How to Series: Writing for the YA Market by Guest Blogger, Beverly Stowe McClure

The young adult fiction market in the Milky Way Galaxy is booming today. From the Twilight series and movies to the Hunger Games novels and movies, and too many others to mention them all here, we’re surrounded by teens and other creatures of the night. So on the chance that you might be thinking of entering the world of ya literature, let’s take a look at what young adult novels are.

First, who is the young adult audience? All readers are different, so stating that a book is written for a certain age is only a guideline for parents and teachers. Children/teens vary in what they prefer to read and can understand at different ages. That said, young adult books are generally recommended for readers ages 12 to 18. There are books, however, for the younger end of the scale, children from 10 to 12, AKA as middle grade or tween fiction. Since children tend to skip over a scene they don’t understand and take from a story what’s important in their lives, younger readers may pass right over that stalking scene or the kissie, kissie romance and absorb the scenes they relate to. On the other hand, many readers will recognize when a character is being bullied or abused and perhaps be able to apply the story to themselves or someone they know. Each child will take whatever he/she is curious about or living with and apply it to their own life.

Second, what subjects and themes appeal to young adults? If you look through the titles of current novels and go back to even older books, you’ll find most every topic is covered: themes of identity, depression, suicide, drug abuse, family, bullying, etc. Teens want to read about friendship, love, family, divorce and just about anything that relates to their world. Even fantasy, science fiction, and dystopian novels contain these elements though they may take place in the future, past, or in another universe. Whether the friends are vampires or werewolves or other-worldly creatures, there is romance, friendship, enemies, and other elements that a teen may be struggling with and that will open a door for a solution to his/her problems.

Today, there seem to be few, if any, taboos in young adult literature. Young adult books deal with most everything, from suicide to abuse to violence to sex and language. I think the main thing is to be honest, to let the character tell the story in his own words, with his emotions and what he knows or hopes to learn.

Third, a big issue in teen literature is finding books that teen boys will read. So many of the popular young adult novels are written more for girls (and women who still feel like teens). You’ve heard it said that girls will read books with boys as the main character, but the reverse is seldom true. So think about boys for a minute. The ones in your family or those you know. I raised three sons and they still confuse me. Generally, boys don’t like the mushy stuff, even though they might enjoy kissing a girl, they’d feel weird reading about it. Most boys are action. They’re constantly on the move, doing something. So they need adventure and challenges. Even gross stuff appeals to them. There are many great “boy” books out there. Think of James Patterson, Rick Riordan, and Paolo Bacigalupi to name a few. There’s also Darby Karchut, a new author whose Griffin series about a guardian angel in training is sure to convince young males that reading is fun.

I planned to compare the sales of young adult literature with other books, but was totally lost when I started reading the statistics. So rather than go through percentages, numbers, and such, here are some sites for you to check if you’re interested in learning more:

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/young-people-are-reading-more-than-you

http://productivewriters.com/2011/02/16/book-e-book-sales-data-united-states-2010/

http://paidcontent.org/2012/01/23/419-new-stats-kids-find-e-books-fun-and-cool-but-teens-are-still-reluctant/

Short link to the above: http://tinyurl.com/6vtxlob

Writing for teens is a challenge. Writing for teens is fun. So why not take a chance and see what you come up with. You never know.

Thank you for your insight on writing for the YA market. If you would like to learn more about Beverly's writing, here is the link to her website and her blog.

For Those Who Sacrifice for our Freedom

Prior to moving to Texas I would only occasionally see a member of the armed services as I went about my day as I didn’t live near a military base. Now it would be unusual if I didn’t see someone in uniform as we live near three bases.

According to VA statistics there are 1.8 million Veterans living in Texas and they make up 12% of the population. That means living in the San Antonio area you either are a Veteran, have a family member who is one, or are in walking distance to someone on your street who is one. The fact that surprised me is how many of those Veterans are women. In Texas there are approximately 145,000 women Veterans. It’s not unusual to find many families having both parents in the service.

This was specifically brought home to me at church today, when the pastor asked people to stand if they were currently in the service or were Veterans or had a family member who was serving or who had served in the military. It looked like 95% of the people stood up. In chatting with some of the people sitting near me, I heard about the time spent apart when a family member is deployed. That means all the work of the family now falls on the shoulders of the parent still at home and a readjustment months later when the other spouse returns. I love my husband and am sad when we’ve been apart for a couple of days for business trips; I know how hard it would be to be separated for months. Yet these families do it year in and out.

Living here I have the daily reminder of those who serve to keep our country safe and to aid others around the world towards that same goal. I thank God for their service and pray for their safe return as well as peace and comfort for their families until their homecoming. These men and women are true patriots, so when you see one in uniform make sure to take the time to say “Thank you for your service.” They don’t hear it enough – especially our women in uniform. Let them know that their sacrifice of being away from home is greatly appreciated!

God Bless our Troops and the Families Who Wait Their Return

How to Series: Marketing My Book by Guest Blogger, C. Hope Clark

Okay, I'm going to take a deep breath before writing this one. A DEEP, DEEP breath. Maybe three of them...or three hundred.

For years leading up to now . . . I talked about writing the novel. Years of work, edits, rewrites, throwing it away, writing again. Now I love the book, love the characters and what they grew into, and adore the voice I groomed throughout all those setbacks and do-overs. I could not be happier with Lowcountry Bribe.

Well, let me tell you something . . . selling a book is damn hard work. Yes, I cursed. It's worth cursing about.

I felt like a mouse, running around in a maze, bumping into walls, never finding the outlet, as I sought the best means to sell Lowcountry Bribe. I've learned there isn't one way. And I've learned that more people sell books, and write books, than read books.

Yup, I said it. I've said it before, too. Many of us prefer to write than read, and as a result, there are a lot of books to be read and too few people to read them.

Back to the deep breaths.

Selling books is time consuming, costly, and a test of patience. Some booksellers are willing to give a debut author a shot and others show you the door. The media is flooded with book suggestions, so they are numb about all the new releases hitting them in the face. The process of trying to prove you have a marketable commodity is a steady, chipping away process on this huge, raw, unshaped piece of raw material. One book here. One reading there. Another guest post, then another. Somewhere, deep inside that block, is your success.

You look at the calendar and realize it's been six weeks, yet you feel like time is slipping away from you as your book ages, and as others are spit out from the master book machine to take
its place. As much as I'd like to fuss at someone else for this situation . . . like many people do to Amazon, traditional publishing, self-publishing, agents, fill-in-the-blank, I can't.

I chose to be in this business, and I put myself where I am now. This is what I want to do. Publishing a book, like creating any new commodity or service, takes time to spread via word-of-mouth.

C. Hope Clark is the Editor of  Funds for Writers which has been named as Writer's Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers - 2001-2011. You can link to it by clicking here.  She is also the author of the newly released, Lowcountry Bribe -- A Carolina Slade Mystery from Bell Bridge Books. If you would like to learn more about the book, here is the link. 

If you would like to buy her book you can do so by clicking on Amazon or Bell Bridge Books .

Interview with Mary Cunningham, Author of the Cynthia's Attic Series

Writing was not your first career, but now with the success of your books it looks like it will be your last. Tell me what made you decide that you could actually write something that Tweens/MG would like to read? 

 When I began writing Cynthia's Attic, I was so green I didn't even know the genre of my target audience! I read the Harry Potter books and tried to keep my stories close to that level.

Who encouraged you when you didn’t even have a writing background that this was something you could do?

My dad is my inspiration to write. He was an amazing journalist/writer, and while  he never lived to see my books, I feel him standing over my shoulder as I write. 

Did you write in your off time from work? Or were you a “stay at home” wife/mom?   

I wrote in my spare time in the beginning, but now it's my fulltime job, and I can't imagine my life without writing and inspiring elementary school students to read and write. 

When did you actually start writing your first book that got published? How long was it before you decided it was ready to be send it out to publishers? Tell me about that process.

About ten years ago, I began writing the first two books in the Cynthia's Attic series and decided, immediately upon completion, it was ready for publishers. Wrong! I sent the first manuscript to about a dozen NY publishers and got nothing but rejections. 

Finally, one wrote a note to me that indicated the idea was strong, but there was "too much telling and not enough showing." I owe all five books to that editor! I spent about six months rewriting and also joined a writers group where I found out about Echelon Press.  

According to the Echelon Press website it states – “All queries MUST include a full Marketing Strategy. This report must be sent as an attachment. Queries that do not include a Marketing Strategy will be deleted without consideration.” Is this something you had to do? Or is it a new requirement?

My contract for the first two books came in 2004. I don't remember the exact requirements but the president, Karen Syed, mentored me along. I didn't get how important it was to establish an online presence. And, in my defense, blogs were just becoming popular and Facebook was still in its infancy. 

I have since learned that marketing is essential for all authors, unless you're on the NY Times bestseller list. Then I suppose your publicist will handle most of it. LOL! It's definitely to an author's advantage to have a strong following and online presence at least six months before your first release. 

What are some of the most productive ways you’ve promoted your books?

Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, LinkedIn are some of the sites I've used. My comfort zone is on Facebook, but other sites have been good, too. I also do a lot of local events and have much success doing school author visits. I'm fortunate to live in a market (Atlanta) that is flush with elementary schools. I keep very busy! My goal, this year, is to break into the SKYPE market; a great tool for author and book club visits. 

I also held a contest for the purpose of bringing a new character into Cynthia's Attic! On Cynthia's Attic Blog, I asked readers to post their favorite character in the first four books and why that character drew them to the story. A lovely young woman, Veronika, who lives in Siberia, won with her choice of the little brown dog, Molly, from The Magician's Castle. While gathering background information, I discovered Veronika had lived in France for a while which made her character in the latest book even more fun to write! 

What do you wish you knew about publishing books sooner?

What I wish I knew sooner? An author's job doesn't end when the final edits are complete. The real work is just beginning!

When I read about your books, they made me think of the Magic Treehouse Series. Did you get any of your inspiration for writing your books from this series or any other books? What other ‘tween authors do you admire?

So glad you made the comparison! I've had reviewers say the same thing, along with elementary school students. One of my favorite reviews begins with "Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter." 

J. K. Rowling's writing gave me permission to write "outside the box," and let my creativity go in directions it may not have, otherwise. Tolkien was also a huge influence along with H. G. Wells. 

Other 'tween authors I admire are Kerry Madden, Kate DiCamillo, Kirby Larsen and so many others!   

You did have another type of writing career prior to writing these books but it was as a songwriter. Did you sell any of them to any singers or music publishers?

Wow! That's going waaay back! Living in close proximity to Nashville, I wrote, mainly, country songs. A couple were picked up and recorded, but then disappeared very quickly. 

One I'm proud of was "If This Ain't Heaven." It was demoed (are you ready for this?) by Blake Shelton before he became Blake Shelton! It was never picked up, but it's still a good song and I credit much of my writing today to struggles associated with rewriting and rewriting and rewriting song lyrics. 

Unlike books, songs allow very little space to get your message across. I'd also like to mention an early mentor, Debbie Hupp (co-writer of "You Decorated My Life" and many other hits), who drilled in the value of tight lyrics and meter.

So few houses these days even have attics (or just so small spaces between a few beams); yet your book deals with a real life friend’s attic in growing up. Did you have an active imagination as a ‘tween yourself?

Some of my fondest memories are of playing in Cynthia's attic. We played dress up, played with old discarded toys and had a clubhouse in the attic. During the summer, we'd play softball, croquet, hide 'n seek; just about any outdoor game we neighborhood kids could dream up!

And, yes, I've always had an active imagination! Again, I have to credit my dad for encouraging my imagination with his own bedtime stories. His were so much better than Mother Goose or the Brothers Grimm (shudder!).

Your newest book, The Magician’s Castle” whisks your characters forward into 2014, where they meet their granddaughters. That’s just a few years ahead. Why did you choose that time?

Since the previous three books went 50 years in the past (1964-1914) I decided to place the girls 50 years in the future (1964-2014), plus it was a good time line for them to meet their granddaughters. That was so much fun! My publisher had to talk me into taking Cynthia and Gus into the future, but I'm glad I did.

What did you expect life to be fifty years later when you were a child?

As to what life would be like 50 years in the future? In 1964, I was sure we'd be traveling around in hovercrafts (i.e. The Jetsons) and taking weekend trips to the moon by 2014! Never did I think we would still be riding around in plain ole cars and living in houses similar to those in the sixties

Would you give me some details on your latest book?

I'm very excited about the newest book, Legend of Lupin Woods. I believe it's the most exciting, yet. After much discussion and hand wringing, my publisher and I made the decision to end the series on a high note with book five. The last story draws from exciting adventures and favorite characters from the 4 previous books. 

Here’s a brief synopsis… Much to the girls' dismay, mysteries previously solved are coming undone! Aunt Belle is missing…again! Cynthia’s great-grandfather, Beau was never found, and their nemesis, the circus clown, Blackie, again, appears to be making life miserable for everyone. This storyline gave me the opportunity to bring back some of my favorite ancestors and characters. Since one side of my family is from France, I place the time-traveling duo in a small French village and send Gus, alone, to fend off danger in a terrifying woods. 

What advice would you give other 50 somethings who want to embark on a writing career?

Write what you know! My series is set in the small, Southern Indiana town where I grew up and based on family stories, ancestors, and of course, my childhood playing in the attic of best friend, Cynthia.
 

That's all for today's interview. I hope this has stirred up an interest in reading her fun books. If you would like to buy one of her books, here's a link to do that. If you enjoy watching video trailers, here's a link to see the one for Cynthia's Attic.

How to Series: PICTURE BOOK DUMMIES by Guest Blogger, Natasha Yim

How do you submit a picture book to a publisher? Do you need illustrations? A picture book dummy? What is a picture book dummy anyway? For writers new to the world of writing and publishing children’s books, manuscript formatting for picture books can be confusing. So, just let me clarify a few points.

First off, unless you’re an accomplished illustrator, you do not need to submit illustrations. You don’t need to spend a bucket load of cash to hire an illustrator. If your book is accepted for publication, it’s the art director’s job, in consultation with your editor, to match you with an illustrator who will magically bring your story to vibrant life.

That said, picture book dummies are very useful in planning your picture book and in the revision process. A picture book dummy is a rough mock-up of your book. It allows you to lay out and visualize how you want the book to look if it were published. Where would the page breaks be? Where would the illustrations go? It allows you to gauge pacing: do some pages look overly text-heavy? Is there enough variation of long and short sentences on each page?

You can assess the illustrability of each scene: if there’s not enough going on, or each page is too similar in tone (for example, there are three pages of your protagonist eating spaghetti and meatballs at the dining table), then the illustrations may not be different enough from page to page to engage your reader.

You can also play with “page turns” for your book. Do you want some of the pages to have a “cliff-hanger” (yes, they do exist in picture books albeit on a much simpler and smaller scale) so the child is eager to turn the page or will be rewarded with a little surprise on the next page? A good example of a picture book with “cliff-hanger” page turners is Deborah Ruddell’s Who Said Coo?, illustrated by Robin Luebs.   

To understand picture book dummies, it also behooves writers to understand the basic layout and construction of a picture book. The average picture book is 32 pages, which doesn’t mean 32 pages of printed text because you have to leave room for front and back matter which includes your copyright and Library of Congress page with the ISBN numbers, title page, acknowledgement page etc.

Here are two sites that give a really good explanation of the basic construction of a picture book: Editorial Anonymous, http://editorialanonymous.blogspot.com/2008/10/basic-book-construction.html, and Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2009/02/22/picture-book-construction-know-your-layout/.

So, submit your picture book in standard manuscript format, but consider the picture book dummy as an invaluable visual aid.  

Here's some of the picture books Natasha Yim has authored. Otto's Rainy Day (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2000), Cixi, The Dragon Empress (Goosebottom Books, 2011), Sacajawea of the Shoshone (Goosebottom Books, 2012) and Goldy Luck and the Three Chans (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2014) 

She has also been published in Highlight for Children, Appleseeds, and Faces magazines.

Having a Nurturing Spirit

Our topic this month for the blog chain is nurture and I was drawn to this picture of a mother hen protecting her young as a perfect example of that concept. But I'm not going to talk about birds in this post. My current nurturing experience is with my plants which I am coaxing to grow after being transplanted. But I don't want to talk about my garden either.

For this post I will show you thoughts that others have shared about the importance of nurturing or being nurtured.

“Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.” Thomas J. Peters

“It is important that you recognize your progress and take pride in your accomplishments. Share your achievements with others. Brag a little. The recognition and support of those around you is nurturing.” Rosemarie Rossetti

 There are no adequate substitutes for father, mother, and children bound together in a loving commitment to nurture and protect. No government, no matter how well-intentioned, can take the place of the family in the scheme of things. Gerald R. Ford 

 “Never idealize others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over-analyze your relationships. Stop playing games. A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness.” Leo F. Buscaglia

 “Talents are best nurtured in solitude, but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

 

“We've got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can't just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it's going to get on by itself. You've got to keep watering it. You've got to really look after it and nurture it.” John Lennon

 

“Always reward your long hours of labor and toil in the very best way, surrounded by your family. Nurture their love carefully, remembering that your children need models, not critics, and your own progress will hasten when you constantly strive to present your best side to your children. And even if you have failed at all else in the eyes of the world, if you have a loving family, you are a success.” Og Mandino

 “Nurture your mind with great thoughts; to believe in the heroic makes heroes” Benjamin Disraeli

 “May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.” Psalm 144:12 NLT

“Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2 - Amplified Bible 

If you'd like to continue reading about nurturing throughout the month, click on the posts to the right of this and read on...

Just got some good news!!!
An inspirational story I wrote for "Life Lessons from Dads" got accepted. I really needed this "nurturing" experience as I've been getting a lot of rejections lately from my work.