Comments for How to Get Published http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog The art of story telling and marketing what you write Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:43:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 Comment on How to Write a Salable Book or Novel: Part 4 - Mapping and Characters by How to Get Published » Blog Archive » Details Can Kill Your Story http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2008/11/04/how-to-write-a-salable-book-or-novel-part-4-mapping-and-characters/#comment-3927 How to Get Published » Blog Archive » Details Can Kill Your Story Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:02:48 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=57#comment-3927 [...] information so you won’t forget those embarrassing details. Al Kalar wrote a good article on plot mapping and character development in November of 2008, so I won’t repeat it here. Be sure to take a look at the character sheet [...] [...] information so you won’t forget those embarrassing details. Al Kalar wrote a good article on plot mapping and character development in November of 2008, so I won’t repeat it here. Be sure to take a look at the character sheet [...]

]]> Comment on Writing is Easy by Caroline Clemmons http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/06/29/writing-is-easy/#comment-3903 Caroline Clemmons Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:48:00 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=827#comment-3903 Jim, great article! I love quotations and have a ton of them, including a few of those you used. Very original presentation. Jim, great article! I love quotations and have a ton of them, including a few of those you used. Very original presentation.

]]> Comment on Writing is Easy by Al Philipson http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/06/29/writing-is-easy/#comment-3888 Al Philipson Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:22:27 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=827#comment-3888 Actually, Jim workshopped the story a while back. Some of the later chapters are still accessible on the SFN site, but the first chapters are archived wherever Victory hides them. Actually, Jim workshopped the story a while back. Some of the later chapters are still accessible on the SFN site, but the first chapters are archived wherever Victory hides them.

]]> Comment on Writing is Easy by John Bowers http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/06/29/writing-is-easy/#comment-3886 John Bowers Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:05:17 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=827#comment-3886 Well said, Jim! Very amusing. I think you should send me a copy of your manuscript. Maybe I tell you whether you should have put the quill back in the goose. Cheers! Well said, Jim! Very amusing. I think you should send me a copy of your manuscript. Maybe I tell you whether you should have put the quill back in the goose.

Cheers!

]]> Comment on Inquiries: How to Get Your Manuscript Read by Brennan Harvey http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/06/15/inquiries-how-to-get-your-manuscript-read/#comment-3847 Brennan Harvey Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:33:23 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=809#comment-3847 Clean, succinct advice. Thanks, Allan. Clean, succinct advice. Thanks, Allan.

]]> Comment on 11 Ways to Get Rejected by Al Kalar http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/05/25/how-to-get-rejected/#comment-3746 Al Kalar Tue, 25 May 2010 15:26:13 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=786#comment-3746 Let's make it an even dozen: Send an inquiry that rambles, poorly constructed and worded, with spelling and grammar errors. The publisher won't judge your ability to write by your cover letter (or in our case, your email). If you're sending an initial inquiry to AKW Books, you'll use our contact form which smashes everything together. The best way to turn us off is to attempt to put a long rambling sales pitch into that little box rather than just telling us succinctly what your project is about. Why wait for the next step when we give you a real email address where you can be more verbose? Let’s make it an even dozen:

Send an inquiry that rambles, poorly constructed and worded, with spelling and grammar errors. The publisher won’t judge your ability to write by your cover letter (or in our case, your email).

If you’re sending an initial inquiry to AKW Books, you’ll use our contact form which smashes everything together. The best way to turn us off is to attempt to put a long rambling sales pitch into that little box rather than just telling us succinctly what your project is about. Why wait for the next step when we give you a real email address where you can be more verbose?

]]> Comment on Pardon My French by John Bowers http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/04/27/pardon-my-french/#comment-3710 John Bowers Sun, 02 May 2010 22:22:00 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=756#comment-3710 Brennan makes an interesting point, but taking a dump is something we usually do in private, so it doesn't need to be described in the average novel. Swearing is something we may do in private or in the presence of others. So while Brennan's rather humerous point is valid to some extent, I think it hardly merits being taken seriously. And yes, I have occasionally described someone draining the lizard in my novels. Brennan makes an interesting point, but taking a dump is something we usually do in private, so it doesn’t need to be described in the average novel. Swearing is something we may do in private or in the presence of others. So while Brennan’s rather humerous point is valid to some extent, I think it hardly merits being taken seriously.

And yes, I have occasionally described someone draining the lizard in my novels.

]]> Comment on Pardon My French by Keira Kroft http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/04/27/pardon-my-french/#comment-3706 Keira Kroft Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:55:44 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=756#comment-3706 I believe that works of fiction are better told with a healthy dose of realism. However, when you first introduce your self in life, you don't swear, you don't say it's so F'n nice too meet you. So I feel although vulgar language and as we were told as kids, “Bad words” are allowable and okay. But, not on the first page of your story, because that’s your introduction. I believe that works of fiction are better told with a healthy dose of realism. However, when you first introduce your self in life, you don’t swear, you don’t say it’s so F’n nice too meet you. So I feel although vulgar language and as we were told as kids, “Bad words” are allowable and okay. But, not on the first page of your story, because that’s your introduction.

]]> Comment on Pardon My French by Michelle Gagnon http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/04/27/pardon-my-french/#comment-3699 Michelle Gagnon Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:04:09 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=756#comment-3699 I agree, the language needs to fit the characters. In my books, the cops, special forces guys, and younger adults (college kids especially) are the biggest pottymouths. I don't advocate littering the text with it, but on our blog someone gave a great example. He was watching THE MATRIX on a plane, and when Trinity realized that they'd been set up and agents were en route to kill them, the dubbed version had her hanging up the phone and screaming, "Darn it!" It simply doesn't have the same impact of what she originally said (mind you, I'm not saying that airplanes shouldn't dub. But what if that had been the original response in the film?) I'm not a fan of sanitizing work simply because a few people complain. And in my experience, a few people ALWAYS complain about something, sometimes about things that surprise me. I agree, the language needs to fit the characters. In my books, the cops, special forces guys, and younger adults (college kids especially) are the biggest pottymouths. I don’t advocate littering the text with it, but on our blog someone gave a great example. He was watching THE MATRIX on a plane, and when Trinity realized that they’d been set up and agents were en route to kill them, the dubbed version had her hanging up the phone and screaming, “Darn it!”
It simply doesn’t have the same impact of what she originally said (mind you, I’m not saying that airplanes shouldn’t dub. But what if that had been the original response in the film?)
I’m not a fan of sanitizing work simply because a few people complain. And in my experience, a few people ALWAYS complain about something, sometimes about things that surprise me.

]]> Comment on Pardon My French by alkalar http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/2010/04/27/pardon-my-french/#comment-3698 alkalar Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:56:01 +0000 http://www.akwbooks.com/authors/authorblog/blog/?p=756#comment-3698 Folks. This is a public blog. Please keep the actual 4-letter words in your manuscripts and not here. I don't want to sound like a prude, but one of those 12-year-old's might read it in front of his mother and then we'll all catch "heck". Folks. This is a public blog. Please keep the actual 4-letter words in your manuscripts and not here. I don’t want to sound like a prude, but one of those 12-year-old’s might read it in front of his mother and then we’ll all catch “heck”.

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