When I was a little girl, I was convinced that I was a princess. I was, of course, a good princess who loved animals and trees and flowers. Not the mean and nasty kind.
Every since I learned to read, princess books were always at the top of my list. I think I had frequent flyer miles at the small town library where we lived.
After the librarian exhausted all of her efforts to find me more and more princess books, I resorted to other short stories for children that had faeries, elves, gnomes and dragons.
Reading princess books had become my passion at an early age. I could be drawn into this other world that felt so real and magical. I knew I would always be a reader of princess stories, maybe even a writer of a princess book. And my princess stories could have elves, faeries, and gnomes in them.
By the age of eight, my good imagination was already in high gear, writing scripts for my play-acting scenes. I made up the best scenes, or so I thought at the time. I was always a good and noble princess in some kind of strange and horrible situation that I needed to be rescued from. After I was rescued, I always rescued the distraught animals, or elves or whoever else was having a bad trouble.
I only have one younger sister and no brothers. So my sister, being the good sport that she was, was always eager to be my rescuer/prince charming. I did not like the fact that she would only wear her cowboy outfit, with guns in her holster (how barbaric), but nonetheless, she made a good prince and always went along with my ideas (which, of course, is very important when you're the writer of the princess story scenes).
My play-acting, princess dress was a hand-me-down from a older cousin; a simple, white dress with a little crinoline underneath, but to me that dress was the most precious thing I owned, I wore that dress for years. I even tried wearing it to school, no luck, caught by mom, go change.
I wore that dress the day I decided to have a Princess Mud Pie Sale. I spent the day making mud pies and decorating them with rocks, flowers, twigs and the odd dead bee. I set up my booth, with the help of my mom, and anxiously awaited customers.
A few elderly ladies stopped by to pinch my cheeks and marvel at my creativeness, but alas, no sales.
The day was drawing to an end, and I was really hungry, when my dad pulled up in our station wagon. He thought I had a wonderful idea and bought the whole lot of Princess Mud Pies.
Thanks, Dad, for that day, I will never forget it. I know you've already read my real Princess Book from Heaven.
And thanks to my sister, Cindi, for co-operating in all of my Princess Stories.
For the real Princess Story, click on the book on the sidebar, Sir Princess Petra - The Pen Pieyu Adventures or visit: http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
Saturday, 28 April 2012
Sunday, 22 April 2012
The elusive right brain session
For me, a right brain session is cructial to my being able to write.
First of all, I am not one of those writers that can just sit down everyday and write something intelligent.
Seriously, I don't know how people do that.
I have to get into my right brain, my creative brain. And some days, this is very hard work.
I work full time at a hectic dental office. I do a bazillion things in one day, but for most of my day, I'm doing bookkeeping, payroll, or some sort of paperwork. This is left brain.
So, for me to switch over, it takes some careful thought.
First, I have to pre-plan a writing day. I have some Fridays off, so I think about it all week. FRIDAY IS WRITING DAY, FRIDAY IS WRITING DAY.
When I get this suggestion in my head. I am subconsciously planning to be in right brain first thing Friday morning, hit the keyboard and write something amazing with absolutely no effort.
Yah, right!
Although planting the suggestion in my head early in the week does help me keep a schedule, I'm pretty sure I don't wake up with my right brain in full force.
First of all, I need at least 5 cups of coffee to be able to hit the letters on the keyboard to type in English. Then I need to put the phone on silence and shut out the outside world. This means my husband cannot bother me as my DO NOT DISTURB sign is up.
The second thing I do is either listen to music that inspires me, do some artwork, or meditate. These are all right brain activities.
Once my right brain is on, the creative process of story telling is amazing. Characters and ideas flow. I write. I do not worry about proper sentence structure or grammar. I use the creative right brain to sail the writing process through all sorts of adventures.
When I am in right brain, I write for 9 hours straight,not thinking about time or obligations. And then, the process winds down, and I wonder why I am so hungry.
I try to get into my right brain sessions for about 3 - 4 weekends straight. I continue from where I left off, not worrying about the previous writing, unless I can't remember something that I wrote. After 30 - 40 hours of creative writing, that is usually enough time to have a rough story hammered out.
Once the rough story is written, then the editing part is next. I hate the editing part. But now I can use my highly developed left brain (which most of us have already) to form proper sentences and check puncuation, grammar, etc.
My editing goes on for months. Several hours every weekend if possible.Never in one sitting. Stepping away from my project helps me to edit with a new set of eyes the next time.
This is how I deal with the elusive right brain. I also rarely watch television, preferring to read or paint a picture, or ride my horse, or play with my dogs. I believe television saps our right brain creative thinking. It's been several years since I cut down on television and I really think doing something else more creative helps in the long run.
LONG LIVE THE RIGHT BRAINERS OF THE WORLD!
First of all, I am not one of those writers that can just sit down everyday and write something intelligent.
Seriously, I don't know how people do that.
I have to get into my right brain, my creative brain. And some days, this is very hard work.
I work full time at a hectic dental office. I do a bazillion things in one day, but for most of my day, I'm doing bookkeeping, payroll, or some sort of paperwork. This is left brain.
So, for me to switch over, it takes some careful thought.
First, I have to pre-plan a writing day. I have some Fridays off, so I think about it all week. FRIDAY IS WRITING DAY, FRIDAY IS WRITING DAY.
When I get this suggestion in my head. I am subconsciously planning to be in right brain first thing Friday morning, hit the keyboard and write something amazing with absolutely no effort.
Yah, right!
Although planting the suggestion in my head early in the week does help me keep a schedule, I'm pretty sure I don't wake up with my right brain in full force.
First of all, I need at least 5 cups of coffee to be able to hit the letters on the keyboard to type in English. Then I need to put the phone on silence and shut out the outside world. This means my husband cannot bother me as my DO NOT DISTURB sign is up.
The second thing I do is either listen to music that inspires me, do some artwork, or meditate. These are all right brain activities.
Once my right brain is on, the creative process of story telling is amazing. Characters and ideas flow. I write. I do not worry about proper sentence structure or grammar. I use the creative right brain to sail the writing process through all sorts of adventures.
When I am in right brain, I write for 9 hours straight,not thinking about time or obligations. And then, the process winds down, and I wonder why I am so hungry.
I try to get into my right brain sessions for about 3 - 4 weekends straight. I continue from where I left off, not worrying about the previous writing, unless I can't remember something that I wrote. After 30 - 40 hours of creative writing, that is usually enough time to have a rough story hammered out.
Once the rough story is written, then the editing part is next. I hate the editing part. But now I can use my highly developed left brain (which most of us have already) to form proper sentences and check puncuation, grammar, etc.
My editing goes on for months. Several hours every weekend if possible.Never in one sitting. Stepping away from my project helps me to edit with a new set of eyes the next time.
This is how I deal with the elusive right brain. I also rarely watch television, preferring to read or paint a picture, or ride my horse, or play with my dogs. I believe television saps our right brain creative thinking. It's been several years since I cut down on television and I really think doing something else more creative helps in the long run.
LONG LIVE THE RIGHT BRAINERS OF THE WORLD!
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Plotting
A quick review and something to think about as you are forming your own story.
CHARACTER plus meaningful, directed action toward a previously planned and desired end--that is the meaning and purpose of plotting.
If you take a character from one situation where he is content and place him in another situation where he is not, problems are bound to be generated. Immediately there is a state of unrest, conflict, or adventure--especially if the character decides to improve his lot, attain a goal, or be assertive in some way.
The odds should be against the hero, the hero should struggle (physically or mentally) to attain the goal, and finally achieve the goal in some original manner.
12 Point Plot Structure
1. Who is the main character?
2. Who or what is the antagonist? (There can be more than one antagonist and those antagonists can be a person,bad weather, or a situation the main character just can't get out of, etc.)
3. Who are the other people in the story? Do you have a good reason to have them there?
4. What does the main character want? It should be vital.
5. How important is what he/she wants? It should be very,very,very important.
6. How does the antagonist prevent or foil the main character from achieving his/her goal? This will be your conflict.
7. What does the main character do about the obstacle? They must win through their own power, not luck or coincidence. The main character doing something about the obstacle starts the action.
8. What are the results of his/her action? Here complication should set in.
9. What do these complications lead to? Hopefully, something interesting.
10. What is the climax? Where the intensity and interest in the story reach a high pitch. The main character must decide what to do because of the kind of person he/she is.
11. Does the main character accomplish his/her purpose? This is the story outcome.
12.What is the theme? What basic truth has been illustrated through your main character?
Once you have plotting down pat. The next step should be editing. I know, we all hate editing.
But from my experience, editing a story at least 10 times (and over several months--not in one sitting) will make for a much tighter story.
The more words you can cut from the original story, the more concise your wording will be.
One of the most valuable things I learned through my years with The Institute of Children's Literature and journalism school was: Don't fall in love with your words. We all have a tendency to babble, so learn not to babble. Cut your words and make your story read smooth.
SO, PLOT AND EDIT AWAY.
CHARACTER plus meaningful, directed action toward a previously planned and desired end--that is the meaning and purpose of plotting.
If you take a character from one situation where he is content and place him in another situation where he is not, problems are bound to be generated. Immediately there is a state of unrest, conflict, or adventure--especially if the character decides to improve his lot, attain a goal, or be assertive in some way.
The odds should be against the hero, the hero should struggle (physically or mentally) to attain the goal, and finally achieve the goal in some original manner.
12 Point Plot Structure
1. Who is the main character?
2. Who or what is the antagonist? (There can be more than one antagonist and those antagonists can be a person,bad weather, or a situation the main character just can't get out of, etc.)
3. Who are the other people in the story? Do you have a good reason to have them there?
4. What does the main character want? It should be vital.
5. How important is what he/she wants? It should be very,very,very important.
6. How does the antagonist prevent or foil the main character from achieving his/her goal? This will be your conflict.
7. What does the main character do about the obstacle? They must win through their own power, not luck or coincidence. The main character doing something about the obstacle starts the action.
8. What are the results of his/her action? Here complication should set in.
9. What do these complications lead to? Hopefully, something interesting.
10. What is the climax? Where the intensity and interest in the story reach a high pitch. The main character must decide what to do because of the kind of person he/she is.
11. Does the main character accomplish his/her purpose? This is the story outcome.
12.What is the theme? What basic truth has been illustrated through your main character?
Once you have plotting down pat. The next step should be editing. I know, we all hate editing.
But from my experience, editing a story at least 10 times (and over several months--not in one sitting) will make for a much tighter story.
The more words you can cut from the original story, the more concise your wording will be.
One of the most valuable things I learned through my years with The Institute of Children's Literature and journalism school was: Don't fall in love with your words. We all have a tendency to babble, so learn not to babble. Cut your words and make your story read smooth.
SO, PLOT AND EDIT AWAY.
Friday, 6 April 2012
Book Trailer and Radio Interview
Book Trailer of Sir Princess Petra
To be aired on 20 stations starting in April, 2012
and to reach 10,000 viewers
My live radio interview on April 2, 12 at Blog Talk Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/btrplayer.swf?file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blogtalkradio.com%2Fstoriesfromunknownauthors%2F2012%2F04%2F02%2Finterview-for-sir-princess-petra-by-diane-robinson%2Fplaylist.xml&autostart=false&bufferlength=5&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashplayercallback.aspx"
Friday, 30 March 2012
What is involved in publishing a book
The absolute, most important thing to getting a book published by a traditional publisher is perseverance and belief in yourself and of course, your book.
As you know, it took me 9 years of perseverance. Also a lot of head slapping (my own head, that is), eye rolling and groaning on my part.
If you are just beginning the process, or if you are years into the process, remember to do your research.
One of the most invaluable tools that I resort to is the book "Children's Writers Book Markets", which is produced every years. The updates in this book, as to which publishers are accepting, what they are accepting, send query or send the pdf for review, similtanious submissions or exclusive submission, the list goes one, will become your best buddy to get to know the publishing industry.
But one thing that stays the same, the publisher guidelines you must follow.
See, as an author, you have no rules. Publishers have all the rules. And if you want to get anywhere, you must follow their rules. This is just the nature of the game.
To just read the "Children's Writers Book Market" is still not enough. You must visit the publishers web-site, see what kind of books that have been published and decide if yours would fit in. If it does, write them a query letter with a synopsis of you book. Send a SASE (self address stamped envelope) for their reply. And, if they ask to see the book and want an exclusive submission, don't sent the book elsewhere. Then wait 6 - 8 months for a reply.
In the meantime, don't sit idle. More research, more queries. Query letters to other publishers can still be sent, even if a different publisher is reviewing your book on a exclusive submission.
Make a list of possible publisher to send our queries to. Make a list of publishers that accept manuscripts without a query and what kind of submission that publisher wants.
But make the list and keep track of where your manuscript is. This all becomes very confusing in no time. You need to keep a log of what was sent, where, and to whom.
I know. It's a lot of rules.
For all of the 9 years that I was trying to find a publisher, my manuscript was constantly somewhere. I received 30 rejections for this book. Talk about perseverance.
A published author also has to have thick skin. Rejections are not about you as a writer, rejections are about the immense choice a publisher has in manuscripts sent in that year. Some publishers receive upward of 10,000 manuscripts for review in a single year.
So, back to the research. Did I want to send my manuscript to a publisher that receives that many submissions? I usually tried to stay away from these large publishing houses. Being a first time author, I knew my chances would be less with these large publishing houses. I submitted to publishers that had a record for publishing the majority of their books with new authors. These facts are all in "Children's Writers Book Market".
So, just when I thought I knew what I was doing.
My first contract (which was forfeited by the publisher due to their funding problem) was with a small press that did 70% of their yearly books by new authors. Alas, I did get a contract, but it didn't work out. My second acceptance and contract was with a large publishing house that only accept 10% of manuscripts submitted for publication. This publisher received upwards of 10,000 manuscripts per year.
So after all of the years of my submissions to small publishers, I finally got accepted by a large publisher.
My advice--send your queries and/or manuscript to every publisher, big or small, as long as your book meets with their guidelines.
An interesting fact: Dr. Seuss received 27 rejections for his book entitled "Mulberry Street:" before it got accepted for publication.
This fact is a reality with many authors. Patients, perseverance, and a lot of head slapping (your own head, of course).
By the time you have a dent in your head, you will probably get accepted.
Good luck!
As you know, it took me 9 years of perseverance. Also a lot of head slapping (my own head, that is), eye rolling and groaning on my part.
If you are just beginning the process, or if you are years into the process, remember to do your research.
One of the most invaluable tools that I resort to is the book "Children's Writers Book Markets", which is produced every years. The updates in this book, as to which publishers are accepting, what they are accepting, send query or send the pdf for review, similtanious submissions or exclusive submission, the list goes one, will become your best buddy to get to know the publishing industry.
But one thing that stays the same, the publisher guidelines you must follow.
See, as an author, you have no rules. Publishers have all the rules. And if you want to get anywhere, you must follow their rules. This is just the nature of the game.
To just read the "Children's Writers Book Market" is still not enough. You must visit the publishers web-site, see what kind of books that have been published and decide if yours would fit in. If it does, write them a query letter with a synopsis of you book. Send a SASE (self address stamped envelope) for their reply. And, if they ask to see the book and want an exclusive submission, don't sent the book elsewhere. Then wait 6 - 8 months for a reply.
In the meantime, don't sit idle. More research, more queries. Query letters to other publishers can still be sent, even if a different publisher is reviewing your book on a exclusive submission.
Make a list of possible publisher to send our queries to. Make a list of publishers that accept manuscripts without a query and what kind of submission that publisher wants.
But make the list and keep track of where your manuscript is. This all becomes very confusing in no time. You need to keep a log of what was sent, where, and to whom.
I know. It's a lot of rules.
For all of the 9 years that I was trying to find a publisher, my manuscript was constantly somewhere. I received 30 rejections for this book. Talk about perseverance.
A published author also has to have thick skin. Rejections are not about you as a writer, rejections are about the immense choice a publisher has in manuscripts sent in that year. Some publishers receive upward of 10,000 manuscripts for review in a single year.
So, back to the research. Did I want to send my manuscript to a publisher that receives that many submissions? I usually tried to stay away from these large publishing houses. Being a first time author, I knew my chances would be less with these large publishing houses. I submitted to publishers that had a record for publishing the majority of their books with new authors. These facts are all in "Children's Writers Book Market".
So, just when I thought I knew what I was doing.
My first contract (which was forfeited by the publisher due to their funding problem) was with a small press that did 70% of their yearly books by new authors. Alas, I did get a contract, but it didn't work out. My second acceptance and contract was with a large publishing house that only accept 10% of manuscripts submitted for publication. This publisher received upwards of 10,000 manuscripts per year.
So after all of the years of my submissions to small publishers, I finally got accepted by a large publisher.
My advice--send your queries and/or manuscript to every publisher, big or small, as long as your book meets with their guidelines.
An interesting fact: Dr. Seuss received 27 rejections for his book entitled "Mulberry Street:" before it got accepted for publication.
This fact is a reality with many authors. Patients, perseverance, and a lot of head slapping (your own head, of course).
By the time you have a dent in your head, you will probably get accepted.
Good luck!
Friday, 23 March 2012
My pre-author life
What did I do before I become an author?
Besides trying to become an author and dealing with all of the difficulties encountered in that industry, these are some of my experiences.
I participated in five separate dental missions to Central America for one week intervals. We treated the very poor, the ones who had no access to health or dental care. On these dental missions, I was trained to give local anesthetic and do extractions.
These pictures aren't that great because they were taken before I had a digital camera, so I've taken a picutre of my picture.
Four of the dental missions were in Honduras, We lived in jungle villages and worked in the schools or churches, and often worked outside.
One mission was in Guatemala. On that mission we stayed with a local family and a bus picked us up every moring to go to different villages to work.
One of my most poignant memories of these missions is the time we worked in a Honduras jail. The conditions were appalling, with 6 people to a 12 x 8 cell and no bathroom besides a pot in the corner. But even more heart wrenching was the women's quarters. The women that had no one to take care of their children, had their children with them in jail. A lot of women were in jail for charges of theft, but months and even years later they had't been in front of a judge yet. There was no schooling for the children in jail.
Besides trying to become an author and dealing with all of the difficulties encountered in that industry, these are some of my experiences.
I participated in five separate dental missions to Central America for one week intervals. We treated the very poor, the ones who had no access to health or dental care. On these dental missions, I was trained to give local anesthetic and do extractions.
These pictures aren't that great because they were taken before I had a digital camera, so I've taken a picutre of my picture.
Four of the dental missions were in Honduras, We lived in jungle villages and worked in the schools or churches, and often worked outside.
 |
| Dentistry performed with no modern equipment. Honduras, 1997 |
 |
| Jungle dentistry in a remote mountain area of Honduras, 1997 |
 |
| Outside dentistry in Guatemala, 1999 |
 |
| Guatemalan lady, 1999 . |
One mission was in Guatemala. On that mission we stayed with a local family and a bus picked us up every moring to go to different villages to work.
 |
| I had just taken out a tooth on this little girl. Honduras, 1998 |
 |
| Me with my friend, Miriam, In El Parasio, Honduras 1998 |
 |
| A typical farmer selling his wares in Honduras |
 |
| Me with a Guatemalan lady and her daughter at our outdoor clinic. Guatemala ,1999 |
We treated many women and children in the jail. I was glad that I brought a few chocolate bars to give out to the children. After we had finished working in the jail that day, then it was time to cry.
I think these missions helped build my character and was a milestone in shaping who I've become. I understand how we really are all brothers and sisters in this world. Although I don't travel to do missionary work anymore, I am actively involved with a group that does missionary work in northern India.
Saturday, 17 March 2012
What does an author do before they become an author?
This is a very interesting question. Recently, my friend, Sue, came up with these possibilities:
Steven King - he was the nerd at the drive-in theatre concession that you knew just spit on everything.
Dr. Seusss - he was the teacher who worked with kids that only babbled.
Lemony Snicket - he wasn't the cook, for a restaurant that wasn't there, that would kill you if you ate the food.
Okay, on a more serious note.
What did I do before I became and author?
Well, for the most part, I was trying to become an author.
After I took my journalism courses and another two courses at the Institute of Children's Literature (6 years of correspondence), then I finally had time to do some writing.
Well, writing was the easiest part for me. The hard part was the constant research of the publishing markets, the endless query letters to publishers that might be interested in the story (this to publishers that plainly state they have an interest in this kind of story), and then the submission process to the interested publishers that usually comes back with a NO answer after several months. The worst part of this is when a publisher wants an exclusive submission, meaning you cannot send it anywhere else until they reply. ????
Once in a while, I would receive a hand written note from the editor saying that this is a really good story, but they already have their dragon-princess-knight story for this year. Once, I received a possible publication notice if I could turn this story into a math adventure. Well, I couldn't nor did I want to.
It's all very frustrating work. I have had several potential books out on rotations to different publisher for the last 9 years.
At last, 9 years later, I receive a call that someone wants to possibly publish my book: Sir Princess Petra.
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
But, they wanted it turned into a chapter book. This book was originally a picture story book entitled The Princess Knight. And as children book writers know, story pictures books and chapter books are two totally different concept of writing.
So, panicky me. My forte in my writing courses was picture story books! What's an author to do?
READ. STUDY. FIGURE IT OUT!
I did figure it out and I landed the contract. Whew!
Most contracts to produce a book are for one year, as was this one. This particular publisher was very bad at correspondence and left me in the dark most of the time. We did communicate once in a while and me being a newbie, thought this was all regular.
Alas, the lack of communication made more sense when the contract expired and there was no book. An e-mail message that said nothing more than something like: "Sorry, U.S. economy downturn has left us stranded with no funds to produce your book. Good Luck."
It's amazing how a publisher can get away with that, when an author would have their pants sued off for forfeiting the contract.
But you know, God works in mysterious ways, and if you just follow, He will guide you. Everything that happened, happened for a reason. Shortly thereafter, I received another contract with a much bigger publishing house that can do a lot more for my book. This new publishing house was easy to work with. Now I know how the process is supposed to work.
And I've been flying since.
The next blog will be more on the topic of what I did before I became an author, and will include pictures of the dental missionary work I participated in, in Central America.
Diane M. Robinson
Steven King - he was the nerd at the drive-in theatre concession that you knew just spit on everything.
Dr. Seusss - he was the teacher who worked with kids that only babbled.
Lemony Snicket - he wasn't the cook, for a restaurant that wasn't there, that would kill you if you ate the food.
Okay, on a more serious note.
What did I do before I became and author?
Well, for the most part, I was trying to become an author.
After I took my journalism courses and another two courses at the Institute of Children's Literature (6 years of correspondence), then I finally had time to do some writing.
Well, writing was the easiest part for me. The hard part was the constant research of the publishing markets, the endless query letters to publishers that might be interested in the story (this to publishers that plainly state they have an interest in this kind of story), and then the submission process to the interested publishers that usually comes back with a NO answer after several months. The worst part of this is when a publisher wants an exclusive submission, meaning you cannot send it anywhere else until they reply. ????
Once in a while, I would receive a hand written note from the editor saying that this is a really good story, but they already have their dragon-princess-knight story for this year. Once, I received a possible publication notice if I could turn this story into a math adventure. Well, I couldn't nor did I want to.
It's all very frustrating work. I have had several potential books out on rotations to different publisher for the last 9 years.
At last, 9 years later, I receive a call that someone wants to possibly publish my book: Sir Princess Petra.
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
But, they wanted it turned into a chapter book. This book was originally a picture story book entitled The Princess Knight. And as children book writers know, story pictures books and chapter books are two totally different concept of writing.
So, panicky me. My forte in my writing courses was picture story books! What's an author to do?
READ. STUDY. FIGURE IT OUT!
I did figure it out and I landed the contract. Whew!
Most contracts to produce a book are for one year, as was this one. This particular publisher was very bad at correspondence and left me in the dark most of the time. We did communicate once in a while and me being a newbie, thought this was all regular.
Alas, the lack of communication made more sense when the contract expired and there was no book. An e-mail message that said nothing more than something like: "Sorry, U.S. economy downturn has left us stranded with no funds to produce your book. Good Luck."
It's amazing how a publisher can get away with that, when an author would have their pants sued off for forfeiting the contract.
But you know, God works in mysterious ways, and if you just follow, He will guide you. Everything that happened, happened for a reason. Shortly thereafter, I received another contract with a much bigger publishing house that can do a lot more for my book. This new publishing house was easy to work with. Now I know how the process is supposed to work.
And I've been flying since.
The next blog will be more on the topic of what I did before I became an author, and will include pictures of the dental missionary work I participated in, in Central America.
Diane M. Robinson
Friday, 9 March 2012
Famous? What? Who?
It's funny what people think when you publish a book. Comments like "Oh, you're going to be famous", and "you're going to be rich now", to which both I say, "Kafooee!"
People who are non-writing types have no idea about the writing world and the tremendous amount of work that goes into the business end of writing. The business end that a writer must do to keep up with the 50,000 or so books being published each year.
Personally, I hate the business end of writing. It takes up all my writing time. Besides taking up all my writing time, it involves hours of networking to try and get somebody to notice the book or to get some buzz going about the book. Mostly useless hours of letting the hook dangle with no bites.
Every once in a while, all those hours I thought of as useless,actually make me feel like I may have gotten somewhere. Like when I write to a reviewer, and they write back saying they'd like to review my book: "YES!" Or when I contact a bookstore and they say they'd like to stock my book: "YES!" Or when somebody just calls me out of the blue to say they really liked my book and want five copies signed: again, "YES!"
Those are all glorious moments for a writer. They're just few and far between.
The hours I spend on my computer (his name is Lurch and we really don't get along that well) steal away time that I could be doing something else, maybe something fun, maybe even finishing book two in this series. So yes, the business end of writing brings up some resentment.
This week was a plug-along-week, rolling my eyes alot, and making big sighing noises as I worked on the business end of my writing career. I wrote a bazillion emails, to which I received about five replies. And just when I was so exasperated with all this work, one of those glorious moments appeared.
I received a review back from Erik The Great at http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com He gave me a super review and asked if he could read a section of my book aloud for National Read Aloud Day. This inadvertently started some people buzzing and talking about the book.
He did such a wonderful job. He brought tears to my eyes, happy YES tears. And once again, I am reminded of why I do what I do. I am a writer because it is my destiny. I am a writer because I have to be.
Please read the review and watch Erik's video at; http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com/2012/03/07/sir-princess-petra-by-diane-mae-robinson/ Also, read all the posted comment about this review.
And thank you Erik.
Diane M. Robinson
People who are non-writing types have no idea about the writing world and the tremendous amount of work that goes into the business end of writing. The business end that a writer must do to keep up with the 50,000 or so books being published each year.
Personally, I hate the business end of writing. It takes up all my writing time. Besides taking up all my writing time, it involves hours of networking to try and get somebody to notice the book or to get some buzz going about the book. Mostly useless hours of letting the hook dangle with no bites.
Every once in a while, all those hours I thought of as useless,actually make me feel like I may have gotten somewhere. Like when I write to a reviewer, and they write back saying they'd like to review my book: "YES!" Or when I contact a bookstore and they say they'd like to stock my book: "YES!" Or when somebody just calls me out of the blue to say they really liked my book and want five copies signed: again, "YES!"
Those are all glorious moments for a writer. They're just few and far between.
The hours I spend on my computer (his name is Lurch and we really don't get along that well) steal away time that I could be doing something else, maybe something fun, maybe even finishing book two in this series. So yes, the business end of writing brings up some resentment.
This week was a plug-along-week, rolling my eyes alot, and making big sighing noises as I worked on the business end of my writing career. I wrote a bazillion emails, to which I received about five replies. And just when I was so exasperated with all this work, one of those glorious moments appeared.
I received a review back from Erik The Great at http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com He gave me a super review and asked if he could read a section of my book aloud for National Read Aloud Day. This inadvertently started some people buzzing and talking about the book.
He did such a wonderful job. He brought tears to my eyes, happy YES tears. And once again, I am reminded of why I do what I do. I am a writer because it is my destiny. I am a writer because I have to be.
Please read the review and watch Erik's video at; http://thiskidreviewsbooks.com/2012/03/07/sir-princess-petra-by-diane-mae-robinson/ Also, read all the posted comment about this review.
And thank you Erik.
Diane M. Robinson
Saturday, 3 March 2012
Hypocrite me
My husband called me a hypocrite! And you know what, he's right.
The whole issue came up when we started talking about paper books vs. e-books.
You see, I am a greenpeacer, environmentalist, and recycler of most everything not edible. So his question to me was: "If you're such a tree hugger, why do you buy paper books instead of using an e-reader?"
WELL! mumble, mumble, mumble.
The reason I have my own library and the reason I buy books printed on paper were obvious to me, but kind of hard to explain.
First of all, I don't particularly like computers. They are difficult to get along with.
Secondly, a book smells like a book and just about tastes of the adventure put forth by the writer.
There's something about the smell of ink print on paper in a book that's enticing, inviting you into a new world. When you hear the crackle of the spine and the feel of paper as you flip the pages stopping at a random place to read a passage, or flip back to a page you previously marked that has the most amazing sentence, it's just somehow, well, more real.
I've been in love with books since I was a child. My first book, Black Beauty, was given to me by my grandma when I was seven. It took forever to get through that book, but I cherished every world. I still have that book and the ink print on paper still smells like a book. In fact, I still have most of my childhood books, right up there, on the shelf, in my library. I can pick them up on a whim to gaze over the cover, read them again, or just flip through the pictures and smile. The feel of a book and what it holds inside makes me feel like. . . well, like I'm soon to be wrapped in a warm, comforting blanket.
We were recently on a plane to Maui, and everywhere I looked, I saw people with some kind of e-reader--even really old people. And there I was with my 22 pound Terry Goodkind book and not about to give it up for the world. I had papers sticking out of a hundred different pages to mark the magical passages that I would read and re-read later. I thought about purchasing an e-reader for a moment--uh. . .No. I would live as a dinasour and savour the printed word, and that's that.
People say change is good. And for the most part, I keep up with change. But some things will forever stay the same.
So, yes, I am sorry to say that I am a hypocrite. You're absolutely right, my dear husband, I have been responsible for killing a tree. This is why I have to hug the trees still standing tighter.
Diane M. Robinson
The whole issue came up when we started talking about paper books vs. e-books.
You see, I am a greenpeacer, environmentalist, and recycler of most everything not edible. So his question to me was: "If you're such a tree hugger, why do you buy paper books instead of using an e-reader?"
WELL! mumble, mumble, mumble.
The reason I have my own library and the reason I buy books printed on paper were obvious to me, but kind of hard to explain.
First of all, I don't particularly like computers. They are difficult to get along with.
Secondly, a book smells like a book and just about tastes of the adventure put forth by the writer.
There's something about the smell of ink print on paper in a book that's enticing, inviting you into a new world. When you hear the crackle of the spine and the feel of paper as you flip the pages stopping at a random place to read a passage, or flip back to a page you previously marked that has the most amazing sentence, it's just somehow, well, more real.
I've been in love with books since I was a child. My first book, Black Beauty, was given to me by my grandma when I was seven. It took forever to get through that book, but I cherished every world. I still have that book and the ink print on paper still smells like a book. In fact, I still have most of my childhood books, right up there, on the shelf, in my library. I can pick them up on a whim to gaze over the cover, read them again, or just flip through the pictures and smile. The feel of a book and what it holds inside makes me feel like. . . well, like I'm soon to be wrapped in a warm, comforting blanket.
We were recently on a plane to Maui, and everywhere I looked, I saw people with some kind of e-reader--even really old people. And there I was with my 22 pound Terry Goodkind book and not about to give it up for the world. I had papers sticking out of a hundred different pages to mark the magical passages that I would read and re-read later. I thought about purchasing an e-reader for a moment--uh. . .No. I would live as a dinasour and savour the printed word, and that's that.
People say change is good. And for the most part, I keep up with change. But some things will forever stay the same.
So, yes, I am sorry to say that I am a hypocrite. You're absolutely right, my dear husband, I have been responsible for killing a tree. This is why I have to hug the trees still standing tighter.
Diane M. Robinson
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Book Signing Event in The Jungle
I live in a very small town but occasionally people do cool things here. Yesterday I had another book signing event at a store called The Jungle. This is one of the nicest stores in St. Paul. The owner, Alice, graciously set this up to promote my new book Sir Princess Petra - The Pen Pieyu Adventures.
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
Alice made this a very special day by having an old english tea party with antique china, and pastry goodies. She advertised on our local cable T.V. channel, put an add in the local paper and set up a boardwalk sign with enticing, fluttering balloons in -12C weather. There was live, old-time music provided by Anne (my mom) and Jerry, who both play in a band together. Still, people do not flock in to see a local writer.
I sincerely thank Alice, her staff, Allen, Judith, Ellen, Shauna, Sandy, Mrs. Kitt, Linda, Anne, Jerry, Dezi, Kiyah, Izzak and all the other people that showed up to chat with me.
I sold 15 books at this event, which is still higher than the average amount my marketing manager says is the status quo for signing events (their statistics quote 5 - 8 books per event). But these are my local people that know me, so I was expecting more people to show up and just savour the atmosphere of this unique event in a small town. As Suzanne said in her last blog comment: if you expect it, it won't happen--if you don't expect it, bigger things happen. Lesson learned.
Being a writer and trying to promote a book is a hard business. I work full time at a dental office, but I do see my book promotion as a serious business, also. My book is well marketed in the U.S. since the publisher is from Oklahoma, but the publisher doesn't have a lot of ties with the Canadian market anymore (there is a lot of bureaucracy in that issue that I won't get into now). So ultimately, this leaves me with a tremendous amount of work trying to get the word out here.
My strategy is focusing on Alberta first. I am getting the word out there by contacting local schools first (I'll venture further in the future) to do a book reading/signing/sales. I am not charging an appearence fee yet, but rather asking the schools to send out a newletter before the event to notify parents that books will be for sale at the reading. This worked very well for my first school visit. The schools are receptive to this concept of promoting me since there is no cost to them to have me there.
I have also made friends with a few librarians. These people are treasures to know. They let their other librarian friends know about writers they like and this in turn gets a bigger ball rolling.
I have two more school visits booked in the near future, and I'll let you know how those go and if my strategy is working.
To fellow newly published authors, don't be discouraged at how slowly the marketing process works, but rather, jump in there. Whether you have a marketing manager, as I do, or are on this venture solo, throw yourself into the job full-heartedly and never, never give up.
To those of you still trying to get that first publishing contract, know this, my first book took nine years of researching the market, sending out query letters, waiting for replies, one really close acceptance if I was willing to change this book into a math adventure (which I wasn't) ,and one signed contract before this one that didn't pan out due to the U.S. ecomony downfall in 2009 whereas that publisher had to forfeit the contract due to lack of funds. So to you, the aspiring authors of the world, my advice to you is, never, never, never give up.
The road is long and hard, but you don't get there if you don't walk it.
Diane Mae Robinson
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
Alice made this a very special day by having an old english tea party with antique china, and pastry goodies. She advertised on our local cable T.V. channel, put an add in the local paper and set up a boardwalk sign with enticing, fluttering balloons in -12C weather. There was live, old-time music provided by Anne (my mom) and Jerry, who both play in a band together. Still, people do not flock in to see a local writer.
I sincerely thank Alice, her staff, Allen, Judith, Ellen, Shauna, Sandy, Mrs. Kitt, Linda, Anne, Jerry, Dezi, Kiyah, Izzak and all the other people that showed up to chat with me.
I sold 15 books at this event, which is still higher than the average amount my marketing manager says is the status quo for signing events (their statistics quote 5 - 8 books per event). But these are my local people that know me, so I was expecting more people to show up and just savour the atmosphere of this unique event in a small town. As Suzanne said in her last blog comment: if you expect it, it won't happen--if you don't expect it, bigger things happen. Lesson learned.
Being a writer and trying to promote a book is a hard business. I work full time at a dental office, but I do see my book promotion as a serious business, also. My book is well marketed in the U.S. since the publisher is from Oklahoma, but the publisher doesn't have a lot of ties with the Canadian market anymore (there is a lot of bureaucracy in that issue that I won't get into now). So ultimately, this leaves me with a tremendous amount of work trying to get the word out here.
My strategy is focusing on Alberta first. I am getting the word out there by contacting local schools first (I'll venture further in the future) to do a book reading/signing/sales. I am not charging an appearence fee yet, but rather asking the schools to send out a newletter before the event to notify parents that books will be for sale at the reading. This worked very well for my first school visit. The schools are receptive to this concept of promoting me since there is no cost to them to have me there.
I have also made friends with a few librarians. These people are treasures to know. They let their other librarian friends know about writers they like and this in turn gets a bigger ball rolling.
I have two more school visits booked in the near future, and I'll let you know how those go and if my strategy is working.
To fellow newly published authors, don't be discouraged at how slowly the marketing process works, but rather, jump in there. Whether you have a marketing manager, as I do, or are on this venture solo, throw yourself into the job full-heartedly and never, never give up.
To those of you still trying to get that first publishing contract, know this, my first book took nine years of researching the market, sending out query letters, waiting for replies, one really close acceptance if I was willing to change this book into a math adventure (which I wasn't) ,and one signed contract before this one that didn't pan out due to the U.S. ecomony downfall in 2009 whereas that publisher had to forfeit the contract due to lack of funds. So to you, the aspiring authors of the world, my advice to you is, never, never, never give up.
The road is long and hard, but you don't get there if you don't walk it.
Diane Mae Robinson
http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
Monday, 20 February 2012
Liebster Award from Sue Morris at KidLit Reviews
Liebster Award from Sue Morris at Kid Lit Reviews www.kid-lit-reviews.com
by http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
THE WORD LIEBSTER IS A GERMAN WORD MEANING FAVORITE
I received the Liebster Award from Sue, the super smart reviewer, at Kid Lit Reviews
The Liebster Award is given to a blog site with less than 200 followers, that someone (Sue) finds especially interesting and wants others to notice. To accept the award, there are a few things I must do:
* I must publicly thank the giver of the award: THANK YOU SUE! YOU'RE AWESOME!
* Tell five things about myself:
1. I have mutiple jobs and some days get mixed up where I'm supposed to be. I work full time in a dental office, part-time as an art teacher for children, I do bookkeeping for two businesses from my home, and I am a writer.
2. I am very klutzy.
3. I am an environmentalist. Yes, I hug trees daily and recycle almost everything.
4. I love animals. I have 4 dogs, and aquarium full of fish, and 3 horses: two horses in retirement and one I ride regularly.
5, I am just learning to ride a motorcycle--refer to #2 and you will understand why this is so scary.
*Nominate five websites I love and want to share:
1. Bugs and Bunnies http://bugsandbunnies.blogspot.com This is a book reviewer with wonderful insight and has a author/illustrator spotlight on Fridays.
2. HipWriterMama http://hipwritermama.blogspot.com Musings about life, writing and children's books. Website at: www.hipwritermama.com I like this lady.
3.Through a Child's Eye http://sjkessel.blogspot.com Reviews of young adult and children's literature. Nice website called: The Hungry Readers.
4.Map of Time/A Trip Into The Past www.jgburdette.wordpress.com Navigating through someplace called history. Very informative and well laid out history site.
5. Fumbling With Fiction http://www.chandlermariecraig.wordpress.com Great site for tips on writing.
These sites are worthy of the Liebster Award. All are interesting and fun. Again, thank you Sue for the Liebster. It has sent me down a road of a great investigation and fun reading.To those of you receiving the Liebster Award, please check out the other recipients.
Diane Mae Robinson, www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
by http://www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
THE WORD LIEBSTER IS A GERMAN WORD MEANING FAVORITE
I received the Liebster Award from Sue, the super smart reviewer, at Kid Lit Reviews
The Liebster Award is given to a blog site with less than 200 followers, that someone (Sue) finds especially interesting and wants others to notice. To accept the award, there are a few things I must do:
* I must publicly thank the giver of the award: THANK YOU SUE! YOU'RE AWESOME!
* Tell five things about myself:
1. I have mutiple jobs and some days get mixed up where I'm supposed to be. I work full time in a dental office, part-time as an art teacher for children, I do bookkeeping for two businesses from my home, and I am a writer.
2. I am very klutzy.
3. I am an environmentalist. Yes, I hug trees daily and recycle almost everything.
4. I love animals. I have 4 dogs, and aquarium full of fish, and 3 horses: two horses in retirement and one I ride regularly.
5, I am just learning to ride a motorcycle--refer to #2 and you will understand why this is so scary.
*Nominate five websites I love and want to share:
1. Bugs and Bunnies http://bugsandbunnies.blogspot.com This is a book reviewer with wonderful insight and has a author/illustrator spotlight on Fridays.
2. HipWriterMama http://hipwritermama.blogspot.com Musings about life, writing and children's books. Website at: www.hipwritermama.com I like this lady.
3.Through a Child's Eye http://sjkessel.blogspot.com Reviews of young adult and children's literature. Nice website called: The Hungry Readers.
4.Map of Time/A Trip Into The Past www.jgburdette.wordpress.com Navigating through someplace called history. Very informative and well laid out history site.
5. Fumbling With Fiction http://www.chandlermariecraig.wordpress.com Great site for tips on writing.
These sites are worthy of the Liebster Award. All are interesting and fun. Again, thank you Sue for the Liebster. It has sent me down a road of a great investigation and fun reading.To those of you receiving the Liebster Award, please check out the other recipients.
Diane Mae Robinson, www.dianemaerobinson.tateauthor.com
Another Major Speaking Event
So I've decided I can't be afraid of speaking in front of a crowd anymore. It seems that publishing a children's book is going to make the author speak to children. I have, although, come a long way in the -public speaking department. They say everything happens for a reason, and I truly believe that.
A few years ago, I would have crumbled speaking in front of even two people I didn't know. But the thing that happened was that I was asked to start teaching watercolor art to children. My first art gig was with about 8 six year old and an teaching evaluator to assess if I was capable of teaching what I said I could. I was prepared but so nervous I couldn't breath. When I looked at all the notes I'd made to start teaching,and then to all these little eyes waiting for me to begin, first I couldn't speak then I thought I would faint. I knew I had to do something and soon. I took a few deep breaths, walked around the room, then just closed my teaching books and started talking from the heart, teaching them what I know. The more I just concentrated on teaching and interacting, it seemed like my conscious, scared self took a backseat to my confident-in-what I know self. The class went very well.
Many art classes later, I don't feel that extreme nervousness any longer, although there is still a bit of it. The confidence to speak in front of a crowd comes with practice. And I'm so glad that I had that practice.
A week ago I had to speak to a large crowd of kids and teachers at a local school. Had I been trying to do that a few years ago, it never would have happened. I was still nervous before the school event, but I had to think of ways to settle myself. Herbal tea, deep breathing, eyes closed doing self visualization. It all worked extremely well.
At the school event, I read some of my book Sir Princess Petra, then the kids asked me alot of questions, which they had prepared before. The kids wanted to know what it was like to be an author (it's something a person is drawn into and you have no choice but to write), did I have another job (yes, 4 other jobs), what inspired me to write about Petra (I wanted a strong girl heroine and mulled over her for months to create her), and why were onions in the story (mostly just because I'm Ukrainian). They wanted to know who my favorite author was (Terry Goodkind).
After all the questions, we still had some time left, so I read another story that I wrote that isn't published yet. The kids and teachers loved it all. They clapped and cheered and my heart soared, knowing I was doing what I was meant to do.
I wasn't expecting to sell a lot of books here, but to my surprise, people made a long line. Some had already bought the book and wanted it signed, but 20 others bought the book right there. I was surprised, because my marketing manager told me that most of these events sell 5 -8 books, and that's all okay because it's a part of getting your name out there.
I have another school event booked in March, and this one will be with about twice as many people. So, even as I write this, I get the butterfly thing happening, but I will do my deep breathing and visualization to prepare, and I will succeed. Diane Robinson
A few years ago, I would have crumbled speaking in front of even two people I didn't know. But the thing that happened was that I was asked to start teaching watercolor art to children. My first art gig was with about 8 six year old and an teaching evaluator to assess if I was capable of teaching what I said I could. I was prepared but so nervous I couldn't breath. When I looked at all the notes I'd made to start teaching,and then to all these little eyes waiting for me to begin, first I couldn't speak then I thought I would faint. I knew I had to do something and soon. I took a few deep breaths, walked around the room, then just closed my teaching books and started talking from the heart, teaching them what I know. The more I just concentrated on teaching and interacting, it seemed like my conscious, scared self took a backseat to my confident-in-what I know self. The class went very well.
Many art classes later, I don't feel that extreme nervousness any longer, although there is still a bit of it. The confidence to speak in front of a crowd comes with practice. And I'm so glad that I had that practice.
A week ago I had to speak to a large crowd of kids and teachers at a local school. Had I been trying to do that a few years ago, it never would have happened. I was still nervous before the school event, but I had to think of ways to settle myself. Herbal tea, deep breathing, eyes closed doing self visualization. It all worked extremely well.
At the school event, I read some of my book Sir Princess Petra, then the kids asked me alot of questions, which they had prepared before. The kids wanted to know what it was like to be an author (it's something a person is drawn into and you have no choice but to write), did I have another job (yes, 4 other jobs), what inspired me to write about Petra (I wanted a strong girl heroine and mulled over her for months to create her), and why were onions in the story (mostly just because I'm Ukrainian). They wanted to know who my favorite author was (Terry Goodkind).
After all the questions, we still had some time left, so I read another story that I wrote that isn't published yet. The kids and teachers loved it all. They clapped and cheered and my heart soared, knowing I was doing what I was meant to do.
I wasn't expecting to sell a lot of books here, but to my surprise, people made a long line. Some had already bought the book and wanted it signed, but 20 others bought the book right there. I was surprised, because my marketing manager told me that most of these events sell 5 -8 books, and that's all okay because it's a part of getting your name out there.
I have another school event booked in March, and this one will be with about twice as many people. So, even as I write this, I get the butterfly thing happening, but I will do my deep breathing and visualization to prepare, and I will succeed. Diane Robinson
Thursday, 9 February 2012
This blog is going to be dedicated to talking about children's books, whether you're published or unpublished. I am a newly published children's chapter book author, and the road to get there was hard and incredible. My advice to writers trying to get their foot in the door--work hard, never give up, and always, always follow that spiritual voice that tells you what to do.
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