December 2008 Sponsors

Please take a moment to learn more about our wonderfully generous sponsors.

Isabelle Webb: Legend of the Jewel by N.C. Allen


Former Pinkerton spy Isabelle Webb needs a vacation. The broken leg she suffered while trying to warn President Lincoln of his impending assassination has mended a little, but her grief over his death has not. She and her young charge, Sally Rhodes, have an open itinerary when they board a steamer ship to Bombay. But upon meeting Utah blacksmith James Ashby, the two women opt to join the search for his younger brother Phillip, who’s traveling abroad with the ill-reputed Thaddeus Sparks in search of a mystical treasure. Upon arrival in India, other passengers are also interested in taking up the search. But the seeming good will of some soon turns dark on the streets of Bombay. As murder and kidnapping tears the group apart, James and Isabelle race to uncover the hidden motives and harrowing connections that threaten not only Phillip’s life, but also their own. First in N.C. Allen’s new series, this tale’s cunning characters and twisting plot will wrap you tightly in the action, intrigue, and romance surrounding the Jewel of Zeus.



Nancy Campbell Allen has a total of nine published novels, including her popular Faith of Our Fathers series. She has a degree in Elementary Ed and is the mother of three.




Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind by Heidi Ashworth


When the dowager duchess of Marcross insists he
accompany her niece, Ginny, into the country for the day to execute a special task, Sir Anthony is appalled, to say the least. Ginny, who thinks little of the fashionable Sir Anthony, is as eager to be done with the chore as he, but before they arrive at their destination they are stranded by highwaymen and launched into adventure.

Forced into each other's company, Ginny begins to sense the passionate nature beneath Sir Anthony's mask of ennui, while his exasperation with the forthright Ginny turns into admiration of her wit and charm. Then beautiful Lucinda Barrington and Lord Avery, a poet, come onto the scene, sparking Ginny's imagination and revealing a way to unmask the true man behind Sir Anthony's frivolous facade. Meanwhile, the dowager duchess has plans of her own for this pair, and her special task turns into a battle of words, wills, and wit.



Heidi Ashworth. I'm a SAHM (my husband thinks it means Still A Hot Mama) with three children. In spite of all the challenges life throws at us, we do our best to laugh at the bad and accentuate the good.

My first novel, Miss Delacourt Speaks Her Mind, a Jane Austen meets Wodehouse meets George Burns and Gracie Allen kind of romp, comes out December 24th through Avalon Books.





Abinadi by H.B. Moore

Raquel has a secret. As the daughter of one of King Noah’s priests, she enjoys a luxurious life and the admiration of powerful men. But her heart belongs to a commoner, a man with no earthly wealth but rich heavenly gifts. When King Noah demands that Raquel join his harem, she flees the only life she has known and marries her secret love. His name is Abinadi.

The couple finds abundant joy in their community of believers and in their firstborn son. But when the Lord calls Abinadi as His prophet, their faith is tested to the outermost limits. Abinadi’s commitment to the Lord requires them both to give their all—even unto death. Yet if Alma, the newest priest in King Noah’s court, chooses to overcome his troubled past and cleave unto the truth, their sacrifice may yield rich fruit.

With vivid detail and poignant emotion, this historical novel pulls readers into a fiery tale of love, courage, and faith that is difficult to put down and impossible to forget.




Heather Moore was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but spent most of her childhood in Orem, Utah. During these years, her family traveled back and forth between the Middle East and Utah. At the age of eight, while living in Egypt, she was baptized in the Red Sea. Heather attended the Anglican School of Jerusalem from 1987-88, and returned again to Jerusalem with her husband in 1994.

Heather graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in Fashion Merchandising and minor in Business Management. This has nothing to do with writing books, but at least she can color-coordinate her kids school clothes and balance a mean checkbook.

Heather is a member of the League of Utah Writers and LDStorymakers. She also manages the editing company, Precision Editing Group, LLC.


Click here for details on sponsoring this LDSP blog.

November 2008 Comment Contest Winners

Here are the winners of the November Comment Contest, randomly selected from comments made during the month of November.

Thanks again to our sponsors. Please take a moment to read their bio info here.





Reunion

by Allyson Braithwaite Condie



Winner: Jedi Mormon
Commenting on "Why Bother"







Loyalty's Web

by Joyce DiPastena



Winner: Stephanie Black
Commenting on "Whitney Awards Benefit Auction"






Three Angels for Christmas

by Lori Nawyn



Winner: Kent Larsen
Commenting on "Royalties & Negotiations Revisited"






To claim your prize, you must e-mail your mailing address to me by Friday, December 12, 2008.

(Unclaimed prizes will be up for grabs on Monday, December 15th.)


Click here to learn how you can win a copy of one of our sponsoring books.

Should I donate my royalty to my publisher?

I enjoy your blog lots and lots. Thank you for taking the time! (you're welcome)

Wondering: with the economy apparently tanking, what do you think is the future of LDS publishing, especially the small publishers?

In the interest of full disclosure I must admit I currently write for one of the smaller outfits (and love them dearly). Should I offer to forego my (tiny) royalty check in a show of solidarity? It always seems publishers are operating on such a shoestring anyway that tighter budgets could squeeze the life right out of them. Yikes for all of us! Your thoughts?

What?!!? Are you nuts???? If a publishing company can't afford to pay its royalties, it needs to close its doors. Never, never, never offer to forego your royalty.

As to the economy and what it will do to the LDS publishing industry—same thing it will do/is doing everywhere else. Yes, some publishers will go out of business—some already have, others are teetering on the brink. Other publishers will weather the storm and come out the other side.

IMHO, companies, like individuals, should follow the counsel of our prophets. Get out of debt, save for a rainy day, live/publish within your means. That may mean that fewer books are published for the duration and/or that newer authors may have an even harder time breaking into the market—just like unemployed workers are having a harder time finding a good job right now.

But don't give up. Books are still being published. New authors are still being accepted. Make sure that what you submit is your very, very best work.

And always, always collect your royalties.

Whitney Awards Benefit Auction

Copied and pasted directly from Kerry Blair's posts at Six LDS Writers and a Frog:

Don't miss the Whitney Benefit Auction, going on now! They have dozens of great gifts, all up for auction or buy-it-now purchase. New items are added every single day, so check back often!

We’ve got incredible stuff: Autographed books and gifts, valuable editing packages going for a song, designer clothing, home decorating accents, silk ties, massages, handcrafted note cards, food items, fine art, gorgeous jewelry, book publishing packages, children’s clothing, a family photo shoot, and much, much, much, much more. (We have, in fact, several things you can't buy anywhere else.)

If you haven’t seen the site lately, you haven’t seen it at all. Several auctions are ending very soon, so I put up more than a dozen new items and services yesterday. I’m putting up a dozen more today—including my own packages of baseball tickets, Hopi jewelry, prickly pear jelly, and an Official Nightshade Ghost-Hunting Kit. (Just where else do you think you’re going to find that?)

Supporting the Whitney Awards

The Whitney Awards are now in their second year. As a publisher, what are you views on the award? I've heard there has been a rather significant lack of support from publishers financially and I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on why that is since it seems as if they are the ones that would directly benefit from the award and the ones that are in the best position to held advertise and get the word out. Are there elements of the award that from your perspective you think could be changed in a way that makes it something publishers would be more supportive of?

I think the Whitney Awards are a wonderful idea! And as you know, I've fully supported them here on this site and on the LDS Fiction site, providing links to the site and to the online auction going on right now. (Oh, wait! I meant to do that. I'm sooooo sorry. I totally forgot but will remedy that situation in a couple of minutes.)

As to why publishers are not supporting the Whitney Awards financially—generally, awards programs are not supported by/paid for by the people who benefit from those awards. Let's say Deseret Book gave a nice fat check to support the awards and then their books won in several categories. That could be seen as a bribe. Sort of like senators accepting gifts from special interest groups.

I think a better bet for the Whitney Awards is to set up a trust, funded by some generous benefactors who believe in supporting the future of LDS fiction. Create a business plan/budget, run it past some investing angels, see if you can get someone to fund it. Also, the online auction is a good idea. You could do that a couple of times a year.

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Abinadi by H.B. Moore

Life in the Pit by Kritsen Landon

Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card

Dragonlance: The Survivors by Dan Willis/Tracy Hickman

Alcatraz vs the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson

Clear as the Moon by Chris Stewart

Taking Chances by Shannon Guymon




Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

2008 Christmas Story Contest

Get ready for the holidays by entering the Christmas Story Contest



Submission Rules:
Write a Christmas story in any genre. Stories should be positive and family friendly. I reserve the right to refuse any story I deem inappropriate for this blog.

Maximum word count: 2000; no minimum.

Stories published anywhere other than your personal website or blog are ineligible. (That includes books, magazines, e-zines or other contests.)

Stories submitted for previous years' contest are also ineligible.

Paste entire story into an e-mail. NO ATTACHMENTS, please.

In your e-mail, indicate whether or not you are a published author. "Published" is defined as someone paid you money (or comp copies in the case of magazines) for your story or book. (So either a publisher paid you, or you self-published and people bought your book.)

You may submit more than one story. Send each submission in a separate e-mail.

SUBMIT your story any time between now and Saturday, December 13th.

I will post the stories starting December 1st, in the order that they arrive.



Voting Rules:

VOTE between December 14th and December 20th.

There will be four winners: Readers Choice (Published authors), Readers Choice (Unpublished authors), Publisher's Choice (Published authors), and Publisher's Choice (Unpublished authors).

Publisher's Choice winners will be chosen based on quality of writing and uniqueness of story. You can vote by whatever criteria you want, just don't make it a popularity contest.

You MAY vote for yourself.

You may vote twice in each category: Published and Unpublished. You may only vote once per story. We're on the honor system here.

You may make all the comments you like, but VOTING COMMENTS must clearly indicate that it is a vote. (Ex: I'm voting for this one...)

I will post comments on stories and announce the winners on Friday, December 19th.


PRIZES

I need FOUR prizes for this contest. I'd prefer that they be Christmas-related books. Prize sponsors will have a listing on a bio post and will display in the sidebar, like the monthly sponsors do. If you want to sponsor this contest, please make that clear when you e-mail me. I will need photos of the author(s), book cover, author bio info, a link to author website and/or blog, and a link to where the book may be purchased online.


Help spread the word! Post about the contest on your blog, in your forums, and e-mail all your friends.

No Questions, No Posts

I'm completely out of questions and my brain is too tired to try to guess what you'd like me to post about. If you send questions, I'll answer them promptly, in the order they're received. If I have no questions in my Inbox, then I won't be posting.

It is, however, time for our annual Christmas Story Contest. . .

Royalties & Negotiations Revisited

I'm sorry my answer wasn't sufficient here.

Did I mention I've taken on some new responsibilities at my company, burning the midnight oil & struggling to the limit of my abilities to open opening a new area of publishing? Which now looks like it may be scrapped.

[breathe, LDSP, breathe]

I didn't mean to be negative or emotion-less. And I'd love to be in a position to entertain author negotiations on royalties. But the reality of the situation is that the LDS market is small and budgets are tight. That means that there is very little wiggle room for negotiation. We're not like national publishers who only pay 60¢ per copy of a paperback book. Our books can cost us as much as $3 to $4 per copy, depending on the size of the print run. Yet, we have to price our books somewhere in the ballpark with national books. Also, a fantabulous, hit-it-out-of-the-park, run-away best-seller fiction title for us means 20,000 copies sold (almost unheard of); not 200,000.

Royalties are based on the expected sales of a book (for fiction, 2,000 copies). Especially for LDS fiction, we can only go so high, no matter how well you negotiate with us. First-time authors in the LDS market are a risk, therefore, you do not have much room for negotiation at all. If your first book goes bananas, you will have more leeway to negotiate a better royalty deal on book #2.

"Good luck" means "I wish I had better news and maybe you will be able to negotiate a better than average deal and it doesn't hurt to try."

The Best Laid Plans. . .

Another urgent message about the new bookstore opening. This time, she even sent me a picture to go with the post:


Opening a new store is so much fun—and so much more work than I ever expected. We laid our plans, had all our ducks in a row, and then. . . several of our product shipments were delayed, including books for the author signings.

So rather than have our wonderful authors sitting at our store with no books to sign, we've decided to push back our Grand Opening by one week, to November 15th.

We will still be open this Saturday, November 8th, and the 25% off coupon is still good—and we'd love to have all of you drop by and shop. But our authors and the drawings for cool stuff won't happen until Saturday, the 15th.

Grand Opening of
Provident Book/Humdinger Toys & Games
changed to
Saturday, November 15th.

For those of you who've sent out email blasts and posted on your blogs, please update this information. There will most likely be updates and changes to the Author Signing schedule as well. Stay tuned.

I most sincerely apologize to everyone for this inconvenience.

*No, we won't have Christensen art in our store, at least not right now. But you can purchase it HERE.

New LDS Bookstore Opening in Pleasant Grove UT

The following message was sent to me by a reader and since I'm all about promoting LDS books, I decided I would post it here. I may regret this if I get bombarded with everyone who wants to promote their business, but I'm taking a chance and hoping it won't get out of hand.

Dear LDS Publisher,

I know you don't usually do advertisements like this, but I thought perhaps you would make an exception in this case.

There is a new independent LDS bookstore opening this weekend, November 8th, in Pleasant Grove, Utah. It's called Provident Book, and it's located at 661 W State, Pleasant Grove. It's just north of the PG Rodeo Grounds and in the same strip of shops as Timpanogos Cyclery.

As I'm sure you're aware, it's been a long time since there was an independent bookstore in this area and we're excited to be opening it. We hope your readers that are local to us will come by for a visit and will support us in our efforts to make books by smaller presses readily available to the public. Of course, we'll carry books from the "big guys" as well.

To celebrate our Grand Opening, we will have over 30 authors there signing books throughout the day. They will include David G. Woolley, H.B. Moore, Rachel Ann Nunes, Jennie Hansen, Michelle Ashman Bell, N.C. Allen, Julie Coulter Bellon, Tristi Pinkston, and Angela Hallstrom—just to mention a few. You can find a full list and the schedule here.

Our store will also carry a fabulous line of toys and games for all ages, LDS CDs and DVDs, and lots more. For a sneak peek, you can visit my personal blog. You'll also find a printable coupon for 25% off any one item there.

I hope all your readers in the Utah County area will come by and visit—and bring their Christmas shopping list. You will be amazed by what we have!

Thanks (in advance) for helping us spread the word.

Karlene Browning, Asst. Manager
Provident Book/Humdinger Toys

P.S. LDSP—if you come to the store and reveal your true identity, I'll give you an extra discount. :)

It's All Negotiation

How do you go about negotiating changes you want made in a contract you've received from a publisher? I'm very intimated by this and am not sure how I would go about it. Email them? Call them? Send in a hard copy with the changes you want? And what changes should you expect to be able to get made and which ones are pretty much set in stone?

If you're in the national market, GET AN AGENT! They're going to know the publisher and how to negotiate for you.

If you're in the LDS market, just talk to them. These are people. If you're polite and reasonable, they should be polite and reasonable back. With contract in hand, call your contact. Go over the points that you want to negotiate.

As to what changes you can expect—that varies by publisher. Point A might be negotiable for one publisher, but not for another. Some publishers might negotiate on everything, others won't negotiate anything. Wish I could be of more help.

Royalties & Negotiation

What is the average royalty a fairly new author should expect to get? And are they negotiable? What about if you've already published a couple of successful books with that publisher, should you try to negotiate a higher royalty for your next project? And if so, how do you go about that?

"Average" varies between publishers. Some base royalties on the cover price, others base it on the wholesale price. New authors can be between 6 & 10%; established authors can go higher.

If you want to negotiate a higher royalty, say to your agent or publisher, "I'd like to negotiate a higher royalty for this book because. . ." and you need to have good arguments for why your book is going to sell like hotcakes. Some will negotiate, some won't.

Good luck.

The Practical Side of Submitting

I have several books sketched out in my little thought notebook, but I also have one that is 90% completed. This book is written with the chapters based around a gospel topic. I use my life's experiences in [a specific activity] with doctrine to help teach about the principle. I have had a few friends who are editors look through it, but would love to have some other people read it who are not friends or family. Do you have any suggestions? Everyone who has read through it has loved it and been touched by it, but I'd like to look at the practical side of things before submitting it for publication.

Again, writers groups are a place to start with readers.

As for the practical side of submitting and publishing, go to your library. You'll find a whole shelf of books that talk about the ins and outs of submission. I recommend starting with the current Writers Market. It will give you some basic how-tos.

After that, there are 3,452 books and counting on the practical side of getting published.

And also these posts.

November 2008 Sponsors

Please take a moment to learn more about our wonderfully generous sponsors.

Reunion by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Addie Sherman isn’t popular, she’s not exuberant, and she’s not known as the class clown. She’s just Addie, a high school junior who is convinced that she has nothing in common with the rest of her outgoing family, including her brother Dave. When Dave’s wife, Avery, needs help during a difficult pregnancy, Dave calls on Addie. Addie has to hide her resentment over having to help her sister- in- law when there are plenty of things going on in her own life that need her attention.

Sam Choi is one of Addie’s best friends, and he has a few secrets of his own. He doesn’t want to go on a mission, and he’s not sure how to break the news to his parents.

Cate Giovanni is a freshman in college, and enjoying the chance to reinvent herself and leave her high school years behind. As she makes new friends and encounters new people, she also can’t help but think about someone she left behind.

Reunion, the final book in the Yearbook trilogy, is a novel about the journeys home that become possible after you’ve discovered more about yourself.



Allyson Braithwaite Condie received a degree in English teaching from Brigham Young University. She went on to teach high school in Utah and New York for several years. She loved her job because it combined two of her favorite things—working with students and reading great books.

Currently, however, she is employed by her two little boys, who keep her busy playing trucks and going to the park. They also like to help her type and are very good at drawing on manuscripts with red crayon. In addition to spending time with them and with her husband, she loves reading, running, eating, and traveling.



Loyalty's Web by Joyce DiPastena

In twelfth century France, King Henry II of England has just finished quashing a rebellion by his power-hungry sons and now seeks to tame the lawless barons who supported them in this corner of his "Angevin empire." To this end, the king has sent the Earl of Gunthar as his royal representative to ensure that Prince Richard and his former cohorts faithfully adhere to the terms of the peace treaty.

Far from being welcomed with open arms, Gunthar no sooner steps foot in the county of Poitou than he is greeted by a series of assassination attempts. All appear to be linked to the former rebellious prince through the agents of the family and friends of young Heléne de Laurant. A clever, intrepid young woman, she realizes that the only way to prove her loved ones’ innocence is by exposing the true assassin. Heléne races against time—and dark secrets of the past—to unmask the killer before the kingdom plunges back into war.

Fierce determination gives way to mutual attraction as Heléne and Gunthar spar over the identity of the traitor. But their blinding magnetism almost causes them to overlook an even deadlier threat from an entirely unexpected direction.



Joyce DiPastena fell in love with the Middle Ages when she first read Thomas B. Costain's The Conquering Family in high school. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree specializing in medieval history.

Joyce lives in Arizona with her two cats, Clio and Glinka Rimsky-Korsokov.





Three Angels for Christmas by Lori Nawyn

What happens when two people you looked to for strength suddenly, and unexpectedly, pass away? Do you succumb to grief, or choose to follow the legacy they've left behind?

This poignant true story follows the author's decision to press forward and create something of lasting worth—angels named Faith, Hope, and Charity—who symbolize recognition of values that are important during the Christmas season, as well as throughout the year.

An endnote offers a chance for families to redefine their observance of Christmas, and a challenge to record their thoughts for future generations.




Lori Nawyn is the author/illustrator of Three Angels for Christmas. She is co-author of three inspirational short story collections and one cookbook. In addition, her award winning fiction and non-fiction works have appeared in regional and national publications. She works as an artist and graphic designer. Lori and her husband, Brian, a firefighter, enjoy their four children, two grandchildren, and three dogs.




Click here for details on sponsoring this LDSP blog.

October 2008 Comment Contest Winners

Here are the winners of the October Comment Contest, randomly selected from comments made during the month of October.

Thanks again to our sponsors. Please take a moment to read their bio info here.





The Journey

by J. Adams



Winner: Heather B. Moore
Commenting on "Write Before You Query"







All's Fair

by Julie Coulter Bellon



Winner: Laura
Commenting on "Submission Opportunity"






The Ruby

by Jennie Hansen



Winner: Tamra Norton
Commenting on "The Value of a Sequel"





To claim your prize, you must e-mail your mailing address to me by Friday, November 7, 2008.

(Unclaimed prizes will be up for grabs on Monday, October 10th.)


Click here to learn how you can win a copy of one of our sponsoring books.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Reunion by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

The Clone Elite by Steven L. Kent

Grace by Richard Paul Evans



Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

Why Bother?

G'day LdsPublisher

I have a question, but I really wasn't going to ask it, because it may be more of a personal issue than anything else. But, on your recent post, you asked for more questions, so here i am. Do with it as you wish.

The publishing world seems to have already been a difficult wall to break through. Now, considering the increasingly unhelpful markets, I can only imagine the idea of publishing (for a first time fictional author) even more so impossible. So, my question is, unless you've got those magic ties and favors to roll in, why bother?

I hope that didn't seem too over-dramatic, but it's a serious thought on my mind.

Why bother? Because despite the pain in the neck it can be to get published, having your words in print is one of the most wonderful things in the world.

All publishers, even the unhelpful ones, are looking for new authors. Most publishing houses have several slots in their schedule specifically reserved for new authors. If you have a burning desire to write and to publish, go for it. Keep trying.

Finding Readers

I have a YA fantasy that I am almost ready to give to readers. I have a few readers. One is published in a different genre and the other two are avid readers. My problem is that they are all related to me so I'm sure their opinion isn't unbiased. How do I find readers that are familiar with my genre and aren't related to me?

Best way is a writers group.

Or my readers could volunteer in the comments section.

Write Before You Query

I have some good ideas for books and I'm ready to start querying agents. Just curious if you can tell me about how long after an agent accepts me will I have to write the book?

Are you talking fiction? Fiction books need to be finished BEFORE you start querying agents. Or publishers. You need to write it. Then have some readers go through it—not family or close friends, but discriminating readers who know something about what's selling today. Make changes based on your readers' suggestions. When your book is as perfect as you can get it, then you're ready to start querying.

If you're talking non-fiction, if it's your first book, I'd suggest you be fairly close to done before querying. If you have a platform, do a lot of public speaking on your topic and are generally known as an expert in the field, you might be able to get by with an outline and the first few chapters when you query. But plan to be able to finish the book in 3 to 6 months—the sooner the better.

P.S. I'm out of questions. Please send more.

Uhm, Did You Get My E-mail?

I'm not working with an LDS publisher. I've submitted to a small national publisher. But I'm hoping you can help me anyway. This publisher likes things via e-mail, not snail mail. (Thanks for telling me to check their website for preferences.) Anyway, I sent a query and after two weeks, I got an answer back. They wanted the first two chapters. So I sent them. No problem there.

The problem is that the day after I sent the chapters, I realized I was having some e-mailing issues. I had two friends tell me they hadn't gotten my e-mails. As far as I can tell, the e-mail with the chapters went through but what if it didn't? Do I send an e-mail asking if they got the chapters? Or just assume they did and wait? And if I wait, and they didn't get the e-mail, then will they think I'm not interested in them anymore?

You do the same thing you do when you send a package in the mail. You assume they got it because 99.9% of the time, they will.

Do they give you an expected turn-around time with partials? If so, wait that amount of time. If they don't, then give them 30 days. If you don't hear anything from them by then, send an e-mail.

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Promises to Keep: Diane's Story by Dean Hughes

The Indigo King by James A. Owen

Above and Beyond by Betsy Brannon Green


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

Submitting Illustrations

This might seem strange to you, or may not. I'm an illustrator (mostly children's) however I have done stuff for the Ensign mag. and such. But I was wondering (I came across your blog) if you worked with anyone in the LDS publishing field who works in the children's book area. I'm wanting to send my portfolio for possible consideration for illustrating and I'm really not having any luck finding any publisher contact info anywhere.

I've had questions on illustrating before, so this isn't strange.

Read my ansers here and here .

Go to the bookstore and find out who publishes illustrated children's books. Then check their websites for guidelines on submissions. If you can't find any (and you probably won't), call or e-mail and ask for their guidelines for submitting illustrations.

Big Publisher vs Small Publisher

I'm receiving pressure from several writing friends to submit to two different publishers. What is your opinion regarding submissions in the LDS Market for a first time author? Do you think they should start out with the top LDS publishers, or try for some of the smaller publishers, and what do you see as the benefits or disadvantages of each?

First off, submitting to the "top" publisher and working your way down the popularity list is not the smartest way to work. Look first for a good match with your book. The "top" publisher may not publish your type of book and to submit to them would be a waste of your time and money, and theirs.

Visit DB and/or Seagull—in person or on line. Find books that are on the shelf/site that are similar to yours—similar in genre, topic, etc. Make a list of those publishers. Then go to their websites and carefully read their submission guidelines, which usually include what types of books they're looking for.

You're also looking for whether they accept multiple submissions or if they require an exclusive. If they require exclusives, plan on your mss being in their hands for up to 6 months. This makes is a very slow process.

Once you've got your list of publishers that are a good match for what you've written, talk to any authors you know who publish with them. See if you can get them to give you their honest opinion on things like how easy the editors are to work with, the amount of time it takes to get from acceptance to store shelf, how much publicity and marketing they do. If you find an author who just raves about their publisher, you might consider putting that company at the top of your list.

Bigger publisher. Advantages—they have more money to promote/market your book; they generally accept a higher number of mss in a year; they have name brand recognition so your book will probably sell better. Disadvantages—you're one of many authors they're working with; if another book explodes, they'll concentrate on them and your book may be neglected if it's not selling as well.

Smaller publisher. Advantages—you generally get more personal interaction with the editor/publisher; they need your book to sell so they'll focus on it. Disadvantages—they don't have the budget or the connections of the big guys. No signing tours or other perks.

Here's some info from Evil Editor. Click this link:
Large Press, Small Press, Short Press, Tall Press
Then copy and paste the title in his search box.

Serials are Serious Business

Can a solo book be sold to a publisher more easily if it can be spun into a series?

In my opinion, yes. It's much easier to sell a second and a third book by the same author than it is to sell the first book by a new author. Series books ride the coattails of their predecessors and require less work to get them into the stores.

However, don't send a fully outline of an entire series with the submission of your first book. Query the first book, then add one sentence at the end of the letter along the lines of, "I have ideas for serializing these characters."

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Easterfield by Anna Jones Buttimore

The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson

Royal Target by Traci Hunter Abramson


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.

Do I Have to Write Before I Speak?

I'm a fairly successful blogger. (Around 1200 hits a day, during the week--less on weekends. Apparently I attract people who should be working.) Anyway, what my true dream is, is to be on the LDS speaker's circuit. I realize I can't get a job visiting Stake Conferences (and truly, who would want to?). I'm not a religion professor, so the whole know your religion stuff is out of reach for me. But, women's conferences, youth conferences, that Deseret Book sponsored "Time out for Women" thing. I want to do that.

I'm actually a good speaker. And once upon a time, I was a professional trainer, so I know I'm good in front of a crowd. Give me a clip on microphone and I'm ready to go. But, I think I need to publish a book to get noticed. (Somehow I doubt even an Ensign article will do what it takes.) Do you think this is true? Deseret Book isn't going to have me on their speaker tour unless I publish with them, so in order to fill my dream, do I have to 1. write a book and 2. get Deseret Book to publish it? Is there another way? If there isn't another way, is it best to write a doctrinal book, humorous "women's issue" book, sappy "women's issue" book, or fiction?

I realize this is probably a funny question to ask a publisher, but I figured you'd have greater insight than I do on this issue. I suppose you love for your authors to do this type of thing because it sells books. Thanks!

This is funny. Well, not funny ha-ha, but unusual. It's the exact opposite of most people I talk to on a regular basis, who write a book and then want into the speaking circuit as a way to promote their book.

I'm not sure I can fully answer this question, so readers, please chime in. This is what I know. It is difficult to get into the LDS speaking circuit, particularly the BYU women's conferences. There is an application process. You have to send a video. And it can take years. It's easier to get in to the BYU-Idaho conference, and once there, you have a stepping stone to BYU in Provo.

Time Out for Women is one giant commercial for Deseret Book and their products. That's not to demean it or say it isn't useful or helpful to those that attend. From all I've heard, it's a wonderful event and enjoyed by all. But you do have to have a DB book or product.

You don't need a book to speak at youth conferences or enrichment nights. What you need are a few people to give you a start, do a fabulous job and then word will spread. It's easiest to do this if you have a timely topic to discuss that would be of interest to these groups—literacy, last days, finances, etc.

The reason authors have an easier time breaking in to the speaking circuit is because their book sets them up as an "authority" in their subject area. It's a credential. You can get your credentials in other ways—like through a successful blog. But you need to find someone who will get you started, and I'm not sure how to do that.

If you do decide to write, what you write depends on what you want to speak about. If you want to speak on doctrinal issues, write a doctrinal book. If you want to speak on women's issues, write a book about that.

Readers? Are any of you popular LDS speakers? What advice do you have?

E-Books, Again

Lots of good input on my question from yesterday. I really appreciate it.

Let's use coloring books as an example, because they're close to what we're looking at, although some will be more workbook style, or crosswords, or word searches or whatever. Ideally, we'd produce locked pdf files, where people can't change anything in the file. We'd want our customer to be able to download it and print it from their computer. Also, we have no problem with a customer printing multiple copies for their own children, or for their Primary class. What we don't want is for the Stake Primary president to buy it, then print copies for every teacher in every ward in the stake. We also don't want individuals to buy one copy, then e-mail it to all their siblings, aunts, cousins, neighbors, etc.

Now. My personal belief is that if people want to cheat and want to "steal" copies, they're going to find some way to do it. Even if they buy a printed book, they can always take it down to Kinko's and print a million copies on the self-serve machines and no one is the wiser. Also, I believe that most people are honest and when you explain about copyright and what is and isn't allowed, they will follow that. Especially if they're LDS.

But, one of our authors is refusing to let us do it unless we can somehow make sure that their book can't be easily stolen. They feel that because it's so much easier to e-mail a file than it is to physically photocopy it, that they'll lose control over their product which they've worked very hard to create.

Comments? Ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts? Feelings?

Looking for a New Best Friend

I've been answering questions on this blog for 2 1/2 years now. Can you believe that? I ought to throw a party or something. Instead, I'm throwing a question out to you and hoping upon hope that one or more of you will have an answer for me.

I've been a little swamped lately. Have you ever noticed that just when your job becomes do-able, and you're feeling like you've hit your stride, the boss comes by and throws something at you that is so above and beyond your current skill set that suddenly you're drowning?

That wasn't the question. Keep reading.

We have some game/workbook type products that we're considering but we want to make them available via electronic download, as well as the traditional printed format. So my task is to find a way to create and deliver the e-files that will allow them to be printable and retain their formatting, like a pdf file, but that can't be e-mailed or transferred between computers. Oh, and it needs to be something that I can learn to do in-house.

Any ideas?

Newly Posted LDS Fiction

This week's new titles over on the LDS Fiction blog:

Leven Thumps and the Wrath of Ezra by Obert Skye

Night's Master by Amanda Ashley

Isabelle Webb: Legend of the Jewel by N.C. Allen


Did we miss any? If we did, let me know.


We've also posted the next contest and the winner of last week's contest.


P.S. Authors & Publishers—If you'd like to be a sponsor for this contest, contact me.