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Join us this afternoon in the
AUDITORIUM-Scheduled Events Room for an "Open Forum" with Web
Editor Mel Boring. Mel has published some 25 magazine articles and stories,
as well as eight books for the young readers market. He taught writing for
18 years, while being home husband and parent to two of his four children,
and doing his own writing. He welcomes your questions on time management,
getting started, writer's block, marketing, writing rights, writing
earnings, or anything else you'd like to discuss. Bring your QUESTIONS to
this open forum-in five minutes.
The Tuesday afternoon
"Open Forum" will begin promptly at 4 Atlantic/CANADA, 3 p.m.
Eastern, 2 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Mountain, and noon Pacific. While you wait
for the "Open Forum" to start, feel free to use your ASK A
QUESTION button RIGHT BETWEEN THE YELLOW "MAP" AND THE RED
QUESTION MARK IN ICHAT to post some questions for the discussion group-two
minutes from now.
Good afternoon! Welcome to this
Tuesday afternoon's "Open Forum" session. I'm your moderator, Mel
Boring, and the Web Editor for this site. We're back for an informal time
of answering any questions you might like to ask, on any subject. So feel
free to ask what's on your mind--and I'll tell you what's on mine! First,
please read these announcements, then we'll get started…
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WARNING: If you don't post
anything at all, SOME of you will be bounced off the system in 15
minutes. TO PREVENT THIS, type something (either a question to the
moderator or even a private message) every 15 minutes to stay active and
remain online.
I
am VERY SORRY that because of a technical glitch and my clumsy fumblING,
some of this afternoon’s Open Forum transcript was lost. I did
recover as much as I could, and I’present that here, with my deepest
apologies! IF YOU ASKED A QUESTION FOR THE FORUM, AND THE ANSWER
DOESN’T APPEAR HERE, PLEASE SEND ME YOUR QUESTION AGAIN FOR NEXT WEEK TO:
webeditor@institutechildrenslit.com.
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…Here's a reply I’ve lagged on!
Thank you, Mel I thought
that was right but just making sure
You are WARMLY WELCOME, eggamy!
Here’s an after-Christmas writer’s gift idea that is
a GOOD one:
Just a note to let you know
that I did receive one writingly perfect Christmas gift in the form of WRITING
CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR DUMMIES by Lisa Rojany Buccieri and Peter Economy.
I haven't had much time to read yet, but am looking forward to
carving out comfy time, cozily wrapped in my brand new fuzzy blanket,
in the near future.
Have a COZY READ, omalizzie! Here’s ANOTHER nifty
gift idea:
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My Dad just brought me
the book WRITING FOR DOLLARS: 75 TIPS FOR THE FREELANCE WRITER, by:
John McCollister at Barnes & Nobles Books.
I haven’t read that particular book, TS, but it sounds
like it could help make your writing PROFITable!
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I found 4 of 5 hardback books
written by Madonna at the Dollar Tree store for $1.00 each.
1. Las Rosas Inglesas
(Scholastic) $19.95
2.Yakov and the Seven Thieves
(Callaway)
3. The Adventures of Abdi
(Callaway)
4. Mr. Peabody's Apples
(Callaway)
Anyway, if stores send unsold
books to the dollar store, does the author still make the royalties
(assuming the author is eligible for royalties if not paid a flat fee
upfront)? Does the publisher and/or the author lose money when they send
unsold books to the dollar store. What happens? I paid $1.00 each
for the 4 books only to see what the books were like. (Maybe as a what
NOT to do).
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You got a great “bargain,” TS. (-:} Here is my
GUESS, since no one who wasn’t in on the contracting between Madonna and
her publishers could know for sure. She PROBABLY got a VERY sizeable
advance, I’m guessing somewhere between ten thousand and a hundred thousand
dollars. If hers was a standard publishing contract, the books would
have to sell enough copies to “earn back” her advance before she would
start receiving royalties. In the case of a celebrity, a publisher
would probably print MANY thousand copies (say, 100,000 instead of the
standard 5,000 or so they would print up for mortal writers like us.
I’m GUESSING, again, that not enough people bought as many of the copies of
Madonna’s books as the publishers counted on selling. So what to do
with those that remain. Because warehousing taxes went way up about
20 years ago, publishers can’t afford to just store them away. So
they do what’s called “remaindering,” selling them to discount publishing
houses and such other businesses, and also to smaller business like your
Dollar Tree store. I’m guessing that your Dollar Tree might’ve paid
about fifty cents per copy, so the dollar-a-copy you paid showed a profit
for them. Actually, I wish I had found the bargain you did, because I
WOULD like to have a complete set of Madonna’s books for my collection of
children’s books, TS.
Do you outline everything you
write?
I don’t outline everything, because, for instance, the
outline of a picture book could be about as long as the book! The
genre of picture book is seldom longer than 500 words today, and NEVER more
than 1000. So just WRITING it would be my own first step."
How would you outline an
alphabet book that rhymes?
The book manuscript ITSELF would probably be the
“outline,” APP. Because an outline can be as long as the book itself
in the case of books like alphabet books. I WOULD jot down some
IDEAS, though not a thorough outline in the case of a rhyming alphabet
book.
How can a new writer get
published before finishing their childrens writing course?
Study the CHILDREN'S MAGAZINE MARKET book, APP, and
MATCH your story or article with markets in that book. Then SEND it
out. You MIGHT want to ask your instructor for some guidance and
direction. But there is NO reason why you can't begin submitting before you
complete the course."
I want to write a children's
book (either for ages 6-9 or 8-12) with an adult as the main character.
I've read picture books with the main character being an adult, but is this
typically done, and do editors go for it? I have several good ideas that I
want to experiment with, particularly humorous ones.
It is TRICKY to do it, EB, but it HAS been done.
The TRICK is to NOT let the adult DOMINATE, and only use them as a
necessity. For example, if you were to write a story about seeing a
"PG" rated movie, where an adult HAS to go along, that is a
NECESSARY adult, so you could pull it off. But MOST editors are wary of
dominating adults, and you would need to show them that the main character
adult in your book does NOT dominate the children.
I have a story well formed and
eager to jump out of my mind to the paper/computer. The story is all about
FOCUS. I got the idea from teaching my five-year-old daughter how to
focus. She is very smart, but weak in focusing. Which age
group, do you think the subject would be suitable for writing?"
I think that OFTEN the age of child we get our ideas
from is the BEST guide as to age range, Charweb. I would write the
focus story for the age 4 to 6 homogenous grouping, in which the
5-year-olds are kind of mid-range."
What if an ICL student comes to
the last lesson (10) and is not yet ready with a manuscript for
submission? Will the course continue till that stage, or once he/she
gets the last assignment back from the instructor, is it the student's
responsibility to take up from there?
GOOD, another ICL course question! The course really
ends at the last assignment, Charweb, so you WILL be on your own, and need
to take responsibility after that last assignment. As an instructor,
I always LOVED hearing from students when they sold a story or article or
book. But the course teaching is over with the graduation assignment,
my friend.
I am looking at the book FEAR OF
WRITING by Milli Thorton on E-bay. I am wondering do you know
anything about this book? Would it be a good purchase?
I don't know the book, crouse7, but I will check it out
and use your question in next Monday's Open Forum Announcement, okay?
Can
anyone tell me, where can we buy stationery like binders, papers in
wholesale?
GOOD question, charweb! I would check on the Internet,
using the search words "paper supplies. Does ANYone here know of
a place? Let me know and I'll tell everyone!
Again on this remainders royalty
question, for us mere mortals, would we get royalties on any remainders if
we had earned out our undoubtedly meager advances?
Maybe or maybe not, spotslover2. If you were J.K.
Rowling, you WOULD know about it before it happened, have the chance to buy
the books, OR just be given them. We mere mortals SOMEtimes are not told of
the remaindering. Here's an example: I wrote CLOWNS: THE FUN MAKERS,
published in 1981 by Julian Messner. I had lunch in New York with my editor
sometime in 1983, when the book seemed to be doing well. She TOLD me it was
doing fine. Then two weeks later, I tried to order some of the clowns books
for my own, and I was told it was OOPS--Out of Print--SORRY! I think that
doesn't happen so often now, because there are so MANY second-hand book
dealers who have come in to take the remainders and re-sell them. It
USED to be I could not even STEAL a copy of my older, OOPS books. But now I
can find them all the time on Amazon.com, or AbeBooks, or such."
Can anyone use their spouse's
name as a pen name?
Yes, you CAN use ANY name you want as a pen name,
charweb. On a manuscript, your REAL given name should go up in the
heading on the manuscript pages. Your pen name, or pseudonym, or nom
de plume, should be put in the “by…” line. For example, if I
wanted to use the pen name “M. Hardly Boring,” I would put “Mel Boring”
into the manuscript page heading with my address, and then under the TITLE
of the manuscript on the first page, I’d put “By M. Hardly Boring.”
ANYone can use ANY pen name—except for swearwords, of course. (-:}
Just be sure to go to your bank and also register your pen name with them
so that if a check comes to you made out to your pen name, the bank will
cash it!
If I want to write a children's
book (long time goal), and I want to use my first, maiden, and married
name, should I use that name in the beginning of my writing journey or can
you swap later. It seems being consistent would be better. What are your
thoughts? I am also in the beginning stages on starting a web page for
photographs and would like to know if I should use my first, maiden, and
married names NOW when offering photos for sale?
Yes, the consistency is KEY, TS! You want people,
readers, editors to recognize you in your writing, on your Web Page, and
through the photographs you plan to sell. The only time you might use a
DIFFERENT name would be if you wrote children’s books under one name, but
wanted also to write steamy adult romances—in which case you’d use a
different name for the romances, so that the parents of children who read
your books for children would not get alarmed that the same author also
wrote adult romances.
Mel if a Canadian writer sells
to an American publisher do we have to pay U.S. taxes on our books?
I don't THINK so, gladys1, if I understand what you mean
by taxes. You wouldn't have to pay sales tax, for instance. But you would
probably pay INCOME tax for the earnings on your books in Canada, if they have an income tax.
Mel, sorry, that question wasn't
for you.
WHOOPS, OK, THANKS, gladys1! (-:}
charweb thought of something: if
you live in California and southpaw lives in N.Y. how can you get her
e-mail or have I got the wrong southpaw?
We don’t pass on e-mail addresses here, because of
privacy, but people can contact you through ICL’s Writer’s Retreat
discussions boards found at: http://forums.institutechildrenslit.com:6080/mb/index.html.
This such a funny forum today,
M. Hardly Boring!!!
THANK YOU, caq! Actually, I was once a radio
deejay, and they had a contest to name me, and the winner suggested the M.
Hardly Boring."
As far as word processors go, I
really think it depends on what you are comfortable with. It depends
on what kind of interface you are comfortable using. It would be great if
Word had a streamlined version for writers that doesn't have all the stuff
business people use. I suggest trying them out. Maybe some friends have
different programs you can try, or maybe find a sample copy you can use.
With the price of the software even taking a course at an office store to
see if you like it before you buy it may be worth it. I for one love Word,
but I have been using it a long time.
GOOD ideas, caq! What I used for years was JUST
the word-processing part of Word97. It was an oldie, but a goodie,
and only had the ESSENTIALS. But I don't think you can buy a
"bare-essentials" edition of Word2003 now. What you might
do is look on Ebay for an older edition of Word97, with just the essentials
we writers need.
What should we do about submissions
to Carus (Cricket Group) magazines, given that they're moving? Their
Web Site doesn't mention the move, and still gives the Peru, IL address for submitting to SPIDER and to CRICKET. And to whom should we
address our manuscripts? Or would it be better to just wait until the
dust settles?"
No, GO RIGHT ON submitting to them, kswcolorado!
In fact, it's a GOOD time, because some writers might hesitate and SOME
won't submit because a favorite editor of theirs is gone. SO you may
find they NEED more submissions right now in their transition--so DO
SUBMIT, friend!"
Do you know where I can find
information about women writing groups in my neighborhood of San Mateo, California? My ICL writing instructor suggested that I join one and I did
but I'd like to experience other writing groups to see if there is a better
fit."
YES, go to http://www.scbwi.org
and click on REGIONAL CHAPTERS. When you get to where that takes you, click
on CHAPTERS AND ADVISORS. You will be able to contact an RA in, I
think YOURS would be in the SAN FRANCISCO SOUTH link. By the way, you
are WISE, AC, to experience other writing groups.
In word processing, what's the
difference between WORKS and WORD?
Not MUCH, really, spotslover2. But WORD has been
MOST used by office workers, secretaries and the like, and WORKS has been
used more by writers like us. YOU can try free samples of each,
spotslover, as caq suggested, and see WHICH you like best.
I must go, folks. This hour has NEVER gone faster
than today. I miss you all in between Open Forums, and I'll WELCOME
you back next Tuesday!
This THURSDAY evening, Judy Bradbury will be our Chat
Guest. What EVERYone always says about her is that they got so MANY
suggestions for children's books to read they couldn't write them down in
the chat. But don't worry, they'll be in the transcript.
HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL of you, MY FRIENDS!
Bye Mel!
THANKS for coming today!
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