Working Titlez

Q: I’m reviewing the page proofs for my book and the designer has eliminated the indent for the first paragraph of each chapter. Is this right?

A: It is indeed, Dear Author. In fine typography and well-crafted books, the first paragraph of a chapter is not indented. Ditto for the first paragraph following any heading or sub-heading.

Why?

Each new paragraph signifies a change in thought, direction or organization of the text. At the start of a new chapter, the reader already knows it’s a new paragraph. As for headings, adding indentation prevents the heading from lining up properly with the text following it.

More indenting rules: An alternative method of setting off each paragraph is to put an extra line break between each graf (shorthand for paragraphs used by editors and designers). This is sometimes called a “white line”. Indents plus white lines are never to be used together — only one or the other. Generally, books get indents. Websites and blogs usually use white lines, in part because different browsers may interpret indent coding inconsistently. Business writing, letters, and reports may use either (but not both).

Publishing and marketing are certainly intertwined disciplines and my work is daily enmeshed in both. Wearing my marketer’s hat, I’ve added an article to the Downloads page I wrote some time back on branding. Back in the day, we called it corporate identity and products like shampoo and chewing gum were brands. The term and the practice have evolved and now “branding” represents the entire experience a a customer may have with a company. Branding is not a task to be completed and ticked off a to-do list, but a “way of life” for companies determined to make the perception they present to the world a reality.

As reported recently, Dreamygirl’s Field of Wishes/Esonacion y el Jardin de Suenos by Jorge Betancourt Polanco was named a finalist in the Spanish language category of the 2008 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards. Final judging completed — Dreamygirl won the gold! The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to honor the best children’s books, authors and illustrators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. The awards will be presented in January at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Denver, with a gala reception at the venerable Tattered Cover, one of America’s largest independent book retailers. ¡Felicidades Jorge!

A thoughtful essay from novelist John Updike appears in my AARP magazine this month. For those of you too young to find the world’s largest circulation publication in your mailboxes, you can read it here.

Updike observes, as an oft-published and lauded literary legend, that he is now of the age of confronting his greatest rival: his younger, nimbler self. “No mercy is extended by reviewers” but he also observes that likewise, none is extended to the rookie writer, either.

Updike, with deft command that defies the point, declares:

“With ominous frequency, I can’t think of the right word. I know there is a word; I can visualize the exact shape it occupies in the jigsaw puzzle of the English language. But the word itself, with its precise edges and unique tint of meaning, hangs on the misty rim of consciousness. Eventually, with shamefaced recourse to my well-thumbed thesaurus or to a germane encyclopedia article, I may pin the word down, only to discover it unfortunately rhymes with the adjoining word of the sentence. Meanwhile, I have lost the rhythm and syntax of the thought I was shaping up, and the paragraph has skidded off (like this one) in an unforeseen direction.”

Regardless, Updike retains the “giddy bliss” of creation and that his newest book, may also be the best.

Just announced: DAMN THE REJECTIONS is the 2008 USA Book News National “Best Book” Award Winner in the Business/Publishing & Writing category!

USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2008 AWARDS (NBBA) on October 20, 2008. Jeff Keen, President and CEO of USABookNews.com said winners and finalists traversed the publishing landscape: Simon & Schuster, Tarcher/Penguin, HarperCollins, Hyperion, St. Martin’s Press, McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons and hundreds of independent presses contributed to this year’s outstanding NBBA competition. Keen adds, “NBBA’s success begins with the enthusiastic participation of authors and publishers and continues with our distinguished panel of industry judges who bring to the table their extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise.”

Six finalists were named, with Damn as the top winner. Kudos to author Maralys Wills, along with the “village” it takes to nurture a book from manuscript to bookstore shelf, including editor Ray Newton, designer Sue Campbell, coordinator Stacey Fott and assistant Krissy Hawkins. Yay team!

No, you're not seeing in quadruple! The publisher (me!) was so enamored with the four vibrant proposed colors for the cover, that the book was printed with all four. Cartons arrive at the bookstores with all four colors, which make an impressive display on the shelves.

Oft-published author Maralys Wills shares trials, tribulations, and plenty of tips in a far-ranging interview with Paula B. on The Writing Show. The hour-long audio interview can be downloaded from the site or via the podcast section on iTunes.

Wills is the author of some dozen books, the newest of which is DAMN THE REJECTIONS, FULL SPEED AHEAD: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published.

Says Ray Newton (former National Coordinator for Reader’s Digest Writing Workshops): “Wills takes readers of the fast-paced freeway into the colorful scenery of a bumpy, but genuinely educational secondary roads to show them the realities of the highly competitive writing and publishing industry. The book is possibly one of the best professional road maps on the market.”

Rejections are the predictable bane of the writer’s world. Maralys not only tells of her own sometimes unconventional approaches that have resulted in published books, she shares her wisdom of twenty-plus years teaching novel writing at the college level. Damn the Rejections is an adroit interweaving, chapter by chapter, between the BUSINESS of writing and the CRAFT of writing.

Q: My manuscript is now 150 pages. How long is the average book? Is it long enough?

A: That depends. Is your story done?

Short answers aside, there are some important issues an agent, editor or publisher will consider when evaluating your submission. First, most of us prefer to know the WORD count, not the page count. Author A’s page may be doubled spaced with wide margins and 12 point type while Author B is conserving paper, using single spaced 10 point type in a condensed font. A’s 300 pages may be 50,000 words while B’s 175 page manuscript may total 75,000 words. Most submission guidelines call for 12 point Times Roman with one inch margins all around, but as the recipient of thousands of manuscripts, I know that a good half don’t adhere to this “rule”.

Word count is a much more accurate guide. We have formulas using word counts, page trim size, ratio of images to text, and front/back matter estimates that enable a fairly accurate projection of the final page count. Word count will determine the ultimate print manufacturing costs and impact the editing and design expenses.

Fortunately, tracking your word count is easy. In Word, just go to Tools>Word Count. You can also turn on the Word Count toolbar so you can check continuously. Many authors check their word count at the end of each writing session, to keep track of their progress. Others establish goals such as 2,500 words a week. Regardless, PLEASE put the final word count on the front page of your manuscript.

Industry norms and buyer expectations will also be on the minds of agents and editors reviewing a manuscript. Publishers will need the book to retail for a specific amount in order to recover costs, pay the author’s royalties and make a reasonable profit. The reading public already has certain expectations about how long books should be and what they’re willing to pay. If the word count is too short, the lesser page count may not support the needed retail price. If the word count is too long, the increased production costs may require a retail price higher than the public will pay. Harry Potter being a phenomenal exception, here are some typical word counts:

Adult Fiction — 60,000 to 120,000 words
Novellas — 20,000 to 40,000 words
Young Adult Fiction — 30,000 to 50,000 words
Children’s Picture Books — 500 to 1,500 words

The National Writing for Children’s Center is the home of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club (CWCC), and a growing resource for children’s writers, aspiring children’s writers, parents, elementary school teachers, and librarians. The Center also produces Listen to Book Bites for Kids live every weekday afternoon at 2:00 CST on blogtalkradio.com. Each episode features an interview with a children’s book author who has a new book coming out or a book currently in bookstores.

Host Suzanne Lieurance is a former classroom teacher, now a freelance writer, children’s author, speaker, and The Working Writer’s Coach. She is the author of over 20 published books for children.

Four Stephens Press children’s authors have been featured on Book Bites in recent months. You can listen to their interviews by clicking on the author’s name below.

Mike Miller

Mike is the author of our popular Tomas the Desert Tortoise series of six books about plucky Tomas and his Mojave Desert friends. His presentations include “Draw Tomas” lessons! The web site includes downloadable teacher guides and kid’s activities.

Polanco

Jorge Betancourt Polanco is the author/illustrator of Dreamygirl’s Field of Wishes which is printed in Spanish and English, side by side. The book was just named a finalist for the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards.

Lewis Kimberly

Miss Kimberly is the author of Granny McFanny, the zany grandmother who lives life with zest. Kim is also the founder of the Dare to Dream program, offering school fundraisers to promote children’s literacy.

Kevin Janison

Las Vegas Channel Three weatherman Kevin Janison is the author of Deputy Dorkface: How Stinkville Got Cleaned Up and the soon to be released Deputy Dorkface: How Sugaropolis Got Dessert Back. Kevin is the chair of Clark County Reads, an avid literacy advocate and presents popular school assemblies.

Broadcast interviews — radio or television — help authors expand their reach to share their message, create new fans, and establish their expertise on their book’s subject. With so many programs filling the airwaves and cyberspace (Internet radio is growing rapidly), authors can find plenty of shows to suggest themselves for an interview.

Once a show is booked, be sure to offer the producer a list of prospective questions. This saves the interviewer time (and allows you to direct the focus of the interview). More often than not, the host will use the supplied questions, and even if they don’t, it is the mark of a pro to provide them.

Interviews might last just a few minutes, a fifteen to thirty minute segment or a full hour. It may include just you and the host or a panel of people qualified to discuss the show’s subject, and often includes questions from callers or emailers. You’ll have to think on your feet, but they can be clad in fuzzy slippers, since radio interviews are commonly conducted via telephone. If you live nearby, you may be invited to conduct the interview in-studio.

Most television and radio stations have websites where they will post your interview. Ask the producer when it will post and then add a link on your website so future visitors can view or listen at their convenience. Review it yourself, several times. You’ll catch little mistakes or spots you could have answered differently and your next interview will be even better.

Regardless, you’ll want to be prepared. Laurel Howanitz of Hot Guest, Inc., an interview booking service, offers 25 tips for “hot guests” who producers will want to book again and again. Newly uploaded on the Downloads page.

The Independent Publishers Association has just named a Stephens Press title as a finalist in the prestigious Moonbeam Awards for 2009. The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are designed to honor the best children’s books, authors and illustrators, and to support childhood literacy and life-long reading. Jorge Betancourt Polanco’s first book, Dreamygirl’s Field of Wishes/Esonacion y el Jardin de Suenos is one of five finalists for the Spanish Language category. The gold, silver, and bronze winners will be announced in January at the American Library Association’s annual conference in Denver, with a gala reception at the venerable Tattered Cover, one of America’s largest independent book retailers. Dreamygirl is a lyrical tale of hopes and dreams featuring Jorge’s unqiue and fanciful illustrations. Art director for Stephens Media’s El Tiempo newspaper, Jorge’s paintings are on exhibition in local Las Vegas art galleries. He also illustrated Granny McFanny, another popular children’s book from Stephens Press.