Confused about copyright? Brad Templeton's "10 Big Myths about Copyright Explained" clarifies the basics of copyright and such related concepts as public domain and fair use.
See also my article "Copyright and You--FAQs about Protecting Creative Work" on the Helping You Get Published website.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Favorite Literary & Writing Quote #15
—David Lodge
The Risky Business of Querying Agents & Publishers
Writing a query letter in an attempt to get an agent or publisher to read your manuscript is like negotiating a minefield—one false step and it's all over.
The best approach is to be brief and businesslike. Open with a hook, summarize what the book is about, state the genre and word count, identify the market, say a few words about yourself and what qualifies you to write this book, and indicate whether the manuscript is complete. Note that for novels and literary nonfiction, a finished manuscript is required—it is a waste of your own time and that of others to shop around an idea or partial manuscript.
To avoid making the worst kinds of querying mistakes, take note of the practical advice at: http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/07/query-letters-dissected.html and http://behlerblog.com/writing-a-query-and-a-synopsis/.
For my own spin on the same theme, see "How to Be Rejected by Agents & Publishers" or watch the video version...
The best approach is to be brief and businesslike. Open with a hook, summarize what the book is about, state the genre and word count, identify the market, say a few words about yourself and what qualifies you to write this book, and indicate whether the manuscript is complete. Note that for novels and literary nonfiction, a finished manuscript is required—it is a waste of your own time and that of others to shop around an idea or partial manuscript.
To avoid making the worst kinds of querying mistakes, take note of the practical advice at: http://helpineedapublisher.blogspot.com/2011/07/query-letters-dissected.html and http://behlerblog.com/writing-a-query-and-a-synopsis/.
For my own spin on the same theme, see "How to Be Rejected by Agents & Publishers" or watch the video version...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Favorite Literary & Writing Quote #14
Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.—George Orwell
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Latest Book Trailer
Conversations with Spirits, by Mitchell Kynock. Trailer by http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/
"This extraordinary book takes you on a challenging and compelling journey...unusual...refreshing...engaging." —Kirkus Indie Review
Welcome to Writing Words...
Writing Words offers my favorite literary quotes and my own reflections on writing for publication, based on my experience helping emerging book authors get published.
I am not setting any particular limits on the literary subject matter I might cover, but I suspect that some topics will be especially prominent. For example, I often like to remind authors that "less is more" and to offer advice on applying this principle when writing and self-editing. To my mind, the novel is the most challenging of all literary forms, and I will further provide tips on how, and how not to, write a novel. I have also edited a lot of autobiographical works and have thoughts on the memoir, which is another genre that makes more demands than the uninitiated often realize.
Other topics that interest me have to do with selling a manuscript and, from time to time, I will reflect on book proposal writing and the pitfalls of querying. A related new interest of mine is the book trailer, examples of which some of my clients and I have been producing. Finally, I am also making short how-to videos on writing and publishing. I will announce new trailers and videos here, as well as on my website http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/.
This blog is a briefer, more informal extension of my original information series for authors, Writing for Publication. For more detailed information about agents, editors, and publishers; book marketing and promotion; publishing and the book trade; and writing life and style, go to http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/update.html to view a list of articles and links.
I am not setting any particular limits on the literary subject matter I might cover, but I suspect that some topics will be especially prominent. For example, I often like to remind authors that "less is more" and to offer advice on applying this principle when writing and self-editing. To my mind, the novel is the most challenging of all literary forms, and I will further provide tips on how, and how not to, write a novel. I have also edited a lot of autobiographical works and have thoughts on the memoir, which is another genre that makes more demands than the uninitiated often realize.
Other topics that interest me have to do with selling a manuscript and, from time to time, I will reflect on book proposal writing and the pitfalls of querying. A related new interest of mine is the book trailer, examples of which some of my clients and I have been producing. Finally, I am also making short how-to videos on writing and publishing. I will announce new trailers and videos here, as well as on my website http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/.
This blog is a briefer, more informal extension of my original information series for authors, Writing for Publication. For more detailed information about agents, editors, and publishers; book marketing and promotion; publishing and the book trade; and writing life and style, go to http://www.helpingyougetpublished.com/update.html to view a list of articles and links.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)