THIS ARTICLE APPLIES TO ALL CHILDREN’S BOOK MANUSCRIPTS – INCLUDING PICTURE BOOKS.
Here’s what I do in Microsoft Word. (If you need a visual, an example is included in the book version of my Crash Course.)
Font and Paragraphing
If you’re like many people you’ll wonder where you’re going to get that illustrator for your book. STOP RIGHT THERE. Unless you are a professional illustrator, do not try this at home, folks! This is the great thing about a writing career. You don’t have to know how to draw! So remember: writers write. Illustrators illustrate. For once something makes sense. Whooopee! I bet I know what your next question might be..”
Interested in learning how to write a children’s book? Look no further for all the nitty-gritty details of what you need to know to become a children’s book author, written by an active writer in the industry today.
Visit the Crash Course and get started!
Hello, everyone! Fall is in full swing and I’m heading south!
Want to meet me and perhaps learn a thing or two about two very important topics in childrens’ book publishing?
Visit SCBWI Texas for all the details.
Thanks again for your incredible patience in waiting for the final results for RLGL. We hope you have written or revised at least one major work while you were waiting for the pooch to get his head out of the refrigerator and work on your stuff.
We have two winners for the longer-work category! See below.
Dear Tiquees:
Thank you for your monumental patience while Kissy deals with a whole host of tasks related to bacon consumption, chew-toy destruction, and every pooch’s favorite time of the year: Spring Break! We are back and it’s time to start closing down RLGL in preparation for summer. This means there will be no new entries for RLGL.
UPDATE: Round 6 Results are now complete. If you sent in your submission after March 27, 11:59PM (provided you have followed all of our insane rules), your submission rolls into Round 7, which ends on April 8, 2014. Â Thank you all for your incredible patience. We hope you found that good chew toy to chomp to smithereens while waiting for these results.
This next week is extremely loaded for the pooch.
UPDATE:Â
*IF YOU WERE A …
1) Â ROUND 4 ENTRANT WAITING FOR RESULTS AND
2) DID NOT PASS Â AND
3) DID NOT GET A NUMBER for Round 5 and
4) FOLLOWED ALL THE RULES TO GET INTO ROUND 5 …
please forward your email to the Cynthea address so we can get your entry processed.
Round 5 Results are COMPLETE. Â The next deadline for existing entries and new entries is now March 27, 11:59PM CST.
UPDATE:Â
Round 4 Results are now complete.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SEND RLGL ENTRIES TO THE SUB ADDRESS. Woof! Cynthea’s personal email box is for addressing issues only. Put it this way: To get in line, you need to stand in the right line. Nothing worse than getting to the front of the line after waiting for days, only to realize you were in the wrong line the whole time.
Also make sure you submit the correct # of words. If you are on the first page, 125 words.
UPDATE:
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SEND RLGL ENTRIES TO THE SUB ADDRESS. Woof! Cynthea’s personal email box is for addressing issues only. Put it this way: To get in line, you need to stand in the right line. Nothing worse than getting to the front of the line after waiting for days, only to realize you were in the wrong line the whole time.
If you do not see a response next to your number, please verify that your entry was sent to the correct address in the proper format, etc.
NEW ENTRANTS: Wanna play? Read the rules here. You may enter at any time.
EVERYONE: Round 3 officially closes on Wednesday, March 12, 8pm CST. Submissions received after this deadline will roll into Round 4.
UPDATE: We have two Free-tique winners! Winners, do not contact Kissy until RLGL is completely over. We will let you know what to do when we come up for air.
UPDATES (PLEASE READ IN FULL):
If I received your submission by 9AM CST on March 6, your results have been posted. If you did not receive a number and you did turn in your submission to the sub address before the aforementioned deadline, please email me at cynthealiu AT gmail DOT com, and forward your email submission that you sent AND explain what’s wrong.
*Do not send new submissions to Cynthea’s personal email address, only inquiries if something is wrong.
Wowowow! Kissy has a lot of entries to gnaw on and he thanks you in advance for the glowing compliments. Please don’t hold it against him if he eats your ms.
Hang tight. We will post results gradually as we go through them. Do not email to ask about your result until we declare that all results have been posted. Doing so may subject you to complete elimination since it really screws up our mojo if we spend more time answering emails than reading submissions.
So sorry to everyone for the delay. I was having major technical issues with the site. I hope they are mostly resolved but this will be the true test.
Let’s see if we can make it through RLGL now that everything has been upgraded on the backend (we hope!).
So without further ado ….
Hello WFCAT fans!
Please read this post in full before sending anything.
For those of you who have a keen interest in developing literature or other media featuring Asian content, you should know about this conference held each year in Singapore. I had the wonderful opportunity to act as a faculty member last year, and it was an eye-opening experience to meet counterparts in the East from all over that side of the globe.
*UPDATE: All query crits submitted before the deadline have been returned. If your query was turned in on time and you did not receive reply, please contact me directly!
Happy Holidays! My apologies for the delay with free-tiques associated with RLGL. I’m a bit backlogged at the moment so please enjoy your holidays while I get through all of the tiques. Thank you! Woof!
Hello, everyone!
If you are a free-tique winner for novels, please submit up to ten pages (max 2500 words) of your work for critique to sub at wfcat dot com, attached as a word document. You may also include a synopsis. The synopsis will be read for content to help inform my critique. It will not be critiqued itself. Title your email: Free-tique Winner #XXX: MS Title, Format. E.g. “Free-tique Winner #999, MY MS ROCKS, MG”.
Hi Everyone, Round 10 Results are COMPLETE … Page-Off 2 winner is ….. #237!    Everyone who is waiting to figure out how to redeem prizes, we will need until next week to work out the delivery of prizes and so on. There’s a lot going on this week for us, so we appreciate your continued patience.
Hello everyone, unfortunately, our Round 10 goal was not met, HOWEVER we see no reason to disappoint people, given all that you’ve done to help our furry friends. Kissy and I are going to keep the Round 10 and drop the Round 11 instead. The deadline to submit to Round 10 is tonight (9/24/2012 11:59pm CST). Please be patient with us on Round 10 results. It may not be until after October 1st before we get finished reading them all.
UPDATE : Page-off #1 Free-tique winner: #64!  The fundraising deadline for Round 10 will NOT be moved, seeing as the race is tomorrow morning. We are still $105 short. So people who want Round 10 to go,  Help us get to Round 10 by saving a furry life and clicking on this link and donating! A new fundraising goal has been set.
UPDATE: Still $85 short for Round 9, and tonight (9/17/2012)’s deadline is fast approaching! Â
Congratulations # 618, you won a free-tique in the PB category! Stay tuned for details after RLGL is over.
Page-off-People, you all cleared 8 pages at the same time. You’re tied. The page-off for a free-tique win will take place in Round 9.
Woof, woof, arf arf!
We are so sorry to inform everyone that RLGL took its last breaths last night.
Yip, yip, yip, awoooo!
You all did a wonderful job helping us help save the lives of homeless pets in the Chicagoland area.  Kissy and I are forever grateful.
UPDATE: Round 8 deadline AND the fundraising goal has been pushed until Sunday, 09/09/12 at 11:59pm CST. We are so sorry it is taking us this long to get through Round 7 results! Now you should have time to get in your Round 8 pages and donate to keep a furry friend and RLGL alive.
Help us get to Round 8 by saving a furry life and clicking on this link and donating! We are still $200 short. If everyone kicks something in, we should clear the goal.
New Entrants and those of you who have received Round 6 Results, you may submit for Round 7 until Wednesday 09/05/12 at 11:59pm CST. Have no idea how to play? Read the rules here and come back.
UPDATE: We are still $150 short for tonight’s goal. Kissy’s shaking in his boots over here.
Unfortunately, we did not make last night’s goal deadline, and now we have to end–
Woof, woof, woof!!!
What is it, Kissy?
Arf, arf, arf!
Say what? You want to give everyone a second chance?
Uhnnnnnn, Uhnnnnnnnn…
You think humans should get a second chance, just like homeless dogs and cats?
Yip!
I don’t see why not. I think we humans did a terrific job with a fantastic goal, and $45 should not bring RLGL to a halt.
New Entrants and those of you who have received Round 5 Results, you may submit for Round 6 until Tuesday 8/28/12 at 11:59pm CST. Have no idea how to play? Read the rules here and come back.
Kissy and I are shaking in our boots over here. This is tense. Currently, we are $100 short of TONIGHT’S GOAL 5 DEADLINE. If you haven’t dropped a fiver (or more!) yet in this competition, better do it now.
Entrants, you may submit for Round 5 until tonight 8/26/12 11:59pm CST. Have no idea how to play? Read the rules here and come back.
First, THANK YOU for your contributions. We are doing so much for our furry friends. Kissy and I have been dancing around all weekend, knowing that all of your efforts are going to help out a wonderful cause! Arrrooooooo!
But it doesn’t end here. No, no.
New Entrants and those of you who have received Round 4 results, you may begin to submit now for Round 5. Have no idea how to play? Read the rules here and come back.
Want Round 5 to play out?Â
Our next fundraising goal is now set at $800 by Saturday, 8/25 11:59pm CST. Help us get there by clicking on this link and donating!
Round 5 Deadline is expected to be Sunday 8/26/12, 11:59pm CST.
Congratulations #207 PB. You’ve just won a free-tique! But never fear, PB/ER contestants, you can still compete to win another free-tique in the PB/ER category. #207, go jump for joy. Ask Kissy about redeeming your prize AFTER RLGL is totally over. He’s got a lot in his bowl right now.
New Entrants: Round 4 is open for New Entrants and those who have received their Round 3 results. Don’t know how to play? Read the rules here.
New entrants: Wanna play, but you have no idea what to do? Read the rules and come back here.
*****
First thank you to everyone for their contributions! We are only $75 shy for tonight’s goal!Â
To donate, visit our PAWS page here.
If the goal is not met by midnight tonight, Kissy is putting his reading glasses away; he’ll save his special surprise for the next RLGL game which may happen whenever he feels like getting around to it. Woof.
Arroooooooooo!
Hot-diggity-dog. It’s the weekend, folks, and we just realized we can’t get to this many entries by tomorrow with the weekend upon us, so we are extending Round 2 until today, Saturday, August, 18th 11:59pm CST. This means if you haven’t already submitted something for Round 2, you may do so until the deadline. ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND and stay away from your computer. We promise you won’t start round 3 until Monday morning at the earliest.
Arf! Arf! Arf! Woof, woof, woof woof!
Kissy has an important announcement.
Kind, Generous Life-Saving Humans,
Many of you are sending your subs to Cynthea’s email address. Cynthea’s inbox is mostly filled with loads of irrelevant email that no dog would ever want to read. So, I’ll beg on my hind legs if I have to, please send your submission to the email address listed in the RULES so that I can sniff your submission.
Round 2 is now officially open. If you sent in something before the round opened, Kissy gives you a warning bark for failure to wait. That said, we’ll count your early entry toward round 2. But please don’t do it again. Our inbox becomes a huge mess when we do RLGL. Anything you can do to keep us sane would be greatly appreciated.
This round is now open until 11:59pm CST on Saturday 8/18.
First, thank you for helping us reach our first fundraising goal and then some. A new goal will be posted when Round 2 opens.
Here are round 1 Results. *****RESULTS ARE COMPLETE*****
An asterisk means Kissy is contemplating sending your work back. So try to turn it around if you can.
For code definitions, see our free-tique feedback code list. For those of you with later numbers, Iskipped the codes to get you the results faster. So just read the notes.
Hello, everyone,
New participants – get your first half-page submission ready. A new round will be announced tonight. Do not send it though until the next round is open. (Round 2)
Existing participants – results for Round 1 will be posted soon. In the meanwhile, familiarize yourself with our free-tique feedback codes.
If your work is eliminated in this round, you will receive one or more of these codes.
This just in, fresh from my return from the annual SCBWI conference. I adore anything that supports unpublished writers trying to break in. This award in particular would have been something I would have jumped on before I got published. From their press release:
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) announced the creation of the On-The-Verge Emerging Voices Award at their 41stAnnual Conference in Los Angeles.
One of my favorite events of the year is the SCBWI-LA conference, the largest conference in the world for children’s book writers and illustrator. It’s coming soon (August 3-6th)! Please join me at the conference and say hello! Once more, I’ll be on faculty this year, potentially critiquing YOUR manuscript.
UPDATE: THIS FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS CLOSED. I’m responding to submitted pages as fast as I can. Please be patient as I return your free-tiques! It may take me a few days, given the number of submissions. If you missed the free-tique round and you’d like to have a paid critique, I am booking slots for 2012. Do sign up for the paid-critique list for rates and submission instructions.
Your hands are sweating. You lie awake at night. You can’t stop thinking about your face-to-face critique with the publishing professional of your dreams. On the day of the conference, you manage to stumble to the registration desk, blurt out your name to the welcoming lady behind the table, and get your shiny folder which includes everything you need to know … including your critique assignment.
You open the folder.
Hey everyone,
Whenever I hear of something uber-cool for writers that also happens to be free, I think to myself — my readers will want to know about this!
I hereby present to you WriteOnCon – the first online conference for kidlit writers of its kind!
www.WriteOnCon.com
Registration is open now. I heard about this through a writer-colleague friend who’s on faculty.
Hey, everyone,
Snoop and I are happy to report that we’ve finished all feedback for this last game of RLGL. If we missed yours somehow, please forward your WHY WHY WHY email to sub at cynthealiu DOT come or leave us a comment. If you missed the deadline to formally request feedback, we’re sorry, but Snoop and I need to move on with other important writerly matters at this time. Like catching up on our favorite reality TV shows and stuff.
Well, we’ve read, we’ve mulled, we’ve chewed.
The winner for RLGL in the longer-work category is #102! #102, you do not need to do anything to receive your free-tique, other than to remind Snoop on July 1st that we promised to finish it by June 30th!
All other SUDDEN DEATH players, all of you will receive some quick criticism – in-the-style-of-“brief-and-to-the-point” automatically.
Snoop is having trouble deciding which entry should win sudden death. He has decided to sleep on it, knowing that tomorrow will shed new light. Please hang tight – we will re-read the entries tomorrow and make a determination. Based on Snoop’s schedule, it is likely we shall have result’s by 1PM CST. Thank you! (Sorry for the torture!)
Snoop says, RED LIGHT!
All entries submitted before June 2, 11:59PM CST have been reviewed.  We have a winner for the longer-work category. A number of people have cleared page 7 (some, just barely). We have a six-way tie. If you see, SUDDEN DEATH next to your #, this means you are now competing for the win.
Everyone else, the game is over for you. Please hold off on contacting Snoop for feedback until SUDDEN DEATH is complete.
Hey all, I know many of you are anxiously awaiting results for Round 7. This is your update that they will be coming tonight. I don’t know when, but please try to relax and enjoy your afternoon while you wait. Apologies for the torture!
Snoop says, RED LIGHT. Round 6 results are complete.
Existing racers: PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ENTRY NUMBERS in the subject line as well as the correct page # for this contest (not what’s in your manuscript).
After page 1, do not send more than 250 words or less than 250 words. This ensures everyone competes equally. We don’t care if a sentence has been cut off or if you’ve ended a chapter. 250 WORDS (including chapter titles, etc.
Snoop says, RED LIGHT! Round 5 Results are complete.
RACERS: This is your last chance to enter. After Round 6 closes, Snoop will NOT be issuing new entry #s. You have until June 1st, 11:59PM CST. After that, only existing entries will be able to play.
Read this post for full details on how to enter.
If there is an asterisk by your X, it means Snoop is just waiting to chomp on your manuscript.
Hey all,
NEW RACERS: Visit this post for full details on how this game is played.
Snoop and I are packing for Mem Day weekend and doing all sorts of crazy stunts to get ourselves together. We anticipate Round 5 judging will occur late tonight. No worries though, you will have plenty of time to turn in Round 6 pages. Snoop thinks the next deadline will be on Monday. Anything sent after the last deadline (May 26, 11:59PM CST) will be rolled into Round 6.
Snoop says, RED LIGHT! Thanks for your patience. We had quite a full day today. Round 4 judging is now complete!
We have a winner in the PB category. *PB entries may still compete for the glory of making it the end and getting some feedback when this whole thing is done. *
NEW RACERS: Visit this post for full details on how this game is played.
An asterisk next to your X means Snoop is just looking for reasons to eat your work.
Snoop says, RED LIGHT. All Round 3 entries submitted before May 23, 11:59PM CST deadline have been judged.
NEW RACERS: Visit this post for full details on how this game is played.
CURRENT RACERS: If you do not see a judgment for your entry, it is probably because Snoop’s records show you missed the last deadline. Your page will be judged in the next round.
Snoop says, RED LIGHT. All Round 2 entries submitted before May 20, 11:59PM CST deadline have been judged.
NEW RACERS: Visit this post for full details on how this game is played.
CURRENT RACERS: If you do not see a judgment for your entry, it is probably because Snoop’s records show you missed the deadline. Your page will be judged in the next Round.
PLEASE READ IN FULL BEFORE SUBMITTING.
NEW RACERS: Visit this post for full details on how this game is played.
Woah. Snoop has put on his editor hat and gone through over 100 entries. He’s a little stuffed from all the manuscripts he’s eaten, and he thanks you for supplying such a tasty meal!
Please note: if Snoop ate your entry and then used it as litter (e.g.
When you receive your number, please wait until final results are posted before inquiring about next steps. All will be explained when those results are posted. Stay tuned to this site for round results.
Dear Freetiquees,
This is a quick update to let you know that Snoop’s once-clear calendar got royally-screwed up by some mission-critical items. And tonight, he is scheduled to man the fort while Cynthea attends a network SCBWI event. Because of this, we are extending this first round until 11:59 PM CST tonight (May 19, 2010).
Rest assured, we will do our very best to turn around results tomorrow. We apologize for making you wait.
UPDATE: ********THIS FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS CLOSED********
My email server is playing lots of fun games with me. It send out an old message about a free-tique round that should have gotten to you way back in May. As a result, a bunch of people, yourselves included, never got the notice about the free-tique round when it was actually occuring.
We are so sorry this happened. At this time, we can’t get another round started because of our schedule.
Hello everyone,
It must be raise-money-for-a-cause month or something! After Nashville, I was approached to offer a unique prize for bid to help keep Evanston Public Library open. So Snoop and I put our heads together and came up with … “Pick a Children’s Book Author’s Brain!” 60 minutes on the phone to discuss anything you like about the field, AND Snoop and I will offer our feedback on a 2500-word writing sample if you so wish.
Amanda Morgan along with her fabulous colleagues have put together a terrific auction to help their hometown of Nashville. You know how I love auctions and a good cause so I put in a critique (by moi and The Snooper) up for bid. Good luck! Auction ends soon!
http://dothewritethingfornashville.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-4-item-8.html
Recently, I was invited to do a live workshop on WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. As I was putting together my presentation, I thought I’d leave my students with a few fabulous quotes before I let them march off into the sunset to write their first book.
To find my quotes, I put out a call to writer friends on Facebook, Twitter, and Verla Kay’s message board. I asked them to tell me the best writing advice they’ve ever heard.
Hey everyone,
Snoop had a great time munching through your entries (over 250, way to go!). We took the liberty of modifying some of your ideas. Here is what was passed up to my publisher. If your entry was the first to inspire the final version, you were emailed already to notify you of your win. Here are the final results.
We would love it if you could vote which ones you like best.
Hey everyone,
The taglines are rolling in, and man, this is soooo awesome. Snoop and I are going to post our thoughts about which ones we like and offer more guidance. To see those thoughts, “hop” on over to http://www.twitter.com/thesnooper
BTW, this is really a great exercise for everyone when they think about titling and query letter pitches. A great tagline can really help sell your manuscript before it’s sold, if you know what I mean.
*THIS FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS NOW CLOSED. Results are posted here. *
Hey everyone, I told you a free-tique opportunity was coming soon and it’s here.
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich
This week, we have Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich. Olugbemisola is the daughter of a Jamaican mother and Nigerian father, and married to a man of Croatian descent. So, that’s what’s up with the name. She’s worked as a freelance writer and contributing editor at various magazines, and has developed educational materials geared to educators and students.
As of today, I have finished all outstanding free-tiques owed to participants from the Take the Dare: Show You Care launch. Thank you so much for supporting Tulakes Elementary and my book PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE.
If you did not receive yours, check your spam box. If you can’t find it, contact me!
This week, we have Rhonda Stapleton. Rhonda started writing a few years ago to appease the voices in her head. She has a Master’s degree in English and a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. Rhonda works as an editor for a legal publishing company and enjoys freelance editing and offering editing workshops. Because one writing group is never enough, she belongs to Romance Writers of America, several online and local writing chapters, and Romance Divas.
You’re in the right place. WFCAT has changed outfits temporarily until we figure out what is going wrong with the old site design. Until then, you can still visit your favorite haunts. It just won’t look the same as it did before. Enjoy!
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan
This week, we have L.K. Madigan. Lisa is married with one son, and two big black dogs. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where it’s green and gray. When she’s not reading, writing or playing with her family, she pursues hobbies like photography, music, bike riding, and sweeping up dog hair.
Here’s a little bit about FLASH BURNOUT, Houghton Mifflin, Fall 2009.
People who cashed in on the freetiquee bonuses from Take the Dare: Snoop and I are still chompin’ away. Thank you so much for you patience as we work through them all. In the meanwhile, enjoy some TV programming featuring myself and a few of my fellow writer colleagues on ABC 7. (Snoop did all the camera work.)
FYI: Snoop and I are working hard on processing payments and wrapping up the Take the Dare: Show You Care auction. If you cashed in on a Free-tique opportunity, you will be contacted as soon as the dust settles. In the meanwhile, enjoy the After-Hours party going on at www.cynthealiu.com. We hope to get back to everyone within the next week.
Mandy Hubbard
This week, we have Mandy Hubbard. Mandy grew up on a dairy farm outside Seattle, where she refused to wear high heels until homecoming and hated them so much she didn’t wear another pair for five years. A cowgirl at heart, she enjoys riding horses and quads and singing horribly to the latest country tune. She’s currently living happily ever after with her husband (who, sadly, is not a Duke) and her daughter (who is most definitely a princess).
Sarah Rees Brennan
This week, we have Sarah Rees Brennan. Sarah was born and raised in Ireland by the sea, where her teachers valiantly tried to make her fluent in Irish (she wants you to know it’s not called Gaelic) but she chose to read books under her desk in class instead. She lived briefly in New York and somehow survived in spite of her habit of hitching lifts in fire engines. She began working on The Demon’s Lexicon while doing library work in Surrey, England.
This week, we have Megan Frazer, who studied English literature and creative writing at Columbia University. She lives with her husband in Maine, where she is a high school librarian.
Nearly 230 entries. Three winners walked away with a free-tique! We topped out at 395 comments for the Library Lovin’ Challenge. Now how are Snoop and I going to get 605 more?! Stay tuned to find out ….
All Why, Why, Why feedback has been returned for those who have requested it. If you have not received yours, please let Snoop know and forward ALL the pages of your ms (PASTED in the email) to whysnoop@cynthealiu.com. Snoop will return your feedback via Twitter for any remaining works that have not received comments. Thanks!
If you want to see Round 13 go on, we need to reach four hundred comments (one per person please) by this Sunday 11:59PM CST.
http://www.cynthealiu.
Will Round 13 happen? Help us make it to 400 comments by Sunday, May 3rd, 11:59PM CST, and the race is on!
The challenge post is here. Please leave a comment (one per person!).
http://www.cynthealiu.com/2009/03/bloggers-library-loving-challenge/
THIS JUST IN: Round 12 Twitter Thoughts from Snoop are posted. http://www.twitter.
Will Round 12 happen? Help us make it to 350 comments by Wednesday, April 30th 11:59PM CST, and the race is on!
The challenge post is here. Please leave a comment (one per person!).
http://www.cynthealiu.com/2009/03/bloggers-library-loving-challenge/
THIS JUST IN: Round 11 Twitter Thoughts from Snoop are posted. http://www.twitter.
Hello WFCAT fans,
Thought you’d enjoy this one today. Especially with RLGL underway. Breathe it in!
http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-i-read-submissions.html
Looks like a good chance that Round 11 will never come to fruition without your help. Help us make it to 300 comments, and the race is on!
The challenge post is here. Please leave a comment (one per person!).
http://www.cynthealiu.com/2009/03/bloggers-library-loving-challenge/
THIS JUST IN: Round 10 Twitter Thoughts from Snoop are posted. http://www.twitter.
I want to thank everyone who has participated and spread the word so far, but seriously? We can do WAY better. Get your mom, your kids (13+), and your spouses involved to keep RLGL alive. While the challenge will continue until the goal is met, RLGL won’t if it’s not bringing in more supporters. We’re not doing this for nothing, yanno.
The challenge post is here. Please leave a comment (one per person!).
http://www.cynthealiu.
For those of you participating in RLGL, and even those who are not, Snoop will be tweeting his thoughts while reviewing RLGL works.
http://www.twitter.com/thesnooper
Should be enlightening. To enter RLGL, see http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/2009/03/26/918/red-light-green-light-we-love-libraries-begins-tonight/
THIS JUST IN:
Snoop and I really want to make our Library Lovin’ challenge goal, and we can’t do it without your help. Sooo…. this is your warning (or your kick in the pants), once the comments stop on our challenge post, so do we. We’re not doing this just for thrills, you know. There is a library-in-need that would like to receive our moolah, and we’d like to give it to them before the year 2015.
Having fun? Please spread the word about RLGL: We Love Libraries. Remember: EVERYONE WILL RECEIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT EACH WORK ENTERED IN RLGL, regardless of their standing in the race. Support a library-in-need!
Here are the full rules: http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/2009/03/26/918/red-light-green-light-we-love-libraries-begins-tonight/
Reminder: Snoop is returning feedback now.
***BREAKING NEWS: We have TWO novelists at the finish line. Snoop missed #88’s entry which was submitted prior to the deadline.  This means both novelists will fight to the death for the free-tique in a page-off competition. Any other novelist who makes it through page 7 will not be able to win a free-tique. However you can still go on past page 7 if our leading novelists are still playing each other.
This will be exciting, folks.
THIS JUST IN: Snoop and I had to delay this round a bit since we just got done with a school visit and WE ARE WIPED. Thought we could go through everything tonight, but realize now that this is impossible! We want to be fresh for your work, so we will be delivering results tomorrow beforeSnoop has to do his thing for Easter. So please bear with us! Good news is THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. You have until TONIGHT, 11:59PM CST to turn in your stuff.
Someone asked Snoop a great question in this last round. “If I get sent back to start, what does it really mean?” Here’s the answer: Snoop and I look at your work from several different aspects, much like we do when we a full critique, too. We look for fit in the overall market (does the writing and premise fit the target age range?), do we find the basic premise appealing? (i.e.
FORTUNE'S FOLLY by Deva Fagan
This week, we have Deva Fagan. Deva likes searching for patterns, which is how she explains both her degree in mathematics and the echoes of old fairy tales in her stories. She lives in Maine with her husband and her dog.
Here’s a little bit about FORTUNE’S FOLLY coming out in just two weeks (Henry Holt).
Ever since her mother died and her father lost his shoemaking skills, Fortunata has survived by telling fake fortunes.
THIS JUST IN: Snoop will be telling all RLGL entrants why their pages were sent back to the starting line after RLGL is completely over. Unfortunately, we will not be able to go into it at great length but we will provide “reason codes” to help you understand what might have been the problem. So everyone will walk away with feedback. YES!!! If you are interested in participating in RLGL, read the original post for full rules and details: http://www.
Snoop says, “RED LIGHT!†Snoop has examined everyone’s work that was submitted prior to last night’s deadline. New and old racers with new works, you will receive entry numbers when Snoop reviews all entries for the next round. YOU DO *NOT* HAVE TO WAIT TO RECEIVE AN ENTRY NUMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR FIRST HALF-PAGE. Just send it in.
The following racers interested Snoop enough to see where your work is headed.
Sydney Salter
This week, we have Sydney Salter who held a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer, including her brief stint delivering pies and flowers, wrecking vans, and destroying wedding cakes in Reno, Nevada. Sydney now lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, two cats, two dogs and two tortoises. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and, of course, baking and decorating cakes (but not driving them anywhere).
Snoop says, “RED LIGHT!†Snoop has examined everyone’s work that was submitted prior to last night’s deadline. New racers, you will receive entry numbers when Snoop reviews all entries for the next round. YOU DO *NOT* HAVE TO WAIT TO RECEIVE YOUR ENTRY NUMBER TO SUBMIT YOUR FIRST HALF-PAGE. Just send it in along with your registration.
The following racers interested Snoop enough to see where your work is headed.
ALL RLGL ROUNDS ARE NOW OFFICIALLY CLOSED. Thanks for playing, everyone!
If you miss any round, YOU CAN ENTER THE RACE AT ANY TIME. You never know how this will turn out. Also, the results of each round are posted anonymously and your work will not be shared with anyone besides Cynthea and Snoop.
Snoop will also be giving feedback on entries submitted after the race is over, regardless of the entrant’s standing in the race.
Mark Fink, author of STEPPING UP
This week, we’re celebrating the fabuloso Mark Fink. Mark wrote and produced for television, doing shows for every major network, including Full House, Saved By The Bell, Growing Pains and many others.
Snoop says, “KEWL!”
Mark also created and produced the NBC teen comedy Hang Time, about a high school basketball team in Indiana. This show allowed him to enjoy two of his passions: comedy and basketball.
Deborah Lytton
This week, we have a STAR and a debut author. Well, all of our debut authors are stars, but she’s really a star, like in movies and stuff! Deborah Lytton grew up in front of the camera as an actress and singer, beginning her career at the age of six.
J.C. Phillipps
This week, we have the phenomenal J. C. Phillipps, who goes by Julie in regular non-author life. Julie has degrees in theater and art. She never took courses in writing or illustration, but realized her playwriting experience and art background might mesh well into picture books. Because she was twenty-five at the time and the thought of writing picture books seemed like something an older person might do – she bought a leather jacket instead.
A: When I think of high-concept fiction, I think of blockbuster-movie-kind-of-fiction. If you’ve got a “coming of age” story, where everyone is a regular human being that goes to a normal school, the girl breaks up with a bad boyfriend, but then realizes she was worthy without him, then that’s probably not high-concept.
Heads up, everybody. The First Great Haul of China winner was announced at http://www.cynthealiu.com. One lucky contestant gets to take home a genuine Terra Cotta warrior souvenir straight from Xi’an, an autographed copy of THE GREAT CALL of China … AND… a gift certificate to Amazon.com. ARE YOU NEXT?! If you have not entered, you have until tomorrow, March 1st, 11:59PM CST. http://www.cynthealiu.com. P.S. EVERYONE TAKES HOME A SWEET PARTY FAVOR.
This week, we have the notable Neesha Meminger who was born in India, grew up in Canada, and currently divides her time between New York City and Toronto. Her first book SHINE, COCONUT MOON is due for release in March, 2009 from Margaret K. McElderry Books
When you received your offer, you…
Wow, guys, I just have to say WOW!
This morning I woke up to all sorts of goodness in my inbox.
tamarak made the light-bulb go off in my head this morning when she asked where the afterhours party was.
And you know Snoop and I. We aim to please.
Especially when it comes to partying.
Hey everyone,
Today my first book THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA is out, and you may have heard that Snoop and I are having a couple of parties to celebrate.
http://www.cynthealiu.com (for everyone)
http://taralazar.wordpress.com for tiquee addicts! (I mean, writers!)
But Snoop and I are terrible hosts.
Hey everyone,
So sorry about the series article hiatus. I was swept up in a publicity frenzy over the weekend, and I’m pushing some serious deadlines to get some stuff done for the release!
Stay tuned to learn more about the parties happening TOMORROW for writers, friends and Snoop fans! (DID I HEAR FREE-TIQUES?!)
We’ll pick up where we left off on the article series when things die down a little.
Yours,
Cynthea (and Snoop!)
Yesterday, we talked about how to study writing style. The next thing you’re going to do is examine what happens in the first few chapters of other books in the series so you know what you should cover in your own sample chapters. How?
Read the first few chapters (or roughly 25 pages of books in the series). If you want, write a simple paragraph about each chapter you read.
Yesterday, we talked about cover letters, outlines, and synopses. Today we’re getting to one of the most important parts of a proposal. THE SAMPLE CHAPTERS. Here’s where you’re going to prove your worth. And for series writing, it’s not necessarily about flaunting your style of writing, it’s about showing that you know how to write in the style of the series.
Yesterday, we discussed what to look for when researching a children’s or teen book series. Now we’re going to talk about developing your idea for the next book into a pitchable concept. Let’s break down what you’ll be putting together.
The Proposal
Assuming, you’ve already inquired about the guidelines from the publisher or packager, you have now reached the stage where you have been invited to submit a proposal.
Yesterday, we covered how to find children’s and teen book series that you can write for. Now I’m going to assume that you have some good idea of whom you will try to approach. You’ve verified the publisher or packager accepts new ideas for stories, and maybe you even have some guidelines from them about the series.
For S.A.S.S. I received a series concept letter from my agent (which came from the publisher).
Are you curious about how authors get in on multi-author series books like S.A.S.S. Students Across the Seas?
Do you want to understand what skill set and experience is required to write for any established series?
Would you like to know how to approach a publisher to get your idea sold?
Then this is the article series for you. In the coming days, I’ll talk about how to get started writing for a series based upon my own experience with S.A.S.
My book S.A.S.S. The Great Call of China is coming out in 10 days … And recently, a fellow writer friend of mine decided to celebrate! Her name is Tara Lazar and she posted this on The Blue Boards.
I cried.
That post has led to many great things, including a wonderful free critique opportunity offered by Roxanne Werner.
Also to celebrate, I’m giving back again with a new article series called BEHIND THE BOOK: WRITING FOR AN ESTABLISHED SERIES …
Well, I debated if I should interview myself for my own column (I mean–have Snoop do it!! Woah, where did that come from?!) And I decided I probably do owe everyone a little bit more about myself here on Writing for Children and Teens. Plus, my book is coming out in a couple of weeks … So … without further ado, here it is. Snoop, ask me the tough questions!
( *Snoop clears his throat.* Ahem.)
Q: I’ve written a picture book and I’m perusing the CWIM. Many publishers have multiple editors or
people in charge of Acquisition. How do I know whom to contact?
A: Great question. Read my article on submitting to editors here. It details in length how to find which editor to pick. http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com/for-writers/step-six-find-an-editor/.
Q: A book I’ve reads says so many times that it is inadvisable to email publishers as they simply won’t respond. But some publishers say they are open to email submissions. Is it still ok to do so?
A: If the publisher’s guidelines say it is okay to email them, then yes, follow the publisher’s guidelines. The book may simply be advising writers not to blindly email publishers as a way to break in.
This week we have the scintillating Kurtis Scaletta. Kurtis was born in Louisiana and grew up in New Mexico, North Dakota, England, Liberia, Brazil, and a few other places. He now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and several cats.
MUDVILLE
A little bit about Kurtis’s book MUDVILLE (Knopf, February 2009).
Welcome to Moundville, where it’s been raining for longer than Roy McGuire has been alive.
Q: A writer asks: When writing a manuscript, does one indicate that words are italicized by
underlining the intended words or simply italicizing them? I read online that
one should underline any phrase meant to be italicized because that makes it
easier for the typesetter to find. What is your experience?
A: It’s a matter of personal taste. Personally, for all of my manuscripts, I do NOT underline. I italicize.
This week, we have the ingenious Jenny Moss. Jenny is a former NASA engineer who was secretly writing at night [prior to getting a contract]. As a child, she loved words. As a teen, she dreamed of hanging out in French cafes with other writers. But she also loved numbers, which led to a career in engineering. Now a full-time writer, she still hopes to hang out in those French cafes one day.
This week we have C. Lee McKenzie. In her other life-the one before she began writing fiction for teens and middle grade readers-C. Lee was a teacher and administrator at California State University, San Jose. Her field of Linguistics and Inter-cultural Communication has carried her to a lot of places in the world to explore different cultures and languages.
Tell us a little about your first book SLIDING ON THE EDGE (WestSide Book, coming April, 2009).
Snoop just did some drive-by tiquing over at Kidlit Central News for Fun Friday. The round was so small that Snoop didn’t feel good about sending all of his free-tiquees an email about it. (So, sorry if he didn’t email it to the list!).
At any rate, you might find it interesting to see what a short version of Snoop’s free-tiques look like. And bonus, you just might learn something new about Writing for Children and Teens.
This week we have the sensational Samantha R. Vamos. Samantha grew up on the East coast where she attended law school and practiced law. She spent her 30’s in the Midwest, managing to keep warm in the Windy City. Now she and her family reside in the Pacific Northwest where she writes as much as she can and heads outside whenever the sun shines.
(Snoop says, hmm, sunshine? Maybe I should move.
This week, we have the magnificent J.E. MacLeod who lives with her husband and son near the Canadian Rockies. Before becoming a full-time writer, J.E. was a copywriter in radio and television. She was also a DJ and still thinks that might have been kind of cool. Waiting to Score (WestSide Books, February, 2009), is her first young adult novel.
WAITING TO SCORE
Tell us about your first book.
This week we have the ever-amazing Erin Dionne, who has lived on two coasts and in four states. Her debut novel, MODELS DON’T EAT CHOCOLATE COOKIES (Dial, February 2009), was inspired by events that occurred in seventh grade, when she wore a scary peach bridesmaid dress in her cousin’s wedding and threw up on her gym teacher’s shoes (not at the same event). Although humiliating at the time, these experiences are working for her now.
Hey everyone,
Okay, I can’t apologize enough about how much Snoop and I have been in hiding lately, but seriously, we have lots of good reasons. This latest one though is pretty good. Need some major inspiration? Check out what we’ve been working on at http://www.authorsnow.com. I hope that by browsing through this site, you’ll get a good idea of where you could be in a blink of an eye.
R. J. Anderson
This week we have the amazing R. J. Anderson. She is known to her friends as Rebecca, is the daughter of a Bible teacher, the wife of an agricultural biologist, and the mother of three energetic young boys.
And we have a winner for the contest to name Josh’s book….. drum roll please…… (Snoop? A bit louder.) brrrrrrrrmmmmm, brummmm, brummmmmm!
FROM JOSH:
Thanks you so much to all of you for playing “Name Josh’s Book!” I feel really fortunate to have the collective brain of such a fun & creative group working on titling my book. There were so many great titles and kind messages.
This week we have the lovely Laurel Snyder. So there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is Laurel got skipped during my hiatus from the web, so we completely missed her debut. (GAH!) The good news is Laurel’s books are out now, and she’s got two of them! She is the debut children’s book author of UP AND DOWN THE SCRATCHY MOUNTAINS (Random House, 2008), and INSIDE THE SLIDY DINER (Tricycle, 2008) .
Here it is: an opportunity of a lifetime—win a critique from Josh Berk and a chance to name a real book coming out from Knopf. But first you ask …
Who is Josh? Josh Berk is a librarian and author from Allentown, PA who signed a two-book Young Adult deal with Knopf. The first book comes out in early 2010 and he needs a title! And he promises he will deliver a brutally honest critique of the first three chapters of your children’s or teen novel (25 pages max).
Wanna learn more about my agent Jennifer Rofe from the Andrea Brown Literary Agency? Check out our interview at kidlitcentralnews.com. See the woman herself, sans shoes, and learn about her interesting penny-collecting habit, among other things.
Saundra Mitchell
This week we have the stupendous Saundra Mitchell! A screenwriter and author, Saundra penned the screenplays for the Fresh Films and Girls in the Director’s Chair short film series. Her short story “Ready to Wear” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her first feature film, Revenge Ends, debuted on the festival circuit in 2008. SHADOWED SUMMER, her debut novel, launches in February of 2009, and has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection.
Hi everyone,
In the mood to win something? Stop by kidlitcentral for a chance to win some great prizes. The contest is so easy, it’s embarrassing, and Snoop is giving away a copy of his book WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!
Cynthea
This week we have the amazing Aprilynne Pike. She has been spinning faerie stories since she was a child with a hyper-active imagination. She completed her BA in Creative Writing at the age of twenty at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found at the gym; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a doula. Aprilynne currently lives with her husband and three kids in Utah, and dreams of warmer climates.
This week we have writing dynamo David Macinnis Gill. David is the author of the debut novel, SOUL ENCHILADA, due out in May 2009 from Greenwillow/HarperCollins. His stories have appeared in several literary magazines. He is the current President of ALAN (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents) and an Associate Professor at UNC Wilmington.
This week we have the sensational Cyn Balog! She’s a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She’s also the Race & Event Manager for several national fitness magazines. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and young daughter. Both are 100% human, or so she thinks. FAIRY LUST is her first novel (Delacorte, Summer 2009).
Tell us a little bit about FAIRY LUST.
This week we have the notable Nancy Viau, but here’s the thing. Snoop and Cynthea have been away for the last several months, and you might have noticed AOTV had to go offline for a while. As a result, Nancy, our latest Author on the Verge, is now an Author in Print! (AIP!!!) Her debut novel Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head has just been released with Abrams/Amulet. Gooo, Nancy!
Here’s a bit more about this lovely lady.
Lori Calabrese who has an awesome writer’s resource of her own has just honored WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS with the Brillante Weblog Premio award. I can only assume by the name of this award that it comes from somewhere in Italy–I feel very chic! As part of the goodness that the Brillante award is, I’d like to pass it on to … Snoop, envelope, please ….
If you’ll be at the annual SCBWI conference in LA, come say Hi! I look forward to meeting you! And if you’ve never gone to this one before, it’s a must-do! My first annual conference experience was truly unforgettable. You can read about it here.
Here are more highlights from last year.
And the year before.
Happy conferencing,
Cynthea
The Free-tique round this month had to be canceled due to unforseen circumstances. Keep an eye out for future free-tique round announcements.
This week we have Gayle C. Krause whose debut picture book Rock Star Santa will be released this winter with Scholastic. Rock Star Santa depicts a unique Christmas Eve involving a child and a different side of Santa. Gayle also writes MG and YA historical fiction, fantasy and contemporary novels. She is a reviewer of children’s books for Children’s Literature.com and holds a M.S. degree in Elementary Education.
Hey everyone,
Winners of the last free-tique round were just declared. If you did not receive an email, do know that Snoop enjoyed your answers and he hopes to hear from you again in the next free-tique round.
Now look out July!
This week, we have Meg Medina, a Cuban American writer who works in picture books, middle grade fiction and young adult fiction. Her work blends traditions of Latin American literature with modern concerns of growing up. (Snoop says, WOAH!) She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and three children.
THIS FREETIQUE ROUND IS CLOSED.
Hey everyone,
This is what we’re doing this month. READ THE COMPLETE RULES BELOW before emailing Snoop. Breaking a rule may make your email subject to Snoop’s chomping. So read this carefully.
1) You must be a new tiquee, meaning Snoop has seen no more than 1 page of any of your manuscripts already.
This week, we have Chris Rettstatt, the creator of Kaimira and co-author of the Kaimira book series (Candlewick Press and Walker Books). The first book in the Kaimira series, Sky Village, hits stores July 2008.
This week, we have Chris Rettstatt, the creator of Kaimira and co-author of the Kaimira book series (Candlewick Press and Walker Books). The first book in the Kaimira series, Sky Village, hits stores July 2008.
This week, we have Maggie Stiefvater, a young adult novelist and professional equestrian artist. A mother of two toddlers, Maggie lives in Virginia with her husband, her children, and two small dogs who have a distressing tendency to fart.
(By the way, Snoop is trying really hard NOT to make a farting joke right now.
First, if you haven’t noticed, Cynthealiu.com got a new look and a new web address (http://www.writingforchildrenandteens.com.) Yes, Snoop had to pack his bags and move over here since Cynthealiu.com will become my official author website in the coming months. WritingforChildrenandTeens.
This week, we have Emily Ecton, middle-grade novelist and writer and producer for Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, the NPR news quiz. She has also been a playwright, a chinchilla wrangler, an ice cream scooper and a costume character. While Emily doesn’t have a groovy rabbit like Snoop, she does live in Chicago with her dog, Binky. And we here at Writing for Children and Teens love Chicago and all of our furry friends.
Come to one of the most celebrated book fairs in the country–I’ll be working the SCBWI booth at the Printers Row Book Fair, happy to answer your questions about writing for children and teens and signing my book, WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. See you there!
How to get there:
The book fair is located on historic Printers Row, in the blocks surrounding Dearborn and Polk street.
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that I’m creating a website for debut children’s book authors and illustrators called AuthorsNow! I think this will be a great opportunity for new authors and author groups to spread the word about themselves and their books! If your first traditionally published children’s or teen book (fiction or non – all age-levels, publisher listed in CWIM or CBC) will be coming out in 2009 or beyond in the U.S.A.
THIS FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS NOW CLOSED.
Hey everyone,
In this special free-tique round, Snoop puts on his white coat and stethoscope and steps into his office. You may ask him anything about fiction children’s writing or your work. Your question must also be specific–something Snoop can answer with one quick peek and a written prescription in his bad handwriting.
UPDATE: The title for the book has been decided. It is….THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA. Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest. With over 500 entries, it was a stunning success. Snoop and I hope you had a great time playing.
THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED.
Just an update:
Thanks to everyone for their title submissions. The contest is closing soon (4 PM – CST TODAY). Keep them coming! I have nearly 500 entries. You’d be surprised that some of the “bad” titles are actually quite good. Don’t afraid to be silly with them. But keep in mind 1) play-on-words 2) the country 3) the character or plot.
THIS ROUND IS NOW CLOSED
Hi everyone,
I need a new title for my book ASAP, and I’m bad at titling. So to drum up as many ideas as possible, I am offering a Free-tique if your title is used. Heck, I’ll even give away half-page tiques to any title that I send on to my editor….
IN WRITING NEWS:
In case you haven’t heard yet, my illustrious critique partner Beberly is co-pres of the Class of 2k9! (whoot-whoot!). And in case you also haven’t heard, my other illustrious critique partner Tamarak was featured in this issue’s SCBWI bulletin! (OMG!)
I am cool by association!
Congrats, gals!
Hi everyone, the crits are complete. If you did not receive yours for any reason, feel free to forward me your original email again and let me know.  Stay tuned for another free-tique round next month!
I’m still working on the quick-crits. They’re supposed to be quick, but with so many entries it’s hard to be THAT quick! I hadn’t expected to get nearly one hundred entries! Yowza.
Have patience–your crit is coming soon.
Thanks!
THIS FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS NOW CLOSED.
IN WRITING NEWS:
First, a big thanks to those of you who wished Baby Liu a warm welcome to the world. Your messages were lovely, the presents divine, and the good vibes were very much appreciated! With that said, I can’t wait to get back into writing-mode, and what better way to start off the year than with a free-tique round for everyone. Woohoo!
Traffic Cop is going on now.
I get this question a lot. And often the person wants to know 1) how the book can be picked up by a major publisher or 2) how to get the book and related products in the traditional bookstores.
This is a very tough question. But here’s the short answer. PREPARE FOR A DIFFICULT ROAD AHEAD.
IN OTHER NEWS:
I thought this was such a kewl idea, I had to blog about it (EVEN THOUGH MY REVISION IS DUE TOMORROW. Yes, I’m working, I swear!) If you like Jarrett Krosoczka’s PUNK FARM books, you’ll LOVE THIS–your chance to win an original PUNK FARM character painting! Enter the raffle now.
BUT now that I told you about this, YOU CANNOT ENTER FOR THE PIG. THE PIG IS MINE. SO LAY OFF THE OINKER, alright?
A: If you are both a writer and a professional illustrator, then what you will want to do is create a picture book dummy. I’m not an illustrator myself, but I can point you to a great article on how to make one.
http://www.yellapalooza.com/tutorials/dummies.html
If you’re only a writer, then follow the steps in my crash course to learn how to submit your picture book manuscript.
The paperback version of my crash course is finally available. It’s called WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS: A CRASH COURSE. The paperback contains revised and expanded versions of my articles featured online in addition to bonus materials that include real-life samples of editor rejection and revision letters.
Get it in time for the holidays! Yippee!
This is a virtual shout out to my beloved critique partner and friend, Beverly Patt (or beberly). She just sold an extremely unique and creative book to Marshall Cavendish and acquired a highly-estemeed literary agent. Doubly-good news! Congrats, Bev!
And our random winner of a free-tique is….
LINDSEY LEAVITT, YA, SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD
This concludes the results of our free-tique contest! We’re sorry we couldn’t respond to everyone for this contest, but Snoop and I promise we’ll be back to our old games like OFFICE HOURS and RLGL in the near future where everyone will get a chance at some quick feedback.
Snoop would like to announce the results for the Free-tique Contest with Agent Jennifer Jaeger of ABLA!
FINALISTS – (you have won a quick-crit)
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
* Sarah Tregay, YA, A KISS IN PARIS
* Steve Arnold, YA, PLIMOTH COLONY, IOWA
* Steve Arnold, YA, TRIPLE THREAT
* Gregory Stephen Fields, MG, BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE
* Cherie Colyer, YA, BLOOD TIES
* Miriam Spitzer, MG, THE EXTRAORDINARY INCREDIBLE PANSY SMITH
Free-tique contest with agent Jennifer Jaeger of Andrea Brown Literary Agency is open for Entries!
Why do you want to enter?
1) It’s a chance to see how you stand among your competition FOR FREE.
2) If you pass Snoop’s muster, it’s another way to get yourself in front of a notable literary agent QUICKLY!
3) It’s just plain fun, y’all.
Submissions are open from now until 11:59PM (CST) Friday, October 26th.
Hi everyone, this is just your big heads up. Snoop, an esteemed literary agent, and I will be hosting a writing contest in October. So get your manuscripts ready! To keep up with updates an announcements regarding this contest, don’t forget to sign up for my free-tique list.
See you in October!
SNOOP SAYS:
Contest? Contest? YUMMY!
IN WRITING NEWS:
I’m sending a big shout out to tiquee Tracy Holczer for her Sue Alexander Award win with SCBWI!
Congrats, Tracy!
Snoop says:
Whoot! Whoot!
If you’ve got TIVO or whatever, be sure to record the season premiere of Deal or No Deal on NBC tonight and get ready to put the thing on Pause or Slow-Mo. Chances are you might catch a glimpse of the three lovely ladies who are making it big in Hollywood (as audience members). 🙂 Enjoy!
IN WRITING NEWS: (K, the synopsis isn’t exactly spot on, but who cares?! Now I know what it feels like to be in Publisher’s Marketplace. Pretty dang cool, people.
Q: What elements make for a good hook, particularly at a story’s outset?
A: Hook is really hard to define. But here’s how I look at it (in terms of opening pages)
It’s something that draws you in.
It could be a first line.
It could be a character’s unique voice.
It could be an interesting situation on the first pages.
It could be the style in which the piece is written.
Q: I want to write for teens, but I’m much older than a teen and don’t really know if it’s something I can tackle without coming across as unauthentic. What’s the best way to learn how to write for the teen audience in particular?
A: The best way to get to know how to write for YA is to read a bunch of YA novels. You don’t even have to read the whole book; opening chapters say a lot about the great range within YA.
Q: If a publisher’s guidelines says to address all submissions to a general
submissions editor (e.g., acquisitions editor or something similar) versus a specific person, is it acceptable to “break those rules†if I learn about an editor there who has preferences for the kind of work I write?
A: Almost all houses have submissions guidelines that are generic or say to send something to SUBMISSIONS EDITOR, or something like that.
Q: How do I know if a literary agent is great?
A: Great is a subjective word, but if you do your research by going to the places I suggest in my course, you’ll start to narrow down who might be great for your work and who might not.
Q: I am writing a picture book. Should I include art specs for each page? Or should I just explain the general idea in the cover letter and hope the editors will “get†what I’m visualizing for the art?
A: A picture book text is 50% of the story. The other 50% is what the illustrator brings to the table. Specifying art direction for every page of a picture book is strongly discouraged and will flag you as an amateur.
Q: Should you copyright your manuscript before sending it out? How do you someone won’t steal your ideas. What is the common practice among authors?
A: Your work is copyrighted as soon as you’ve written it. You do not need to go through the formal process of copyrighting before submitting your work.
An article in the SCBWI-IL Prairie Wind, written by charlottesmom, features our very own Beverly Patt, Anna Lewis, and Snoop!
Question: So a fellow tiquee has asked, “is winning a free-tique round a credential for a query letter?” Good question.
Answer: As much as Snoop would like everyone to believe that he is world-famous, Cynthea must deflate his ego and say, “No, you should not include any mention of your success in a free-tique round in your query letters.
For more on rhyming picture books, you have to check out this transcript of an ICL chat with Shelly Becker on rhyming picture books. This is nitty-gritty stuff, man.
Happy reading,
Cynthea
It’s a girl!
Responses to winning free-tique entries are being returned now.
The drawing for a regular free-tique will be announced tomorrow!
A SPECIAL FREE-TIQUE round will be opening on Wed, August 8th. But if you want to participate, you’ll need to jump on my freetique list between now and then (that’s August 8th, 11:59 PM) to find out the details. There will be a special contest to qualify and this one should be fast and fun and informative for those writers who want to know if their work can grab the attention of an agent or editor (or Snoop’s!) from page 1.
Good luck!
Cynthea and Snoop
Are you gearing up for a conference and find yourself wondering what to wear, what to bring, and how NOT to make a fool of yourself in front of editors and agents? Then this is the article for you.
Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Attending a Children Writer and Illustrator Conference
1. Do NOT harass editors and agents to see your work.
Steve Arnold! You have won the free-tique drawing, conducted by Snoop! Congratulations!
Enjoy the weekend, everyone.
IN WRITING NEWS:
Well, I promised one and here it is. A free-tique round is open, but before you spazz and madly try to locate the file you want to send, READ THIS FIRST.
All you need to do this time is just add your email address to my free-tique list. You will automatically be entered in a drawing sponsored by Snoop. The winner will be announced no sooner than Friday, 5PM (CST), June 29th. And remember, CHILDREN’S FICTION work only, any genre.
In writing news:
Harold Underdown, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Publishing Children’s Books, Second Edition just featured one of my articles on his website The Purple Crayon! If you’ve never been there before, do check it out for a plethora of free children’s articles and tips. And don’t forget to stop by my own site for new articles on How to Interview an Agent and How to Avoid Children’s Book Scams.
Snoop says:
Woohoo!
I have run into countless writers who have spent hundreds of dollars on literary agents, vanity publishers, and book doctors, in the hopes of making it big in children’s publishing. It really breaks my heart to hear this because the truth is, there are people out there feasting on hopeful newbie writers, turning a very legitimate business into something reeked with fraudulence. THIS ANGERS ME.
I’ve been asked this question quite a bit since I wrote my series of articles on How To Find a Great Agent For Your Children’s Book. It occurred to me that I never provided detailed information on how to execute the agent interview. But before I get into that, here are the conditions under which you will need to interview an agent.
IN OTHER NEWS:
I rarely do any leisure reading these days, but when I do, I am amazed by what I find.
In this month’s COSTCO CONNECTION (the mag that goes out to devoted members like me), I read an old adage I had never heard of before. Here it is.
“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.”
Wow, Costco is so deep, man.
SNOOP SAYS:
“The grass is always yummier on the other side.”
IN WRITING NEWS:
All this conference talk has made me feeling a bit left out. So I promptly registered for the SCBWI-LA conference this summer. Look out, folks, I’m joining the party!
SNOOP SAYS:
What about me?!
IN WRITING NEWS:
There has been a lot going on in C-LIU-land and I am going to need to go into a deep state of concentration. Free-tiquees waiting to redeem slots may turn them in during this time. However, the usual speedy turnaround may no longer be in effect. In addition, I am happy to extend expiration dates if asked. Now excuse me while I hole myself away. I may re-emerge now and then to say Hi and let you know I am still alive.
Take care, everyone! I’ll miss you.
Snoop read and read till he couldn’t read no more.
The winner of the FULL-TIQUE is #5-YA, exceeding 12 pages.
The winner of a free-tique slot, stopping at 12 pages is #24-YA.
Winners, you may redeem your tiques no sooner than May 1st (due to various reasons) and no later than August 31st.
Congrats to everyone. We hope you had fun playing the game!
SNOOP SAYS:
Bon voyage!
Woah, we have five, not four, entries that cleared page six.
I have one PB entry clearly in the lead in the last round.
Because this contest has to end tonight, at least the semi-real-time portion of it, we have to make some decisions here.
Novelists: The five entries that cleared page six, you will play SUDDEN DEATH. Submit your first 25 pages by tomorrow 9PM CST and Snoop will announce the winner as soon as he can read your manuscripts. (Probably Friday).
Do no be eliminated because of a technicality. Please include your entry number, your page number, your MS title in the SUBJECT of your email. If you have just entered, don’t worry about your entry number. Snoop will give you one.
Coming down the home stretch. Because we lost a round due to the email glitch, Snoop and I have conferred and we’ve decided that SIX pages will be the limit to qualify for a free-tique. And bonus play.
Do no be eliminated because of a technicality. Snoop is going bonkers trying to find entries that are improperly labeled. So please include your entry number, your page number, your MS title in the SUBJECT of your email. If you have just entered, don’t worry about your entry number. Snoop will give you one.
A word of warning: Novelists: some of you are taking the long way to tell your story. Uh-oh….
Please remember to include your number, genre, page number, and your MS title in your email subjects. If you’re just joining us, don’t worry about the number. You’ll get one. Anyone who fails to do this will be subject to elimination!
If your number is missing from the results, do not hesitate to let us know.
Finally, PB people, you must clear your last page to win a slot.
New Entries: 41-51.
K, tiny technical difficulty here. Snoop and Cynthea’s email boxes are both down. I have no idea when they’ll be back up. If you are competing in RLGL, please go ahead and send your next page. Just send it on by 9PM CST. If my email is up, I will announce both rounds’ results somewhere after 9PM CST. If I can do Round 3 sooner, I will.
If you need to communicate with me now, you can try leaving a public comment on this post.
Just an FYI: Please remember to include your number, genre, page number, and your MS title in your email subjects. If you’re just joining us, don’t worry about the number. You’ll get one.
Lots for Snoop to keep track of.
Oh, and if your number is missing from the results, do not hesitate to let us know.
Finally if you are on page 2 or higher, please send FULL pages (dbl-spaced). Don’t worry about formatting when it’s pasted into email.
First, if you saw the password protected page, that’s your signal that I’m working on the results. Do not ask me for a password. You won’t need it. Just wait until I publish the page, my dears.
Second, if you don’t advance to the next round, you should not feel upset or rejected, even though your mind and body might try to tell you you should. You’re looking for a match. And if Snoop isn’t it, c’est la vie. He’s a fickle bunny.
First Red Light: Today, 9PM CST. This means get your stuff to me before then. Results of Round 1 should be announced soon after.
Here are the revised rules for SPEED RLGL.
SPEED RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT (not to be confused with TRAFFIC COP) is open to all tiquees – new and “re”. Also you may be agented and/or published (plenty of you guys already participate), but the work you send in should not already be published.
I saw this post from one of my dear Livejournal buddies and I thought, well ain’t she speaking the truth? With Dot’s permission, I’ve posted it here for my readers. It’s something to think about when rejection threatens to overcome you.
Excerpted from “Goin’ all Pollyanna” on dotificus.livejournal.com
****
Working to get published SUCKS. It just sucks all the time until it doesn’t anymore.
Targeting submissions to editors whom you’ve never had personal experience with can be well-worth the research effort. While it is true that infomation you find on the Internet can become outdated, an editor’s preferences for humor versus boy books versus girly historical fiction doesn’t really seem to change over time
IN WRITING NEWS:
Well, well, well, after over a month of complete insanity, I have just realized one thing: the ending to my latest ms won’t write itself. I can take care of my loved ones, see my writing buddies, deal with a gutter thief, redesign my entire website, open all my mail, and pay my bills…but….the ending won’t write itself.
So I guess you know what that means…
I’ll be holding one giant Red Light, Green Light round soon.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Just an FYI: my schedule will be a bit tight in the next couple of months. Free-tique rounds will be few, I imagine. If I do hold a round, I’ll probaby do something like Traffic Cop or RLGL. I know many of you enjoyed that the last time. If you like to be notified of a round in advance by email, you may subscribe to my free-tique list.
SNOOP SAYS:
Less free-tiques rounds? You’re going to let me starve?!
IN OTHER NEWS:
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember how this works?
I am accepting 1 retiquee and 1 new tiquee.
IN OTHER NEWS:
I just finished another chunk of work. I’m taking a break and Snoop is taking over. Read the complete rules.
Have a great Tuesday, everyone.
It’s Friday. It’s Friday!
And Snoop knows how people love to do NOTHING on Fridays. Except write to Snoop.
So in an unprecedented move, Today’s Office Hours will be held from 11AM – 5PM. CST
Yes, that’s right, folks, 11AM – 5PM.
However, because the window is so long, YOU MUST KEEP YOUR QUESTIONS SPECIFIC.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Slatta shared this with me this morning and I just had to blog about it. Snoop could be related to “Buns” in this video. What do you think? Enjoy!
DOORS ARE CLOSED
IN OTHER NEWS:
Snoop is in the office to take your questions. If you can’t remember how this goes….you may ask Snoop any question (about children’s fiction writing) between 11AM CST and 1PM CST.
Only one question at a time. Please paste any sample work, if necessary, in your email to SNOOP AT CYNTHEALIU DOT COM.
For more details, see OFFICE HOURS rules.
SNOOP SAYS:
The doctor is in.
IN OTHER NEWS:
A fellow tiquee asked Snoop for help on a manuscript title based on a query letter synopsis. As Tamarak and Snoop’s agent know, Snoop really really stinks at titling. So without further ado, can anyone help this writer with a title?
Melanie Ratsnester never, in a million years, imagined she would be teased about anything other than her name. But then her single mom since forever decides to completely ruin her life by marrying a Mortician.
IN OTHER NEWS:
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You might have heard there’s a new free-tique round called OFFICE HOURS. Here are the guidelines to participate…
1) You may only ask one question at a time….Be as specific as possible. You can not ask another question until your first one is answered.
2) PASTE your children’s fiction sample in an email.
IN OTHER NEWS:
I’m starting something new this year. I’m calling it “OFFICE HOURS”. Here’s the concept. Doctor Snoop will sit behind the computer to answer questions from his patients. Your session with Snoop will be private. You may email or chat with Snoop to communicate (or both!).
Soooo, did ya hear? Put your paws together for Cynthia Lord. A Newbery Honor for RULES. A Schneider Family Book Award. Double whoopee!
I can only hope I have more in common with this talented woman than just my initials. Cindy, donate some of your talent to me–puh-lease?!!!
Woohoo!
SNOOP SAYS:
Do I get to wear Cindy’s Newbery sticker? Across the chest, like a badge–that would be turr-iffic!
You won’t believe this but Snoop got his first piece of mail today.
SNOOP SAYS:
For me? It’s for me?! Wow!!!!
Hey, do I have to wait until Christmas to eat it? Huh, huh?!
Maybe I could just start with the envelope…
YUMMY!!!!!
IN OTHER NEWS:
If you haven’t voted for Snoop’s best carols 2006, get on it. Enjoy what your fellow writers have shared with all of us this holiday season.
Alright, folks, tune up the singing voice in your head, OR sing them out loud. We need two winners! One from the new-tiquee category and one from the re-tiquee category. Votes must be placed by 11:59PM CST. Place them by commenting below with the appropriate numbers. Good luck, contestants (you may also vote, but please don’t vote for your own. No cheating)! In the event of a tie, Snoop will decide.
FOR A HOLIDAY FREE-TIQUE? (READ RULES FIRST BEFORE EMAILING)
It’s Friday night. The perfect time to admit you have nothing better to do than win a free-tique slot. I am only giving two away. One for a new-tiquee, one for a re-tiquee (see my free-tiques page on my website if you don’t know what I mean). To win, you must re-write at least one STANZA of any holiday song for Snoop, about Snoop, (cuz he really likes that kind of stuff).
Well if this isn’t another piece of fabulous news from one of my esteemed critique buddies! Who had any doubt she’d hit yet another homerun in the picture book category?! (that makes three, in the last twelve months, baby. Count ’em. THREE! Holy cow.) And they said the PB market was bad. WhatEVER!
IN OTHER NEWS:
Who wants a free-tique for Christmas to celebrate Tammi’s good news? GET READY. Doors are not open just yet. But they will open today.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Look, guys, I’m back. Just wanted to say…five vet visits, thirty-six dumplings, and a 20-hour plane trip later, things are finally under control.
IN OTHER NEWS:
If you’re a free-tique winner and waiting for a tique from me, please drop me a note and attach the latest version of the work. If nothing has changed, drop me a note anyway so I can find your original email. Thanks!
SNOOP SAYS:
My paw hurts, I hate my medicine, and I don’t want to go to the vet again (her hands are cold). Please brighten my spirits by sending “get well soon” gifts to Snoop AT cynthealiu DOT com.
Due to recent events, all free-tiques will not be completed until after November 18th. I deeply apologize for the delay. Snoop says he misses you all. Thank you.
Cynthea
Popping in to announce the winners from Snoop’s breakfast today.
The numbers are….*drum roll please*…#5, #14, #20
Congratulations! Please see previous post and free-tiques for redemption rules.
People, will you quit it with the good news?!
I have one more announcement to make. David Yoo’s GIRLS FOR BREAKFAST is out in paperback. If you haven’t read this book, well WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? This one is a must-buy, must-read! And NO, Dave and I are not related (but we might look alike.) And yes, he did pay me to say this–somewhere there’s a free fountain pen in it for me.
And now Yoo’s brilliant novel can be yours for $5.99.
hey everyone, I’m stepping out of hiding for one brief announcement. I know I’m a bit late with this but…
Debbi Michiko Florence, congrats on your book sale!
SNOOP SAYS:
Whoot! Whoot!
P.S. For those waiting, be on the lookout for a free-tique round soon.
Who deserves a shout-out today? My other treasurable crit buddy Tammi Sauer! She will be participating in Encyclo-Media. This event is huge.
Now hop on over to Tammi’s blog and wish her good luck (or if you’re lazy just leave it here). 🙂
Have a great one, everybody!
SNOOP SAYS:
Bunny hugs for Tam. Four big furry paws coming her way.
You know her as Beb. Bubba. B.
I know her as the woman who just landed a Blooming Tree Press contract for her novel OF ATVS AND ANGELS!
Bev will be coming to an LJ near you. But until that time, feel free to leave your Whoot-Whoots! here.
Bev, as some of you may know, is also my treasured crit partner. (Yes, that’s right. She gets Free-tiques whenever she wants. Everyone, be jealous.)
And get this, I had the honor of taking Bev out to celebrate.
Yes, I think so.
I can no longer keep up with the free-tiquing as I have been. I need to scale back (Snoop says so). However, I’ve become quite fond of working with all of you and I know I can’t give it up entirely. My free-tique rounds will probably be announced more sporadically. Less frequently. Or I may change the format altogether to free up more time for Snoop and myself.
People who have reserved slots, no worries. I will honor those slots.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!Â
Before you send anything, read this post in full and carefully (the email address has changed among other things).
I know many of you have been killing to send me stuff already under consideration with agents and editors. SO guess what? I WILL ALLOW IT FOR TRAFFIC COP. Since it’s only a 1/2 page look. You may not send work under contract or published work (DUH!).
Hey everyone (pardon for the interruption again. I’m learning how to use FLICKR. Neat!),
Anyhow, here’s a photo of the “I need an emergency dessert” feast I held a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and recipes. Just wait until the next party. Oh-la-la!
(Click it to make it big). Anyone hungry?
Now I must get back to work. For reals.
SNOOP SAYS:
Enh. Paper tastes better.
This is why I love Snoop doubly much. Guess what I’m feeding him?
Snoop, you ready?
Get set! Go!
Now how can you beat that? (Click a photo to see a larger version.)
SNOOP SAYS:
BURRRRPPP! Now I must clean up.
P.S. I’m not full yet. Watch for a Traffic Cop Free-tique round today.
Under [submissions->submissions], you’ll find another popular series of articles (Anatomy of a Query Letter, Synopsis, etc.,. You’ll learn everything you could possibly want to know about submitting to editors and agents, down to the WEIGHT of the paper to use and the # of the envelope. These articles are that detailed.
Have a suggestion for an article? Can’t find your answer here? Leave a comment.
Under [free-tiques->http://www.cynthealiu.com/category/freetiques], you’ll find all my announcements and updates on free-tique round openings, contests, and so on. Get your “send” button finger ready. You never know when your turn has come. Muhahahahaha!
Under [Revision->Revision], you’ll find one of my most popular article series: Revision 9-1-1. These articles help pinpoint common things I notice when I look at works for free-tiques. Maybe reading these posts might save you some time, refresh your memory, or make something “click”.
Have a suggestion for an article? Can’t find your answer here? Leave a comment.
Under [Editors->Editors], you’ll find articles on beginning your editor search, how to communicate with editors, submisson protocol, as well as a monster list of editor links.
Have a suggestion for an article? Can’t find your answer here? Leave a comment.
Hey everyone,
I have to thank Lisa Albert for introducing me to this cool feature.
If you’re at work, turn down your computer volume and check out my MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/cynth_e_a. Scroll down a bit for the show!
Oh, and if you have a MySpace page and I haven’t friended you yet, lemme know.
AND NO, I AM NOT PROCRASTINATING. 🙂
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!
1) Tell me if you are a re-tiquee or a new tiquee. See http://www.cynthealiu.com/freetiques if you don't know what you are.
2) In that email, ATTACH, ATTACH, ATTACH your FIRST three chapters OR your full PB/ER to cynthealiu AT gmail DOT com. <note the new address>
3) I will check my email during a 24 break (I'm watching the show on DVD right now) and I will declare winners by email.
No, I'm not planning some huge tique-a-thon.
I'm going to talk about something else.
Like how I'm crazy.
Because I've invited five people for dinner. Plus Snoop. Plus Hubbie. = Seven guests.
Here's evidence I am delusional.
Here it is folk, the results…
BUT FIRST, let me say (for Snoop), that this was a very hard decision to make. Snoop saw the time and care that went into each of these scenes. And Snoop wants to remind you: everything is subjective. What Snoop may be drawn to may not be the very best writing OR the very best story. But he might be attracted to a little something-something he sees in that scene that makes him want to work with it again.
Ah yes! I just finished another round of free-tiques. People, you're making my brain hurt with all this fabuloso writing. AGH.
Which brings me to talk about SCBWI-LA again. Since I can't blog about tiquees without exposing their identities, I will do a shout-out for SCBWI-LA'ers I haven't blogged about yet.
(in no particular order)
TOP TEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM SCBWI-LA 2006
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, everyone. Dude, I've been so busy. Congratulating all the W.I.Nners and getting back into the groove takes a lot of work. Also I just finished another revision today. So yay to that. But now here's the part you've been waiting for. FREE-TIQUES! Unfortunately I don't have much time to do really heavy stuff so I'm ruling out PB manuscripts for this round.
Well, well, well. Snoop does the Tiquee count. How many W.I.N.ners does Snoop personally know as tiquees? Can you guess?
Six! No, Seven? Or Eight?
Of course Snoop has not personally tasted all the winning tiquee works. BUT he will say TWO of the authors were also recent RLGL winners!
Can anyone out the tiquees for Snoop? Speak up so Snoop can post their names in all their glory!
One person has been outed.
In case you were wondering, I'm back!
Here's what happened to my precious seven days:
Snoop and I are taking a break. Snoop already went hiking but now he wants to wear mudboots and a fly-fishing vest. He's hung up the Gone Fishing sign and set out for a river somewhere. Meanwhile, I will be hunkering down to meet some deadlines.
This means I will not be accepting free-tique redemptions, Why, why, whys, or emails which require my immediate response. No free-tique round this week either.
I get a brand new one! The screen is twice as big which means I'll be able to write twice as fast.
Whoowee!
SNOOP SAYS:
Hey, what about me? My Apple IIe sucks.
Snoop read the remaining standby submissions and noted where he decided to stop reading. When two contestants surpassed the highest pages, he marked them as winners for the two reserved slots available.
These slots expire at the end of September. If you can't remember what a reserved slot was, it is a three-chapter look at your manuscript. The first chapter will be line-commented and the rest will be read for perspective.
Artwork provided by fellow tiquee Jack. Everyone ooo and ahhh!
WE HAVE A FULL-TIQUE WINNER. Snoop is so happy he has literally taken off for the heavens in a permanent state of green-ness (as indicated by the picture. He's not dead, guys. He's just floating, okay?)
The winner is entrant #23. You made it at 19 pages. Congratulations!
Now that RLGL is over, entrants, feel free to out yourselves if you so wish. And pat #23 on the back.
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, “RED LIGHT!”
YA-18, please go back to start. Snoop wants you to know he is crushed to have to do this. But he hopes you will view this as an accomplishment, not a defeat. Please do ask Snoop why. He hopes to hear from you.
PB-80* proceed to page 2.
MG-48*, YA-82 – proceed to page 4.
MG-74 – proceed to page 7.
MG-41 – proceed to page 16.
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
No one goes back to start. Yippee!
PB-80* proceed to page 2.
YA-82 – proceed to page 3.
MG-48* – proceed to page 4.
MG-74 – proceed to page 6.
MG-41 – proceed to page 15.
YA-23 – proceed to page 17.
YA-18 – proceed to page 18.
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
No one goes back to start. But he also thinks one of the leaders will get sent back if the next page confirms his suspicions. So stay on top of things and good luck!
PB-80*, YA-82 – proceed to page 2.
MG-48* – proceed to page 4.
MG-74 – proceed to page 5.
MG-41 – proceed to page 14.
YA-23 – proceed to page 16.
Congratulations #55! You have won the remaining PB/ER slot. Go dance with your bad self. Phew!
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
YA-5, YA-81 – please go back to start. YA-5, SNOOP IS VERY VERY SAD to see this number go back to start. He hopes you'll view this as an accomplishment to get this far, not a defeat. You may ask Snoop why he made this decision, of course.
New entries:
80-81
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
PB-77 – please go back to start.
PB-80, YA-81 – proceed to page 2.
MG-74 – proceed to page 3.
MG-48* – proceed to page 4
ER-55 – proceed to page 10.
MG-41 – proceed to page 12.
YA-23 – proceed to page 14.
YA-18 – proceed to page 15.
YA-5 – proceed to page 16.
An important message from The Snooper:
My workload has lightened considerably now that Red Light, Green Light is down to a handful of entrants (I have eaten about 70 entries so far). I am opening my doors to questions about WHY I found your manuscript so edible.
So if you participated in RLGL and were asked to go back, please send your WHY (Feel free to put WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! in the title) along with the pages you subbed (PASTED, PASTED, PASTED INTO THE EMAIL).
New entries:
79
Standbys:
24,27,44,40
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
76,77,78,79 – go back to start. Snoop says, "I'm sorry but it just wasn't right for me."
MG-74* – proceed to page 2.
MG-48* – proceed to page 4
ER-55 – proceed to page 9.
MG-41 – proceed to page 11.
YA-23 – proceed to page 13.
YA-18 – proceed to page 14.
#24,27,44, 40 are all standing by.
Now back to business.
New entries:
74-78
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
MG-66, YA-73, MG-75 – go back to start. Snoop says, "I'm sorry but it just wasn't right for me."
MG-74, MG-76, PB-77, MG-78 – proceed to page 2.
MG-48* – proceed to page 4
ER-55 – proceed to page 8.
MG-41 – proceed to page 10.
An interesting turn of events:
#24 chooses to standby. This puts 24 first in line for a reserved slot should the ones who came before be eliminated.
#41 will compete for the full-tique! Woo-hoo!
Congratulations 27,40, and 44! You may proceed to page 8 for Bonus Play. OR STOP here and standby to win a reserved slot if others who came before you go down.
Congratulations 24 and 41! You may proceed to page 8 for Bonus Play. OR STOP here and standby to win a reserved slot if others who came before you go down. What will it be?
New entries:
69-70
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
PB-63,YA-67, PB-68- go back to start. Snoop says, "I'm sorry but it just wasn't right for me."
69,70 – proceed to page 2.
MG-66 – proceed to page 3.
#23 will compete for a full-tique!
Now back to business.
New entries:
66-68
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
YA-46,57,YA-61,PB-64 – go back to start. Snoop says, "I'm sorry but it just wasn't right for me."
66,67,68 – proceed to page 2.
MG-48*, PB-59, PB-63- proceed to page 3
ER-55 – proceed to page 5.
YA-27,YA-40,YA-44, MG-47- proceed to page 6.
#18 has guts. 18 will compete for a full-tique.
#23, Congratulations! You made it through page seven. You may continue to sub so long as you do not get the "go back to start" command (herein, known as Bonus Play). HOWEVER, if you choose to compete, you give up any chance of getting a reserved slot should numbers ahead of you be eliminated.
We have another winner. 1 novel reserved slot goes to #18. Congratulations!
(Art work provided by fellow tiquee Jack. Everyone ooo and ahhhh!)
Also #5 is participating in Bonus Play!
#18, you may continue to sub so long as you do not get the "go back to start" command (herein, known as Bonus Play). If this happens, you forfeit your reserved slot. But if you win Bonus play, you earn a FULL-TIQUE.
We have two winners. 1 PB slot goes to #37. 1 novel/chapter book slot goes to #5. Congratulations!
Note: the above drawing was created by Jack, a fellow tiquee, and I think it is highly appropriate for the occasion. It’s gorgeous!
#5, you may continue to sub so long as you do not get the “go back to start” command (herein, known as Bonus Play). If this happens, you forfeit your reserved slot.
So a guy rings this girl's door bell. Then he knocks really hard.
And the girl goes to the door, wondering why is UPS being so rude today? She peeks through the blinds and sees a man who is not in a UPS uniform standing on her stoop.
The man says, "Your house is on fire!" And the way he says it makes the girl believe he's telling the truth.
Hi everyone, two new rules:
When you see the password protected page, please hold off on asking me for a password. I'm working on the results and your emails slow me down. When the results are ready, you will not need a password. Just refresh the page until the results appear. 🙂
Also, when you're subbing a new page one, I assign it a new number. So please don't include old entry numbers with new entries. I number the entries, not the people.
Hi everyone, PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ENTRY NUMBERS AND BOOK TYPE in your future email subject lines (if you have a number). I will begin disqualifying participants if this rule is broken. I'm starting to get irritated. 🙂
Also let me know if I missed you somehow.
New entrants:
33-42
SNOOP SAYS, "RED LIGHT!"
29,33,34,35,36,38 – go back to start.
37,39,40,41,42 – proceed to page 2.
27 – proceed to page 3.
If you held back from sending me your next page after third round results (20,21,24,26), please go ahead and send page 2 and 3. Let me know you are behind one round because of the disruption. I will let you catch up to the others (if you clear the pages).
If you do not see your number posted here, let me know.
Do not forget to put your entry # and the book type in your email titles.
New entrants:
20-26
All partcipants: please add entry numbers and book type to your future email titles. Like so: entry #29, MG novel, page 3, MS TITLE. Something like that. It helps me tabulate things faster and I'll be able to post what type of books have made it as far as they have. If you're just beginning the race, something like, "page 1, Chapter book, MS title" is fine.
New entrants:
14-19
Snoop says, “RED LIGHT!”
7, 16 – go back to start.
12, 14,15,17,18,19 – proceed to page 2.
6,5,8,9,10, proceed to page 3.
Snoop says, “GREEN LIGHT!”
Next round results will be announced around 10AM CST tomorrow, July 6th.
New entrants:
5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13
Snoop says, "RED LIGHT!"
11, 13 – go back to start. "Not right for me."
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 – send page 2.
Snoop says, "GREEN LIGHT!"
Next round results: Tonight 10:30 CST.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!
Hi everyone, just back from a wonderful holiday. I am caught up on my emails, my voicemails, etc., AND I got a major chunk of work done. So guess what it's time for…
A FREE-TIQUE ROUND! Woohoo! Read on…Snoop has planned something special.
It's called RED LIGHT/GREEN LIGHT (not to be confused with TRAFFIC COP). This round is open to all tiquees – new and "re".
FIRST, I want everyone to know I have finished a manuscript and it's gone off to the agent for a look. There is real work going on over here. Seriously!
SECOND, in my second largest procrastination effort yet, I've compiled a monster list of children's book editor interviews, blogs, and more.
THIRD, the list will be updated as I go along (I'm only about a third-done). But IF YOU have something I can add, feel free to let me know.
LAST UPDATED ON May 25, 2009. For the latest information, please visit the Children’s Book Publisher Directory
Do you have a massive case of web-head–a medical condition caused by prolonged surfing of the Internet? Do symptoms include dizziness? Blurred vision? And a sudden loss of ability to Google?
Look no more. I have a cure. I’ve done a lot of the work for you and compiled it here. As I find more interviews and blogs, I’ll add to the list.
Hi all, I finished the article on status updates. It's a tad reorganized. But I think it has three more sections now.
status updates: when and how to do it
SNOOP SAYS:
Hallelujah! It's lunch time!
Do you know the difference between a status query and a status update? It goes something like this:
This is a rush job, so pardon the more than usual typos, etc.,
The topic today is STATUS UPDATES. When to bug editors and agents….
http://www.cynthealiu.com/2006/06/28/112/status-updates-when-and-how-to-do-it/
Now I must get cracking on some more work. Â
SNOOP SAYS:
Excuse me. *tap, tap* EXCUSE ME!!!!!!! When are you going to _______?! (you fill in the blank). Â
I've just made a brilliant discovery. I drink Diet Dr. Pepper. I break out into hives. I drink coffee. More hives. I guzzle more DDP. MORE HIVES!!!
For the last week, I've been suffering from this problem. Now I've finally put it together.
Have I developed a late-bloomer allergy to God's greatest gift to mankind?!
SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!!!
SNOOP SAYS:
Caffeine? Can't touch the stuff.
Hey-ro!
A new article is up! Are you a serial "when/as/ing" killer? Do you know how to spot the five-million variants of an echo? Today's topic is mechanics! Whoopee!
revision 9-1-1: writing mechanics
SNOOP SAYS
Echo this: FEED ME!!!!!
I decided to classify this post so it applies to both PBs and longer works. If you’ve been following my Revision 9-1-1 articles, you’ve read a lot about “big” issues which crop up in manuscripts I’ve reviewed. But what’s contained in here is MORE IMPORTANT. Why? If an agent or editor senses you haven’t mastered the basics, your wonderful plot, brilliant characters, and awesome setting won’t matter.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!! ALL RESPONSES HAVE BEEN RETURNED. If you haven't gotten yours, send me an email and let me know. Your sub may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Thanks!
Alright everybody, you've been waiting a long time for a fun free-tique round. Here it is.
READ CAREFULLY. I will keep the doors open until 9 pm Central Standard Time so long as you follow these rules.
Hey everyone,
A few things:
I decided I would not only talk about setting but also description. Or maybe they are one in the same. Some people say setting can be as important as a character in your book. It really depends on the story, but whatever role setting plays in your novel, make sure you’re not making one of these common mistakes.
I just completed a first draft of another manuscript. I am caught up on my critique partners' manuscripts, too. I smell a free-tique round coming up tomorrow, do you? Stay tuned…
SNOOP SAYS:
It's about time! Will you bring me a pair of Traffic Cop shoes? I like to spit on them to shine them up. Thanks. (size 12, please.)
Dori Chaconas, author of picture books and easy readers, has just written a great article about rhythm and rhyme for picture book texts. [Read the article, icing the cake->http://www.dorichaconas.com/Icing%20the%20Cake%20page.htm].
Also visit a guest article by Kelly R. Fineman featured on this website. [Read post, how to critique rhyming children’s poems->http://cynthealiu.com/2006/06/06/81/how-to-crtitique-rhyming-childrens-poems/].
As promised, here's the new article on revision…
revision 9-1-1 for novels: plot
SNOOP SAYS:
Revise this: A bunny goes to his salad plate. It's empty. Should he eat the leather sofa? Or finish the destruction of the rug. Hmm…
Here are the typical things I encounter when I review novels, plot-wise.
Story Starts On Page 10. Or 15. or 20.
This just in: I have a lot of writing to do this week. I'll try to post a new article on Friday. But I will have to delay a free-tique round to maintain my sanity. Look for a Traffic Cop round early next week.
Happy writing,
Cynthea
I must run but I just wanted everyone to know a new article is up.
revision 9-1-1 for fiction picture books
Here are the common things I notice when I evaluate picture book manuscripts.
Tuneless Picture Books
Are you ready for some Revision 9-1-1? The only way to fix a problem is to…
What I’ve done here is laid out the most common character issues I’ve seen to date.
Here is where you get to benefit even more from the fruits of my labor. You know all those free-tiques I do? After a while, I notice tendencies among you writers. I’ve seen some of the “issues” enough I’ve given them special names.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Top ten highlights from my trip to a Spanish-speaking island in the Caribbean…
I'm closing shop for a week. I need a massive break from the Internet. But do hop around and enjoy the articles. Rest assured, I will return next week with more posts and more C LIU fun.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Today on Coffee with Cynthea, I discuss talking animals: Snoop's favorite subject.
http://www.cynthealiu.com/category/writing-basics/
***Also, I am closing shop for a week to do some INTENSE relaxation.***
WHICH MEANS:
DOORS ARE CLOSED !!!!!
A SPECIAL "RESERVED" FREE-TIQUE ROUND IS OPEN AS SOON AS YOU READ THIS ENTIRE POST. Five slots people. First come, first "reserved".
My first novel was about a talking dog. GASP. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? The classic newbie mistake?
Read on.
When I showed up to my first conference, I was petrified. I had brought the first five pages with me for open mike and peer critique. I had already heard a zillion times I should avoid writing anything with talking animals in it. But I, like many other newbies, didn’t get what the big deal was.
Let me clear up a myth about talking animals. You might have heard it before. “You shouldn’t write about talking animals. That’s a big no-no.” Yet you see hundred of books come out, starring them. What gives?
According to some, talking animals are hard to do.
I credit the lovely Kelly R. Fineman for writing this article. I stink at talking about poetry so I leave the task to Kelly who is quite good at it.
1. Read it to yourself.
See if the words make sense and tell a story you can follow.
Look in particular for any words that seem like they were chosen specifically to fit (or force) the rhyme.
So things haven’t gone as you’d hoped. Your manuscript went off months ago, and your phone didn’t ring off the hook with five editors or agents vying for your awesome book.
You find yourself wondering – what are they doing with my manuscript?
Did it get lost in the mail?
Did my dog Rufus eat my rejection letter?
Did I even include my manuscript in the submission?!
Status queries are a touchy subject where people will have different opinions.
Say you’ve just realized you made a bunch of typos in your manuscript or you forgot to enclose an SASE AFTER you sent the whole thing off. Should you try to contact the editor or agent and correct your mistake? Um….no.
Why? Mistakes will happen no matter how hard you try to make it perfect. RESIST THE URGE TO MAKE IT RIGHT. Trying to apologize will only point out your error and demonstrate to the editor/agent how neurotic you are.
No one can read more into words than a writer. It makes sense. Why? We write. We play with context and permutations of words every day. So it’s perfectly logical we’ll analyze any letter from an agent or editor better than a forensic analyst working for the FBI.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!
You saw what happened yesterday. Cynthea offered RESERVED slots for free-tiques. Unheard of. Well guess what? Our friends overseas gave up TWO slots when the doors closed. That means, we can do a BONUS ROUND.
BUT WAIT – before you email me, YOU MUST READ THESE RULES. If you already have a reserved slot, you cannot participate. I am offering 1 retiquee slot. 1 new-tiquee slot. You will not need to attach anything as this is a reserved slot.
Hey everyone, here's my contribution to fellow mankind:
anatomy of a children’s book synopsis
I'm going to reward myself with a cup of coffee and jog around the kitchen to get my foot back into shape! ALSO, please leave me some nice words on my website if you read any article and enjoy it. I'm beginning to wonder if more than two people find the information useful. If I don't see comments pouring in soon at http://www.cynthealiu.
*UPDATE: You may now download this article to your Kindle! *
Here it is: the DREADED synopsis. A synopsis is a one-page, single-spaced, summary of your book (beginning, middle, end). Typically written in third person, present tense. This is the C LIU rule of thumb. You’ll hear all kinds of different answers on this one. But when guidelines don’t say anything more than “synopsis,” this is my definition. NOTE: synopses should only apply to chaptered books/novels.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!
Yup, the cast is off. My foot is so small I could wear Thumbelina’s shoe. BUT LET’S NOT THINK ABOUT THAT. Because it’s time for JUNE JUMANJI JUSTICE. (it was too hard to come up with a free-tique alliteration for J).
IN OTHER NEWS:
No time! No time! I'm going to the doc today to be LIBERATED!!!!! Also, today on Coffee with Cynthea, I talk cover letters. Oooo…..
Here's the link: http://cynthealiu.com/2006/05/31/64/anatomy-of-a-cover-letter/
Be back soon!
SNOOP SAYS:
Maybe now I'll get to eat the cast.
As always, people will call cover letters query letters and vice versa. But I’m not going to try to confuse you. I’ll tell you what C LIU thinks what a cover letter is. It’s something you stick on top of your manuscript when the editor or agent has already read your query letter at some point (from an earlier communication) and now you’re following up with more material. You need something to “cover” your manuscript.
IN OTHER NEWS:
No, it's not time for a free-tique round. I just finished the ones from last week. So if you didn't get yours for some reason, let me know.
I have to go back to my writing now.
But the TV is calling my name….Oooooh!
SNOOP SAYS:
I'm up for it.
Yes. That’s right, folks. I attached three sample chapters to my email when I queried my agent. Keep in mind: the agency’s guidelines said query with three chapters and a synopsis for novels. Then it said queries would be taken by email or mail. So I was okay to email. But understand my dilemma.
We’re getting to the really picky, picky, picky stuff now. I’ll talk paper, envelopes, and even email. EXCITING!
I’ll cover paper submissions first, then electronic submissions.
Paper Submissions
Paper
When guidelines don’t specify the method of sending the package, assume your submission will go on paper and be delivered by a postman. This is the typical way submissions are carted around when you’re submitting things yourself.
UPDATE: You may now download this article to your Kindle!
While everyone has different opinions on what a query letter is and what it looks like, I will summarize what I do. The method I use is pretty common. Pretty boring. But it works. Read my post, My First Query Letter. This post applies to both editor and agent query letters.
When I attended my first SCBWI conference, I heard many editors speak. Including the guy who…um…edited Harry Potter. He described how he preferred to be contacted: query letter only – if he liked the pitch, he’d request the manuscript.
I returned home and wrote my first query letter. It was the first piece of mail I had sent to anyone in the publishing industry. I thought my letter was decent (I had listened to what the editor was asking for.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Oh dang! What have I done? I'm just now realizing a lot of my subs are chapters. Whoo-wee, I've got some reading to do. If you're a tiquee who's waiting for a chapter tique, please send me a synopsis or brief run-down of your work. I will look at these and compare them to your three chapters so I can make decent big picture recommendations. Do not worry about how good this synopsis is – I just need to know what happens.
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I promised another small round this morning. But please keep in mind, if you made it into the last round, you can not sub to this one. I hope to return all tiques next week. Some of you from the last round may get them back today. I'm going to open only TWO more slots. Just TWO. 1 new-tiquee. 1 retiquee.
You know the rules- if not, see my free-tique page at my website http://www.cynthealiu.
IN OTHER NEWS:
In a massive effort to procrastinate, I finally started working on my website. Please take a peek. Leave a comment and tell me how stinky or fab it is, and I'll promise only to post the FAB comments. 🙂 If you know of any beginning writers, I'd love to hear their feedback. This isn't a finished website by any means, but it's a start.
You’ve come to the spot where we’re going to learn everything that could be in a submission package you put together for an agent or editor. If you had a look through CWIM, CBC member list, or other publications, you’ve probably heard the words listed above before. And guess what? People will give you different definitions of these terms all the time. It’s completely crazy. BUT I will tell you how C LIU defines everything. I hope it will make sense to you, too.
Submission guidelines can be found in many places…
Sometimes guidelines in printed books become out of date.
IN OTHER NEWS:
DOORS ARE CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s time for freetiques. THREE SLOTS. ONE ONE slot for a retiquee and TWO for new tiquees. First pages don’t count. So if you’ve only had a traffic cop tique, you may participate in this round. Three chapters or full PBs. Get moving folks!
ATTACH your file. (note: only send ONE file.) One work per person.
email to cynthEaliu AT yahoo DOT com
Under Agents, you'll find articles on beginning your agent search, how to communicate with agents, and submisson protocol. Have a suggestion for an article? Can't find your answer here? Leave a comment.
Whether you’re submitting to agents or editors, you’ll need to understand what the difference is between exclusive and simultaneous submissions.
Whether you’re submitting your children’s book to agents or editors, you’ll need to understand the difference between exclusive and simultaneous submissions. A wrong move here and you could torture yourself needlessly. Read my post, Exclusive Submission or Simultaneous Submission?
Now that you understand how exclusives work, we’ll get more into the manner in which you submit to your top picks.
Assuming you’ve followed steps one through four (be sure you’ve read my post, Get a Second Opinion), you might wonder if you should be looking for an agent now. That depends.
What do you have to sell? If you only have one picture book (PB) manuscript completed, it is very unlikely (almost impossible) you can get an agent off this one work. Why? PBs are difficult to sell in general (because so many people write them and the market for them is so competitive).
Let me give you the C Liu take on self-publishing. Self-publishing carries a certain stigma in the children’s writing world. However, that is not to say it’s not the right way to get your book published. It depends. The general rule of thumb is NOT to do this on your own. Why? It can be an expensive proposition. The final product often looks unprofessional. And your book won’t be carried by retail stores unless you sell a jillion copies on your own.
Fate was on my side the day I attended my first SCBWI conference. I decided I’d go to an open critique session and bear my writing soul to complete strangers. My only hope was not to make a fool of myself. When I got to the room, a lady at the door directed me to the middle-grade fiction table. I sat and eyed the spunky looking girl across from me, her own manuscript in hand. She looked comfortable, even relaxed. I wondered if I looked that way, too, but I doubted it.
Critique Partners
The children’s writing community is extremely supportive. There are people out there who will read your work for absolutely nothing (see Free-tiques, I am one such crazy person). And there are many more who’ll read your work if you read theirs. This is a very common practice in our children’s writing world. I strongly advocate finding a critique partner or group who can serve as your sounding board as you work on your books.
Knowing the typical word counts of different types of children’s books will help you understand what goal you need to hit. These are only guidelines. If your word count comes in too high or low, you could raise eyebrows with publishers. Some might not even consider your work.
I did it, folks. I spent approximately 37.6 hours completing the five-minute installation of WordPress. How does it look?
So today I had the courage to go to the USPS. I made sure my packages were sealed, addressed and so on, before I got there. But did that matter? NOOOOOOOOOO! You want to know why? Because the BLEEP! at the counter was kicking everyone out of line to exert her power over us Underlings who, God Forbid, want to MAIL something.
“YOU!” She pointed. “You can’t use tape on a priority mail package.”
“YOU!” She pointed at someone else.