From the Editor's Desk
Hi and
welcome once again to Fiction Factor! And, as always,
welcome to our new subscribers.
During the week Tina and I received an email from the
marketing manager of The Forever Story. Under normal
circumstances I would decline to promote a non-paying
writing market - I want our readers to be paid for their
writing efforts just like any other professional in any
other field! - but in this instance I believe the
creators are trying to create a worthy project.
You see, they are attempting to create the world's
longest collectively-written story. For each new post
added to the story, TalkTalk will donate £1 to Treehouse
- the charity that helps children with Autism. Their goal
is to raise £50,000
If you'd like to add your contribution of words to their
fund-raising cause, visit www.theforeverstory.com today.
Another interesting email arrived during the week, this
one from Nicole at Publisher's Weekly.
She writes: "In a full-day seminar, experts from Publishers
Weekly will guide aspiring writers through everything
they need to know about the business of getting
their books published. With the help of top agents,
authors, editors and marketing professionals, PW
will show writers the way to get published. The seminar
will take place on Monday, September 22nd at the
NYU Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, New York,
NY 10012 from 9 AM to 6 PM.
In advance of the
seminar, PW will collect and read proposals,
or a piece of a manuscript. One lucky writer selected by PW's
deputy reviews editor and staff will be profiled in
an upcoming issue of PW read by agents and
publishers. Submissions are due by September 5,
2008. Submission guidelines and details can be found at http://www.publishersweekly.com/pub101.
Let's get into the writing stuff!
This issue Holly Lisle's "Bring Your Novel To
Life" series continues as she looks at adding
sub-themes to your novel. Lee Masterson asks if you trust
your readers and Stephen Nelson looks at how author
royalties are calculated.
It's time now to grab a beverage of choice, sit back, and
enjoy this issue of Fiction Factor!
Lee Masterson
Editor-in-Chief
http://www.fictionfactor.com
"A professional writer is an amateur who didn't
quit."
-- Richard Bach
 How To Write Page-Turning
Scenes
Let Holly Lisle, author of more than 30
novels, teach you how to write page-turning
scenes that keep your readers up long past their
bedtimes.
Set up great conflict
and sustain suspense that will keep readers on
the edge of their seats - and have editors
begging for more!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/492sx5
|
 Turn Your Book into a
Best-Seller!
- Learn to write a GREAT novel from start to
finish
- Find out what editors and agents want
-- 100's of promotion and marketing ideas
PLUS - you'll also get "Write
Here, Write Now" - the hugely popular
motivational ebook co-written by Tina Morgan and
Lee Masterson
Order Now and Receive BOTH best-selling ebooks
for the price of one: http://www.fictionfactor.com/order.html
|
Dig Deeper With Your Novel's Subthemes
by Holly Lisle
Part V of the 8-Part BRING YOUR NOVEL TO
LIFE Series
If you missed the first four articles in this
series, you can find them here: Part I Does Your Novel
Have a Heartbeat, Part II Does Your Novel
Have a Pulse Part III Burying Your
Novel's Message Part IV Playing Chicken
With Your Novel
By now, you have a solid grasp of the importance of
having a theme for your story, of keeping it personal and
hidden (to avoid writing the dreaded Message Book), and
of hanging on to the courage of your convictions in
writing it the way you need to, knowing that you cannot
ever please everyone, nor should you try.
That's a good, solid foundation for writing a book that
people will read, and then re-read, and then recommend to
friends, and finally buy as presents for people they
really like. Which is, after all, the writer's ultimate
goal---to write a story readers love so much they'll
share it with other people who will love it, too.
But you can still go deeper, and make the work richer and
more compelling, by layering in subthemes.
[Brakes screech, and someone mutters, "Wait a
minute. You finally sold me on themes. But SUBthemes?
C'mon, already."]
Subthemes are one of the best friends novelists have.
(They're far less useful for folks who write short
stories, simply because subthemes add to the length and
complexity of the story.)
Subthemes do three massively useful things for the writer
crafting a novel---things a single theme alone cannot do.
1) They force the world of the story into three
dimensions.
If the book is focused on one theme---no matter how
fascinating and wonderful that theme---and all the
characters are focused on that one issue, and all the
action revolves around that one issue, then, no matter
how skilled the writer may be, the book will feel thin.
Step beyond the borders of the main action, and no
character has anything to do, or say, or think, or any
reason to exist. Their lives are bordered by the main
theme. By adding subthemes, you fill out your characters'
lives with needs and events that are important to them
outside of and separate from the main story's focus.
2) Subthemes add length and complexity.
(I mentioned this above in the negative sense, but that
which is the bane of the short story writer is in this
case the boon of the novelist.) I receive the following
question at least once a week from beginning and
intermediate writers---"How do I make my story
longer without padding it (and without trying to figure
out more plot, because I'm out of ideas)?"
Subthemes by their very nature give you something extra
to work into your plot---the unexpected pregnancy of the
heroine adding complications while she is running for her
life; the villain who in the midst of working mayhem
discovers the mother he truly loves is dying; the
harassment of the main character by the practical joker
at work whose stupid jokes later become mixed up in the
life or death issues already besieging the hero.
3) Subthemes allow you an extra opportunity
to...um, for lack of a better word...vent.
And get something good out of the bad things that have
happened in your life. This is admittedly a strange side
benefit, but just about every writer I know has SOME
issue that repeatedly makes its way into his (or her)
novels. The trick, always, is to keep YOUR issue out of
the book, and make the issue really and truly related to
the character, with different events and a different
resolution.
So where do you find your subthemes?
You can
read the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/subthemes.html
 Mystery, Romance, Science
Fiction, Fantasy, Memoirs, Screen-Plays ...
You CAN Write Any Book
in Under 28 Days
Best Selling Author Nick Daws has written 30
books in 3 years. He can show you how too!
It's easier than you think!
Click here for more details:
http://www.fictionfactor.com/bookstore/28days.html
|
 Create-A-Culture
Clinic
Have you ever wanted to create your own
realistic worlds?
Best-selling author of more than 30 novels shows
you how to create religions, philosophies,
governments and lifestyles that will make your
fiction story feel real!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/26uy95
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Trust Your Readers
by Lee Masterson
Did you know that the act of writing could
be considered a form of thought transference? Some might
even consider it to be almost a psychic ability.
You don't believe me? Let's try it and see
if we can do it - you and I. I'm going to send a thought
directly from my mind to yours. I'll form an image and
we'll see if you can see the same image I'm seeing. I
won't speak. I won't even open my mouth. In fact, chances
are I'm on a completely different continent to you, but
let's try it anyway.
Are you ready?
Here goes...
I'm imagining a German Shepherd dog
standing in a garden holding the shreds of a daisy bush
in his mouth.
Did you catch my thought? Can you see the
same image I'm seeing?
Of course you can! Excellent, isn't it?
I'm sure you saw the same thing; a large
black-and-tan, long-coated German Shepherd dog, who
stands precisely 64 cms tall at the shoulder, wearing an
orange-red nylon collar. His ears are lowered against his
head in shame and his long, shaggy tail is drooped low
between his legs as he stands trying to hide behind the
rose bush I despise so much, still chewing my favorite
miniature purple daisies.
You saw the same image both times, didn't
you? Probably not.
The difference between the two descriptions
is simple (and should be obvious). In the first, I
trusted you to supply your own details. You were given
only enough information for your mind to provide your own
image. I trusted your imagination to create the finer
points of an image for yourself. You could have guessed
easily that he'd been chewing a daisy bush and you would
have surmised that he looked like most German Shepherd
dogs.
If this description was a part of a larger
story, your focus would not be taken away from the plot
line or the events of the tale unfolding around the
solitary image.
In the second description, you were told
precisely what to imagine and how to imagine it. I didn't
trust you to see the image I wanted you to see, so the
second description is overly pedantic. If the second
description was put into a larger story, your focus would
have been jolted away from the plot long enough for you
to stop and actually consider if you were picturing the
right image or not. Besides, it reads a bit like a text
book. Boring!
Let's try the same descriptive excercise
with a character from one of my own stories. Are you
ready to prime those 'psychic' muscles?
Here we go...
Jeni's gaze was drawn to him the moment
she entered the room. Callum leaned against the bar, the
dim light accentuating his features, making him seem even
more attractive. She steeled her nerves and strode
towards him. He was well-dressed for the occasion, she
noticed, right down to his shoes. He glanced over one
shoulder as she approached and the look in his eyes made
her step falter. His smile told her he'd been expecting
her.
Did you get the same image? This time I'm
not so certain we're together on this image. Take a
moment to write down how you imagine Callum would look.
What's he wearing in your image? Where do you think the
pair were going for their 'occasion'? What type of shoes
did you picture?
If we were to quiz our Managing Editor, Tina
Morgan on her image, her response would be predictable:
She would have pictured a black-haired, exotic looking
man, perhaps with a neatly clipped beard and moustache,
wearing a white shirt unbuttoned most of the way down his
broad chest. He would be waiting by the bar for a
romantic date.
If we were to quiz my good friend, Tamara,
she'd probably admit to images of an olive-skinned man
with long dark dreadlocks and a white pirate shirt, very
akin to Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the
Caribbean", waiting by the bar to whisk her away on
his pirate ship, and I'm almost certain another good
friend, Yvonne, would be picturing a tall sandy-haired
man with a wide grin, very similar to Hugh Jackman.
So what's the right image? How does a writer
let a reader know who or what to imagine?
You can see
the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/trust.html
 Create A Character
Clinic
Can you create a great character that editors
can't turn down?
Holly Lisle can and she can show you how too!
Learn to bring all your characters to life with
sparkle - from an author of more than 30
published novels!
Click here for more
details: http://tinyurl.com/yqqawa
|
 Create A Plot
Clinic
Have you ever lost interest in your story only 20
pages from the start and not know how to get it
going again?
Best Selling Author of more than 30 novels, Holly
Lisle, can show you exactly how to structure your
story for maximum effect. Learn to fix problem
plotting while you write!
Jump Start your novel today: http://tinyurl.com/2z3ant
|
How Author Royalties Are Calculated
By Stephen L. Nelson
If
you’re going to make a living by writing books, you
need to understand how a book royalty gets calculated.
That’s how the author gets paid, ultimately, if the
book becomes a successful bestseller. What’s more,
the royalties the publisher expects the book to earn
determine the advance the publisher will pay the writer
up front.
Royalty Accounting Only Starts Off Simple
Royalty calculations start out pretty simple. Royalties
get calculated by multiplying the price of a book by the
royalty percentage. Sometimes, the price used in the
calculation is the retail price that the customer pays
for the book in some bookstore.
Assume that you’ve written a book that retails for
$20. Further assume that the royalty percentage is five
percent. To calculate the royalty you earn per book sold
you multiply five percent, or .05, times $20. The result
equals $1. So that’s the royalty you earn for every
book the publisher sells.
Many authors and agents prefer royalties based on retail
prices. The calculation is simple to understand.
It’s simple to compute. And there are limited
opportunities for argument about whether the calculations
are correct.
Big Authors Often Do It Differently
Some very powerful authors receive a set royalty amount
per book—such as $1—which is essentially a
variation of the royalty based on a retail price. The
agent, through his agent, says something to the publisher
such as, “I don’t care what you sell it for,
just give me $1.”
Wholesale-price Royalties are Common—and
Complicated
Sometimes, the price used in the calculation is the
wholesale price that the publisher receives from the
bookstores and wholesalers who buy the book.
Royalties based on wholesale prices—which are
technically called net royalties--get a little more
complicated. Again assume that you’ve written a book
that retails for $20. Assume that the royalty percentage
is ten percent. Ten percent, in other words, is the
royalty percentage that the publisher applies to the
wholesale price that its customers pay for your book.
Okay, so far so good. Unfortunately, calculating the
wholesale price of a book is tricky. Publishers calculate
the wholesale by discounting the retail price by some
percentage. And the discount percentage depends on the
number of books that the bookseller or wholesale orders
from publisher. If a bookseller or wholesaler buys from
one to four copies, the discount might be 46% which means
your $20 book wholesales for $10.80. If the bookseller or
wholesaler buys between 51 and 500 copies, the discount
might be 52% which means your $20 book wholesales for
$9.60.
These differences affect the royalty you earn on a book,
of course. Assume that the publisher pays you 10 percent.
If the publisher sells a book for $10.80, you earn $1.08.
If the publisher sells a book for $9.60, you earn $.96.
And here’s something else to consider: Using the
earlier price discount schedule, you might assume that
the only time the publisher discounts your books by the
biggest possible discount is when the publisher receives
a large order for your books. But the bookseller or
wholesaler applies the discount to the total order they
place. If Barnes and Noble orders five hundred copies of
some other bestseller that your publisher sells and three
copies of your book, the price for your books is also
calculated by discounting the retail price by the biggest
discount, which might be 54%.
You now need to understand something else that’s
really important. Publishing contracts usually don’t
specify just one royalty rate. They specify a schedule of
royalty rates. Normal sales to bookstores use the regular
rate. And authors always focus on that rate.
You can see the rest of this article here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests/royaltiescalculated.html
Writer's Announcements
If you have any writing news or
announcements about your successes with writing, we'd
love to hear about it! Let us know about your
announcements and we'll get them in the newsletter for
everyone to see!
Simply post your publishing announcement on our forum and
I'll get your 'woo hoo' listed here in the newsletter for
everyone to see! http://fictionfactor.1.forumer.com/index.php?showforum=6
This week's news:
Terry W. Ervin II writes: Joyful!
posted my story "The Last Meeting". You can
find it here: http://www.joyfulonline.net/fiction.htm
Tina Morgan, along
with Jeanne Allen, Piers Anthony, Milena Benini, Orson
Scott Card, Ian Irvine, Wil McCarthy, Simon Rose, Carol
Heightshoe, Bud Sparhawk, Michele Acker, Bob Nailor,
Michael McRae, Darin Park and Kim Richards are very
pleased to announce their collaborative book, The Complete Guide
To Writing Science Fiction, was awarded the 2008 Eppie Award for the
Non-Fiction: Self-Help Category.
Congratulations
and well done to everyone! Jump over to the forum and
keep the great news coming!
~ "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug
used by mankind." -- Rudyard Kipling ~
Writing Courses
You can see the full list
of available courses here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/courses.html
Fantasy
Writing Course
Fantasy is all about
the strange, the fantastic, the beautiful and the
amazing. Here is your chance to delve into creating a
great fantasy novel. This intensive course looks at
everything from world building to creating races and
cultures, from plotting to characterization, from
questing to role playing – you name it, if it’s
Fantasy related, we’ll be looking at it, in depth,
up close and personal.
http://fantasy.fictionfactor.com/course.html
Thriller
Writing Course.
Learn how some of the masters of the modern thriller get
readers' spines tingling. Masters like John Grisham,
Michael Crichton, James Paterson, Patricia Cornwell and
more. Join our thriller course today and get your
thriller career up and running.
http://www.fictionfactor.com/thriller.html
Writing
Great Horror Novels!
Join a multi-award winning, best-selling horror author
Kenyon Charboneaux and learn what it takes to write great
horror novels! Limited spaces available - be quick!
http://horror.fictionfactor.com/course.html (This link will take
you to Horror Factor)
Romance Writing Course
Increase your chances of writing a great romance
manuscript and having it accepted for publication. Join
our romance course today and launch your romance writing
career!
http://romance.fictionfactor.com/course.html - (this link will take you to Romance Factor)
 Writers Wanted!
Great Pay Quick Jobs
Best Selling Author Nick Daws exposes
little-known writing markets willing to pay great
rates for writers willing to work now!
Click here for more details: http://tinyurl.com/tr2ga
|
 How to Beat
Writer's Block
Writer's Block isn't just about being stuck
wordless - it's the thought of all the hard work
ahead of you bringing you down
But you can bring back the thrill of creating
stories easily with Holly Lisle's audio course on
beating writer's block for good!
Click Here to jump start your writing again: http://tinyurl.com/5b9b39
|
Paying Market Listings
You can find the complete
Market Index here: http://www.fictionfactor.com/markets.html
Happy Market Hunting!
(Disclaimer: Mention of a market/ contest in Fiction
Factor is not necessarily an endorsement. Check all
guidelines in full before submitting)
Federations
http://www.johnjosephadams.com/?p=1630
From Star Trek to Star Wars, from Dune to Foundation,
science fiction has a rich history of exploring the idea
of vast intergalactic societies, and the challenges
facing those living in or trying to manage such
societies. The stories in Federations will continue that
tradition.
What are the social, religious, environmental, or
technological implications of living in such a vast
society? What happens when expansionist tendencies on a
galactic scale come into conflict with the indigenous
peoples of other planets, of other races? And what of the
issue of communicating across such distances, or the
problems caused by relativistic travel? These are just
some of the questions and issues that the stories in
Federations will take on.
Science fiction up to 5,000 words. Reading Period:
November 1-January 1, 2009
Pays US 5c/word, plus pro-rata share of earnings plus one
contributor copy.
Submission Guidelines:
http://www.johnjosephadams.com/?p=1630
Blue Mountain Arts
Blue Mountain Arts is interested in reviewing writings
for publication on greeting cards. We are looking for
highly original and creative submissions on friendship,
family, special occasions, positive living, and other
topics one person might want to share with another
person. Submissions may also be considered for inclusion
in book anthologies.
They pay $300 per poem for all rights to publish it on a
greeting card and $50 if your poem is used only in an
anthology.
To request a copy of their writer's guidelines (which
include contact/submission information), please send a
blank e-mail to writings@sps.com with "Send Me
Guidelines" in the subject line, or write to them
at:
Blue Mountain Arts, Inc.
Editorial Department
P.O. Box 1007
Boulder, CO 80306.
You can also visit our Web site at http://www.sps.com
Interzone
http://ttapress.com/category/interzone/
Needs: Science Fiction and Fantasy intelligent, unusual,
innovative. Avoid S&S , space opera, traditional
ghost stories.
Other: Do not submit the same story to more than one TTA
publication. Email submissions being accepted during
certain reading periods -- see website for details. Will
respond to overseas via email. Pays £30/1000 words on
publication (3p UK per word - approx 5.5 cents US per
word).
Fiction: to 15,000 words.
Submission Guidelines: http://ttapress.com/category/interzone/guidelines/
Brio
Magazine
http://www.briomag.com/
Seeking
short fiction up to 2,000 words to suit teenaged girls.
Romance stories, sibling rivalry and situations faced
daily by teen girls are especially welcomed. Brio’s
target audience is teenaged girls from 12-15 and Brio
& Beyond’s target audience is older teenaged
girls from 16-19.
Both Brio and Brio & Beyond pay between 15 and 35
cents per word on acceptance.
Submission Guidelines: (downloadable) http://www.family.org/sharedassets/correspondence/pdfs/GeneralInformation/Brio_Writers_Guidelines.pdf
Shades
of Romance Magazine
http://www.sormag.com/
Seeking short stories between 500-1500 words. The short
story must focus on the romance, and have an upbeat
ending. All genres are considered, including historical,
contemporary, paranormal, mystery, regency Futuristic,
and Time-Travel. We do not publish erotica. Payment $20
on publication.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.sormag.com/guide.html
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