VIEWS NATIONAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION LOS ANGELES NOVEMBER 2010 IT’S A BRAVE, NEW WORLD
Exploring your publishing options What are a writer’s publishing options: traditional agent/publishing house, self-publish, print-on-demand? Create your own publishing company? Come and hear the pros and cons, as well as “how do you do that?” from Diana M. Johnson (pictured below) who has operated her own publishing company for more than ten years, and has published six steadily selling historical novels as a result. Hear what to do (when, where, and how) to set up a company, keep records, and produce your book. You never have to write another query letter or synopsis. Never receive another rejection. Know your book will be published.
GETTING PUBLISHED The following advice comes from Jane Friedman’s blog There Are No Rules:
A Life Member of the California Writers Club, Diana has served the San Fernando Valley Branch, as president and treasurer, as well as a delegate to the State Board of Directors, and State Treasurer. In 1995 she received CWC’s prestigious Jack London Award for service to the writing community. In 2006 she became the founding president of the West Valley Branch of CWC. A fourth-generation Californian, Diana was born in Los Angeles, attended Occidental College, graduated from UCLA, and earned her master’s degree from California State University, Northridge. She taught music in the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Unified School districts. She and her husband Bill live in the San Fernando Valley. Both hold private pilot’s licenses. Avid travelers, they have traveled most of the United States by private plane as well as more conventional means. They have also, over the years, traveled across Europe from France to Poland, Germany to Italy, and all the countries in between, as well as Great Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, China, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the Baltic States, and a bit of Russia. Diana, a frequent flute soloist, also enjoys singing in the church choir and playing bridge. Writing is her second career.
NOVELS & MEMOIRS You must have a finished and polished manuscript before you even think about how to get published.
Diana M. Johnson, a direct descendent of the great Medieval king, Charlemagne, is a member of the Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States of America, for which she was 2002 Keynote Speaker at their annual meeting in Washington, DC. She is a member of First California Company, Jamestowne Society, where she served as Secretary and Newsletter Editor, and the Conejo Valley Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) for which she is currently Recording Secretary. ✍
MOST NONFICTION You must write a book proposal (basically like a business plan for your book) that will convince a publisher to contract and pay you to write the book. ANY OTHER WORK If you’re writing a hybrid work (personal vignettes mixed with instruction, or a multi-genre work that includes essays, stories, and poetry), then you likely have an unmarketable book on your hands (from the publisher’s standpoint), and you should selfpublish. For more of Friedman’s advice to writers, see page three.
JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 20 AT MO’S RESTAURANT 4301 RIVERSIDE DR, BURBANK 2-4 PM
REDUX for OCTOBER 16, 2010
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
The holiday season is upon us again Once we hit Labor Day, it’s a downhill slide on a slippery slope to Christmas and New Year’s, with all the intervening holidays and things to do that must get done. Either I’m moving more slowly these days, or the universe is speeding up, making it very hard for me to stay on top of all the stuff I used to do without a second thought. Over the last five or so years, I have been divesting myself of more and more of the self-imposed expectations during the Thanksgiving and Yuletide season. On one hand, it’s a freeing experience—like lifting a boulder off my shoulders—but on the other hand, I view the divestment as a sorrowful loss and I hope that someday I can once again decorate the house and yard, bake cookies and cakes, sew outfits and gifts, shop and wrap, pay bills, keep the yard looking good, make the meals, clean the house, take care of the animals, run errands, work out, show up at doctor’s appointments ... have I forgotten anything? Oh, yes! And write every day. A NEW WEB ADDRESS & A BIRTHDAY!!! Member Louise Watkins celebrated a birthday on October 14. Happy belated birthday to you, Louise. She also would like members to know she has a new Web site that you all must see, www.clwoodhams.com. I know you will enjoy your visit! Also, take a look at her novel, Sweet Justice, available from Amazon and Xlibris.
WRITING INSPIRATION By LaVonne Taylor
Getting our ducks all in a row ...
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, twelve writers met to participate in the workshop about their sources of inspiration. Speakers included LaVonne Taylor, Jack Clubb, Joe Panicello, Ray Rappa, and Walter Meares.
Group leader Taylor started things off with her presentation, which included authors Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones; Louise DeSalvo, Writing as a Way of Healing; Walter Mosley, This Year You Write Your Novel; and NOVEMBER MEETING We are privileged to have Diana M. Johnson take time out of her Phyllis A. Whitney, A Guide to Writing Fiction, busy schedule to parse her vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the publishing industry, which among others. seems to be changing at lightning speed these days. Let’s all plan on giving her a warm welMember Barri Clark said that a passage from come on November 20. Walter Mosley’s This Year You Write Your Novel HOLIDAY PARTY On December 18 we will have our traditional holiday get-together. We resonated with her as one of the best reasons she would love to see you there to read something from your own oeuvre or something written by has ever heard about the advice to writers to “write another author you deem appropriate. The agenda is also open to singers and musicians. See everyday.” To see the Mosley quote and more, go the notice on page four of this issue for more information. to Writing Inspiration, www.nwala.org. A SLOW MOVING TARGET ... does not seems to be moving quite so slowly. Joe reports that his daughter Jo Ann Colton was able to market six copies of his WWII epic at the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW near her home in Colorado. She expects to be able to sell more at the next meeting as well.
CAN YOU WRITE A FIFTY-THOUSAND WORD NOVEL THIS MONTH? November is the month chosen by the folks at www.NaNoWriMo.org to challenge writers to produce. The gauntlet has been slammed down and the challenge is on. Take a look at their site and see if you have what it takes to pick up the gauntlet and run with it. They even have a countdown meter on the site to get you motivated. No time for writer’s block now! Get those fingers flying! You might surprise yourself!
Jack Clubb followed with a description of how he came to begin writing by telling the group, “One day I was reading something by Norman Mailer, and out of the blue it occurred to me that I could also write.” He described his journey as a writer of poetry, short stories, and novels. He CURIOUS ABOUT ROMANCE WRITING? On November 1 through 5, yours truly told us of the deep satisfaction that comes from will be attending an Harlequin-sponsored daily online workshop, garnering as much info being published in venues around the world. as I can on the craft. Hopefully, I will be able to pass along some of the information to Next up, Joe Panicello said that his beginnings you. Each weekday offers new, educational opportunities from fifty editors and successful as a writer came from suddenly being promoted authors. The bait? This is a huge market and maybe, if I learn the ropes, I could actually to a management position in the aerospace get paid for writing! ✍
TWO
Ten things to understand about the publishing industry By Jane Friedman Jane Friedman is a visiting assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati, and teaches full-time in the e-media department of College-Conservatory of Music. A frequent speaker at writing and publishing events, Friedman helps writers understand the transformation underway in the media and publishing industries, and how writers can be successful and in control of their careers. As a contributing editor to Writer’s Digest, Ms. Friedman offers insight on the future of writing and publishing at her award-winning blog, There Are No Rules (40,000 visits per month), and serves on the advisory board of Digital Book World.
1. Publishing is a business, just like Holly-
wood or Broadway. Publishers, editors, and agents support authors or projects that will make money and provide a good return on investment. It used to be that this return on investment could happen over a period of years or several books. Now, it needs to happen with one book and in less than one year.
ists often face the biggest battle—there’s enormous competition.
4.
Never call an agent or editor to query or ask questions (or just chat) if you are not already a client or author. Never query by telephone—and I wouldn’t do it even if the guidelines recommend it. You’ll mess it up.
5. Agents and editors do not want you (a non-
client or author) to visit them at their offices. Do not plan a visit to New York and go knocking on doors, and don’t ask an agent/editor for a lunch or coffee appointment if you don’t have a relationship already. If you’d like to interact with an agent or editor, attend a writers’ conference.
6. When working with a traditional publisher,
you have to give up a lot of power and control. The publisher gets to decide the cover the title, the design, the format, the price, etc. You have to go through rounds of revisions and will likely have to change things you don’t want to change. But you must approach the process like a professional, not a creative artist.
2. Professionalism and politeness go a long 7. You must be an active marketer and proway toward covering up any amateur mistakes you might make.
3. Unless you live under a lucky star, you will get rejected again and again and again. The query and submission process takes enormous dedication and persistence. We’re talking about years of work. Novelists and memoir-
moter of your book. If you come to the table with media savvy or an established platform (audience or readership), you’ll have an easier time getting that first deal.
8. For nonfiction authors: Don’t go looking
for a publishing deal because you’re looking for the authority or platform that a book can
give you. Rather, you must already have the platform and authority, and thus be qualified to write a book. YOU bring the audience to the publisher, not the reverse.
9. If you write fiction or memoir, the writing
quality matters above all else. Read, practice, and polish. Repeat this cycle endlessly. It’s not likely your first attempt will get published. It will likely be your second, third, or fourth attempt. Your writing gets better with practice and time. You mature and develop. If you write nonfiction, the marketability of your idea (and your platform) matter above all else. The quality of the writing may only need to be serviceable, depending on the category we’re talking about. (Certainly there are higher demands for narrative nonfiction than prescriptive.)
10. Think beyond the book. A lot of writers
have dreams of publishing a book because it’s a dream that’s embedded in our DNA from an early age. We are trained to believe that authors have some higher authority or credibility, and that we’ve really “arrived” once we deliver that book into the world. But there are ways to be more successful, and spread a message to even more people, that have nothing to do with authoring a book. Make sure your goals are best served by the book format. Increasingly, in our digital age, a book is a poor option (in the final format) for your message or service. ✍
WRITING INSPIRATION continued from page two industry. He decided it was necessary to write a training manual for managers. Once he got going on the project, he found he enjoyed it so much that he continued to write. His author’s path has been a rocky one as he followed various creative detours thrust upon him by others’ well-intentioned advice. In addition to the how-to book, Engineering Manager, he has published six books thus far, three historical novels; A Slow Moving Target-The LST of World War II; The Great Sicilian Norseman; Giuseppe Garibaldi: A Man of Destiny; and three novels, Vindicated, Brian’s Comet, and The Wheeler Dealer.
that writing from the heart, in a fresh nonformulaic style, grabs the reader, whether the vehicle is a screenplay, a novel, short story, or song. Walter Meares closed the program talking about his opus, High Priests of Public Policy and Planning, that deals with the influence that think tanks and other opinion making entities have on the population at large. He covers some of the erroneous policies that got us into messes as a nation in the past and that are still going on today. The book now looks like seventy-five- to eighty-thousand words and a complete first draft, sans interviews, will be finished sometime in November. ✍
Ray Rappa talked about his song-composing days in New York City as a young man and his years as a creative-talent agent in Hollywood. He’s writing a memoir of those years now. One of the most important lessons he learned about writing, after reading thousands of ho-hum scripts, was
THREE
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. — Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)
NOVEMBER’S PUZZLE 1 2 3
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9 10 11 12 13
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By LaVonne Taylor ACROSS 2. November 2 is: _____ _____ (2 words) Across 5. The official flower for November is ______ 2. 2 is: 7______ (2 words) 7.Nov November is the end____ of _______ ______ (2 words) 5. The official flower for November is ____ 9. November is National American _____ _____ month (2 words) 7. Nov 7 is the end of _____ _____ (2 words) 11.November Who attendedis theNational first Thanksgiving besides Native 9. American _______ month (2 words) ______ Americans? 11. attended the first Thanksgiving besides 12.Who All _____ Day falls on November 1 Native Americans? 13.All The______ military organization celebrates 12. Day falls that on Nov 1 its birthday on November 10 (2org. words) 13. The military that celebrates its birthday on 10 one took place in 1621 14.Nov The first
DOWN 1. The birthstones for November are: _____ _____ _____ Down (3 words) 1. The birthstones for November are: (3 words) 3.3.November 5 is: _____ _____ Day (2 words) Nov 5 is: _____ _____ Day (2 Words) Venue for electing our politicians 4.4.Venue for electing our politicians (2 words) (2 words) 6. The day after Thanksgiving is ______ Friday. 6.8.The day after Thanksgiving is _____ Friday November got its name from the Latin novem meaning 8. November got____ its name from the Latin novem, meaning _____ 10. Who do we honor on November 11? 10. Who do we honor on Nov. 11?
14. The first one took place in 1621
Autumn Carousel
Autumn struts her showy gowns Under misty skies of gray Those brilliant reds, greens, yellows, browns Undo the cold, dark, chilling day. Master painter, with her brush Now marches forth with nature’s blush. Carouseling through the trees Autumn marches, banners flying Richness of her tapestries O’er the hills, before the dying. Underneath the windswept sky She dances wild with sisters, brothers Everlasting moods fly high ~ Life’s carousel of changing colors.
— Mary L. Ports
DECEMBER 18 PARTY IS YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE! Plan to read, sing, play an instrument or ?. Please let LaVonne know what you plan to do so she can schedule accordingly. Bring a nongender gift to place under the tree for the gift exchange. Plan on having a good time and enjoying two hours in December with your writing colleagues. FOUR
Answers will appear in December Views
VIEWS is a print newsletter distributed to the members of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Writers Association and online at www.issuu.com/the-taylor-trust/docs. Meetings take place at 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month, except for July and August, at Mo’s Restaurant, 4301 Riverside Drive, Burbank. More info at www.nwala.org. OFFICERS President – LaVonne Taylor Vice President – Joe Panicello Secretary – Arturo Ruiz Treasurer – LaVonne Taylor CHAIRMANSHIPS Fundraising – LaVonne Taylor Historian/Photographer – Madelyn Beck Hospitality – Mary L. Ports Membership – Jack Clubb Views Editor – LaVonne Taylor For more information, call: 661-267-2220 Or send e-mail to lavonne.taylor@sbcglobal.net In July of 2007, NWALA mascot, Spunky St. Jude, was rescued from life on the street by Arturo Ruiz and adopted by chapter prez, LaVonne Taylor.