It's Writer's Wednesday

I've had several questions recently about query letters and what type of biographical information to include.

Bios vary depending on the type of project you are submitting. The first thing a publisher wants to know is if you have publishing credits. Ideally, you've had successful sales of a work similar to the one you're submitting. Even if that is not the case...say you've been published in recognized periodicals and now have a book you are shopping...the fact that you've been published in another genre can work to your advantage. It tells the editor/agent that you have some experience.

If you're unpublished, perhaps you have writing or literary experience as an editor, writing instructor or English professor.

If you are writing non-fiction, you'll also need to demonstrate that your are a credible expert on the subject of your book. If you write about rocks and minerals, the fact that you're a geologist is information your publisher wants to know.

Think of your query letter as an interview and your publisher as a potential employer. Then remember that publishing is a business. What makes you marketable? Do you lecture or have some sort of name recognition or following that is large enough to account for a portion of the reading audience.

If this doesn't apply, don't worry. Ultimately, it's all about the writing.

For more on this topic read: How to Write a Successful Query by Moira Allen.

Read about the History of Memorial Day ,

Moina Michael

and the Memorial Day Poppy.

Find her poem: We Shall Keep the Faith

which she wrote as a response to In Flanders Field.

Read In Flanders Field, here.

Enjoy the day and remember!

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "Ever since she could remember, Momo had wanted a dog." From Newbery Honor Book, Daughter of the Mountains, written by Louise S. Rankin and illustrated by Kurt Wiese.

Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Summer is still officially some weeks away, but the arrival of Memorial Day always seems to signal the beginning of summer fun, regardless of the calendar. In search of a bit of summer poetry, I came across this gem of a book: Mr. Ferlinghetti's Poem.

David Frampton illustrates and provides a narrative introduction to Ferlinghetti's poem "Fortune." Lawrence Ferlinghetti remembers a summer day in the Brooklyn of his youth when the firefighters turned on their hoses for the children. Frampton illustrates the work with beautifully colored woodcuts that capture the delight of children buoyed up on imaginative geysers.

Friday's Famous First: "Ever since she could remember, Momo had wanted a dog."

It's Writers Wednesday -- Let's talk about the dreaded rejection letter.

No writer, whether you've published one book or dozens, escapes the experience. It's true that you may not receive the sad news in print. Many publishers have adopted the policy of not responding at all unless they are interested in your project. Never-the-less once the deadline they allow themselves comes and goes in silence, the hopeful may assume the worst and the rejection is every bit as genuine as if it arrived on letterhead.

As a reminder we're all in this boat together, take a look at the course Dan Gutman navigated on his way to the publication of Honus and Me (which was not only a publishing success and the beginning of a popular series, but was also made into a TV movie). Be sure to read all the way to the end of the post. You'll find some great food for thought.

Writing isn't for the faint of heart. One of my rejection letters, which I treasure and share with audiences at workshops and presentations, reminded me that the publishing house that was passing on The Gingerbread Cowboy received 20,000 submissions a year and only published 20 books.

My story had a one in one thousand chance. Those odds are a good thing to keep in mind in this business of ups and downs. A few rejections later and my editor at HarperCollins was on the phone asking if I was interested in having them take on the project. The rest is history.

Now for a light-hearted look at the subject, check out this great parody by Kris Kahrs of a rejection letter to Herman Melville from his British publisher regarding Moby Dick at Pen and Ink.

Do You Have a Book to Sell? Part 4

Will your book make the cut when I whittle down my book purchase list to the Must-Haves? Today, I'll focus on the fiction portion of the collection: Easy readers, beginning chapter books, and fiction. Here are the goals I must meet as library media specialist:

1. Engage all the students as readers. I need books of varying levels -- titles to attract reluctant readers, high-interest, low-level books for my struggling readers, and challenging literature for my advanced readers.
2. Develop appreciation for literature. Provide students with exemplary writing by collecting both the classic children's books and the best new material by debut authors.
3. Support the curriculum: I want copies of the books that are excerpted in the language arts anthology or read by the teacher for class discussion. I'll also provide State Reading Award nominee books to read and discuss with the students in library as preparation for voting later in the school year.

When it comes to item three, those selections have already been made for me. So I will focus here on one and two for which the search process is the same.

My first choice when it comes to making selections is to read the book. I spend a lot of time browsing through bookstores and school book fairs. Does that picture book hold my interest to the last page? How will it sound read aloud? Does the first line, paragraph, or page of a chapter book hook me? Does the blurb on the cover intrigue me? I'd love to read everything that sounds promising, but I can't.

In order to sort through the hundreds of new books that are published every year, I read the reviews.

The Synopsis: Does the story sound engaging? How similar is the theme or premise to other books I have in the collection? This determination can work for or against a book. If it is something that the students are still eagerly pulling off the shelf, then another fairy book, sports mystery, vampire tale, or ? will provide additional reading options. On the other hand, if interest has waned then I don't need more of the same.

The Assessment: What does the review have to say about the writing - plotting, pacing, characterization, word choice, etc? How well does the book attain its stated goals and work for its intended audience? I'll look for key words and phrases.

• Pros: clarity, wit, fresh twist, rewarding choice, natural for book talks, adept pacing, well-drawn or memorable characters, genuine emotion, lively humor, original concept, honest, universal -- to name a few.
• Cons: flat, lecturing, intrusive narrator, heavy-handed, above its target audience, stretches credulity, tries to tell the story in rhyme, but doesn't succeed, stereotypical, forced, insipid, predictable.

If you are hoping for your book to make the cut then consider which of these remarks describe your writing. Library books generally have a much longer shelf life than books that are purchased for home use. The titles that make it to the collection must have enduring quality and themes that will remain relevant over time. I hope your book is one of them.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "Now, Bix Rivers has disappeared, and who do you think is going to tell his story but me?" From Newbery Honor Book The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks.

Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted this week by Laurasalas Writing the World for Kids

My offering is a collection of bilingual poetry, "Poems to Dream Together/Poemas Para Sonar Juntos," written by three-time Pura Belpre Author Award Honor poet and educator Francisco X. Alarcon, illustrated by Paula Barragan.

Friday's Famous First: Can you name the title and author for this first line?
"Now, Bix Rivers has disappeared, and who do you think is going to tell his story but me?

It's Writers Wednesday -- Want to be published? Then find your inner editor.

Yes, your agent or publisher will still make changes...fresh eyes always find improvements you've missed. But the days when editors or agents took on writers because they had some talent or a story with potential and then mentored them to success are long gone. Most editors are so busy with the business of books that they do their manuscript reading at home on their own time. They don't have the luxury of shepherding a book from rough draft to finished work. Your story needs to be polished like a jewel the first time it comes across an editor's desk.

It's all about revision. Editing is a learned skill. Yes, there are people who seem to have a natural ability to cut through all the verbiage, but anyone can improve their technique.

If you can successfully edit other people's work, but have trouble critiquing your own, it's probably because you're too close to your story. Put your work away and don't even look at it for a couple of weeks, a month or even two. Do something else...learn to query, research publishers, write something completely different. Make a quilt, plant a garden. Take up tap dancing. Give yourself some space so you can be objective.

Perhaps the problem is uncertainty about what makes a story marketable. The answer?

Read...as many award winning books as you can find: Caldecott, Newbery, California Young Reader Medal, etc. Select books that target your intended audience, and are similar in style or genre to your own. You don't have to like them all...in fact you probably won't, but what you need to figure out is why the book was successful. It can also be helpful to read a book then study its reviews. Consider both the approbation and criticism and determine how it applies to the book you read. Then ask yourself if any of those comments relate to your work. Dozens of books are reviewed on line everyday by kidlit bloggers. Many can be found through links on this site.

Try critiquing random books from the bookstore or library. It's always easier to evaluate other people's work that your own.

If this sounds like homework -- it is! I often spend more time rethinking, revising and rewriting than creating new material.

Best of all, get into a workshop, writing class or critique group. The feedback is priceless and the support from fellow writers keeps you going as you struggle with manuscript revision. Learning to edit is an essential part of the writing process. Mistakes are how we learn...no one gets it right the first time.

I was part of a writers workshop for many years. I always came away from a meeting promising myself that I wouldn't repeat the mistakes that I found in other people's work or that had been pointed out in mine. For the most part, I kept my promise, but the next critique would give me another lesson because there was always something new to learn and every story will teach you something.

Revision is the key. But don't just take my word for it.

"The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is your really want to say." - Mark Twain