8 Ways to Save Trees, Save Space & Save Money!
It's Earth month and earth day is coming soon. It's the month to remind us of ways to help preserve our resources. As readers, we can help keep books out of landfills and even save money and space.
1. Borrow books from friends, family, and the local library.
2. Buy used books if you must have that book for your shelves.
3. Download e-books and audio books. There are tons of free resources out there. Check out your local library for downloadable books!
4. Stop receiving phone books when you can now search online and even on your phones for numbers and addresses.
5. Donate your books to a local charity, church, or school organization.
6. Sign up for PaperSwapBooks and the many other online book swapping communities to trade books with others.
7. Swap magazines and when you're done, leave them in doctor's offices (just remember to remove your mailing label).
8. Turn damaged old thick books into art projects with the kids or even make them into decorative storage boxes.
Got an idea of how to save trees, save from piling up in landfills, or save money? Share your idea here!
35 Old Tips for New Writers, Amelia Grey – Author Guest Post + Giveaway
Thank you for having me at The Book Faery. I’m very happy to be here.
It’s hard for me to believe, but I have been happily published for twenty years now. My first book came out in 1990 and now I’m thrilled my twenty-first book, An Earl to Enchant, the third book in the Rogues’ Dynasty Series has just hit bookstores. I don’t know who said it first, but whoever did was right when he said, “My how time flies when you are having fun!”
I remember the early days of my writing career when I attended conferences held by Romantic Times and Romance Writers of America. I was fortunate enough back then to sit under the tutelage of some of the Masters of romance books; Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Lavyrle Spencer, Jayne Ann Krentz, Julie Garwood, Linda Howard, and Debbie MacComber just to name a few.
Did you know that in the early days we could take recorders into workshops and tape the sessions? They don’t allow us to do that now. I would take notes and record the speakers and then go home and type out useful one-liners from my notes. Over the years, I’ve collected some great advice for beginning and seasoned writers that I made into a check list. I always read them before I start a new book.
Over the years, I didn’t keep up with which writer said what, but I thought you might like to read what I call my great one-liner tips from some of the best and most successful romance writers in the business.
- Every writer has their own way to write a book
- Think about your story for a long time
- Collect all your research
- Know your characters
- Establish a character on first page
- Don’t under estimate your first page or your first chapter
- First page sets the pace
- Study your first page – Did you tell who, what, when, where?
- Best first lines are drama
- Good first lines plunge hero or heroine into dire straits
- The better you use your opening chapter, the better your book will be
- Plunge your reader into conflict immediately
- Reader involvement is the most important thing you can do
- Get your reader early and you’ll keep them to the end of the book
- Give the hero and heroine the promise of romance early in the book
- But readers get bored with too much happiness
- Write in a little misery, then resolve it
- If you don’t pace yourself, you’re headed for trouble
- But don’t be slow
- No two people talk alike – remember your characters’ personalities
- Never assume your readers know your characters just because you do
- Don’t let your characters sit around and do nothing
- Watch for uneven characters
- Secondary characters should never take away from the hero and heroine
- Go directly to action – Don’t stop for background
- Give background in small segments
- A sense of urgency is a must
- Don’t make emotional scenes long or chatty
- Don’t let your story lack life or excitement
- There has to be a strong emotional concept
- Motivation must be made clear
- Don’t throw logic out of the window for the sake of drama
- Make sure you have enough threads to hold the book together
- Cut the trite and silly
- Don’t be trendy
- Keep up with today’s market
- Don’t forget to read – all kinds of books
So after reading these fabulous tips from romance’s finest, do you think you’re ready to start a book?
The first chapter of my latest book An Earl to Enchant, the third book in the Rogues’ Dynasty Series is available on my website. I hope you’ll stop by and read it.
I love to hear from readers. Please e-mail me at ameliagrey@comcast.net or visit my website at ameliagrey.com.
AN EARL TO ENCHANT by AMELIA GREY—IN STORES APRIL 2010
He’s determined not to be a hero…
Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist the lure of her fascinating personality, exotic wardrobe, and tempting green eyes…
She has a deadly secret…
Arianna Sweet never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, one that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...Winner of the Booksellers Best Award and the Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter, Amelia Grey's books have been sold in Europe, Russia and China. Married for twenty-five years to her high school sweetheart, she has lived in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and now calls Panama City Beach, Florida, home. For more information, please visit www.ameliagrey.com.
BOOK GIVEAWAY…Thanks to SourceBooks, The Book Faery Reviews is giving away 2 copies of An Earl to Enchant to one lucky commenter of this post. Commenter’s must have a US/Canada address and no PO Boxes. For additional entries you can do the following:
1) Got another writing tip you've heard of or use for yourself? Tell us for your main entry. OR leave a comment for the author. 
2) Tweet (make sure you add in “@farrah1230 #tbfr” so I can find the tweet easily)
3) Post about this giveaway on your blog or other social networking site and leave me the link
4) Be an e-mail subscriber
5) Be an RSS Reader subscriber
This giveaway will run until April 30th, 2010.
Escape to another world in surround sound
Since going back to work full time, I drive nearly 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening childless for the most part. I miss the time I used to read as I enjoy escaping to another place every once in awhile. To help compensate for loss of physical reading time, I've started listening to audio books in the car and even while working at my desk.
The thing I love about listening to an audio book is that I can really get into it when the narrator uses the right accent and vocal expression. The only thing I wish would be more frequent with audio books is the use of a male AND female narrator. It's kind of odd listening to a female voice speak for the male and vice versa. And sometimes I feel as if a story takes me longer to get through when I'm listening to the story versus when I read it myself. Perhaps because I'm a faster reader??
Last week I picked up some audio CD's from the library and I'm now scrubbing through my downloaded audio books to decide which to transfer to my MP3 player instead of toting CDs around with me.
I did however pick up these titles that I can't wait to get through:
- The Lady in Question by Victoria Alexander (Fiction-Historical Romance) - Been listening to this one this past week.
- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Fiction-Suspense)
- Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman (Fiction-Suspense)
I honestly can't decide which one to get to next after I'm finished with The Lady in Question...the other two look so good!
My library is a member of Netlibrary which I personally think is awesome. You can "check out" e-books and audio books for like 3 weeks to download to a PC or MP3 player. It is filled with TONS of GOOD TITLES...not just the classics or books nobody's ever heard of. Although...I've just literally discovered that they no longer have audio books, just the e-books. Boo... 
Places you can download audio books for FREE include:
- Librivox
- Learn Out Loud
- Books Should Be Free
- Free Classic Audio Books
- OpenCulture Free Audio books
- Podiobooks
Places to "Rent/Check Out" an audio book for a fee include:
- Audiobookworm
- Booksfree.com (kind of like a Netflix for audio books)
Places to PURCHASE audio books include:
Have you listened to any good audio books lately? Please share with us your latest!
Tangling with Tyrants: Managing the Power of Balance at Work, Tony Deblauwe: Author Gues Post 8.25.09
Do you dread going to work because of your boss? Quitting is not always an option and feeling like a victim of a bad boss only robs you of productivity, job satisfaction, and power. Career strategist and workplace expert Tony Deblauwe has spent years coaching weary employees how to be more effective with difficult bosses, and he has compiled his experiences into this indispensable guide. Tangling with Tyrants®: Managing the Balance of Power at Work offers practical techniques that show you how to build a communication process that will turn things around to help you build successful outcomes. You’ll get guidance on addressing direct and indirect bad boss behaviors, developing the right approach, and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes. By applying the techniques in this book, you will be equipped with the right tools to handle your boss and create the results you want. - ABOUT THE BOOK
AUTHOR GUEST POST...How to Handle Feedback of Early Manuscripts
I spent a good number of hours researching, writing, editing, writing some more, starting over, and trying to stay organized. When I finally had some solid material to share with others, my emotions ran high that I would get praise. Well that’s not exactly what happened. Getting feedback can be tough when it comes in the form of red ink and verbal “honesty.” Surviving my first couple rounds of edits was brutal, and I often thought about stopping the book project entirely.
Eventually I gained perspective about the process. My ultimate goal was to help people with my expertise and to do that meant I needed to refine my writing to hit the right themes. The feedback process became easier as clarity came to my writing. Looking back at my experience handling criticism during the early writing process I learned some things:
- People you choose to help edit and review your work want to help you.
- Don’t take feedback personally; listen, assess, and determine how the information can be useful to your writing.
- Always get feedback from different people with different opinions. Choose people who will be your target audience, but mix it up with alternative perspectives as well.
- Remember if you are getting the same feedback from different people you need to change something about your writing; don’t stay fixed to your position unless there is a good reason.
- Passion about your work and editing a book so that it’s readable and sellable are different things.
- Always over thank and show appreciation for the feedback you receive.
Writing a book is an emotional process. It’s an art form. As such, getting blunt feedback can be frustrating. Creating the story you want to tell is important and will go through much iteration until it is right. As long as you learn to separate your feelings from the objective process of editing, feedback, and the writing process, you will be very happy with the finished product.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR...During his career in Human Resources, Tony has worked through many complex people and business challenges to yield lasting results for customers. His interest in high-tech and how technology impacts people has given him insight into what it takes for people to succeed in a virtual economy.
Tony grew up in an eclectic family just a few blocks from Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California. The son of Belgian immigrants, his father is a former college professor of art, language and history.His mother is an entrepreneur having worked in haute couture fashion design. Tony's exposure to several world perspectives fuel his cultural awareness and understanding.
Tony believes in collaboration of perspectives and ideas to yield successful results. He applies his expertise in human resources, organization development, and coaching to provide solutions that strengthen ways of working and achieve beneficial outcomes.
Visit the Website @ http://www.tanglingwithtyrants.com.
Think Like a Journalist When Adding Key Search Words to Your Blogs, Dorothy Thompson: Guest Post 8.12.09
Let’s say I’m the editor of a weekly supermarket tabloid that focuses on celebrities. I’m writing an article on a certain celebrity couple’s relationship that’s been all over the news lately and I need quotes from a relationship expert.
And…I’m on a deadline. The few relationship experts I have in my rolodex are either out of town, won’t answer their phone or are tired of being harassed by weekly supermarket tabloid editors.
Whatever the reason, I’m sweating, hyperventilating and don’t have a moment to spare. Then, a light bulb goes off. This isn’t old journalism, I scream! Get with the times!
I know which search words I want to use and I fly over to Google and put them in. “Relationship expert” seems to be the operative phrase here and I frantically type it in their search box. As I’m busy, I stop at the first 3 pages of search and jot down what names I find (btw, the average Internet user finds what they are looking for in the first three pages of search).
And…I send out emails.
Less than 24 hours later, a “relationship expert” responds to my email. She is more than happy to give me a quote and I give her a call. Bingo bango, I have her quote and I send them off to the presses just in the nick of time.
A week later, the tabloid is sitting proudly on grocery store and bookstore shelves and I thank God for the wonderful powers of the Internet.
I can personally relate to this story because I am the relationship expert that the editor of OK! Magazine phoned whose quote appeared in the October 12, 2006 edition of one of the most popular tabloids on the supermarket shelves.
As an author who was learning how to promote her books online, I knew the powers of adding key search words to my press releases and blog posts, or anything else that was posted online. I knew I had to focus on the set of key search words that people (in this case a very important editor) would be using to find me.
And this is what I do for my clients at Pump Up Your Book Promotion. Before you even think about promoting online, you must come up with a set of key search words that will bring people to your website or blog where they can find out more about you and your book. Your name out there isn’t enough. Your book’s title out there isn’t enough. Whether you write about relationships or historical fiction or poetry or the latest antics of your dog, if you want notoriety, if you want your star to shine, you must add to your online exposure by incorporating those key search words so that not only will your readers find you, but those hungry editors and journalists who write for big time newspapers and magazines, will too. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get that email or phone call that will have you thanking God for the wonderful powers of the Internet just like I did.
Do you incorporate key search words in your blog posts? Have you ever been contacted by an editor because they found you online? We’d love to hear from you! Please leave your comments below so that others will learn by your experiences. Thank you and we’ll see you next month!
Dorothy Thompson is CEO/Founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion with eight years experience in online marketing. What began as an experiment after self-publishing her promotional e-book A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook and 101 Internet Radio Shows to Promote Your Books turned into her thriving new career as an online book marketer. She is also the author of the children's book, No More Gooseberry Pie, the relationship anthology, Romancing the Soul, and the pararanormal comedy novel, The Search for the Million $$$ Ghost which is under the consideration of a playwright in New York. Dorothy has written hundreds of online marketing articles and has been quoted in the celebrity tabloid, OK! She has also appeared on dozens of radio shows including Lifetime Radio, Single Talk, and Achieve Radiowith Fran Silverman. Dorothy runs several blogs including her marketing blog, Book Marketing Buzz, The Writer's Lifeand Beyond the Books which are syndicated into USA Today, Chicago Times, Washington Post and other national magazines. Dorothy resides on the beautiful island of Chincoteague, Virginia. Her offline interests include traveling, biking and sitting at the end of her dock and watching the sun go down.
Connect with Dorothy...
You can email her here.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewriterslife
Twitter: www.twitter.com/pumpupyourbook
Virtual Book Tours and Dorothy Thompson – Guest Post 7.14.09
Since I have entered the online world of books and been introduced to authors, editors, and book marketing folks (LOVE my book follks!!), many have approached me on how they can get their name and their books out there and known. While I am loving the fact that people think they can turn to me about a book question, the reality is I am just like any other average book reader. But of course, because I could not answer all of those questions without first hand experience I just HAD to find people who did know the hows. Besides, one day I plan to edit and expand a story myself that I wrote years ago so I might as well find out the facts. You know?
Today more and more authors are realizing that the internet is a wonderful place to promote their names and books. With all the online social network groups/tools, book blogs, and websites, it is silly not to take advantage of the world wide web (hello...this reaches the world!) So today, I have a special guest who has also become a great friend over the past year. Dorothy Thompson from Pump Up Your Book Promotion is here to share her take on virtual book tours.
NOW DOROTHY THOMPSON'S GUEST POST...
My Story into the Virtual Book Tour World and Finding the Magic Key to Selling Books
Years ago, before book tours – virtually, that is – and before Twitter and Facebook even – when an author wanted to promote her/his book, they had very few choices in which to do this namely - e-groups, writer’s boards and forums, and wherever else they could find to get their book mentioned. They bought ads in writer magazines (some resulted in little or no sales), they started websites and later, blogs, and they hunted down websites that they could advertise their book, mainly free listings to save them some money.
When my first print book, Romancing the Soul, came out, my publisher was very supportive; however I know she felt like Octomom with all the authors she had to represent. I pitied her actually because I know it must have frustrated her as she could never do everything she wanted for all her authors and take care of a publishing business, too.
That’s when publicists come into the picture.
You either hire someone to do some publicity for you or you study online marketing and do it yourself.
I have always been a hands on kind of person. Perhaps it’s the frugal side of me, who knows, but maybe I just knew there had to be a magic key to open the door to those huge sales I wanted to be making. I had read every book promotion article there was out there and I just knew there had to be more to it. And I knew the secret had to be somewhere in that vast space they called the Internet.
Not too long after my print book was released, I studied the Internet and, eventually, a pattern was starting to evolve. If I list my book here and here and possibly here, I might see my book climb into the top rankings of the search engines which I believed was part of the equation. But might was a mighty big word.
Like all authors, I knew I had a good book which is the first step in assuring success in the sales department, but it wasn’t enough to have confidence in your book, you must take action to stand out from the pack and the secret I believed was in online book promotion. But the key, the magic key, where was it?
A few years ago, I found the answer and it happened quite accidentally. My online writing group and I self-published several e-books and I knew I wanted to use these e-books as an experiment. If my theory worked, I would have found the magic key. Whether it would open all the doors, that was debatable, but I figured I’d give it a shot and see what happens.
I had a basic formula written down. I would do A and B and see what happens, but I wanted to take it an extra step. What if I didn’t stop with A and B? What I discovered was that it wasn’t enough to do A and B, you had to do the whole alphabet if you wanted the formula to work.
This formula I speak of is a highly guarded secret, but…I do have to tell you in 24 hours all three of our self-published ebooks, and on separate occasions, ended up #1 in the search engines for their key search words. Twenty-four hours.
So what could I learn from this? By using these key search words as my selling tools, I could sell my books just by having the thousands upon thousands of Internet users find my book in the search engines. Today, there’s Twitter and Facebook and blogs, but the old system is only reinforced by this new technology.
Getting back to my story, when word spread about how I managed to get these ebooks into the first position at Google (and which I did later on with a self-published ebook I sold and still sell on my website), I had a woman phone me asking for my help. She wanted her book #1 in the search engines and told me she would pay me if I could do it for her, too.
And that was how Pump Up Your Book Promotion was born. We opened doors with one tour coordinator besides myself and now my staff has grown to five of the most wonderful people on the face of the earth – Cheryl Malandrinos, Jaime McDougall, Tracee Gleichner and Rebecca Camarena. You can find out all about them at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.com/aboutus.html.
We started out with one author on tour and now our tours consist of anywhere between 15 – 20 authors a month.
Authors are finally learning it’s not enough to go on live booksignings. They’re learning it’s not enough to put up a website or blog and call it a day. They’re realizing it’s not enough to think for one minute their book is going to sell out of all the thousands of books on the market today. And this is where virtual book tours give them that chance.
Before I go, I would like to take a minute to thank Farrah and all the book bloggers who have hosted our authors. Without you, all of this wouldn’t be possible. I bow to all of you.
If you have a question about virtual book tours or anything online book promotion related, please leave it in Farrah’s comment box below. I’d be more than happy to explain anything you’d like to know.
Thank you and see you in the blogosphere!
Thank you Dorothy for taking the time out of your busy day promoting authors.
I know you just got back from a trip last night but you were so willing
to make sure to get back with me to share your tips.
The Challenges and Rewards of Writing Fiction, Tracy Falbe: Guest Post 6.29.09
Got a special treat with for you. Tracy Falbe of Falbe Publishing and author of The Rys Chronicles has stopped by The Book Faery Reviews. I am often asked to find out how aspiring authors can get started in the book field or just want me to find out more about what it is like to be a writer. I try to get authors and publishers to share their experiences and tips. So Falbe is here today to talk about the challenges and rewards of writing fiction. Thank you Tracy for working with me on this special post during your recent move! I know how difficult and tedious a move can be but you were quick to get back with me and do this for me. Now on to her guest post...
Why are novelists possessed to spend weeks, months, and years making up fiction? I ponder this compulsion of mine and realize that the deep need of humanity for stories requires some people to create them. A gripping narrative that resonates with our emotions is utterly compelling to us. We crave fictional settings that teach us, that excite us, and that let us imagine completely new perspectives.
I accept that fulfilling this need for fiction is my calling, and I'm happiest when I pursue it. The act of writing is therapeutic for me. Once I get in that fiction writing groove, I experience a release from my normal daily concerns. After a writing session I feel renewed and unburdened, which proves to me that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.
My writing process is fairly flexible. I don't have to be in a certain room free of distractions. No distraction is helpful, but I am able to filter out a medium level of mayhem in order to write. I don't need to write in any particular location or at any particular time. For the last couple years I've been using a portable word processor called a Neo that lets me write anywhere. I write in the house. I write on the porch. Sometimes I go to a library and write. I write in the morning, afternoon, but most often at night.
When I write, I generally compose straight from my head. Occasionally I'll have some notes worked out ahead of time and maybe a small outline, but these tools are employed only for particularly complex chapters or when I'm concluding a novel and have many loose ends to track and tie up.
Sometimes during composition I enjoy a good flow and good things just seem to happen. But at other times I have to work at it. Besides figuring out what is actually going to happen, I must consider whether I'm being clear to readers. Explaining something while avoiding over explaining it is a fine line. Readers need to know what I mean, but they do not need me to beat them over the head with it.
After the composition stage, begins the editing. Editing and rewrites take more time than the initial draft. Each chapter will go through at least three edits in which I hack out wordiness and fine tune the action and dialogue. I also scrutinize the characters, making sure their motivations are clear and they are behaving as they should. I also track and check details and make sure that I'm not contradicting myself or forgetting something that happened earlier in the story.
During editing I also spend time simply reading what I wrote. This lets me experience the story as a reader might. Of course I always know what will happen, so I am testing it to see if I can enjoy my writing even while knowing what will happen.
As I proceed with polishing my novels, I end up rewriting whole sections and chapters. I estimate that about 30 to 40 percent of a first draft has to be substantially reworked.
Many challenges surface while I progress through composition, editing, rewriting, and proofreading. Wordiness is always the enemy. I am continually discovering that three sentences can be refined into one sentence. It's important to make every word, sentence, and paragraph serve a purpose whether it's revealing character, explaining motivations, advancing the plot, setting the scene, etc. Reducing wordiness helps to alleviate the dreaded story drag. I try to always have something going on, but this does not mean that I don't vary the pace. Action and adventure drive my novels, but it's good to remember that sometimes readers want to slow down and take a break with the characters. These lower gear scenes provide good opportunities for developing back story and revealing character motivations.
The reason I do these ridiculous amounts of writing, editing, and pondering is most easily explained by saying that it's harder not to do it. When I'm not writing novels, I am plagued by an inescapable angst. This is relieved by writing. Even writing blog posts or sales copy makes me happy, but nothing satisfies me like writing epic fantasy. This is my creative outlet and my rewards are numerous. I get to create interesting characters and situations and play within a fantasy environment with magic, adventure, and rampaging ambition. After I entertain myself, I ultimately hope to entertain others. This is when publication becomes necessary.
Writers have two paths to publication: self publishing or being produced by a publishing company. Self publishing is open to anyone who wants to try. Signing with a publisher who is in business to make money is incredibly difficult to achieve and probably depends on luck. I chose self publishing. Now I am building a business around my creative pursuits. I have almost daily sales of my epic fantasy series The Rys Chronicles and many readers have been kind enough to express their pleasure with my work. Often they ask when I am going to write more books. Now I'm doubly motivated to write.
Fiction writing is a tough and lonely pursuit. I believe that novelists are people who love stories so much that they need the more intimate experience of writing them. To encourage other writers, I say that you should enjoy every word, every scene, and every chapter that you create. The creating and polishing of your work should be a labor of love both to please yourself and please readers.
Tracy Falbe is the author of The Rys Chronicles epic fantasy series available at http://www.braveluck.com where readers can choose from ebooks and paperbacks. The first novel in the series "Union of Renegades" is a free download.
Young Travel Writers and Artists Contest
(April 17, 2009 ) Hollywood, FL - Smart Poodle Publishing, publisher of The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica, is pleased to announce its national children’s travel writing and art contest. Children from Kindergarten through 5th Grade are invited to submit original stories and artwork to the “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” Contest, based upon a real or imaginary travel adventure in the Costa Rican rainforest.“Smart Poodle Publishing is on a mission to do its part to help improve geography education in the US,” said publisher and author Debbie Glade. “We are thrilled to be able to offer exciting prizes directly related to geography education this year, all of which have been generously donated by Rand McNally’s online store at www.RandMcNally.com.”A total of nine winners will be chosen. There will be First, Second and Third Place Winners in three grade categories:5K-1st grade, 2nd-3rd grade and 4th-5th grade.First Place Winners will each receive (Value listed):- Rand McNally Personal Journeys World Pinable Wall Map ($84.99)- Rand McNally Hard Bound World Atlas ($24.95)- Kids' Travel Activity Bundle ($15.80)Second Place Winners will each receive (Value listed):- Rand McNally Traveler Series Kids Illustrated Wall Map ($64.99)- Kids' Travel Activity Bundle ($15.80)Third Place Winners will each receive (Value listed):World Knowledge Bundle ($22.90)This contest is free. No purchase necessary. The deadline to enter is September 30, 2009. Entries will be judged by a panel of travel and education experts. Winners will be announced on October 15, 2009. Winners’ stories will be published on www.smartpoodlepublishing.com as well as www.RandMcNally.com.For an entry form and complete contest rules, visit smartpoodlepublishing.com.About the Essay
- The story should a real or imaginary travel adventure set in the Costa Rican rainforest.
- Read all you can about the plants, animals and natural environment (including preservation) of Costa Rica’s Rain Forest online and at your local library. Start with the Lilly Badilly website. www.lillybadilly.com/costarica.htm. Make sure you can find the country of Costa Rica on a map!
- In your story, include info about the real plants, animals, and natural environment of Costa Rica’s Rain Forest.
About the Artwork
- Draw, color or paint a picture (using any medium i.e. crayon, pencil, markers, paint) to submit with your essay.
- Your picture should be completed on an 8.5” X 11” sheet of paper & must be mailed to Smart Poodle Publishing along with Entry Form.
About Smart Poodle PublishingSmart Poodle Publishing is the publisher of The Travel Adventures of Lilly P. Badilly: Costa Rica (ISBN 978-0-9800307-9-2) and the Ask Lilly Badilly All About the World Geography Q and A video program. Award-winning author Debbie Glade visits schools with her reading and geography programs. Smart Poodle Publishing recently sponsored the “What I Wish Everyone Knew About Librarians” national writing contest for librarians.About Rand McNallyFrom America's number-one-selling Road Atlas, The Thomas Guide®, FabMAP® and Goode’s World Atlas to StreetFinder® Wireless and IntelliRoute® trucking database, Rand McNally has been an industry leader in the mapping, routing, geographic reference and trip-planning tool marketplace for more than 150 years. With More Roads-Better Directions™, the Company's products are sold in more than 50,000 retail outlets and distributed to 98% of schools across the U.S. Rand McNally is the premier resource for online travel planning as well as maps and directions. For more information, please visit www.RandMcNally.com, call 800-333-0136 or buy maps and travel gear online at http://Store.RandMcNally.com.Rand McNally, The Thomas Guide, fabMAP, StreetFinder and IntelliRoute are registered trademarks, and More Roads-Better Directions is a trademark of Rand McNally. All other names are trademarks of their respective owners.
What do I do with my books?!
Wondering what to do with your books once you've read them? Here are some ideas I've used and some I've recently discovered...
- PaperBackSwap: Swap out books for other books and just pay the shipping.
- SwapTree: Another swapping ground where you can swap your books.
- Goodreads: Now you can list books from your shelf that you're willing to part with.
- LibraryThing: Now you can list books from your shelf and give them away like the Early Reviewer giveaways.
- Local Libraries: They might be interested in some of your books so they have extra copies to loan out.
- Local Schools & Childcare Centers: The kids and teachers are always looking for new reading materials in the classroom.
- Freecycle: Check out your local freecycle. It's a great place not only to get rid of books gathering dust on your shelf but to get rid of other items (and receive) that individuals no longer want and wish to keep out of the landfills. You never know what you can vome up with. I've gotten books, home decorations, and even 3 desktops through it!
- Books for Soldiers: Send “care packages for the mind” to troops stationed overseas—providing priceless respite from undoubtedly tough surroundings.
- Books To Prisoners: This program encourages rehabilitation through reading.
- Local Homeless Shelters: Check out your local homeless shelter. Along with the typical clothing, bedding, toiletry items some also take book donations.
- Online Groups: Check out the groups your in, someone's always looking for a way to get something free.
- Giveaways: Why not give away some of your gently used reads in book giveaways? I've given out a gently used reviewed book after reviewing it before. The receiver never even knew it was read since I took such good care with the copy.
Do you know of any other ways to DONATE (not sell) your books when you're done with them?
List them here and share it with everyone.
BABA 5: 4 Steps to Finding the Right Market for Your Novel…4.7.09
You have written this great story. What do you do with it now? You are now charged with finding a market that will accept your work. As a writer, you need some idea of a genre for your work to begin the search. Here are four steps that will assist you in the endeavor.
Harry Potter is a popular book series. Who wouldn’t want to be the next big thing? In the real world, coming up with such a book doesn’t happen on a regular basis, but each writing work has the makings of a bestseller. More than that, your work will fulfill its purpose when you satisfy yourself and your inner Muse.
Finding the best market is not always easy. Your work can be spectacular and span several genres. None of that need bother those hardworking brain cells. An unconventional work will sell in the right place.
The idea that spawned your book may come from the countless books you have read in your lifetime. One particular genre may have captured your attention. Your novel probably speaks to the love of that genre; let’s say mysteries. But, your book doesn’t have to be pure mystery; it can be a subgenre.
Firstly, define the elements of your story. The different components of your story that are typical of a certain genre are elements. Naming the elements is all you are required to do at this point. For example, your story may include: murder, forbidden love, and government documents. I think you see where I’m going here.
For the second course, fit the elements into a genre category. Using the examples in the previous paragraph, love affairs constitute romance; murder speaks volumes about mystery; anything to do with the government usually involves suspense. Maybe your elements can be subdivided further. When all elements fit a particular genre, it’s not hard to figure out where the book is going.
Step three asks you to evaluate how well these story elements play together. Even several genres can coexist together in one story when you design a logical order of progression for them. You do have a decision to make: which genre will be the main genre of your story? Mysteries headline with mayhem and murder. Anything else is icing on the cake.
Step four involves Plan B. Every great plan has a Plan B, at least in the movies. Different story elements can lead to different genres and hence, different markets for your work. Your favorite genre is your first choice, but the other genres can be helpful in your market search.
Here, you will rework the balance of elements in your story with another genre taking the main position. If it works, you have another option for marketing the book. Give it a try. If you are not as familiar with the other genres, study up on them before reworking the story.
A story with merit is a story that stays true to who you are. The market will come.
Looking to sell your novel? Holly Lisle is a full-time writer who has sold 30+ novels to major publishers and is the creator of the “How to Think Sideways Career Survival School for Writers”. Go to http://howtothinksideways.com/members/?rid=1012 to access to 3 free lessons that teach you how to write a novel that sells - straight from her highly-acclaimed course.
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