Sometimes we do well without knowing what we’re doing. This is commonly referred to as “dumb luck” and that’s a good description of how I got a book contract and a nice advance from Wiley and Sons Publishing. Of course, luck doesn’t preclude cause and effect and there are certain types of actions that lead to opportunities. So, even if we do not see the path beforehand, we can always look back to see how we got to where we are.
Like most of the country, we got that blast of cold air this week. I was very nervous about our banana trees. They are HUGE – far too large to cover with blankets. They were only about three feet tall when we bought them last spring. I still can’t believe how fast they grow! They are now several feet wide and probably around 12 feet tall. They seem to have sprouted babies, too. Thankfully, we only got a slight freeze and the trees survived just fine…
This week, I’m sharing links to winning stories from the last 3 years of WritersWeekly Quarterly 24-Hour Short Story Contest, along with each topic…
Letters will return next week.
Know that I will be filing for some copyrights, etc, but I’m chiefly concerned with what assurances, permissions or protections I have from naming other people and citing their work or quotes in my book. It’s a positive, nonfiction piece and I cite my sources, but I’m not sure what’s considered fair use or in bounds. Would like a legal expert to review and advise…
Little did I know that the first freelance assignment I submitted more than 20 years ago would be the start of an exciting and rewarding adventure It would eventually lead me down a new career path and take me to places I’d only read about and dreamed of someday visiting…
When we lived in Maine, I would always be stuck inside this time of year anyway, the house buried under a few feet of snow, the rhythmic sound of Richard’s snow shovel outside (swish, swoosh….swish, swoosh), my feet bundled up in two or more pairs of socks, and a big, thick sweater wrapped around me. Sometimes, my fingers got so cold that I’d wear my fingerless mittens inside while typing each day. So, yes, while I still miss the snow at Christmastime, I don’t any other time and I certainly don’t miss that bone-jarring chill that would go on for weeks on end…
I have published a few non-fiction anthologies over the years and they have all been successful, both from a research and publishing standpoint in the beginning, and a sales standpoint later. There is a right and wrong way to collect and publish stories contributed by others.
In Part I of this series, we discussed how much to pay contributors, what rights to request, and what steps to take before you start soliciting stories.
In Part II, we discussed the contract (and included a sample), how to find writers/contributors, what not to do, tracking contributors, email introductions, acceptance and rejection form letters (including samples), ordering contributions by email, and contributor payments.
Today, we’re going to discuss editing, formatting and publishing your anthology…
Letters will return next week.
My favorite piece of writing advice is: recycle. No, I am not talking about reusing paper, but about recycling writings. As I have a day job that involves quite a bit of writing, I look for ways to reuse my work…
