By Rick Frishman

The following are ten things agents and editors hate.

Competitive or comparable books usually exist. Rarely does a book have no competition. 

Although it’s essential for authors to be enthusiastic about their books, it’s equally important that they be realistic. 

Agents and editors simply don’t care what others think about a book unless they are (a) book-publishing professionals or (b) celebrities or published authors who are willing to endorse the book. Even then, their opinions don’t carry much weight and will rarely influence the agent’s or editor’s decision. 

Sending submissions that recipients don’t handle wastes everyone’s time. So don’t send your memoir to an agency when the guidebooks and agency’s Web site clearly state that it doesn’t represent memoirs. 

Don’t address any correspondence, especially submissions, generally or to “Dear Agent or Editor.” It’s impersonal and it makes your communiqué look like a form letter that you simply dashed off to a slew of agents or editors.

It makes no sense to put undue pressure on agents and editors. Be reasonable, patient, and understanding. Agents and editors know how important your book is to you, but their hands may be tied. 

In children, cuteness can be adorable. In adults, it seldom works; in fact, it usually becomes irritating. Agents and editors don’t have time for cuteness. They want to know, in a few words, what your book is about, and why you’re the perfect person to write it. 

Attract interest in your writing by providing top-quality work. Great ideas expressed in clear, well-crafted sentences that are built with the most vivid words will speak more convincingly than outlandish colors and designs. 

Acting as if you’re entitled to an editor’s attention will instantly turn him or her off. 

Some writers won’t listen to constructive criticism from their agents and/or editors. Trust the people who are publishing your book and don’t think that you know more than they do about the publishing process. 

Literary publications, contests and submissions guidelines available on the Web

Here is a list of useful and FREE (non-subscription) web sites for writers yearning to be published in literary journals:

• Literary Magazines :The NewPages Complete List – an A to Z listing of literary magazines, online and print, with links to their web pages. [Note: Newpages.com also has links to Writing Contests and other useful stuff, so check it out.]

• Poets & Writers Literary Magazines  - presents info in a useful column format, so you can see right away which journals accept electronic and simultaneous submissions, and what their reading periods are. Offers a search and a browse feature, as well.

• O. Henry Prize Stories has lists of journals from which it has drawn stories over the years arranged by frequency. It also offers a list of alphabetical Index of Literary Magazines, which gives contact info and web site only for each. The list appears selective (as in journals from whose works they take submissions for the O. Henry Prize) rather than comprehensive.

• The Best American Short Stories anthologies does not seem to have a similarly helpful web site; their web site offers only the barest of details. However, if you look at a paper copy of the most recent anthology, it lists American and Canadian magazines that print short stories.

• Finally, before entering a literary contest, you might want to check it out against the Writer Beware web page: Warnings About Literary Fraud and Other Schemes, Scams, and Pitfalls That Target Writers.

 (C) Copyright 2008, 2009, Beth Blevins.

Dear JoAnn,

 My name is Yesenia Sotelo and I work with Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights. Thanks for mentioning us on your previous blog (http://bronzeword.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/non-profit-twitter-names/) We could really use your help in the next few weeks.

 This year was hard for many of the people we work with. Parents lost jobs, families lost homes, many fell into poverty, all while funds for services in city and state budgets were reduced and sometimes completely eliminated. But at Heartland Alliance, budget cuts haven’t stopped our work, we’re still providing help to people who need a home, or a doctor, or protection from harm.

 However, we need support to provide these services and I hope that you can help. Can you post to your BronzeWord about our Hope for a Hurting World gift catalog? People can buy gifts for each other from the gift catalog, and all of the proceeds go to providing services for the people in our community who need our help right now.

You can check out the gift catalog online at http://www.heartlandalliance.org/gifts. There are great gifts, including things like winter outerwear for a child, health care for a homeless person, or job skills training for parents. Sorry, I didn’t list and item for a new laptop, though I do hope Santa brings you one. This is a free way you can help out a nonprofit, and I know everyone’s dollars are limited right now.

I’ve attached a couple of images that you can use on your blog. You can also check out some videos of the people we work with at http://www.youtube.com/heartlandalliance. Please let me know if you have any questions. I really appreciate your help.

Yesenia Sotelo
Manager of Interactive and New Media

Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
208 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1818
Chicago, IL 60604
 312.660.1325  312.660.1325
ysotelo@heartlandalliance.org

posted by pumpupyourbookpromotion on January 12, 2009

The art of writing a nonfiction book proposal is sort of like cooking lasagna. There are a thousand ways of making it, everyone has their own recipe, but most every lasagna will have a few basic ingredients and chances are it’s going to taste good in the end. The below recipe, if you will, applies to just about every kind of nonfiction, from history to self-help to narrative nonfiction. Also, people often ask if they need to write the whole nonfiction book before they query an agent. Not so! Or at least not usually so. An agent can often sell nonfiction projects on proposal, meaning you write the proposal first, then sell the project, then write the book. It mostly depends on the quality of the idea and its marketability, your platform, and your writing ability. There are definitely exceptions to this — it really depends on the project, and sometimes it pays to write the whole thing, especially memoir. Think of a memoir like a novel. You’ll have to write the whole thing.

So without further ADO (thanks everyone), here are the basic sections of a nonfiction book proposal.

Overview
The overview is unlike anything you’ll ever write. It’s not quite a synopsis, it’s not quite a sample chapter, it’s not quite catalog copy, it’s not even quite, uh, an overview. Its really the distillation of the book you’re going to write. You’re getting across the meat of the story that you are writing about. You’re telling the story/narrative/subject in brief. You’re telling the agent/editor what the book is going to be about, what it will be like and who’s going to read it. It’s really a sales pitch.

So to write the overview, pretend you’re a broke screenwriter pitching a project to a big time Hollywood producer. You’re telling the gist of the story, you’re selling him on how America absolutely needs a movie about the number 23, baby! You want the producer at the end to have an idea of what the book is about so he’ll scratch his chin and say, “Interesting…. Tell me more about this number 23.”

A good overview will give the agent/editor a great sense of the subject, the scope, the heart, and the need for the book. It will get them excited about the project.

I know all of this is really vague, and that’s because the approaches to the overview vary a whole lot depending on the project, and it’s difficult for me to say that the overview is one thing or another. You have some room for creativity here, so just focus on summarizing and pitching your project while making it sound as appealing and necessary as possible.

Competing Titles/Market Analysis
This is the part where you discuss the other books that are out there as a way of convincing an agent/editor that there is a pressing need for your book. Counterintuitive, I know. The market analysis should not be along the lines of, “275,000,000 Americans drink milk, therefore my book about milk will sell 275,000,000 copies,” but it should really address the market for the book and who your potential reader will be.

Also, in this section you should discuss other books that have been published on your subject. If they’re close enough to yours you might list them and address them individually, assessing how each one differs from yours. This is not the time to Swift Boat other authors, but you should clearly differentiate your project from the other books that have already been published on the subject. It’s not enough to try to convince an agent/editor that your book is like someone else’s only better — you have to find a genuine unexplored niche in the marketplace.

Biography
Platform platform platform. This is the part where you convince the agent/editor that you are the best person in the entire world to be writing the book. It’s probably best not to lie in this section.

Outline/List of Chapters
Sometimes people include an outline or a list of chapters to give a sense of the scope of the project. Personally I feel like this part is a little overrated for something like narrative nonfiction because the finished product is probably going to change, but this section is very important for any sort of self-helpish or businessish proposal since you’ll already have a pretty good idea of where the project is going and can summarize it here.

Sample Chapter(s) (1-3)
Other than perhaps the overview, the sample chapter(s) is(are) the most important part of the proposal. Some editors I know just get a gist of the overview and then turn straight to the sample chapters to see a sample of the author’s writing. So work very, very hard on these chapters to make them as good as possible.

Other
Other things that you might consider throwing in I mean including are copies of newspaper/magazine articles you wrote that apply to the subject (if the book is arising out of a published article), reviews of past nonfiction books you’ve published (not self-published), and anything else that will help convince the agent/editor that you’re super-awesome.

And that’s pretty much it! Easy as lasagna.

 Posted by Nathan Bransford

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-to-write-nonfiction-book-proposal.html

@aahid60 – American Academy of Healthcare Interior Designers
@AAPALynn – AAPA
@AAPA_Brooke – AAPA
@ABABarServices – ABA Division for Bar Services
@Cardiology – American College of Cardiology Advocacy Department
@ABSmith – Human Capital Management 20/20
@adams472 – ThePort Network
@agnewfarms – CTAM
@anyacodack – Yfactor
@ahissrich – ASAE
@AHMAnews – American Hardware Manufacturers Association (AHMA)
@aipt – AIPT
@akadman – unknown
@amadie – Urban Land Institute
@americanmensa – American Mensa
@AndreaMeyer – unknown
@anelet – unknown
@annparker – unknown
@asaecenter – ASAE
@asteggles – Risk Insurance Management Society
@avectra – Avectra
@avenuez – Life on Avenue Z
@avinio – Social Conversation
@bblonchek – unknown
@bethbrodovsky – Iris Creative Group, Inc
@BIASC – Building Industry Association of Southern California
@billsheridan – MACPA
@bkmcae – Virginia Association of Realtors
@BobWoods – PortalFuze
@brabinger – Casey Management & Marketing Services
@BrianReuwee – Drake & Company
@brucehammond – Delta Sigma Phi
@bwangman – The Center for Association Growth
@caley_kleczka – unknown
@cardcat – Arlington Soccer Association
@ccollinsmith – SOCAP International
@chris_jenkins – CISSP, CCNA, MCSE
@csuspect – Chocolate City Media
@CubanaLAF – unknown
@curtisraye – unknown
@CynthiaDAmour – People Power Unlimited
@DanScheelar – unknown
@DanSherman_TMS – Transportation Management Services (TMS) & Young Hospitality Industry Professionals (YHIP)
@davidgammel – High Context Consulting
@dcomdico – unknown
@deirdrereid – California Building Industry Association
@deltasigmaphiHQ – Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity
@desabol – DLC Solutions
@dinalew – web usability consultant, Distilled Logic
@dougshaner – unknown
@drewbsaunders – unknown
@dtheus – Magus Consulting LLC
@dtodd – Michigan Association of CPAs
@ektrondave – Ektron
@ElizabethB – NFi Studios
@Elizabeth627 – ABA Division for Bar Services
@ewengel – Beaconfire Consulting
@frankfortin – Massachusetts Medical Society
@fullschedule – unknown
@GarenD – Garen Distelhorst – Marble Institute of America
@GarisD – Garis Distelhorst – Marble Institute of America
@gartrell – unknown
@infocomm – InfoComm International
@inetu – iNETu
@jamienotter – Management Solutions Plus
@JaneyBrummett – The Catholic Health Association
@jasonsamuels – Jason Samuels, National Council on Family Relations
@jdwalton – unknown
@jennmainwaring – iNETu
@jflinnjr – American Gas Association
@JeffHurt – association employee
@jegbrown – MACPA
@jeremygriffin – Marketing General, Inc.
@jessicalevin – Moore Stephens North America – CPA Firm Assn.
@jheydasch – CUPA-HR
@jkhewett – JulNet Solutions, LLC – an Association Management Company
@JimKellyCO – Syscom
@joelhousman – unknown
@johnwhalen – Emagination
@jmpineda – Matrix Group International
@jsfrankel – Tecker Consultants, LLC
@jtcobb – consultant
@julieohmchang – unknown
@juliesenter – Building Industry Association of Southern California
@kikilitalien – Optical Society of America
@kristildonovan – unknown
@liam_says – I forget, it’s something to do with Pharmacists I believe
@lindydreyer – SocialFish, LLC
@ljunker – ASAE
@lorimethia – Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
@macpa – Maryland Association of CPAs
@maddiegrant – SocialFish, LLC
@maggielmcg – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
@MarbleInstitute – Marble Institute of America
@mcnulty6 – CDA
@mdenhardt – ASAE
@Mendy_at_IFDA – International Foodservice Distributors Association
@mickierops – Mickie Rops Consulting, Inc.
@miketempleton – Iowa Hospital Association
@MissLynn13 – American Academy of Physician Assistants
@mitcharno – Tuvel Communications
@nasw – National Association of Social Workers
@ntenhross – Holly Ross, NTEN
@OKSCPA – Oklahoma Society of CPAs
@paulschneideraz – Socious
@pcdr – North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors®
@pdonahoo – American Mensa
@peggyhoffman – Mariner Management and Marketing LLC
@PeterHutchins – ASAE
@pinnovation – Jeff De Cagna of Principled Innovation LLC
@plexusforassns – Plexus Consulting Group
@pohland – unknown
@producepicker – unknown
@ramurphy – Optical Society of America
@randisumner- Randi Sumner, IEEE & Tecker Consultants
@rcgranger – EduCause
@ReggieHenry – ASAE
@renatosogueco – Society of American Florists
@rjohnston – Ironworks Consulting
@rkowalski7 – Consumer Electronics Association
@royerd – Iowa Hospital Association
@rrich – American Chemical Society
@rshonerd – National Apartment Association
@russmagnuson – Results Direct
@satovich – Results Direct
@scottsherrin – unknown
@scottmelnick – American Institute of Steel Construction
@scottoser – Scott Oser Associates
@sfeuer – ASAE
@sgiarde – California Assoc. for the Education of Young Children/Assoc. Resource Center
@shubbard2 – Society for Biomolecular Sciences
@SIGMA_Cathi – Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America
@socalbuilder – Building Industry Association of Southern California member magazine
@SpecialtyCoffee – Specialty Coffee Association of America
@sterlingraphael – NFi Studios
@SteveDrake – Drake & Company
@StoverEffect – SusQtech
@tbarkan – Terrance Barkan CAE – GLOBALSTRAT
@tempest1970 – National Association of Social Workers
@TheGreatCatsb – unknown
@ThomFlash – Marketing General Inc
@time2simplify – Not sure
@tomhood – CPA.CITP
@tonywagner – National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
@tomjelen – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
@tranrecruiting – Tran Recruiting, LLC
@trisloth – NAFSA: Association of International Educators
@tsae – Texas Society of Association Executives
@TysonsTomorrow – Tysons Tomorrow
@UrbanLandInst – Urban Land Institute
@vbaybas – AAPA
@westrochlil – Wes Trochlil, Effective Database Management
@wfisher – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
@zwilson – Gulo Solutions
@jprogers – Mass Society of CPAs
@nursescouncil – California Association of Health Facilities – Nurses Council
@cpgcae – Vickie Lester – Lester Management Services
@paulaberger – NFC Forum
@YHIP_DC_Chapter – Young Hospitality Industry Professionals (YHIP DC Chapter)
@ltwhite – Croydon Consulting, LLC

http://www.associationsocialmedia.com/index.php?title=Association_Professionals_on_Twitter
ALA – American Library Association
Techies aren’t the only ones benefiting from Twitter. The ALA’s presence, while different from NTEN, is quite effective. ALA provides different Twitterstreams for different divisions, plus one for their annual conference and one for Valerie Hawkins, the library reference specialist at ALA. Their streams all emphasize pushing out content from their blogs and websites.
Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the ALA
Valerie Hawkins, ALA library reference specialist
Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the ALA
Reference and User Services Association, a division of the ALA
ALA Annual, a conference presence

APHA – American Public Health Association
APHA uses Twitter to push messages to their members and the public, including updates on advocacy, health statistics and updates from their blogs and websites. If your association has public education in its mission, this is a good case study for you.
APHA, the main Twitterstream
National Public Health Week
APHA’s Get Ready campaign, helping Americans protect their health and prepare for pan flu and infectious disease.

More good examples from national associations

• AFCEA International’s Signal Magazine Twitterstream.
• IxDA and the Interaction08 Twitterstreams.
• NAPP News for Photoshop professionals

Good examples from state and local associations

• AIGA ID is Idaho’s professional association for design
• Doterati is Central Florida’s interactive marketing, media and technology association.
• Amanda Smith, the executive director of the Florida Borderline Personality Disorder Association
• HiMA is the Houston Interactive Marketing Association
• MACPA is the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants
• NYSCATE is the New York State Association for Computing and Technology in Education

Examples from Twitter newbies already gaining momentum

• AHCA/NCAL is the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living. Check out this savvy intro they did for their non-techie members.
• ASHA is the American Speach-Language-Hearing Association. Their presence is totally under the radar at this point.
• And check out the ASAE Annual Meeting Twitter presence.

http://associationmarketing.blogspot.com/2008/08/associations-using-twitter.html

Non-profits, social change groups, activists, campaigns, consultants and related.

http://twitter.com/Crowdaroo * (Non Partisan group of Tweeple doing good) * 

http://twitter.com/08ntc (home of the 2008 NTEN conference!)

http://twitter.com/1h2o

http://twitter.com/abenamer

http://twitter.com/ahutson (grassroots immigrant organizing in KY, opensource, civicrm, joomla, wordpress, drupal)

http://twitter.com/aidg

http://twitter.com/acarvin

http://twitter.com/actionalerts (new online advocacy campaigns from Care2)

http://twitter.com/AdamAtUHCF (online advocacy director at Universal Health Care Foundation of CT)

http://twitter.com/agenthandy

http://twitter.com/ahoppin (online organizing, grassroots, web 2.0 for government, social networks, open-source CMS, etc.)

http://twitter.com/AkhaHeritage The Akha Heritage Foundation

http://twitter.com/alanmcgee (Senior Marketing Analyst @ DonorsChoose.org)

http://twitter.com/alrdesign

http://twitter.com/AmericanCancer (American Cancer Society)

http://twitter.com/amnesty (Amnesty International USA)

http://twitter.com/amoration

http://twitter.com/amyrsward

http://twitter.com/andrewjcohen (online strategist, Forum One Communications)

http://twitter.com/annefio (consultant to nonprofit organizations and foundations www.fiopartners.com)

http://twitter.com/anitaborg_org (Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology)

http://twitter.com/annaliese_h

http://twitter.com/anodyne2art (Desert/International arts non profit Chordata…new media &humanism )

http://twitter.com/anotherpundit (Karlos Gauna Schmieder, Center for Media Justice. Communications strategist for non-profit racial and economic justice organizations, sectors and alliances.)

http://twitter.com/ascendalliance (Expeditions, Internships and Sustainable Development in Africa and Latin America)

http://twitter.com/askmanny – Manny Hernandez, founder of TuDiabetes.com and EsTuDiabetes.com; President of the Diabetes Hands Foundation.

http://twitter.com/audiobible (Audio Bibles in more than 330 languages from Faith Comes By Hearing)

http://twitter.com/audrieschaller (consultant to nonprofits; board development, communications, web 2.0 adoption for nonprofits)

http://twitter.com/awsamuel

http://twitter.com/baltimorehumane (Baltimore Humane Society. Home of life saving enthusiasts.)

http://twitter.com/BarbaraKB – New Media Consultant for Nonprofits and Relgious Publishers

http://twitter.com/beautifulthangs – social media for nonprofits/causes

http://twitter.com/bethlehemcenter – Bethlehem Center of Charlotte

http://twitter.com/Bbravo

http://twitter.com/benstock - Brainpower Inc. [art business education for homeless LGBT youth in NYC]

http://twitter.com/bethdunn

http://twitter.com/bfas (Best Friends Animal Society)

http://twitter.com/blackbaud

http://twitter.com/blogdiva

http://twitter.com/BoardSource (Building Effective Boards)

http://twitter.com/BobAtUHCF (Communications Dept at Universal Health Care Foundation of CT)

http://twitter.com/BoldFaithType (progressive faith communication and strategy)

http://twitter.com/BridgespanGroup – Nonprofit strategy consulting, philanthropy advising and executive recruiting

http://twitter.com/brooklynmuseum

http://twitter.com/c2cphilly (Cradles to Crayons, providing essentials to kids in need, and service opportunities to kids, youth, adults)

http://twitter.com/CANcerCrushers – CANcer Crushers are a group of kids participating in ACS’s Relay For Life. http://cancercrushers.com/

http://twitter.com/care2causes (latest blog posts from Care2 Causes – “what you need to make a difference, all in one place”)

http://twitter.com/CasinoFreePhila - Community coalition preventing casinos from coming to Philadelphia for two years and counting!

http://twitter.com/cat_laine

http://twitter.com/cbmus

http://twitter.com/ccbyington

http://twitter.com/chadnorman

http://twitter.com/channelg – Produces short-format documentaries for non-profits globally.

http://twitter.com/charitycars  Follow us and find out how people across North America are supporting their favourite charities and protecting the environment by donating their old cars!

http://twitter.com/CharityVillage – Latest stories, featured listings, and resources from Canada’s favourite site for the nonprofit sector.

http://twitter.com/chipp

http://twitter.com/ChristineASCEND

http://twitter.com/CI_features

http://twitter.com/cityyear

http://twitter.com/ckreutz (crisscrossed.net)

http://twitter.com/commitforlife (encourages regular blood donation to serve patients in Texas Gulf Coast, East Texas, Brazos Valley)

http://twitter.com/communicable Communicable: Social Media for Nonprofits. Canada and beyond.

http://twitter.com/consciousgovern Steven Bowman, Creating a global community where nonprofit CEOs and Boards function from strategic awareness

http://twitter.com/consumersunion (nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports Magazine)

http://twitter.com/CReporter (Tweets from Consumer Reports staffer)

http://twitter.com/consumerreports (Magazine news feed)

http://twitter.com/contactafamily

http://twitter.com/CoreyPud

http://twitter.com/cristoreybalt (Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Baltimore, Maryland)

http://twitter.com/cyrusbryan

http://twitter.com/danmcquillan (http://www.internetartizans.co.uk/)

http://twitter.com/DaveWebb

http://twitter.com/daveiam (Director of Web Strategies for American Cancer Society, bloggers, presenter)

http://twitter.com/Dayngr Trish Forant, CEO at eMail Our Military, Social Media Pusher, New Media Darling, Strategic Partnerships for Non-Profits

http://twitter.com/deborah909

http://twitter.com/divabat

http://twitter.com/drewbernard (online strategy, conservation, organizing, grassroots, grasstops, advocacy)

http://twitter.com/donorschoose (DonorsChoose.org)

http://twitter.com/DorotheeRH – web video production & online outreach for nonprofits and social causes at See3

http://twitter.com/edjez

http://twitter.com/edobejar

http://twitter.com/elliotg – online strategy, web dev, video production for nonprofits and social causes See3

http://twitter.com/ekornblut

http://twitter.com/emilyjw (gen y, Americorps, literacy, info technology)

http://twitter.com/EndTheRoboCalls (Home of StopPoliticalCalls.org)

http://twitter.com/engagejoe (social media consultant for nonprofits)

http://twitter.com/equalitynow (International women’s rights organization)

http://twitter.com/eschipul

http://twitter.com/estudiabetes.com – una comunidad para personas afectadas por diabetes

http://twitter.com/exploratorium (the museum of science, art and human perception, in San Francisco)

http://twitter.com/famholidayassoc (The UK charity that gives disadvantaged families a break)

http://twitter.com/farra (nonprofit communications and online engagement, strategy + design @ Big Duck)

http://twitter.com/floridavind (assists with the unmet needs of Volusia County’s disaster survivors)

http://twitter.com/FCCleveland (News from the Foundation Center and philanthropy in Northeast Ohio)

http://twitter.com/FightCRC Official Twitter account of C3:  Colorectal Cancer Coalition, a national (US-based) colorectal cancer patient advocacy organization

http://twitter.com/foodandwater (Food & Water Watch– consumer advocacy group)

http://twitter.com/FORpeace (Fellowship of Reconciliation)

http://twitter.com/FreePress (Media reform, activism and education)

http://twitter.com/FriendsofWFP (nonprofit that supports work of the UN World Food Program)

http://twitter.com/fundraisingIP – fundraising ideas, volunteer opportunities

http://twitter.com/fundraisingnow

http://twitter.com/gandhilover (personal, professional and fun – life shouldn’t be too serious!)

http://twitter.com/garthmoore

http://twitter.com/geodog

http://twitter.com/GettingAttention

http://twitter.com/gina_harrison (High School arts ed foundation in Chatham County, NC)

http://twitter.com/gillo

http://twitter.com/glendam

http://twitter.com/glfceo (Global Learning Foundation http://www.globallearningfoundation.net & social media/networking marketing consulting)

http://twitter.com/globalgiving (GlobalGiving)

http://twitter.com/globalhealing (Global Healing – modern medicine for the developing world)

http://twitter.com/gpuk

http://twitter.com/GPN

http://twitter.com/grantgopher (free available grant database, deadline dates, contact info and links to funders)

http://twitter.com/grantyoung (non-profit/ngo online and social media consultancy – ex. WWF, Digital Eskimo)

http://twitter.com/GreatNonprofits **(GreatNonprofits.org — a Yelp-like site for the nonprofit world)

http://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa Greenpeace USA

http://twitter.com/gpnz

http://twitter.com/GreenCharleston (local sustainability guide for Chalreston, SC) 

http://twitter.com/greenpeace_de

http://twitter.com/greenpeaceindia

http://twitter.com/greenskeptic

http://twitter.com/grist

http://twitter.com/grizzarkhov

http://twitter.com/grrlb0t

http://twitter.com/hanabel (Nonprofit tech strategy, Drupal, and more)

http://twitter.com/HannahSchafer

http://twitter.com/heartlandhelps (Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, midwest-based direct service organization with a human rights focus, including work in housing, health care, economic security and legal protections)

http://twitter.com/heathercarpente

http://twitter.com/hempindustries The Hemp Industries Association (HIA) is a non-profit trade group representing hemp companies, researchers and supporters.

http://twitter.com/hipporoller

http://twitter.com/HollywoodConsul – Advocacy strategy & campaigns, homelessness policy & program development

http://twitter.com/hopemongers

http://twitter.com/horizonsfdn – Community foundation serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community (San Francisco Bay Area)

http://twitter.com/howardlake (publisher of UK Fundraising)

http://twitter.com/howardsoule (Chief Science Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation)

http://twitter.com/humanesociety (The Humane Society of the United States)

http://twitter.com/ianscotthaisley – NonProfiteer in IL working to help end global poverty. Also tweets as @optinnow

http://twitter.com/idealist_org

http://twitter.com/IdentityWoman

http://twitter.com/idex (Lasting solutions to poverty)

http://twitter.com/ILoveTheMarsh – The Marsh, a San Francisco theater

http://twitter.com/impactmax (nonprofit communications for the third millennium)

http://twitter.com/impactuk

http://twitter.com/innocenceblog – Innocence Project (DNA testing to overturn wrongful convictions)

http://twitter.com/interactionorg – InterAction – the largest coalition of U.S.-based humanitarian and development NGOs

http://twitter.com/internationale - content to be different

http://twitter.com/j9foundation - compassionate entrepreneurship

http://twitter.com/jeffreymstern - social entrepreneurship, museums, strategy and marketing

http://twitter.com/jefftrexler - lawyer, professor of social entrepreneurship

http://twitter.com/jerikpotter - nonprofit marketing and public relations

http://twitter.com/kate_is_busy

http://twitter.com/iwilker

http://twitter.com/IWMF – International Women’s Media Foundation: The Global Network for Women in the News Media

http://twitter.com/jakenyon

http://twitter.com/janejohnson - social action membership site for those wanting to know how to make a meaningful difference

http://twitter.com/jcolman

http://twitter.com/joebaker - online campaigning, social media

http://twitter.com/jonl

http://twitter.com/jonstahl

http://twitter.com/jordanv - new media, social media and Web 2.0 for nonprofits, blogger at www.connectioncafe.com

http://twitter.com/judis217 - salesforce, convio, web working, colorectal cancer advocacy

http://twitter.com/kalabird

http://twitter.com/kanter

http://twitter.com/karitas - Office Manager, Interfaith Youth Core, Social Media Enthusiast

http://twitter.com/katbaloo -YouthActionNet Web Manager, International Youth Foundation

http://twitter.com/katesands – Web director at the International Rescue Committee

http://twitter.com/kbladow -

http://twitter.com/Katrinskaya

http://twitter.com/kenscommentary – President of Charity Navigator

http://twitter.com/kgilnack - nonprofit association professional, political junky, music fanatic, and then some

http://twitter.com/kivilm (nonprofit marketing/communications trainer, consultant, and blogger)

http://twitter.com/kramden (nonprofit that refurbishes donated computers for hardworking, underprivileged children)

http://twitter.com/lcatrust

http://twitter.com/LCFPD – Lake County Forest Preserve District (Illinois)

http://twitter.com/LarryKingHeart

http://twitter.com/LarryStelter – planned giving marketing consultant

http://twitter.com/lighthousenews |  Saving lighthouses for our future

http://twitter.com/lindydreyer - marketing junkie and association nerd.

http://twitter.com/lindamicciche – Sisters of the Holy Family Development and Web Communications

http://twitter.com/mabackman – Non-profit online communications manager

http://twitter.com/lozz – Non-profit online communications officer and social media geek

http://twitter.com/maddiegrant – social media strategy for nonprofits and associations

http://twitter.com/maggieleithead - president of CharityVillage.com.

http://twitter.com/MailOurMilitary - eMail Our Military Using New Media to Support our Troops

http://twitter.com/marcapitman – founder FundraisingCoach.com, author “Ask Without Fear!”

http://twitter.com/martykearns – netcentric advocacy

http://twitter.com/melmathos

http://twitter.com/MeriWalker  - saving money and time with virtual meetings

http://twitter.com/merrycricket

http://twitter.com/meshugavi

http://twitter.com/mbaizman (np tech geek – salesforce and web stuff, and japanophile)

http://twitter.com/MendedFences (Future foster care youth ranch. Helping abandoned and abused children. http://www.mendedfences.com and http://mendedfences.wordpress.com)

http://twitter.com/mindofandre

http://twitter.com/missashe (marketing & communications)

http://twitter.com/Mlsif

http://twitter.com/mkdm (counsel & strategy to nonprofits on engaging donors, motivating action & inspiring philanthropy – www.mkdmc.com)

http://twitter.com/morningside

http://twitter.com/motherslegacy – Honor, uplift and enrich mothers everywhere from every time. 

http://twitter.com/mjrovner - research and strategy for remarkable causes

http://twitter.com/mse82- Non-Profit Program Coordinator, Marketing and Promotions Specialist

http://twitter.com/mskpetigo – Researcher on ICT, Social Media, Developement, NGOs/Charities, Accounting and Finance, Knowledge Management, and Religion http://blog.mskpetigo.com

http://twitter.com/mstein63

http://twitter.com/mufan96

http://twitter.com/moreonion (young creative dedicated to social change, working for non-profits only, www.advertising-hints.blogspot.com)

http://twitter.com/nallan (comms mgr., WWF Climate Witness)

http://twitter.com/NAFund (financial management, organizational sustainability - www.nonprofitsassistancefund.org)

http://twitter.com/nancywhite (fullcirc.com)

http://twitter.com/naral – NARAL Pro-Choice America

http://twitter.com/nateritter

http://twitter.com/nedra (social marketing for nonprofits and government agencies)

http://twitter.com/NetSquared

http://twitter.com/nbptpedicab (not-for-profit pedicab company based in Newburyport, MA donating all profits to cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Pan-Mass Challenge)

http://twitter.com/ncibrooke (assisting Houston communities)

http://twitter.com/nwlc – National Women’s Law Center

http://twitter.com/NYMCMA

http://twitter.com/noneck

http://twitter.com/nonprofitorgs – what are non-profits doing on Twitter?

http://twitter.com/ntenhross

http://twitter.com/NurtureGirl

http://twitter.com/NWF

http://twitter.com/OceanGrand Start, fund and run a successful non-profit (Free daily articles and how-to tips http://www/oceangrand.org) 

http://twitter.com/officialpeta

http://twitter.com/okhumane - (progressive, socially-networked private humane society in Oklahoma City, OK)

http://twitter.com/onevoicewalk - One Voice Domestic Violence Community Awareness Walk

http://twitter.com/optinnow – Microfinance Loans helping the working poor work themselves out of poverty.

http://twitter.com/osocio

http://twitter.com/pce (mission-based technology consulting for non-profits, foundations, schools – but this is for playing!)

http://twitter.com/pcorpsconnect (PeaceCorpsConnect – National Peace Corps Association)

http://twitter.com/pearlbear

http://twitter.com/penguinasana

http://twitter.com/peopleandplace Journal of Ideas

http://twitter.com/peterscampbell (IT Director at Earthjustice, blogger at http://idealware.org/blog)

http://twitter.com/philanthropy (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)

http://twitter.com/plamb (Adventures in Social Media & Social Change – see also Cool ‘n Conscientious blog)

http://twitter.com/pndblog (The Foundation Center’s Philanthropy News Digest)

http://twitter.com/preserveland (Emergeny funding and legal support to promote open and natural spaces and smart-growth ideals)

http://twitter.com/pridefdn (The Pride Foundation, funding glbt community in Pacific Northwest)

http://twitter.com/projecthotseat Greenpeace USA’s global warming campaign targeting the US Congress, Project Hot Seat (www.projecthotseat.org)

http://twitter.com/public_citizen – Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy non-profit

http://twitter.com/pursuant – The Pursuant Group (Online Fundraising Agency – serving nonprofits from creative conception thru distribution for every step in the development cycle)

http://twitter.com/rachelannyes (nonprofit tech, arts & culture, sustainability, marketing)

http://twitter.com/rarenaud – VP of Women’s Philanthropy at Opportunity International (http://www.opportunity.org)

http://twitter.com/REDmarketing – Full-service integrated marketing agency serving nonprofits and associations.

http://twitter.com/RefugeesIntl – Refugees International – advocates for lifesaving assistance and protection for displaced people.

http://twitter.com/RobCottingham

http://twitter.com/rogercarr

http://twitter.com/roprice (Marketing, fundraising and technology for nonprofits and politics)

http://twitter.com/rootwork Ivan Boothe (Rootwork.org) - I work as a consultant and web developer for nonprofits and social change groups about how to build online movements; engaging, supporter-driven websites; and real-world activism that takes advantage of online social networks. I have experience in a number of social change and nonprofit groups, including as a co-founder of the Genocide Intervention Network. I also co-organize the Philadelphia chapter of NetSquared (”remixing the web for social change”). 

http://twitter.com/rosiedefremery

http://twitter.com/ruby (lotusmedia.org, OrangePolitics.org, Fellowship of Reconciliation, network-centric advocacy, social networks, etc.)

http://twitter.com/rolfkleef

http://twitter.com/RSPCAau RSPCA Australia (national animal welfare org)

http://twitter.com/SandyRees  (fundraising coach and consultant for small nonprofits, author, trainer, blogger)

http://twitter.com/sarahconner (prospect researcher, higher ed fundraising professional, blogger, information technology early adopter, etc.)

http://twitter.com/sdohrn

http://twitter.com/jamesnorris (Free Social Media help & advice for Charities & Non Profits at Social Uproar

http://twitter.com/sethschneider

http: twitter.com/See3 – strategic consulting, website development, online marketing, fundraising and critically acclaimed video production skills for nonprofits and social causes

http://twitter.com/sharonschneider (philanthropic advisor to private foundations, author of www.thephilanthropicfamily.com)

http://twitter.com/sharinghopetv (new Web Community from American Cancer Society, user-generated content for those who care about cancer)

http://twitter.com/shava23 (nonprofit consultant, grantwriter)

http://twitter.com/sheldonM (nonprofit tech, home remodeler, card carrying liberal, neighborhood agitator)

http://twitter.com/silkroadproject (A not-for-profit artistic, cultural and educational organization under the artistic direction of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, home to the Silk Road Ensemble: http://www.silkroadproject.org)

http://twitter.com/silverbell (Chicago area non-profit techie)

http://twitter.com/smachlaughlin

http://twitter.com/SmartNonprofits – Minnesota Council of Nonprofits

http://twitter.com/smartsculture (Maryann Devine, smArts & Culture, arts marketing and social media)

http://twitter.com/snyderwriter (Bill Snyder: web communications strategist/Genernal Manager of We-Care.com)

http://twitter.com/SocialBttrfly (social marketing believer, blogger, researcher, practitioner and enthusiast w/ a heart 4 social media)

http://twitter.com/sonnycloward

http://twitter.com/stereogab (Sunlight Foundation’s communications director; open government advocate; NetSquared organizer in DC)

http://twitter.com/steveames Running a small arts organization in Northern Vermont: River Arts

http://twitter.com/stevebridger

http://twitter.com/stevecunningham

http://twitter.com/stifter Catherine Stifter, http://newroutes.org - an online community to improve lives of immigrants through media

http://twitter.com/SuburbNews

http://twitter.com/sugarcube (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, JDRF)

http://twitter.com/sunlightnetwork (Sunlight Foundation/Network; a non-partisan non-profit that advocates for government transparency)

http://twitter.com/suzboop

http://twitter.com/TechSoup

http://twitter.com/tet3

http://twitter.com/the1010project The 1010 Project is a Denver-based humanitarian nonprofit organization working to eradicate poverty in Kenya.

http://twitter.com/theGMT Green Media Toolshed

http://twitter.com/theIRC  International Rescue Committee  For over 75 years, the IRC has been leading refugees from harm to home.

http://twitter.com/theoildrum The Oil Drum is a website facilitated by the nonprofit Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future; its mission is to facilitate discourse and research on our perilous energy situation.

http://twitter.com/tmjassociation The TMJ Association

http://twitter.com/TheArcUS The Arc of the United States is devoted to advocating and providing supports and services for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

http://twitter.com/thelampnyc Non-profit organization providing multimedia skills to youths, parents and educators. Check out our website for more info: http://www.thelampnyc.org/

http://twitter.com/theRAC Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism: A Jewish Voice for Justice in the Nation’s Capital

http://twitter.com/thewomensmosaic (promotes personal growth and intercultural understanding so women can RISE UP and ROCK THE WORLD!)

http://twitter.com/tsuruda – People Making a Difference http://www.pmd.org providing custom training and consulting for charities seeking to create postive, self-sustaining, volunteer engagement

http://twitter.com/tudiabetes – a social network for people touched by diabetes

http://twitter.com/tudiabetesnews – a social network for people touched by diabetes

http://twitter.com/txgifted – Educators and Parents dedicated to meeting the unique needs of Gifted and Talented Students – Texas, USA

http://twitter.com/ukfundraising News feed from UK Fundraising (see Howard Lake)

http://twitter.com/usacares USA Cares (www.usacares.org) provides support to wounded veterans and their families

http://twitter.com/urj The Union for Reform Judaism, Serving Reform Congregations in North America

http://twitter.com/vanessamason (passionate about public health especially in developing countries)

http://twitter.com/vizitant Project bringing video-conferencing to seniors, disabled and other socially marginalized groups in Ireland.

http://twitter.com/volunteerabroad – Cross-Cultural Solutions operates international volunteer programs in 12 countries around the world.

http://twitter.com/VolunteerConnec  Community Volunteer Connections connects people to volunteering in the Tri-Cities and New Westminster in British Columbia, Canada. 

http://twitter.com/watfordgap (Getting UK Non-profits / VCS to use old and new technology to help them grow)

http://twitter.com/webb

http://twitter.com/we_care_giving Social venture that turns online shopping (almost anywhere) into donations to nonprofits.

http://twitter.com/wmacphail (rabble.ca, Alzheimer Society of Ontario, w8nc inc.)

http://twitter.com/wellstoneaction (updates and innovations from the progressive movement)

http://twitter.com/wiredprworks [speaker/trainer/consultancy: PR, writing, blogging, social media] 

http://twitter.com/WomenMisbehavin sassy interpretation of working women issues

http://BarbaraRozgonyi-wiredPRworks.com

http://twitter.com/worthwhilefilms – Worthwhile Films | Nonprofit Media

http://twitter.com/WWF_Climate - WWF International Climate Change team at the frontlines

http://twitter.com/WWF - WWF International

http://twitter.com/WWFUS - WWF US

http://twitter.com/yogini Online advocacy for Missing Persons

http://twitter.com/YouStreeters You Street – Americans for Campaign Reform, mobilizing for public funding of elections

https://twitter.com/youragency YourAgency.ca – Digital Marketing Agency committed to supporting socially responsible organizations online

http://twitter.com/youthactionnet – YouthActionNet 

http://twitter.com/Ctr4SocialMedia – We promote fair use, investigate and empower public media 2.0 projects and showcase innovators in the field of documentary film 

http://twitter.com/WorldCreativity – World Creativity & Innovation Week, April 15-21 – building confidence in and celebrating creativity and innovation worldwide since 2002

http://twitter.com/YogaBear a non-profit that provides free yoga for cancer survivors

http://twitterpacks.pbwiki.com/Non-Profits

Welcome to publishing, the land of books, writing, and agonizingly long waits. Pour yourself a drink. You’re going to need it.

Step 1. If you are trying to find an agent and you are not a) a celebrity or b) a deity, you will need to have a finished and polished manuscript if you are writing a novel or memoir, and a finished and polished proposal and sample pages if you are working on a nonfiction project. Did I mention the finished and polished part? Well, you missed a spot. Go back and polish some more.

Step 2. Ok, so you’ve finished and polished your manuscript so much it’s shining like the top of the Chrysler Building. Now it’s time to find an agent, right? Nuh uh. Time to learn about the publishing business.

Many aspiring authors feel that all they have to do is write a good book, sit back, and let the God of easy money and literary groupies take care of the rest. Not so! Before you embark on your quest for a literary agent, you should devote many, many hours to familiarizing yourself with the business, literary agents, editors, and anything else you can possibly do to discern how this unique industry operates. Luckily there is more information out there on the Internet than ever before.

Now, hopefully you took care of all this research as you were procrastinating while working on your manuscript. But honestly, in today’s publishing clime it’s just not enough to have written a good book. Treat this business seriously, because it is a business. Explore the links on the right side of this page, read blogs, talk to booksellers, attend conferences, get to know authors. If you do this BEFORE you try to find an agent your odds of success will increase dramatically, because you will ooze professionalism and knowledge, qualities that bode well for future successful writers.

Step 3. Finding that agent. There are many ways of going about this, and, believe it or not, none of them involve telling an agent they’re a cutiepatootie. First off, we’ll address referrals.

Referrals are a great way to find an agent, and for many of your more experienced/legendary agents they’re darn near essential. And it’s easy to see why — you’re coming in with an endorsement from someone the agent respects, you’ve got their attention, and you’re more likely to get a thorough look.

How do you get a referral? It’s kind of tricky. If you don’t have preexisting personal connections, the best way to do this, especially if you live in a big city, is to get involved with local writers communities, fraternize with writers, and put yourself in a position where your work will be seen by other established writers. Genuinely (and not selfishly) invest in those writers and you may find that they will invest in you — trust me, they remember what it was like to be an aspiring writer. If you don’t live in a city, get your stories published in journals, become involved with writers’ blogs and online writer’s communities, and really invest in authors until you are virtual friends.

Now, notice that I didn’t suggest the “e-mail random writers and ask for referrals out of the blue” approach, which has about a zero chance of success. These things have to evolve organically.

Step 4. No referrals? Time to write a query letter.

A query letter is a short letter that describes your work. I have posts on the basic format (which you will need to expand upon), as well as some examples of good letters (here and here). This will give you a basic letter. You should adapt and personalize this basic letter depending on which agent you’re submitting to in order to demonstrate your aforementioned professionalism and knowledge. Which leads us to…

Step 5. Now you need to figure out who to submit to. That’s easy. Start with me.

After you’ve queried me and assuming I didn’t offer representation, it will then be necessary to expand your search beyond the confines of this blog. There are various resources on the Internet you can use (again, check out the links on the right side of the page) to narrow down the search. You should try to target agents who represent your genre, but avoid agents who previously represented something extremely/eerily similar to yours. Another way to target agents and get personalization fodder is to check the acknowledgments in your favorite books in your genre and see who represented those writers.

Before you submit, Google the agent and the agency to try and find their submission guidelines. If you find it, go precisely by what they ask for. If you do not find any information online, the default procedure is to print out your personalized query letter, send it in the mail to the agent, and be sure and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

And yes, the trees weep.

Step 6. Query widely. Don’t blanket the town with your query unless you want to end up on Gawker, but agents assume you are going out there trying to find an agent. Also, you should limit your query to one agent per agency. After you’ve heard back, it’s usually ok to re-query another agent at the agency if their submission guidelines don’t suggest otherwise, but wait a couple of months.

Step 7. You wait. You want a request for a partial or full manuscript, and then you wait some more. You wait until you think you are physically going to die and/or commit a drastic crime. And then you get “the call!”

Now, chances are at this point you are going to be in a psychological state where you are ready to sign over a body part just to get an agent, and you will be predisposed to say “Yes, for crap’s sake, yes!!”. But take a step back, take your time, make sure you’re very comfortable with the agent before you enter into one of the most important business relationships you will have in your life. You and your agent are going to have to seriously trust one another, so ask questions, don’t be shy, and make sure you’re ready.

That’s it! You’ve done it! Now that wasn’t so hard, was it? Oh. Wait. Yes, it was.

Please continue adding thoughts in the comments section, and if I missed something I’ll update this post as needed.

Posted by Nathan Bransford

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-find-literary-agent.html

Q – When did you begin writing? 

A – I found my love of writing in second grade and began a diary after my 11th birthday. I still have some the original stories and every diary I ever wrote in.

Q – How has writing in a diary affected your writing?

A – When I was a teen, my diary felt like my best friend, both loyal and a good listener. I have six top reasons to keep a diary. I’ll post another feature here, at BronzeWord’s Blog, in two weeks. Be sure to come back and read my explanation.

Q- How do you get your ideas for writing?

A – I start with a fact I want to know about or a story that I want to see unfold. I write about the magic I see everywhere and the love I feel for others. It is particularly important to me to support young women. When I was younger I did not feel the support I needed to be confidant. Today I write to motivate others to find the greatness within themselves and encourage them to share these unique talents with the world.

Q – You’ve written seven books, all in different genres. Is there a common thread between your books?

A – I have a strong desire to motivate others to find the greatness within themselves and encourage them to share these unique talents with the world. Each of my books, whether its my reference book, baby name book, the earth spirituality books or the young adult novel, were all written with the intention of inspiring and encouraging readers to seek out and unearth their own unique gifts.

Q- You’ve written several nonfiction titles but how different was it to write a novel?

A – In a non-fiction book, the writing is linear and straight-forward. In a fiction book, writing moves in circles that weave back and forth. I love writing dialog (I can finally put those voices in my head to work!) Non-fiction is telling people exactly what you want them to know. Fiction or storytelling requires symbols and relationships to convey your message. I love creating a world that runs like a movie through your imagination.

Q – How much of yourself is in these three young women featured in Rogelia’s House of Magic?

A – I am these three girls rolled into one. I am an impetuous Wild Child like Fern, more often barefooted hugging some tree, and like Marina I tend to worry, had a trying relationship with my mother, and we share family history. In my quiet moments, I tend to mimic Xochitl’s autonomy, determination and solemnity about what’s important to me.

Q – In Rogelia’s House of Magic, the protagonists’ teacher calls herself a curandera. What is a curandera?

A – A curandera is a spiritual folk healer. Her clientele includes people from all walks of of life. She works very closely with nature to bring healing to physical, emotional and spiritual health. She can specialize her healing art, like Rogelia who focuses on working herbs.

Q – You have a really interesting family history and deep roots in California. Would you share?

A – My family history dates back to the Spanish soldiers and Mexican civilians that came with Father Junipero Serra in 1770s. Jose Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta (mentioned in Rogelia’s House of Magic) were granted the first land grant, 72,000 acres, from the King of Spain in what is now Orange County. I also have reason to believe (by virtue of some pictures) that I have Native California heritage as well, perhaps Tongva or Ajachemen (aka, Gabrieleño or Juaneño). I became aware of this heritage when I was nine and it seems to me that is when I began feeling the spirit of my ancestors all around me.

Q – Are your books based on research, imagination or life experiences?

A – My heart and soul goes into every book I write. Even the Latino Writers and Journalist book, which consisted of a lot of research, was influenced by the inspiration I felt in interviewing the writers and journalists. I’ve tested every recipe and spell in my magick books. As far as Rogelia’s House of Magic goes, I based it on experiences that I elaborated.

Q – Is writing a job for you or more of a creative endeavor?

A – Writing has become both my way to spend time with the muse, the creative, life-giving forces. It is also what I do for a living. I am still find the balance between the art and the business sides of this career.

Jamie Martinez Wood’s book Rogelia’s House of Magic 

Much like my haircuts, this is a blog post that I have put off for quite a long time. How to write a synopsis. It’s like my own personal kryptonite. I’ve been meaning to post about this for such a long time, but then I’d think, “How in the world am I supposed to give advice on how to write a synopsis? Ohh! I know! I can write about The Hills instead!!”

But I shall put it off no longer. Today’s post will be about how to write a synopsis.

I’m starting now. I can do this.

I mean it. I’m going to do it.

Starting now.

Ok, really starting now.

The reason for my recalcitrance is that there’s really no one way to write a synopsis. Everyone has a different idea of what a synopsis should entail, how long it should be, whether it should be single- or double-spaced, whether it should include all of the plot or just the really important stuff… I mean, how I can even begin to summarize this and offer any advice is frankly beyond me.

But here is the thing to know about synopses: A synopsis is not an opportunity to talk about every single character and every single plot point in a “and then this happened and then this happened” fashion. A synopsis needs to do two things: 1) it needs to cover all of the major characters and major plot points (including the ending) and 2) it needs to make the work come alive. If your synopsis reads like “and then this happened and then this happened” and it’s confusing and dull, well, you might want to revise that baby.

A good place to start for a model on how to write a good synopsis is to mimic book cover copy, only also include in the synopsis what happens in the end. The blurbs on flap jackets and on the back of paperbacks are usually good synopses — they’re a hybrid of plot points but with a bigger sense of what makes the book unique and interesting (although discard the stuff in cover copy that talks about the author — that doesn’t go in a synopsis). You want to strike a balance in the synopsis between covering the plot and characters, but also conveying the spirit and tone of the book and smoothing over gaps between the major plot points you describe.

So in the synopsis, you definitely want to capture how the novel begins and the hook and include all of the major climaxes and the big climax at the end. Between those points introduce major characters and their relationships, and make sure you’re conveying the core of the conflicts between all of these elements. But then, rather than just filling in with more and more plot and more and more characters, connect the dots between them with your own summarizing, in order to make the synopsis easy to read and compelling on its own.

Easier said than done, I know. Synopses are tough. Like mosquitoes (my war against them is going better, btw).

How long should a synopsis be? Unless the agent specifies otherwise or you have found better synopsis-writing advice elsewhere (the odds of that are pretty good, frankly), I’d shoot for two to three pages, double-spaced. If it’s longer or shorter than that I don’t think anyone is going to be angry, but that should be enough to do what you need to do.

So there you have it. It’s done. I did it. Thank goodness. Now about that haircut I’ve been putting off…

Posted by Nathan Bransford

http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2007/08/how-to-write-synopsis.html

Thankful for My Tia

I wish to express my gratitude for my Tia. I do all this in complete humility. This lovely lady is 88-years-old, and if I could hold on to her, she would be here for another twenty years. She has a heart that is caring and loving. I was raised to think badly of her. Yet thirteen months ago, my Tia searched the local motels trying to fine me to take me to her home when I had returned to the city and my mother wouldn’t let me stay with her. She was the only one in the family who gave homeless-me a place to live. In these thirteen months, I have been honored to learn who my Tia really is.

This most generous woman has never been able to read or write, yet is the smartest and most direct woman I have ever met. In our many discussions, I discovered that she may have had dyslexia which made it difficult for children to learn without assistance. Yet my Tia was from a time when no one had heard of dyslexia. And there probably wouldn’t have been help for poor Latino kids anyway.

Yet my Tia has been the boss of several of her own businesses, a few for over ten years. She worked and bossed men in an era when women were easily dismissed. She drove heavy duty hauling trucks. She, with help from her mother, built the house (once rolling off the roof to land on the ground below) that she raised her six children in, and still lives in today.

I have sat in what everyone calls “the little house” in the backyard, assembling a dialogue, adding rebuttals and explanations, and practicing my presentation to win my case. After watching one or two of my soliloquies, my Tia interrupted me and said, “Get to the point.” I was astonished. She wanted to hear what I had to say.

While gabbing with her, she’ll ask me what a word means. I said, “Feedback,” once, and she needed it defined. I thought I’ll have to remember to use little words. Yet when I sat across the table from her in the kitchen, explaining what a book proposal was all about, she looked at me impatiently and said, “It’s a resume for a book.” I sat with my chin on my three circles of neck, dumbfounded. How absolutely perfect. How astonishingly simple. Yes. A book proposal is a resume for a book.

If you should think, so what?, let me show you how her wisdom helps others beyond her immediate reach. My Tia was lecturing me on how ineffective I was as a mother and how my son – here she put one hand flat on her knee, then moved her hand and placed it flat on her chest, then finally, placed her hand flat on her head, demonstrating how I allow my son to treat me. I knew for certain that was going to be in one of my books. However, later in a way that was much more beneficial, I used the demonstration. I gave a presentation to a class of 8^th graders in middle school. I showed them what my Tia had done. (Of course, I left out the “how stupid I can be” part.) I asked them what they thought the motions meant. Everyone shouted, “He’ll walk all over you.” I went on to demonstrate how smart my Tia was in spite of having no education with other parables of truth she had shared with me. Several of the students raised their hands and stated that they also had parents who couldn’t read or write. They walked out of that class with their backs a little straighter being proud of their parents.

I have disagreed with my Tia and I wasn’t killed for doing so. And my words have never been thrown back in my face later. Astonishing. In fact, a joke began between us where the dog and I had the same name, pendjo (stupid). I realized that my low self-esteem had created this situation, yet I went to my Tia and asked her if she could stop calling me that name. I told her how much I appreciated that I could approach her with the request. As I left the room, she said, “Thank you.” Wow! To me! For that! Later, from a cousin, her daughter, I learned she had felt hurt and angry by my request, and she has never called me that name again since.

I have heard stories of how as a single mom in the forties and fifties, she would hitchhike sixty miles to a small town to pick in the fields to earn money for her children so they could be fed and clothed while her mother cared for them. She stayed at a relative’s house and slept on the floor. Sometimes while hitchhiking, she would be picked up. By men. In the night. Many times, she had to walk the entire distance.

She told stories of how she and her two older brothers picked in the fields all year and that was one reason she hadn’t done well in school. In fact, all four siblings were not able to read or write because of working in the fields. The younger sister, my mother, always pretended to be sick to get out of work. You need to understand something. I was sixty years old when my Tia told me these stories. Up to that point, I had never known that my family had been migrant workers. My mother had never even whispered a hint about her history. Because of shame. I had bragged often attesting to the fact that I had never even met a migrant worker much less been able to write stories about them. Now I learned that my mother had ridden the circuits like everyone else. Amazing.

In my Tia’s oft told tales, she related how their father would punish them. Brutal with the boys; sent her off to bed with no food. The little sister getting away with anything. The lesson taught was life was hard; if you didn’t work to make the money then you could go without the food you didn’t earn. I’ve heard stories from men about what nuns did to them by kneeling them on rice or bottle caps, and my grandfather did worse to my Tios. He was a religious man, and this was appropriate for that time period.

My Tia worries about me tremendously. She says, “All you want to do is type” – here she taps the table with the tips of all ten fingers – “You don’t want to go out and find a man. How will you ever get a man if you don’t go out?” I laugh. Then a look of mischief comes to her eyes. She claims she always had a man, who bought his paycheck home to her. Men who adored her. Then, swinging her shoulders and pitching her nose in the air, she declared that she even had men fight over her. The paramount testament of a woman’s value in the fifties. “Several times,” she added with a sly smile.

If by chance any of my cousins should read this I am sure they will be royally angry with me for mentioning this. My 88-year-old Tia wears lacy, silky, bold-colored undies. Now there’s a real woman.

Even with all this, what I have enjoyed most with my Tia is my ability to joke with her. And her face when she smiles. She tells me of a woman on TV who has a beautiful singing voice and demonstrates what she means by singing a few chords. I say leave it to the lady on the TV to do the singing. She laughs. She doesn’t get angry. She laughs. At herself. With me. Astonishing.

I related stories of my adventures across these United States, and she howled. Then when her daughters visited, in front of me, she told them how I was flirting with a guy and my teeth fell out. She laughed so hard she almost couldn’t finish the story. One cousin leaned toward me and asked if that was the truth. I replied that she was putting two stories together to make one, and yeah it was true.

She loves to go out and eat and takes pity on this poor niece and takes me with her. I feel uncomfortable because we don’t say much, and I think she wants my company. That’s all.

When my Tia has found me sick or hungry, she has flooded enough food down my throat to feed a small African village. Food is an all-time everything healer. And the rooster can’t compete with me in crowing about My Tia and how she makes the bestest Spanish rice in the world. Even all her daughters’ rice doesn’t compare. She calls me, “China,” because I love her rice so much and eat as much as she gives me. For my birthday, she made the larger quart pot full of rice just for me. Outstanding.

My Tia is known as a scrapper. She will fight and fight to win. No holds barred. She’ll leave you without hair if you cross her. She cusses worse than an old sailor. She uses the “N” word with no attention even knowing my son is Black-Vietnamese. If you hurt one of her children, you better run and hide because there is no rock big enough to shelter you from her wrath. She’ll stand up to any man, any size, anywhere. There have been times when our bond has grown with a realization in each other’s eyes that we could go ice skating in hell before we waited for some man to do something for us.

I have given much consideration to the gene pool that went into creating my mother and her sister. There is no denying that they do come from the same gene pool for the resemblance of my Tia to her mother is great. Yet, what astronomical event could have ensued for the gene pool to have been so split between these sisters? When they have visited the beauty shop together and someone comments on their resemblance, my mother will proclaim that they are nothing alike. That her sister is stupid. Bad. Has been with many men. Now these accusations come from the woman, the sister, who has protected and covered up for a pedophile for sixty years and pimped off her daughter. My mother has a cash register for a heart. My Tia is gentle, loving, and caring. I have no clue how these two women are related. Not a one.

I am so grateful to God for having given me this time to get to know my Tia. She is an honorable person with a caring heart. She has given me the true value of what family means. I would do anything for her. Thank you, Tia.

Jo Ann

April – Café of Dreams
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/

Take a close look at the world around us. A world that knows hate, anger, greed and the desire for more. Step back from that world. Step into your heart, into your soul. Look within the eyes of the innocent youth, the suffering and shunned. This is our world to nurture and take within the gentle palms of our hands to cradle and care for, not to destroy. Every being is part of this life, this world. Not a small part, but a vital part of a whole.


With that being said, I feel that during this month of Thanksgiving, each of us should take a step back, look within ourselves and strive to be a better person, in at least one way or another. Be thankful for the greatness around us, even through hard times and upset, there are always things to be thankful for, someone to treasure and cherish. Each and every day should be a time to give thanks, to give of yourself. A smile and a kind word are often times worth all the riches in the world. The simple things in life are often the most memorable and life-altering.


Recently I caught the new Brad Paisley video for “Welcome to the Future” and was touched beyond words. See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JAH_V3gb5c


Have you ever read, heard or seen something that just left you trembling and overwhelmed? This is what happened as I watched this video. The words in the first paragraph of this is what shot through my mind as I watched the mini movie. Often people get so caught up in their own lives, the hectic comings and goings, the making of more money, looking out for themselves, that the true meaning of life can get lost in the shuffle. There are so many deserving people out there that just need a little help, a friend, someone that is willing to listen. I have always been what you would call naïve, thinking that everyone has goodness within them (okay, I know there is evil out there, but for the most part…). You never know when just a smile will light up someone’s day and bring a spark of happiness. Strangers that you meet, friends, family, cashiers, workers, everyone deserves the time it takes for a small kind word or smile. Everyone can afford these treasures.


I am, personally, thankful for each and every person who has entered my life, is in my life now and for those who are to enter my life in the future. Each and every person makes up the building blocks to our lives and our world, no matter if it’s a pebble or a brick. Without them, things would be different in some small, or perhaps large, way. So always keep in mind that your actions may help to build up someone’s world, or create a chink that may lead to a bit of a crumbling. Yes, I know, let’s add a bit of pressure to our already stressful lives. It is so important that we each realize the powerful impact that we have on one another and to take charge of that and use it for good.


If each of us puts kindness forth, imagine stepping back and looking upon the world. Look within the eyes of those people full of hope, where hope was only an ember about to burn out. Look within the eyes of the innocent who are able to continue to remain innocent, knowing that there is goodness and kindness. Look upon those once shunned, who now know the joy of belonging. Look within your heart, knowing that you have made a difference with your small acts that are huge in scale to another person. Be thankful for every breath you take, it is a priceless gift. Feel the gift of knowing you have shared a bit of yourself to brighten another’s life, as it blankets you in a priceless warmth. Remember to always be thankful, even the things that seem small are huge in worthiness.

April – Café of Dreams
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com

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<h2>A dog day afternoon … at the DMV.

By Al Carlos Hernandez </h2>

<b>SAN FRANCISCO (Herald de Paris)</b> - I spent the longest seventy-five minutes of my life at the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day. I viewed it as penance for not using new media and/or paying attention to snail mail directives. One would think that I had learned my lesson by now after the trauma I suffered that time I had to come back six times in one day to register a late model Fleetwood during my Superfly days.  

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The DMV is a place where everybody on both sides of the counter is angry, off the rack, unkempt and ready to rumble. They construct a DMV like a Russian union hall – stark, officious, and brooding in such a way as to punish working people for having used cars and lacking the ability to negotiate a Kafkaesque phone appointment system.

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Thankfully most of our DMV business is handled on-line. I can now renew a car registration during an NBA time out. This time, however, it was different. I had to pick up license plates for my wife’s new car because they never sent them. She was right. You can only have those paper plates on the car so long before the neighbors think you stole it.

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I knew there was going to be a problem when the DMV parking lot was filled with cars sporting homemade tinted windows looking like they needed salvage titles.

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Once inside I was immediately sentenced to a snaking conga line of broke folks babbling in sixteen dialects, several of which I discerned where English. I waited to be issued a number and my fearful religious assumption was the number was going to be 666.

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The procedure is simple: everyone lines up and goes to the information booth. You explain to them how stupid you are. They tell you where to go and wait. Make no mistake, everyone in the house has a problem, some of which include personal hygiene.

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They issue you a number which determines the clerk who specializes in your particular problem. The bigger your problem, the meaner the dateless clerk to which they assign you.

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I felt sorry for the holistic woman clerk, who’d given up on makeup, and whose AA degree had failed her, working the window. Distressed, hating her career counselors, and filled with angst, she curtly got on the phone and reported to someone that there were sixty-five people in our twenty-three person line. Somehow, up through a trap door or something, there appeared this rude woman who looked like the heifer that shot Selena. She was busting the line, slinging orders, handing out forms, and growling that the wait would be at least one solid hour.

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The only people in the building happy to be there where the teenagers, who practiced their smiles for their first time driver’s license photo. I wanted desperately to inform them that they should not smile for the picture. It should be the intention of a driver’s license picture to convey to a potential arresting officer that you always look shot to the curb and somewhat faded. If your bright eyed, bushy tailed driver’s license picture looks dramatically different from your everyday mug, they are going to ask you to step out of the car. Believe that.

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Bought the ticket, took the ride. My number: C81. I looked at the TV monitor. They were on C48. Could have been Si 48 for all I knew. Keeping my posture on the down low, I was standing next to a wall in the back since all the chairs were taken. Behind me was a house shoe wearing, gum cracking woman, babbling to someone on a cell phone and peppering her conversation with inane profanity. It occurred to me that mathematically there is a gum cracking equation. The louder you crack your gum, the greater the popping intervals, the lower the IQ. Based on her proficiency I was amazed she could walk up right. She didn’t consider her cracking an annoyance but rather as an attribute. Like working five hula hoops at once.

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As a man of action, I decided to apply my knowledge of upper division math. I knew I had plenty of time to leave and go to the post office, the house, get something to eat and check email. I returned to the DMV thinking I beat the system and . . . they were on C53.

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This time I stood on the other side of the room away from “Gumbalina” and listened to a cross section of tri-lingual conversations while gazing over a bouquet of faces colored with a general malaise. Slowly, one by one, numbers where called and people scurried to the counters to plead their cases Others quickly filled the booty-warmed plastic chairs. Time dragged on.

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Then it was my turn. C81 at window 10. Now. Naturally, like a dork, I was standing next to window 23, so I had to walk as fast as I could – without running – across the facility before another number was called. If you start running, everyone else will run with you. Don’t ask me how I know that.

At window 10 was an auto registration veteran, who was clearly detached from the sullen madness all around her. She simply worked one procedure at a time and fixed my problem.

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We all could learn a lesson from her.

THE YING AND THE YANG

Lisann Valentin — La Licenciada’s Blog
http://www.herdeepthoughts.com/

To pinpoint a common theme in the thread of my existence, I would say it was Duality. As a young college student, I was deeply touched by John Donne’s themes of pleasure and pain in his poetry. There could not be pleasure without pain, and often times, one would meld into the other. The theme in his poetry struck a chord in me, as it seemed to be along the same lines of the ying and the yang: happiness complimenting sadness; light shining through the dark; and other related forms of duality, which have always fascinated me. I think the reason for this may be that – as a Puerto Rican woman – I find there is a duality in the aspects of my life.


I was born and raised in New York, yet I have a strong attachment to my culture as a Puertorriqueña. As a child, my mother pulled my sister and me out of school at least three times a year to spend time at least three months in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. There we learned about the island, had freedom to frolic outside, were taught to celebrate our roots, and practiced the Spanish language on a continuous level. Then, when we came back to Brooklyn, we would remain indoors, and I would have to read words in the dictionaries to avoid forgetting to speak in English and to avoid the mispronunciation of English words. We were free in Puerto Rico, and then caged birds in New York. This may be related to the sense of trust and comradery my mother felt on the Island, as opposed to the fear and isolation she felt in New York. As such, I witnessed a duality in my mother; she struggled to maintain her identity as a Puerto Rican woman without being pigeonholed by stereotypes. She struggled to teach us our heritage so we wouldn’t become part of a melting pot; instead to be a functioning part of a salad bowl.


In the media, Latinas are frequently depicted as primarily sexual beings, who nurture their partners and families, yet have hot tempers. Now, this depiction has lessened in recent years, but I find that it’s still prevalent in film and on television. This is not necessarily unrealistic nor is it a bad thing. It’s just not the only thing.


I find that aside from their sexuality, many women are enthusiastic about education, are zealous in pursuit of their careers, and are passionate when it comes to family and relationships. And, if you look closely, there is a duality there and hopefully, a balance. Despite the strides we have made in current times, Latinas are still expected to be married and start a family by a certain age. With that underlying pressure, there is a stronger pull from a modern mode of thinking to become independent, educated, and successful outside of marriage and family. In this day and age, where does this duality come from?


Two forms of thought have been the primary players in forming this duality. There is the cultural influence of a machista attitude of a woman’s role in learning to care for the home, be demure, and behave as proper women should behave in order to marry and have a family to care for. Then there is the influence of a feminist mentality: in pursuing a career; an education; being able to take care of oneself and be a completely independent and self-sustaining individual, perhaps without the need for marriage or family. It is my experience that Latin women of my generation are especially equipped because of this dualistic upbringing.


Being exposed to these two types of thinking has influenced a generation of women who want it all – and certainly get it, by taking the most positive elements of both modes of thought and creating something that suits them completely.


I am proud to say that I am a member of this generation. I think these modes of thought have made me a well-rounded person. Maintaining cultural values, for me, is important. And so is cultivating new ones. It is important to embrace who we are and where we come from, even with the apparently opposing sides – the ying and the yang. I know that these facets make up the whole of who I am as an individual and as a Puerto Rican woman. For that, I am grateful.

Lisann Valentin — La Licenciada’s Blog
http://www.herdeepthoughts.com/

Cinco Puntos Press http://www.cincopuntos.com

Bobby bbyrd@cincopuntos.com, and Lee Byrd are Cinco Puntos Press. Bobby was born in 1942 in Memphis, TN. His desire to live in the desert resulted in his attending University of Arizona in Tucson. In 1969, he moved to South Colorado then to Albuquerque and Las Cruces, NM. He moved to El Paso with his wife, Lee, in 1978. His daughter, Susie, had lived in fourteen different houses before they finally settled in El Paso. At the time, Bobby and Lee were technical writers.

Cinco Puntos Press http://www.cincopuntos.com became a reality in 1985. Bobby had published another book of poetry and asked his publisher how he had started his publishing house. Bobby thought the process sounded easy enough. “I shot myself in one foot as a poet and shot myself in the other foot as a publisher,” Bobby says. But he and his wife wanted to make a living doing something they loved, which was writing. Through publishing, he believes that a person draws on their immediate surroundings. In El Paso because of their involvement in different community groups, they decided to publish books addressing the most prevalent local population: the Latinos.

Publishing has enabled him to broaden his areas of knowledge and involvement. “Poets tend to stay in one area of expertise,” he explains, while the business of publishing encompasses a variety of issues and expertise. Since becoming a publisher, he has developed a deeper understanding of the diversity and complexity of the U.S./Mexican border situation. “Publishing, like writing, is a self-revelation,” he says.

In November 1998, the NEA http://www.nea.gov had approved funding for the publication of The Story of Colors / La Historia de los Colores: A Bilingual Storybook from the Jungles of Chiapas, written by Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos of Mexico’s Zapatista Army of National Liberation and illustrated by indigenous artist Domitilia Domínguez. Cinco Puntos bought the rights from the Mexican publisher, Colectivo Callejero, which had published the book in Mexico. The writings of Marcos, Byrd reminded, were in the public domain. Marcos had given up copyright.

The NEA budgeted $7,500 for the publication. But after a call from New York Times reporter Julia Preston on March 8, 1999, NEA chairman William Ivey, personally canceled the part of the grant that supported the publication of this book. He was worried, Ivey told the press, that NEA funds might end up in the hands of the Zapatistas. The next day, because of Bill Ivey, Cinco Puntos Press and The Story of Colors were on the front page of The New York Times.

“It was a strange media frenzy, a true boon to Cinco Puntos. But real ideas and issues got lost in that frenzy, the most important of which is the indigenous struggle for autonomy and land in Chiapas,” Byrd was quoted. You can read more about this incident on their website at http://www.cincopuntos.com/storyofcolors.ssd

Mr. Byrd believes that the growing diversity among writers is encouraging, but “If publishers are seeking out Latino authors, their books won’t be coming out for a couple of years.” For a long time, publishers believed that Latinos came from mostly low income families, but now they are discovering that there is a much larger middle-class population in the U.S. Many of the larger publishers are awaking to this fact by the successes of small presses like Cinco Puntos Press.

Middle class Latinos are book buyers who are interested in their culture and interested in maintaining it for their children by reading books written by Latinos, Byrd points out. They don’t want books with a European slant nor do they choose to read translated-into-Spanish books from the dead white male cannon perspectives.

New York does not have to look for Latino authors, Byrd says. They have been here and are growing in numbers. Publishers, book sales representatives and bookstores owners need to understand this thirst for the Latino culture in literature to be able to sell books to Latinos. Latinos go into stores where they feel they are treated respectfully. Boutiques and gift stores that also sell books will more likely carry books for Latinos and he has found have been more successful than bigger bookstores.

In 2001, Mr. Byrd attended the National Association of Bilingual Education http://www.nabe.org conference in Phoenix, AZ. He found many librarians and school teachers in the Phoenix area were desperate for bilingual books suitable for classroom use.

The University of Arizona, http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/home.htm, The University of Nevada http://www.nvbooks.nevada.edu and many small presses are starting imprints for Latino writers. Small Press publishers are hungry for Latino writers. However, most small presses have an existing niche audiences and markets. They map out their literature territory and stick to it. It is important for Latino writers to do their homework and investigate various small presses before submitting their work. For a writer to be published by a small press that does not usually do that type of book can be disastrous for both the publisher and the writer.

The future for Cinco Puntos Press looks promising. “It is true that they have been publishing more and more children’s literature, but they will continue to publish fiction and non-fiction, even poetry, from the American Southwest and the Border region. They consider these perspectives essential to the American psyche” Byrd writes. They do encourage Young Adult writers and offer a Young Adult Annual Prize for new authors. For more information on the competition, check out: http://www.cincopuntos.com/youngadults.pdf

When writing, you have to follow the rules, Byrd advises. Investigate the publisher before submitting your work. Understand that publishing is a long drawn out process. The reason for manuscript rejection may not be that the manuscript is bad, but that the publisher may feel unable to sell the book once published. Poetry does not sell well in Byrd’s opinion. He feels non-profit publishers are best for poetry because they are subsidized.

While the amount of books being sold has remained the same, the number of books being published has increased tremendously. There is more competition now then ever before. Byrd warns not to expect miracles and not to quit the day job. He emphasizes the need to read and he respects writers who are interested in what he calls the “beast of literature.”

“Read then write,” Byrd says.