hemingwaywantabes

Writing Tips, Publishing Strategies, and 101 Literary Ideas for Aspiring Authors

Archive for August, 2008

Hemingway and Book Scope

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 31, 2008

Hemingwaywantabes, many beginning writers with traditional publishing aspirations decide to write a book about a subject too small in scope. One writer told me his book idea about a cyberspace killer stalking fellow players of a video game. The idea was unique, but the stakes weren’t high enough to garner interest from agents or publishers. I suggested one of the players be the son of the Secretary of Defense. The twist elevated the story to provide a national scope, one affecting an official of the United States government.

The non-fiction arena provides similar challenges. Whether your work is a biography, chronicle of an event, or debate of an important issue, the scope must be of significant importance to gain national interest. Otherwise, agents or publishers will pass, believing the book audience is limited.

Many aspiring authors want to write an autobiographical story about special events occurring in their life. There are exceptions, but most often the scope of such a story is too limited to interest a literary agent or publisher. One writer focused his book on a youth summer camp he attended where a tragic death occurred. The story was important to him, but too personal to interest a broad readership. I suggested he write about another topic. When he becomes well established, perhaps the summer camp story will have a greater chance of success. Once again, uniqueness is the key – will readers really be interested in your story?

Assessing the market potential for any book you contemplate is essential. Literary agent Caroline Carney suggests aspiring authors estimate anticipated sales before contacting a literary agent or publisher. “One of the easiest benchmarks,” she states, “is to look at the size of the most popular association in your field (or, in the case of fiction, in a field reflecting the enthusiasm of your main character).” Carney further advises writers to visit the library and consult Bacon’s Magazine Directory to discover the circulation size of the largest magazine catering to their primary reader’s particular interest, or to note sales figures listed on paperback reprints of popular titles in a particular genre.

Carney believes the aspiring author must pay attention to guidelines within his or her field of interest. “Those contemplating a sports book,” she explains, “should adhere to the old saying, ‘the smaller the ball, the higher the sales.’” This means literary agents and/or publishers, based on past sales figures, will be more interested in books about golf, tennis, and baseball than they will about football or basketball.

Good tip, one applicable to all book genres.

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Hemingway and Book Ideas

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 23, 2008

Where do book ideas come from my hemingwaywantabe friends? The truth be known, they spring into the mind from all directions. Remember Muhammad Ali’s famous quote, “The man who has no imagination has no wings.”

Dear Ernest would agree that writers must develop strong antennae to avoid missing an idea or event that may provide fodder for a book. Ideas are everywhere (H. L. Menchen wrote, “There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.”), and success can strike like a lightning bolt out of the blue.

Asked how he decided to write Ragtime, E. L. Doctorow stated, “[Inspiration] can be anything. It can be a voice, an image; it can be a deep moment of personal desperation. With Ragtime, I was facing the wall of my study in my house in New Rochelle, and so I started to write about the wall. Then I wrote about the house that was attached to the wall. It was built in 1906, you see, so I thought about the era . . . And one thing led to another and that’s the way the book began.”

William Faulkner’s classic, The Sound and the Fury was inspired, he swore, “with a mental picture.” The picture, he wrote, “was of the muddy seat of a little girl’s drawers in a pear tree, where she could see through a window where her grandmother’s funeral was taking place.”

Author Simon Garfield provides a good example of someone birthing a unique idea. His book, Mauve, is the history of the purplish color invented by English teenager William Perkin in 1856. Another is the writings of Richard Hamblyn. His book, The Invention of Clouds, surveys the landscape with a passionate tone.

Best-selling author James Patterson (Along Came A Spider, Kiss The Girls), a former advertising executive at J. Walter Thompson, uses a creative pattern. He told Writer’s Digest, “I have a big folder of ideas, and when it comes time for me to write a new book, I’ll pull it out and go over everything that’s in there.” Patterson then picks two or three ideas from the folder and writes them down. “Then I write a page or two on each to begin to see if there is a story I like,” he says.

In addition to an “idea folder,” I keep a small green notebook in my pocket. It contains a “book idea” page, and pages listing books in progress. When an idea pops into my head, I write it down. In August of 2001, I was consumed with a “what if” idea regarding an invasion of the United States. I note it in my notebook. A month later, much to my sorrow, the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon occurred. The “what if” had become reality.

Some ideas take longer to develop than others. I met the legendary San Francisco attorney Melvin Belli in the mid-1980s. He was a swashbuckling character right out of a romance novel—the Ernest Hemingway of the legal profession. Even though we lost contact after I left California, I was fascinated with “The King of Torts” and his role in defending Lee Harvey Oswald’s killer, Jack Ruby. The idea to write about Mr. Belli and the Ruby case ruminated for fifteen years, but finally the time was right and Melvin Belli, King of the Courtroom, was published.

The search-for-the-truth path to non-fiction presents many great opportunities for the writer. The book can be investigative, featuring little known, fresh facts about a subject. Other non-fiction areas of interest might be “How-To” books, inspirational material, straight interview books, and satirical material poking fun at politicians or sports figures.

Novelists, such as nine-year-old Sam Spahn, author of Krill-Guy, The Adventures of an Invincible Penguin, discover ideas from true stories, personal experiences, or the “what if” scenarios. Although personal experiences may fuel your inspiration, remember to give your story a universal twist so others can relate to it. A useful reference is Novel Ideas, penned by Barbara Shoup and Margaret Love Denman. The book features information about the creative process and the thoughts and ideas of twenty-four prominent authors.

Summing up, great ideas are everyone. Grab one and get busy writing!

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Hemingway and Fiction/Non-Fiction

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 20, 2008

Whether to write fiction or non-fiction is an important decision for the author with publishing aspirations. If you have inclinations toward both, try both. Write a few chapters, a short story, or an article portraying a true-life event. Then let your imagination flow. Decide which provides more satisfaction, since writing with passion is essential to future success.

The decision to write fiction or non-fiction should not be made without considering an important question: Is it easier to become a published author by writing in one genre or the other?

There is no clear consensus as to whether fiction or non-fiction provides a better stepping-stone to a career as an author, but far more works of fiction are presented to literary agents and publishers than non-fiction. With so much competition, the odds of success for a first-time author of fiction are diminished. This is because publishers realize it is normally the author who is the star since readers return to purchase books by authors whom they have enjoyed before.

Non-fiction may provide more opportunity. First-time authors with a “platform” (expertise in a particular subject) abound, since generally the subject matter is as important as the name of the author on the book cover. Publishers recognized that the true story focusing on discharge of chemical waste by a large corporation portrayed in A Civil Action was the star, not the unknown author, Jonathan Harr. A similar situation occurred following the terrorist attacks on the United States when several books by unknown authors about the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan, and chemical warfare became bestsellers.

As with all rules of thumb, there are exceptions. Non-fiction is a broad genre including how-to and instructional books, biography, inspirational books, humor, and what is known as “narrative non-fiction”—true stories unfolding in much the same storytelling pattern as fiction. Authors of narrative non-fiction can also become superstars with a dedicated readership, as did Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air and Into The Wild, or Stephen Ambrose, author of Undaunted Courage. Editors reviewing narrative non-fiction submissions look for many of the same qualities they seek with fiction—a compelling story with unforgettable characters written in page-turning style.

An exception to the author being the star of fiction may occur when the subject matter of the novel focuses on a headline-making topic. During the period following the Washington D.C. area sniper attacks, novels featuring themes about serial killers were popular.

Marie Butler-Knight, former publisher of Alpha Books, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, believes the genre of non-fiction can make all the difference regarding publishing potential. “Generalizations can be dangerous because there are different types of non-fiction,” she says. “How-to/informational books are easier to break in with if you have subject matter expertise. If you’re a generalist author, you’d better have a subject matter expert as a co-author or you’ll have a hard time convincing a publisher to publish you.”

Regarding biographies and narrative non-fiction, Butler-Knight disagrees with those who believe the genres are totally story-driven. “In order to succeed, these types of books need to tell compelling stories,” she states. “They require the same sort of writing skills as fiction. To a publisher, this sort of work is totally author-driven and every bit as risky as publishing fiction.”

The publishing world’s view toward fiction and non-fiction is symbolized through the comments of Jane von Mehren, former executive editor of Penguin Books. She told Writer’s Digest, “Non-fiction has become a strong, sophisticated area . . . In many ways, non-fiction is easier to publish than fiction because it targets a very definable audience, and it’s easier to package books and target them to specific readers.” She added, “It’s a booming area. In non-fiction, we look for books that will have a long shelf life, offering solid information and advice useful for years to come. It really helps when a non-fiction author is already an expert in his or her field, and the book builds on an existing platform.”

Von Mehren stated, “In fiction, we’re looking for a breakthrough story that will have a long life in trade paperback . . . Trade paperback fiction is gaining momentum, with excellent literary titles getting broader exposure . . . An unknown writer can break through with a great story. For an editor, that discovery is still an incomparable thrill.”

Whether to attempt to dent the traditional publishing industry with works of fiction or non-fiction is the writer’s choice, but John Baker, a fixture at Publisher’s Weekly for years and a noted expert on the book industry, reveals interesting statistics he learned from a top literary agent. “I’m told that 95% of the material that agents receive is fiction,” he said. “And that they sell 5%. Of the 5% of non-fiction that lands on their desk, they sell 95%.”

So, Hemingwaywantabes, listen up, and make your selection based on any number of factors mentioned here. Whether you choose fiction or non-fiction, it will be the quality of your work that makes the difference. Remember – unique book idea + great writing + well-planned publishing strategy = optimization of your publishing chances. And best of all, it only takes one publisher to say “yes” so keep the faith and never give up.

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Hemingway and Short Stories

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 16, 2008

“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” is one way to begin the writing process. But, Hemingwaywantabes, just as a baseball player with dreams of playing in the major leagues begins his quest in the minors, a bit of seasoning is warranted before you plunge into the world of writing for publication.

This seasoning involves writing short stories, essays, magazine or newspaper articles, or poetry for mainstream publications. Doing so teaches the discipline of writing with space and word constraint to produce good beginnings, middles, and ends to stories. For poets, it is the opportunity to test their mettle in a single poem or two.

Another benefit of writing short-form material is the ability to test linguistic skills and begin developing a personal writing style. The process may also help you decide whether to write fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.

Most important, publication of short stories, essays, newspaper articles or poetry provides a showcase for your talent while earning you a publishing credit. The latter will prove helpful when you seek publication for long-form fiction or non-fiction material.

Many celebrated authors began by writing magazine and newspaper articles, and short stories. Among them was Ernest Hemingway. His talent was recognized while he wrote for publications such as Atlantic Monthly and The Toronto Star.

Several modern-day magazines, including Esquire, GQ, Harper’s, Jane, Playboy, Seventeen, and Zoetrope, print short works of fiction. Publications like Vanity Fair, Atlantic Monthly, and Ladies Home Journal, among others, will consider short works of non-fiction.

One author who gained exposure by writing short stories is Terry McMillan, best selling African-American author of How Stella Got Her Groove Back. She began reading literary works by African-American writers while shelving books at a Port Huron, Michigan library at age sixteen. While majoring in journalism at UC Berkeley, she wrote The End, her first short story. When it was published, it provided a springboard for her long-form efforts.

Mary Higgins Clark, author of several best selling mysteries, jump-started her career by writing short stories. The first sold for $100 to Extension Magazine after six years and more than forty rejection slips. This modest success stimulated Clark, who wrote Aspire To The Heavens, a novel about the life of George Washington. It was a dismal failure, but her second effort, Where Are The Children, proved successful. This book paved the way for such bestsellers as Before I Say Goodbye, Deck The Halls, and The Street Where You Live.

J. K. Rowling, famous for the Harry Potter series, began her career by writing short stories. While attempting to complete two novels, she conceived a “what-if” idea. It focused on a young boy who didn’t realize he was a wizard. The skills she had honed writing short stories enabled her to complete Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was published a year later to wide acclaim, catapulting Rowling to international fame.

Charles Dickens garnered experience as a newspaper reporter before turning to long-form writing. He then wrote short texts to accompany a series of humorous sport illustrations. Next came The Pickwick Papers. It led to Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, the first of Dickens’ successful Christmas stories, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, and David Copperfield.

Poets gain credentials through publication of their poetry in reputable magazines and journals. Publishers scan these publications searching for new talent.

For me, seasoning occurred when I wrote several columns for USA Today during the Mike Tyson trial. The credit led to a publishing commitment for Down For The Count. To those who scanned my manuscript, I wasn’t a novice writer with little credibility, but one who had been published in a national newspaper.

If you decide to write short stories, educate yourself about this form of writing. The easiest way is to return to the bookstores and focus on the classics. Look for anthologies of short stories by a variety of famed authors. These will expose you to several examples of good writing. Pay attention to how the authors formulated the beginning, middle, and end of their stories.

Celebrated author Elmore Leonard stated “Read and study what the writer is doing. Find a writer you have a rapport with and study the paragraphing, study the punctuation, study everything.” William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well, echoes Leonard’s comments. He wrote, “Writing is learned by imitation. If anyone asked me how I learned to write, I’d say I learned by reading the men and women who were doing the kind of writing I wanted to do and trying to figure out how they did it.”

Pretty damn good advice, wouldn’t you say. And I am sure Mr. Hemingway would agree.

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Hemingway and Book Reading

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 14, 2008

There is no doubt that Ernest Hemingway was an avid reader. Biographers have detailed his interest in many types of books, especially his own! He realized that books are a wonderful source of information especially when one is attempting to learn about a new craft such as writing and publishing.

This summer has been a blessed time for me to do some reading. I have enjoyed Five Skies by Ron Carlson, a superb book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi, Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky, The Shack by William P. Young, and The Good German by Joseph Kanon. Each is well-written, each permits knowledge of a new area of learning.

So, Hemingwaywantabes, take note, and consider the reading list I have included in How To Become a Published Author: A to Z (printable or downloadable using the above icons). Here goes:

Suggested Reading List for Aspiring Authors and Poets

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie, Random House, New York, 2001

Book, The Magazine For The Reading Life, July/August, 2001

Down and Out In London and Paris, George Orwell, Harcourt, New York, 1933

Every Saint Has A Past, Every Sinner Has A Future, Terry Cole-Whitaker, Putnam, New York City, 2001

How To Write a Book Proposal, Michael Larsen, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1997

Jack Kerouac, Selected Letters, Edited by Ann Charters, Penguin, New York, 1996

Novel Ideas, Barbara Shoup and Margaret Love Denman, Alpha Books, Indianapolis, Indiana, 2001

On Writing, Stephen King, Scribner’s, New York City, 2001

On Writing Well, William Zinser, HarperCollins, New York, 2001

Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow, Warner Books, New York, 1987

Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand, Ballantine, New York, 2001

1,818 Ways To Write Better and Get Published, Scott Edelstein, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, 1991

The Complete Guide To Book Publicity, Jodee Blanco, Allworth Press, New York, 2000

The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, Noah Lukeman, Simon and Schuster, 2003

The Writer’s Chapbook, George Plimpton et al, The Modern Library, New York, 1999

Twentieth Century Dictionary of Quotations, Edited by The Princeton Language Institute, The Philip Lief Group, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, New York City, 1993

Various Issues – Writer’s Digest Magazine

Writer’s Guide To Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents, Jeff Herman, Prima Publishing, 2002

Writing Down The Bones, Natalie Goldberg, Shambhala, Boston and London, 1986

Your Novel Proposal, From Creation to Contract, Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1999

When you have completed reading on this list, take a vacation. You will deserve it!!

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Hemingway and Manuscript Errors

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 12, 2008

No manuscript is perfect even when it has been edited over and over, and over again. Even dear Mr. Hemingway would admit that a few errors existed when one of his books was published.

Regardless, Hemingwaywantabes, perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be the goal of any aspiring author. Consider this scenerio from my book, How To Become a Published Author: A to Z:

“Imagine you are a literary agent or an editor at a publishing company. Upon returning from one of those famous New York three-hour lunches at a fancy restaurant, you sit behind a desk and stare at the three-foot-tall stack of query letters and book proposals your assistant has delivered. Before she did so, any manuscripts received from unpublished authors have been thrown in the trash bin since you do not have time to read a four-hundred-page novel.

Armed with a full tummy of sushi and hot sake, you begin to scan the query letters and book proposals. You are impressed that these aspiring authors and poets have done their homework by checking the information in reference sources such as Publisher’s Lunch.com, The Guide to Literary Agents, Writer’s Market, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, and other credible self-help books that are a writer’s best friends.

Selecting one book proposal with the title, The Day the Earth Moved, you begin reading the accompanying query letter. Per guidelines and industry standards, it is one page in length, single-spaced, no more. Immediately, the first line grabs your attention since it presents a “what-if” scenario. Your emotions stir as you think, “Hey, maybe this is just the novel I have been looking for,” but then your face reddens as you notice several glaring grammatical errors. First, the author has used “there” where it should be “their,” and next “I” where it should be “me.” And then you see quotation marks inside a sentence period when 99% of the time they will be outside.

Pressed for time, your glee in discovering a good “what-if” scenario dissipates, and you toss the query letter and proposal into the bin marked “Return to Sender.” This writers’ graveyard is the dead end for aspiring authors since they have not been judged on the merit of the book idea, but disqualified because of grammatical errors.”

To ensure query letters and book proposals will be considered on their merits, make certain the text is error-free. To aid your effort, my book (it may be printed out or downloaded free of charge using the icons above) features fifty quick tips designed to provide a working knowledge of proper grammar usage. Presented in a question-and-answer format, they are designed to aid your efforts in submitting a mistake-free book idea to interested agents and publishers. By doing so, you optimize your opportunity to become published – the ultimate goal of any aspiring writer.

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Hemingway and Dialogue

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 9, 2008

No one disputes the fact that writing dialogue is one of the great challenges an aspiring author faces. But Hemingwaywantabes, there is hope from the master himself who was a master at writing verbal exchanges between his characters with such skill than readers feel as if they are part of the conversation.

No better example of Ernest Hemingway’s gift for dialogue is evident that in For Whom The Bell Tolls. You may open this classic to just about any page, and presto, there is language to learn from regarding how to write dialogue. Here’s an example:

“Sit down, Pilar,” Maria said. “Please, please sit down.”

“All right,” said Pilar, and the three of them sat down under a pine tree and look across the mountain meadow to where the tops of the peaks seemed to jut out from the roll of the high country with snow shining bright on them now in the early afternoon sun.

“What rotten stuff is the snow and how beautiful it looks,” Pilar said. “What an illusion is the snow.” She turned to Maria. “I am sorry  Iwas rude to thee, guapa. I don’t know what has held me today. I have an evil temper.”

“I never what mind what you say when you are angry,” Maria told her. “And you are angry often.”

From this passage, you may note that what Hemingway has accomplished is almost a short story by itself. You gain from this text such rich information about the two women and what is on their minds and in their hearts connected, as intended, by the use of the snow as the trigger-point for the conversation.

Never forget that Hemingway was the master of the short story before he began to write long-form. This is why he takes such extra care when it comes to writing dialogue. Learn from him, watch how he folds his message into the language and thus into the characters. The master is talking to you.

Note: More evidence of terrific dialogue is noted in the Appendix to “How to Become a Published Author: “A to Z” the book you may print or download using the icon above.

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Hemingway and First Pages

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 5, 2008

Okay, Hemingwaywantabes, many of you want to know what type of beginning for your book is the best way to capture the reader’s attention. To answer this question, trot to your local library or bookstore and pick up just about any Hemingway book to see how the master did it. For instance, let’s look at the first words of one of my favorite’s, For Whom the Bell Tolls: “He lay on the brown brown-pine-needled floor of the forest, his chin on his folded arms, and high overhead the wind blew in the tops of the pine trees. The mountainside sloped gently where he lay; but below it was steep and he could see the dark of the oiled road winding through the pass. There was steam alongside the road and far down the pass he saw the stream and the falling water of the dam, white in the summer sun.” Having set the scene, Hemingway moves to the drama of the moment, what is going to occur: ” . . . I wish to go to where we will hide this explosive until it is time. I would like to have it hidden in the utmost security at distance no greater than half an hour from the bridge, if that is possible.”

What Hemingway has created, I hope you agree, is anticipation of what is going to occur when the explosive device does its job. As readers, we now want to read further to see what the outcome will be.

Hemingway’s exciting beginning of his book meshes perfectly with the words in On Writing Well by author William Zinsser. He writes: “[Your] lead must capture the reader immediately and force him to keep reading. It must cajole him with freshness, or novelty, or paradox, or humor, or surprise, or with an unusual idea, or an interesting fact, or a question. Anything will do, as long as it nudges his curiosity and tugs at his sleeve.”

There is no doubt that Hemingway, in For Whom the Bell Tolls, has “nudged the curiosity” of the reader. Is this what your book does? Or does it fulfill any of the other suggestions Zinsser makes? If not, attempt to formulate another beginning for your book with story ideas and prose that leap off the page. The hard work will be well worth it.

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Hemingway and The Shack

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 3, 2008

So, hemingwaywantabes, looking for a bit of inspiration? Want to know about a self-published book that has hit the big time? Well, here’s one, The Shack, by William P. Young. Actually it was published by a couple of Young’s who formed a small publishing company and backed the book with their own dough. Word of mouth began to spread the news that this was a very special book, and presto, it began to sell and sell and sell some more. Now, the author and his two buddies are rolling in dough themselves since they have partnered with a big-time publisher to take the book international. Wow, what a great story and one you need to know more about.

Why has The Shack rocketed to number one on The New York Times novel is packed with important things to think about regarding the characteristics we call care about, admit it or not – being loving, being forgiving, and especially being one with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit. paperback fiction list? The yarn, about a decent fellow named Mack who must endure the tragic loss of his youngest daughter by a dasdardly killer, provides “stop and think” issues regarding how to deal with the above subjects. This is especially true regarding the issue of forgiving, something paramount, Young believes, to having any chance to become free. But Mack must learn the hard way whether he might forgive both his abusive father, and the man who slaughtered his daughter. Those who help him – yeah, it’s God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in person, one might say, dive into Mack’s head and help him resolve the age-old question as to why pain and suffering occur to the best of human beings. In the end, Mack understands better not only this question and potential answsers, but himself and how he wants to lead the rest of his life.

One of the finest books I have ever read, The Shack is a must-read for everyone whether Christian, non-believer, or believer in another spiritual entity. It will scare you, warm your heart, and cause you to touch tender issues you may have deep within. Above all it will teach you that forgiving is arguably the greatest human emotion of all. If you may forgive, then you are free in every sense of the word.

Young’s book has certainly struck a nerve, and whether you want to buy his message or not, do at least use the book for inspirational purposes. A traditional self-published book (subsidy publishing is a no-no) can and does have a chance these days of breaking out and becoming a bestseller. If you can’t find a publisher interested in what you have written, try traditional self-publishing. Information as to how to proceed are contained in my book “How to Become a Published Author: At to Z.” You may download it or copy it free of charge using the icons above.

Hemingway might not have agreed with Young writes, but I damn well believe he would have admired him for writing the book. And for his belief that one day it might be a bestseller.

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Hemingway and Your First Book

Posted by Mark Shaw on August 1, 2008

Attention Hemingwaywantabes, are you writing your first book, either one you are authoring about a subject you have chosen, or one you are authoring about someone else per an agreement with them? If so, my bet is that Mr. Hemingway would suggest that you hire a literary consultant to assist you idea to publication. Doing so with a professional with much experience in the publishing business makes good sense.

Despite my having been been published nearly twenty times (See the Mark Shaw Books icon above), I just hired a literary consultant to evaluate a book proposal I wrote. His opinion will be most helping in considering whether I am on the right track with my book concept.

When people hire me as a mentor/consultant to help them, I usually provide a sketch of what services I will provide. It includes:

Initial evaluation of the book project regarding topic, uniqueness, publishing viability, and strategy – idea to publication

Suggested research techniques and use of preliminary book outline

Evaluation of first manuscript draft with notes re content, grammar and punctuation accuracy, and theme projection

Evaluation of subsequent manuscript draft with notes

Evaluation of final manuscript draft with notes

Reference of line editors to examine manuscript for completion and submission

Consultation regarding form for first book proposal draft

Evaluation of subsequent book proposal draft

Evaluation of final version of book proposal

Consultation regarding first query letter draft

Evaluation of subsequent query letter draft

Evaluation of final version of query letter

Consultation regarding publishing alternatives

Consultation regarding selection of literary agent potentials

Assistance with submission procedures to literary agents and/or publishers

Legal consultation regarding literary agent and/or publishing contracts

Of course, I never guarantee that someone will be published, only that the strategy/advice suggested will optimize the chances to be published. Check the icon above that lists many authors who have used my assistance if you wish to do so.

No matter, locating a competent, professional consultant is easy to do using a Google search, etc. Carefully check out credentials and if you have the time, contact references the consultants mention to make certain they were pleased with the advice provided.

So, hemingwaywantabes, don’t be shy about asking for help with your first book, or even a subsequent one. The cost is reasonable and the advice worth the cost.

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