Tough love advice to authors trying to be published

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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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

PRLog (Press Release) - May 27, 2014 - WINTER GARDEN, Fla. -- Pants On Fire Press, premier Children’s book publisher located in Florida, proudly announces that Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane, Tales From Farlandia: Ozette’s Destiny by Judy Pierce, and I Am Currency by Whitney Grady have won prestigious prizes in the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards, known as the ‘Sundance’

of the book publishing world, hosts expert editors, literary agents, writing teachers, authors, book reviewers, and publishing executives in the industry to review thousands of entries yearly in over 70 categories.  Presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group and Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, the awards are the largest Not-for-Profit book awards program for indie authors and publishers.  Authors whose books are chosen as Winners and Finalists receive prizes ranging from $100 to $1,500 and the top book in each category is reviewed by literary agents for possible representation.

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/Juvenile Fiction category. Tracy Lane’s spooky tale of young Jake Weir’s ability to see ghosts and track down creepy killers earned the author $100, a gold medal, and exposure at Book Expo America later this month. Jake’s journey on his family’s ghost-hunting show and his dealings with the town’s oldest, most-famous ghost keeps middle grade and teenage audiences on the edge of their seats with action-packed plot all while engaging their intellect by fully aligning with the Common Core State Standards for English. For fans of the supernatural and hungry readers alike, this Children’s/Juvenile Fiction Winner is sure to scare and delight.

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/#!/readmorepp

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.

#SSYRA The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa by Marc Franco nominated for the Sunshine State Young Readers

The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa by Marc Franco has been nominated for the Sunshine State Young Readers Award List.We were excited to receive the below email from the SSYRA Chair.

Dear Cris,

The Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Program (SSYRA) is a statewide reading incentive program for students in grades 3-8. It is co-sponsored by the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Association of Media Educators (FAME). Every year the selection committee reads books that have been nominated by media specialists throughout the state. Each books is discussed and carefully considered, with the final selection made in the spring. Last year approximately 70,000 students read at least three of the nominated titles and participated in voting for their favorite book.


The book: The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa by Marc Franco has been nominated to the committee for consideration for 2014-2015 SSYRA List. I am requesting that the publishing companies send a copy of their nominated book to each member of the committee. I am attaching the addresses of the committee members. If you could please send them at your earliest convenience, I'd really appreciate it. We have many books to read, and I want to make sure we give your book careful consideration. Please contact me if you need any additional information.

Thank you again for all your assistance!

Book Updates from Pants On Fire Press

We have several updates to share with you. First let's talk Paranormal Properties by Tracy Lane. This is a fun tale about 14-year-old Jake Weir, who while working on the set of his parents ghost hunting TV show, learns that he can see and hear ghosts. Jake quickly finds himself agreeing to help a ghost investigate a 61 year-old murder.

And it's not just any murder. It's the ghosts murder. It's a fantastic read. We are happy to report that Paranormal Properties is on schedule. We just delivered a heavily edited script to Tracy. Once she returns the script it will be one step closer to production. A rough sketch of the book cover will be available to preview later next week. We can't wait to see what Natalia has come up with. It looks like the teaser trailer will be released sometime before Halloween. Exciting stuff, for sure! Be sure to like the Facebook pages of Pants On Fire Press and Paranormal Properties.

The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa is getting a reboot. It's getting a new book cover and the name David M. F. Powers will be credited as the author alongside the existing name Marc Franco. We would prefer to drop the Marc Franco name but it would present some logistical challenges with Accelerated Reader so adding the authors legal name will suffice and help distance us from the gay porn author named Marc Franco.  Natalia is delivering the new cover sketch sometime next week. Be sure to like the Facebook page of The Kringle Chronicles: Catching Santa.

The Tales From Farlandia: Ozette's Destiny script is almost edited. Becca is finishing up with heavy developmental edits and should deliver the script to Judy Pierce around October 8th. Book cover sketches will be shared next week. We can't wait to see Natalia's handy work. Be sure to like the Facebook page for Judy Pierce.

 

Our picture book, A Butterfly Without Wings, is in the design phase. There is a lot to consider when designing a picture book. Fonts, art layout, type settings and text placement seem to change on a daily basis. We have settled on Gill Sans Light for the interior font. The text looks great. In the end we will have a truly marvelous book to be proud of. We are excited to announce that the book has grown from 24 to 32 pages. The book is scheduled to be translated into French next week. Korean, Hindi, Chinese and Japanese are next. I almost forgot. A Butterfly Without Wings Facebook page needs more fans before it lets us create an official Facebook page name. Please help us by liking the page here.

Editing begins next week for How I Became A Teenage Survivalist. Scout Pictures began shooting a full live action trailer for HIBATS today. We've read the trailer script and can't wait to see the footage. If any of our readers have been watching the new NBC show, Revolution, you'll be happy to learn that HIBATS tells a similar tale, though not so science fiction. HIBATS actually teaches you how to survive, if you pay attention to what Bracken, the narrator, tells you.

The Pants On Fire Press website trailer section is now displaying our YouTube hosted books trailers and teasers. We hope you have enjoyed this update. Stay tuned for some promotions being announced very soon for teachers.     

How I Became A Teenage Survivalist teaser trailer

Enjoy the teaser trailer for How I Became A Teenage Survivalist coming to bookstores in 2013. 

Seeking Editorial Intern

Pants On Fire Press seeks an editorial intern to assist with our 2014 acquisitions. Time commitment is 5-10 hours a week. Send a letter of interest to us at editor [at] pantsonfirepress [dot] com. Editorial or publishing experience is not required but obviously preferred. Include your experience if any. Attachments will be deleted. This is an unpaid opportunity.

How I Became A Teenage Survivalist

Pants On Fire Press is excited to publish 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award quarterfinalist Julie L. Casey's post-apocalyptic tale HOW I BECAME A TEENAGE SURVIVALIST. When the Midwest is hit with a solar superstorm, 15-year-old Bracken and his family must figure out how to survive without electricity.

Bracken is a typical teenage boy, more interested in the angles of the girl’s exposed back teasing him from the seat ahead of him than in anything the geometry teacher could present. His life is filled with school, video games, and thoughts of girls, not necessarily (or probably not) in that order. Life just flows along uneventfully and unacknowledged, like the electricity that courses through the power lines — until PF (Power Failure) Day.

On PF Day, the sun strikes Bracken’s world with an unseen surge of electromagnetic fury, which cripples power stations and burns transformers to crispy nuggets of regret. No one in Bracken’s world had ever thought about how much they depended on electrical power but now, without it, they are plunged into survival mode. Without electricity there is no communication, no modern conveniences and soon, no modern means of transportation, as the reserves of refined gasoline run dry. Worse still is the failure of the water and sewer systems, the impossibility of getting food and supplies to people living in cities, and the deaths of millions of people from starvation, disease, and lack of medical care. Bracken soon realizes how lucky he is to live on a farm in the Midwest. What seemed like a dull and backwards life before is now the greatest chance for survival in what seems like a powerless world. Food, water, and heat are readily available, although hard work is required to make use of them. Bracken and his family must learn to survive like their ancestors, who settled their land. Told in the first person, Bracken tells the story of how they not only survive, but how PF Day actually makes their lives better and more satisfying.