Increase Your Productivity

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Because I’m involved in publishing, publishers and authors will send me books to review. As a literary agent or editor, writers will send email pitches or book proposals or manuscripts in the mail for consideration. If I am not consciously organizing this material, it does not take long for the paper and books to overwhelm my workspace and bottleneck any level of productivity. 

Maybe you’ve had this experience where the piles around you grow to such a level that you can’t accomplish anything because you spend half of your time looking for a particular item. I’ve walked into the offices of some editors, and they have paperwork piled everywhere. Some can barely reach their computer and desk because of the work piled around them. These editors have learned to work in the middle of such chaos, but it doesn’t work for me. 

Another editor friend is so organized that she has each of the books on her shelf alphabetized by the author’s last name. I’m definitely not that organized! The key to productivity for your publishing dreams is to create a system to tame the paper tigers in your life, the time wasters such as physical mail and email. 

Let’s return to the basic time wasters and find a solution for each one. 

First let’s tackle your email. There is no rule that you have to read or respond to every single email. In fact, it is unrealistic to have this expectation. Also reevaluate your participation in online email groups with high volume participation. What value are you getting from this group? Can you drop out or go into a digest format and skim the responses? It is worth your examination to find a more effective way to handle these emails. 

Veteran coach and management consultant David Allen has written a best-selling book I recommend called GETTING THINGS DONE. For every email or physical mail in your in-basket, Allen recommends you determine first, “Is it actionable?” If not, it goes into the trash, begins a tickler file so you can act on it later, or is filed for reference in a place you can retrieve it. If you look at the item and decide you can take action, then in less than two minutes, handle it (do it), delegate it (to someone else) or defer it (take action at a later date and set a specific time). These three steps move the items out of the holding pattern and into action or productive steps. 

Combined with these steps, Allen recommends you process the top item first, then the other items one at a time, and you never put anything back into the “in” basket. Use these steps as you handle your regular mail as well as your email. 

It’s important for each of us as writers to experiment and adopt whichever habits will work for your writing life and increase your productivity. I’ll have more insights next month with a second part about this topic of productivity. Each of us is on a journey to discover and use what will work for our writing life. 

Tweetable:

Want to increase your productivity for your writing life? Discover some new ideas from this prolific author and editor in this article. #writinglife #pubtip (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Story Behind My “The more you. Know…” Motto

Making Publishing Decisions the Frugal Way

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, novelist, poet, and
author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

 

The internet spreads a cruel notion among new authors. They are led to believe the well-respected publisher they are “sure” to acquire employs a magical entity who will apply literary voodoo to their manuscript and come up with the perfect book they dream of. The truth is authors might achieve that dream better by publishing their book themselves like Faulkner or Hemingway did or hire someone (or many someones) to achieve that goal. To carry that idea a little further, they might have to do much of what they think they’ll avoid with traditional publishers anyway. The stories we hear about the does, don’ts, and what ifs are often fairy tales borrowed from the centuries before this new millennium.

A more practical way to make publishing choices is to make a list weighing the suitability of the title of your WIP (Word in Progress), the author’s preferences, personality, and pocketbook and then break each of those categories into as many as an author can determine are applicable to their project. The graph you build will not make the decision for you—the idea that it’s always your choice is usually a bit of a fairytale, too. But it will give you a more realistic expectation for your WIP as well gaps in learning you still need to do. That process is never ending. 

 

Your list would look something like this. 

1.The title. 
    a. Some genres—even some writing styles—are simply

more difficult to get into print; that range of difficulty can

vary with the different aspects of publishing process from

covers to formatting, to interior design, to developing 

index that librarians expect in nonfiction books.

b. Some titles depend on publication within a current

timeframe that cannot wait for the traditional search for an

agent or publisher. Once a contract with a publisher is

signed, it can easily take a year to get a book to library and

bookstore shelves.

2. The author’s personality. 

a. How honest can the author be about their own strengths 

and weaknesses.

b. How willing is an author to learn what it takes to partner

with publishers or those they must hire.
3. The author’s preferences.

a. How flexible can the author be when they meet unexpected exigencies.

b. Can the author welcome input/demands regarding their creative work, or—minimally—be willing to ask or negotiate with a publisher’s team or those they must hire.

c. Some authors go in search of an agent before they are aware that most take about 15% of the royalty a publisher allots to what they think will be the author’s “share.”

4. The author’s pocketbook.

a. In any publishing scenario, there will be unexpected expenses—sometimes insurmountable. The most disappointing is ending up with a publisher who isn’t a true publisher, that is, it doesn’t cover important needs like marketing or charges hefty fees for what the author could better do themselves.

5. Time Considerations. That would be for the tune the author needs to invest to learn more about the different aspects or the process they believe is right for their situation as well how quickly the book must be available to the public to accommodate current or coming news cycles.

a. This list is long on possibilities and includes most

everything from marketing and PR skills like speaking,

making videos, etc. to the basics of writing a successful

query letter.

b. Most experts strongly suggest that the book cover not be

one of those you hope to do yourself, even if the author is

an artist. Book covers require a graphic artist with

marketing knowledge, knowledge of printing in color and

the delicate mathematics needed to make the cover fit

many elements of a book from book dimension to weight

of the paper to width of the spine.

 

You can see that both the success and joy of your publishing journey will depend on what you know. I borrowed the phrase “The more you know…” from the hours of TV I spent watching MSNBC on a cruise when their own ad campaign took place of paid ads to meet cruise system parameters. It started to make more sense when I finally turned my computer on to tackle the self-editing project I had planned for sea days. I had already spent a few years trying to sift through rumors at expensive writer’s conferences and critique groups populated by others as new to the publishing industry as I was. I could feel the truth to that MSNBC adage through to my bones.

 

The two best ways for authors to learn is to eschew how-to books written for everyone. To learn what I needed to know to avoid the publishing potholes I had been falling in. I now tell my clients to take specific classes in writing and other aspects of publishing at accredited universities which is also expensive, but their instructors and information are usually carefully vetted. I also tell them to read books—even used paperbacks from Amazon—written by those same instructors or experts—people with lots of experience learning the stuff our traditional industry expects of us! Eventually I became one of those instructors myself (at UCLA) and started to write texts for my classes and for everyone else including the emerging do-it-yourselfers. You know, not for everybody but books precisely for the needs of publishing authors.

 

Here is a list of those books and there are more recommendations in the appendixes of each one: 

 

The Frugal Book Promoter, The Frugal Editor, The Great First-Impression Book Proposal, Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers from Modern History Press as well as

How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically that was self-published and will soon be available in a second edition from Modern History Press. Hurry! Amazon was showing a 46% discount on the Book Proposal paperback! 

MORE ABOUT TODAY’S COLUMNIST

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor which won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethicallylaunched to rave reviews from Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Reviews and others: 

 

“How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically [and other books in the series] could well serve as a textbook for a college Writing/Publishing curriculum.”

 

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. 

                  

The author loves to travel. She has visited nearly 100 countries and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes. Learn more about her books for writers and her creative work in the media room on her website.

The Takeaway

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

Most of my clients know what they want the takeaway of their book to be. 

It may be to demonstrate kindness, overcome fear, be a good friend, learn responsibility, learn about conservation, become self-confident, learn coping strategies, realize the importance of family…

Now and then, though, I still get clients who think a list of events constitutes a good story. They have a tough time understanding the elements that need to go into making a story work, such as character arc, story arc, plot, and a story’s takeaway. 

WHAT IS A BOOK’S TAKEAWAY?

The takeaway in children’s writing refers to the central message, moral, or theme that readers are meant to understand or remember after finishing the story. It's what leaves an impact, inspires thought, or teaches a lesson. In children’s literature, the takeaway is typically simple, clear, and age-appropriate, often woven seamlessly into the story, and should be conveyed subtly.

The takeaway is what the reader will find memorable, leaving a lasting impression that will hopefully prompt the reader to consider new perspectives or apply the information learned to their own lives. 

EXAMPLES OF TAKEAWAYS IN CHILDREN’S WRITING

Picture book: “Stephanie’s Ponytail” by Robert Munsch. 

Stephanie's upset because the kids in her class copy every hairdo she creates. Finally, she outwits them, and they never copy her hairdo again. 

As well as being a fun read, the takeaway teaches children about creativity, independence, self-confidence, imagination, and being daring. 

Chapter book: “Walking Through Walls” by Karen Cioffi

The protagonist, Wang, begins his journey as a selfish, lazy kid. But striving to become rich and powerful, his heart is awakened to what riches and power really mean.

The takeaway is two-fold: not all things are as they appear, and richness and power can be more than gaining external things. It touches on friendship, loyalty, honesty, and hard work.

TIPS ON CRAFTING TAKEAWAYS IN CHILDREN’S WRITING

It's All About Subtlety:
Avoid overt preaching; let the actions and consequences of the characters deliver the message.

Example: Instead of saying, “Sharing is good,” show a character sharing their toys and making a new friend.

Make It Relatable:
Focus on themes children experience, like friendship, bravery, or honesty.

Example: A boy overcomes his fear of public speaking to join the school play, teaching bravery and confidence.

Keep It Age-Appropriate:
Simplify complex themes for younger readers. For older kids, explore deeper ideas like compassion or resilience.

End on a Positive Note:
Even if the story includes struggles or setbacks, it should leave readers with hope or encouragement.

TAKEAWAY IN PRACTICE

Imagine you’re writing a story about a lonely dragon who learns to write poems that bring joy to the townspeople. 

The takeaway could be: “Using your unique talents can connect you to others.” Instead of saying this outright, you’d show how the dragon’s poetry gradually breaks down fears and builds friendships.

The key is to balance storytelling with meaning, allowing the message to shine through the actions and emotions of the characters.

So, as you’re writing your children’s story, think of the takeaway. What message do you want to instill in the reader? 

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi. 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

And connect with Karen on social media.

 

Why Distribution Is Critical

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

For many years I have been writing and studying publishing. There is a critical matter that almost no one talks about the importance: distribution. For over 40 years, I’ve been writing for publication, both magazines and books. During these years, I’ve written for over 50 different print magazines, and I’ve also spent years as a magazine editor. 

My first book, a short children’s book, was published in 1992 and since then I’ve written more than 60 books with traditional publishers such as Zondervan Publishing House, Thomas Nelson Publishers, St. Martin’s Press, Alpha Books, and Tyndale House Publishers. 

No one goes into a bookstore with the intention of finding a particular publisher, yet these name-brand publishers have a high standard that ensures the quality of their books. Traditional publishers know how to distribute their books through the best possible sales channels. 

In addition to working with many different publishers as an author, for over five years, I worked on the inside of two publishers as a book acquisitions editor. I fielded submissions from individuals and literary agents and then championed the books internally at the publishing house, secured the publishing teams agreement about the value of a book, and negotiated the book contract. Because I’ve worked in almost every aspect of publishing, I have a unique perspective to write about the realities of the publishing business. Now for the last 13 years I’ve been acquiring books for a New York publisher, Morgan James Publishing, one of the top independent publishers and in business over 20 years. 

Whether I am participating in an online group or at a conference I meet writers who have grown impatient with the publishing world and have decided to self-publish their work.

If you have a book of poetry or short stories you would like to distribute to your family or friends, self-publishing is a good route. However, most writers don’t think about the critical element of distribution when they publish their book. When these writers self-publish their book, they take on the complete distribution, sales, and marketing for their product. It never crosses the uninitiated’s minds how to sell the book. They assume that their books will be sold through the local bookstore, which is difficult to achieve. Self-publishing is a viable alternative, however, to authors who speak and can sell their books in the back of the room. You will need these types of outlets to sell books if you choose to self-publish. 

Several years ago, a pastor decided to self-publish a book of his sermons. Excited to have a printed book, he announced to an online group that he planned to spend considerable amount of time the next few months contacting nearby bookstores and taking orders for his book. 

What this pastor did not understand is the typical bookstore carries about 10,000 to 15,000 titles. It is not surprising that you don’t find your particular book in the store. This writer was operating under the false assumption that bookstores would carry his self-published book. In fact, bookstores resist any self-published book and rarely stock them in their bookstore. The reason is that these books can’t easily be ordered through the same system as traditional books and, in general, they don’t sell. Because these books fall out of the normal procedures, they are often not returnable to the publisher. 

Unless you work inside publishing, you may have never heard that books can be returned to the publisher for the full price. Essentially they are sold to the bookstores on consignment and the stores have complex programs to monitor the sales of their titles. If the books don’t sell within a typical time period of 60 to 90 days, they are returned to the publisher for a full refund. This practice presents a huge problem for traditional publishers who consider it a good sale when a book has a 40 percent return or less. The self-published book falls outside of the normal channels for the retailer and with thousands of titles, he can’t make a special effort for a single book.

Many self-published authors are only selling their book on Amazon and their own website. At Morgan James Publishing where I work, Amazon is a large customer but only 24% of our overall business. If you’ve published with Amazon you are missing 76% of where MJP will distribute your book. We sell in the brick and mortar bookstores and on over 180 online platforms including Target. From my perspective, this critical detail is an important one to take into consideration as you look at your publishing options. 

With self-publishing you have the total responsibility, and I’ve met authors who have spent thousands of dollars in the creation process of their book which has limited distribution. Before you publish, I encourage you to explore the various possibilities—including Morgan James. If I can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out. The exploration process costs nothing but time and may help you with some great potential heartache about distribution when you are down the road on the publishing journey.

Tweetable:

There is an often forgotten and critical element (distribution) when an author selects a path to publish their book. This prolific author and editor encourages awareness and wisdom  with your choice. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

4 Tips to Writing a Marketable Kid's Book

 

Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

 Writing is a business, at least if your intent is to sell your writing.

With that in mind, it’s not that the marketing end of your writing should put a damper on your muse, but there are a few key marketing components that you need to keep in mind when writing.

1. Your audience.

It’s been said over and over that you need to have a target market – a target audience for your book.

If you think about it, you’ll realize that’s true.

Imagine you wrote a story about your Alaskan adventure.

Who do you think would be interested in it? Who do you think would buy your book?

Now imagine you wrote a children’s middle-grade fantasy. 

Same questions.

But the answers will be different.

In an article at Live, Write, Thrive, the author takes this a step further. She advises to analyze your ‘perfect’ reader. Find out what he likes. Does he have any pets? Does she like sports, music, or art? What’s her family life like? What about school? What about friends? The deeper you go, the better.

With the answers to these questions, you can craft a story tailored toward that reader. Or you can include tidbits that a particular reader can relate to in a story you are already writing.

Maybe your reader is a junior lifeguard and cross-country runner. And, he has an eighty-pound, bronco-jumping Bernedoodle.

With this knowledge, you can craft a story that incorporates elements relative to the readers’ age group without detracting from the story’s creative process.

2. Have a worthwhile theme.

First, what is theme?

One explanation of theme is from MasterClass: “In simpler stories, the theme may be a moral or message: ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ In more complex stories, the central theme is typically a more open-ended exploration of some fundamental aspect of society or humanity.”

The theme should be subtly woven into your story.

But there are occasions when you don’t know what the theme of your story is until it’s complete. 

Six of the most common themes are:

-Good vs. evil
-Love
-Redemption
-Courage 
-Coming of age
-Revenge

As a children’s ghostwriter, the themes I see most often from clients are:

-Be who you are
-Acceptance
-Being a good friend and making friends
-Kindness
-Bullying
-Environment

For a children’s writer or someone who wants to be the author of their own children’s book, the themes tend to be geared toward bringing awareness to children. The themes are usually about teaching children, guiding them, subtly. 

3. Be different.

It’s challenging to come up with a unique story. Everything that can go on in life has been written about. 

So, how do you keep your story fresh?

A good way to do this is to study recently published books in your genre. Make the bulk of them traditionally published, as they would have had to get past the gatekeepers.

There are two reasons for researching traditionally published books:

A. As mentioned, the storyline and writing will be good…good enough to make it past the gatekeepers.

B. Publishing houses know what’s being received well and what’s not. They’re doing a lot of research that you can take advantage of.

After you research your contenders, buckle down and write a story that’s better, one that has a different spin. This may take a great deal of effort, but it will help make your story stand out; it will make your story unique.

Want to stay away from popular stuff? Think about historical fiction. 

If you go this route, just keep in mind you need an audience that will be interested in it.

You might even get ideas from folktales. Not the ‘overly done’ ones, but older, ancient tales. 

Whatever you write, make it your own.

4. Write a good story.

You can take all the steps necessary to create a marketable children’s book, but if the story isn’t properly written, if you don’t have a good story, those steps will be for naught.

A quick breakdown of the elements needed to write a good story:

-Theme (we discussed this already)
-Plot
-Story structure
-Characters
-Setting
-Style and tone
 
To learn what’s involved in each of these elements, you can check out:
6 Tips on What Makes a Good Story?

If you have any other tips on writing a marketable children’s book, please put them in the comments.

Referenced article: https://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/06/09/3-ways-to-plan-a-marketable-novel/ 
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach (picture and chapter books). If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi. 

You can check out Karen’s books HERE.

You can connect with Karen at:
LinkedIn: karencioffiventrice 
Facebook: kcioffiventrice 
Instagram: karencioffikidlitghostwriter 
Twitter: KarenCV

 

Why Every Writer Needs to Publish

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

It’s no secret in the publishing community but an important truth: editors and literary agents are reading their submissions and looking for people who have been published (have experience) so they can publish them again. This age old practice seems unfair to new writers who have spent a lot of time and energy on a book submission. The best way to get attention is to create a publishing track record in the print magazine area. 

You may believe print magazines are dying but that is not true. The 2026 Christian Writers Market Guide lists over 150 periodicals. The editors have told you what they want in their “writer’s Guidelines.” It’s fairly easy to reach 100,000 or even a million readers with a magazine article. If a book sells 5,000 copies during the lifetime of the book that is a good number. 

On the surface, the path to publishing might not show you the diversity and range of possibilities for your writing. From speaking to hundreds of writers, I find many of them are focused on a particular area of writing such as writing a novel or a children’s book. They haven’t understood the value of learning good storytelling and communication skills that are relevant and useful for many different areas of writing. 

Because these writers are focused on a small niche area of publishing, it’s almost like they are wearing blinders and can’t see any other possibilities. In this article, I want to challenge you to remove your blinders and see the wealth of possible application for your writing within the publishing community. While each area of publishing has its own specific requirements, good writing and storytelling skills can be used in multiple areas to strengthen your overall career. 

For example, you may want to write a book and have done a little exploration but the only companies who have responded to your questions are the publishers who want you to pay them to get your book into print. These companies are called self-publishers. Instead, you are looking for a traditional publisher who will pay you an advance, then print and distribute your book. Yet because you have no background in book publishing, you don’t understand that 90 percent of nonfiction books are contracted from a book proposal and a few sample chapters, rather than a complete book manuscript. Without this critical detail, you have focused on writing a full-length book manuscript. Then you discover it may take you 12 months to find a literary agent who has to locate the right publisher. Then you learn it will take a longer-than-expected span of time for this publisher to release your book—normally 12 to 24 months after you turn in your manuscript. To a beginner, this realistic and practical publishing timeframe isn’t evident on the surface.

Also, writers don’t understand they can gain valuable training, experience, and exposure through writing magazine articles. From idea to assignment to publication with a printed magazine can be four to six months. This is a much shorter timeframe than books which can be 18 to 24 months. Every editor is actively looking for writers who can communicate—whether they are a newsletter editor, an online editor, a magazine editor, a book editor or anyone else who has the title “editor.” 

As a young magazine editor, I quickly learned I had to do less editorial work and could have greater confidence in assigning an article to a published author than an unpublished author. I read the ideas and considered giving the assignment to the unpublished author, but their chances dramatically improved with any type of publishing experience. 

Magazine and newspaper writers learn valuable skills that help their success with a longer project such as a book. These writers learn to write for a specific audience or publication and to write within a specific word length. Also, through the writing process, they learn the value of a focused headline or title and relevant subheads scattered throughout the article, as well as hooking the reader with a tightly written opening. Then they continue to feed information to the reader as they structure their writing and conclude the article with a focused point called a “takeaway.” These writers also learn the importance of meeting a specific deadline (or a better way to stand out with the editor is to complete their assignment before the deadline). In addition, writers can learn the skill of rewriting and following an editor’s direction. Sometimes your article will be “almost there” but not quite. Can you follow the editor’s directions and complete the assignment to their satisfaction? 

It’s much easier to learn about this process on a 1200-word magazine article than a 50,000-word book project. Finally, these writers built trusted relationships with their editors—newspaper and magazine. Many of the editors I’ve worked with have moved up to higher paying publications or have become book editors or editorial directors. The seeds of my relationship with them were planted through my magazine writing. As a new writer you need to understand the necessity of building these lasting publishing relationships. 

Tweetable:

Writing books? Professionals in publishing are looking for experienced writers who have been published. This prolific author and editor gives the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.