tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post117399997626157771..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Q & A 104Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174066238247117722007-03-16T14:30:00.000-04:002007-03-16T14:30:00.000-04:00Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I think I'll wri...Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I think I'll write the whole thing with bad design and images as if it were a member of the series I have in mind. And actually a blog reader has contacted me about that. Even though the odds are low that my exact idea will pan out, I'll have all the materials for a stand-alone if desired. Worst case scenario, I'll have a bunch of images to teach my college student with, should that day arrive.pacatruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125048243775811714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174060208130519662007-03-16T12:50:00.000-04:002007-03-16T12:50:00.000-04:00Yeah, how about a proposal? Send it to agents. Wai...Yeah, how about a proposal? Send it to agents. Wait. Wait some more. Then wait some more. When you're finally ready to jump off a bridge, you'll get an answer. Hopefully, it's a good one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174059137186725962007-03-16T12:32:00.000-04:002007-03-16T12:32:00.000-04:00There are specialist organizations and publication...There are specialist organizations and publications for children's books, you know. Research skills are essential for nonfiction writers.<BR/><BR/>All the nonfiction writers I know do a lot of proposals and pitching, most of which come to nothing - sort of. It's not unusual to pitch Project A and be asked: "But do you think you could do Project B?" As in: We've already contracted for a book on linguistics, but what do you know about etymology?<BR/><BR/>Work on a book, learn the ropes of the business, and be flexible - all at the same time. Don't get so married to one project that it's the only one you're ever willing/able to do.<BR/><BR/>And don't tell me you don't have time, or don't know where to start finding out. If you want to do something, it's your business to make time, and to learn where to find out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174054096907657952007-03-16T11:08:00.000-04:002007-03-16T11:08:00.000-04:00pacatrue - I, too, think this sounds like fun. Ok...pacatrue - <BR/>I, too, think this sounds like fun. Okay, yes, I have a degree in linguistics. But I think it would interest my daughter as well.<BR/>-mbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174047823839372362007-03-16T09:23:00.000-04:002007-03-16T09:23:00.000-04:00"I'm going to stick with freaky sounds, weird mean..."I'm going to stick with freaky sounds, weird meaning things, and cool writing systems. Freaky, weird, and cool."<BR/><BR/>This sounds really good - best of luck with it. I would have loved to have something like this for my girls.Robin S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03258459688300851984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174010972561463162007-03-15T23:09:00.000-04:002007-03-15T23:09:00.000-04:00Thanks for the idea, Andrew, about packagers. And ...Thanks for the idea, Andrew, about packagers. And yes, Marissa, this is a kiddie linguistics book where I try to leave in all the cool things and dump the boring stuff, which means no sentence phrase structure. Even though I just wrote a paper on phrase structure, I don't know how to keep myself interested in it, much less a 9 year old. I'm going to stick with freaky sounds, weird meaning things, and cool writing systems. Freaky, weird, and cool. That's the mantra.pacatruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04125048243775811714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174008939413834702007-03-15T22:35:00.000-04:002007-03-15T22:35:00.000-04:00Yeah, this sounds probably right. So if I wanted t...Yeah, this sounds probably right. So if I wanted to have a page where I explained how people make the cool clicking sounds like the Bushmen make in The Gods Must Be Crazy, then I'd do my own bad drawing of the throat and mouth with the tongue and larynx in the appropriate place, or find a drawing in textbook X which I might not have rights to, and write the text based on that. Then, when the book is being sold (hahahaha), the real illustrator would do it right, or the publishing crew would try to obtain rights to the image.... Maybe.<BR/><BR/>Well, when it's done and the query/proposal is written, people can weigh in and tell me if I did it correctly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174006930661723202007-03-15T22:02:00.000-04:002007-03-15T22:02:00.000-04:00I'll take a wild guess myself and bet that most bo...I'll take a wild guess myself and bet that most books like that mostly come out of packagers to begin with, probably through multi-book contracts. (If a publisher's list has the same author doing several of the books in a series like this, that would be evidence that my assumption is correct -- those writers might even be staffers at the packaging company.)<BR/><BR/>This author might be better-served searching out packagers who put together childrens' non-fiction, and trying to get into the business from that end.Andrew Wheelerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07373318300627953040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1174006777921013672007-03-15T21:59:00.000-04:002007-03-15T21:59:00.000-04:00I would love to find a book on kiddy linguistics f...I would love to find a book on kiddy linguistics for my kids, but then again, I think consonant shifts are sexy. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am weird.<BR/><BR/>But I would imagine that this would be handled like any non-fiction proposal--you've got to have the text before you can do the charts and find all the photo bites and so on, so that the series editors can make sure it's appropriate for their line.<BR/><BR/>Start hunting agents who represent children's non-fic, and maybe have another two or three ideas semi-thought-out to pitch as well so that you're not a one book wonder. And I hope you get to do this project some day soon.Marissa Doylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11248406475808085694noreply@blogger.com