Time for Wrters to Work Harder On Your Own Reliable Resources

 

Reliable Resources in Greater Danger as Time Goes On

 

My Love Affair with Reliable Resources 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson,

 author of poetry, fiction and the Modern History Press’s acclaimed HowToDoItFrugally Series of book for writers

 

I fell in love with reliable resources when I became a staff writer for my high school newspaper and realized the acquisition of a deep love for that concept surpassed my original attraction for my high school’s Thunderbol. (Was mostly interested in the smart(and cute!) ivy leaguer group of who guys hung out there!) And for very good reason. It turned out the cute boys ignored me, but that being “reporter” who could support my position help me when our editor (or staff advisor) wanted to edit (or ax) one of my columns I could save it by pointing to a reliable resource that supported my viewpoint.

 

I learned more about the value of reliable resources again sometimes around the time CNN introduced the highlight of my weekend TV consumption; I viewed their Reliable Resources as a class in class in constitutional law and began to see the how close the relationship  to my chosen career of  journalism which by then  had served me well through a couple decades of assorted occupations. It was a TV one-of-a-kind and it never occurred to me it wouldn’t remain a staple of the cable station that brought believable news my way during several occasions when I also became aware of dishonesty coming from places I had until then trusted and admired (the Nixon era, and Vietnam and Iraq wars come to mind). It kept me from losing hope for better things to come so I could focus onbuilding a business and raising a family. 

I was appalled when it was cancelled in 2020. I literally mourned for its anchor Brian Stelter who someone managed to survive under the radar with his online Reliable Resources Newsletter. Had I been more of an internet aficionado, his new journey would have helped me avoid years of negativity. Even in these bad moments,  things were getting better. Not perfect but good enough to start believing in Camelot again.

 

Flash forward to slowly growing to love my hometown newspaper. It wasn’t The New York Times, but it was sure enough reliable. I even saw value in it their new management made a highly critiqued move. Though many didn’t agree in when they started re-labeling much of what had traditionally been identified by its placement the Opinion page. That page became “Opinion Voices” and even their columnists were targeted with headlines that carefully delineated in one word, Voices. Yes, both bold and italicized. So did their new label, “guest contributors,” when editors felt that was needed—apparently to strengthen its stance on free speech because it helped readers more easily identify what the simple word opinion had managed to do for a long time across the breadth of trustworthy media.

 

I also follow ideas (and dangers to watch for) that come from PEN America. During her interim co-CEO stint and chief program officer, Summer Lopez, interim co-CEO and chief program office was among the first to warn of the then-recent revelation that a lawsuit by a sitting president was brought against Penguin Random House the world’s largest trade book publisher and two authors for publishing a book!

 

I’ve always been proud of PEN with its global membership of writers and literary professionals). I’ve even participated in some of PEN’s efforts to support young writers by sponsoring seminars, only one of the paths they use to support  our founding fathers’ determination to keep our country operating differently from the European countries they all hailed from. You know. FREE.

 

It turned out I had been ignoring the signals. I opened my daily newspapers to Lopez’s opinion piece dominating the LA Times Opinion page with the decree that reliable resources are in danger again. This administration seems to love the freedom afforded by our courts to speak our minds but tends to rely on diminishing other reliable resources like laws and precedence to govern. It’s clear enough: This lawsuit “against a book publisher” is a “dangerous escalation.”  I only hope that it doesn’t become the straw that broke the camel’s back. I hope that this time the back that gets broken is from that heavy load  known as “truth” hurled by writers themselves. All writers including authors of books and the powerhouse executives that publish their work. I hope they’ll all use the power of the pen to keep resources reliable before we lose the power of free press, free speech and, using Lopez’s words, “the freedom to write.”

 

MORE ABOUT THE “WRITERS-on-the-Move” COLUMNIST

 

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.  Carolyn writes nonfiction for writers, poetry, and fiction and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague, as well as several universities right here in the good ol’ USA. 

 

 

Illustrations or Layout? Which Comes First?

 

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

I read an interesting article from a reputable self-publishing service (1106 Design). The article explains that the best way to produce a children's picture book is to create the interior layout before getting the illustrations done.

This is something I hadn't thought of. But it makes so much sense.

I write a lot of stories for clients, and in the past, that was usually the end of my involvement. That is aside from providing my clients with the names of two or three illustrators and book designers to work with after they have completed manuscripts. But I usually didn’t go beyond that. 

I provide the list because most people new to the writing arena aren't aware of the next steps. They need help.

I’ve since created a self-publishing service for my clients because I know they need help, and I know how many scammers are out there.

So, here are the next steps once you have a completed manuscript, whether you wrote it yourself or had it ghostwritten.

THE DIY BEGINNING 

 Start with the Story

The first step to self-publishing a picture book is having a finished manuscript. 

Once that's done, the author hires an illustrator who creates the interior illustrations, and usually the front and back covers.

How Many Illustrations, What Size, and the Layout

At this point, the author needs to discuss with the illustrator how the book is to be laid out.

Does the author want an illustration on each page? On every other page?

Keep in mind that having an illustration on every other page cuts the number of interior illustrations needed in half. This cuts the cost of interior illustrations in half. It’s a huge factor, and the decision is usually based on the author’s budget.

Once that's decided, the illustrator and author decide if full-page, half-page, quarter-page, or spot illustrations should be used, or a combination. Keep in mind that the type of illustration determines the cost. 

The article I mentioned earlier notes that it's best to let the illustrator lay out the pages for the text and illustrations. It creates a much more professional and engaging finished product.

If you look at books like “The Berenstain Bears”, "D.W. The Picky Eater" by Marc Brown, or even “Sophia Mouse” (a simple chapter book), the text can be anywhere on the page. But it needs to work with the illustrations.

You want to be able to easily read the text.

This is why your illustrator needs a copy of the manuscript to create the layout before creating the illustrations. This way, the illustrations fit the space allotted to them.

A great way for you to determine how you want your picture book to look is to do some research. Find books that you like and let your illustrator know what look you'd like to go for.

So, when going into this, find out whether the illustrator inputs the text.

I work with an illustrator who doesn’t even input the cover text. 

Know what you’re getting into.  

If the illustrator doesn’t input the text, you will need to request that he ensure he leaves enough room for it.

This goes for chapter books as well. 

Your Illustrations are Done

Once the illustrations are done, the illustrator will give you a PDF file or the individual illustrations, including the cover. You will send everything, including the manuscript, to the book designer/formatter. 

The book designer will put it together. You will, however, need to explain which illustration goes on which page and where on the page. A good formatter will know what to do.  

When done, the book formatter or designer will give you print-ready files for ebook and print upload to sites like Amazon (retailer and distributor), IngramSpark (aggregator), or whatever retailer or book distributor you intend to use.

This is the Do-It-Yourself way.

AN ALTERNATIVE

If the above seems like too much work, you do have an option: hire a self-publishing company to do it all for you.

Before I go on, picture RED FLAGS here.

There are A LOT of companies out there that just want your money. And every year, they’re getting more devious. So, BUYER BEWARE. 

Research, research, research self-publishing companies before handing over your money.

Once you find a reputable company, they will take your manuscript and illustrations and put the book together for you.

Some of these companies even offer illustrations, making your life easier. 

Just be sure the self-publishing company handles children's picture books. This is very important. And make sure the illustrators they hire are experienced.

One reputable company is 1106 Design. Just keep in mind that the convenience comes at a price. 

If you're a children's author and have a picture book or simple chapter book, a reasonably priced option is  Writers on the Move Self-Publishing Service. 

AGAIN, be careful. 

To read the 1106 Design article, click the link: https://www.1106design.com/2017/01/25/want-to-publish-a-beautiful-childrens-book-heres-how

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you’d like to learn more about writing for children or  need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi. 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

Connect with Karen on SOCIAL MEDIA.