Questions

I write mostly young adult genre fiction and I’m trying to get a manuscript published. I’ve tried a lot of agents that are reputable already. I heard that agents who have just gotten into the business are eager for new authors, so I ****?t to know how can I find them? Is there a website or a newsletter I can sign up for that gets articles about new legit agents?
- shanster303

I just completed my first manuscript (have written many) this is the first I am really interested in getting feedback on & eventaully ****?t to have published. A very helpful ***?rson here directed me to www.critters.org. I am enjoying this site & the opportunity to review work. Critters is more for ****?ror/science fiction, ****? reading/reviewing all literature is beneficial. I am more interested in a group that focuses on fiction/mystery/drama/suspense. I am an attorney and I tend to write legal, courtoom fiction with a romance/mystery twist. I also write alot of legal/medical suspense mystery ***? well. Please provide any websites that you know of. I ****?t to take an on-line creative writing course, ****? am also looking for any & all sites for beginners.
- dreamwhip

I mean, after you’ve sold them the manuscript. Thanks.
- klb_72

English Writing Software - An English editor is a person who is engaged in the work of editing the manuscript or the written text that has to be published. The editor is an expert in the language and has good command over the language in which he is doing the work of editing.

In the modern days English is developing as the common language that is being used in writing and in the corporate world. An editor is needed in both the sectors that is, in creative writing and for editing the written documents, mails and other texts which are commonly used in business dealings.

Importance of English Editor

The editor plays an important role in the publication and business sector as it is in his hand to detect all the errors that occur during writing and rectify them before it is finally published or sent to the concerned recipient. The editor has to do to two types of editing.

One is copyediting which is commonly known as proofreading and the other is content editing which is related to higher level of editing as the editor makes major changes in the original manuscript so that the ideas of the writer is brought to a level which can be easily understood by the reader.

A good editor must have good command over English language and through knowledge of grammar as he has to ensure that the final copy that is sent after editing is correct, comprehensible, the ideas are clear, there is a consistency in the text and the text is concise. Professional English editors are very helpful for people who use English as a second language.


- Jane Sumerset

Is time on your side? I’ve spoken to dozens of people who have told me about their great ideas for books but never followed through with a manuscript. There are plenty of excuses for why these could-have-been authors never were. However, lack of time is without a doubt the most common pretext. But time doesn’t have to be your enemy. Don’t sell yourself short. If you are focused on your task, you can achieve amazing thing in the flash.

I worked my way through college laboring away my nights at a local newspaper office. I began as a sports clerk. My job was to answer phone calls from area high school coaches and get enough details from their games to write a few short paragraphs for the following morning’s sports section. That frequently meant writing up 20-30 game summaries during the height of any given football season. In just a few short hours, I would summarize the evenings of hundreds of athletes and thousands of fans.

When I began writing my first book, I used many of the principals I learned writing game summaries to help me utilize my time wisely. Here are a few tips that may help your writing move along swiftly:



Don’t sweat it. Don’t try to make a masterpiece with every sentence you write. Focus on your basics. Who, what, when, where why and how. The most important thing is that you are getting your message across clearly.

Let someone else explain. If you’re writing nonfiction, use quotes from reliable sources to help push your message. If you’re writing fiction, ask a friend or family member to act out some dialogue with you while your tape recorder is running. You can transcribe the quotes later.

Alter or expand. If you can’t come up with the right words on the first try, write down the wrong words. Go back later and make changes.

Live with deadlines. If getting motivated is a problem for you, deadlines are critical to your project. If you’re unable to set your own deadlines, your publisher will be more than happy to help. If you’re not working with a publisher, ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable according to your timetable.



Time may seem to be your biggest hurdle, but doesn’t have to be. Even if you only have 30 minutes here or there, you can move your writing forward if you just stay focused. Once you sit down and start writing, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the chapters start falling together.


- Danny Stooksbury

When I finished my book, “The Plain Truth about Living in Mexico,” I sent queries to a number of publishers. On a lark, I queried McGraw-Hill. To my utter shock and awe, they wanted to look at the completed manuscript. The editor who read the manuscript wrote back and said that he wanted to take it to the final committee for possible publication. This meant that the book passed all the requirements except the final step in which it is determined, in a kind of crystal-ball reckoning, if it will be something that will make them money-the bottom line.

Unfortunately, it did not pass that final step.

The main reason was the financial department thought the subject (expatriation to Mexico) occupied such a small niche that it would not make them money. They told me another reason they rejected the manuscript was that I had no platform.

In non-fiction (and, to an extent fiction), publishers take a hard look at who you are. They want to know why someone would want to buy your book from them. If you’ve written a book on weight loss, the publisher is going to look at what your qualifications are a selling point for your book. If you are a doctor with a very large practice, the publisher might reason that your education is a selling point. In addition, you have this platform, the medical practice, from which you can promote your book. Though the patients may only number in the hundreds in that doctor’s practice, the publisher might gamble that those patients would spread the news about the book to their friends. (Word-of mouth-promotion.)

Another example is the most beloved person (that’s a joke) in the entire world, Ann Coulter. This woman has a following she gathered from her TV platform. All those appearances she has made on television earned her a following that will buy all her books no matter what the woman says. Although I am a conservative, let me say this: She pushes it too far most of the time. However, she is a best-selling author and all of her books make the top of the list. She carefully and shrewdly built her platform from which she now has this following who buy her books.

To McGraw-Hill, I was a nobody. No one had heard of me and I had no following.

The book, by the way, got published and is still paying my $400.00 a month rent payment.

Since the year 2005, I have been busy. I’ve been writing hundreds and hundreds of articles, mostly for free. I have worked to build a following from the platform of the Internet (and a few print venues). I have engaged in article marketing to promote my books.

I have used three directories, Associated Content being one, to post my articles. I have “parked” my articles online and, through the magic of search engines as well as online publishers wanting free content, I have gathered a following. From this platform of writing free articles online, I have had three experiences that demonstrate my point.

First: A travel guidebook company contacted me and asked me to write for a book they were putting out. They asked for a contribution for the book. I wrote an article for the book, which is now on the market. It is a paying gig and provides excellent exposure for my writing.

Second: A couple of journalists who are starting a print and online magazine contacted me to become a regular contributor for their new publication. They found me online, read my work, and want me. This is more exposure and an additional platform from which to extend my book promotion reach.

Third: I just got word that an advance-paying publisher is offering me a contract for my next book. What looked attractive to this publisher was the writing itself AND the fact that I have a following. Now, with the magazine startup, I will have additional exposure to a readership of about 100,000 people. The magazine is related to the niche in which I write.

This is what publishers are looking for when you query them for possible publication of a book idea. How will you be able to sell this book, what will you do to promote it relentlessly, and who knows who you are? This is the business side of the so-called creative writing gig.

You have to find a way to gather a following of people whom you can reach to tell them, “Hey, I have a new book coming out. Will you please buy a copies for yourself and all your friends?”

So, all those articles you are not getting any upfront payments for in Associated Content?

Get them online anyway. Write the best you can. Try your hardest to promote them.

Associated Content is the platform from which you can put together your following. I did it!

The professionals are out there cruising the net looking for their next talent.


- Douglas Bower

Are you are someone else you know of having problems with infertility? I’ve written a novel in which my characters (Three Couples) are having problems conceiving, for various reasons. I’ve written the book so that couples who are having problems will not only enjoy a good read. But my hope is that the book will give hope and inspiration to those strggling with infertility. You’ll be surprised at how many couples have problems having children. Most times we don’t know they are having problems because it isn’t something most people talk about. But just think about your friends who don’t have children. Many times it isn’t because they don’t want any. Many times it is because they can’t. I’m curious to know what you think. I’m in the process of having publisher’s review my manuscript. I’d love the feed back!
- Monique

I am writing a novel you could say. And I have the story worked out pretty much, and I know the genre. But here is the thing.

How should it look while I write it?
should my manuscript look single spaces, doubled, with the page numbers or whatever?
also, can a manuscript be arranged to fit a single page, or whatever?

how should the chapters be separated?

of course I might think of submitting it for publishing. how should I submit it? should I submit only a portion of it, or should I wait until it is finished?

thanks, and 10 points to the winner.
- Mr. Joshua

I am in the process of writing the closing chapter for my novel and need tips to write the synopsis that will accompany it when I send out the manuscript to various publishers
- paganbabies

Didn’t win NanoWrimo this year *cry*. Only wrote 10k words, but bits my first time writing! Anyone kind enough to let me read their novel? can’t get then manuscript cos I didn’t win. Anyone pls?!! I reallly wish to improve for next year’s nanowrimo!
- Geek In Black