Getting Published Traditionally

About CBI’s Above the Slushpile Submission System

Dear Reader,

Starting in January 2022, we have implemented a new system for our special Above the Slushpile submissions. We’re confident this will open up submission opportunities to a larger number of agents and editors, and help you write your best query. But before we explain “how” the

Crafting the Perfect Query: Editor & Agent Panel Video

This month, we bring you a true world exclusive….

A little while back, Laura was a faculty member and featured speaker at Big Sur of the Rockies, a wonderful writing conference presented by the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. One of the highlights of the weekend was a free-flowing discussion

Webinar w/Rob Broder of Ripple Grove Press

SUBMISSION LINK: http://www.ripplegrovepress.com/submissions

VIDEO – My Manuscript is Finished. What Do I Do Now?

Writer’s coach Teresa Funke explains what to do with your completed book manuscript, including both traditional and self-publishing choices and some tips on marketing and promotion.

To get more great advice from Teresa, visit teresafunke.com

Understanding Copyright and Fair Use

COPYRIGHT

Did you know that you have invoked a copyright as soon as you write something—putting it on paper or other media? For many years I didn’t understand this concept. I thought I needed to take out a copyright on each short story, article, or book I wrote.

Plan Your Career as You Would a Synopsis

Do you hate to write synopses? I do. After 34 books, you’d think that I could get it right, but writing synopses still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Maybe that’s why I also struggle in trying to plan a writing career. (A career plan—what’s that?)

Writing a synopsis and planning a

The Writing Conference Success Guide

You have the opportunity to attend a writers’ conference. You’re more than excited; you’re also a bit nervous. What can you do to make the most of it? What can you do to prepare for it?

After attending many conferences, I’ve come up with what I call my “conference success

VIDEO: How to Find the Perfect Literary Agent

In this video, our writing coach Teresa Funke walks you through the steps needed to find the perfect agent to represent your work. This video also appeared on our writeforkids.org site, but it’s so good we wanted to make sure Insiders saw it as well. And as a special gift

To Build a Career, Give ‘Em What They Want

Nordstroms is a department store with a well-deserved reputation for providing not only quality goods but also quality service. Customer loyalty to the store is legendary. Associates are schooled in “the care and feeding” of customers.

Okay. You get it. Nordstroms is a great store. (And no, I’m not

Glossary of Common Publishing Terms

What’s your writing IQ? Do you know the lingo used in the writing and publishing business? Take a look at the following definitions and see how many you know.

Let’s start at the beginning with basic terms:

Antagonist: the anti-hero or force who works to keep the protagonist from

Increase Your Writing Income (and Even Make a Decent Living!)

Unless you have a full time job writing, whether for a newspaper, a technical journal, or somewhere else, making a living wage by writing is tough. In fact, everything about writing is tough.

So, how do you go about making a decent living with freelance writing? The short answer

VIDEO: How To Handle Rejection

Writing coach Teresa Funke shares her best tips on dealing with the hardest aspect of being a writer, getting rejections. Download Teresa’s Submissions Tracking Chart to track your rejections and acceptances.

Understanding the Editor/Writer Relationship

What should a writer expect of an editor? What should an editor expect of a writer? What expectations are reasonable? And what are unreasonable?

Let’s examine the questions one by one.

What should a writer expect of an editor?

A timely response. A writer should be able

The Writer as Businessperson: How to Take Your Career Seriously

My husband owns a business that makes power supplies. He operates it as would any business person, with attention to inventory, marketing, record-keeping and, always, professionalism.

Did you know that writers are also business people? Sometimes, however, we forget that, focusing on the creative side and neglecting the business one.

VIDEO – Writing Coach Teresa on How to Accept Feedback on Your Work

Getting feedback, whether it’s from a writer’s group or a professional editor, is a crucial step in your journey to becoming a published author. In this video, Teresa tells you what to look for in a critique, how to handle constructive criticism, and how to work with an editor at a publishing house.

Get Your Foot in the Door with a Strong Query Letter

by Jane Choate, CBI Contributing Editor

In many cases, your first contact with an editor will be through a query letter. The query letter is a sales pitch; it allows the editor to see if what you’ve written might be of interest. If so, she'll ask you to send

Query Letter Do’s and Don’ts

This is special Fightin' Bookworm-only bonus content from Jane's article Get Your Foot in the Door with a Strong Query Letter

DO write a short synopsis (a few sentences for a picture book or easy reader, a paragraph for a chapter book, 1-2 paragraphs for middle grade and young

6 Steps to Fewer Rejection Letters

Most writers have weathered rejections. I know I have. For every acceptance I receive, I can count five to ten rejections. I’ve learned to live with this. (Mostly.) However, there are ways of minimizing rejections.

“I can’t control whether an editor likes my story,” an inexperienced writer may object.

Not

VIDEO – How to Get the Attention of an Author, Agent or Editor

Looking to reach out to a well-known author, editor or agent for some advice and assistance? It can be done, but you need to go about it the write way. Jon’s here with some tips!

Video Quickie: Want to Know Where Publishing is Heading? Listen Up….

MEMBERS ONLY:

View Julie Hedlund's vital video Don’t Fear the Future: Embrace It!
for some real inside scoop about the future of publishing!

http://cbiclubhouse.com/dont-fear-the-future-embrace-it/

Take Chances To Get Published

In an editorial several years ago, I described a tree house in the backyard of a local restaurant. I wrote, “The entire structure has been pieced together from recycled lumber, much of which still bears the paint, logos or posters of the original walls from whence it came. The generous

How a Bestselling Children’s Book Series Was Created

Natasha Wings's Night Before…. series regularly tops the Picture Book charts. In this exclusive video, Natasha shares how she came up with the idea!

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Natasha Wing has been writing children's books for 20 years and has published 22 books with more on the way. She

Are You Ready for an Agent? Some Dos and Don’ts on Finding the Right Fit

"I don’t need an agent. My publisher uses a standard boilerplate contract. There’s nothing to negotiate.”

“An agent takes fifteen percent. Why not negotiate the contract myself and save the money?”

“I don’t make enough money to share it with an agent.”

“I did all the work. I wrote

The Smart Writer’s Guide to Publishing Contracts

You’ve done it. You’ve sold your book and or a short story. Hooray! You’ve accomplished something that most people only dream of.

Now comes the fun part—signing the contract. Before you place your John—or Jane—Hancock on the dotted line, however, take a look at the language of the contract.

VIDEO – Writing Coach Teresa on How to Pitch an Editor or Agent at a Writer’s Conference

It's conference season, and that means Fightin' Bookworms have a fantastic window of opportunity — the chance to pitch an editor or agent face to face! This is a moment that can make your career, so you want to get it just right. That's where your Writing Coach Teresa Funke

Create a Query that Gets a “Yes”

We have taken classes on how to write the perfect query letter. We know the ins and outs of crafting that attention-grabbing letter that will snare an editor and/or agent’s question. Or do we?

Do you know how to keep your query letter from being filed in the circular

How to Write a Plot Synopsis

There is no way around it— if you plan to submit your manuscript to publishers, you're going to have to write a plot synopsis. But many authors, even those who write long novels, cringe at the thought of summing up their plots in a few sentences. Here are some tips

VIDEO: “Should I Do Business With This Publisher or Agent?”

Preditors & Editors

Alerts for Writers

Inside the Mind of a Children’s Book Editor

To get published, it pays to understand the way editors think. Here’s a primer…

How to Decode a Rejection Letter

You know you’re a writer when you get your first rejection letter. It’s an inevitable part of the process. And it stinks. After you yell, or cry, or curse out the editor who clearly doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it, it’s time to decipher exactly what that rejection letter means.

Create a Plan for Dealing With Rejection

Start a list of where your manuscript’s been submitted and what the response has been. Keep track of the number of form rejections and/or any personal comments from editors. Devise a strategy now for how to handle revisions when you’ve hit your personal limit on rejections. This may

What Happens After You Sell Your Manuscript

When I sold my first book, I thought my work was done. Obviously the editor loved it and would not change a single word. Then came the revision letter. The editor wanted me to cut ten pages, change some matters regarding character motivation, and a host of other things.

Video: The Insider’s Method of Finding a Literary Agent

Agents are some of publishing’s true heroes. They’re also among the hardest-working folks we know. In their honor, we’ve prepared a video that will help make their lives easier — and your career more successful.

We’ve got a little-known technique for finding literary agents who are accepting new clients, along

Taming the Synopsis

by Jane Choate

Editor’s note: This article explains how to write a longer synopsis for a novel that would accompany the query letter. This synopsis would be up to two pages long, typed single-spaced.

If I ever started a business of writing bumper stickers, my first slogan would be “I Hate Synopses.”

How to Write a Great Query Letter

In an ideal world, you’d be able to pitch your manuscript to an editor over a leisurely cup of coffee. But we’re forced to inhabit the real world, where you’ve got about 10 seconds to hook an editor before she decides to continue reading or reach for her form rejection

Assembling the Perfect Submissions Packet

You’re now at an exciting time in the submissions process. You've polished your manuscript, researched appropriate publishers and studied their submission guidelines. Now you're finally going to send your manuscript out into the world to be read by editors.

Publishers will specify on their guidelines exactly

Where To Find Free Lists of Children’s Book Publishers

The key information you need to locate and target a children’s publisher for your manuscript is a click away. Here’s where to find it…..

How To Analyze a Publisher’s Catalog

Before submitting your work, it’s essential that you study publishers’ lists to find the best fit for your manuscript. Your first stop is Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market published by Writer’s Digest Books. Note which publishers do the type of book you’ve written, and are also accepting submissions from new

Formatting Poetry for Submission

If you’re submitting a rhyming text to a book publisher, you’re going to format a bit differently than prose formatting. For books written in verse, using a full double-space between lines might make the text too loose and hard to read. Instead, use 1.5 spaces within the verses, and double