Love Books? Amish or Otherwise?

Are you a book lover? If so, today might be a lucky day for you!

Today, October 5th, is the "book bomb" day for Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World. Revell Publishers is encouraging you to buy a copy of Amish Peace at your local bookstore or on-line. Then, just shoot off an e-mail where you bought it and your name will be entered into a drawing for a basket of books of Revell authors!

A sweet prize!

And to make it even sweeter, I am giving away two Amish (genuine!) cookbooks...the proceeds of which are donated to the victims of the Nickel Mines Schoolhouse shooting.




Above is a picture of the site of that very schoolhouse, which was razed ten days after the shooting (three years ago--October 2, 2006). I was fortunate enough (blessed is a better word!) to meet some of the families affected by the event.
Graciously, they gave me permission to share their stories in Amish Peace. A few of the families put together this cookbook. Part of the healing, I think.

And it is a wonderful cookbook! I use it often! The one that makes me smile is called "Boyfriend Impresser Bars." (Isn't that a breaking-the-stereotype title for an Amish cookie?! I teased the young Amish woman from whom I bought this cookbook and she turned a shade of plum!)

So folks...today is the day! Go ahead...buy a copy or two of Amish Peace. Then e-mail me: Suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com) or amy@litfusegroup.com and your name will be put in a hat for the drawing.

Ahem. I mean, a bonnet.

Book Bomb!

Been wondering what a book bomb is?

Sounds a little scary, in this day and age of high security alert on just about...everything!



But it's not! This book bomb is entirely harmless. Downright beneficial!

On Monday, October 5th, Revell Publishers is encouraging everyone so inclined to buy a copy of Amish Peace , send me or my publicist, Amy Lathrop, an e-mail telling us where you bought it...and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a gigantic basket of books from Revell. Not my book...other great Revell authors' books!

Hope you'll consider it! Amish Peace makes a perfect Christmas gift for your neighbors, your great Aunt Ethel, your kids' teachers, your dog catcher, mail man...you catch my drift.




Amish Peace has a gentle Christian message without whacking anybody on the back of the head with a two-by-four. It can be read at many levels. For those who have an interest in the Amish culture. Or...for the deeper message...of incorporating principles of simplicity and forgiveness and God's sovereignty in your life. A lot of folks are using it for small group study or personal devotions.

One of my Revell editors gave a copy to her pastor...and he quoted it in the Sunday sermon!




So if you're thinking about buying it...Monday's the day! And shoot me or Amy an e-mail to let us know, so we can enter your name in Revell's drawing!

suzanne@suzannewoodsfisher.com or amy@litfusegroup.com

And thank you!

This Promotion Gig

As I update my blog today, I'm in between two radio interviews. One was at 5:30...AM! BEFORE COFFEE. Which meant I woke up every few hours to make sure I hadn't overslept. And I had very, very weird dreams. Like my entire extended family was in the kitchen with me during the interview...just staring at me.



Finally, at 5:15 AM, I got up, started the coffee pot... and looked through my notes to make sure my brain and mouth were synchronized.

It was for a live commuter radio show in Missouri...and I really enjoyed it! The two hosts were genuinely interested in the takeaway value of the Amish life.

One thing I'm finding with these radio interviews, no matter how well you prepare, the host has his/her own ideas of what he/she likes to talk about. Usually, it's something you're completely unprepared for. Talk about trying to be fast on your feet! And remember...I'm a writer! I like to edit myself!

No such luck with live radio. Alas.

In about thirty minutes will be the next interview, so I'm letting the puppy try to get out all of her energy so she won't get hurt feelings when she's popped back in her crate.

Promoting books is half the life of a published author. It takes quite a bit of energy...especially when you're not "smoooooooth" at it. Like me. I have a friend who is a remarkable author--he had a blockbuster best seller! But he disliked promotion so much that he gave up the writing side and is now an editor at a large publishing house.

I'm finding that I do like this promotion gig, though I don't sleep well before events, and I never feel as if I hit any speaking event out of the ball park. But I respect that an author is partnering with the publisher. Book promotion is a skill set we writers need.

And when your publisher does something like mine did for me this week...well, I'd be willing to take a speaking engagement on the moon! (Even though I'm horribly claustrophic and would be worried about how we going to get this flying tin can back to earth for 99.9% of the trip to outer space.)

Drum roll...please...



I found out on Monday that The Choice, my first novel with Revell, has been chosen as a Main Selection for Crossings.

That...is...a...WOW.

After the Proposal: the Wedding

So what happens to your book proposal after you've poured your blood, sweat and fears into it? (Be sure to read my previous post so you're ready for this part).

Submission: If you have an agent (difficult to interest one with a first book, but if it's good enough, it's possible), you submit it to him (in my case, Greg Johnson of WordServe Literary Agency) and he in turn, tweaks it to his high standards and then submits it to an editor at a publishing house. Actually, he sends it to more than one. If you don't have an agent, you submit the proposal yourself after you've received a positive response to your query (one-page pitch letter).

Literary Limbo-land: You wait. Your proposal is piled with the other submissions and sometime within the next six months (a week or two if you're lucky), the editor sneaks a peek at it. If interest is piqued, she will likely read it thoroughly and discuss it with the editorial team at an "acq ed" meeting (acquisitions editorial).

They will be looking at all aspects of your proposal: your writing skills, idea, timeliness of topic, author platform, marketability, voice. If your proposal falls flat at any point along this continuum, a rejection letter will find it's way to your in-box or mailbox.

Hope on the Horizon: If your submission makes it past the acq ed board, you can start to breathe again, but don't bet the farm yet. It is passed on to the Pub Committee, where many projects are nixed. The Pub Committee is made up of the big cheeses: the publisher, editorial director, marketing director, sales director, and sometimes even the CFO. The question now is not just whether the book is good (it wouldn't have made it this far if it wasn't), but will it sell? Is it a good fit with the publishing company? Is it too much like any other projects already in the works? (This last question killed at least one of my books.)

This is where your book is studied under a microscope. The market will be analyzed and numbers crunched: first-year sales projections, production costs, royalty rates, etc. You are now an objective product that must be processed.

The Engagement Ring: If your book is still alive and well at this stage, a contract offer will be forthcoming via your agent (if you have one). If it doesn't make this final cut, your "pass" letter will arrive (they don't like to call them rejection letters but you and I know that's what it feels like). You are free to try another publishing house, and I highly recommend that you do so.

But if the glitter of a diamond announces an engagement, you're to be congratulated!

Stay tuned next week for the next exciting steps to publication . . .

*Special thanks to Rachelle Gardner, WordServe Literary Agent for her input; if you don't already get her excellent newsletter, you should sign up!

Proposals from the Heart

Had any good proposals lately?

Not marriage, silly. Book proposals, of course.

Since my mind has been totally absorbed lately with preparing the proposal for my new book, I thought I'd review the contents of a good proposal with you. You'll probably end up with 10-20 pages (be sure to number them and include your name/title at the top of each page), depending on the length of your sample chapters. Before submitting (of course you've already sent a one-page query at this point and have received the green light to send the proposal) , make sure you study the guidelines of each agent/publisher you're targeting. You may need to tailor your proposals separately if there's more than one.

One sentence synopsis: difficult as it is, you need to be able to boil the gist of your book down to one sentence. This nutshell description will come in handy for the rest of your life when answering the on-the-run question, "So what's your book about?" It's basically a teaser designed to give the general topic but mostly entice the listener to want more. Example from my novel, The Distant Shore: Because love is never too lost or too late.

One paragraph synopsis: These carefully crafted 2-3 sentences are slightly more expansive but need to be full of pull-the-reader-in power wordage without appearing forced. This is the description of your book which may very likely be used for publicity purposes.

Overview: 4-5 paragraphs that read like back cover copy, because that's basically what it is. Study the back covers of your favorite authors to see how they artfully blend description with can't-wait-to-dig-in enticing verbiage so that you simply must head to the check-out with this one.

Audiences: who is your target audience? Age, gender, special interests, affinity groups. Why will they buy your book? What will your book do for them? Don't ever say: Everyone everywhere will love my book. Might as well stamp AMATEUR on your forehead. Pin down a specific category: young adult, middle grade, women 18-35, empty-nesters, etc.

Book Mission: Why is it essential for your book to be out there? What need will your reader feel that your book quenches? You can't just say "entertainment" here - there should be a felt need that drives the reader to buy your book, e.g. for my book Mom Needs Chocolate, the mission was to help women make it through the motherhood tunnel with their faith not only intact, but stronger than it was before.

Format: page count, word count, bookstore category, book format (hard cover vs. paper), current status (completed, half finished, etc), and special features (photos available, side bar quotes, anything extra you can offer as options are a plus).

Author bio: not too long, but do list your most impressive writing-related accomplishments. DON'T list your curling or hotdog-eating awards unless that's what the book's about.

Publishing history: you may not have much to list here yet but the pub will want to know.

Marketing Strategy: How do you intend to help get the book out? What's your platform? (If you're not sure what this means, scroll back to previous posts where we've discussed platform.) Do you blog? Have you a website? Media contacts? Willing to travel for book promotion?

Potential Endorsers: Not a wish list of people with whom you have no contact, but honest-to-goodness potential names who will likely give you a decent cover blurb (as highly recognizable as you can get in the genre or interest groups for your book). You may be surprised how many kind people will help you out if you just ask. Always good to have 2-3 nailed down and included in the proposal (so get on the phone and e-mail and MAKE some contacts). These don't have to be long or detailed - look at book covers; notice effective one-sentence blurbs that grab your attention.

Competitors: List 3-4 books generally similar to yours. How is yours the same as this bestseller but at the same time, unique and different than all the other books in its genre? Give them a reason for taking a chance on your book.

Book Outline: Self-explanatory

Sample Chapters: Follow the guidelines put forth by the agent/publisher to whom you are pitching. Some require 3 chapters, some more. Include an introduction if you have one.

Now pump it up and get going!

Radio!

Had a seven a.m. radio interview this morning about Amish Peace and had to get up extra early to feed the dogs and get ready.

Fifteen minutes before...shoo my family out the door early. They think they're quiet but they're oh so NOT.

Ten minutes before 7am...lay out all of my paperwork on the kitchen counter and review...to try to refresh my faulty memory. Note on the front door not to ring the bell. Cancel call waiting.

Five minutes before 7am...dogs put in crate so they don't bark. Or, more likely, so the puppy doesn't do something--give me one of her looks, for example--that makes me start to crack up. Totally inappropriate.




One minute before 7am...wait for the phone to ring. Say a prayer. Look at the phone again. Palms start to sweat.

And just when you think that the station has forgotten all about you...the phone rings! And the interview is off and rolling.



Funny thing is that the interviews really are fun. The hosts are great communicators--warm and friendly and talkative and curious. Probably why they're in that field in the first place.

Still, I wish I could speak the way I write. You know, after edits.

As prepared as I try to be, questions always come out of left field and my mind is scrambling to sound mildly intelligent. It's so frustrating to know you're rambling and don't know how to wrap this unwieldly topic up!




But I was much less nervous than the last one. And next week, I have two interviews scheduled, starting at 5:30 am for the East Coast commuters.

So I'll keep working on this interview gig! After all, practice makes perfect.

A Writer's Journey Continued

Yesterday I interviewed two dear ladies for my new book about coping with stress. Each had endured incredible amounts of stress in her life and had grown stronger in her faith because of it.

The first was Tonya, a college-educated mother of eleven, including one severely handicapped son who requires 24/7 nursing care. Tonya and her husband, who works from a home office as an electric company project manager, built a two-story, 3,000-sq. ft, 8-bedroom home on top of a hill overlooking 12 acres of rolling pastureland dotted with their growing herd of cattle and sheep.

Each of the seven homeschooled children still at home has his (all are boys except one) own list of daily chores to keep the family running smoothly. The 13-year-old son aspires to be a chef, so his include cooking and kitchen duty. The younger boys feed the two family dogs while the older ones care for the farm animals. Laundry, house-cleaning and yard duties are divided among each family member.

I was amazed at how well the children played together and the respect they demonstrated toward each other and their parents. "Yes m'am" and "No sir" was normal fare and more than once I overheard the older children gently guide the younger ones to "wait your turn to talk; let him finish, now" when the entire group clamored to answer my questions about growing up in such a large family. The children were bright-eyed and well spoken, often using vocabulary unexpected for their ages during their chatter.

One of Tonya's techniques for maintaining sanity is to awaken at 6 a.m. for couple time with her husband. They start each day with a half-hour devotion and prayer time, strengthening both their relationships with the Lord and each other before the kids pour forth from their bedrooms (they are required to remain upstairs in their rooms until 7 a.m. when breakfast is prepared).

The children have mandatory outside play time for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, during which they create games and competitions in their sprawling backyard. Imaginative and creative games are their passion, and I was treated to a tour of the most incredibly detailed lego structures I've ever witnessed.

Nightly family devotions include Bible readings, discussion of the passage chosen, prayer, and sometimes Bible-related videos. Now I just hope I have the writing skills to do justice to this truly inspiring family!