Loose Ends...

1.  Schedule-  what's happening, what's due, what we have to do-


a.  Days
b. Thursday's interview project or place project.
c.  Class reading and snack-luck--, April 29.
d.  Class lunch, May 1st.  Who is setting it up?  Where?


2.  Journal-  If you were writing a query letter to place an article or manuscript, what would you place in it?


3.  Sample Queries-

Dear editor:

I am writing this query letter because I believe you may be interested in publishing my article called “Jungle Gym Jimmy”. It’s a really funny article geared towards kids and the funniest thing of all is that it’s actually based on my little brother, Jimmy!!! The kid is hillarious yet his crazy antics actually teach kids about safety on the playground.

First, Jimmy goes up on the jungle gym—barefoot! Of course, the hot metal burned his foot, he fell off, and broke his ankle!!! Of course, the lesson in that one is ALWAYS WEAR SHOES ON PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT. Next, he’s hanging upside down on the monky bars by his legs and he just up and lets go!!! The poor kid ended up with seventeen stitches in his head, and his arm in a cast. Lesson—DON’T LET GO and HAVE A SPOTTER!

I haven’t read your magazine for a few years since I’m not a kid anymore, but I remember it was always really good. My friend, Lisa Pearson just had an article published by you and she said I should go for it. If you publish my article, I’ll be sure to get a subscription for Jimmy. He’s really excited about me getting this published—in fact my hole family is really really happy about it. They all loved it and I just know your readers will to. I’ve got a knack for comedy and kids will be laughing their heads off when they read this.

I’ve included the article with the letter, and will give you a call in two weeks to talk about when you’d like to publish it and to discuss the contract.

Sincerely,

 
Any Author 


________________________________________________________________________________


 

Todays date

Kid Talk Press
1212 Some Street
Somewhere, the World, postal code

Attention: Bobby Brune

Dear Bobby Brune:

Children learn best when they’re having fun. Jungle Gym Jimmy is an article for parents and children that teaches playground safety and shows how simply playing can promote good health and fitness. The lessons are told through the comical voice of the “tour guide” on the playground, seven-year-old Jimmy. Through Jimmy’s antics, children learn how to use the equipment safely and how to get the most fun out of a day at the playground.

As a Kid Talk subscriber for the last seven years (for the kids, I swear), I am very familiar with your publication, and feel this article would be a positive addition to the “I Can Do It” section of the magazine. The article is 2, 114 words, and has been divided into categories in a way that holds children’s interest. Being a mother of four children and with our home as a meeting place for most of the neighborhood, I’ve had the opportunity to test and verify that the fun and easy “exercises” offered here are not only effective but are loads of fun for the kids.

I’ve been writing children’s stories and articles for several years, and have had many of my stories featured in Kids Know Best, a small newspaper that the Cinder Elementary School publishes each month. I’m also a founding member of the “Right On Baby” editorial group which publishes a monthly e-zine for parents with newborns, and I’m a contributing editor to “Write Now,” an online site teaching creative writing.

Thank you for your time,

Sincerely

____________________________________________________________________________________


 
Dear ________:

After reading your entry in The Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents, and noting your interest in mainstream fiction, I'd like you to consider representing my new novel.]

Nathan's Run is the story of a twelve-year-old who is unfairly caught up in the juvenile justice system. When he is attacked by a drunken guard, he defends himself and escapes, triggering a series of events that polarizes public opinion while capturing the hearts of the world. He's frightened and he's alone. And someone is trying to kill him.

The story is drawn from my experience as chairman of a citizen's committee overseeing the Juvenile Detention Center near my home, and from my years dealing with disadvantaged children as part of the Big Brother program.

My non-fiction work has been published in a half-dozen trade journals, and I have participated in several writers' workshops, including two years of study with the Writers-in-Residence at the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

I've included a synopsis of Nathan's Run, along with the first three chapters of the completed manuscript. Please feel free to call me with any comments or questions, either at my office, [number], or at my home, [number]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
John Gilstrap

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Harper Brothers,⁽¹⁾

I began making up stories as an aid to getting my children to bed each night. With the encouragement of my dear family, I finally wrote them down and collected them into a book.⁽²⁾ Forty-two of their favorites are included in The Awesome Adventures of Anthony Ant, including "Anthony and Arthur Aardvark," and "Anthony Ant's Aunt Annie." ⁽³⁾

I don't have much publishing experience, and I'm sorry I don't have a list of credits to send to you. I did work on the high school newspaper, but I don't suppose that counts. As soon as I have some, I will send them along.⁽⁴⁾ I read the manuscript of my book to my six children and they all loved it. I also took it to my ten-year-old son's class at school and the children there were equally enthusiastic.⁽⁵⁾ Even though the main character is a boy, girls liked it too. This book has definite kid appeal!
Kids today face a tough world, and this book will teach them about courage and good manners in a fun way.⁽⁶⁾

Since ants are a big part of this book, there should be good sales potential in elementary schools and libraries, many of which have ant farms, especially if you publish it in a paperback edition as well as hardcover. I have enclosed the address of the National Headquarters of the Ant Farmers' Association of America, since I am sure they will be interested in a book that features so many ants.⁽⁷⁾

My cousin Norbert Finkel is a wonderful illustrator and he is eager to do the cover art for the book. His portrait of Anthony is enclosed. Since he is family, he will give you a good price.⁽⁸⁾

I will call you next Tuesday to discuss the manuscript.⁽⁹⁾ Thank you for your

consideration. ⁽¹⁰⁾
Sincerely,

A. Writer⁽¹¹⁾

______________________________________________________________________________







(1) The company has not been Harper Brothers for decades. If you don't have a contact with a particular editor, addressing the letter to "Dear Editor" is fine. It 's direct and gender neutral. (See sidebar) back

(2) Telling stories to your family is a fine tradition, but not very informative. back

(3) Alliteration should be on the list of the Seven Deadly Sins of Writing for Children. It gets cloying fast. back

(4) If you don't have any publishing history, just don't mention it. Apologies are not necessary. back

(5) Reading the story to children is a good exercise, but not a good indication of publishability. Most children adore the attention of being read to and would love it if you read them the phonebook. It is also difficult to tell if the response is to the story or to your performance. What's important at this stage is how it reads on the page. back

(6) Most editors see this as a red flag. Stories written to teach moral lessons usually end up with the lesson overwhelming the story. back

(7) Publishers are aware of the major markets for the kind of books they publish. Unless you have knowledge of a special opportunity, say if the Ant Farmers' Association is starting a mail order catalog, don't spend too much space on marketing ideas. back

(8) Unless you are an artist, don't send cover art with your manuscript. Publishers are responsible for the production of the book, including the cover art. back

(9) Most editors would be afraid to answer the phone on Tuesday after reading this. The editor probably has not read the manuscript yet, and if it's rejected, there's nothing to discuss. back

(10) Nowhere does this letter say what sort of book this is or what it's about. The opposite of this mistake (but still a mistake) is a letter that tells the entire plot, or in case of a picture book, a synopsis that is as long as the manuscript. back

(11) Always include a self-addressed stamped envelope. back

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

Dear Editor:

Harper Collins has a proud history of publishing quality fiction and I am submitting my middle-grade novel, Maniac Magee for your consideration.

The history of a kid is one part fact, two parts legend and three parts snowball. * Maniac Magee performs legendary feats in Two Mills, Pennsylvania, from hitting a home-run bunt on a frog-ball to bringing kids together from both sides of the tracks. But most of all it is the story of boy looking for his true home.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely,
A. Writer
SASE enclosed.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Editor:

Do you know what an Egyptian mummy, a samurai soldier, and your pair of sneakers have in common? The answer can be found in the introduction of my book Sticking Together: A History of Glue.

Different kinds of glue affect all parts of our lives, from kid's projects with library paste to the rubber industry to post-it notes. Glue helps hold together our houses, our cars, even our shoes.

Sticking Together combines history, science, and hands-on activities. My opening chapter explores the role of rubber cement in the colonization of the New World and explains the production process from tapping the tree to shipping the bottles to the art supply store. The final chapter includes recipes for homemade glue products and projects.

My background in anthropology gives me grounding in exploring the ways that a seemingly small thing like glue can affect an entire culture.

Written for 7 to 10 year-olds, Sticking Together fits in with your series of excellent children's nonfiction "The Way the World Works", with a format similar to Hold Everything: Containers from Pots to Plastic. The proposal includes a complete outline for the book and three sample chapters.

A reply card is enclosed and I hope to hear of your interest in Sticking Together.

Sincerely,
A. Writer

_____________________________________________________________________________


Places to Visit-

 http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-write-great-query-letter-example.html

 http://www.cherylklein.com/id9.html

 http://www.gulfwriters.org/links/Publishing/query.html

http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx

 https://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/agent-query-letters-that-actually-worked-for-nonfiction_b68937

 http://blog.writersmarket.com/whats-new/query-letter-sample-list-of-awesomeness

 http://www.underdown.org/mf-sample-query-letters.htm

 http://condor.depaul.edu/writing/writers/Types_of_Writing/proposal.html

 http://janefriedman.com/2012/11/09/start-here-how-to-write-a-book-proposal/

 http://writersrelief.com/blog/2011/02/how-to-interpret-submission-guidelines/

 http://writersrelief.com/blog/2009/10/top-query-letter-mistakes-avoid-these-amateur-errors/

 https://www.spawn.org/marketing/bookprop.htm

 http://www.wordsmitten.com/coverletter.html

 http://www.sfwa.org/real/

http://www.creativenonfiction.org/submissions

Practice-

1.  Journal- 

What are you biggest interview worries or how to worries regarding the last assignment, interviewing or places-

2.  In class writing exercise-  Student interview or Alt.

3.  Discussion.

4.  HW-  interviewing, visiting, writing... Next piece due Thursday, right?

Quick Opening- and reading groups.

1.  Journal-

Read the following from Brevity and explain what makes it work for you, if it does.  If it doesn't, explain why, as well!

In the next town over, early in the parade, the recently acquitted drive their red truck slowly, the Ford F-150 as polished as the fire trucks and the horns of the high school band. From both windows they throw Tootsie Rolls and hard candy wrapped in cellophane to scrambling children, then wave like the mayor and the Farm Show Princess who follow the Civil War re-enactors and their hoop-skirted wives.

An hour ago, because the acquitted said they would carry a sign and a poster, a volunteer had approved their red pickup as a float, slotting it between the Cub Scouts and the Gym Starz in their sparkling tights. Now, all of us along the parade route read the sign that says, “Our trial wasted $17,000 of your money,” beside a poster of the District Attorney stuffed into a garbage can.

I’m here with my granddaughters, ages six and nine, because I picked a local parade to entertain them. The parade is small, the route short. They live in Los Angeles, have access to the annual Rose Bowl Parade, but here there are farm animals up close and children their age walking by and waving in Brownie uniforms and dance outfits. Both girls are paying attention.

The acquitted, I think, might have passed the victim’s family. I concentrate on their mouths to read their words. I watch their gestures for tells.

I’d read the newspaper’s daily reports on the trial. Like my neighbors, I’d expected a guilty verdict even though many of the witnesses seemed unreliable. Every adult here must remember the recent testimony about the seventeen-year-old fatal beating that was finally being prosecuted. The kegs of beer in the field of a local farm. The large crowd and their heavy drinking. The young man who would be killed coming on to the girlfriend of one of the acquitted, his hand on her bare arm.

All of us likely remember the descriptions of the beating. A half-sister to one of the acquitted saying the victim was “assaulted hard core while people watched.” Another witness claiming the victim took a few licks, but “just a little knock around, nobody falling down or like that.”

For sure, all of us must remember the farm’s owner repeating the advice she claimed to have given the acquitted that day: “You want to kill somebody, you move that body off my property.”

Which some claimed they did in the bed of that Ford F-150. Which some asserted they did not. Regardless, every one of those witnesses agreed, that young man’s body ended up lying along a seldom used country road. The acquitted, meanwhile, lived as suspects for seventeen years.

My granddaughters love the rabbits in their cages and the tethered calf led by a girl who looks to be about ten years old. I grip their hands to keep them from lunging for the candy, but neither one tugs to free herself, as if the murmur that rises around us as the truck passes is a warning to be wary.

After the acquitted pass, a nearby woman unwraps one of their butterscotch candies. She sucks on it, her mouth working as if she is delivering a curse. I think of how likely it is that some of the spectators are armed. Whether the news of the acquitted’s float has reached a relative or close friend of the murdered man.

A man half a block down raises a fist in rage. Or in solidarity. Either way, I’m relieved to see his hand is empty.

One more block and the acquitted turn left, accelerate, and disappear like the immortal.

2.  Groups and reading.

3.  Exit with HW-  Please bring a final draft for me next Tuesday.

4.  HW-  Reading... From here

No class today!

Please bring your draft next class.

Reading Like a Writer-

0.-  Chats-

1.  Journal-  As readers, what should we be noticing in others' works?

2.  Close reading practice, looking at a scene.


http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/virtualit/fiction/Girl/story.asp


3.  HW-  Next piece is due Thursday for in-class editing.

4.  HW-  By then, finish You Can't Make This Stuff Up.

Scenes-

1.  Journal--  Do we understand Mr. Gutikin's message?  What is he harping on, driving home, to us?

2.  Proposal-

3.  Groups and Readings

4.  Humor piece due Thursday-

Groups and editing

1.  Journal- 

We're working on incorporating humor, and with the time we have left (not much) what would you like to write/learn/do? 

2.  Groups and editing.  Partners and switch... as many as you can.

3. HW-  In YCMTSU, TCGTWCNFMTLJAEIB, Read, 105-182. 

4. HW-  Revise your latest and return for one more reading.