Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won The Middle School Writing Toolkit from last week's blog.
******
"May I ask, how do I even begin to find an agent?"
That was the question that Theresa Pierce, a two-time Rowan Salisbury Teacher of Year award winner asked me last week. Theresa has 35 years of experience teaching reading and history. In retirement, she has decided to pursue a new vocation--children's writer.
I met Theresa through our mutual friend, Joyce Hostetter. Theresa is busy writing as well as learning about writing and publishing. That's a lot to cram in! But as her husband wisely told her, "You didn't get to be a teacher of the year overnight. This writing adventure is new for you. Give yourself time to learn."
My Response
This is a BIG question and it is a BIG learning curve.
Let me say first of all, that even though I've been working on Half-Truths for over ten years, I haven't submitted it to an agent because it wasn't ready. As Joyce told me many times, you only want to send a manuscript when you’re sure it’s ready. I thought it was ready several times and even sent it out once--but withdrew it after receiving feedback from Joyce that demanded to be incorporated into the manuscript.
Agents are busy people. If you make a bad impression the first time, you probably won't get a second chance. Have critique partners, beta readers, and other writers told you that it was ready to go? I am glad that I have waited and kept working on my story. My characters have become more authentic and the storyline keeps getting stronger. It’s a lot of work.
An agent will read my manuscript soon because I’m participating in a whole-novel workshop that included three beta readers. I have incorporated these readers' insightful feedback into the manuscript, and now one agent will read the entire book and another will read the first 25 pages. I will receive feedback from both of them which I will evaluate and incorporate before I start my agent search. I have a folder in my inbox just about agents. I will cull through old blog posts and interviews to help me in this process.
By the way, I found this workshop on Kathy Temean’s Writing & Illustrating site. She often interviews agents and they’ll say what they are looking for. You should subscribe to this great blog. And while I'm thinking of it, one reason to join SCBWI is that agents like working with SCBWI members. They know that members are serious about their work.
People meet/find agents at conferences, through Twitter pitches (I have yet to master that—Twitter is pretty much a mystery to me), and through writing magazines. Writer’s Digest has an annual list of agents. I also subscribe to Query Tracker which I highly recommend. It’s a large database of agents and what they’re looking for. It only costs $25 per year and you get frequent updates. You can personalize a list of agents for multiple projects and keep track of your queries. Agent Query is another popular website.
Finding an agent takes time. You want to find an agent who wants what you have written (in my case that is a historical young adult) and then look at their website or wish list and see EXACTLY what they are looking for. I zero in on agents who are interested in social justice and generational stories. That way when I write my query, I will connect my book to her interest. Writing query letters is an entirely different topic!
I hope this information helps. Yes, there’s a lot to learn about this business!! Writing a great book is only the first part! Be patient and diligent.
Thank you, Theresa, for asking this question. If any of you are new to the writing-publishing business and want me to answer your question, leave it for me in the comments. I'm not an expert, but I have been in this business for over 30 years and would be happy to see if I can answer it, or at least point you to the appropriate resources.
*******
Theresa Pierce's manuscript,Up Dunn's Mountainwon first place for Young Adult Literature at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers 2020 Conference. She is a member of Word Weavers and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
As a historic docent, she shares her volunteer time between the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer and the Rowan Museum in Salisbury.She is also a Toastmaster and speaks to historic groups, senior citizens, and of course, her favorite-- children.
She is the newest member of the Write2Ignite blogger team and will be blogging about her writing/publishing journey.
Congratulations to Jana Leah who won T is for Thor from last week's blog.
Today I'm happy to share a new picture book by author/illustrator, Katia Wish. Raccoon's Perfect Snowman (Sleeping Bear Press, 2020) will delight the young reader in your life even as it communicates an important message.
REVIEW
Raccoon was very serious about building snowmen.
He practiced rolling, stacking, and decorating and knew that his friends would want his help making their snowmen.
But things didn't go as Raccoon expected.
Raccoon took out all of his snowman-building tools.
When it was time to decorate their snowmen, Mouse wasn't left with much to choose from.
Raccoon loved his snowman but was very disappointed in what his friends' produced. None of them got it right! With shoulders slumped, Rabbitt, Fox, and Mouse left him alone... and miserable.
Before they were out of sight, Raccoon called them back. He had an idea for a truly perfect snowman. Working together, they used whatever snow they found, stacked it however they wanted to and lastly, Raccoon told them,
The new snowman wasn't very clean.
It didn't stand up straight.
And the decorations didn't match.
But it was perfect.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
CAROL: What role does SCBWI have in your life as a writer/illustrator?
KATIA: SCBWI is huge! All of my contacts, connections, classes, critique groups, and knowledge came from SCBWI. With every new workshop and conference, I gained more and more understanding of what I needed to do to develop my portfolio and improve my writing.
KATIA: Winning the 2011 Tomie DePaola Award so early in my career was amazing. Art directors and editors respect and appreciate Tomie’s work so much, so his recognition meant a stamp of approval for my work. Industry professionals noticed and started to pay close attention to the development of my work. It gave me confidence and encouragement to continue working on my illustrations and dummies.
CAROL: What gave you the idea for the story?
KATIA: The book is about friendship and rethinking what “perfect” means. The book is about my childhood memories of building a snowman. It’s such a sensory experience: how the snow changes color in the light, the warmth of the hat, the coldness of the snow, the sounds of the wind, the crunchiness of the snow.
CAROL: What was your publishing journey?
KATIA: When you start from a character, it’s quite a challenging experience. You try different stories on, try different directions. What you are doing at that stage is not developing the story yet, but getting to know your character.
This is something my wonderful agent coached me on through all the years I have worked with him. If the story comes from the character, the character is strong, alive, and believable. It doesn’t matter what kind of story the character will live in, it will still be true and relatable and honest.
We went through many many many drafts getting closer to the heart of the story. The first 5-7 drafts were not even close to the final book at all! But with each draft, the true character was revealed.
It’s an exhausting experience to build stories this way, but it’s worth it. If the story relies on one joke or one trick, it will not have re-readability.
When we were ready to submit, we found a great publisher for the story – Sleeping Bear Press. The editor and art director had more suggestions on how to improve the story and the artwork. They came up with the most brilliant solution to the ending of the book. Even though their solution was so obvious and so undeniably best, I didn’t see that solution even through so many drafts of the story. The fresh set of eyes makes a difference for any creative project or any situation in life!
CAROL: What medium did you use and why did you choose that particular medium?
KATIA: At this point, I work primarily with watercolor and pencil. I start with idea generation, loose doodles, color studies.
Then I transfer the sketch on watercolor paper and have a lot of washes and build up layers in watercolor. Things still look very ambiguous and not promising. So I have to stay in this uncomfortable stage for a very long time.
But then in the last 20% of the process, I start adding linework and everything comes to life - characters’ expressions, details, depth. It’s sort of magic how things transform.
GIVEAWAY
I'm happy to give away this book to one fortunate reader. Please leave me a comment with your email address if you are new to my blog. A winner will be drawn after 6 PM on November 13.
Congratulations to Barbara Younger who won Acoustic Rooster's Barnyard Boogie from last week's blog.
****
In the last few weeks, I've featured picture books for young readers. Today, I'm happy to help launch Jolene Gutierrez's debut middle-grade nonfiction book, Bionic Beasts(Lerner Books, 2020)Since it's full of photographs, it's technically a picture book too--but this isn't a book for young readers. The challenging and informative text will be appreciated by students in grades 5-8; particularly by those who love animals and are possibly considering a career working with animals.
REVIEW
In the pages of this unique book, readers will meet remarkable animals and the doctors and students who used modern technology to enable them to live normal lives. Here are the five main characters: Lola, a Kemp ridley sea turtle with a missing flipper; Mosha, an Asian elephant who stepped on a land mine; Cassidy, a three-legged German Shepherd; Vitória, a greylag goose who had lost most of her beak; and Pirate, a Berkshire-Tamworth pig who was born with a fused tarsal joint in his hock. All of the animals needed extraordinary veterinary intervention which they received.
Each section of the book includes facts about the animals, the patient's history, environmental dangers the animal faced, how their injury affected their body, and how prosthetists, orthotists, veterinarians, and engineering students developed materials, prostheses, and even a fake beak! Every section concludes with an activity that enhances the reader's comprehension.
Lola, an endangered turtle who lives in the Gulf of Mexico weighed less than an ounce when she was found on Mustang Island, Texas. She was fitted with a tracking device that was the size of a grain of rice. Her right flipper had to be amputated leaving her unable to swim in a straight line. Students at Worcester Polytech Institute wanted to create a replacement flipper--and that's exactly what they did! Although Lola will always live in an aquarium, as a result of several determined college students, she can now gracefully swim and dive.
Mosha, as pictured on the front of the book, was fitted with a prosthesis--but she outgrew them thirteen times! As she grows, she needs to be fitted with a new prosthesis every six months. She lives in the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital where she socializes with other elephants and her human caregiver.
No one knew how the rescue dog, Cassidy, lost his leg. All that his prospective owner knew was that he wanted to save him from being euthanized. Although he gained weight and grew back his hair after moving in with his family, Cassidy struggled to walk. At first, Cassidy was fitted with a removable prosthetic leg but he kept kicking them off. Finally, he was fitted with a metal prosthesis that was implanted into his leg bone. Osseointegration was not without risks. But the surgery, performed at North Carolina's State University College of Veterinary Medicine, was successful. The process of creating an endoprosthesis was complicated, but here was the final result:
Vitória, a greylag goose was found off the coast of Brazil in 2015. It was missing part of its beak and was brought to the Friends of the Sea where she was cared for by a biologist and environmental technologist. Although she learned to trust him, she couldn't feed properly and he sought the help of a veterinary team called Animal Avengers. They had to engineer a top and bottom beak so that Vitória could eat and preen. Using sophisticated software, the team created her new beak and attached it during a two-hour surgery. That first beak was too heavy and using photogrammetry, the team created a prosthesis that was one third the original size.
Pirate, a Berkshire-Tamworth pig, was born with a right-hand leg that was permanently bent at a 90 angle. A veterinarian suggested that the piglet would need a hybrid orthosis-prosthesis to support his leg. As of a year ago, Pirate was 500 pounds and wearing his fourth device, designed by a man who had made orthosis for dogs and humans--but never for a pig!
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
CAROL: How did you end up writing a book about bionic animals?
JOLENE: Carol Hinz, my editor at Lerner, put out a call for STEM picture books in the spring of 2018 (I heard it through my SCBWI chapter-Rocky Mountain). I submitted a < 1,000-word picture book titled BIONIC BEASTS to her, and she told me she loved it but wondered if I'd be willing to make it a middle grade with 5 chapters (plus an intro and conclusion) about 5 different animals. The book is now ~10,000 words and researching each chapter was like writing a separate book because I had to track down the people involved with the stories, they had to be willing to share their stories (some weren't), there had to be photos available for Lerner to use, etc.
I chose to write about animals being helped through technology because I grew up on a farm and in a community where injured animals, runts, etc. were routinely put down. I spent years of my childhood arguing, crying, and protesting that. This book is my way of honoring the kind-hearted, skilled people who have stepped up around the world to help animals who need their support.
Jolene worked through piles of files papers as she sorted out her research.
CURRICULUM RESOURCE
Bionic Beasts will make a great curriculum resource for the 5-8th grade classroom or homeschool family. Please click here for a link to the teaching guide. The author provides information on technology, science, veterinary medicine, and environmental issues in a very accessible manner. The activities at the end of each chapter reinforce students' learning.
Here is a short video of one of my granddaughters building a robotic hand, the activity associated with Mosha.
GIVEAWAY
Please leave a comment (and your email address if you are new to my blog) I will enter your name. Winner will be drawn on Ocober 9.
Congratulations to Gwen Porter who won the second copy of The Teachers March! from the bonus blog.
*****
Welcome back to my second conversation with Cat Michaels and Rosie Russell on their co-authoring journey. (If you missed the first post when they gave tips for successful collaboration, you'll find it here.) Today we'll talk about some of the technical, business, and creative aspects of their co-authoring project.
BUSINESS FIRST
Carol: How did you decide who was going to write what?
Cat:Rosie and I learned co-writing is tons more challenging than deciding who’s writing what. We viewed our collaboration as a business. Before we wrote a jot, we contracted details up-front about our partnership.
Carol:What’s involved with your contracting process? Is it the same as signing a contract with a traditional publisher?
Cat: It’s very different, Carol. As Indie authors, contracting means mapping out the who, what, where, why, when, and how we’d work together – all those details creatives dislike thinking about!
I developed a Statement of Work (SOW) to spell things out beforedeciding to work together. With the SOW as our guide, we hashed out everything from identifying goals and target audience to head-spinning stuff like finances, writing, production milestones, and marketing strategies. It took weeks. It wasn’t fun, but it was worth the effort to avoid roadblocks later.
I learned the hard way about establishing clear expectations at the start of a project. Five years ago, I co-facilitated a short-story anthology collection with several other kid lit authors. After months of writing and editing, we couldn’t figure out how to manage royalties or taxes between people living in the US and abroad. Then someone submitted a Young Adult horror story, which didn’t fit our target audience of sweet reads for primary grade kids. So, we never published, and the project folded. That fiasco still haunts me.
Carol:After completing your statement of work, did you decide on content and writing roles?
Rosie: Figuring out writing roles was part of the up-front work. Cat had the big picture in mind, so she wrote the opening and ending sections. She also incorporated feedback from her local SCBWI critique group.
I knew the story’s details and had lots of ideas for plot mischief, so I drafted the middle. Then I’d hand those chapters over to Cat for her to do her magic with rewrites and editing.
We also created extensive storyboards for our character and added everything we could imagine about them: What did they look like? What did they like to do in their spare time? What were their personality traits? etc.
True story: I was telling my husband about what one of our characters did in our book that day. I was talking so real about her, my husband had to stop and ask me, “Who is that, and she did what?” It’s funny how your characters become so real to you in your head!
Carol:How did you keep track of your drafts and exchange feedback with each other?
Cat:This is where we got cozy with technology! We used Google’s shared drive for file exchange. We set up character boards and tons of other folders to house ideas and how-to articles in addition to our chapter drafts.
I also created an excel template to divide our book into its beginning, middle, and end. Shooting for the sweet spot of 30,000 words for a middle-grade tale, we estimated the number of chapters and page count for each chapter. Then we brainstormed chapters and sketched in scenes and story arcs. This spreadsheet became our book outline. We could see what we’d written, where we were headed, and tally word count.
Rosie:We wrote our first drafts in Word on our desktops but used Google docs to edit. That shared drive became our file cabinet in the sky! I highly recommend it.
We also checked in by email and replied to each other’s comments on Google Drive and agreed before moving on. Mostly, our comments went smoothly, but a few times, we’d have to talk them out.
Carol: You live 1,500 miles away from each other. How were you able to communicate and keep going?
Rosie: This is my first-time co-authoring. Cat taught me a world of knowledge on how to communicate through Google Docs.
We also touched base with each other almost daily, even if it was to catch up on small details. I think the key to co-writing is to communicate consistently and be very specific with how things are discussed. Having a plan and keeping organized has also been very helpful. Cat is the guru of folders, lists, and charts that saved us. She even made sure our monthly phone calls, which we called “Call Memories,” were documented and put in special folders.
If one of us needed to leave the office for a few days, we let each other know ahead of time. It really has been like a full-time job, but it’s doing what we love and that is writing!
Carol: How did you manage bumps in the road while co-writing?
Cat: To be honest, living in a pandemic was a major stumbling block for me. In the early days, I couldn’t concentrate. Didn’t want to write. Stepped away from the keyboard for weeks until I could wrap my head around the new normal. Rosie was very understanding.
Beyond Covid, we addressed critical success factors in our Statement of Work, so we didn’t have major stumbles. If differences popped up, we talked them through and kept going. It also helped to have a fab writing partner like Rosie! See our tips about finding your perfect co-author in part 1.
Carol: How did you decide on a title? Was it difficult to agree on one?
Rosie: It was a long process because we wanted a title that no one had used before, so it took weeks to find the perfect one, Just Between Sam and Me. Here's a you-tube video that describes their process.
Carol: Who are you using to print the book? How did you make that decision?
Cat: Because we live in two different states, managing author royalties and tax implications were our biggest production challenge.
That’s why we chose Bundle Rabbit before we started our partnership. This aggregator distributes print on demand books through Amazon and digital books across multiple platforms, like Kobo, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. Best for us, it also tracks sales and manages co-author royalties and taxes.
FINANCES
Carol: Did you have any financial outlay?
w Biggest expenses:
Hiring an artist to create the cover and half-dozen black and white interior illustrations.
Hiring a graphic designer to format our print book (Cat’s formatting the e-book on her Vellum Software that runs on Mac OS).
w Other expenses:
·Swag, giveaways, Advance Reader Copies for industry reviewers who require print editions; plus postage and handling.
·Advertisements on sites like Amazon, Book Bub, Fussy Librarian, etc., especially around launch week.
w “Freebies”
·Fortunate to have professional editors among our friends and family, or editing would be a major expense.
·Impossible to put a price tag on support received from beta readers, author pals, newsletter subscribers, Street Team, and fellow bloggers like you, Carol! We could never succeed without it.
TOOLS TO USE
Carol: What software/tools would you recommend to writers who want to collaborate and self-publish?
·Google docs for co-editing and file sharing on Google Drive
·For Mac OS: Vellum software to format digital books
·Canva or Photoshop for creating marketing materials
·Excel or Google sheets to keep track of expenses
·Google calendar to manage dates for production, guest blogging, and marketing dates.
Carol: Why did you decide to go the self-publishing route? Has either of you self-published before?
Cat: This is my fifth book as an Indie, andI love the freedom of being an authorprenuer! Today’s publishing technology and social media channels make print-on-demand readily available, so why not?!? My books have been recognized with several writing awards, and my last book, Sweet T and the Turtle Team won the Wind Dancer Film competition and was considered for adaptation to TV or movies. I’m one happy Indie camper.
Rosie: I love being an Indie Author! It has given me the chance to make my books just the way I want them. I currently have nine children’s book titles. I’ve been able to include personal stories with the memories of family and friends that I love. I’m looking forward to making more.
ARC GIVEAWAY!
Their middle-grade book, Just Between Sam and Me, will be released in print and digital formats on Dec. 2. Rosie and Cat will contact the winner, who will have 24 hours to respond in order to receive their advance print copy of the book as soon as it is available. The print copy is only available within the continental U.S. If you are outside the U.S. you will receive a digital ARC. PLEASE leave your comment with your email address if you are new to my blog. If you're uncomfortable leaving your email, contact me at cbaldwin6@me.com. Giveaway ends September 22.
Prize:
One (1) ARC paperback of Just Between Sam and Me – Continental US
OR
One (1) ARC digital download of Just Between Sam and Me– International
Giveaway begins:
16 September, midnight , ET
Giveaway ends:
22 September, 12:00 am midnight, ET
Open: International
Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Must be 18 years or older to enter, have a valid email address and USPS address (US), or current Amazon account (international). One (1) winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget from among all eligible Entries received throughout the Sweepstake period and will be contacted by Cat Michaels via email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 24 hours to respond. If a winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Prizes are provided by Cat Michaels and Rosie Russell, who also host and manage this giveaway. Host is not responsible for technical/internet difficulties. If you have questions, email to Cat Michaels: cat@catmichaelswriter (dot).com
Theresa Pierce's manuscript, Up Dunn's Mountain won first place for Young Adult Literature at Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers 2020 Conference. She is a member of Word Weavers and the Daughters of the American Revolution. 
