Putting Together a Poetry Collection

On Putting Together a Poetry Anthology

Well, it's finally happened. The Poetic Muselings' anthology, "Lifelines," is going live. It will be available on Amazon.com on Nov. 11, and our website, poetic-muselings.net, is online. It's been a long road, one that has given me a new appreciation for what it takes to put together a collection of poetry, especially an anthology composed of poetry from six very different poets.

When we all started meeting to share our poetry, back in 2008, we didn't do it with anything particular in mind -- certainly not with the idea of putting together an anthology. Still, over the course of the next year or so, we wrote poems and shared them with each other.

Eventually we decided to try to put together an anthology. We decided on a them of the Muses -- yes, the Greek ones, and yes, you're right, that didn't end up being the theme we used. But we started out that way. We wrote our poems, selected 12 each, attributed each of them to a muse, came together to pick six each.

We did it using Google Documents. My contribution to the cause was as chief techie, and I set us up with a shared space on Google Documents where we could all work together. The poems were visible to all of us, and any of us could comment on them. Changes made by one were visible to all. This made putting together our collection possible. If we'd had to rely on exchanging email, well, we'd still be sending poems back and forth.

When the time came to choose the poems for our collection, I made a spread sheet where we could each select our favorites of our own and everyone else's poems. We picked the top six for each of us. This was a surprisingly straightforward, hassle-free process. After we "voted," it was clear which poems we were going to include.

Then we started putting the collection together. We divided it by muse. We produced a draft version.

It didn't work, so we came back together to figure out what to do instead.

Why didn't it work? Good question. It simply didn't have the overlying narrative arc that is the key, in my opinion, to a really good poetry collection, one that leads the reader from poem to poem, much in the way that reading a bookfrom start to finish creates a story in the reader's mind.

So we met again, in our chatroom, to try to figure out what to do. Mary Jensen volunteered to take a look and the poems and see what she could come up with.

All I can say is that Mary was inspired, and wrote our theme poem, the poem we used to divide our anthology into sections, sections that corresponded to stages in our lives. And it worked.

So now the anthology is about to "go live." It's been three years since the day that Lisa Gentile couldn't connect to the internet, leaving moderator Michele Graf to organize a spontaneous chat. A collection of poetry is more than the sum of its parts. It is the cumulative effect of each poem, one after the other, leading the reader from one to the other to create a unified whole. Without the unifying principle we have a stack of paper. With it we have an anthology.

To Agent or Not to Agent? by Kathy Stemke

To agent or not to agent that is the question. Writers can certainly get their feet wet by publishing without an agent. However, to get to many of the bigger publishing houses you still need an agent. Although I have successfully published over a hundred articles, activities with Gryphon House Publishing, and three children’s books, for my first novel I’m on the hunt for an agent. I’d like to share some of things I’ve found in my research so far.

Dishonest agents prey on writers by charging fees, promoting their own paid services, engaging in kickback schemes, and misrepresenting their knowledge and expertise. These agents don’t earn their income by selling manuscripts to publishers, but by extracting money from their clients.

Some examples of dishonest agenting practice, drawn from Writer Beware’s files:

• Requiring a reading fee with a submission.

• Requiring a “marketing” or “submission” or other fee on contract signing.

• Requiring writers to buy a critique or manuscript assessment.

• Referrals to an editing service owned by the agency, without disclosing the connection.

• Requiring that clients use the agent’s own paid editing services. Running a contest that’s a scheme for funneling writers into a paid editing service or vanity publisher.

• Pressuring clients to buy “adjunct” services–website design, catalog space, book cover mockups. Etc.

·         Placing clients with fee-charging publishers.

There are no licensing requirements or competency standards for literary agents. Anyone who feels like it can set themselves up as an agent, whether or not they’re qualified to do so. The result is a large number of amateur, incompetent, and marginal agents.

If an agent is established, s/he should have a verifiable track record of commercial book sales, and be willing to disclose it.

A robust history of selling books to commercial (advance-paying) publishers is the single best indication of an agent’s effectiveness and expertise. You want an agent who is selling regularly to a variety of commercial publishers (a reasonable minimum standard is the AAR’s’ requirement for new members–at least 10 sales within the past 18 months), and who has experience selling books in your subject or genre.

For book agents, commissions should not be more than 10-15% for domestic sales and 20-30% for co-agented or foreign sales.

Be wary of an agent who claims to specialize in new writers.

Be wary of an agent who is looking for poets.

Be wary of an agent who claims to want to sell your book idea to Hollywood.

Be wary of an agent who advertises.

Be wary of an agent who solicits you.

Be wary of an agent who provides extravagant praise or inflated promises, and of her opposite, an agent who paints a dismal picture of your chances of success.

There are a number of helpful, vetted, up-to-date agent directories online, such as AgentQuery.com, QueryTracker.com, and AuthorAdvance.

Soooo, what do you think? Should you find an agent?

Agents on twitter:

jwchilton Jamie Weiss Chilton

Agent, Andrea Brown Literary Agency, shameless caffeine addict, farmer for Marbles, my gray and white rescue bunny.

jenrofe Jen Rofe

Children's lit agent with Andrea Brown who dreams about being a bakery-owning cowgirl. Nevermind that I don't bake much or have a horse.

stevenmalk Steven Malk

Literary agent with Writers House musing on publishing, music, and sports--not necessarily in that order.

McVeighAgency The McVeigh Agency(Mark McVeigh)

A boutique literary agency representing authors, illustrators, graphic novelists and photographers.

DonMaass Donald Maass

President of Donald Maass Literary Agency in New York, author of Writing the Breakout Novel, The Fire in Fiction and other craft books for fiction writers.

SlushPileHell SlushPile Hell

Literary agent. Supervillain.

KOrtizzle Kathleen Ortiz

Associate Agent & Foreign Rights Manager; Books + Chai + Tech. = Life

joemts Joe Monti

Children's & YA, F&SF, Literary Agent & Hero Myth Cycle believer.

JoSVolpe Joanna Volpe

NYC lit agent and lover of pizza.

WolfsonLiterary Michelle Wolfson

I'm a literary agent. Check out my site and if you think we're a fit, let me know. Otherwise just support my authors and buy their books!

KnightAgency The Knight Agency

kate_mckean Kate McKean

Literary Agent, www.morhaimliterary.com Image (c) William G. Wadman

DeidreKnight DeidreKnight

Literary Agent and New York Times bestselling author of romance/women's fiction who loves to travel to far away places, mentally and geographically.

Kid_Lit Mary Kole

Kidlit enthusiast and associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency!

TracyMarchini TracyMarchini

Editorial Consultant, former Literary Agent Assistant, freelance copywriter.

sztownsend81 Suzie Townsend

book lover, former HS teacher, literary agent, sci-fi/fantasy nerd, and owner of an unused $6000 wedding dress. love my life.

michellelit Michelle Andelman

Dark Lady of Letters

UpstartCrowLit Upstart Crow

We're a brusquely friendly literary agency.

ChrisRichman Chris Richman

Kid's book agent, music snob, Philadelphia sports fanatic.

MichaelBourret Michael Bourret

Literary Agent, bran muffin enthusiast and nerdy cat person

NathanBransford Nathan Bransford

Author of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW (coming in May)

ColleenLindsay Colleen Lindsay

Publishing browncoat. Cat herder. Queer human. Professional nerd. TARDIS fan. Athlete's foot survivor. Part of Penguin Group (USA) Business Development team.

BookEndsJessica Jessica Faust

literary agent, blogger, business owner, book lover and foodie

BookEndsKim Kim Lionetti

Literary Agent representing women's fiction, romance, mystery, true crime, pop culture and pop science.

Ginger_Clark Ginger Clark

I am a literary agent. I work at Curtis Brown. I respond only to queries I'm interested in. This twitter account will be boring.

hroot holly root

literary agent, theater wife, cat person, iphone addict.

BostonBookGirl Lauren E. MacLeod

A literary agent @strothmanagency with an emphasis in YA and MG fiction and nonfiction. Opinions are my own.

literaticat jennifer laughran

literary agent at andrea brown lit, children's bookseller, reader, raconteur, eccentric multi-millionaire and patron of the arts... and some of those are lies

JillCorcoran Jill Corcoran

Literary Agent with Herman Agency representing primarily MG and YA authors.

RachelleGardner Rachelle Gardner

Literary agent, firefighter's wife, mom of two awesome girls, Starbucks freak.

ElanaRoth Elana Roth
Brooklynite, children's book agent, Squarespace support specialist, semi-pro Jew, bourbon drinker. I work for lots of people. None of these tweets are theirs.

Author/Educator, Kathy Stemke, has a B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and Covenant Life Seminary, and graduate coursework from Columbia University. As a freelance writer Kathy has published several articles and is a former contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center. she is on the team at DKV Writing for you, a writing services company. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter, Movement and Rhythm, on her blog.  http://educationtipster.blogspot.com  

Moving Through All Seven Days, her first e-book, is now available on lulu http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/moving-through-all-seven-days/7386965#.  

Trouble on Earth Day and Sh, Sh, Sh Let the Baby Sleep Were released in May 2011.

Book Marketing Strategy: Joint Ventures

There is a song, The Power of One, which conveys what one individual can accomplish and/or change. But, how much more effective is the power of two, or five, or ten, or a hundred, or more?

In a technical light, a joint venture (JV) is a partnership between two or more entities for a specific project and for a specified amount of time.

Quoting from Entrepreneurs.about.com, “According to the Commonwealth Alliance Program (CAP), businesses anticipate strategic alliances accounted for 25% of all revenues in 2005, a total of 40 trillion dollars.” So, it’s easy to see this strategy packs a wallop.

This is the concept behind joint ventures for book promotion, and they are very effective.

The idea is to hook up with other authors/writers and participate in JVs. What this means is an author has a new book coming out and wants to reach more than her individual mailing list and social networks, she joins forces with writer friends or acquaintances to promote the book for a ONE DAY Promotional Power-packed Special.

Suppose it’s your new book; you contact one to several authors who might be willing to put your prewritten promo on their sites and social networks, and (THIS IS THE VERY IMPORTANT PART) are willing to provide a freebie or a significant discount on a product or service to any one who purchases your book on that day.

According to book marketing specialists, Brain Judd and Daniel Hall, this has the potential to put your book on Amazon’s TOP HUNDRED list in one or more categories – just for one day’s promo.

Even participating in JVs has promotional benefits. I recently participated in a JV initiated by an author for her new book. For my participation I offered a FREE bonus gift, How to Create an Ebook and What You Can Do With It.

I posted her promo content, along with my own, because I like to show my readers the marketing value in particular posts such as these. I then promoted the post to my social networks.

For a little effort and time, you can increase your visibility and possibly your subscriber list.

To have your participation be more effective, be sure to provide your links and offer your own products within your free offering.  And, to create added value, you can allow the freebie to be shared, or portions of it reprinted with your tag/bio.

Another scenario for book promotion JVs, in fact a more popular one, is to be approached by publicists. This has happened to me several times and I usually participate for the visibility factor. The publicist will put out a wide reaching call for participants for his client. Obviously, the more on board the greater the promotional reach and punch. But, even on a small scale, this marketing strategy is a gem.

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Related Marketing Articles:

How to Drive Traffic to a Website Using Expert Informational Content
12 Book Publishing Things to Avoid
Book Promotion: The Foundation

Order Your Books for Holiday Giving Now--Especially for Those Who Deserve Your Thanks

I thought VBT subscribers and visitors might want a reminder that books! Yep, books! Make great holiday gifts. This is one that multi award-winning author Mary Green recommends. Gift yourself or the author in your life who has helped spread word of mouth. Amazon promised delivery by December 25th.

The Frugal Book Promoter

Second edition, expanded and updated
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson416 pages
ISBN: 9781463743291
Available in paperback or for Kindle
Also available as an e-book at http://createspace.com/3656422
Author's Web site: http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com

Everything you wanted to know about book promoting and much

much more., September 25, 2011

Reviewed by

mary greenwood

originally for Amazon

This review is from: The Frugal Book Promoter: Second Edition: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher. (Paperback)

When I saw the Table of Contents for this promoting bible, I was hooked. There was a chapter on everything I wanted or needed to know. I have written three "How To" books and have had a number of reviews and awards, but I am looking to go to the next level with some fresh new ideas. In other words, I had reached a plateau and did not want to repeat the same old methods.

When I first started reading the book I immediately liked the tone. It was as though the author was in my living room saying: Mary, why don't you try this and maybe you don't want to do this." Her books, like mine, are based on her personal experience. She has done book fairs; she has taught classes and consulted with authors; she has written award-winning books. She is an expert. That is what makes the book so powerful. I have read books that make me feel guilty if I haven't done ten things for my book that day.

Yesterday, I exhibited at a book festival and most of the authors were complaining that they had few sales. I looked up the topic in my new book. The author says "Book festivals are for readers." I knew intuitively that she was right. She goes on to say that these are really networking opportunities for the writers and not that many books are sold. That shift made me feel encouraged rather than discouraged at the book festival's results. Even though I did not sell tons of books, I did meet a lot of people: readers, writers and bookstore owners. I got a few tips and gave a few tips. I reconnected with people I had seen at previous events and got some recommendations for the best venues for future events. The author was spot on.

I also checked the chapter on book awards. I have won a total of 28 book awards for my three books and thought I knew all there was to know about awards and have spoken on the subject. However, after reading that section on book awards, I realized that I was not doing enough publicizing after I won the book awards and I am going to remedy that situation. Another tip I picked up. I am now going to say Mary Greenwood, multi-award winning author, instead of award-winning author.

Of course, I wished I had seen this book when my first book came out, but I can see that this book is useful for all authors, those working on their first book and authors who already have published several books and need some new ideas. I know I will go back and reread a chapter when I am starting a new task such as a press release or am thinking about doing a new blog or sprucing up my website.

I am just starting on my new book about "How to Negotiate With Your Dog" (hint: you don't.) I am going to use The Frugal Book Promoter Second Edition, the whole way. I can't wait to get started!
~Reviewer Green is author of How to Interview Like A Pro: Forty-Three Rules for Getting Your Next Job

Group Management Strategies and Thank You to the Members

Writers on the Move has been around since October 21, 2008, and is an interactive group of wonderful and talented authors and writers, and I value the members' input, ideas and suggestions, and feedback - we're a team. 

The group has seen a couple of name changes, a logo and site theme change, and marketing strategy changes. Through it all there are members here since it began and others who have been with the group for a long while, and I thank them for all their support and effort in making the group work, and for putting up with me.

What I've noticed Sunday, is that I at times act on impulse, rather than reflecting on what I do, I jump in. I'm not sure if it's because I try to do too much, or it's just in my nature - it's probably a combination of both though.

Since I scramble to find time to do all there is to do, when I see something, or think there's something the group needs to be informed about, or there are changes they need to know about, I jump on it. An example is this past Sunday.

In our group, we have member folders. We used them for storing information for our virtual tours. Since we abandoned the tours for an informational content based marketing strategy, there didn't seem to be a need for them. So, without looking forward, I let the group in on my thoughts of deleting the folders.

While this is a good thing, keeping the group in the loop and listening to feedback, taking the time to fully think something through will usually alleviate confusion and needless work. But, I sent a Special Message to our new members not to add any content to their member folders.

Was this unnecessary? YES.
Was it a waste of time and energy? YES.
Did it add more needless email to the members inbox? YES.


I've also realized I tend to post a number of messages for the group all in one day, as I'm evaluating what's going on or changes - they may not hear from me in a week or so, and then BAM.

Reflecting, this may not be the best way to handle it. Maybe a message a day? In my defense, I can't add too many notes to one message, no one wants to read a long message, but I'll be asking the group for different ways I can present information, so it doesn't feel like a bombardment.

I'm going to make a conscious effort to stop and think before acting.

I'm sure some of you readers may be wondering why am I'm sharing this information with you.

Simple. 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.' 'A stitch in time, saves nine.' Try not to do what I tend to do. Always think before you act - in all aspects of your life.

This post can also help other group managers, or those thinking of forming and managing a group, to step back and think before acting. Everyone is so busy today, as a manager don't add to the busyness of your group members. Once you've thought it fully through, say only what really needs to be said as briefly as possible.

A strategy I may start using is to list the things that need to be addressed, whether new information, changes, or other, in a Word doc. Then, review it, maybe even waiting a day, and then decide what's absolutely necessary and how to present it.

If you Writers on the Move members are reading this, let me know when I go astray. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,
Karen Cioffi



Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
http://KarenCioffi.com
http://WritersOnTheMove.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com

The Benefits of Belonging to a Writing Group

Do you belong to a writing group? If you do then you may know the benefits of being part of a group of people with the same goals as yourself. If you haven't thought about the need to become a member of a group you might consider these benefits.

• Writing is a solitary activity and belonging to a group forces you to relate to real people rather than the characters in your mind. Whether it is in person, by an online web cam, or within an online group who email back and forth, it will help keep your mind and your writing fresh.  You will gain feedback from a real person and return your opinions in an exchange that will help you improve as a writer. It will give you  a sense of belonging to these members and help you to be accountable for your writing and your goals.
• An active writing group can offer critiques and suggestions when your manuscript seems to stall. An outsider can give an objective view of what is taking place in the story and shed light on making your characters come alive.
• Being in an active and positive writing group is a way to network, find writing connections, and share contacts in the publishing world.
• A writing group can help market your work and in return you will do the same. It is a win win for all active members and can lead to collaboration on future projects.

Making the most of a writing group is a big responsibility but well worth the effort. Be active, do your part to critique and participate in a timely manner, be respectful of the other members and their work, and share in promoting and networking. Keep communication open. Be honest if you cannot uphold your responsibility for a period of time and be dependable. Your commitment will ensure the success for all group members and that can only improve your chances for writing success.

Terri Forehand- Author of The Cancer Prayer Book (http://www.dreamwordspublishing.com/ )
http://terri-forehand.blogspot.com/
http://thecancerprayerbook.blogspot.com/

Up to my Eyeballs with Eyeball.

By Kevin McNamee

Fall is here and Halloween is on its way.  So now is a perfect time for me to talk about a poetry collection I’m involved with titled, An Eyeball in My Garden: And Other Spine-Tingling Poems .  I have been very busy promoting this collection recently, since it is a seasonal book.

This poetry collection was put together by me and thirteen other terrifyingly talented poets. It contains everything from the humorous, to the creepy, to the absolutely sinister, this collection is designed to tickle your funny bone and then perhaps, gnaw right through it.

So before the trick or treaters arrive, you may want to introduce yourself to some ghoulish delights like the monster in Winking Wot Warning, or to try a dish off the Mummy’s Menu, or to really find out Where Nightmares Dwell, if you dare.  You’ll be glad you did.

Please visit An Eyeball In My Garden website for Halloween craft ideas, fun and spooky interviews, and cats wrapped in tin foil.

What Others are Saying

Horn Book (Spring 2011): "This compilation of new poems covers scary as well as silly Halloween territory. For every truly chilling ghost train, there's a witch's shopping list or a monster that turns out to be the speaker's own reflection. Easily flowing meter in most of the pieces makes for smooth read-alouds. Black-and-white ink illustrations are appropriately spooky."

Publishers Weekly August 9, 2010- Gr 4-7— Readers should be prepared to shiver and shake through these 44 poems about ghosts, gargoyles, and more. Olander adorns each page with ominous ink images of spiders, monsters, and other terrors, while the verses temper horror (Craig W. Steele’s “Where Nightmares Dwell”: “I know too well/ What creatures lurk/ Where nightmares live and grow.../ The shadows found me years ago!”) with humor (Stella Michel’s “Mummy’s Menu” includes “Blackened pudding filled with flies,/ Crispy scarab beetle pies”). Whether it’s Halloween or not, this creepy collection will please readers with a taste for the supernatural.

This book is available from Marshall Cavendish, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or ask your local book store. 

Be sure to check out my poems, Our Neighborhood and The Gargoyle. 

Kevin McNamee is a writer and poet living in Yonkers, N.Y.  He is the author of several children’s books and is a contributing author to this poetry collection.

To find out more about Kevin, please visit his website at http://www.kevinmcnamee.com/ or his blog at http://www.kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com/.