CONTEMPORARY FICTION NEWSLETTER

From Leeann Betts:

 

If you like contemporary fiction, you are probably exactly who I’m looking for. Beginning in May 2016, I’ll be putting together a quarterly newsletter on matters related to contemporary fiction. I’ll include an interesting writing-related or reader-related or market-related article, a book review of a contemporary book I’ve recently read, upcoming news of conferences and events I think you’d enjoy, and a short devotional piece.

 

You can click here to go to the website and sign up. And while you’re there, take a look around. There’s lots of interesting stuff.

 

I promise not to contact you more than once a quarter unless there’s some exciting news that I know you’d want to hear right away.

 

And I promise not to sell, trade, or give away your contact information. Not even for chocolate. Scout’s honor.

 

And to thank you for trusting me, once you subscribe you’ll receive a link to a free short story about everyone’s favorite forensic accountant, Carly Turnquist. If you’ve never read one of her adventures, this is a nice way to dip your toes into the shallow end of the pool. And if you have read her books, this is a special separate, stand-alone story that Carly’s husband Mike refers to often when he’s trying to get her to see reason and keep out of whatever mystery she’s running headlong into.

 

Special story for a special person – you!

 

Just click here and go directly to the form.

 

Leeann Betts

 

Stories that Brighten Your Day

 

 

AND THE AUTHOR SAID . . .

“Everybody else is working to change, persuade, tempt and control them.
The best readers come to fiction to be free of all that noise.”
—Philip Roth

HOW-TO BOOKS

 This type of nonfiction book tells the reader, in detail, how to make or do something. Such books won't just give you a step-by-step plan to accomplish the task at hand, but will offer their advice based on the author's extensive experience, and knowledge of the process. Some publishers will focus on a specific category of how-to—such as how-to books for married couples or technology how-to—while others may deal more with how to make specific types of items, such as furniture or craft items. With Christian publishers, it may be such topics as Bible study, effective prayer, or how to teach Sunday school. One plus in the how-to market is that there is an endless array of how-to topics that can be addressed.

In the marketing process, you will find that even among the publishers who publish how-to books, they may vary in how they want the book formatted. Some will accept books that simply narrate the appropriate advice; some will want numbered steps that take the reader through a process step-by-step; still others will require the addition of photographs or diagrams that actually illustrate each step.

One possible downside of writing and selling how-to books is that if you think you have spotted a particular interest or trend that would require a how-to book, chances are it is already too late to get a book written and on the market before that interest or need has already passed. You will find lists of book publishers interested in how-to books in Writer's Market and in the Christian Writers' Market Guide. For a list of how-to books specifically for writers, go to: http://www.stuartmarket.com.

For step-by-step help on writing a how-to book, go to: http://www.alpineguild.com/how-to_book.htm.

NY TIMES CHRISTIAN BESTSELLERS

 

• MORE GLIMPSES OF HEAVEN by Trudy Harris (Baker Publishing) is #6 in E-Book Non-Fiction.
• TRIED BY FIRE by William J. Bennett (Thomas Nelson) is #11 in E-Book Non-Fiction.
• THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES by Gary Chapman (Northfield/Moody) is #1 in Relationships and #4 in Advice, How-To & Misc.
• FERVENT by Priscilla Shirer (B&H) is #4 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
• THE WAIT by DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good with Tim Vandehey (Howard Books) is #5 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith; #6 in Relationships.
• THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN by Gary D. Chapman and Ross Campbell (Northfield/Moody) is #6 in Family.
• I SAID YES by Emily Maynard Johnson. (Thomas Nelson) is #8 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
• BOUNDARIES by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (Zondervan) is #9 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
• CATCH A STAR by Tamika Catchings with Ken Petersen (Revell) is #9 in Sports.
• IMAGINE HEAVEN by John Burke (Baker Books) is #10 in Religion, Spirituality & Faith.
• THE WEDDING DRESS by Rachel Hauck (Thomas Nelson) is #14 in E-Book Fiction.

 

AND THE AUTHOR SAID . . .

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”—Wally Lamb

GALLEY PROOFS OR GALLEYS

A typeset copy of a book manuscript used to detect and correct errors before the final print run. At this point, the type on the pages will be formatted the way it will look in the final copy, although the pages will not be cut to size. This copy will be used by the editors at the publishing house to do a final edit, but it is also the copy that will be sent to the author for his final edit. The publishing contract should actually state that you will be sent the galley proofs and given a chance to edit them and return them in a specified number of days. The number of days will vary, from 7 to 30, usually depending on whether or not they are behind on the production schedule—and how far behind. Do not assume that because their editors are doing a final edit that you do not need to. As the author, you are the only one who might notice that some material is missing or out of order, or that some content meaning was changed in the original editing process. Make the review of the galleys a priority. For a detailed discussion, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galley_proof.

 

Excerpt from Writing World Defined--A to Z, (stuartcwmg@aol.com)

FIRST PERSON VIEWPOINT

When a story, book, or article is written as if narrated by the author. Using that “I” viewpoint brings the reader closer to the character or writer. However, one difficulty of using a first person viewpoint is trying to avoid starting every sentence with “I.” Another consideration is that the person doing the narrating must be in every scene or at least know what's happening in every scene. Not all periodicals or book publishers accept submissions written in first person, so always check their writers' guidelines to be sure you are targeting the right market. To understand the use of first person in your writing, go to: http://www.the-writers-craft.com/first-person-point-of-view.html