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I've been in several writing groups and workshops and it always amazes me how many perfectly competent writers sabotage themselves by sending an agent or publisher a good novel in a bad manuscript. I think that they believe that only the content counts, so they slap their novel -- the book they may have spent years working on -- down on electronic "paper" in the same format they use for their blogs or e-mails, add a copyright notice on the first page, and hit "send." The first impression is that this is from an amateur or a first-timer.
And it isn't entirely the writer's fault, either. Unless you've been through the MFA factory, you may have never seen a novel in standard manuscript form.
But agents and publishers have. And when a publisher looks at your electronically-submitted novel, one of the things she sees is the money she's going to have to shell out -- by the hour -- to the person who's going to have to go through this mess and take out all the extra spaces you put in because you don't know how use the Tab key, or the extra lines you put in between paragraphs, or your fancy fonts.
Maybe you don't know how to properly use your word processing program. Are you kidding me? You're a writer and you haven't taken the time to learn this? That's like a stoner not knowing how to use a bong.
I run a small fiction writers' group and the first thing I did was give them the instructions for formatting a standard manuscript; I'm now passing it on to you. All this is for Microsoft Word.
Set your page layout for a 1.5" margin all around. Text is double spaced, 12-point type, Times New Roman or Courier font preferred. No spaces between paragraphs. Indent the beginning of each paragraph using the Tab key with the tab set at about 5 spaces. At the top right hand corner of each page should be a header (use the Header and Footer option from the View menu) that basically looks like this: title/your last name/ page #. Use the Insert Page Number button from the Header and Footer box and it will automatically change the number when you add or delete pages.
On the FIRST page only of the manuscript, put your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the top of the left side, single-spaced. Opposite that on the top of the left side, put the word count.
Start about halfway down the first page and type, single-spaced, centered:
And it isn't entirely the writer's fault, either. Unless you've been through the MFA factory, you may have never seen a novel in standard manuscript form.
But agents and publishers have. And when a publisher looks at your electronically-submitted novel, one of the things she sees is the money she's going to have to shell out -- by the hour -- to the person who's going to have to go through this mess and take out all the extra spaces you put in because you don't know how use the Tab key, or the extra lines you put in between paragraphs, or your fancy fonts.
Maybe you don't know how to properly use your word processing program. Are you kidding me? You're a writer and you haven't taken the time to learn this? That's like a stoner not knowing how to use a bong.
I run a small fiction writers' group and the first thing I did was give them the instructions for formatting a standard manuscript; I'm now passing it on to you. All this is for Microsoft Word.
Set your page layout for a 1.5" margin all around. Text is double spaced, 12-point type, Times New Roman or Courier font preferred. No spaces between paragraphs. Indent the beginning of each paragraph using the Tab key with the tab set at about 5 spaces. At the top right hand corner of each page should be a header (use the Header and Footer option from the View menu) that basically looks like this: title/your last name/ page #. Use the Insert Page Number button from the Header and Footer box and it will automatically change the number when you add or delete pages.
On the FIRST page only of the manuscript, put your name, address, phone number and e-mail address on the top of the left side, single-spaced. Opposite that on the top of the left side, put the word count.
Start about halfway down the first page and type, single-spaced, centered:
title
by
your name
Chapter One
by
your name
Chapter One
Then start your text, and it must be double-spaced. If you've got a quotation that goes before Chapter One, or a Prologue, put it where it belongs, before the chapter.
At the end of each chapter, insert a page break by going to the Insert menu and choosing Page Break. This will automatically add a paragraph mark and a new page for you to start typing Chapter Two.
When you finish, type The End. If you've got a dedication, acknowledgements or anything else you can put them at the end -- for now. If the publisher buys this book, you're for sure going to see this manuscript many, many times and you can put it at the beginning before the copyediting starts.
The entire manuscript should be in one document. Never add a copyright notice -- only beginners do that.
Now, should you use real italics and boldface or indicate them by underlining? Depends. Most publishers these days want you to include the actual formatting. If you indicate italics by underlining the words, you might be faced with taking every one of those underlines out and replacing the words. If the publisher or the agent has a website, they'll usually tell you what they prefer.
And this is another thing. If you're submitting your book to a specific publishing house or agent, ALWAYS CHECK THE WEBSITE, if any, for the submission guidelines.
More and more, we're seeing books that go through the entire editing process without ever being printed on paper. My current novel never saw paper until the actual book came out. But submitting your work in a professional format always makes you look good.
At the end of each chapter, insert a page break by going to the Insert menu and choosing Page Break. This will automatically add a paragraph mark and a new page for you to start typing Chapter Two.
When you finish, type The End. If you've got a dedication, acknowledgements or anything else you can put them at the end -- for now. If the publisher buys this book, you're for sure going to see this manuscript many, many times and you can put it at the beginning before the copyediting starts.
The entire manuscript should be in one document. Never add a copyright notice -- only beginners do that.
Now, should you use real italics and boldface or indicate them by underlining? Depends. Most publishers these days want you to include the actual formatting. If you indicate italics by underlining the words, you might be faced with taking every one of those underlines out and replacing the words. If the publisher or the agent has a website, they'll usually tell you what they prefer.
And this is another thing. If you're submitting your book to a specific publishing house or agent, ALWAYS CHECK THE WEBSITE, if any, for the submission guidelines.
More and more, we're seeing books that go through the entire editing process without ever being printed on paper. My current novel never saw paper until the actual book came out. But submitting your work in a professional format always makes you look good.
Writers are always looking for the perfect place to write. We dream of antique desks in paneled libraries with a fireplace crackling across from us. Sleek glass-walled penthouses with chic designer desks. Rustic cabins with fantastic views and the sound of a running creek or the sea. Or a romantic cafe table in Paris.
Yeah, right. Most of us would settle for a private room in the house with a door that locks.
And we know good and well that when we start writing and really get into it, that whatever space we're in disappears. I've got a gorgeous office in what was once the dining room of a Victorian house. It has a wall of bookshelves, a built-in china cabinet to store supplies, a high ceiling, a wall of windows -- it even has a fireplace. So you can imagine my surprise when I got more work done in a 4-ft. square bare room with no windows and blank walls at the public library. And that's because it has no TV, no kitchen, no cats, I can't get the library's wi-fi to work, and there's bad cell reception. I'm bored into productivity.
But we all want that ideal office. And like guys in locker rooms, we're endlessly curious about what everybody else has.
The U. K. newspaper, The Guardian, has decided to pander to our writer's envy by posting pictures of the various rooms and offices of writers, both modern-day and the historical greats. And you'll be gratified to learn that -- plain or fancy -- most of them are messy. If you think beautiful spaces naturally go with success, wait until you see where Roald Dahl wrote. Dahl had horrible back problems and his workplace solution involved a broken-in armchair, a board, and what looks (and I think is) a cardboard paper-towel roll. Peter York looks over his once-pristine space and wonders, "How did this happen?" Virginia Wolfe had a nice space but she was constantly being driven crazy by the noise, especially when her husband was sorting apples in the room over her head. See the rooms of writers, artists and composers here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/w
Author Paige Cuccaro has posted pictures of writers' offices on her website here: http://www.paigecuccaro.com/html/the_cav
Click on the picture for the office -- clicking on the name takes you to author's website. She has a couple of nice shots of my old office, the one I had before my grand space.
These days, I'd just be happy if my office was clean.
Yeah, right. Most of us would settle for a private room in the house with a door that locks.
And we know good and well that when we start writing and really get into it, that whatever space we're in disappears. I've got a gorgeous office in what was once the dining room of a Victorian house. It has a wall of bookshelves, a built-in china cabinet to store supplies, a high ceiling, a wall of windows -- it even has a fireplace. So you can imagine my surprise when I got more work done in a 4-ft. square bare room with no windows and blank walls at the public library. And that's because it has no TV, no kitchen, no cats, I can't get the library's wi-fi to work, and there's bad cell reception. I'm bored into productivity.
But we all want that ideal office. And like guys in locker rooms, we're endlessly curious about what everybody else has.
The U. K. newspaper, The Guardian, has decided to pander to our writer's envy by posting pictures of the various rooms and offices of writers, both modern-day and the historical greats. And you'll be gratified to learn that -- plain or fancy -- most of them are messy. If you think beautiful spaces naturally go with success, wait until you see where Roald Dahl wrote. Dahl had horrible back problems and his workplace solution involved a broken-in armchair, a board, and what looks (and I think is) a cardboard paper-towel roll. Peter York looks over his once-pristine space and wonders, "How did this happen?" Virginia Wolfe had a nice space but she was constantly being driven crazy by the noise, especially when her husband was sorting apples in the room over her head. See the rooms of writers, artists and composers here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/w
Author Paige Cuccaro has posted pictures of writers' offices on her website here: http://www.paigecuccaro.com/html/the_cav
Click on the picture for the office -- clicking on the name takes you to author's website. She has a couple of nice shots of my old office, the one I had before my grand space.
These days, I'd just be happy if my office was clean.
The annual September 11 remembrance day has gone, not that anyone's likely to forget that horror. After all this time, we're still trying to process the unthinkable, and it seems like we'll never be able to fully comprehend the scope of sorrow.
But it seems like some people have not only gotten over 9-11, but they've made a marketing opportunity out of it. Hey, this is America, amirite? What better way to commemorate a tragedy than by making a buck? Gordon Gecko would be so proud.
The always-amusing and ever-snarky Regretsy.com had some pictures of the most egregious of what they called "Tragicrafting." Among the truly tacky merchandise on offer were 9-11 hair scrunchies, a 9-11 coat for dogs, and a Twin Tower whiskey flask, which could come in handy for getting so drunk that you might conceivably tolerate all this junk.
But the clear winner in the sorry sweepstakes was this atrocity:
WTF were they thinking? Toys for Terrorists? I'm only surprised they didn't include tiny people falling from windows.
Watch for the Twin Towers salt & pepper shakers. Surely they're available somewhere.
See more unfortunate merchandise at
But it seems like some people have not only gotten over 9-11, but they've made a marketing opportunity out of it. Hey, this is America, amirite? What better way to commemorate a tragedy than by making a buck? Gordon Gecko would be so proud.
The always-amusing and ever-snarky Regretsy.com had some pictures of the most egregious of what they called "Tragicrafting." Among the truly tacky merchandise on offer were 9-11 hair scrunchies, a 9-11 coat for dogs, and a Twin Tower whiskey flask, which could come in handy for getting so drunk that you might conceivably tolerate all this junk.
But the clear winner in the sorry sweepstakes was this atrocity:
WTF were they thinking? Toys for Terrorists? I'm only surprised they didn't include tiny people falling from windows.
Watch for the Twin Towers salt & pepper shakers. Surely they're available somewhere.
See more unfortunate merchandise at
The only thing harder about writing a book is waiting for it to come out.
Blood of the Saints is right on track, with a publication date of April 9 from The Wild Rose Press. Which means I'm overdue to do my press releases and set up blog tours, but that's nothing new.
The Voodoo Moon Trilogy is another story. This one's way past its first publication date of December, and it looks like it'll be maybe April. The problem is the book cover. There have been several interesting designs for it, but none of them has worked out. However, the last one I saw, a couple of weeks ago, was very good. It broke away from the usual werewolf-book trope because it has no wolf on the cover. This is a tough book cover to design, since the book has always appealed to both horror fans and romance readers: what appeals to one won't necessarily appeal to the other. And book cover design is a marketing art, as all you writers know.
Just bear with me, and watch the bookstores and on-line booksellers.
Blood of the Saints is right on track, with a publication date of April 9 from The Wild Rose Press. Which means I'm overdue to do my press releases and set up blog tours, but that's nothing new.
The Voodoo Moon Trilogy is another story. This one's way past its first publication date of December, and it looks like it'll be maybe April. The problem is the book cover. There have been several interesting designs for it, but none of them has worked out. However, the last one I saw, a couple of weeks ago, was very good. It broke away from the usual werewolf-book trope because it has no wolf on the cover. This is a tough book cover to design, since the book has always appealed to both horror fans and romance readers: what appeals to one won't necessarily appeal to the other. And book cover design is a marketing art, as all you writers know.
Just bear with me, and watch the bookstores and on-line booksellers.
I've become convinced that this show is a fake. People can't be that stupid, and if they could, you surely couldn't find enough of them to fill a TV show. The cast of Jersey Shore has to be composed of talented actors, highly skilled in making us believe that they have IQs in the negative digits. If these people are indeed real, it's the scariest thing on TV.
When did people like this become even vaguely interesting? Narcissistic idiots with strange hair and no morals, drunken skanks and belligerent blockheads? The worse their behavior, the more delighted the producers become and the more air time they get. At least the uplifting message is getting across that it doesn't matter if you're ugly: the cast of Jersey Shore isn't concerned with anything going on above the neck. See, you got your redeeming social value right there!
What the heck is going on here? These are the people that inspire you to work hard so that you can afford a house in a neighborhood as far away from them as possible. Even with the low standards for reality TV, this is scraping the bottom of the gene-pool barrel. If you wonder what it takes to become a celebrity in America, try this: Ask someone to name this year's Pulitzer Prize winner. Now ask what's the real first name of some asshole who calls himself "the Situation."
The implications for the future are dire, if role models are any indication. This Halloween, the most popular costume seemed to be Snooki. The question is: what the hell were the parents of these kids thinking? Is this what they want for their daughters?
I guess it could be worse. They could be Bristol Palin, a girl famous for absolutely nothing except getting knocked up. In Alaska, no less. What else is there to do up there in the winter? And they didn't use birth control? Did the condoms all freeze up, or what?
But there's hope. Maybe the popularity of Jersey Shore is due to the fact that watching these folks makes us feel smug to know that, no matter how bad things get, no matter how screwed-up our lives are, at least we're not them.
When did people like this become even vaguely interesting? Narcissistic idiots with strange hair and no morals, drunken skanks and belligerent blockheads? The worse their behavior, the more delighted the producers become and the more air time they get. At least the uplifting message is getting across that it doesn't matter if you're ugly: the cast of Jersey Shore isn't concerned with anything going on above the neck. See, you got your redeeming social value right there!
What the heck is going on here? These are the people that inspire you to work hard so that you can afford a house in a neighborhood as far away from them as possible. Even with the low standards for reality TV, this is scraping the bottom of the gene-pool barrel. If you wonder what it takes to become a celebrity in America, try this: Ask someone to name this year's Pulitzer Prize winner. Now ask what's the real first name of some asshole who calls himself "the Situation."
The implications for the future are dire, if role models are any indication. This Halloween, the most popular costume seemed to be Snooki. The question is: what the hell were the parents of these kids thinking? Is this what they want for their daughters?
I guess it could be worse. They could be Bristol Palin, a girl famous for absolutely nothing except getting knocked up. In Alaska, no less. What else is there to do up there in the winter? And they didn't use birth control? Did the condoms all freeze up, or what?
But there's hope. Maybe the popularity of Jersey Shore is due to the fact that watching these folks makes us feel smug to know that, no matter how bad things get, no matter how screwed-up our lives are, at least we're not them.
The three books of the Voodoo Moon Trilogy are being re-published in one volume! And the release date is December 16. I'm really excited about this, since readers have been asking where they can get the single books they've been missing, and some of the books are selling for outrageous prices. Here's a link from Amazon.com if you want to pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Voodoo-Moon-Trilo
If you have a problem with the link, just go to Amazon and search under my name. Have a good time reading!
If you have a problem with the link, just go to Amazon and search under my name. Have a good time reading!
At last there's a release date for my new book, BLOOD OF THE SAINTS! It's coming out in April of 2011, and it'll be available in paperback or as an e-book. If you want to read it, and I hope you will, you can't just walk into your local bookstore and buy it -- it'll be available only through online bookstores like Amazon and B&N, or directly from the publisher at thewildrosepress.com.
BLOOD OF THE SAINTS is unusual in that it features Lucifer as a main character, and not an entirely unsympathetic one. In fact, I think he's one of the most interesting characters I've ever written -- charismatic, witty, tortured by the memory of his past, and very aware that almost all his troubles are of his own making. During the course of the book, he's been looking for his lover, whom he lost when they both fell from grace.
You can read a short synopsis and a blurb at my website, http://www.cheriscotch.com
Those of you who have been waiting for the re-issue of the werewolf trilogy -- I wish I had more news for you, but I have no idea when it's going to be published.
BLOOD OF THE SAINTS is unusual in that it features Lucifer as a main character, and not an entirely unsympathetic one. In fact, I think he's one of the most interesting characters I've ever written -- charismatic, witty, tortured by the memory of his past, and very aware that almost all his troubles are of his own making. During the course of the book, he's been looking for his lover, whom he lost when they both fell from grace.
You can read a short synopsis and a blurb at my website, http://www.cheriscotch.com
Those of you who have been waiting for the re-issue of the werewolf trilogy -- I wish I had more news for you, but I have no idea when it's going to be published.
I'm totally bummed. Like a lot of writers, I just found out that some bimbo on a Yahoo group is encouraging people to download one of my werewolf books from a pirate site.
The book in question, THE WEREWOLF'S KISS, was the first in a trilogy. And yeah, it was written quite some time ago, in 1992. But hey -- the copyright is still in force and if someone's going to read it, I'd appreciate it if they actually bought the book, so I'd make some money off of it.
Another thing is that all three books are supposed to be re-issued soon, all in one paperback volume.
Apparently, pirate sites and those who use them believe that copyrights are bogus and that all books should be free of charge, that we writers are only writing books for the fun of it and don't expect to be paid. Okay, most of us aren't paid MUCH, but we're still doing this to make a living.
Another thing -- this book was never an e-book. So somebody had to scan it or type it out to convert it to downloadable form. Can you imagine doing that?
Anyway, I've complained to Yahoo about the group and I wrote to the group's owner telling her to cut it the &%$# out.
We'll see if anything happens.
The book in question, THE WEREWOLF'S KISS, was the first in a trilogy. And yeah, it was written quite some time ago, in 1992. But hey -- the copyright is still in force and if someone's going to read it, I'd appreciate it if they actually bought the book, so I'd make some money off of it.
Another thing is that all three books are supposed to be re-issued soon, all in one paperback volume.
Apparently, pirate sites and those who use them believe that copyrights are bogus and that all books should be free of charge, that we writers are only writing books for the fun of it and don't expect to be paid. Okay, most of us aren't paid MUCH, but we're still doing this to make a living.
Another thing -- this book was never an e-book. So somebody had to scan it or type it out to convert it to downloadable form. Can you imagine doing that?
Anyway, I've complained to Yahoo about the group and I wrote to the group's owner telling her to cut it the &%$# out.
We'll see if anything happens.
- Mood:
annoyed
Don't get me wrong. I like sex and sexy stories as much as anyone.
But the recent spate of "revelations" about Tiger Woods and his oh-so-pathetic sex problems just make my butt tired. Are we done hearing about this loser yet? And yeah, he's a loser. Despite what he does on the golf course (which ain't exactly saving the world -- he's a frikin' JOCK, fer goshsakes!)the guy is way short of a role model for anyone, let alone young boys. And is he sorry he banged all those 'hos who knew he was a married man? Well, he's sorry he got caught. He's sorry he put his endorsements in jeopardy. Too bad he couldn't have been sorry after the first time he cheated on his wife -- and stopped.
What is the deal with these over-entitled cases of arrested development? And who cares about their "sex addictions." No matter how many times they stand up in front the cameras tearfully apologizing, they're still sending a bad message to boys, who see them as idols. And that message is -- if you get caught, just apologize and all that bad behavior will be forgiven. You'll still be rich, you'll still be famous, and the press will still flock to your door, ignoring people of real achievement.
Let's hope the press gets as bored with these sleazebags and their equally sleazebaggy girlfriends as most of us already are.
But the recent spate of "revelations" about Tiger Woods and his oh-so-pathetic sex problems just make my butt tired. Are we done hearing about this loser yet? And yeah, he's a loser. Despite what he does on the golf course (which ain't exactly saving the world -- he's a frikin' JOCK, fer goshsakes!)the guy is way short of a role model for anyone, let alone young boys. And is he sorry he banged all those 'hos who knew he was a married man? Well, he's sorry he got caught. He's sorry he put his endorsements in jeopardy. Too bad he couldn't have been sorry after the first time he cheated on his wife -- and stopped.
What is the deal with these over-entitled cases of arrested development? And who cares about their "sex addictions." No matter how many times they stand up in front the cameras tearfully apologizing, they're still sending a bad message to boys, who see them as idols. And that message is -- if you get caught, just apologize and all that bad behavior will be forgiven. You'll still be rich, you'll still be famous, and the press will still flock to your door, ignoring people of real achievement.
Let's hope the press gets as bored with these sleazebags and their equally sleazebaggy girlfriends as most of us already are.
