http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/ All of the things a good writer was supposed to be born knowing -- but none of us actually were. To check out extensive archives or ask a salient question, please visit the Author! Author! website. en-us 2010-03-19T10:31:11+00:00 Publishers Marketplace Anne Mini hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00:00+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/images/PM_rssimg.gif http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/ http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100318063003 We open today with two pieces of bittersweet news from the embattled world of brick-and-mortar bookstores. First, a local tidbit: this weekend would be a phenomenal time to hurry on in to Seattle indie stalwart Elliott Bay Books, because in preparation for their relocation, all used books are 80% off though Monday, March 22; EBB's last day of business in its beloved Pioneer Square location will be March 31. Booklovers need not despair, however: EBB plans to reopen in its new ... Anne Mini 2010-03-18T10:30:03+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100318062753 Remember, please, that the title page should neither be numbered nor carry a slug line: Unlike the first page of text -- or any other page of text, for that matter: Is that wheezing sound an indicator that those of you who meticulously constructed your title pages as separate documents have begun to hyperventilate? Not to worry -- adding your title page to your partial file is as easy as copying it, pasting it into the beginning of the partial, and adding a page break. No fuss, no muss, ... Anne Mini 2010-03-18T10:27:53+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100317235152 I have a noble goal for today, campers: answering a good question from a reader. Quoth the intrepid Kim a few posts back: An agent recently requested a partial of ms. and not being able to find much on how to format that I just included the title page, and the requested pages of the ms. Is there a correct format or protocol for partials? I'm very glad you brought this up, Kim. Although a partial always refers to a manuscript by definition -- the term is shorthand for partial manuscript ... Anne Mini 2010-03-18T03:51:52+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100317234248 What should a partial submission packet include, and in what order? As I mentioned above, agents are usually quite specific about what they want in a submission, up to and including how many pages they want to see. If you doubt this, check out an agency’s website or one of the standard agency guides, then attend a conference where agents are scheduled to speak. Raise your hand and ask whether it's okay to send, say, the 55 pages it would take to round out a chapter when an agent has ... Anne Mini 2010-03-18T03:42:48+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100316061550 The characters change, but the basic plot is always the same, just like a nightmare or a film that Hollywood can't seem to stop remaking. Seven or eight times per year, I receive a frantic call or e-mail from a hard-working writer, usually someone close to polishing off a book. "Please help me!" this anguished soul begs. "Something's happened to my computer, and I've just lost my entire manuscript!" Sometimes, the culprit is mechanical: a computer crash, a virus, a hard drive ... Anne Mini 2010-03-16T10:15:50+00:00 http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/authoress1/index.html#20100316054030 The story ended happily, my veins and I glad to report: I ended up with both a whole skin and my draft. And to tell you the truth, I no longer remember if he got my money or not. (I do, however, remember him begging me to stop telling him about the argument in my thesis -- I had become embroiled in an especially juicy part of Chapter Two -- and admitting that he would, in fact, just be dumping the manuscript into the nearest trash can rather than turning it in for credit.) The dual moral ... Anne Mini 2010-03-16T09:40:30+00:00