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Writer's Access File Drawer #4

Ref 56. I am a young french speaking adult.I live in quebec,I have already finished a novell and the script on it.I would like to do something
with it.Who should I call?Where should i write? With a so bad
knowledge of english,living so far.I really believe that my script is
good but...

Grou,Nicolas
825B St-Georges
Drummondville
Quebec Canada
J2C 4J1

Ref 61. Dear Mrs. Chittenden,
I'm having the worst time trying to find poetry publishers. Have any suggestions?

Ref 62. Ref 62 I guess that's what I Am; I just wrote you Mrs. Chittenden, but I don't know if you got it. I was just wondering if you knew of any good poetry publishers. I'm having a hard time finding one.

Ref 63. I have man true life action stories, have appeared on antional and international tv and radio show,Major newspapers etc. Where can I find a writer? If you can help, thanks... MB

Ref 65. Response to Ref 56: Sorry this took so long, I was away. Is there someone you know who could check the English in your manuscript? If you feel your use of the language is not clear, perhaps it would be better to write in French and look for a French language publisher in your own province. If you feel your English is clear, or you can get some one to go over it for you, then you will need to get hold of a copy of Writers Market or Literary Market Place. Most good libraries in the US have the latest edition of each but I don't know if they are available in your area. Apart from that you might like to look at some of my previous answers on this bulletin board as they apply to the writing and marketing of a novel. I'm sorry I cannot be more help. Good luck, Meg

Ref 66. Response to ref 61/62: I'm not sure if you are talking about a collection of poetry that you want to publish in book form or single poems. If you mean the latter, you might check in Writers Market at your nearest good library. Look for the most recent year, it's reissued annually. In the Literary magazine section you will find some listings of magazines that accept poetry submissions. You might check the listings of more commercial magazines also. If you mean a collection in book form, that's a whole other problem. Most poetry collections are of works that have been published in magazines, it seems to me. I have to admit poetry is outside my sphere. Poets I have known have self-published their collections and done their own distribution. You might check the library for books that deal with self-publishing if you would be interested in going that route. It does get fairly expensive, I believe. That's about the best I can offer, I'm afraid. I hope you can track something down. Meg.

Ref 67. Response to Ref 63/64: That's a tough question. Most of the writers I know prefer to write their own stories. I don't know where you can find writers for hire. You might check ads in the back of Writer's Digest Magazine, and Publishers Weekly. Or look on some of the search engines on the web for ghostwriting services. Be sure to find out what the person has previously written however. Sorry I can't be more help. Good luck, Meg

Ref 68. I have written a contemporary romance novel. My quandry is writing the query letter and synopsis. Any hints or instructional materials I coud acquire?

Ref 69. Response to Ref 68: At risk of sounding my own horn, since you asked, I have to tell you I've recently published a book titled How To Write YOUR Novel. It is available from The Writer Inc. 617.423.3157 or Amazon.com. It has answers to questions on query letters and synopsis. If you would like to check out the contents of the book, see my web site at http://www.techline.com/~megc/ If you don't want to get the book, write me again and I'll try to give you help in short form. Best, Meg.

Ref 71. Meg, thanks for all the helpful responses. Who are your favorites among well-known mystery writers? Is there one in particular whose work you love to read?

Ref 72. Margaret, do you have plans for any book signings on the East Coast?

Ref 73. Meg: I have a YA series being published by Berkley this summer.
What's the best way to get the publicity I need to give this
series a shot at success? I've heard booksignings are a bust
unless you're already a household word (like broom, I suppose).
Thanks. Robin O'Neill

Ref 74. I am the oldest unpublished novelist in California (78 winters). I have submitted my three intergenerational, autobiographically based novels to every agent and publisher in the USA. I have a file of rejections 7 inches thick. How do I get past the morons who keep my great work from the reading public?

Ref 75. Response to Ref 71. You're welcome. I'm a bit of a maverick when it comes to reading. Especially when you talk about "well-known" authors. I don't buy bestsellers, for one thing. I figure they don't need me, so if I really want their work I get it from the library. And I go deliberately looking in bookstores for new writers. New writers need all the encouragement anyone can give them. So do old writers. I can't say I have a "favorite" mystery writer. There are so many that I enjoy reading. I choose mostly by the "kind" of book. I prefer the traditional mystery--with either a PI or an amateur sleuth or a police detective. I don't like women in jeopardy stories, or stories involving serial killers or anyone who preys on children. I love series mysteries. And I want the writer to have a sense of humor. I don't like a lot of gory violence, but I'm not fond of the village type cozy either. If I have to give a name, it would be the Sue Grafton type of novel that I like best. But the sleuth doesn't have to be a woman for me to read the book. I like a sleuth who plays fair with the reader, so that all the clues are laid out for the reader to follow along. I never try to outguess the sleuth though--and I don't worry about figuring out whodunnit--I just read and enjoy. Here are some of the authors I've really enjoyed this year: Polly Whitney, Earl Emerson, Harlan Coben, Valerie Wilson Wesley, Sparkle Hayter, Dorothy Cannell, Kate Kingsbury, Steven Womack, Carolyn G. Hart,Sarah Smith, Terris McMahan Grimes, Janet Evanovich, Martha C.Lawrence and Lawrence Block. (I also read and enjoy other kinds of fiction.) Thanks for asking!

Ref 76.
Response to Ref 72. I would LOVE to do signings on the East Coast.(Hawaii, Australia, Paris...) The truth of the matter, however, is that I'm not high enough on the evolutionary scale to warrant publisher funding. Very few writers are. Most of us have to do our own publicity or it doesn't get done. So any traveling I do comes out of my own pocket, unless I get invited to speak at a conference that pays expenses. I love speaking at conferences, and have done a lot of it, mostly on the west coast. I keep hoping someone will ask me to speak on the East coast so I can recycle all the speeches I've given in the west. Whenever I do speak at conferences, I try to tie it in with some other appearances or signings. I'll be signing on the San Francisco Peninsula and in Sacramento next month. At my own expense. That's the way it is.

Ref 77. Response to Ref 73. Hi Robin. I'm not sure I know the best way to get publicity! All I can do is tell you what I do and hope that will be helpful. Speaking engagments are always good. With YA you ought to be able to set up some library events. Try the local bookstores. As you are in Berkley you should probably have some success getting signings in Northern California. If you can persuade your publisher's publicity dept to part with some discretionary funds, you'll be even more likely to get some signings. The best way is to go into the bookstores, or call on the phone. I've tried sending flyers and most of them drop them in the trash. Do you belong to any writers groups? See if you can get invited to speak at California Writers Conferences. Your librarian might be able to tell you what conferences are available, or perhaps your local bookstore. You evidently have access to the web. Consider putting up a website and make it attractive to browsers--with links to interesting sites. Take a look at the favorite places page on my web page to see what I mean. There's a link from this site to it. Do make up a flyer and send it to any address you can get hold of. I do mine on my computer, with graphics, in black and white. I mail hundreds of them, making the book sound as wonderful as I can without stretching the truth too much! When I do signings I put out a notebook that people can put their addresses in if they want to be on my mailing list. Ask your friends to order the book at a bookstore. Often the bookstore will then order more than one. Send flyers to school librarians. If you get some reviews, include them on the flyer. People used to always make bookmarks but I think they've been overdone. Likewise postcards. I think I was one of the first writers to send out postcards, now so many to it they get thrown in the trash too. Try to get hold of lists of bookstores and send them flyers or newsletters. Send press releases to local newspapers. If you can get on TV or radio, do it. Think of some local angle your book has, or something that would be interesting to news people. I used "Romance Author switches to Murder" on one of mine. I hope some of this helps. Good luck, Meg.

Ref 78.
Response to Ref 74. This is a tough one, and there's no magic answer. The reasons for rejection are varied. It may just be that the publishers feel there's no interest in intergenerational, autobiographically based novels this year, or this decade. That doesn't mean they are right, but they are the ones who make the decisions and there's not much we can do about it. Unless you are willing to try a different kind of novel, there's not much I can suggest. Writers live with rejection. I had one last month myself. My first children's book was turned down 25 times. It sold on the 26th submission. People say to me, well, rotten books get published all the time. Maybe so. Or maybe they are just rotten in that person's opinion. There's an old saying--fifty million Frenchmen can't be wrong. If fifty million readers like a book, it will do well, if they don't, it doesn't matter how good the book is, in the opinion of a few--it won't make it. Publishers are guided for the most part by the numbers. They want to know that a book will sell x number of copies--so they go for the popular type of novels. This is the only way they can stay in business. No novel is easy to sell, but one that fits within a certain genre, mystery or science fiction or romance or horror, is somewhat easier. The only option for writers of books that publishers refuse to buy is to self-publish. I'm not talking vanity publishing where you pay the publisher a whole bunch of money--I'm talking about having the book printed and then trying to get distributors to handle it--not an easy task--but some people do manage to do it. There are books around on the subject. Do your books have local significance? Have you tried to interest a regional publishing house in them? Did you send the whole book, or a query letter first. If you look at some of the questions I've been asked on this board about query letters and book proposals, you might find some help there. But I'm afraid I can't offer a whole lot of help in this situation. You are not the oldest unpublished writer in California, however. I know a couple in their nineties who are still plugging away at it. Sorry I couldn't be more help. I do sympathize.

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