PaperBox Books

A short post here because I’m working on my own writing resolution (okay, maybe not a resolution more a goal)

Are you wondering what to do for a new year resolution when it comes to writing? Try some of these.

1 I will revise my work – first drafts are exciting but not ready for publication

2 I will try something new – breaking out of a habit can help boost creativity

3 When I submit to a publisher, I will read and follow the submission guidelines – it makes you seem more professional when you take the time to present your work properly.

That’s all. I posted my writing goals on my blog at P.A. Wilson feel free to borrow any that may work for you.

Happy New Year and Happy Writing.

Perry

No Comments | In: Writing Tips | tags: How to Submit, Writing Tips. | #

Hi, all short story writers.

One of the cool things about e-publishing is the ability to publish ‘non-standard’ length work. When you are putting books on physical bookshelves, you need to meet a size range. The short story has no place alone on the shelf. There are plenty of collections there, meaning your reader has to buy a bunch of stories they don’t necessarily want in order to read yours.

In the e-publishing world there’s no physical shelf. If you put out a 45,000 word novella, it’s about pricing and attraction. If you put out a 1,500 word short story or a 10,000 word kind of long story, you just need to figure out what the right price is. Then you need to find your fans and let them know it’s for sale.

This is one of the reasons Sue and I brought PaperBox Books into existence. We saw the possibilities and decided we were up for the challenge.

We’re working on a branded line of short stories these days. Before we go all out looking for authors we need to think of a brand and a pricing strategy. But if you have a short story or two sitting in a folder, think about submitting it to PaperBox Books when we send out the call.

Follow us on Twitter @paperboxbooks and watch for the call for submissions.

Perry

2 Comments | In: What's New with PBB | tags: How to Submit, publishing, Short Stories, Twitter. | #

I think the answer to the question is, yes they are. Sometimes they are just worth gaining an interesting new perspective, and sometimes they are the first step in getting to the next level. What’s the best free opinion? One you agree to hear.

So, we’ve sent out two tweets offering a free first read and opinion for writers out in our followers, and the followers of our followers, and – with luck – the followers of our follower’s followers. Okay that got me wondering if follower is really a word.

So, the first call gave us three great stories. They weren’t perfect but wow, there was talent there. We were able to get back to people really quickly. Today we sent out the second call – okay Sue did the work – and we’re hoping to get  few more submissions before the offer ends.

The benefits are huge for us, and I hope the authors. PaperBox Books benefits from the opportunity to talk to new authors and the author gets a bit of free critique from a publisher. What is cool for me is that I also get a chance to look for the same blemishes and tics in my own work. Something I become better at as I go through critiquing.

If you are thinking about sending in something, please know we’re here to help, not to destroy. We are writers, too. We know how hard it is to hear that something isn’t working, but we also know it sometimes takes a fresh eye to find out what needs work, and what kind of work it needs. And, even better for the fragile writer’s ego – what is working. We give the good and the bad.

Happy writing.

Perry

No Comments | In: Opinions, Submissions | tags: How to Submit, opinion, revision, Twitter, Writing Tips. | #

Hi, short post this time to let you know that we tweeted out an offer to give an opinion on the first 10 pages of a manuscript. We got three submissions faster than – insert your favorite cliche here – and we were wowed by the work people sent.

To the three people who have now received our comments, well done. All three had us wanting to read more.

Sue and I are going to do this periodically, so follow PaperBox Books on twitter and watch for the invitation.

It’s sunny here – and still a bit windy. But who is going to say no thanks to a nice sunny day.

Happy writing

Perry

No Comments | In: Opinions, Submissions, What's New with PBB | tags: How to Submit, opinion, Twitter. | #

I’ve learned in the process of getting a manuscript ready for submission that two things are true.

1. it’s never perfect but you need to get as close as possible
2. there will be changes when the editor reads your story

Getting close to perfect involves sharing and listening. First, when you have revised it a couple of time, it’s ready for critiquing. There are a number of ways to get a critique. Posting on-line to a writing and reading community. Finding an in-person writing group and inviting 4 or 5 people into a writing circle.

Writing circles generally share specific numbers of pages on a regular schedule. You provide and you get advice on structural issues, character development and description – the bigger items. A critique group can agree to do line editing so it’s important to understand the guidelines of the group. When you get critiques the rule is that you don’t argue – you can decide you don’t agree, but it’s not cool to try to bring people to your point of view – you are there to find things you can’t see in your writing.

Online groups can be useful if you keep in mind that you don’t know who will critique. There are lots of site out there, Sue posted some earlier today. My favorite is Authonomy a Harper Collins site. Your work needs to be at least 10,000 words to make public but once it is, people will give you comments and ask you to give them comments back. What makes this community great is that you get comments from readers and writers. You need to develop a professional attitude here, that’s a good thing, you’ll be a better author for it.

The key to success for critiquing – online or reality – is to participate. You give as much as you expect to get – and more.

Happy writing

Perry

No Comments | In: Submissions, Writing Tips | tags: How to Submit, Process, Writing Tips. | #

This might be the 500,000,000th or more posting on this subject. When submitting your work to an agent or publisher, you want to make the best impression.

That doesn’t mean your book needs to be publishing ready. There are people in the process who will help you take your best work and make it excellent, fabulous, and readworthy.

It doesn’t seem to matter whether the economy is booming or busting, there are always more books written than can possibly fit on a book shelf. That’s why it’s so hard to break into publishing. Well, e-publishing is no different. No matter how easy it is to get your book out there, you need to think of your reader – they want the best stories presented to them in the most professional way possible.

So, when you submit to a publisher or agent you need to start with your best. Your best includes making sure you’ve run the spell, grammar, and style checker on your word processor. It includes making sure your characters come alive and your story has a beginning, middle and end.

How do you get there? I’ve found the best way to get from first draft to publishable work is revise the first draft a couple of times and then get a critique. Critique groups give you two important things.

First, your critique group is made of writers, they know what the process is. They know what structure is, they know when the passion is on the page. A good critique group will challenge you on everything about your story – and they’ll find thing you can’t see. My experience with critique groups has been great – I see my mistakes in other people’s books. After reviewing another writer’s work, I go and look for the same things in my own.

Second, and perhaps more important, a critique group will get you used to critiques. You’ll hear things you don’t agree with and you’ll get great ideas. The feedback from your critique group is not intended to be gospel. You can decide what you want to do with the comments. But, I bet you’ll find that when you don’t agree, it’s not because your writing was so great and the reader didn’t ‘get’ it, it will be because you weren’t clear enough in the first place.

When you’ve worked with a critique group and thoughtfully revised your manuscript, it’s time to check submission requirements. And check them carefully, they aren’t there to create a barrier, they are there to make it easy for the editor/agent to access your work. Keep in mind the person reading your submission is reading multiple works, make it easy for them.

Wow,is the rant over? Yep, only one thing left. When you think you’ve sent in your best work, don’t be surprised if you get back a long list of suggestions. If the person reading your submission has gone to the trouble of giving you feedback, it means they read the work and they care enough to help.

Write well and prosper.

Perry

2 Comments | In: Submissions | tags: How to Submit, opinion, Process, Writing Tips. | #

If you attended the Surrey International Writers’ Conference last weekend or are participating in this year’s NaNoWriMo you might have heard whisperings about PaperBox Books Publishing.

We’re an e-publishing company who focuses on writers.

Yes, you heard that right.

Our philosophy is that there are many writers have excellent novels ready to be published but have been refused by publishers because their stories don’t quite suit the target market. At the SIWC conference we were told that many publishers are pulling back on the number of new authors they sign because of the economic downturn. They’d rather use established writers who are less risky because of their track record.

“So what if… ” I said to Donald Maass, of Donald Maass Literary Agency during a panel discussion, “what if we published these first time authors electronically, so when they came to you they had a solid sales record. Would they have a better shot at getting published?”

His response, “I think you’re on to something.” The other publishers on the panel nodded in agreement.

We’re looking to publish our first titles near the end of November, with plans to release more each month. Our goal is to publish every publishable author who submits material to us. By publishable I mean readable stories with solid plot, sub-plot and character development with correct spelling and grammar. We will not refuse to publish because of genre or marketability. We will however automatically refuse to publish hate literature and flat out porn.

Each author brings with them an audience be-it friends, family, co-workers, Facebook friends or Twitter followers. By networking together we can help each other out and sell our books without having to do all the marketing on our own.

Please visit the ‘How to Submit’ section of our website at
http://paperboxbooks.com/howtosubmit.html

No Comments | In: What's New with PBB | tags: How to Submit, publishing, SIWC, writers. | #