Did You Miss Last Night's Interview?

I know a few writers who are regretting the fact they didn't listen to my live virtual book tour last night with Moody fiction editor Andy McGuire. The exchanges provided a series of valuable information for any writer interested in writing children's books or in particular writing fiction for Moody Publishers.

Here's the good news: you can still listen to the full interview--even download it to your iPod or computer and hear it on your own schedule. Just follow this link. This session was recorded and late last night I made a few edits to the interview (mostly cleaning up some pauses) then I added a short music introduction for the beginning and the end. Next I moved the material into the replay page (see the illustration). It's not too late for anyone to hear this information so just go to the link, give your first name and email address. In the question box, you can mark "no question" since they will not be used because the interview is over.

It will take you to the replay page. Notice at the bottom of my illustration the little yellow "tell-a-friend" tool, you can use it to send a short email to others about this valuable resource. Why is it valuable? Through listening to Andy, you can learn specifically about the types of fiction books which he is actively looking for Moody Publishers. How does he process a submission? How much of it does he read? This information is in the interview and will help you target your submission to Moody Publishers.

Also in the children's market area, how can you gain a hearing for your manuscript? What does it take and how did Andy do it for his first children's book, Rainy Day Games? You can learn this information through the teleseminar along with other great insights.

The only way you will miss out on this information is if you don't go over there and get it. I want to keep learning and growing in my knowledge of the publishing business and the market. I learned a great deal during this session and you can too.

A Rare Opportunity For You

Unless you travel to a writer's conference or a trade show, it's often difficult to reach an editor with your questions--especially if you are new to the world of book publishing.

There are several challenging areas of the book marketplace for writers. First, the children's market is a challenge. Many beginning writers read dozens of children's books to their own children and decide, "I could have written that book. In fact, I think I'll try." These writers throw down some words on a paper and begin sending out their materials to publishers. Before long they receive a nice little stack of rejection notices--which they don't understand. I'll admit that I didn't understand much about this market from the publisher perspective until I worked as an acquisitions editor and brought children's books into the publishing house. It is not easy and full-color printing is expensive. I've seen the financials for some of these children's books and to most would-be authors, the numbers are staggering. I know a number of writers who would like to have some inside information about how to get their own children's books published.

And what if you are an illustrator for your own children's books? It is possible but it is even rarer for a writer to make the words and the illustrations for their own children's book. I want to tell you about a new children's book called Rainy Day Games by Andy McGuire. I've read this book and Andy's artwork combined with his elegant words is remarkable.

Here's the rare opportunity for you: you will get to ask Andy some questions about this work through a live virtual book tour on Wednesday, June 18th. Just go to AskAndyMcGuire.com and ask your question and sign up. If you can't attend the event, it will be recorded and you will receive the replay link and be able to download it to your computer or iPod. Rainy Day Games is Andy's first children's book which he wrote and illustrated.

Andy has a fascinating day job as the fiction editor at Moody Publishers. Whenever I set up these teleseminars, I ask the author for something which we can give the participants as an "ethical bribe" or gift. It turns out Andy had four unpublished chapters of a how-to book on how to write a novel. I poured this material into an Ebook template to create Novel Writing Curriculum. Everyone who asks a question and signs up for next week's event, will be able to download this 47-page book on the confirmation page. In addition, at the bottom of the confirmation page, you will be able to tell your friends about this event.

As the host and creator of next week's teleseminar, I'm excited about the opportunity to interview Andy and learn about his children's writing but also about how he handles his fiction editor role at Moody Publishers. I hope each of you will sign up and take advantage of this learning opportunity.