Recorded 10/17/2021
Writers Education Zoom: Get Your Book Right Before the World Judges You: What Agents, Publishers, and Reviewers Are Looking For by Dawn Brotherton (Parts 1-4)
New and unknown authors have discovered that the book publishing industry can be hard to break into. If an author chooses to self-publish, it can be difficult to know where to start with the editing, layout, and design, whether doing it for themselves or hiring someone else to do it. This presentation gives authors additional information on what is expected in the visual and technical areas of award-winning books. The next presentation in the series will delve into content and style. Industry standards change over time, so even if you think you know what is acceptable, this workshop is for you!
Dawn Brotherton is an award-winning author and featured speaker at writing and publishing seminars. She teaches for the College of William and Mary Osher Lifelong Learning and writes for Williamsburg Next Door Neighbor magazine. A retired Air Force colonel and softball coach, Dawn writes mystery, romance, middle grade fiction, children's picture books, and nonfiction books.
She completed her first novel in 2010. When she realized how hard it was to attract the attention of publishing houses and how much money they received from her hard work, she decided to go it on her own. She set up Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC, and took on other authors. The focus of Blue Dragon Publishing is to help a writer’s dream become a reality. Dawn’s focus is mentoring people through the process and helping them reach their goals.
Dawn’s presentation will be broken down into four separate Zoom sessions covering the four main evaluation areas in MWSA’s review program:
Part 1 -- Visual
Slide Presentation
Part 2 -- Technical
Slide Presentation
Part 3 -- Content
Part 4 -- Style
Writers Education Zoom: Writing Nonfiction by Ruth Crocker
Ruth W. Crocker is the author of more than sixty publications. Her articles, stories, and personal essays have been featured in The Gettysburg Review, Grace Magazine, O-Dark-Thirty, T.A.P.S. Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Redux, The Bennington Review, Story Circle and several anthologies and trade magazines. Among her writing honors are a notable essay in Best American Essays, a Pushcart Prize nomination, first prize in the Saturday Evening Post’s “Tribute to the Troops” essay contest, and the Lloyd D. Matterson Award for Excellence in Research. Her memoir, Those Who Remain: Remembrance and Reunion After War, received the Benjamin Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association, and the Silver Medal from the MWSA. Her nonfiction book, People of Yellowstone, received Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award in 2017. She holds a PhD from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Education from Tufts University, and a Master of Fine Arts in writing from Bennington College. Presently, she is editor of the National Newsletter of the Gold Star Wives of America, as well as a frequent speaker on the subject of memoir and the craft of writing. She lives and writes in Mystic, CT. Visit her at www.ruthwcrocker.com.
The Zoom session in the video below was recorded on May 15, 2021.
MWSA Visual Checklist
EXTERIOR CONSIDERATIONS
______ Cover art is attractive and draws the eye
______ Cover art relates to the genre and storyline
______ Size and placement of title and author name make them easy to read
______ Back cover blurb, endorsements, and/or bio are legible and interesting
______ Spine information is complete and is the same theme as the cover
INTERIOR CONSIDERATIONS
______ Outside margins allow space to hold the book without covering up words with your thumbs
______ Inside margins allow you to read words in the gutter without prying the book further open
______ Font is serif and large enough to read with ease
______ Space between lines is sufficient that the book lines don’t appear crowded
______ Page numbers appear in the middle or on the outside margin of each page.
______ Odd numbered pages are always on the right side
______ Blank pages do not have page numbers on them
______ Chapter numbers/titles are placed consistently, and there are no headers on that page
______ First paragraph in each chapter is flush left (not indented)
______ Subsequent paragraphs are indented with no space between paragraphs for fiction books.
______ Nonfiction can be formatted like fiction OR no indents, and with a space between paragraphs
______ Length of chapters are approximately the same or intentionally otherwise.
______ Current trend in fiction is toward shorter chapters.
______ Table of Contents must be included for nonfiction but is not mandatory for fiction
______ Paragraphs are blocked (not ragged on the right side) AND without large gaps between words
Writers Education Zoom: Website FUN-damentals by Wendy Meyeroff
Wendy was the presenter for an MWSA Writers Education Zoom session covering website FUNdamentals.
Learn more about Wendy (from her website’s About Me page)
I started working as a reporter and was the managing editor of health care magazines 20+ years ago. I segued into business-to-business advertising and then to public relations.
Early on, I found I could write not only clinical materials but also for the lay public. Indeed, I found I had a definite knack for "consumer-speak," a skill that is lacking among most medical writers.
And thanks to my work in editorial, I’ve also honed my skill in strategy and market analysis. After all, how can you keep a magazine successful if you can’t analyze the changes your audience is facing—and adapt your content accordingly? I brought this “What’s the Story?” (always truthful) mindset into advertising and PR and it was that which led to my consistently creating successful marketing campaigns and rescuing failing ones.
Find out more now. (For a fun marketing story when you call, ask about the Gestational Diabetes pitch restructure. It meant the difference between luring only two reporters at a luncheon and bringing in nearly 30.)
Have a look at Wendy’s slide presentation below, or visit her website: