect/dp/1946101087/" target="_blank">Hailey Queen Pranking Makes Perfect: The Alien Encounter</a></i> </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 28px;">2017 Spork, M</span><span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_25698" style="line-height: 24px;"><span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_25697">iddle Grade novel for ages 8-12 yrs</span></span></div>
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<span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_20746" style="line-height: 24px;"><span id="m_-4774572277496896426yiv7855841164yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1493310677039_20745" style="color: #cb008e; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.clearforkpublishing.com/coming-soon/sarah-s-song/" target="_blank">Sarah's Song</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px;">Fall 2017, Spork, Picture Book</span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-76106646779410742822017-06-06T11:08:00.000-07:002017-06-06T11:08:19.845-07:00SMALL PRESS PUBLISHING by Amie Borst<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8px;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You may have noticed the explosion of small press publishing in the last few years. Some small publishers are fantastic while others leave a lot to be desired. So how do you know if the publisher is reputable or not? Here’s a few guidelines to help you!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>UPFRONT FEES:</b> </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is the publisher asking for money? If so, this is called a vanity publisher. Traditional publishers pay the author, not the other way around. Vanity publishers may request funds in the guise of providing marketing and publicity, but a traditional publisher will provide those tools to you at their expense. The amount of marketing provided by publishers varies from house to house but they will never ask you for money. Many authors might wonder what’s wrong with choosing to publish with a vanity publisher. For starters you will need to pay upfront fees amounting to thousands of dollars. Since the publisher hasn’t invested any money in the book (except yours), you’re the one that has now shouldered all the risk. Dorrance Publishing, Tate, and iUniverse are examples of vanity publishers but there are many others. If you’re going to spend money publishing a book, why not self-publish instead? At least this route allows you control of the project and you’ll keep a greater portion of royalties.</span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>MARKETING:</b> Does the publisher actively market their books? Social media and blog posts are easily completed by authors and their friends, so if this is the extent of their marketing plan you might want to think twice. A good publisher is submitting books for review (and following the guidelines of the reviewer to ensure the book has the best chance of being reviewed), they’re placing ARCs on NetGalley (and have those ARCs ready months in advance), and they have a marketing plan in place which targets the appropriate audience long before the book ever goes to print.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PW RIGHTS REPORT:</b> Watch this place. If a reputable agent is willing to sell to the house, it could be a good sign. Granted, not all agents submit sales to PW so it’s not necessarily a red flag if the publisher is lacking reports in this venue. If you never see the publisher’s name in PW’s Rights Report though, that could be a warning sign that agents are unwilling to work with them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>IN THE NEWS:</b> Small publishers rarely make the news but when they do it’s usually not a good sign. You may recall this post about <a href="http://www.yainterrobang.com/month9books/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">Month9 books</span></a> or this <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/190035-jolly-fish-presss-unexpected-closure-shocks-authors-and-books-community"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">one about Jolly Fish Press</span></a>. If the news looks bad, chances are it is.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>NDA:</b> Non-Disclosure Agreements really only benefit the publisher so definitely be cautious if you’re asked to sign one. You could be silenced into submission. A voiceless author can’t warn others.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>DISTRIBUTION:</b> Does the publisher have distribution? Anyone can claim to be a publisher but it’s another thing to have distribution and shelf placement in a brick and mortar store. Online availability is much different than physical shelf space, so do yourself a favor and check your local bookstore for any of the publisher’s titles. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>LIBRARY PLACEMENT:</b> Can you find the publisher’s books in your local library? What about the library database (World Cat)? If you can find their titles, how many libraries have a copy? Is it 100, 1,000, 10,000? As writers for children, think about the importance of libraries and reaching your readers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>COVER DESIGN:</b> Speaking of readers, there’s one thing that’s sure to grab their attention: beautiful, eye-catching covers! Readers react to great covers by picking them up off the shelf and reading the blurb. Which, in turn, could lead to a sale. So most authors believe that these beautiful covers are all they need. But be warned, great covers don’t necessarily equal fantastic content, good editing, or fair contracts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>CONTRACTS:</b> Which leads me to the next point. Read the fine print in your contract. Are the royalties based on net or list price? If it’s calculated on net, how is the publisher accounting for the expenses? You’ll want an itemized list of their deductions so you’ll know in advance what you’re getting paid. Is the publisher asking for exclusivity to audio, film, and foreign rights? This might not be a bad thing if they’re actively pursuing these sales. But if they’re not, then your book’s potential could be tied up indefinitely. Is there a FROR (first right of refusal) clause? If so, is the publisher one that you’d want to work with on your next book? Here’s a <a href="http://kriswrites.com/2016/05/11/business-musings-long-term-thinking-the-option-clause-contractsdealbreakers/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;">post</span></a> on why FROR clauses (sometimes known as Option Clauses) are bad for authors. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>PHONE A FRIEND:</b> Other authors are your lifeline so it’s vital that you enquire about their experiences with the publisher. Unless they’ve signed an NDA, they should be willing to share their experiences. Sometimes authors are hesitant to speak out as they fear being blacklisted, so there’s a chance they may be tight lipped. In that case, you will simply need to use your best judgement based on the criteria addressed above.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Working with a small press can be a great experience but, like anything, it’s important to do your homework. Authors in every stage of publishing, be it a debut or a seasoned professional, need to protect themselves from predatory publishers. So be cautiously optimistic should you choose a small press as your book baby’s home. There’s nothing worse than having a bad experience spoil your publishing </span>journey<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvB5QR0WRmK5dhz5E1cKi5CjbcnIE80cpxFY9yk_7ygzBI8KLlfdwwq2cmctCWTt6e_7mxRf_BqC1emdoW7VSXd0n6ZSAT8cwiv1XuvO1Q0hQocLAf8WnAFbJlOgwSs-K4TDdFdvg9Qs/s1600/AmieBorst+author.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvB5QR0WRmK5dhz5E1cKi5CjbcnIE80cpxFY9yk_7ygzBI8KLlfdwwq2cmctCWTt6e_7mxRf_BqC1emdoW7VSXd0n6ZSAT8cwiv1XuvO1Q0hQocLAf8WnAFbJlOgwSs-K4TDdFdvg9Qs/s200/AmieBorst+author.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Amie Borst is the author of the Scarily Ever Laughter series featuring three books for middle-grade readers; </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Cinderskella, Little Dead Riding Hood</span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, and </i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Snow Fright</span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. She is a PAL member of the SCBWI and a founding member of the group blog, From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. Find her on her website </i><a href="http://www.amieborst.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;"><i>www.amieborst.com</i></span></a><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> and her blog </i><a href="http://www.amieborst.blogspot.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(5, 99, 193); color: #0563c1;"><i>www.amieborst.blogspot.com</i></span></a><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </i></div>
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-42035209454373843722017-05-04T08:28:00.001-07:002017-05-06T07:21:40.190-07:00HOW TO TURN A SHORT STORY INTO A NOVEL by Anne E. Johnson<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">There's no magic formula, and it won't work for every story, but sometimes it's possible to turn what you thought was just a little tale into a much bigger deal. It all depends on whether you can make it happen organically; there's nothing worse than a novel that's wordy for no reason.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br />
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</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">A few years ago I wrote a short story for the middle grade market. It happened to be a market that took 4000 words, which is rare. But fitting my story into that generous length was a major struggle for me. It should have been a warning: maybe I wasn't writing a short story after all.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><br />
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</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">The editor I sent it to very kindly rejected it with comments, which is also rare. She said she got the feeling I was trying to cram too much into my 4000 words.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">I set about finding ways to expanded the piece. It didn't take long to find 30 chapters where once there had been one. The novel is fully outlined and about a third drafted at this point, and I feel like it's going well.</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">Maybe one of your stories could use that sort of rethinking. But how can you tell?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keeping within a maximum word limit is a normal challenge for story-writers. But if you’ve cut out all the fat in the verbiage and streamlined in every possible way, yet your story is still not getting shorter, that's a sign you might be working on a bigger piece. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another thing to watch is reactions to the story, like I received from that editor. Do your reader’s eyes spin in her head when she finishes? Does her lip quiver as she admits there are too many characters to keep track of? Be honest: she’s reacting to issues you were subconsciously aware of. Listen to yourself and listen to your critique group or whoever sees your stuff before you submit it. Unlike a cat, which can sit in any box it believes it fits in, a story needs the right-sized vessel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also be aware as you're writing the story of a feeling of sadness, or a longing to tell the main character’s story more fully, or to flesh out a minor character. Or maybe you love the world you’ve created, and you really wish you could spend more time there. These are symptoms of novel-itis. Celebrate! Expand! There is no cure. But what to do now?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white; text-decoration: underline;">The Garden of Your Plot</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><br />
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</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; background-color: white;">Think of the story as a handful of seeds. Expanding it should be like watering and giving nutrients and sunshine to every element of the story. Just like a plant. No matter how big it grows, there is no "extra." Everything that exists is necessary to the plant. And every part of the story will need to grow and multiply: plot, subplots, dialogue, settings, characters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you can tell your story in 1500 words, and it doesn’t feel rushed and the characters don’t feel one-dimensional, then pat yourself on the back and start submitting. But if you feel like you’ve barely grazed the surface, then experiment with expanding in two ways:</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1. Grow what’s already there. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Take a sentence or paragraph, and see if you can imagine it as a chapter of, say, 600-1000 words. <i>Mary walked her little brother to the store.</i> That might do in a short story, but you could expand it. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First, there are basic details you might add: Is she holding his hand? Do her sandals make a funny noise on the pavement? Is she thinking about something significant?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then, there are added actions: Does she get distracted by something that delays her arrival at the store? Or maybe her brother runs off? Ooh! Now you have a scene, and Mary can wend her way back to the store eventually.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In other words, you want to find all the points in your story where things happen, and figure out how to enrich them. Don’t just make them longer; give them bigger and better purpose and meaningful new details.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just be sure there’s a reason for the expansion. This takes planning. Why does the brother run off? What will it have to do with the overall plot? At first, you can just scribble whatever comes into your head, but eventually you’ll need to tie it all together. I’m a big advocate of outlining (some call it planning vs. pantsing) because it helps assure I don’t have loose ends in my novels.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2. Add stories to your story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Consider writing related short stories about the same characters and setting. But you can’t just glue a bunch of stories together and call it a novel. There must be one or more over-arching storylines to keep the propulsion going and allow the whole thing to make sense. This approach means that your original story will become the first chapter or two or three, and you’ll extend the plot from there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even better, insert stories <i>within</i> the existing story, instead of after. This allows the original goal of your plot to remain the goal in the novel. Have your characters do something that they didn’t get a chance to in the original. And create new characters, letting them interact with the original folks. You’ll need to give them subplots that either bring about important actions or reveal something important about your original characters and their motivations. Again, I can’t do this without lots of planning, but I find it an effective way to open out the story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Long story short (or in this case, short story long!), if you have a story that’s bursting at the seams, don’t be afraid to pick one of those stitches loose and let the words pour out until you have a novel. Your characters will thank you, and so will your readers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">In addition to being a Rate your Story judge, Anne E. Johnson writes fiction in many genres. Her works include the middle-grade paranormal mystery </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">Ebenezer's Locker</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;"> (MuseItUp), middle-grade historical mystery </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">Trouble at the Scriptorium</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;"> (Royal Fireworks), and noir sci-fi series </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">The Webrid Chronicles </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">(Candlemark & Gleam). She has had dozens of short stories published in magazines and anthologies, and many of them can now be found in her book </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">Things from Other Worlds: 15 Alien and Fantasy Stories for Kids</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;">. Visit Anne's </span><a href="http://www.anneejohnson.com/" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none;">website</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16.940000534057617px; text-align: center;"> to inquire about professional critique services or to learn more about her books and stories. </span></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-71768447085813542592017-04-06T10:10:00.001-07:002017-04-06T11:48:00.738-07:00TWITTER BASICS FOR WRITERS<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #232323; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Welcome to Twitterville!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For writers, there are a bazillion (that’s a number, right?) different ways you can maximize your use of Twitter. For example, you can use Twitter to expand your social media outreach and talk to fans, librarians, and teachers or you can network with other industry professionals. Twitter is also great for researching publishers, editors, and agents with whom you’d like to work with. Even better, Twitter is an excellent outlet for spouting off random thoughts of the day. Basically, the possibilities are endless. So where should you begin? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>STEP 1: Sign Up</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First you need to sign up for an account. Accounts are free and easy to set up, simply follow the directions at <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/" target="_blank">www.twitter.com</a></span>. The username you choose will then be referred to as your “Twitter handle”. For example, my Twitter handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/sophiagholz" target="_blank">@sophiagholz</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>STEP 2: Upload Photos</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Once you’ve established your account, you’ll want to upload a photograph to use as your “profile image”. For writers, I’ve heard it’s recommended that you stick with one photograph for all of your social media outlets (Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, etc.). They say that using the same photo will help you to be recognized online, at a glance. I also know many authors who don’t follow these rules and that’s fine as well. Some writers use a professional headshot, some use snapshots and others use their book covers. Anything goes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that you’ve got a profile picture uploaded, you can move on to uploading a “cover image”. The cover image is the picture that’s displayed horizontally behind your profile picture. This banner image is another great way to either show some personality or share your work. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>STEP 3: Tweet!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Congratulations! You should now have your Twitter account up and ready to go. Here comes the fun part: Tweeting! Your status updates (or Tweets) are little blurbs and thoughts that you share in 140 characters or less. You can post random ramblings, funny observances, industry news...anything! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Now that you're officially on Twitter, </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>below are some basic terms and guidelines to help you get started. </b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Hashtag or # sign:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A lot of people like to add a hashtag as an afterthought to a Tweet. For example: #WritersLife or #booklove or #AmWriting. Hashtags should start with the # sign followed directly by a word or phrase without any spaces in between.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hashtags are searchable. So let’s say that you’re writing a nonfiction book about Clydesdale horses. You might want to hashtag some of your related status updates with #clydesdales or #horses. On the flip-side of that, you could search Twitter for those hashtags and connect with other people who are talking about similar things. You can also create your own hashtags using the title of your book, school, a loved phrase, current favorite popsicle flavor....anything.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are many popular hashtags that writers use and these are good to search on occasion. I’ve included a link to an awesome list <a href="http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/12/100-twitter-hashtags-every-writer-should-know/" target="_blank">HERE</a>. Some of these hashtags include #AmWriting #AskAgent #PubTip and #MSWL (manuscript wish list). Specific groups often use hashtags to organize chats as well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Tagging and Twitter Conversations:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Though it sounds similar, tagging or tweeting someone on Twitter is different than using a hashtag. Hashtags consist of the searchable # sign before the text. But if you want to tag someone or tweet someone directly, you have to use the @ symbol followed by their Twitter handle (name).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When you tag someone (using the @ symbol) that person or group is automatically notified about your tweet, which allows them to then RT (retweet) or respond if they'd like. This is also how you have Twitter conversations. Remember, if you don’t use the @ symbol to tag someone (or vice versa) that person will not know you’re talking to or about them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here are some examples of Tweets using both hashtags and tags: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm looking forward to the future when I'm part cyborg & no longer need to eat or sleep. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NeedMoreHoursInTheDay?src=hash"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">#NeedMoreHoursInTheDay</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JustPlugIn?src=hash"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">#JustPlugIn</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Big congrats to my critique partner-in-crime <a href="https://twitter.com/JenSwanBooks"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">@JenSwanBooks</span></a> who was selected to teach an upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/HighlightsFound"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">@HighlightsFound</span></a> workshop!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(56, 133, 175); color: #3885af;">We’re c</span><span style="font-kerning: none;">elebrating @RateYourStory’s birthday bash today! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/giveaway?src=hash"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">#giveaway</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/writing?src=hash"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">#writing</span></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kidlit?src=hash"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;">#kidlit</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Likes and Retweets: </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you see a status or post on Twitter that you like, hit the little heart icon underneath it. This adds the status update to your list of “likes”. It also lets the original writer of that post know that you like it. Or you can hit the little arrows icon underneath of the post. By hitting the arrows you are then “retweeting” that post and adding it to your own newsfeed. People are also notified of your retweets (RTs) and it shows your support. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One thing to note: writers beware that too much of one thing or another won’t make you Twitter-popular. People tend to dislike it if you use too many hashtags, if you’re only retweeting what other people have to say (without adding anything fresh), or if you’re posting about the same thing all of the time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Using the Lists:</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As you start networking and following people on twitter, you can start building select lists. When you click on your profile picture (at the very top and right of your computer screen) a drop down menu should appear. On that menu you should see a “lists” tab. If you click on that, you can follow directions as to how to create your own lists. This is a great feature that allows you to curate a personalized newsfeed. For example, you can add people to an “editors” list or an “agents” list or even a “writer friends” list. This way, instead of seeing every single status update, you can view whichever select group you’d like at any one time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For more on Twitter terms, popular hashtags, etiquette for writers and all, check out this excellent post by Debbie Ridpath Ohi: <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(2, 30, 170); color: #021eaa;"><a href="http://inkygirl.com/a-writers-guide-to-twitter/" target="_blank">http://inkygirl.com/a-writers-guide-to-twitter/</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #232323; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Do you have any Twitter tips that you'd like to share? Add them in the comments below. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Happy Tweeting! </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For more about Sophia visit her website by clicking <a href="http://www.sophiagholz.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> or follow her on Twitter: </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/sophiagholz" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;" target="_blank">@sophiagholz </a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Click here to follow Rate Your Story on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/RateYourStory" target="_blank">@RateYourStory</a></span></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-61804846889328944062017-03-02T09:11:00.002-08:002017-03-03T08:31:09.479-08:00AUTHOR VISITS ARE AWESOME by Catherine Bailey<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: #222222; line-height: normal; min-height: 11px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Full disclosure – the original title of this article was AUTHOR VISITS ARE AWESOME AND HERE IS HOW YOU CAN PLAN ONE FOR YOUR FABULOUS SELF AND YOUR AMAZING BOOK, YEA! But that seemed a tad a wordy.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fortunately I have plenty of space down here in the roomy “article” section to share tips that I learned about organizing and executing author visits. So let’s begin with the <b><i>what</i></b> – what is an author visit?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">An author visit is when an author meets with a group of people to talk about their books, the craft of writing, the world of publishing, and/or related issues like literacy. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A critical part of planning a visit is figuring out what you are comfortable doing. Singing songs to Pre K kids about a character from your book? Putting on a PowerPoint presentation for 400 third graders about revisions? Speaking at a charity auction about the importance of reading? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It can evolve over time but knowing what you can talk about comfortably will define your audience. Visits can include all sort of activities but mine usually fall into this pattern: a reading, some sort of presentation, then a signing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So with that in mind, the next question is <b><i>where</i></b> – where do authors visit?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The most common answer is schools and public libraries. School visits can include small sessions at a daycare, large assemblies at an elementary school, and even creative writing courses at a local college. A book’s target audience is not a limit – you have a lot of knowledge about the craft of writing that you can share with older teens and adults. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Libraries host story hours and adult-education groups that you can also address. The same is true for children’s museums and other attractions that tie into the theme of your book. For example my third book, LUCY LOVES SHERMAN, is about a lobster so I am working with our local Oceanographic Center to organize a presentation about, well, lobsters! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Book stores and children’s shops are great places to visit as well. After contacting the store (more on that later), you can plan an event for just your book – or you can find existing events you can join. I’ve been lucky enough to have all three of my book launches at a local Barnes and Noble. But, as an author of a monster-themed picture book, I also enjoyed being part of a Halloween celebration at one of my favorite gift shops. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Authors are also welcomed speakers at charity events for literacy and youth issues, as well as book fairs and conferences. Children’s hospitals are a wonderful feel-good place to do readings. I promise your heart will swell three sizes if you do that one. One of my favorite “out of the box” visits was at an awards ceremony for young writers. Bottom line, there are dozens of places an author can visit. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That begs the question – <b><i>how</i></b>? How do authors get invited to present, speak, read, and sign their books? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Assuming you are fairly new to publishing, the first step is introducing yourself via an in person visit, promotional email, or some combination of both. You need to get your name out there as a person who does this sort of thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You can use services like Mail Chimp to draft and send out emails to media specialists, school administrators, etc. These emails should include information about your qualifications, what you can present/provide for their audience, your fee (at least a range), and your contact information. The key is to be informative, but also brief. And also hilarious. But professional. And clever. Let’s just say it takes a few drafts.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I prefer to save my in-person introductions for libraries and bookstores. I bring a copy of my book, and a “marketing” packet that I can leave behind. It included a press release from the publisher, a color print out of one of the pages from inside the book, a big sticker (thank you Vista Print!), and my business card (Vista Print strikes again). When I arrive I introduce myself to the most senior person I can find, show them my book, give them the packet, and I get their contact information. I explain that I am local, and excited to do events such as readings, signings, and so on. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that you have an idea of what you could present, a list of places to visit, and some local contacts – it’s a good idea to remember these <b><i>tips</i></b>: </span></span></div>
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<li style="color: #222222;"><u style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">LOGISTICS</u><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Find out where to park. Bring a photo ID, hand sanitizer, umbrella, and back up USB of your power point. If you are visiting a school, at some point you will squat, so dress accordingly. Get a ballpark headcount if you plan to provide giveaways. Track your mileage and keep all your receipts for taxes.</span></li>
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<li><u style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">GIVEAWAYS</u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Bookmarks are great because you can sign them and they work for all ages. Black and white coloring sheets of your characters are good freebies too. Or you can raffle off one of your signed books. </span></li>
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<li><u style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">PROMOTION</u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: If it is a public event, help to promote the event. The store/charity/organizers will appreciate it and there’s a lot you can do for free / almost free to advertise the visit. Make posts on social media, create a few simple flyers and post at the gym / coffee shop. It goes a long way!</span></li>
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<li><u style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">COMMUNICATION</u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">: Check in twice before the event to confirm times, dates and expectations. Send a thank you note when it’s over, even if it’s by email. And if you don’t anything recorded, tell them ahead of time. </span></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So there you have it. Everything thing you could possibly need to plan and execute a successful author visit. Ha ha! Just kidding! There are more tips and tricks to learn of course, but many of them come with experience. I hope to see you out there.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">***GIVEAWAY ALERT!***</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">Rate Your Story Members may enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a 20 Minute Skype Session with author Catherine Bailey. This is your chance to ask questions about the industry, writing, publishing, school visits, agents, you name it! </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All you have to do is comment on the blog below and be a 2017 RYS member! </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">NOTE: This is not a manuscript critique session. </span><br />
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About the Author: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Catherine Bailey is a children’s author and presenter from sunny Florida. Her current books include MIND YOUR MONSTERS (Sterling Publishing, 2015), HYPNOSIS HARRY (Sky Pony Press, 2016), and LUCY LOVES SHERMAN (Sky Pony Press, 2017) – with more on the way! She is a popular speaker and has visited with hundreds (and hundreds, and hundreds!) of kids at schools, libraries, stores, and special events. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">When Catherine is not writing, or editing, or swatting at mosquitos, she looks after her husband and two children. All three of them are quite sticky, and none like bedtime, but she loves them anyway</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Catherine is represented by Kathleen Rushall of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. For more, visit Catherine at </span><a href="http://www.catherinebaileybooks.com/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">www.catherinebaileybooks.com</a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-2087319893325557282017-02-06T08:54:00.002-08:002017-02-06T08:54:57.612-08:00THINKING IN SEQUELS by Lynne Marie<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My path to publication was neither quick, nor easy. I had studied the art and craft of writing for children since 1999, after having majored in English in college many years before. I was not a frequent submitter, for which I’m thankful. There’s much to learn in this </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;">business</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (and much to read), so until you’ve “got it,” there’s no point in wasting chances by sending out manuscripts that aren’t ready. Unless it’s for a critique – I am an advocate of critique groups and paid feedback and critiques. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I practiced my craft, I tended to write punny animal stories. Still, from time to time, I would write inspired stories that fell in my lap. My picture book manuscript, <i>School Bus Buddies</i>, now entitled <i>Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten, </i>was one. The premise was based on school experiences my son had encountered (emotion), scenes I had witnessed (plot) and the nervous personality trait of my pet hedgehog, Apollo Nike [Spike] (character). When three important story elements intersect like this, my advice is: Write the story – you never know where it might lead, perhaps even to a sequel or series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I rotated </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">School Bus Buddies</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> through my critique group many times in between working on other projects. I ordered over 50 comp titles from the library (on riding the bus, dealing with fear, school days, hedgehogs, etc.) to make sure it was new and different. After reading, I revised accordingly.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I ultimately did fifteen revisions before my critique groups mentioned sending it out. I had done some publisher research while writing it over the years, but I re-approached this necessary step again. After reading information and interviews and checking their current catalog, I knew which publisher to send it to – Scholastic. Four weeks later, I got a telephone call from Scholastic Editor Jenne Abramowitz and I had a sale.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was born!</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;">I mention all this backstory for a few reasons. One, to show that I did not write this book to have a sequel or be a series. I did not even have a sequel in mind. I just wrote the best story I possibly could.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;">When Spike’s book did well, my editor asked if I had any other Hedgehog stories. I said “Certainly!” To be truthful, I did not. However, I had learned from Guideposts Editor/Author Mary Lou Carney at my first Highlights Foundation Workshop at Chautuaqua, to, when approached with a challenge, always say, “Certainly!” I was not afraid to say this, either. After fifteen thorough revisions, I had gotten to know my character pretty well, and I had pages of children’s magazine clips in my resume, so I was able to write to spec. Do not underestimate the experience of writing for magazines.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;">I read 100s of books (again) on going to school and celebrating school events, and the one area which seemed to have both not a lot of titles and not anything I particularly loved, was the 100</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 36px;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> Day of School. I pondered the “what ifs?” And all the possibilities. I realized this was the topic I wanted to approach, but more importantly, I learned something else. Do your topic research before investing too much time writing. You will learn if the topic is relevant, needed and if there is a hole you can fill with your book, and if your idea might beat anything already out there. I found a hole that would fit my market and three drafts later, I got the go ahead from my Mentor Joyce Sweeney and my critique groups that it was ready! This time, it got accepted right away (and officially contracted 1 ½ years later due to red tape and staff changes), and when I finally settled in with my newest editor, I was asked, again, “What related manuscripts did I have?” </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;">By this time, I had a few, so my agent shot another off to my editor. As long as Spike’s 100</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 36px;"><sup>th</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> Day Celebration is as big as we hope, he will star in yet another story, with his best friend Sheldon the Turtle from the 1</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: normal; text-indent: 36px;"><sup>st</sup></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> book. And at that time, I have another Spike story ready to submit. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;">There are a few obvious and not-so-obvious take away values from my personal story.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-indent: 36px;"> </span></div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Read and Learn, Read and Read, Learn and Read. Repeat. Never stop. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Research your titles and ideas to determine whether a particular idea is something marketable that you should pursue. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(Is it new, fresh or unique? Does it fill a hole in the current market? Is it better than anything out there?)</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Write out of your usual zone or comfort zone. Try different topics or styles. You may surprise yourself. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">This is a business. Writing what sells is a part of that. So write what you love AND what will sell. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Research markets. Research markets. Research markets. Repeat. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Do not underestimate the experience gained by writing for magazines. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Join critique groups and groups like RYS and pay for valuable feedback. Think of it as investing in your talent and your work. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When writing, take any notes you may have about where the story may lead, or a possible sequel. Weave potential for a possible sequel subtly into your story. Sometimes, this is just by tapping into a necessary hole, or creating a character that readers will care about and want to see again. </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When you start getting comments like “send it out,” send it out!</span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">When asked if you have another related story to offer, always say, “Certainly!” </span></span></li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"></span><span style="font-kerning: none;">Write anything and everything that YOU can. Sometimes the stories that you least expect will get the SEQUELS. </span></span></li>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wishing you all the best in your writing journeys. I hope my path and my sequels will inspire you!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About the Author: </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cN7zPVKYcHnRxLZw_PohWxRKJqakGoebJWxk9waMdgSicP4EB5j3uH3TtQ1l4OYCG8gEUURpzsiu2u5Lp_NDUm2Ik-YVxdR5ELK50WPTHwkJjvrK0QFWddPgyhqmcHM-QeuQpMmFNZ0/s1600/Lynne.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cN7zPVKYcHnRxLZw_PohWxRKJqakGoebJWxk9waMdgSicP4EB5j3uH3TtQ1l4OYCG8gEUURpzsiu2u5Lp_NDUm2Ik-YVxdR5ELK50WPTHwkJjvrK0QFWddPgyhqmcHM-QeuQpMmFNZ0/s200/Lynne.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynne Marie</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten</i>, Scholastic 2011</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-kerning: none;">Hedgehog’s 100</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; line-height: normal;"><sup>th</sup></span></i><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i> Day of School</i>, Scholastic 2017</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">WEBSITE: <a href="http://www.literallylynnemarie.com/"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 99, 193);">www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com</span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-kerning: none;">BLOG: </span><a href="http://www.literallylynnemarie.blogspot.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 99, 193); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; text-indent: 36px;">www.literallylynnemarie.blogspot.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">TWITTER: @Literally_Lynne</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">PINTEREST: <span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; -webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(4, 99, 193);"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lynnespinz/">https://www.pinterest.com/lynnespinz/</a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011) and Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017). Her stories, poems, and folk tales have appeared in many magazine markets, including Family Fun, Highlights, High Five, Spider, Baby Bug and more. She is an on-staff writer for Jon and Laura Bard's Children's Book Insider, a 2017 Rate Your Story Judge, a 2016 Cybils Panelist for the picture book/board book category, a mentor for picture book writers and a book reviewer. She is a former New Yorker who now lives a simpler life on a lake in South Florida with her family and several resident water birds. You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com.</i></span></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-55246182655985827392017-01-03T08:03:00.001-08:002017-01-03T08:03:24.821-08:00Fractured Fairy Tales, Fairies & Fae by Henry Herz<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOB7k6aNkvReNElJ-UWA5fe7ftk04VvXBkfuKLty6m2Mnr9UPgEHPm7D0Us55H35wlkiHHUQyp6IP2w5yMV6eQqIj5QGxWx73PyitCfBwt7xaE8a3p_ufPsZJ7PAgfm-j_l3RT-8_RCA/s1600/51s1ca3Y1QL._SX377_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFOB7k6aNkvReNElJ-UWA5fe7ftk04VvXBkfuKLty6m2Mnr9UPgEHPm7D0Us55H35wlkiHHUQyp6IP2w5yMV6eQqIj5QGxWx73PyitCfBwt7xaE8a3p_ufPsZJ7PAgfm-j_l3RT-8_RCA/s320/51s1ca3Y1QL._SX377_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A fractured fairy tale is an adaptation of a fairy tale, in which the author changes the characters, setting, theme, and/or other elements of the story. Examples of fractured fairy tales include<i> <b>I</b></i><b><i>nterstellar Cinderella</i></b> by Deborah Underwood, <b><i>The Three Ninja Pigs</i></b> by Corey Rosen Schwartz, and <b><i>Little Red Cuttlefish</i></b> by me. But before an author can adapt a fairy tale, it is worth understanding the definition of fairy tales. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writing picture books is fraught with philosophical questions. Are fairies synonymous with Fae? Do fairy characters in a story make it a fairy tale? Must a fairy tale feature fairies? Wikipedia artfully states, “The characters and motifs of fairy tales are simple and archetypal: princesses and goose-girls; youngest sons and gallant princes; ogres, giants, dragons, and trolls; wicked stepmothers and false heroes; fairy godmothers and other magical helpers, often talking horses, or foxes, or birds; glass mountains; and prohibitions and breaking of prohibitions.” The fairy tale is such a ubiquitous literary form, that it even has more than one classification system<span style="color: #0b5394;">*</span>.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Elves and Fairies by Ida Rental Outhwaite, 1916</i></td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thomas Keightley indicated that the word 'fairy' derived from the Old French <i>faerie</i>, denoting enchantment. Fae is not related to the Germanic <i>fey</i>, or fated to die. Some authors don't distinguish between Fae and fairies. Other authors define Fae as any inhabitants of Faërie, be they large or small, good or evil. For them, Fae is the broader term encompassing not only fairies, but elves, dwarves, ogres, imps, and all other fantasy creatures. They consider fairies to be Fae who are diminutive and often ethereal, magic-wielding, and/or winged.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Fairies of either flavor have been flitting about literature for centuries. Consider Morgan le Fay in </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Le Morte d'Arthur</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Edmund Spenser's </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>The Faerie Queene</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Oberon and Titania in Shakespeare's </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A Midsummer Night's Dream</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Tinker Bell in J.M. Barrie's </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Peter Pan</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">, Holly Short in Eoin Colfer's </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Artemis Fowl</i></b><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">,</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> all the way up to Bloom in Doreen Cronin's eponymously titled picture book and </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Mabel and the Queen of Dreams</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> (inspired by the fairy Queen Mab in Shakespeare's </span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Romeo and Juliet</i></b><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp32E0S5DkmvEmo1X01KxzlrLgdJaXFBRwK9HTnkziFmctjnTWv6XpUWcFZ1VFEjvEa9cGPt-LPAPesrzzcLodbfgDyW2erPcHGdFR-yGDs2xhJTMZLiO4gWGTZPvqpmr1iClJ4G9gOqA/s1600/51qwjzhTTcL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp32E0S5DkmvEmo1X01KxzlrLgdJaXFBRwK9HTnkziFmctjnTWv6XpUWcFZ1VFEjvEa9cGPt-LPAPesrzzcLodbfgDyW2erPcHGdFR-yGDs2xhJTMZLiO4gWGTZPvqpmr1iClJ4G9gOqA/s320/51qwjzhTTcL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jGUUq5-Wvmv4310c10_A19Wtu09iJ9mm1hQPw9-kskE7zvXgHPsoxmP5ZwklAv1u6RgnSD8oii32BiMC_XWvWzk5b_r6BEwG2Tl0_hdJ3i0kDNihCjd1ULZDSVkiLX18GswjckJaPuY/s1600/51qwjzhTTcL._SX258_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others established fantasy as the subgenre of speculative fiction that employs magical elements <i>set in an alternative world</i>. Tolkien wrote in his essay “On Fairy-Stories” that fairy tales are distinct from traveller's tales (e.g., <b><i>Gulliver's Travels</i></b>), science fiction, beast tales (e.g., <b><i>Aesop's Fables</i></b>), and dream stories (e.g., <b><i>Alice in Wonderland</i></b>). He felt that fairies themselves were <i>not</i> an integral part of the definition of fairy tales. Rather, </span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;">fairy tales were stories about the adventures of men and fantastic creatures <i>in</i> Faërie, a marvel-filled magical otherworld</span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">. By that definition, <b><i>The Lord of the Rings</i></b> is a fairy tale.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Urban fantasy<span style="color: #0b5394;">**</span> is a subgenre of fantasy set in an urban setting, typically in contemporary times. This setting violates Tolkien's definition of a fairy tale, since the story takes place in the “real” world, rather than in Faërie. Thus, <b><i>Mabel and the Queen of Dreams</i></b>, though featuring a fairy, is an urban fantasy rather than a fairy tale, or as Tolkien preferred, <i>Märchen</i> (wonder tale).</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Boy and the Trolls by John Bauer, 1915</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Regardless of subgenre, I hope readers will find in my stories what Tolkien posited for <i>Märchen </i>generally. “Far more powerful and poignant is the effect [of joy] in a serious tale of Faërie. In such stories, when the sudden turn comes, we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart's desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very web of story, and lets a gleam come through.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">*Two major fairy tale classification systems are Aarne-Thompson and Vladimir Propp's <b><i>Morphology of the Folk Tale</i></b>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">**Some notable urban fantasy includes the <b><i>Kate Daniels </i></b>series by Ilona Andrews, <b><i>Modern Faerie Tales</i></b> series by Holly Black, <b><i>Dresden Files</i></b> series by Jim Butcher, <b><i>Weather Warden</i></b> series by Rachel Caine, <b><i>Mortal Instruments</i></b> series by Cassandra Clare, <b><i>Neverwhere</i></b> by Neil Gaiman, <b><i>The Southern Vampire Mysteries </i></b>series by Charlaine Harris, <b><i>The Hollows</i></b> series by Kim Harrison, <b><i>The Iron Druid Chronicles</i></b> by Kevin Hearne, <b><i>Feral</i></b> series by Cynthia Leitich Smith, <b><i>The Wicked Lovely</i></b> series by Melissa Marr, <b><i>October Daye</i></b> series by Seanan McGuire, <b><i>Marla Mason</i></b> series by Tim Pratt, <b><i>Simon Canderous</i></b> series by Anton Stout, and <b><i>Borderlands</i></b> series by Terri Windling.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About the Author: </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Herz</td></tr>
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<span _mce_style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Henry Herz writes fantasy and science fiction for children. He is represented by Deborah Warren of East/West Literary Agency. He and his sons wrote MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican, 2015), WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican, 2016), MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer, 2016), LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH (Pelican, 2016), and CAP'N REX & HIS CLEVER CREW (Sterling, 2017).</i></span></span></div>
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Henry and his sons have also indie-published four children's books. NIMPENTOAD reached #1 in Kindle Best Sellers large print sci-fi & fantasy, and was featured in Young Entrepreneur, Wired GeekDad, and CNN. BEYOND THE PALE featured short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip & Jane Yolen, and reached #2 in Amazon Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Anthologies.</div>
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Henry is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Henry participates in literature panels at a variety of conventions, including San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon. Henry created KidLit Creature Week, an annual online gallery of monsters, creatures, and other imaginary beasts from children's books. He reviews children's books for the San Francisco Book Review and the San Diego Book Review. Discover more at www.henryherz.com.</div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-61761751046370443832016-12-05T18:50:00.002-08:002016-12-05T20:36:35.462-08:00Recycle That Rejection! by Deborah Holt Williams<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">A rug from crocheted plastic bags, a wind chime from mismatched spoons—recycling turns trash into treasure.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Our rejections can be recycled, too, sometimes into a form quite different than we first imagined.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I wasn’t laughing when my picture book “One Funny Day” got thumbs down from an agent, then got “liked” by a Twitter pitch agent, then got rejected again!</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But I still loved it. With a few adjustments, I sold it to Bumples, where it was recycled into a fun interactive story that appeared on-line this June.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Another story, “Baseball Buns,” got rejected by magazine after magazine.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But it sold to Knowonder, an on-line site that features a new story every day.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZsNNMMs0kLAUMsMlFXOAlhg00A31jQ8ZeRmJEUVrjhO6VdWqWgURwDaoff4R8vd5J2lbFZARZEukYijnmdmg4r1iLXt0R2d8ykpEisV8DuoAdy1AHqbY-RRS3gc82pW4mC9ng2BqNSk/s1600/61oRoiqq1mL._UY250_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZsNNMMs0kLAUMsMlFXOAlhg00A31jQ8ZeRmJEUVrjhO6VdWqWgURwDaoff4R8vd5J2lbFZARZEukYijnmdmg4r1iLXt0R2d8ykpEisV8DuoAdy1AHqbY-RRS3gc82pW4mC9ng2BqNSk/s200/61oRoiqq1mL._UY250_.jpg" width="169" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZsNNMMs0kLAUMsMlFXOAlhg00A31jQ8ZeRmJEUVrjhO6VdWqWgURwDaoff4R8vd5J2lbFZARZEukYijnmdmg4r1iLXt0R2d8ykpEisV8DuoAdy1AHqbY-RRS3gc82pW4mC9ng2BqNSk/s1600/61oRoiqq1mL._UY250_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was certain my story “Artist in the Woods” was perfect for Highlights. Somehow, they disagreed. <i>Rejected!</i> So I tweaked it and added a repeating refrain (“But the artist would not wake up!”), and submitted it to an educational publisher. There it got recycled--into an easy reader book! It’s still in their catalog years later. Although my goal is to have a beautiful, glossy picture book published one day, I’m proud that my little books are helping kids learn to read.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Since you’re here on RYS, I’m guessing you’ve been writing for years, and that some of your work may be hibernating in a file or languishing at the bottom of a drawer.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Just like turning an old t-shirt into a throw pillow, you may be able to recycle these pieces or ideas.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Did you write an article for your church newsletter?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Rework it and send it to a religious magazine for children.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Did you come up with a great art project for your Girl Scout Troup?</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Turn it into a craft article.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I once wrote for a small town newspaper, and I recycled two articles into non-fiction pieces for an on-line magazine for kids, called Young Bucks Outdoors. I made lilac prints with toddlers in my home daycare, and later sold the idea to Turtle magazine. Years after I worked as children’s librarian, I reworked a little puppet play I wrote for my Storytime into a rebus, a 100-word story with pictures for some of the words. <i>Sold!</i> “The Egg All Alone” appeared in the September 2013 issue of Highlights. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market lists places to submit your work that you may never have considered. Evelyn Christiansen’s site, <a href="http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html">http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html</a>, is a great source to learn which publications are looking for what. The SCBWI Blue Boards, Children’s Book Insider, and the numerous Facebook groups for writers are also wonderful resources. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So the next time a rejection darkens your inbox, or you come across an old manuscript that’s still got some life in it, see if you can recycle it into something entirely new!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">About the author: Deborah Holt Williams is a full member of SCBWI and the author of five easy readers for Continental Press. Her work has appeared in Highlights, Jack and Jill, Appleseeds, Spellbound and other magazines for children. She’s still submitting her picture book manuscripts and hoping to find an agent. She lives in the mountains of Colorado and takes her recycling to the center every week. You can find Deborah on Facebook as Lucky Williams or follow her blog at </span></i></span><span class="gmail-s2" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;"><a href="http://deborahholtwilliams.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;">http://deborahholtwilliams.blogspot.com</a>, </span><span class="gmail-s2" style="background-color: white;"><i>where she chronicles her writing adventures. </i></span></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-73542379530884513602016-11-03T07:34:00.001-07:002016-11-03T11:53:30.352-07:002017 Rate Your Story Registration!We'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who submitted for our first annual Rate Your Story Scholarship. Our judges were impressed with the caliber and the diversity of the submissions. We are now pleased to announce our two winners: Ashley Franklin and Vanessa Marcus. Congratulations!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2017 Membership Registration Opens This Month! </span></b></div>
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Rate Your Story opens once a year to new members and memberships are limited. Be sure to reserve your space and take advantage of our discounts for early registration. Details are below:</div>
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<b>Early Registration - November 16th-30th</b></div>
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New members receive a 25% discount off the annual membership fee </div>
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Use the "Early Registration" button by clicking <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/membership-options.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<b>Regular Registration - December 1st-January 15th</b></div>
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New members may sign up anytime during regular registration</div>
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click <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/membership-options.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<b>Returning Members - November 16th - January 15th</b></div>
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Returning members receive a 35% discount off the annual membership fee<br />
and may sign up anytime during all registration windows </div>
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click <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/membership-options.html" target="_blank">HERE</a></div>
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<b>**Please be aware that we have had to close registration early in the past due to limited space and we reserve the right to do so again should our memberships sell out. We limit the amount of memberships in order to allow our judges the ability to better focus on each member submission**</b></div>
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Want to know more? Check out our "<a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/about-rate-your-story.html" target="_blank">About</a>" page and you'll find answers to often asked questions: <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/about-rate-your-story.html" target="_blank">About Rate Your Story</a></div>
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Click <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/membership-options.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> for all registration and membership details. </div>
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We look forward to joining you on your writing journey in 2017!</div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-13709203616529952212016-10-03T09:00:00.001-07:002016-10-03T09:00:56.969-07:00NEVER SAY NEVER: How to KEEP getting WFH jobs and keep the money rolling in!<span style="background-color: white; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Here is part two of author and RYS judge Jennifer Swanson's Work-For-Hire series. If you missed the first post, click </span><a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/2016/02/bring-in-money.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> to read it.</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Okay, so who has followed the steps I outlined in the first post and has a completed resume package? Raise your hand. (I’m hoping you are all doing this at home—and not feeling silly about raising your hand in the house by yourself)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Have you sent your resume package out yet? The answer is hopefully a resounding YES. As they say, You can’t win if you don’t “play”. No editor will come knocking on your door asking you to write for them. (It would be cool if they did, though, wouldn’t it?)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">After you send out your resume package – via snail mail or email, then you get to do what every good author does. Wait! (cue the song “Waiting is the hardest part…”)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">The email comes. You are HIRED! You go through the process of learning how to work with an editor, writing to specific guidelines, and turning everything in on time. Whew! And YAY!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">You have written your first book and someone PAID you to do it!!</span><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Now comes the hard part, how do you keep this going? You’re fresh off your first manuscript and anxious to do more. How do you find another contract? </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Have you heard the saying “Beat the pavement” That’s what you do. Keep sending out resume packages. I try to do it in batches of 5’s every 4 months or more. Make sure to update your resume to reflect what you’ve done.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">*Important Note: Be sure to check your contract for rules about how you can talk about your books. Typically, you can’t give the name of the books you’ve written until they’ve been released. Sometimes you can’t even refer to the company you wrote for until then. *</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">The most important tip I can give you about this WFH business is: NEVER SAY NEVER!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">What does that mean? It means if an editor reads your resume package and sends you an email asking you to write a book about a topic you know nothing about, SAY YES!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">You get one shot with some companies/editors. My response is always: “Why yes, I’ve always wanted to write a book about how pigs fly. Thank you for asking.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Of course, after you get the contract, you may be seized by a “WHAT did I just do? Aaahhh! I can’t possibly write a book about how pigs fly.” But you know what, you can. You just figure it out.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">The more YES’s you give editors, the more likely you are to keep getting contracts and making money. Putting restrictions on what you are willing to write is a sure way to end up on the bottom of the editor’s list. Remember, you are going against hundreds of other writers who are out trying to get the same WFH jobs. Your motto is “NEVER SAY NEVER!”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">Now go out there and Start Submitting!! Good luck and Happy Writing!</span></span><br />
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kCq_TXDurct21X7eYQbR_xswPb9BpDxmrOD9nkcpAKR91C5urNh_qOqaR2oh9zFJsyfCzCZcNiwHPBhI_sbFioGnpOxpJ7jyWr1spSZiytOfkGb2BSEY0pKKaSY5nwqRedmb3aPJFg0/s1600/Screen-Shot-2015-01-09-at-11.02.46-AM-300x224.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9kCq_TXDurct21X7eYQbR_xswPb9BpDxmrOD9nkcpAKR91C5urNh_qOqaR2oh9zFJsyfCzCZcNiwHPBhI_sbFioGnpOxpJ7jyWr1spSZiytOfkGb2BSEY0pKKaSY5nwqRedmb3aPJFg0/s200/Screen-Shot-2015-01-09-at-11.02.46-AM-300x224.png" width="200" /></span></a></i></div>
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<i><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Jennifer Swanson is the author of over 20 fiction and nonfiction books for children. When she is not writing, she loves to read, walk on the beach with her family, and play with her two dogs. You can learn more about her at <a href="http://www.jenniferswansonbooks.com/">www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com</a></span></i></i><br />
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-41447829252848773282016-09-14T08:23:00.001-07:002016-09-14T08:50:55.881-07:00HOW TO FIND THE GOLDEN NUGGET BY VIVIAN KIRKFIELD<div style="font-family: Helvetica; min-height: 14px;">
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Please—will somebody pinch me? I can hardly believe I am here, guest posting on Rate Your Story. Ever since I started writing, I’ve relied on their feedback to help me improve my manuscripts. The book that is under contract was only one of many of my manuscripts that passed through the Rate Your Story portals. So when they asked if I would share some thoughts, I was thrilled.</div>
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<i>Sweet Dreams, Sarah </i>(Creston Books: Spring 2017), is about a young woman’s journey. Former slave, Sarah Goode, has a golden nugget of an idea and she follows through, becoming the first African-American woman to own a U.S. patent. Wait a minute...a golden nugget of an idea? That’s how my story about Sarah Goode started! Let me share how that golden nugget of an idea became a manuscript under contract. </div>
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In June of 2014, I took Kristen Fulton’s Nonfiction Archaeology class. It was a life-changing experience. I discovered I LOVED writing nonfiction picture books. And I learned that the first thing I needed to do was to find that golden nugget, that moment that had been forgotten, that incident in history that I could help bring alive for young children.</div>
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So I turned to the internet and googled lots of firsts...1<sup>st</sup> woman in various sports events, 1<sup>st</sup> woman in the political arena, 1<sup>st</sup> black woman patent holder. Here is the link that started me on my journey. <a href="https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/women_inventors.html">https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/women_inventors.html</a> Hmmm…the first name on the list was Sarah E. Goode who got a patent for a cabinet bed. That sounded interesting. We can write a story about anything we want. But to get editors to acquire it, you’ve got to have a story that children can relate to. And it also has to be a story that stands out for some reason. Every child has a bed or shares a bed. Being the first black woman to receive a U.S. patent certainly stands out. So I looked more closely at Sarah’s story.</div>
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I discovered there was almost nothing about her in books or on the internet. That was good because you don’t want a topic that everyone has already written about. On the other hand, you don’t want something that no one is interested in…and if you can’t find any information, it is almost impossible to write a nonfiction story about it. So I dug deeper, connected with my local library, reached out to other sources that might be helpful. I even contacted the cemetery where Sarah is buried and received a list of all of the people who are buried in her family plot, as well as the age, cause of death, and last known address of each of them. Information can be found in many different places…never give up.</div>
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After I had gotten as much information as I could, I thought about what direction my story needed to take. I wanted to convey how incredible Sarah was. A woman…and a black woman at that, living in an era when women did not have any rights. They couldn’t vote, couldn’t own property, couldn’t even keep any wages they might earn. Yet she owned a furniture store in Chicago, designed an innovative cabinet bed that would help her customers save space, and followed through with tenacity to apply for a patent. Sarah’s tenacity fueled my determination. I became invested in seeing Sarah honored with a book. I knew it was an important story for children to read. I wanted to help make that moment in history come alive for them. So I wrote the story…trying to give the reader a sense of Sarah’s background, tying to relay her dreams, and trying to show how she struggled to build the cabinet bed and get the patent for it.</div>
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One of the most important steps in my writing process is to give my manuscripts to critique partners. And I did. Over and over again. Fortunately, I have quite a few of them. I sent it out to one group and would revise based on their suggestions and then I sent it out to the next. Rate Your Story saw the manuscript twice. I wrote the story in July of 2014 and sent it to Rate Your Story in August. It got a rating of ‘8’. Back to the drawing board.</div>
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So Sarah’s Disappearing Bed (that was the title at the time) needed a lot of work. I revised it again and again. I sent it to critique groups again and again. In October, I submitted it to Rate Your Story again. This time, it got a rating of ‘3’. YES! I was making progress. I continued to revise. I continued to give the story to my critique buddies. A word here, a phrase there…I was always open to trying a different approach with the story. </div>
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After I received the rating of ‘3’ and had revised it based on the additional feedback, I began to submit the manuscript. I was a 12x12 Gold member, so I submitted it in October of 2014. I didn’t hear back from that agent, but I continued to submit the story to others. In 2015, I entered it into the Rate Your Story contest…it won second place!!! A kid lit acquaintance had just signed with an agent. When I visited that agent’s website, I fell in love with her and sent her the story in March. She emailed me within the hour to tell me how much she loved it. In May, I got an email from the agent who had received the story more than seven months before. (<b>NEVER GIVE UP HOPE</b>) She loved it and wanted to see more of my work. Then I participated in the June 2015 #pitmad challenge and it received a ‘favorite’ so I sent it to the #pitmad agent. That agent loved it also. In August, I noticed on #MSWL that another agent was looking for a nonfiction picture book about a strong woman, so I sent the manuscript to her. And she responded immediately. I was thrilled to have so many quality professionals recognize the importance of this story…and I was overjoyed that they were interested in seeing more of my work. In the end, I went with the agent who had been passionate about it from the moment she received it because I believe that an agent MUST be passionate about your work in order to represent you successfully.</div>
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With the process of submitting to editors in the hands of my agent, Essie White, I sat back and continued writing new stories. Fortunately, unbelievably…I think I need another pinch…the manuscript was picked up almost immediately. When I heard I was to work with Creston editor Marissa Moss, I couldn’t have been happier. We signed the contract and Marissa sent me the manuscript with a few revision notes and requests. I revised and returned it to her. She sent it back with one additional revision request. I reached out again to my critique buddies who had been part of the process from the very beginning. With their feedback, I was able to construct the perfect ending and the editor was very pleased.</div>
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Now the manuscript is in the hands of the illustrator and I can’t wait to see how the book turns out. It’s been an amazing adventure and, at times, a wild ride. But I am ready, willing, and able to grab a seat on that roller coaster again with another manuscript. We do have another story in acquisitions (but that is no guarantee of a contract) and two other manuscripts out on submission. Plus, I’ve got a folder filled with manuscripts in various stages of readiness and a head full of stories waiting to be written. And what do I do for relaxation, you might ask? I read manuscripts from my many critique buddies and try to give them feedback that will strengthen their stories. After all, turn-around is fair play and for me, there is no greater joy than helping another writer.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU89E01-t2l-6LUjvCJf1S3l_fvwePDmG8X8vcI_s9iE331KAqY7AUSirhRYYx9iylJTkl4ecF7WMTHDLagFziLKhecYieLeTlcWjRRZITNc3mDAhgZZ_Q6pOigKxZjbM8KSLgSSGlPo/s1600/viv+black+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU89E01-t2l-6LUjvCJf1S3l_fvwePDmG8X8vcI_s9iE331KAqY7AUSirhRYYx9iylJTkl4ecF7WMTHDLagFziLKhecYieLeTlcWjRRZITNc3mDAhgZZ_Q6pOigKxZjbM8KSLgSSGlPo/s200/viv+black+dress.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vivian Kirkfield</td></tr>
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Although Vivian Kirkfield is not a fan of heights, she is constantly taking leaps of faith. In 2010, she self-published an award-winning parent-teacher resource book, <i>Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking</i>.<i> </i>On her 65<sup>th</sup> birthday, she went skydiving with her son, jumping out of a perfectly good plane, which caused her husband to question her sanity. And when a fellow author and blogging buddy invited her to fly half-way around the globe to speak at the 2013 AFCC/SCBWI conference in Singapore, she couldn’t say yes fast enough. </div>
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Vivian is a proud member of the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators, an active participant in an insane number of critique groups, is up for just about every picture book writing challenge, and considers playing an epic game of Monopoly with her seven-year old grandson to be one of the best ways to spend the day. She currently lives in the idyllic New England village of Amherst, New Hampshire with her husband. Vivian is passionate about helping kids become lovers of books and reading and hopes that the stories she writes will have kids asking their parents, “Read this one again, please!”. You can find her on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/@viviankirkfield" target="_blank">@viviankirkfield</a> and Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/viviankirkfield">www.facebook.com/viviankirkfield</a>, or visit her blog at Picture Books Help Kids Soar: <a href="http://www.viviankirkfield.com/">www.viviankirkfield.com</a></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-83771269119550260182016-08-11T08:34:00.000-07:002016-08-11T08:37:35.597-07:00TIPS FOR WRITING A BETTER PICTURE BOOK BY KATHLEEN DOHERTY<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Author Kathleen Doherty is the self-proclaimed "Grandma Moses of picture book writing. I’m a slow-and-steady-wins-the-race kind of writer." She kept piling up rejection letters until she finally had her first two picture book sales in June, 2015--congratulations, Kathleen! We've asked Kathleen to share a few tips for writing a better picture book and she's compiled an excellent list of picture book tools below, just for our RYS blog readers. Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>PICTURE BOOK WRITING TIPS</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Rhythm </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">At first I’d get rejected because the language I used wasn’t special enough. So I read poetry and picture books studying how authors put words together. Now I try harder to make my words dance across the page and let my personality shine through [voice].</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Humor</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When writing humor, I use words that contain these consonants: p, b, t, d, k, and hard g as in goat. Notice how these letters explode off your tongue and produce funny sounds. That’s why the word <i>under</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none; text-decoration: underline;"><b><i>p</i></b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>ants</i> is funnier than <i>underwear</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Visualization</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I make sure every sentence I write can be illustrated. I think of my story as an escalator, always moving and changing with each line. My words only tell half the story because I have to leave room for the illustrator.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Intertextuality</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I loved how Roahl Dahl used made-up words in THE BFG like whizzpoppers, frobscottle, and snozzcumbers. I borrowed that idea and made up words in the first two picture books I sold. Borrowing an idea or concept from another author and reworking it to make it your own is called intertextuality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Stepping Stones</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">Rejection letters happen. Eileen Spinelli got 27 rejections on <i>SOMEBODY LOVES</i> <i>YOU MR. HATCH</i>. Jerry Spinelli never sold his first novel. Rejection letters are steppingstones to something bigger and better. After my first sale to <i>Highlights</i> in 2006, the magazine’s submissions editor sent me 10 rejection letters in a row before she bought a second story. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Professionalism</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I use personalized stationery with my name, address, phone number, and email printed at the top so I can submit professional-looking cover letters. I paper clip my letter to my story. I never fold or staple my submission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Revision</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">When I think my manuscript is ready to submit, I tape record it. Then I play it back over and over listening for rough and boring spots. Then it’s revision time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Page Turns</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I make a dummy and read my story aloud. I emphasize the page turns as I read. I ask myself: Do I have 14 different scenes? Will readers care about my main character? Did I rush the beginning? Is my ending satisfying?</span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Craft</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">I’m always looking for feedback and ways to take my writing to the next level. I attend SCBWI conferences, take workshops, belong to a critique group, and I’ve subscribed to RateYourStory for years. I read books on craft. And I type out my favorite picture books to study them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b>Perseverance</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">Perseverance is more important than talent. I’m living proof. Writing doesn’t come easy for me. Most writers let a rough draft flow off their fingertips. Not me. I agonize over every word and revise as I write. Every author is different. Candace Fleming writes in longhand before she gets out of bed in the morning. Beverly Cleary never reads other children’s books because she doesn’t want them to influence her. Eve Bunting likes to know the last line of her picture book before she begins. And Jane Yolen writes to find out how her story will end.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b>Importance</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">We picture book writers are important people. Be proud! We start children on the wonderful path of reading. Visualize a dad reading your book to his daughter at bedtime, or a grandmother buying your book for her grandson’s birthday. My dream has always been to read my picture book aloud to the children at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. I’M GETTING CLOSER! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFQzbzs-PN5yxrpusLTNnjOb5clQz0fRFKeK0_I0_COB8N2_n3-kaHkvOIfzmBaQobLWxdytEB9mvV44I9tMSxszjUcZsuEm4UpVGiGzoKvYXX3fdlXaVA24Tt7WOmVpwWY_yAg9vQ9A/s1600/Kathleen+Doherty.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFQzbzs-PN5yxrpusLTNnjOb5clQz0fRFKeK0_I0_COB8N2_n3-kaHkvOIfzmBaQobLWxdytEB9mvV44I9tMSxszjUcZsuEm4UpVGiGzoKvYXX3fdlXaVA24Tt7WOmVpwWY_yAg9vQ9A/s200/Kathleen+Doherty.png" width="146" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kathleen Doherty</span></td></tr>
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<i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’m a retired elementary school reading specialist / educational specialist. I enjoy presenting at state reading conferences. I’ve written standardized test questions that align with the Common Core for Pearson, Inc.</i></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>In June, 2015, I sold my first two picture books [Sterling and Peachtree] all in one week! My work has appeared in The Mailbox, Highlights for Children, Highlights High Five, Highlights HELLO, and Spider Magazine. I’ve won the Highlights Pewter Plate Award, the Highlights Celebrate National Poetry Contest, and a letter of merit from SCBWI’s Magazine Merit Competition.</i></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-40569284347011375772016-06-08T10:06:00.000-07:002016-06-15T19:16:59.780-07:002016 RYS "Awesome Openers" Contest Winners! <div style="text-align: center;">
Thank you to everyone who entered the Rate Your Story contest this year. </div>
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We are excited to announce this year's winners below. </div>
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Congratulations to all! </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Category -Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbH2XJxJNIzueE9DUsM-H9rjLvTt7-doRuC8Ihyphenhyphen15S_zZzXylROVqg8nSiac4ULl5vy51dEkML4Iw3ZADsFh7EuC-Y4l5rSYaH1PG-R1Y-IO-_VmJAxQSDbLCOqFhKoF-zuKtMNolmqU/s1600/Jerrianne+Hayslett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbH2XJxJNIzueE9DUsM-H9rjLvTt7-doRuC8Ihyphenhyphen15S_zZzXylROVqg8nSiac4ULl5vy51dEkML4Iw3ZADsFh7EuC-Y4l5rSYaH1PG-R1Y-IO-_VmJAxQSDbLCOqFhKoF-zuKtMNolmqU/s200/Jerrianne+Hayslett.jpg" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerrianne Hayslett</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><u>First Place:</u> </span></b></span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">END OF THE ROPE by Jerrianne Hayslett</b></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>The lives of 16-year-old Jimmie Cameron and a privileged contemporary are changed forever after a late-night joyride through the Indiana countryside lands Jimmie in jail and facing a lynch mob for shooting a white man.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1AuO510_GPFUCqrTxGYYqPZaFWN-rj5krRkhrd5GtHeM2DU4IF6KDOqwd0OAIKOq8poL1ZyLTZHjzRWhyes79eyragtSQh56-SAoBD1QJcAWOVRcZd0tUG09PFiBd6XhhCdgEzh79Yo/s1600/Julie+Andrews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1AuO510_GPFUCqrTxGYYqPZaFWN-rj5krRkhrd5GtHeM2DU4IF6KDOqwd0OAIKOq8poL1ZyLTZHjzRWhyes79eyragtSQh56-SAoBD1QJcAWOVRcZd0tUG09PFiBd6XhhCdgEzh79Yo/s200/Julie+Andrews.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julie Andrews</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">Second Place:</span></u> FINE LINES by Julie Andrews</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>In FINE LINES, seventeen-year-old Kate Conner is a trained ballerina who knows life is filled with fine lines: the line between trusting and turning her back; the line between friends and lovers; the line between living on the edge and falling off of it. </i></span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Kate is a recovering addict from another kind of fine line—cocaine. She knows that dance can save her, but it’s hard to stay strong when her circle of friends—her only real family—keeps pulling her toward the life she is trying to leave.</i><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0N_bluntE-dW1lFsKnmmq0QtjHUdeNVzh8eKWHEwF2bgxmGRJ6UPpamsyzGnY56Dk1gdV0oiBbMzyDCe1aiJpYTgSOAqUGqcoWjBZ6tnXFIENlAaihqF9KoloR4F8ilxzCv8CDXLFyQ/s1600/Ariadne+Lukas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0N_bluntE-dW1lFsKnmmq0QtjHUdeNVzh8eKWHEwF2bgxmGRJ6UPpamsyzGnY56Dk1gdV0oiBbMzyDCe1aiJpYTgSOAqUGqcoWjBZ6tnXFIENlAaihqF9KoloR4F8ilxzCv8CDXLFyQ/s200/Ariadne+Lukas.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ariadne Lukas</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Third Place:</u> </span>FIELD OF VIOLETS by Ariadne Lukas</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>When Gabby, the voice inside her head, puts seventeen-year-old Violet in the hospital, she trusts classmate Neil to help her. His shaman grandfather performs an Ojibwe ritual to help Violet discover who Gabby is and how she can save her before she causes more harm. </i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFGtbSskxEd27slMOsxm8Fr3lLN07PlotAMUTtWyQq3BA75UxFe4-7hXQIrW-J2SDaqZnDH7II_aS09zhGT1kNL5E_nQ1ubbo6xaiInOWocNqeF99l6Ek3bhBxAq1nCFU7JOvprZlrIk/s1600/Jodi+Cardillo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIFGtbSskxEd27slMOsxm8Fr3lLN07PlotAMUTtWyQq3BA75UxFe4-7hXQIrW-J2SDaqZnDH7II_aS09zhGT1kNL5E_nQ1ubbo6xaiInOWocNqeF99l6Ek3bhBxAq1nCFU7JOvprZlrIk/s200/Jodi+Cardillo.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jodi Cardillo</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>Honorable Mention:</u></span> MOVE ON UP by Jodi Cardillo</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>When star cross-country runner Violet Smith trips at the championships, she can't get up. After following physiotherapists, doctors and surgeons' advice to have her spine fused, her back pain persists. Faced with living life at sixteen bed-ridden, Violet must determine what's truly causing her pain and find her own path to recovery.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Category - Middle Grade</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcs0z-f1Dt0XB7ADHnp04HBwdUoUi0ut7ZVNQl-l1IO2GuW8cxCuvRWajcPPtom_qgm2offxK19gTfzHhBhAq5XJMj61CkNVu0k5gYqZZV3vZGz4E_3iwHj7uv02zEnmD8QaTbqyiqXA/s1600/KristineSOlson.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpcs0z-f1Dt0XB7ADHnp04HBwdUoUi0ut7ZVNQl-l1IO2GuW8cxCuvRWajcPPtom_qgm2offxK19gTfzHhBhAq5XJMj61CkNVu0k5gYqZZV3vZGz4E_3iwHj7uv02zEnmD8QaTbqyiqXA/s200/KristineSOlson.jpeg" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristine Olson</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><u>First Place:</u></span> FLOWER, RIGHT HERE by Kristine Olson</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>When 12-year-old Louisa trusts a talking beetle to help her paint an art contest entry, she (a Korean adoptee) must learn Korean folklore to paint her way out of trouble, solve a mystery about a girl who died and save her own dream of being an artist.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIicwrCZEYurOHmfXbnroEMxKGmjcEQ_MjW7SQXzX-Uy6i-r5foa4Z1_Qmsndd7Wjsow8Z8jryc77NjzvY_esjtGdd9-KsgoR1Ow19P-Mfe2YFqP9e_sI66llB22qTk4KtLNM_PLb7dI/s1600/Leia+Johnson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIicwrCZEYurOHmfXbnroEMxKGmjcEQ_MjW7SQXzX-Uy6i-r5foa4Z1_Qmsndd7Wjsow8Z8jryc77NjzvY_esjtGdd9-KsgoR1Ow19P-Mfe2YFqP9e_sI66llB22qTk4KtLNM_PLb7dI/s200/Leia+Johnson.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leia Johnson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Second Place:</u></span> TO GO TO TOGO by Leia M. Johnson</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Two Ghanaian sisters and two American brothers find friendship and adventure while they travel across West Africa. Whether they are eating Nilla wafers, riding motorcycles through the bush, or fighting fires with well water, these four young heroes find that life is better when they work together.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LdowoiuLAQ_P1C5riB4ef3our25BI8f_pbtkQ7wlK7dGpCZV3UY7AF3Jp6cATJmbyMc3qtJLrGai23mi0x9t_oCHMUaAW6K9kpj3WWsP34Z4AioatNi4uN0LdSbB9b672pTvL4MXO-s/s1600/Jane+Resides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LdowoiuLAQ_P1C5riB4ef3our25BI8f_pbtkQ7wlK7dGpCZV3UY7AF3Jp6cATJmbyMc3qtJLrGai23mi0x9t_oCHMUaAW6K9kpj3WWsP34Z4AioatNi4uN0LdSbB9b672pTvL4MXO-s/s200/Jane+Resides.jpg" width="171" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Resides</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><u>Third Place:</u></span> THE ONE-EYED RABBIT by L. Jane Resides</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Twelve-year-old Maggie has nightmares they’re being bombed. On top of that, she wants to tell her father, working away in a defense plant, she’s being bullied at school. In the end, she decides to best the bullies and gain her classmates’ respect by winning first prize in the art contest. But someone’s contest entry disappears, and Maggie discovers that she's the prime suspect</i>.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixchIEvgIROE2pzd-UQO41IJiekXDKjnY5cCqUzGyXeFKzg8FXUZfV6mYg4cJB8wuvraPXHU323Lmzl6uSMqGkSzk4iclIvbY-wDvWNaHUa_yJEKvsXIMiJof5PJ5RC-V_moZWuJijVJ4/s1600/Tracey-Brown9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixchIEvgIROE2pzd-UQO41IJiekXDKjnY5cCqUzGyXeFKzg8FXUZfV6mYg4cJB8wuvraPXHU323Lmzl6uSMqGkSzk4iclIvbY-wDvWNaHUa_yJEKvsXIMiJof5PJ5RC-V_moZWuJijVJ4/s200/Tracey-Brown9.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tracey Brown</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: #b45f06;">Honorable Mention:</span></u> HAPPILY EVER by Tracey Brown</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>Afraid to disappoint her father, again, Hali agrees to go on a camping trip with her friend's family. Fireside sing-along's and sappy family togetherness are things to avoid at all costs, so she crosses her fingers and hopes she'll survive. She didn't mean it literally.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Category - Picture Book Fiction</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswG6cwQnvu26yUBwHxlM_SGnGGOitCi1eZ5wCWx3cXLlLMarP8zogK8TihNASG667qp-pyafoZKyiRP2wGyH7h-iVNmqHJe4wJLgLblWkYV4usuaEedoIOR70ndH8EzSKg0mzjs1ukO4/s1600/Monica+Lauscher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhswG6cwQnvu26yUBwHxlM_SGnGGOitCi1eZ5wCWx3cXLlLMarP8zogK8TihNASG667qp-pyafoZKyiRP2wGyH7h-iVNmqHJe4wJLgLblWkYV4usuaEedoIOR70ndH8EzSKg0mzjs1ukO4/s200/Monica+Lauscher.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica Lauscher</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: blue;">First Place:</span></u> MOANA LISA, MONSTER FASHIONISTA by Monica Lauscher</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Moana Lisa is a little monster. She is not, however, like other little monsters. Moana Lisa doesn’t want to be scary or creepy and frighten little girls in pretty dresses. She wants to wear pretty dresses. But can a little monster “fashionista” make her spooky, slimy, monster parents proud? Or will it be back to Scare School for her.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcsWW-nATUI-NMQFq3tudIdnKcNIdvZjUZn1vzeOgs_Gy5t26tG5Gb_adRxAzby5VFGZRJl79pYSAvxRQx-ZIdTOP1R-AT8oeWtBu4XVxsncwyVMGL6AO7NK-RHyoXBoeK8SYQ-8gPQM/s1600/Midge+Smith.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcsWW-nATUI-NMQFq3tudIdnKcNIdvZjUZn1vzeOgs_Gy5t26tG5Gb_adRxAzby5VFGZRJl79pYSAvxRQx-ZIdTOP1R-AT8oeWtBu4XVxsncwyVMGL6AO7NK-RHyoXBoeK8SYQ-8gPQM/s200/Midge+Smith.png" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midge Smith</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: red;"><u>Second Place:</u></span> THE SNOW HORSE by Midge Smith</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Eight-year-old Ella is teased by older brothers who think she is too little to see the mysterious snow horse. But when he appears at her window taking her for an unforgettable midnight ride, she discovers that one is never really too small for a magical adventure.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIKNaK80iquOtAcaXNNm60l6-jp0aIpOc4VuKVSNCIZNQpprDTXJ1Cf1c55QY2-UcXBsCHMFWsjDbPDL7ioYJD9aivWxOGqmwnD869HDNosUd7CDUh9Dy0VnLMuybZfLi5BGyBY1IDq8/s1600/Vivian+Kirkfield.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIKNaK80iquOtAcaXNNm60l6-jp0aIpOc4VuKVSNCIZNQpprDTXJ1Cf1c55QY2-UcXBsCHMFWsjDbPDL7ioYJD9aivWxOGqmwnD869HDNosUd7CDUh9Dy0VnLMuybZfLi5BGyBY1IDq8/s200/Vivian+Kirkfield.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vivian Kirkfield</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: #38761d;">Third Place:</span></u> THE BOOTS OF DYLAN MCGEE by Vivian Kirkfield</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Whether he is lassoing his sister, riding his dog, Rover, or sleeping in bed, cowboy-in-training Dylan McGee refuses to take off his boots. When an hour in the shower creates a boot-calaboose, Dylan must find a way to remove the toe-pinching boots that won't budge.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutmfiar1UXLqwnpt6G4k80843_VzueQNv0c8tMw_aUiJfYGmtFfxPbh3OhhgVt2bh-Tv9HjqmlwZUNU3NegcFh4XilqPX0na6aowoJh6NTe0_hGeSxRdA1aqZLPbk6cnUTwQqsHfL9Bk/s1600/Katelyn+Aronson.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutmfiar1UXLqwnpt6G4k80843_VzueQNv0c8tMw_aUiJfYGmtFfxPbh3OhhgVt2bh-Tv9HjqmlwZUNU3NegcFh4XilqPX0na6aowoJh6NTe0_hGeSxRdA1aqZLPbk6cnUTwQqsHfL9Bk/s200/Katelyn+Aronson.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katelyn Aronson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: #b45f06;">Honorable Mention:</span></u> </b></span><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">MOOSE A SNOOZIN by Katelyn Aronson</b></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Deep in the bayou, a lonely boy's wanderings along the River Oozing lead him to a marvelous discovery. One false move, though, and he's soon the object of a wild MOOSE chase! A story of finding friendship where one least expects it...(not to mention the power of a little pecan pie).</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOi-mEYAvWWINXYqr58GKqAEQtHMNKROB1t9JmtfawqXVrFLapJxdccTjhst2Daimt4MNjWGEQIlguCXs4IdkZKcUpMXcemKp3btAeAeNh5hoTesIGArJgnGcj1bBHHjX0Fg9JwJGjwfE/s1600/Maria+Marshall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOi-mEYAvWWINXYqr58GKqAEQtHMNKROB1t9JmtfawqXVrFLapJxdccTjhst2Daimt4MNjWGEQIlguCXs4IdkZKcUpMXcemKp3btAeAeNh5hoTesIGArJgnGcj1bBHHjX0Fg9JwJGjwfE/s200/Maria+Marshall.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maria Marshall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: #b45f06;">Honorable Mention:</span></u> </b><b>THE ANIMALS SNOWBEAR by Maria Marshall</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>Grudgingly, after promised a gift, five unlikely animals</i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black;"><i> </i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>join Mouse's cumulative attempt to free a mysterious</i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black;"><i> </i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>present snagged in a tree and discover that combining</i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; color: black;"><i> </i></span><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>their wishes creates the first Snowbear.</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Category - Picture Boon Nonfiction</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZKagtRAfq-BWxBwoR-q37dGyFTJJ78li4Xg1R1NzTz8CRNDrxw1-CqreFLWn7yBDPPSVOME2J17jSDLLZo5Z87QnzXWp7dsbe6q9jkUBeqF9Mgm3PVRIRSc9uuMI1gzMM3oMyoHWPpE/s1600/Nicole+Popel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqZKagtRAfq-BWxBwoR-q37dGyFTJJ78li4Xg1R1NzTz8CRNDrxw1-CqreFLWn7yBDPPSVOME2J17jSDLLZo5Z87QnzXWp7dsbe6q9jkUBeqF9Mgm3PVRIRSc9uuMI1gzMM3oMyoHWPpE/s200/Nicole+Popel.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicole Popel</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: blue;"><u>First Place:</u> </span>THE CANDY DESK by Nicole Popel</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>A Congressman keeps a red-hot secret under wraps, until it burns like a fireball, turning persnickety politicians into sweet, sugar-snacking Senators.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6chJgQMzm3i91wp3ezIolhBelDghw7Tugge-Van1huaN_ZAbQshZGydTIPLocZtt4mfBDgyJPliPNV5lR0mlTERJ3b74H07ktTu0M0g7-1NiV0j95kgbSVqbiKUD19Nm6St3VCufSn4s/s1600/Sara+Matson+tiny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6chJgQMzm3i91wp3ezIolhBelDghw7Tugge-Van1huaN_ZAbQshZGydTIPLocZtt4mfBDgyJPliPNV5lR0mlTERJ3b74H07ktTu0M0g7-1NiV0j95kgbSVqbiKUD19Nm6St3VCufSn4s/s200/Sara+Matson+tiny.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sara Matson</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">Second Place:</span></u> BUTTERFLY DETECTIVE: HOW SCIENTIST FRED URQUHART SOLVED THE MONARCH MIGRATION MYSTERY by Sara Matson</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Scientist Fred Urquhart spent 40 years studying monarch butterflies in order to answer one question: where do they go during the winter? His tireless efforts led to the 1975 discovery of the monarch migration sites in the mountains of central Mexico.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciHJ3fcHOnX1aBxLzZjfsx5PHsZduUMHvYcrwJcsl7EnD-UIFYU3iPPXeirKaLJZXClfsZHlEH0yXBUy4cOBEtdwWSEVZ_E6UmSynoFRoPuK86JGZy-MLyqm3RchDhuBjaYEHGGM8l20/s1600/Nancy+Churnin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhciHJ3fcHOnX1aBxLzZjfsx5PHsZduUMHvYcrwJcsl7EnD-UIFYU3iPPXeirKaLJZXClfsZHlEH0yXBUy4cOBEtdwWSEVZ_E6UmSynoFRoPuK86JGZy-MLyqm3RchDhuBjaYEHGGM8l20/s200/Nancy+Churnin.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nancy Churnin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><u><span style="color: #38761d;">Third Place:</span></u> MANJHI MOVES A MOUNTAIN by Nancy Churnin</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>Deep in the heart of India, a 300-foot mountain separated a poor village from one that had a hospital, school and fields rich with crops. This is the true story of Dashrath Manjhi, a man from the poor village, who was determined to cut through that mountain. Everyone said he was crazy when he began his task using only a chisel and a hammer. Twenty-two years later, when he knocked down the last thin wall of stone, they called him a hero.</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS3E2_f4DmH6WtHlF0vzJBoh12Wulpv7jDyg3_GDc9CTFdPu12CTjxitJQw5-wCid8CFrwf60n1MMIFh6xgQUdDKLZm7W_8_x-H1L_cFMZTjBRrvqcKb0CUcnSB9b8242jnDKM510uCA/s1600/Sue+Frye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS3E2_f4DmH6WtHlF0vzJBoh12Wulpv7jDyg3_GDc9CTFdPu12CTjxitJQw5-wCid8CFrwf60n1MMIFh6xgQUdDKLZm7W_8_x-H1L_cFMZTjBRrvqcKb0CUcnSB9b8242jnDKM510uCA/s200/Sue+Frye.jpg" width="105" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sue Frye</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="color: #b45f06;"><u>Honorable mention:</u></span> BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Sue Frye</b></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><i>Orville and Wilbur Wright shared the same lofty dream, they wanted to fly. Working together, they faced many years of trial and error in which their dream grew stronger. Then one day, their experiments finally paid off and they took to the sky.</i></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-90624960907327092042016-05-05T09:39:00.003-07:002016-05-05T18:36:50.686-07:00My Rate Your Story Success Story by Nancy Churnin<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VBD_ETOfnfEmzU1ScNaQfkMP1cW7IDLYre1Wa9RtJqkg5Hgeo83dEWHi9hacxzjF00WPifHr9fXpoxZzICmOvEYvcd4kHrxA-sbNL3eCAaexwdp5_TJ-qmD2r0b2lgNUTJAHGSgQB8M/s1600/9780807591925_WilliamHoyStory-512x630.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VBD_ETOfnfEmzU1ScNaQfkMP1cW7IDLYre1Wa9RtJqkg5Hgeo83dEWHi9hacxzjF00WPifHr9fXpoxZzICmOvEYvcd4kHrxA-sbNL3eCAaexwdp5_TJ-qmD2r0b2lgNUTJAHGSgQB8M/s200/9780807591925_WilliamHoyStory-512x630.jpg" width="162" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was thrilled to learn about the existence of Rate Your Story when I began my journey as a children’s book writer. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was so unsure about what worked and what didn’t worked. How wonderful, I thought, to have a service where you can test stories to see if they’re ready for an agent or editor?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I started with Rate Your Story when it was a completely free service that judged stories on the first day of each month. I will never forget sending my story about William Hoy, one of the first famous Deaf baseball players, to RYS in July of 2013. It was the same month I submitted my manuscript to the 12 X 12 agent of the month, Karen Grencik of Red Fox Literary.<u></u><u></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That month I heard back both from Karen, who wanted to send the story out immediately, and Miranda Paul, the founder of Rate Your Story, who told me that she thought it was a wonderful story. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">That encouragement was so key to me at a critical time. It turned out that my story about William Hoy would receive an initial round of (kind) rejections and I would need to rethink and rewrite it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But now, in March of 2016, as <i>The William Hoy Story: How a Deaf Baseball Player Changed the Game</i> rolls off the presses from Albert Whitman & Company, I think back about how the support and encouragement I received from Miranda and Rate Your Story strengthened me for the journey ahead. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have renewed my membership in RYS each year. I value the opinions of the writers, teachers and editors that judge the manuscripts in letting me know if I’m on the right path. I’m especially grateful when the judges see fit to include comments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Writing is a solitary journey and it can be fun to be alone. But it’s also fun to be alone together as <i>Frog and Toad</i> concluded long ago. I’m glad to be alone with RYS and my friends in the children’s writing community.<u></u><u></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #222222;">Congratulations, Nancy! For more check out Nancy's website <a href="http://www.nancychurnin.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> or read below for reviews on The William Hoy Story: </span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/04/28/books/review/28bookshelf-baseball.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Fchildrens-books&action=click&contentCollection=review&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection&_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://thehub.dallasisd.org/2016/03/04/author-shares-inspiring-story-with-stonewall-jackson-elementary-students/" target="_blank">From the Dallas Independent School District</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2016/03/08/1-joe-blundo-column-book-about-deaf-baseball-player-william-hoy.html" target="_blank">From the Columbus Dispatch</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/books/20160302-a-journalist-turned-author-brings-back-a-baseball-hero-for-the-ages.ece" target="_blank">From the Dallas Morning News</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LTAox9cM6s&sns=fb&app=desktop" target="_blank">Video from the Dallas Morning News</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/nancy-churnin/the-william-hoy-story/" target="_blank">Kirkus</a></div>
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<a href="http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-8075-9192-5" target="_blank">Publisher's Weekly</a></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-74017037105923840862016-04-04T12:00:00.002-07:002016-04-04T12:00:29.424-07:00Author Pat Miller's Success Story: The Hole Story of the Doughnut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvOWu323lJa2bLz6bDY8NqKqgkCZH2149JUSlWJN0nxTuHKmOyFORcb5QXeXPnqNHpgjYI4zyVuDM0G8zTHjvqfEhrG9QNcVuAAGvXuznKj_MBLoRPjkIgLZl1GmlNzH0z8rax0K2y7U/s1600/Pat+Miller+head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvOWu323lJa2bLz6bDY8NqKqgkCZH2149JUSlWJN0nxTuHKmOyFORcb5QXeXPnqNHpgjYI4zyVuDM0G8zTHjvqfEhrG9QNcVuAAGvXuznKj_MBLoRPjkIgLZl1GmlNzH0z8rax0K2y7U/s200/Pat+Miller+head+shot.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I am so grateful to author Miranda Paul and her hard-working reviewers at Rate Your Story. They had an important part in the publication of my first nonfiction trade book, <i>The Hole Story of the Doughnut.</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Here’s the behind-the-scenes timeline:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">January 10, 2013</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> - I was a new member when I read Lori Degman’s post on Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 FB group. Lori introduced us to Rate Your Story and its amazing offer to critique stories at no charge. I had a historical fiction story ready to send to Highlights for its annual fiction contest. Perfect timing! Off it went.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>January 13</u> – My story rating came back: 3: “Good Story—Get a critique or two and polish before submitting.” Some helpful suggestions were included.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I had no critique group, and the deadline was two weeks away. Luckily, I saw this at the end of the RYS rating: “Want a more in-depth, professional critique? Visit the RYS Professional Critiques page to hire a published writer to help make your manuscript better!” <span style="color: #1d00ff; letter-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/professional-critiques.html" target="_blank">(page here)</a></span>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>January 14</u> - I read all the RYS reviewer bios and chose Jill Esbaum. Jill is the author of twelve books for kids and former instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature. We worked out a fee and Jill said she could turn it around well before the Highlights deadline. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>January 23</u> - True to her word, Jill got her comments back to me. I made changes based on some of her feedback, and got my story off to Highlights just before deadline. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>February 1</u> - For the first time, Julie’s 12 x 12 offered the opportunity to submit a manuscript to an agent for review. I rewrote my story as a nonfiction biography. Jill and I arranged another critique, and her responses helped me re-examine some parts. A few days later, at the SCBWI-Austin conference, I won a hotly contested silent auction prize—a critique from Newbery-honor winner Kathi Appelt. She also took a look at <i>Hole Story </i>and made suggestions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>February 26</u> - I submitted my NF bio, <i>The Hole Story of the Doughnut </i>to 12 x 12’s first agent Stephen Fraser. In two hours, he replied that he liked my story! Could I make a couple of small changes and resubmit? Of course!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>April 1</u> - Stephen wrote “I would be interested in representing this manuscript if you can add one more sentence.” And it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke! He called me the next day, and I can report that I did not squeal like a pre-teen. At least, not until I hung up. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>April 2</u> – I withdrew my story from the Highlights Fiction Contest.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>July 19</u> – Stephen wrote, “</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i>Houghton Mifflin Harcourt would like to publish </i>The Hole Story of the Doughnut<i>! I'll keep you posted.” </i>More squealing.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">March 21, 2014</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> – I heard from Kate O’Sullivan, Executive Editor at HMH. She said she was excited about my “excellent story” and that the search for an illustrator would begin in the near future.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>May 30</u> – Kate suggested several illustrators and asked me to submit some suggestions. Really?!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>September 8</u> – From Kate: “Excellent news: Vincent X. Kirsch is on board to illustrate DOUGHNUT” </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;">May 12, 2015</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"> </span><span style="color: #232323;">–</span><span style="color: #232323;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Kate sent “the mechanicals”, a color copy of the book pages as they would be sent to the printer.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>July 23</u> – From Kate: “DOUGHNUT is on our spring ’16 list.”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><u>November 2</u> – From Kate: “Great news: HOLE STORY is a Junior Library Guild Selection!”</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;">May 3, 2016</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> – <i>The Hole Story of the Doughnut </i>makes its debut!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><b>For more about Pat Miller, <a href="http://www.patmillerbooks.com/" target="_blank">visit www.patmillerbooks.com</a>.</b></i></span></div>
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-62658865616090726752016-02-04T18:32:00.000-08:002016-02-10T07:34:02.155-08:00Bring in the Money!<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">by author and RYS judge, Jennifer Swanson</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">No, this blog is not about a re-make of the movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Tom Cruise. No one is going to open their wallet and start throwing money around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Although if you want to, please feel free to throw some my way. I have one in college and another heading there. I will take any money for tuition I can get!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This blog is about how to make money with your writing, even before you make it big! Let’s face it, we all know that the road to traditional publishing is long, difficult and at time frustrating AND it is very worth it. I agree.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But what if it were possible to help yourself along the path while making money?</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(this is beginning to sound like one of those late-night commercials, isn’t it?)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What I’m talking about is a way to break into traditional publishing. It’s called Work-for-Hire (WFH).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now some see WFH as a lesser arm to traditional publishing. I don’t understand that. I know PLENTY of authors who’ve been published with big houses that did WFH before they got published and continue to do so afterwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WFH is a way to bring in a steady stream of income without having to wait for royalties. Like everything else, it has its plusses and minuses. But if you’re staring a tuition bill in the face and have no funds to pay for it, WFH looks pretty dang good!</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What is WFH? </span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">WFH means exactly that. A publisher sends you a contract to write a book to specific guidelines under a set timeline.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Who uses WFH authors?</span></strong></div>
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<img alt="51m0rqeI4UL._SL210_" class="wp-image-398 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51m0rqeI4UL._SL210_.jpg" src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51m0rqeI4UL._SL210_.jpg" height="189" style="display: inline; float: left; height: auto; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 4px 24px 12px 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="149" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The biggest employers of WFH are educational publishers and book packagers, although pretty much every major publisher has a WFH division.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Educational publishers are companies that write specifically to sell to schools and libraries. These books will probably not be found in book stores. They are very concerned with writing to exact grade and reading levels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Book packagers are companies that are hired by other publishers to create books for their list. (I know, it’s a little confusing.)</span></div>
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<img alt="51L0v+DtJFL._SL210_" class="wp-image-397 alignright" data-mce-src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51L0v+DtJFL._SL210_.jpg" src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51L0v+DtJFL._SL210_.jpg" height="189" style="display: inline; float: right; height: auto; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 4px 0px 12px 24px; max-width: 640px;" width="148" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Here’s an example: Publisher A wants a series on earth science (volcanoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc) but doesn’t want to take the time to find the authors, illustrators, and editors to do it. They hire Book Packager B. Book Packager B then hires authors, uses their own in-house editors and illustrators, and sends the completed manuscript to Publisher A for approval. The book is published with Publisher A’s name and the name of the author. (The book packager name doesn’t appear anywhere).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Major publishers usually use WFH authors for trademarked series like ones about super heroes or say Nancy Drew type books. These books are formulaic and stick to the series guidelines although each book has a new topic.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do I find a WFH company?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Try some of these links. They are excellent sources for how to find educational publishers and book packagers.</span></div>
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<li style="line-height: 1.8em;"><a data-mce-href="http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html" href="http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html" style="line-height: 1.8em;" target="_blank" title="http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">http://evelynchristensen.com/markets.html</span></a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.8em;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.abpaonline.org/" href="http://www.abpaonline.org/" style="line-height: 1.8em;" target="_blank" title="http://www.abpaonline.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">http://www.abpaonline.org/</span></a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.8em;"><a data-mce-href="http://reditorial.com/book-development-2/educational/" href="http://reditorial.com/book-development-2/educational/" style="line-height: 1.8em;" target="_blank" title="http://reditorial.com/book-development-2/educational/"><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">http://reditorial.com/book-development-2/educational/</span></a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.8em;"><a href="http://writingfortheeducationmarket.com/" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://<wbr></wbr>writingfortheeducationmarket.<wbr></wbr>com</span></a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.8em;"><a href="http://www.mollyblaisdell.com/writers/work_for_hire" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; line-height: normal;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.mollyblaisdell.com/<wbr></wbr>writers/work_for_hire</span></a></li>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How do I approach a WFH company?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You need to send a resume package to the publisher. A resume package consists of the following:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="line-height: 1.8em; text-decoration: underline;">Query letter</span> -- outlining why you are interested in working for this company. It helps if you have read a couple of their books or can point to a series they are doing that you are interested in working on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="line-height: 1.8em; text-decoration: underline;">Resume</span> -- An up-to-date resume of your writing credentials. Include anything you’ve had published, even if it’s just on a blog. If you don’t have much, then put what you do – your job, your interests, whatever. It should be in a standard resume form and look professional</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="line-height: 1.8em; text-decoration: underline;">Writing samples</span> -- These are really important. You need between 1-3 samples (check the publisher’s guidelines. Some tell you exactly how many you need to send). If they don’t tell you send at least two. These pieces should be VERY polished. They are your way of showing that you can write to their guidelines. It’s a good thing to study their books and write in a similar manner. Also, if you wish to write biographies, then send a sample biography. If you want to write science, send a science piece, and so forth. If you want to write fiction, send a fiction piece similar to something they have already published. If you want to write both, then send one fiction and one nonfiction piece. This shows depth.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What happens after I get hired?</span></strong></div>
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<img alt="51NVxY4L7LL" class="wp-image-399 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51NVxY4L7LL-214x300.jpg" src="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/51NVxY4L7LL-214x300.jpg" height="197" style="display: inline; float: left; height: auto; line-height: 1.8em; margin: 4px 24px 12px 0px; max-width: 640px;" width="141" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First of all, Congratulations! Second, get very familiar with your computer chair. The thing about WFH is that they work on fairly short deadlines. That means you may have a month or less to write a 3,000 word (or longer) book. The one thing to know about WFH companies, is the deadlines RARELY shift. If you have a deadline for January 28, 2014, that is THE deadline. These companies roll out books by the dozens and have two cycles a year. They must stick to the deadlines to get everything done. That means you have to, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Another thing, get very familiar with ATOS Readability and Lexile reading levels. These will be your golden guides. Most educational publishers live and die by these reading level systems and your manuscript MUST be within the designated level and word count when it is submitted.</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Drawbacks of WFH?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You receive a flat fee for your work and you sign over all rights for the book. You do not receive royalties of any kind. Also, just a heads up, sometimes it’s easier to get hired by a book packager first, but they tend to pay half of what the educational publisher will because they are the “middle man.”</span></div>
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<strong style="line-height: 1.8em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Plusses of WFH?</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Someone has hired you to write a book! The book is published with YOUR name on it! You can use all of these books on your resume in the future – for more WFH or to approach other traditional publishers with your own manuscripts. Most WFHpublishers are PAL publishers with SCBWI so you get all the perks that brings. You can go out and do school visits with your books and sell them at events, and so forth. Yes, you are a REAL author!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, what do you think? Is this for you? If so, get to work writing those samples. Remember, in order to “Show me the money!” you have to start submitting resumes. The money isn’t going to show itself any time soon unless YOU send something OUT!</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Jennifer is the author of over 20 fiction and nonfiction books for children. When she is not writing, she loves to read, walk on the beach with her family, and play with her two dogs. You can learn more about her at <a href="http://www.jenniferswansonbooks.com/">www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com</a></b></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "arial" , "verdana" , "tahoma" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.8em;">this post was originally posted <a href="http://www.sophiamallonee.com/show-me-the-money/" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499544192040102367.post-71910797603936617682015-12-31T20:34:00.000-08:002016-01-01T11:18:24.898-08:00Celebrating 2016 With A RYS Giveaway! <div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>To kickoff the new year and to celebrate all of you awesome people, </b><b>we've organized our first RYS giveaway for 2016. Woot!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is open to both RYS members and nonmembers while we're still open for 2016 member registration. But don't miss the next one! We'll be organizing more giveaways just like throughout the year for members only. Click<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://rateyourstory.blogspot.com/p/membership-options.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">HERE</span></a> </span>to register for 2016. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">First up we've got a fantastic webinar from Jodelle Sadler's KidLit College. The drawing for this prize will be held THIS WEEK so hurry to enter. </span><br />
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<b>Eve Adler's Unlocking the Mysteries of Writing the CB or MG Series -<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.kidlitcollege.com/store/p30/JAN_9th_-_Eve_Adler%3A_Unlocking_the_Mysteries_of_Writing_Chapter_Book_%26_Middle_Grade_Series.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">More details here</span></a></span></b><b><span style="color: blue;">.</span> </b><br />
Eve Adler is a Senior Editor at Penguin. This webinar will be taking place on January 9th! We will draw a winner on <u>January 7th at 12:00pm eastern time. You must enter before that in order to be eligible.</u> Enter using the rafflecopter below.<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="de6d80d51" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/de6d80d51/" id="rcwidget_ukeu5672" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Next we'll be giving away a<b> copy of RYS judge and founder, Miranda Paul's, newest book</b>, <i><b>Whose Hands Are These? </b></i><br />
<i>Whose Hands Are These?</i> is a "guessing game/picture book hybrid celebrating diverse occupations"<i> - </i><b><a href="http://mirandapaul.com/whose-hands-are-these/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">More details here</span></a>. </b><br />
We'll be drawing the winner for this on January 15th. *You must live in the continental United States to be eligible.<br />
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="de6d80d52" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/de6d80d52/" id="rcwidget_9kqll02x" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<b>Miranda Paul is also offering a manuscript critique </b>(2000-words or less)! Enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to win this prize. <u>The winner will be drawn January 15th</u>. You must enter by midnight on the 14th to be eligible.<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="de6d80d53" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/de6d80d53/" id="rcwidget_g94s147d" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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If you can't make the first KidLit College webinar, don't fret! You still have one more chance to win a seat in an upcoming webinar. Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a pass to <b>Emily Feinberg's Nonfiction Picture Book</b> webninar on January 23rd. Emily Feinberg is an editor with Roaring Book Press. <u>The winner will be drawn on January 15th</u> - <b><a href="http://www.kidlitcollege.com/store/p29/JAN._23rd_-_Emily_Feinberg%2C_Roaring_Brook_Press_-_Nonfiction_Picture_Books.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">More details here</span></a></b>.<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="de6d80d54" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/de6d80d54/" id="rcwidget_jrgubwoh" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Don't forget to sign up as a RYS 2016 member for more giveaways, critiques and added member perks. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Spaces are now limited and registration closes January 15th!</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">**Please follow the rules of the rafflecopters to enter. If your name is drawn, we will notify you via email. Note that the KidLit College prizes are for the webinar only and do not include critiques with the editors.**</span><br />
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Sophia M. Gholzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01968840733959717716noreply@blogger.com11