 The Write Reason for Research |
Issue 29
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I called all the people who are on the “worst list” that is posted all over the Internet. I had interesting discussion with most of those agents and publishers who are still answering their phones. Here’s my conclusion: The people who put that list together should be sued. Not only by the individuals and companies on that list but by new writers who trusted these sites to give honest, researched, accurate ratings. I believe new writers are being grossly misled. The question is why would a small group of people get together and create, distribute and defend such a horrendous and seemingly malicious deed upon new writers and select, targeted companies? Unfortunately, a lot of damage was done, some irreparable. This is a lose-lose situation for all agents, publishers and writers because they all allowed this cancer to spread. Why didn’t the trade stop this in its tracks? By the way: I signed a contract with one of the “worst” agents. I’m totally and completely happy with my choice. I may have not gotten a publishing contract from one of the biggies, but my book comes out next year. I even got an advance. A tiny one, but at least I had three people who believed in me: my agent, my publisher and myself. Now, I’m moving on to the next step: self-promotion. I have a war-chest I’ve been building over the years and now I’m going to use it. I’m glad I have a Brain |
| Dear Brain, First, good for you. Instead of moaning and groaning about how agents should do this and publishers should do that, you took the proverbial bull by the horns. My best wishes for your success and that of your agent and publisher. To answer your question, early on everyone was afraid. If you spoke up, you got slaughtered. The Internet was relatively new and most just didn’t understand its influence or how to use it. Things are different now. The playing field is almost level. The good guys are stepping up to the plate. More new writers need to do the same thing. They need to understand that the few did not have the good of the many in mind when lists, attacks on reputations and cyber threats were issued. The world of publishing is evolving and changing. No matter how much we would all like to think that publishing and writing is like we see in the movie version, movies are make-believe. There are so many options for new writers these days. Basically, publishers don’t have to prove themselves to the new writer. The new writer has to prove themselves to the publisher. And, it takes more than good writing to get noticed. It takes people like you who accept the challenge of today’s publishing realities. Again, best wishes. |
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| Dear Lee, I was recently asked by a publishing company about my “platform.” What is a platform? I want to be published |
| Dear I want, It is getting more and more common for publisher to ask about the writer’s “platform.” Basically, they are trying to determine whether or not you have in place a way to generate out-of-trade book sales that may or may not lead to trade sales. For example: Do you conduct seminars and workshops, and if so, how many a year and what is the average attendance? Do you have radio show? Television show? If so, what is your estimated audience? Do you belong to groups, clubs, trade organizations, etc.? If so, what are they and how can they help promote your book? When approaching a publisher it would be a very good idea to submit with you manuscript your platform. It usually takes the form of a promotional and publicity plan. |
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| Dear Lee, My publisher wants me to get a book trailer done. Should I? To Video or Not to View |
| Dear Video, “To Video.” That is the answer. |
Book Review: Monkey Wrench by Nancy Martin
By Amanda Linsmeier
Finally! I thought to myself as I put down book C of the Tyler series, a series of books that take place in Wisconsin written by an assortment of authors. Each book has a romantic theme with a murder mystery dwelling underneath. Books B & C were disappointing, to say the least. That’s why I was so excited to pick up book D, titled Monkey Wrench (Harlequin, 1992). It was written by the same author who wrote book A, which I happened to love. Unfortunately, this book fell short.
Monkey Wrench takes place in the charming small town of Tyler, Wisconsin with the same characters gracing its pages as in previous books in the series. In this book, Susannah is the main character. She’s a smart, beautiful woman who has her own TV show in Milwaukee. When she is not teaching crafts or showing her new household hints, she doesn’t have much of a life. But when she gets a call from Joe Santori, she’s quick to return to Tyler to come to the aid of her sick Grandma Rose. Although Rose is in great spirits, Susannah can tell she’s just not feeling well. But Grandma Rose has a plan and it involves Susannah and Joe Santori, her contractor. She thinks that they would be perfect together, and it’s not long before Joe agrees with her. But will Susannah open up her heart to Joe and the possibility of love? Or, is her thrilling career destined to be the only passion in her life?
I had a hard time reading this book. I didn’t get really interested until about half way through and even then, it was sometimes difficult to care what was happening. What Nancy Martin did so wonderfully in Whirlwind (Book A) was create realistic, fun characters. This book did not fair so well. I thought Susannah was dull, old-fashioned (she actually used the term “Gentleman friend” to refer to a man she’d been seeing) and just not that fun to read about. Joe, to be frank, was annoying. Sure, I liked him from time to time, he even grew on me as the book progressed, but did he have to call Susannah “Miss Suzie” in every other breath? I found the language difficult to relate to because in real life I don’t think I’ve ever heard somebody say the words “gee” or “fellow” and if they did, they were at least 80 years old. I also disliked that the characters in the book kept up about how glamorous Susannah’s life in Milwaukee was. It was if they were describing Manhattan or London. I live in Wisconsin, and while Milwaukee certainly has some good points, I would never describe it as being glamorous. If readers are interested in reading the Tyler series, I have to warn that while Whirlwind is a hit, the rest so far have been disappointing. But I know I’ll keep reading just to figure out the murder mystery. I’m just hoping the next book isn’t as hard to swallow as the last three.
Falklore: Your New Adventure in Life - Writing
So now you are working on this new adventure in life - writing.
We've provided thoughts about how demanding, yet rewarding, writing can be. The previous column covered appreciation and love for writing. Now it's time for you to get your work area organized and get busy, that is, if you haven't done so already. That area, believe it or not, is one of the most important requirements for good writing.
First, make your work area private. The best place might be a corner in your basement where two more walls and a door will form a room and provide you with that privacy. If you have a room elsewhere, make sure it is yours only. Have a visitor, wife, husband, dogs, cats, kids? Doesn’t matter. Your work area is not to be shared with a table-saw, sewing machine or TV. I have a room in my basement. It is comfortable and big enough for a desk, computer and printer center, file cabinets, shelves, radio, tape deck, safe, cork board for notes and walls full of photos .
Organize your time. Set a time in your daily routine to write; some like early a.m. when the brain is fresh, some like the peace and quiet of evening - but write. Don't set it off until tomorrow. Get in the habit of writing every day. Pretty soon, you'll find that others realize the importance of writing and won't bother you. We'll continue getting a good start in my next column.
Questions/Comments? Contact Jim at james@jamesfalk.net, or visit www.jamesfalk.net.
James Falk, as a teen-ager, used to dream of being a big-time racketeer. Fortunately, his dream didn't come true. A 10th grade dropout, he finished highschool after four years in the Marines and went on to earn a B.A. in Journalism and an M.A. in Communications.
Literary Spotlight: Lisa See
Lisa See is the author of the critically-acclaimed international bestseller, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a New York Times bestseller. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family , was a national bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book. She was the Publishers Weekly West Coast Correspondent for 13 years
Q: How do you view the earmarks of female beauty in western society today, compared to the 19th century Chinese women who endured the pain of foot binding?
A: I didn’t think of a parallel as to society’s standards of beauty when I wrote it. And readers don’t automatically see a parallel, but if you look at the issue of self esteem, you have to examine how mothers of 17-year-olds today are giving breast enhancement surgery as a gift.
Q: Do the characters of Lily and Snow Flower and their incredible bond have any roots in your own personal relationships? How do you think this fictional relationship impacts on the readers’ friendships?
A: I think every woman has been dumped on or dumped on others. My mom and sisters have best friends with people they knew from first grades. I don’t have that connection, that lifelong closeness. In part, what these characters share is the kind of experience I have not had.
Q: What amount of research was required?
A: There are three ways to answer this question. I could say it took two years to decide to do it. Or I could go back seven years when I wrote about the secret writing as I reviewed a book for the L.A. Times and became obsessed with it. I was working on another book in my free time. I found little information on the Internet, so I went to UCLA to do research. I traveled to a remote area of China – where I was told I was only the second foreigner ever to visit – to research the secret writing invented, used, and kept a secret by women for over a thousand years
Q: What message would you hope readers take with them?
A: I find that women readers really connect to the friendship whether it was 1,000 years ago or now. The nature of female friendship is unique. You tell things to your best friend that you wouldn’t tell your husband. It leaves you vulnerable and they reflect on their own friendships. I hope they get that core essence of female friendship and people have told me they have.
Q: How does a writer perfect his craft when starting out?
A: My mom is a writer, and she wrote a book on tips for writers. Write 1,000 words a day, or four pages. If you work or have kids, then make it 500 words a day. On the dreamy side, be true to your own vision; write the story that means the most to you, putting commercial considerations aside. Feel passionate about it because like a marriage, you will be connected to your book for a lifetime.
Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.
Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.
Split Ends: Banned Books
Is there ever a scenario when it is acceptable to ban books in libraries and schools?
“When we prohibit a book, we begin to silence our own history.” by Amanda ShafferFor years, books have been banned due to religious, social, and political reasons. Numerous banned books have later been introduced as classics into the literary canon, such as All Quiet on the Western Front, Leaves of Grass and The Scarlet Letter. To ban these and other books from schools and libraries destroys the freedoms granted to us at birth. Books are a means of understanding our own history as humans. For these reasons, banning books are never appropriate in schools or libraries. When we prohibit a book, we begin to silence our own history. Without books that test our opinions and ideas, humankind would be left dumb, unexciting and ignorant. Fear stems from ignorance, and banning books can only create fear. Language is what makes human unique, and we should not be in fear of our own uniqueness. This uniqueness is repressed the minute someone chooses what can and cannot be written or read. We close off the ability to think, comprehend and challenge. Language is a gift, because it not only gives humankind the ability to communicate, but it gives us the opportunity to challenge the society in which we live. The reader determines the value of a book, not society. According to Roland Barthes, a writer is just a scripter of a text. The reader is the person who contains power for the reason that they bring the book to life and provide meaning to the book. Whether you agree or disagree with Barthes, he shows that readers have the ability to interpret books as they wish. Readers do not need an author, or in this case society, to give books meaning. Being able to interpret a book is a small freedom we share, and this needs to be universal in the literary industry. No matter how offensive a book is to a certain group of people, other people should not have their eyes prohibited from reading it. Freedom cannot be granted to one author but denied to another. Books are a freedom of speech. It is the freedom of the author to write, and the freedom of the reader to read. Henry David Thoreau once said, “Books are the carriers of civilization.” Books provide humanity with history, because they are the study of human thought and development. History school textbooks could not teach us what literary books offer. By reading literary books, we are opening our eyes to history. We are able to understand what one person felt in a single moment of time. We are able to comprehend the politics and philosophy of one culture by reading their literature. If we continue to ban books in schools and libraries, history will become dull to us. If we continue to ban books, we will be denying history. Books are more than just bound sheets of paper. Next time you read a book and believe it should be banned in schools and libraries consider the history that surrounds the book – contemplate what it says about society. |
“One, ugly, mother…” by Cliff FazzolariAbout ten years ago, in the middle of a crowded book signing for my book, Desperation, a middle-aged woman approached me with a well-read copy of the book. The pages of the book were highlighted in yellow. I was immediately impressed that the woman had read the story so closely. “Do you have any idea how many curse words are in this book?” she asked. “Quite a few,” I said. “One of the characters represents pure evil. It was difficult to get my point across by having him say, ‘Good grief.’” The woman did not laugh. “This filth should be banned,” she said. I remember feeling violated. She had missed the point. Who had appointed her as the editor of what was right and not right? That day, I was totally against censorship in any form. Fast-forward to a day some ten years later. My sons developed a real passion for the movie Alien vs. Predator. The movie was harmless enough, and trying to stoke their enthusiasm, I rented the old Predator movies staring Arnold. I had never viewed the movies and therefore had no idea what Arnold’s character said when taking off the predator’s mask. The day after seeing the movie, my youngest son, Sam, was being ushered off to Catholic school. He was excited about the opportunity and my wife cried as she took a photo of her little angel getting on the bus. Children must be protected. Books and movies are often produced for a specific audience. Should ten-year old children be exposed to “The Catcher in the Rye?” Or Arnold using the magic word? Do the children need to grow up so quickly? In this day and age, sex is sold with nearly every product. Bad language and risqué scenarios should not play out in the minds of the children. There will be plenty of time for such “filth” later on. Yet as an author, I’m dead-set against books being burned in effigy. The people who need to do their jobs are the educators. If you’re unfamiliar with a story, don’t stock the book. If you haven’t read it, don’t guess what’s in there. Parents also need to keep an eye on what their children are exposed to because it’s awfully difficult to explain to a kindergarten teacher where your child picked up the phrase, “One, ugly, mother...”
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Cliff Fazzolari is a professional writer and prolific author. He is on the Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo PICU Parent Advisory Council. He currently resides in Blasdell, New York.
Next week’s question: Do you think literary agents should charge fees for services they perform? In 500 words or less, tell us what you think, and your answer can appear in Split Ends. Email editor@writersnewsweekly.com
Interview with John Morganelli
John Morganelli is the author of the book The D-Day Bank Massacre, published by SterlingHouse Publisher. Mr. Morganelli is running for Attorney General in the state of Pennsylvania, and is currently District Attorney in Northampton County, PA.
1. What came first? Politics or writing?
Well, I was elected DA in 1991, so that came first. My book, The D-Day Bank Massacre, was the result of my work as DA prosecuting murder cases.
2. How do the two careers help each other?
Writing is fun. It is a diversion from what I do every day as a prosecutor. I don't think they are interrelated except to the extent that the DA job is where I get the material to write.
3. Do you plan on writing any more books in the future?
Maybe. It is hard work!
4. As a candidate for Attorney General, what are some of the issues you think voters are most concerned about, and what is your stance on them?
I am a big believer that it is our job to protect communities from violent criminals. We need to be tough on the career, violent criminals.
