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Tee
Regular Poster
Username: Tee
Post Number: 32
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 08:15 am: | 
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Greetings all! The BlackBoard/RAWSISTAZ Author Signing Schedule for Book Expo America next week has been finalized.
http://www.rawsistaz.com/BlackBoardRAWSISTAZAuthorSchedule2004.pdf
-Tee C. Royal
Please direct any questions to BlackBoardEditor@bellsouth.net or blackboardfestival@core.com |
Emanuel
Regular Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 26
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 10:23 am: |
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Congrats Tee. Enjoy the BEA. I will be there with you folks in spirit. I hope you sell tons of books.
-Emanuel Carpenter
www.geocities.com/emanuelcarpenter
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Whistlingwoman
Newbie Poster
Username: Whistlingwoman
Post Number: 18
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 11:38 am: |
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Tee--
Can't open this link for some reason. Can you cut & paste it here.
Whistling Woman |
Emanuel
Regular Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 27
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 28, 2004 - 01:38 pm: |
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Whistling Woman,
The link points to a PDF file. Do you have Adobe Acrobat? If not, you won't be able to open it.
-Emanuel |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 06:54 pm: |
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Well, I'll be there...in the lobby and on the outskirts. Hadn't planned to attend (no ticket), but I'm meeting my new agent (yes, finally got signed). Her name's Janell Agyeman, and I understand that she's a good one to have.
So, if you see anyone who looks like this: http://www.geocities.com/sharon_cullars/Pictures/sharonpic23small.jpg
It's me!
Sharon |
Sisg
Regular Poster
Username: Sisg
Post Number: 34
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 08:54 pm: |
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Congratulations Sharon!!!! |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 09:14 pm: |
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Thanx Sisg; I am so excited about the prospect of having someone advocate for me. Already, I'm trying to finish one book and start another so that I'll have other "products" for her. |
Sisg
Regular Poster
Username: Sisg
Post Number: 35
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 09:57 pm: |
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That is an accomplishment in itself, really. I too have been looking for representation, but not yet, but I have managed to receive offers on two books, and I too am working on a third and fourth respectively. So, you go get them girl!!! And from what I read about your agent, you are in fine company. Let me know, when your book is out. |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 155
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 07:33 am: |
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Scullars,
Congrats on landing an agent! Did you find her on this site? It seems in my roaming aalbc, that I saw her name here. |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 8
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 08:36 am: |
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Thanks Sisg. I got my fingers crossed for you, too. Maybe we'll have a booksigning together. :-)
Womon, a few years back I sent my very first manuscript to Janell in error(thought I was sending it to Marie Brown, although Janell is in Marie Brown's Florida's office). Janell liked parts of it, but not everything, but told me to keep in touch, which I did. I subsequently self-published the 1st book and began working on a 2nd, then a 3rd. I finished the 3rd first and sent off a chapter via email to Janell. She liked it and told me to send the whole manuscript. Fortunately, she's excited about this one and sent me a contract. Now, she wants to know what writing projects I have in progress. So, you know I gotta get working. :-) |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 161
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 09:05 am: |
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Scullars,
Sooo....What's next as far as your getting an agent will she now shop your book around for you? When your book is picked up by an agent, does the agent then find an editor for your book,or is this the job of the publisher? |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 162
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 09:08 am: |
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Sisg,
When someone makes you an offer, does it come in the form of a contract? |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 10
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 09:25 am: |
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Yes, she's definitely going to shop around. We have a one-year contract in which she will try to find a publisher; if she does not within that time frame, we're free to walk away. As for editing, if you mean someone who reads and amends your errors, I had someone edit my work even before I sent it to Janell. BTW, the writer-turned-editor is Persia Walker, who wrote Harlem Blues. She's very good in catching your plot or grammatical pitfalls.
As for the other type of editor, Janell will send the mss off to those holding that title at the publishing houses, because these are the people who read and decide whether a particular mss is suitable for their house. But they do not amend anything. Competition is so fierce, that the standard rule is that the book should almost be ready to go before you even send it in to an agent, let alone an editor at a publishing house. They no longer take the time to amend mss unless they have bought it and are trying to "fine-tune" it for the market. |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 164
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 10:10 am: |
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Scullars,
Hmmmmmmmm....I had read somewhere that manuscripts do pretty much have to be publishing ready, however, I thought that once someone bought your manuscript, they would put editors on it, thus all of the resulting rewrites. Also some published authors give credit to thier editors in making their "good stories better". How is this accomplished if the stories are no longer amended? |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 13
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 11:45 am: |
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Editors at the publishing houses do edit, but probably more substantively than grammatical errors. Plotlines, marketability are their main concerns and they don't want to deal with petty typos and split infinitives. Mainly, they are the ones to convince the execs that the mss is marketable and worth taking on, so a large percentage of their job is advocating for works they believe in. I think this is the reason they garner so much gratitude from their writers. So, I do expect maybe to be asked to rework something in the story; they make the required suggestions and the writer does as instructed.
Hopefully, I'll get a good editor at one of the imprints, someone as passionate about the work as Janell. And I'll be thanking them both in the acknowledgments as well as Persia, who gave me some insightful instructions on how to make my mss better. |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 165
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 11:55 am: |
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I see. I agree with you on the grammatical/sp errors, they don't have time for that.
Thanks for the insight! And keep me up on what happens with your book! BTW, what's the title if you care to share?
Judging from your short story posted here, I'm sure we will be hearing a lot from you in the near future! Although I must say you were very brave to do that, seeing as how a lot of people on this board appear to derive great pleasure out of ripping writers to shreds!! 
GOOD LUCK!!!! |
Sisg
Regular Poster
Username: Sisg
Post Number: 36
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 12:05 pm: |
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Thanks Scullars,
I also submitted to Marie Brown, some years ago...she was very encouraging, and made some much needed suggestions regarding my mss...she also told me to look her up later, once I rewrote...in fact she was the one agent who was more than willing to give me good advice on my mss. I have much respect for her and have since realized how on point she was with regards to my mss. Since I have secured a contract for that particularly piece, I am in the process of producing more work, and I will surely look her up again regarding it. I think it's a good agency.
A_womon - Yes, they make an offer, then send a contract. My first book was self-published as well, and I did some rewriting on it before I sent it out again (in mss form, not the self-published book, bc there were errors, and the story and characters weren't fleshed out...(i got most of that advice from editors, agents where i submitted the self-published book.) I was really disappointed, when approached by Simon & Shuster, Childrens book division, and then I couldn't convince the editor that I could rewrite it and make it better...oh well, but I did. And now after rewriting on my own, and rewriting some parts that the publishing house editor felt needed tightening, fleshing out, whatever the case...I got a contract. My second book, I hired a Editor to review the entire mss. This was a great help, but what I also found out, that each agent and some publishing houses like to edit, and have you change things. It can be pretty frustating at times, but in the end, if it makes the book better, I'm all for it. If, in my opinion it derails my story, i'm not. ANd because of that I chose not to work with one particular agent, who in my opinion, just didn't understand growing up black, or the AFrican American experience.
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Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 14
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 12:08 pm: |
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Thanks womon. The book is tentatively entitled Again, although that might change, of course, at the behest of the editor. I had an excerpt up at geocities, until it was taken down due to a billing glitch. Lost my page for my first book, too, as well as pages of short stories and poetry. Oh well, c'est la vie. |
A_womon
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 166
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 12:24 pm: |
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Sisg, Scullers
Wow, now I see why you have to have thick skin to make it in this business. You can't let rejections get to you fo'sho!! You both appear to have taken your early experiences/forays into the publishing world and made them work for you whether they were positive or negative! I hope I have the fortitude to do the same! Solomonjones gave me some great advice as well: Patience and Perserverance! And I hope I have both!! You both certainly appear to!
Sisg, What is the name of your children's book? I would like to buy a copy when it comes out. You know we all need to continue to support one another!!
Peace!
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Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 18
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2004 - 05:48 pm: |
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Got back from my lunch with Janell over at the BookExpo (of course, couldn't actually go inside the expo itself; no expensive ticket). But what I thought would only be one hour turned into two hours of an enthusiastic exchange. The gist of the convo was that she plans to pitch the mss to several houses, starting with an editor at St. Martin, who handles Af-Am literature. She's also going to contact people at Doubleday (Harlem Moon?), Simon & Schuster, even Hyperion (but not holding out much hope for that one). However, she knows of a couple of editors who will be just as enthusiastic as she is.
The one problem (or challenge) we have to overcome is that the story crosses several genres, including paranormal, historical, romantic, and erotic. Some houses will not know how to market it. Janell termed it "genre bending"; unfortunately, one person she was discussing the mss with thought she said "gender bending" and came to the conclusion that the story was about a transvestite. She had to clear up the misunderstanding. It's unfortunate that the publishing industry is so myopic, thinking that a story should be cubbyholed so neatly into any one genre. Doesn't make marketing sense to me. Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers x'd. |
Sisg
Veteran Poster
Username: Sisg
Post Number: 51
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 11:10 am: |
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That's wonderful news Scullars, and so exciting...yeah I really hate the fact that most publishers want to assign or limit you to a particular genre. This has been a difficult task for me as well when attempting to describe my book, especially when it crosses genre's. I think it limits the marketability of the book. But anyway, i'm glad things are working out for you and I look forward to reading your book. |
Scullars
Newbie Poster
Username: Scullars
Post Number: 19
Registered: 02-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 04:12 pm: |
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Thanks Sisg. Now it's just a matter of waiting to see what happens next. Janell calls it the "hurry and wait" game; u hurry to get them the mss, then wait for weeks, months to get a word from them. If a house buys the book this year, the earliest the book will be published is Spring 2006. A long time to keep one's fingers x'd, but arthritis aside, it'll be worth the wait. |
Demi
First Time Poster
Username: Demi
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 30, 2004 - 01:05 pm: |
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Tee,
Keep me posted of auhtor events. Demetria Brandon, Author of Dark Echoes (Thriller), Bedside Fairy Tales, and Brandon's Chamber of Amazing Tales (To be released 10/04)
http://www.demetriabrandon.com |
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