Tag Archives: writing

Tuesday Tips on Writing and Publishing a Book

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ImageIt’s finally here: Children’s Book Week! 

I don’t have a horse in this race, as the expression goes, but I’m still excited to hear about the Children’s Choice Book Awards, 2013. Any minute today, they’ll post those titles, and I’ll take a few minutes to dream about my books and the what ifs that might follow…

Of course, first I have to deal with a little sticky wicket I call “publishing.” So, Tip One:

Book Publishers Accepting Submissions by Location

I can’t say for sure if a regional publisher is an easier sell. But I can say that this list of publishers are accepting submissions (unlike bigger publishers who only accept agented submissions). A local publisher may be a perfect fit for your proposal or manuscript, particularly if your book has a regional bent.

And Tip Two comes from one of my very favorite authors, Margaret Atwood. She shared her Ten Rules of Writing Fiction. Because before I can get my book published, I have to write the best book my brain can bust out. So I particularly liked Rule Ten:

10. Prayer might work. Or reading ­something else. Or a constant visual­isation of the holy grail that is the finished, published version of your resplendent book.

So, yeah. We’re back to publishing. And if I’m going to write and pray and visualize, I might as well dream big.

Like the Children’s Choice Book Awards. (You get a trophy, right?)

 

 

 

Did You Hear The One About …?

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ImageYou know I love the funny. And I love writing the funny. So when I saw that the Greenhouse Funny Prize was back, I thought maybe the gods of writing fun were sending me a message. Something like, “Quit piddling around and write.” Or maybe even, “Step away from Plants vs. Zombies now.”

That’s a drastic message, friends. But the Greenhouse Funny Prize is pretty serious stuff, so it’s time for this funny writer to get serious. Because not only will the winner get representation at Greenhouse ( I met Greenhouse’s Sarah Davies at a conference and you can read all about her here and what she had to share, and honestly, when I re-read what I’d written, I kinda fell for her all over again.) but also…well, I think representation is quite enough.

Best news? You (and by “you”, I mean, lazy me) have till July 29th to get your sparkly, witty, brilliantly funny manuscript completed and sent. And you might want to check out John Cusick (of Greenhouse) since he’ll be doing the judging. 

Oh, yeah. It’s on, baby. And that’s no joke.