Book Proposals and Queries

I have been on a reading kick of all the books of Elizabeth George I can find. If you like mysteries, I highly recommend her books. Today I've found a book on writing that she's written and her down-to-earth advice makes me want to start writing fiction again.

I know for a fact that there is more money in nonfiction; nonfiction is easier to sell; nonfiction is dealing in facts but can be done creatively so the imagination is involved; nonfiction is easier for me than fiction. In nonfiction, you don't have to write the book first; you submit a proposal and if someone wants to buy it, then you get to work writing. With fiction, you have to submit a query on a completed manuscript. So much work and you don't know if you'll ever sell it.

See, I know all the reasons I should stick to nonfiction, but reading George's book on how to write fiction makes me want to jump right in and begin a new book. I have sent a fiction query (a cover letter telling about me and my writing experience, the book's audience, length of book, premise and theme; a short summary of the book; and two chapters) to an agent and haven't heard yet so I've been working on my three nonfiction projects while I wait.

Actually I'm putting together proposals for each of the nonfiction books. First the table of contents, then the summary, then a bio for me which is already done, then a list of books on the market that are similar to my proposed book and why my book fills a market gap. Add a cover, a cover letter, and a sample chapter and I will be ready to submit.

Right before the Christmas holiday is not the best time to submit as everyone is getting ready for the holidays and won't want to be bothered reading yet another proposal, so I have set a date of January 26 to have my proposals ready, or at least one of them. That gives me wiggle room!! I'm sure I can manage to finish one, and, if I complete two, then I will be so proud of myself. We writers are so insecure sometimes that we have to find all kinds of ways to pat ourselves on the back and bolster our morale.

But then, after I've submitted my proposals and I'm waiting to hear, I think I may try my hand at fiction again. In the meantime, I work at nonfiction during the day and snuggle up with a good mystery at night. Ain't life grand???

Gaining perspective

I continue to write daily. Yippee! I was afraid that, as Christmas got closer, I would mess up and decide to wrap gifts or bake goodies instead of write. So far though I am keeping to my promise to myself to write each day without fail. Of course, I don't have all my gifts bought yet so that may become a problem later on.

The trouble is that I have three projects that I am currently working on. I want to finish them all but, when I am busy working on one, I get an idea for one of the others, so I go back and forth and nothing ever gets finished. Does anyone else have this problem?

I found the name of an agent who is currently looking for the type of non-fiction book I am writing (inspirational) and would really like to finish at least one so I could submit it. Not that I have to complete the entire book--with nonfiction, you can submit an outline and table of contents and a summary for a proposal and, if you sell it, complete the book. So that is all I have to finish now.

I love blogging! I just reminded myself of something that I know and, in fact, have taught in nonfiction workshops and in my online workshop on writing nonfiction, that I only need to get the outline, table of contents and a summary and tentative word count and I will have enough to send to an agent. So, instead of concentrating on the actual body of the book, that is what I'll do!

Sometimes we get so close to a problem we forget what we already know and go off on a tangent. I think that happens not only about writing but about life and relationships in general. So maybe writing a journal or a blog and putting your thoughts down make you look carefully at what you're doing and you gain perspective. Today's blog has certainly done that for me. Hope it's helped you too.

Scheduling Writing Time

I was right! It took me a few days, but I am back to writing at least one hour a day, more when I have more free time.

But this is the wrong way to think about it. I need to consider writing as my job; phone calls, shopping, family matters (unless there's bleeding involved), should not be allowed to interfere with my writing time. That's so easy to say, but what do you do when someone comes to the door and it is your writing time? Or calls. Easy enough to say, don't answer, but suppose it's an emergency?

I could tell family and friends that my writing hours are such and such and not to disturb me at those times. That would lessen the disturbances. Or I could choose hours that are less likely to be disturbed which is what I am going to try. I am going for one hour in the morning before my grandson comes and one hour in the evening after he goes home. That doubles the time I have been spending at the computer and I have so many projects to complete, I need all the time I can get. I'm aiming for one hour on my magazine work and one hour on my books. Let's see how it works!