Some things to keep in mind

I recently posted an ad on an online group looking to hire authors for a 16-book series. Of course I received responses for many more than I needed, but I was able to hire those I needed.

For the same series, I posted ads on two online groups looking for an editorial proofer. Again I was deluged with responses, which was fine. But, I could not believe the errors I found in the e-mail and even on the resumes. People, people, if you're applying for such a position, check, check, and check again before hitting that send button. Needless to say that those applications with errors were tossed.

Two other things came to my attention during this process. First, please put your name (or at least your initials) in the resume file name. Many just put dates or what kind of resume it is (proof, edit, etc.). This means the reviewer has to rename the file in order to aid in access. Though we're not talking about hours of work, it's time that the individual could spend doing other things.

Also, be professional in the e-mail. I know that might sound petty, but many of the e-mail applications were quite chatty rather than professional. You never know if the e-mail is going to be forwarded to someone else. Also, some people hesitate to hire individuals they know. It can be an awkward situation, especially if things do not go well. As the person doing the hiring, I need to know that the individual will take the position seriously and will not take advantage of a personal relationship.

Just things to keep in mind.

Cats and Freelancing

I belong to several freelance editing and writing lists. I must admit that I am amazed at the number of freelancers who work with a cat by their side. And, I must admit that I fall into that category as well.

I have seven cats: Herman, Eddie, Clarence, Marlin, Purrl, Phoebe, and Norman. Another cat, my darling Lily, died almost a year ago. At the time, I had a full-time in-house job, but I also freelanced a great deal. Lily loved to sit behind my laptop and nap while I worked. After she died, Clarence took over, relishing in the heat being thrown out by the laptop.

When my laptop crashed a month or so ago and I had to get a new one, Clarence decided that it wasn't nearly as warm behind my new computer, so he found a new place to snooze while I worked. Then it was Marlin's turn to keep me close company. He wasn't happy sleeping behind the computer--or anywhere else on the desk for that matter. No, Marlin likes to sleep across my arms. I can still type, but forget trying to write or read a note on paper beside the computer. Apparently I've made him move often enough that he's not quite so inclined to assume the position as he had been.

Then there's Purrl. Purrl was given to me by my vet after her parents brought her in for spaying then refused to come and get her. She's always been quite fond of me, but content to spend her days sleeping on my bed. Of late she's become a lot more outgoing--including out going to my desk. Right now, as I write this and then go on to work on a book about the death penalty, Purrl is snoozing on my notes. She's jumped on my desk for a pet or two, but this is the first time that she's taken a stand--or a laydown anyway--on my desk.

So what is the attraction between cats and freelance publishing careers? Beats me. But there's certainly nothing wrong with it. Except, of course, when their big butts are on my notes. But I'll get over it. Who knows, maybe Purrl is telling me I need a break.

Now I Know

I've often read that writing is a solitary profession. That's fine with me; I'm not very sociable when you get right down to it. I do well quite on my own, thank you.

But this week, I have learned another reason why writing is a solitary profession--project managers who drive you insane. I'm working on a series of books for whom a designer is serving as a project manager. He has determined how many words are to be covered in a chapter based on his ability to get cheap photos. This means that some important material gets briefly mentioned while other chapters may turn into basically a chronology because he can get photos of concerts, appearances, whatever. He's done nothing but complain about what I have or have not included in my books--not how they were written, just whether the text as submitted fits his design.

Yesterday, the guy drove me to tears with his complaints--mostly unjustified. If I had been with people, I would probably have scared them I was so hurt--and angry. Fortunately, I won't have to deal with him anymore. The person with whom I am contracted is going to deal with him. At least she realizes she's not paying me enough to put up with his garbage.

There is some solace in knowing that I am not the only author incurring his abuse. That doesn't make what he's doing right, it just helps me to realize that it might not be personal.

Why Me? But not in a bad way

I've finished the book about the Boston Tea Party (well, I still have a couple of revisions to make)! Yee Haw! The publisher offered me contracts for two more books, one about the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and one about the Death Penalty. I took them, of course. My former boss offered me contracts to write books in her popular rock, poker, and tobacco and smoking series. I took them, but boy do I wish I could give back the poker ones! I'm also editing all of the books in those series.

Editing. I love editing. I never really knew how much I loved editing until I started getting offers for writing. I like writing, but would rather not do so much of it. At least the Boston Tea Party publisher offers me interesting subjects. They are so good to work for.

When I contact publishing companies and packagers about freelance opportunities, I almost always ask for editing assignments. Lately, all I'm getting are writing offers. I guess I'm not complaining. I know there are several freelancers practically begging for business; I've been there. There's one whose difficulty baffles me. She has written far more books than I have, but she can't seem to get any assignments. To be honest, she's probably a better writer than I am.

I guess there's something to be said for being in the right place at the right time--and for networking, especially for networking. A member of an e-mail list recommended me to the publisher, who offered me the Tea Party contract, then contracts to fact-check three books, and the two new writing contracts. Yea networking.

Why I got into this field in the first place

From my early childhood I have loved old movies. It never mattered to me if they were in black and white or if the subject was dated. There was just something about them that attracted me.

On Sunday, I watched one of my favorite old movies, The Best of Everything I can't tell you how many times I've seen that movie, or when I saw it for the first time. Though it is in color, it was an old movie when I first saw it. The clothing, hairstyles, and situations were dated even then. When I watched it on Sunday, the "datedness" of the film seemed even more apparent--especially the room full of typists slugging away at their typewriters. But, I still love that film.

Hope Lange plays a recent college grad whose come to NYC. She takes a typist job at Fabian Publishing. Of course most of the women working in the typing pool are only doing so until they get married. Lange's character proves herself to be a capable typist and an even more capable reader. So, to the chagrin of her boss (played by Joan Crawford), she becomes a reader. When Crawford's character leaves to get married, Lange becomes an editor. The coworker she's seeing doesn't like how the job has made her "masculine, hard." When Crawford returns--"It was too late for me"--Lange gives her back her job, though she is allowed to remain an editor, but with a smaller author base. And, of course, she comes around and gets the guy in the end--hey, I said it was an old movie.

I think this was the first film I saw that gave any kind of indication about how the books I loved so much actually became books. I had no way of knowing if publishing houses worked the way they were shown to in the film, but it didn't matter. What I cared about was the process--reader, editor, book. I wanted part of that action.

And I've gotten part of that action. Oh, none of my jobs mirror the situations presented in the film, but I am still fascinated by the publishing process. Though my career has been frustrated and frustrating of late, I still feel it's the right one, though I may not be working for the right publisher. It's a learning process that will go on as long as I work with publishing.

Review: Team Moon by Catherine Thimmesh

Team Moon purports to tell the story of "How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon." It does that, but I never truly felt drawn into the story--and I recall the landing vividly.

Text is reversed out--white text on black pages. I find that difficult to read, especially when the author uses italics to indicate conversations. Judicious use of space around the quotes would have been more effective--and easier to read. The images are beautiful. I was more inclined to look at the photos and read the captions than to read the text.

The backmatter is extensive, but put together is a somewhat unorthodox order. The inclusion of a glossary will be helpful to a younger reader, or to anyone who might not be up to date on their space lingo.

Review: Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

I'm planning to use this book myself! Some of the exercises are directed toward younger writers, but hey, I can live with that.

I wish I had had this book when I was a teen. I wanted to write, but there really wasn't anyone around for guidance. This book breaks down the writing process into doable sections, with a call for Writing Time and an exercise at the end of the chapters. The suggestions require some reflection, not just routine situations. One of my particular favorites asks the budding author to construct the conversation of a brother and sister plopped down on an unfamiliar street corner.

Teens--and others--who are interested in writing should enjoy this book.

Review: One Kingdom: Our Lives with Animals by Noyes

I love animals, so I looked forward to reading this book. The cover says the book is about the human-animal bond in myth, history, science, and story, and it does do that. The text is interesting, but I wasn't really captivated. In a few places, I felt as though she was being somewhat judgmental.

I liked the sidebars and wish more books aimed at this market used them. However, the font used in them is very light, and I found it difficult to read. Perhaps younger eyes wouldn't have the same problem.

The book includes a bibliography and an index, something I am glad to see.

Review: Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman

First, in the interest of full disclosure, I read this book with some prejudice. This is my area of major interest, and I was extremely interested in how he would handle the subject. He did fine.

Of course Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. are included, but so are those who came before Rosa Parks and individuals, such as E.D. Nixon, who played major roles but who are not known by many outside the South.

The story is told in a manner that keeps the reader interested. Though factual, it's not dry. The photographs enhance the text, though the reader could be excused if she thought all of the photos were of Montgomery. Of course reading the caption would clarify that, but many skip over the captions.

A very good book for learning about this aspect of the civil rights movement.

Review: Kids Make History

Study after study indicates that today's students are sorely lacking in knowledge about history. This book is a nice introduction.

I like the format of the book--the images act almost like footnotes. The stories selected for the events are interesting and told well. The images are very colorful and attractive. The notes provide further information about these real-life individuals.

There are places where the text almost seems crowded on the page. Reducing type size would have been an unattractive alternative, so this is probably the best option, and it's really not that objectionable.

Overall, I think this is a good book for those kids interested in history.

Review: The Buffalo and the Indians by Patent

I don't find much to dislike about this book. The text is engaging and provides interesting information about the role and the importance of the bison in Native American culture. It can be difficult to get boys to read, and I think this book would interest them as well.

The photographs are simply beautiful; they made me want to hug a buffalo. The interspersing of paintings with the photos provide an interesting and attractive contrast.

Review: Robert Cormier Daring to Disturb the Universe

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was an interesting examination of Cormier's work. I love getting insights. It reads almost like someone's dissertation, but is a lot more interesting and engaging. The notes at the end of chapters will aid readers looking for additional information. I also liked the book's design.

Having said that, I don't know if teens will be inclined to read this type of book unless it is assigned. Actually, I don't think assigning it as a supplemental reading for an English lit or even a writing class is a bad idea.

The First Review: Something Out of Nothing

I am on the nominating committee for the Cybils middle-grade and young-adult nonfiction category. I will be posting my reviews here, and this is the first: Something Out of Nothing: Marie Curie and Radium by Carla Killough McClafferty.

When I was young, I remember reading a book about Marie Curie. That book captivated me; I wanted to learn more about Curie.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the same reaction to this book. Though well written technically, I didn't think it had a hook--that thing necessary to engaging the reader. Being the author of books such as this, I understand the constraints put on what can be included and what cannot. However, I'd find myself reading about something and want to know why? For example, why was the French Academy of Sciences so important. I wanted to know more about her life after Pierre's death.

I thought the author did a good job describing Marie's life as a governess, her marriage, and her relationship to her daughters. But, overall, I found the book dry and not very appealing. We need books that will get young girls interested in science, but I'm not sure this is one of them.

Holiday Time

Food was always important to our family while I was growing up. I guess it's logical to say, then, that Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. Oh, Christmas was always fun, but no gift could compare to the smell of roasting turkey and oyster dressing. Forget the pies--I wanted some of that bird.

We spent almost every Thanksgiving of my youth at my grandparents. They lived in a small, kind of rundown house (complete with outhouse) in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure how this got started, but for some reason, my mother always made the turkey, dressing, an a pie to take to my grandparents'. I guess that's not unusual--my grandparents were quite elderly and didn't have much money--except that my aunt and uncle lived much closer. I don't recall, however, that they ever brought anything. Grandma would make a couple of side dishes and more pies, so we were never at a loss for food.

Since I left college, I think I've missed making Thanksgiving Dinner once. It didn't matter whether I was going to be alone (hey, it freezes) or with friends, I couldn't go a Turkey Day with the smells that were so familiar to me. So, I'd try to do everything my mom did so I'd have the same result. Okay, sometimes I'm a little slow about things. My mom used to get up in the wee hours of Thanksgiving morning to get the bird into the oven. So, I did the same thing. Note to self--it doesn't take nearly as long to cook a 10-pound turkey as it does one that weighs close to thirty. Imagine my surprise when my Thanksgiving turkey was ready mid-morning! Oh well, lesson learned, and learned quite well I might add.

Tomorrow is my last day at my full-time job. This is making the financial situation quite strapped, as I am sure many of you can imagine. At first, I thought about skipping Thanksgiving and the turkey this year. After all, it was just going to be me. But then I'd recall the smells--and the memories--of the Thanksgivings of my childhood. How could I go without those? After all--think of how many meals I can make from one turkey? And I really don't need all of the sides. Turkey and stuffing will do me, thank you very much. And besides, I do have things to be thankful for.

I'd like you to take a minute and reflect on what you have to be thankful for. Perhaps you, like me, are going through some financial difficulties. Perhaps there are health issues, relationship difficulties, or some other truly difficult times. But, if you can put together a Thanksgiving dinner, I'd like you to consider those who can't, and perhaps donate the cost of a meal to your local food bank, or to America's Second Harvest (you can click on the link at the bottom of this page to learn more about America's Second Harvest and to make a donation). You'll be helping someone else have something to be thankful for.

Have a blessed holiday.
Ida

What Do You Do . . .

when you're between projects?

I'm going to have some unwelcome down time, and I've been thinking about how to use that time most constructively. There are some magazine submission deadlines coming up. I could work on those since I do have some ideas for a couple of them.

But, I guess what I need to do most is marketing. I am terrible at it, but I know I really need to get my rear in gear and do some--more than just some. If I don't, those down times will come more often.

Does anyone have any hints to efficient marketing?

Raining and Pouring

I'm about to be laid off from my full-time position. When things pick up, I'm supposed to be hired back under better terms. Well, that news certainly didn't make my day. And, I'm still trying to decide if I want to be an employee or independent contractor.

With severance, I'll be all right for a couple of months, but it's scary. So, I let some other writers and editors know I was looking for freelance work. I also answered ads to the e-mail lists--ads that I probably never would have bothered with before. As a result, I've proofed two articles for a journal this week, gotten an editing assignment from a publishing company, and a substantive edit job with an author. An online author friend recommended me to one of the people she works for, and within just a few minutes of receiving her e-mail telling me she'd done that, I got an e-mail from the person to whom she'd suggested me. On Monday she's sending me a contract to write a middle-grade nonfiction book about the Boston Tea Party! Finally, I'll be writing about something I have knowledge of.

Then the strangest thing happened. I got an e-mail with an article attached from a professor in Hong Kong. He told me that he'd gotten my info from another professor, for whom I had edited an article. Frankly, I have only the vaguest idea who he's talking about. Oh well, I guess if you're just a little patient . . . .

Project Update

A while ago I told you how words could make a difference and the Village Earth Press's book A Gift of Hope in the Wake of the 2004 Tsunami and 2005 Hurricanes. It is now available for purchase on their Website (http://www.villageearthpress.com) or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. A portion of the sale of each book is being donated to Habitat for Humanity International and Give2Asia to help with long-term rebuilding efforts.

Changing Dreams

I remember as a teenager and young adult in Iowa the fascination New York City held for me. I don't recall ever wanting to move to Los Angeles, or anywhere west for that matter, but longed to move to the East Coast. I'm not sure why I was so intrigued by New York City, but there was something about it--at least as I had conjured the city to be in my mind--that seemed to draw me there.

When I was about nineteen, I had the chance to move to NYC as a mother's helper. Not exactly the glamorous job I had envisioned, but I thought that once I moved there, I'd be able to find that glamorous job an begin to live the life I had long imagined. Long story short--I didn't go. Instead, I went to junior college, then college, and finally graduate school in Syracuse, New York. Then began a series of jobs, not a one of them glamorous and none in NYC. I did get to go there, and it was as exciting as I had dreamed it would be.

Then things changed. Somewhere I began to want different things. The bright lights and potential glamour of the Big Apple waned. Instead, I dreamed of a Jessica Fletcher-type life in a small town in Maine. Or living and working in Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine. Though I plead for anonymity, there is an increasing part of me that wants to be part of something. I think I'd like living in a really small town where people would know who I am. Of course, they could think of me as that strange woman with all those cats. But--they'd know who I am. If I could make enough money writing or editing, I think I'd go for it. It wouldn't have to be in Maine, just a small town somewhere.

This change in dreams and attitudes has also manifested itself in my writing. When I was a child and early in my writing career, I wanted to write that hugely successful novel that would become an Academy Award-winning film starring the "big name" of the moment. Now, I'm happier writing nonfiction, but I still have dreams. I want to write nonfiction that will make people look at a subject differently, with more curiousity and more understanding. I want to make a difference.

Back in the Saddle

Well, it's been a while. Though I've not blogged, I have been thinking about projects. It seems as though there are more projects than time. But, that seems to be me and everything. (If you doubt that, check out my knitting blog: http://knit-a-while.blogspot.com.)

So, what have I been thinking about? Initiative--or perhaps lack of intiative. I've been going through stuckitis, a not uncommon disease among writers. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what the treatment is. I have plenty of ideas, and have started some, but then I seem to lose interest--something else I hear is not uncommon. When I have that problem when knitting, I start a new project. That's kind of what I am doing with my writing.

Like many, I have a difficult time trying to decide what to give my family members for the holidays. This is especially difficult since they live 1200 miles away. So, to solve that problem, I'm making them a cookbook. I am also very happy to say that after the holidays it will be available for sale as an e-book on the http://www.sweet-tea-and-magnolias website. Ten percent of the sale price will be donated to America's Second Harvest.

Just Tryin' to Roll with the Flow (Stay Away from T-Mobile)

After many years of using prepaid cell service, I decided to bite the bullet and subscribe to a T-Mobile plan. Big Mistake. I order the service online and get the phone very quickly. Well, at the end of the first day, I knew it was going back. I liked the phone, and the prices weren't bad, but the service range stunk. I had service at home, but at my office--just ten minutes away--there was no service. So, well within the two-week trial, I contacted them to tell them I was cancelling. A rep replied with information on the procedures to follow, and I returned the phone.

Jump ahead about a month, and imagine my surprise when I received a complete bill from T-Mobile. When I contacted them, the rep apologized if I had gotten incorrect information, but informed me the I was still under contract because I did not return the phone to the place of purchase. Now tell me, I did what the first rep told me to do and followed the return instructions enclosed in the box. According to this second rep, I will have to pay an early termination fee. I suggested rather strongly that if their reps were so poorly trained, perhaps the one who gave me the information should pay the fee.

There is a moral to the story: run away from--don't walk--T-Mobile. They are incompetent.