Be contract wary & publisher savvy!

By T.W. Fendley

Once you've finished writing your book, you enter the next stage of being a professional writer--getting published. Whatever route you decide to take (more on that later), at some point you'll end up trying to decipher the legalese of a publishing contract. Make sure you're up to the task or get some help.

In recent weeks, Random House--one of New York's Big Six publishers--came under attack for offering "heinous" contracts on its electronic-only imprints Hydra, Alibi, Flirt and Loveswept. John Scalzi, outgoing president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, states in his blog: "Dear writers: This is a horrendously bad deal and if you are ever offered something like it, you should run away as fast as your legs or other conveyances will carry you."

Author/blogger Elizabeth Donald says: "Random House proposes to take all rights forever and to require the author to pay for standard publisher expenses like layout, design and marketing, after which they will split the costs. I find this quite similar to the person who comes up to me at a convention and says, "I have an idea for a story. Why don't you write it and we'll split the money?" Only this is more annoying, because Random House damn well knows better. They are not some well-meaning start-up on someone's kitchen table. This is a cynical opportunistic grab to huckster new writers, and I've always felt there is no one lower than the people trying to scam writers. If you're going to scam someone, try someone who actually has money."

According to Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware, Random House has since modified its digital-only contracts, but they still merit scrutiny. Random House maintains it offers "a different--but potentially lucrative--publishing model for authors: a profit share..."

So what's a writer to do? Here are a few suggestions:

• Read--and understand what you're reading--before you sign a publishing contract. Sounds simple, but I know I would've been tempted to accept a contract from Random House just based on their Big Six status. 
• Get an attorney to check it out. 
• Eastern Missouri and Southwestern Illinois artists with an art-related problem can contact the VLAA (Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants of America). To qualify for free assistance, you must earn less than $27,255 per year (+$9,550 for each additional household member).

KNOW THY PUBLISHER

Before you have a contract in hand, be sure to understand what kind of publisher is right for you. Writer Beware has a good overview of the differences between commercial publishers, vanity/subsidy publishers and self-publishing.

• Pay close attention to the differences between self-publishing and vanity presses!
• If you're considering an offer, ask an author who's used that publisher about their experience.
• Check online watchdogs.

• Preditors & Editors -- guide to publishers and publishing services
• Science Fiction Writers of America's Writer Beware

If you're in the St. Louis area, you can also check out tonight's session at the VLAA, to be held at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar (directions):

PERSPECTIVES ON PUBLISHING
Monday, Mar. 18, 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. -- $15 *
It’s becoming harder to define what ‘publishing’ really is. Co-sponsored by the fledgling Saint Louis Literary Consortium, this session will address the rapidly changing world of book publishing. If you're a writer exploring options for getting published, this workshop is for you! Panel: Brad Cook, St. Louis Writers Guild; Attorney Andrew Eastman, Brinker & Doyen; Kristina Makansi, Blank Slate Press; Lisa Miller, Walrus Publishing; Catherine Rankovic, poet; and Winnie Sullivan, PenUltimate Press.

*To save $5, call 314/863-6930 to register in advance--only cash accepted!

Hope to see you there!

People + Books = Connecting

Photo by 

Eastop on Stock.XCHNG

Guest Post by Ansha Kotyk

I underestimated the impact my book, or any book, can have in the world. Maybe deep down I knew and that’s why I started writing and have always wanted to be a writer.

The other day I received a note on my Facebook page from a close family friend. She is a school bus driver in Pennsylvania. She bought a copy of my book GANGSTERLAND when it first came out in October. Reading her note was not only humbling but one of those moments when you realize an important principal of life, making a connection with another person.

I want to share this note with you. Here is what she said:

 I have to tell you that I lend my book out to kids on my bus. It is now on kid 13 , and there are 26 on the waiting list. It’s a big hit. I would make them buy it, but most of them are under privilege children. It gives us something to talk about as we drive. Thank you for helping me get closer to some of them.  ~Cyndi

After reading this, I instantly wanted to give these kids every book I have. Every child on that bus should have a book, any book, that they could share with each other. Sharing stories is what we humans have been doing since the beginning of being human. Sharing stories connects us to each other. This was my "Aha!" moment after reading her post to me.

Do you have gently used middle-grade or lower YA books that could use a good home? If you do, I know these kids would truly appreciate it.

Please feel free to pass this post around, re-blog, tweet it, share it on Facebook. It would be wonderful if we could get a book to every kid on Cyndi’s school bus.

If you have some gently used books that you would like to donate, please leave me a note in the comments below and I’ll reply with a mailing address.

Let’s give every kid on the bus a book!

THANK YOU!

Don't miss Missouri's 3 Poets Laureate March 15 at Maryville University!

Reprinted from stlwritersguild.net:

The Poets Laureate of Missouri

an evening with

David Clewell, William Trowbridge, and Walter Bargen

Friday, March 15, 2013

7:30pm

Maryville University Auditorium

Maryville University Dr., St. Louis, MO 63141

Free and Open to the Public!

Reception and Book Signing will follow the reading

The Medart Lecture Series

Sponsored by Maryville University

with the participation of

St. Louis Writers Guild

St. Louis Poetry Center

WALTER BARGEN
Walter Bargen has published fourteen books of poetry and two chapbooks of poetry. Recent books are,The Feast (BkMk Press-UMKC, 2004), Remedies for Vertigo (WordTech Communications, 2006),West of West (Timberline Press, 2007), Theban Traffic (WordTech Communications, 2008), Days Like This Are Necessary: New & Selected Poems (BkMk Press-UMKC2009), and Endearing Ruins (Illiom-Verlag, Germany, 2012). 
His work has appeared in hundreds of magazines and anthologies . He was the winner of the Chester H. Jones Foundation prize in 1997, a National Endowment for the Art Fellowship in 1991, the Hanks Prize, and the William Rockhill Nelson Award. He is the first poet laureate of Missouri (2008-2009). www.walterbargen.com

DAVID CLEWELL
David Clewell is the author of eight collections of poetry—most recently, Taken Somehow By Surprise (University of Wisconsin Press, 2011)—and two book-length poems. His work regularly appears in a wide variety of national magazines and journals—including Poetry, Harper’s, The Georgia Review, New Letters, The Kenyon Review, and Boulevard--and has been represented in more than fifty anthologies. Among his honors are several book awards: the Felix Pollak Poetry Prize (for Now We’re Getting Somewhere), National Poetry Series selection (for Blessings in Disguise), and the inaugural Four Lakes Poetry Prize for Taken Somehow By Surprise. He served as poet laureate of Missouri from 2010 to 2012.
Clewell teaches writing and literature at Webster University in St. Louis, where he also directs the English Department’s creative writing program. His collection of Charlie the Tuna iconography is now the largest in private curatorship. And don’t even get him started on the subject of flying saucers.

WILLIAM TROWBRIDGE
The current Poet Laureate of Missouri, William Trowbridge holds a B.A. in Philosophy and an M. A. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University. His poetry publications include five full collections: Ship of Fool (Red Hen Press, 2011), The Complete Book of Kong (Southeast Missouri State University Press, 2003), Flickers, O Paradise, and Enter Dark Stranger (University of Arkansas Press, 2000, 1995, 1989), and three chapbooks, The Packing House Cantata (Camber Press, 2006), The Four Seasons (Red Dragonfly Press, 2001) and The Book of Kong (Iowa State University Press, l986). His sixth collection, Put This On, Please: New and Selected Poems, will be published in 2014 by Red Hen Press. 
His poems have appeared in more than 30 anthologies and textbooks, as well as on The Writer’s Almanac and in such periodicals as Poetry, The Gettysburg Review, Crazyhorse, The Georgia Review, Boulevard, The Southern Review, Columbia, Colorado Review, The Iowa Review, Prairie Schooner, Epoch, and New Letters. He has given readings and workshops at schools, colleges, bookstores, and literary conferences throughout the United States. 
His awards include an Academy of American Poets Prize, a Pushcart Prize, a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference scholarship, a Camber Press Poetry Chapbook Award, and fellowships from The MacDowell Colony, Ragdale, Yaddo, and The Anderson Center. He is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at Northwest Missouri State University, where he was an editor of The Laurel Review/GreenTower Press from 1986 to 2004. 
Now living in the Kansas City area, he teaches in the University of Nebraska Low-residency MFA in Writing Program. 

Library Request Exchange: An update

By T.W. Fendley

In January, we launched the "Library Request Exchange" on The Writers' Lens (see link at the top of the right sidebar). Here's how it works:

1. We exchange book info: Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN, genre/subject
2. Then you put in a request at your local library for my book, and I put in a request at mine for your book.

Simple, right?

Well, I quickly discovered there's a learning curve...why am I not surprised?! Two quick lessons I wanted to pass along are:

• Authors/publishers must take steps to make their books library-accessible through services like OverDrive or Library Direct.

• Print providers and ebook providers aren't necessarily the same, so it may be good to submit a patron purchase request for both.

I decided to submit my first requests from the Library Request Exchange only for ebooks. That's what worked for my book, ZERO TIME, and I was a bit leery about requesting too much because I know libraries have limited budgets. What I learned was that print books are handled through a different department (with a different budget/book provider), so perhaps there was no advantage to submitting only the ebook request. I've since requested the print books, too. I've got my fingers crossed.

Of the four ebook requests I submitted, three were "not available" on OverDrive, the ebook database St. Louis County library uses. (I haven't yet heard about the fourth book). The librarian explained that "not available" means the publisher or author hasn't licensed that ebook to libraries for lending.

According to OverDrive's website, the digital marketplace contains over 1 million downloadable titles from more than 1,000 publishers. Their download service for libraries provides ebook, audiobook, and other digital content to millions of library users. As a reader, I LOVE the OverDrive app. It's my preferred way to listen to audiobooks (using a little gadget that allows me to connect the iPhone to my car speakers)--much more convenient than CDs. One of the reasons I signed with my publisher, L&L Dreamspell, was because they distribute to OverDrive. 

But what if you want your book in libraries and you're self-published or your publisher doesn't yet distribute to OverDrive? Ripley Patton shared this excellent blog post from Behind the Lines that talks about how OverDrive works (or doesn't, as the case may be) for indie authors. It looks like you need at least five titles to become listed. That info was from a couple of years ago, though, so perhaps the situation has changed.

Another author listed in the Library Request Exchange said she's never heard of OverDrive; her books are licensed through Library Direct.

When I searched for "Library Direct," I found Smashwords began distributing to them last year. In an Aug. 8, 2012, post on blog.Smashwords.com, Mark Coker said Smashword's library pricing option allows authors and publishers to control library pricing. He believes that gives indie authors a strategic advantage over traditionally published authors whose books are "handcuffed by the library-unfriendly policies of the large publishers. The ultra-competitive pricing will also allow libraries to stretch their limited budgets while at the same time enabling them to acquire large collections of indie ebooks."

Smashwords authors also can have their copyrighted books listed at Open Library, DRM'd, for one checkout at a time. Checkouts expire after two weeks. It can only be checked out by one person at a time. To check out a book, a reader must register for an account with Open Library. (See more)

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how the Library Request Exchange is going. Don't be shy-- list a book that you'd like to see available at libraries. I was interested to see Library Journal's Patron Profiles service, in conjunction with Bowker, stated "50% of all library users go on to purchase books by authors they first discovered at the library..." Yay, libraries!

And if you know how other indie authors/publishers sell to libraries, please leave a comment and let us know!

H.C.Beckerr: Chri-Fi author brings together faith, facts & fiction

Welcome to H.C. Beckerr, author of HILL OF GREAT DARKNESS. He resides in the St. Louis area, and I met him through the St. Louis Writers Guild.
   Over the past ten years, he has served as an interim pastor at a small Baptist church, an associate pastor, as well as a youth pastor in the St. Louis area, all the while working on his first Christian-based, science fiction novel.
   A love for the outdoors as well as a love for mystery and the unknown things of life was fostered in his early childhood by his many visits to an archeological site not far from his home known as Cahokia Mounds. This is where the idea for his Christian-based science fiction novel was spawned, nurtured, and brought to life.
   Being a man of faith and family, as well as having a love for his country, is at the epicenter of all that entails this simple mid-western man. He can be found on:

• Facebook: pages H.C. Beckerr, Henry Martin, and HILL OF GREAT DARKNESS

• Email: hcm59@att.net 

• Blog: InsaneFaithNow at hcm59.wordpress.com   

What brings your writing into focus--the characters, the stories, the love of words? Wow! That's kinda hard to pinpoint. I would love to say all of them but, that would be cheating, wouldn't it? I do find that evolving various characters throughout a storyline is one of my favorite tools, but at the same time, the story (and/or back story) has to be evolving and deepening as well to accommodate or even facilitate the maturing of the characterization. They feed on one another. And yet, at the same time, they often can be at opposition...just like real life. I love to take situations (even outlandish or unbelievable) and make them real. Okay, okay...I've beat around the bush enough, so lets go with story since it pretty much entails everything. After all, I'm a story teller.

What is your favorite writing accessory or reference? Music, music, music!!! It drowns out life around me allowing me to climb into the story. Since I am writing science fiction, a lot of times I will put in sci-fi movie soundtracks as well as classical discs. I am careful to select music without words! I don't want to start listening to the music as much as being engulfed or driven by it. Its power, its passion....almost sounds like escapism and it very well be! But, for me...it works. Along with music, one little tool I always have by my side is a book from 1921 titled Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms, a really cool help that I found buried in an antique (or as my sweetheart calls them 'junk') store way up in the Wisconsin Dells back in 2005. What a resource!!!... and a lot easier to use than a Brontosaurus...um, I mean a Tyrannosaurus...hmm, that's not it either...Thesaurus, that's it!  Yes, a lot easier to use than one of those.

How much fact is in your fiction? For Hill of Great Darkness there is a lot, I mean a whole lot, of fact in the story. In this area of the U.S. (the St. Louis area) there are legends and folklore galore! From a disappearing Indian culture to giant, winged reptiles that had a taste for human flesh. Even coming into more recent times, there are the stories and fables of coal mines, lost, even haunted, silver mines, and  the Gates of Hell themselves. This area is replete with story fodder! The Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site is the epicenter of the mysteries of this area as well as at the very center of HOGD. There was so much research of the Mounds site done in order to help make this Sci-fi, or as I like to say Chri-fi, to designate the Christian theme, a more believable, more solid story.
   My goodness, I have spent days upon days at this incredible place ever since my childhood soaking in the mystery and majesty of the area. In 2005, I met extensively with one of the Mound's site managers to probe, test, and acquire every bit of knowledge that I could. And it's not just the Mound's site...it's the whole region that is involved. From Alton to the Collinsville/Caseyville area and from Scott Air Force Base to St. Louis the story unfolds and spreads out its tendrils to Huston and Tehran. Um, and that's not even mentioning the planet Saturn.
   Oh! And speaking of Saturn, there was a lot of science that was researched for the ride...but I mostly twisted that....that's why it's called science- fiction! Or, you could even call it fantasy. Most of all, simply put; it's a fun ride! You know, T.W., I've read your book, Zero Time, and there are a few commonalities in our stories...really cool!

What do you think readers will like about your book? You know, I like to think of HOGD as a classic sci-fi storyline. the simple story of a brand-spankin', shiny, new spacecraft on her first real mission with a radically new test engine when (surprise!) something goes wrong. And, it's a story about tomorrow, not a hundred years from now. In fact, we're still driving Jeeps, VW's and Humvee's The year is 2037 and we're gearing up to (finally) go to Mars.. Trouble is, we pass by Mars like she's a state trouper hiding behind the billboard sign along the highway....ooops! How did we get here?  Then we find there is something very dark hidden on the Earth...or should I say in the Earth.
   So, there you have pretty much the basic stuff about my little adventure, um...except for the fact that it has a definite X-Files ending. You know, government cover up and all that good stuff. The kind that screams; sequel!!! Which, by the way is in progress even as we speak....

HILL OF GREAT DARKNESS: She was the pinnacle of human engineering looking more like an expensive sports car than a spacecraft. And she was fast!

   The spacecraft MAGELLAN was the first of her kind. Built entirely with private funding she was mankind's first real hope of reaching out to the planets of our solar system.

   Her first and only mission, was to test a new propulsion system for a simple five second burn to see how far she would go...

   Then something went wrong.

   This is her story.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Hill-Great-Darkness-H-Beckerr/dp/1449717950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351469199&sr=8-1&keywords=Hill+of+great+darkness
Also available at WestBow Press and virtually anywhere online.

________________

This is T.W. Fendley. Thanks for reading and commenting on The Writers' Lens.You can find out more about me at www.twfendley.com.

Lens on: Pitching

Writer's Digest Conference Pitch Slam 2011

Lens on: Pitching

By Brad R. Cook

I wanted to focus The Writers’ Lens on pitching to literary agents, publishers, and editors. In 2011, I had the great privilege to attend the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. After returning I wrote an article for The Scribe, St. Louis Writers Guild’s Literary Magazine, titled The Mechanics of the Perfect Pitch. I’ve updated that article so I could include it in the Lens On: Series, but what I learned still applies.

The Mechanics of the Perfect Pitch

By Brad R. Cook from the Spring 2011 issue of The Scribe

            The Missouri Writers Guild Annual Conference is a month away, are you ready for your Agent Pitch? No. Calm down, breathe, it’s going to be okay. Pitching is easy when you know what you’re doing.

            I had the pleasure of attending the Writer's Digest Conference in New York. It is famous for the Pitch Slam, a two-hour event held on Saturday where a writer has two hours to pitch to as many agents as possible. It was the craziest thing I have ever been a part of, every three minutes a bell rang and you had to get up. When I attended in 2011, 55 agents and 650 writers filled the room. Now that is the Super Bowl of pitching, there won't be anything like that at the MWG Conference.

            So what makes a great pitch? If you were at the November 2010 St. Louis Writers Guild workshop with Chris Richman of Upstart Crow Literary you would have heard about the various types of pitches. Chris helped everyone master the Elevator Pitch, a short 25 word sentence that describes the book. It is often called a Log Line. At the MWG Conference you’ll have seven minutes but what do you do with them?

Here are a few tips I picked up, I hope they help.

 1 – Do mention –  The Hook

                                      Is it complete,

                               Word Count,

                               Genre,

                               Main Character,

                               Main Plot,

                               One or two subplots, but only if important,                                                      Elevator Pitch (25-35 words)

                               Log Line ([Book] meets [Movie])

                        This is exactly what the agent will be listening for.

2 – Generalities and Clichés will kill a pitch  

            Say what’s different rather than why it’s the same as another book.

3 – Don't use all your time

            You want time to talk about your book, but you also want to give the agent a chance to ask questions. Half for pitching, half for discussion.

4 – Be positive - remember you're trying to sell yourself.

5 – Practice, practice, practice 

            Say it in the mirror, tell a friend, write it down. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Heck even if you’re not ready for publication, practice pitching in front of agent anyway (just make sure you tell them when it will be done)

6 – It is the work that sells not the writer  

            Focus on why the book is good, not yourself. Unless you’re writing non-fiction then it’s all about you and your platform.

7 – Don’t ramble or get bogged down in the details  

            Be specific but be concise.

8 – Don’t giveaway the ending or get tied up with back story

            Make the agent read your book to learn the juicy tidbits, and you only have a few minutes so focus on the story – unless you’re writing non-fiction.  

9 – Don’t expect the agent to take a proposal or query letter

             They have limited suitcase space

10 – Rejection isn’t about you; it’s about the writing or the industry

             Maybe the agent just picked up a similar book, or maybe they don’t represent that genre. The point is that the agent isn’t putting you down. They are just not the right agent for that material. If you are rejected, remember, there is always another agent – so get ready to pitch to them! 

            The goal is to hear those glorious words – send me a partial, I want to read that, but remember, publishing is long road and this is just the first step. Good luck with your pitches!

Do you have any tips for writers agonizing over their pitches? Add to my tips, can I get an 11, 12, and 13… Let us know in the comments.

Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com or follow me on Twitter @bradrcook https://twitter.com/bradrcook

St. Louis Reflections http://www.stlbooks.com/B009271-1211-51/Review.aspx

To learn more about St. Louis Writers Guild, visit www.stlwritersguild.net, Saint Louis Writers Guild on Facebook, or @stlwritersguild on Twitter.com

For information on Missouri Writers Guild and its conference, visit www.missouriwritersguild.org or follow them on Twitter at @MoWritersGuild