Shut Up & Write!
Page 16
That’s it. That’s the big secret.
Two Paths to Publication—Summary
Things You (Generally) Write First Things You (Generally) Sell First
All stories, fiction and nonfiction Articles
Creative nonfiction Profiles
Historical fiction Biographies
Reminiscence Business
Memoirs Marketing
Personal essays Self-help
Humor How-to
Inspirational Histories
Poetry
Opinion
The Write-First Path for Shorter Works The Sell-First Path for Shorter Works
Finish writing the entire piece
Edit carefully
Check publication guidelines
Prepare a cover letter if you are sending one
Prepare the manuscript
Submit the full manuscript
Keep track of submissions
Follow-up
Negotiate contract Research and write query:
An engaging lead
Supporting details
Your credentials
Contact information
Negotiate terms, rights, and payment
Complete the writing
The Write-First Path for Book-length Works The Sell-First Path for Book-length Works
Finish the book
Write your query letter
Have your full proposal ready to send:
Cover letter
Title page
Contents page
Synopsis
Chapter outline
Author biography
First three chapters or first fifty pages
Endorsements
Query
Tailor proposal to agent or publisher:
Cover letter
Title page
Table of Contents
Overview of book or a chapter outline
Marketing information
a competitive analysis and ideas for promotion
Author biography
your credentials
Sample chapters or first fifty pages
Endorsements
testimonials that might work on the back cover
Negotiate contract
Complete the writing
Figure 27. Two Paths to Publication—Summary
APPENDIXES
Appendix A Sample Format for a Manuscript
Appendix B Sample Format for a Cover or Query Letter
APPENDIX A
Sample Format for a Manuscript
* * *
Your name # Words
Address
City, State, Zip
Phone numbers
Email address
TITLE
by
YOUR NAME
This is a basic format for preparing manuscripts for reading or submission.
There are many variations of manuscript formats. This one will work for most types of prose–fiction or nonfiction. In all cases, read and follow the specific guidelines of the agent/editor/publisher. For additional tips on preparation, see Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript and Writer’s Market, both published by Writer’s Digest Books.
Set margins at one inch, and align left (do not justify). Select a plain font such as Times Roman, 12 point. Single space your contact information at the top left of the first page. Type your word count at the top right. The title and your name are centered, in caps, one-third of the way down the page. The text begins four lines down from your name and is double spaced throughout. Indent paragraphs. Avoid colors and fancy graphics. Minimize use of italics, bolds, underlines, and exclamation marks.
Do not put a page number on the first page.
On subsequent pages, put your last name and the slug (a short form of your title) in the left header, and the page number in the right header.
If you are submitting a hard copy, print on one side of plain white paper. Use a paperclip, butterfly clamp, or book box to secure the pages. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) large enough to hold your manuscript, or note that this is a disposable copy and send a self-addressed, stamped post card to be used for notification. Be sure to write the name and address of the publisher in the return area of the envelope or card, and include sufficient postage. Keep a copy of your manuscript and a record of your submissions.
In all cases, check and follow the agent/editor/publisher guidelines about submissions. Some prefer print, most prefer electronic; some like attachments, some don’t. You will find guidelines in the market guides. Be sure to check online to see if names or instructions have changed since the guide was printed.
At the end of your manuscript, type THE END at the left margin.
THE END
APPENDIX B
Sample Format for a Cover or Query Letter
* * *
Your Name
Address, City, State, Zip
Phone numbers, Email address
[Or Use Letterhead]
Agent/Editor/Publisher NameDate
Title
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear (Name):
This is a format you can use for hard copy cover or query letters. Adjust the format as needed for electronic queries, which are accepted by most agents and publishers. Always follow the specific guidelines of the agent/editor/publisher. For added tips on preparation, see Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript and Writer’s Market, both published by Writer’s Digest Books.
Cover letters are sent with manuscripts you are submitting for publication. They may include:
a reminder of prior contact
details such as the availability of photos
appropriate author information
Queries are basically sales letters for nonfiction you would like to write, or for a novel you have already written. The query may include:
a few paragraphs designed to stir interest in the work
mention of relevant experience (the reason you are the right person to write this)
information about expected (or finished) length, resources, testimonials
Keep cover and query letters to one page, single spaced, with two spaces between paragraphs. Use a standard 12 point font with no fancy text or graphics. Align left (do not justify). Include note of any enclosures at the end, below your signature.
Close with a polite thank you and mention that you look forward to hearing from them.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Enclosures: [list each enclosure below]
REFERENCES
AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 10th ed. Edited by Cheryl Iverson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Also available at http://www.amamanualofstyle.com.
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law. Edited by Darrell Christian, Sally Jacobsen, and David Minthorn. New York: Associated Press, 2010. Also available at http://www.apstylebook.com.
Baldwin, Shauna Singh. The Tiger Claw. Canada: Knopf, 2004.
Bergstrom, Elaine. Nocturne. New York: Penguin, 2003.
Cameron, Julia. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity. 10th ed. New York: Tarcher, 2002.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Also available at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript, 3rd ed. Edited by Chuck Sambuchino. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 2009.
Fryxell, David. How to Write Fast (While Writing Well). Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1992.
Hanratty, Thomas. The Art & Science of Tracking Man and Beast. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Medicine Hawk Publishing, 1997.
Hansen, Eric. Hiking Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Guilford, Connecticut: Falcon Guide, 2005.
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Pantheon, 1994.
MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. 3rd ed. New York: Modern Language Ass
ociation of America, 2008.
The New Writers Handbook: A Practical Anthology and Best Advice for Your Craft and Career. Edited by Philip Martin. Minneapolis: Scarletta Press, 2007.
Pamuk, Orhan. Other Colors: Essays and a Story. Translated by Maureen Freely.New York: Knopf, 2007.
Poynter, Dan. Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book. 16th ed. Santa Barbara: Para Publishing, 2007.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2009.
Roerden, Chris. Don’t Murder Your Mystery. Rock Hill, South Carolina: Bella Rosa Books, 2006.
Roerden, Chris. Don’t Sabotage Your Submission. Rock Hill, South Carolina: Bella Rosa Books, 2007.
Roorbach, Bill. Writing Life Stories. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 2000.
Strunk,William, Jr., and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. Illustrated by Maira Kalman. New York: Penguin Press, 2005.
Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age. Edited by Constance Hale. San Francisco: Hardwired, 1996.
Writer’s Market. Edited by Robert Lee Brewer. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 2011.
The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World. Edited by Yahoo! Sunnydale, California: Yahoo!, 2010. Also published online at: http://www.styleguide.yahoo.com.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In one of my favorite imaginings, Henry David Thoreau is sitting beside Walden Pond, penciling vast thoughts in his notebook. His mom arrives with her Saturday basket of cookies. She brushes dust from her dress, sighs, sits down to rest. She has walked the mile-and-a-half from town. Someone has to feed the boy, you know.
In one sense, writing seems solitary—a writer staring at a blank page. But if you step back and take a wider view, it’s clear that we never really work alone. Without all the others in our lives, we would perish for lack of cookies and pencils and the Internet and people who ask, “Are you finished with that thing, yet?”
In my wider view, I see Uncle Warren, my champion since I slammed my three-wheeler into a car and bled all over him. He and my big brother Bob were among the first to say I should shut up and write.
Ten years ago, my friend Mary Jane Johnson sent a firm note: “Write a book!” I still have the note. Other friends cajoled and critiqued, and listened to me whine until I decided to turn the writing from work into fun and just get on with it. Big hugs to Mary Lou Bell, Roi Solberg, Shauna Singh Baldwin, Jean Scherwenka, Felicity Librie, Laurel Landis, Jean Harlan, Stephen Boehrer, Sister Lourdette Van Driel, Allyn Travis, Kim Suhr, and the writers in the Redbird writing groups.
Annie Chase took time off from her novel to help with the research and create writing samples for this book. She and Jeannée Sacken, Anne Bingham, Sara Rattan, Marjorie Pagel, Carol Lachapelle, and Linda Mrochinski all pitched in to critique the manuscript and keep me on track.
From idea to index, my husband Dave Blank has been beside me. We were married the same year I founded Redbird Studio and started teaching workshops. I can’t count the number of boxes he carried or computer programs he installed. He drew the red bird, designed my website, and banged on the door of a closed pastry shop until the baker answered and packed up a bag of peanut butter cookies for me.
My nephews and nieces, especially Kris and Katie Lance, abandoned their parents from time to time to give their Aunt Judy a hand.
I always knew that I wanted the team of Susan Pittelman, Kate Hawley, and Carolyn Kott Washburne to edit and design the book. I think you’ll be as impressed with their work as I am.
ABOUT ME
Here’s what I like about this picture.
The Shut Up & Write! doll was painted by my friend Mary Lou Bell. It reminds me of times she and other friends stood in doorways saying, “This way to the Judy Bridges workshop.”
The tiny gorilla in the foreground is a mini version of my writing buddy Alfred, who lets me write nonsense when I want to.
The “book” in front of me is an early draft of this manuscript.
I’m smiling. This is normal for me. I still giggle, and I sometimes growl. But I am never, ever, passive. Not even when I try to be.
Another thing I like about the photo is that there are no diplomas, no awards, no fancy icons on the wall. This is important, because when I’m teaching, it’s not about me. It’s about helping other people say what they want to say, write what they want to write. I’m a power in the room, and a helluva good leader, but where I come from doesn’t matter nearly as much as where my students are going.
If forced, I will admit to having a bachelor’s in writing (fiction and nonfiction), a master’s in adult education, and over a decade of professional writing experience. In 1993, I founded a writing center called Redbird Studio, where I taught more than six thousand kids and adults to write better than they did before they met me. Redbird was named “Best of” area writing centers by Milwaukee Magazine. I was honored as a “Woman Who Put Her Stamp on Milwaukee.” I have a huge white binder filled with awards and articles about the studio.
That's all very nice, but when I look at this photo, I hear the voices of writers reading their work. I hear applause, and advice, and encouragement.
That's what I like about this picture.
INDEX - KEYWORD SEARCH TERMS
“A, B, or C” (Wobig)
action
active vs. passive voice
Adams, Paul
affirmations
agents
age of writers
agreements to publish
Akhmatova, Anna
Albee, Edward
Allende, Isabel
Alligator Outlines
audience
main points
message
for non-writing projects
overview
samples
sequencing the points
sub-points
supporting points
tips for using
voice
“Almost Leaving” (Wobig)
AMA (American Medical Association Manual of Style)
AmazonEncore
Amazon Penguin Breakthrough Novel contests
American Medical Association Manual of Style (AMA)
Ansay, A. Manette
anthologies as markets for shorter works
“Anything that Sticks” (Hanrahan)
AP (Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law)
APA (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association)
apologizing for your writing
Arquette, David
The Art and Science of Tracking Man and Beast (Hanratty)
The Artist’s Way (Cameron)
Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (AP)
audience
author biographies
Baldwin, Shauna Singh
Bergstrom, Elaine
best terms
Billings, John Shaw
blurbs (endorsements)
Boehrer, Stephen
Bombeck, Erma
bookies (collectors of writing books)
books
markets for
sell-first path for publishing
write-first path for publishing
breathing, deep
Bridges, Judy
Bubble Outlines
creating
first scene
one-scene stories
scene within a story
where to begin your story
Buber, Martin
Cameron, Julia
“The Carnival” (Rattan)
Carver, Raymond
Chandler, Kurt
Chandler, Raymond
chapter outlines
characters
binder for
Character Wheel
choose wisely
critiquing
dialogue
friends/family
major
minor
names
overview
real people
“said"
simplicity
twenty questions
unexpected details
yourself
Chase, Annie
Chicago Manual of Style
Ciardi, John
Cielo (Salsini)
Clancy, Christi
clarity
clichés
commitment
communication
confidence
conflict in stories
contents pages
contracts
Council for Wisconsin Writers
courage
cover letters. See query/cover letters
craft
Creative Nonfiction
creativity
critiques/feedback
fair/supportive
getting feedback
giving feedback
list of things to critique
and number of group members
sandwich-style
daily writing goals
The Dark and Silent (Jacobson)
Dean, Winton
decorators (of their work spaces)
deep breathing
dialogue
difficulties, facing
doing it anyway
Index
Dutch Uncles
facing the blank page
orchid file
overview
people who drain you
positive thinking