Tough love advice to authors trying to be published:
• Proofread your query letter. If a publisher gets a query letter with spelling and grammar errors, it is an immediate red flag. The query is the first introduction they have to your story, so it needs to be polished, organized, and spell-checked.
• Only send a completed manuscript. Presses are continuously receiving query letters for manuscripts. Nothing is more frustrating when you read a great letter, request the manuscript, and then hear that it’s not finished/still being added to/still a very rough draft. You’re job as a writer is to write the book, our job is to edit and publish it. We can’t do our job if you haven’t finished yours yet.
• Research your genre. One of the best tips for becoming a great writer is to first become a great reader. Pick up various books all within the genre you’re writing and study them. Don’t read them just for pleasure, read them for knowledge. Think about the conflict, the settings, the character development, the language, resolutions. Consider the age group who will primarily read your genre and look for trends that specifically cater to those age groups.
• Make your conflict meaningful. Purposeful conflict means conflict that progresses the narrative. We don’t want a fight between the main character and a stranger on the street if that doesn’t cause any progress. What you need to remember though, is progress can be big or small. That fight between the main character and the stranger could cause a physical fight that leaves the main character permanently disabled for the rest of their life, or it could spark a line of thoughts that leads them to make a decision about how to deal with a relationship. Essentially, you want to write in conflict that helps us get to the resolution.
• Write in vivid details. As a reader, one of the best things is to read a book that fully immerses you into its world. If you can’t adequately describe the world you’re writing, then it’ll be harder for the reader, or in this case possible publisher, to connect to the story. Giving small details about setting, emotions, character appearance, etc. will make those things not only memorable, but real to the reader. Don’t be generic. Don’t write that it was a room with a bed and dresser. Write unique details about the bed and dresser. And carpet, ceiling, walls, and anything else. Your job is to draw people in and make the world as real as possible.
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Friday, August 15, 2014
Tough love advice to authors trying to be published
Sunday, June 1, 2014
A Record Three Pants On Fire Press Novels Earn High Awards From Prestigious Next Generation Indie
A Record Three Pants On Fire Press Novels Earn High Awards From Prestigious Next Generation Indie
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Paranormal Properties Indie Book Award Winner
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, known as the ‘Sundance’
According to Bowker’s Books in Print, of the 3.1 million books published in 2010, over 2.7 million were independently published. The NGIBA recognizes the best of these exceptional books annually with awards, metals, trophies, reviews, and national exposure. Of the six Pants On Fire Press submissions to the awards, a record three claimed top honors.
The supernatural middle grade thriller, Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane sailed through multiple rounds of judging and beat out thousands of other entries to earn the title Winner in the competitive Children’s/
Judy Pierce’s breakout book Tales From Farlandia: Ozette’s Destiny secured one of five Finalist spots in the Animals / Pets category. Her charming story about Ozette, a uniquely beautiful white squirrel who is forced to flee Earth World with only her prized acorn after a terrible misunderstanding, caught the judges’ attention and earned her the rank of Finalist and promotion at the Book Expo America.
In the First Novel category, the fast paced dystopian page-turner I Am Currency snagged one of four Finalist awards. Whitney L. Grady’s novel tells the tale of main character Nevel who uses his photographic memory to store books in his mind on behalf of the Underground Book Movement after a wayward meteor collapses all technology on Earth. Grady’s enthralling characters and all-too-relevant plot earned her a spot among the best books in her category.
About BEA:
BookExpo America (BEA), is the leading North American publishing event that brings you what’s new and what’s next in book publishing, the digital publishing revolution, authors and more for publishing industry.
Book Facts:
Paranormal Properties
Written by Tracy Lane
Pants On Fire Press
ISBN: 978-0982727171
Accelerated Reader
Price: $9.99
Middle Grade
http://www.pantsonfirepress.com/#!/
Tales From Farlandia: Ozette’s Destiny
Written by Judy Pierce
Pants On Fire Press
ISBN: 978-0982727195
Accelerated Reader
Price: $9.99 - $19.99
Middle Grade
I Am Currency
Written by Whitney L Grady
Pants On Fire Press
ISBN: 978-0986037399
Accelerated Reader
Price: $13.99 / $19.99
Young Adult
Press and Media Inquiries:
To schedule an author appearance or interview, please contact:
Cris Francet
863-546-0760
cris@pantsonfirepress.com
Pants On Fire Press, founded in 2007 by former Disney creators, is a traditional children's book publisher of middle-grade and young adult books. We have a treasure chest of imaginative stories yet to publish but we are open to queries from budding authors and illustrators. If you are tired of being rejected by the conglomerates and feel you fit our style, we'd love to hear from you. See our submission guidelines.
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