Yesterday, we talked about cover letters, outlines, and synopses. Today we’re getting to one of the most important parts of a proposal. THE SAMPLE CHAPTERS.  Here’s where you’re going to prove your worth.  And for series writing, it’s not necessarily about flaunting your style of writing, it’s about showing that you know how  to write in the style of the series.   This means that if you’re a highly literary writer, you might have to adjust your way of doing things to fit the commercial market, and vice versa. You will find the most popular series books for teens on the shelves today tend to use varying degrees of commercial writing.  (Middle grade books have more literary series books because these kids will eat up everything.)  But anyway, teens series books are usually fun and fast reads that’ll target mass consumers at a cheaper price. This also explains why many of these books are popular in paperback form.

Now … let’s figure out how we go about determining the style of a series. Here’s what you do. You crack open several books in the series and study them closely. You can also compare them to other series books to discern the key differences.

Let’s look at a few books from different series so I can show you how the styles differ.

From THE IT GIRL series, created by Cecily von Ziegesar:

Somebody’s plaid Jack Spade duffle slammed into Jenny Humphrey’s shin and jerked her out of a dream. The 10 A.M. Amtrak Empire Service to Rhinecliff, New York, had stopped in Poughkeepsie, and a tall, twentyish, stubbly chinned boy in dawk brown square Paul Smith glasses and a Decemeberist t-shirt was standing over her.

What’s striking about this sample? Let’s point out a few things. A lot of adjectives for one. A lot of brand-name dropping. And some very long sentences. Note third person.

From the A-LIST series, Zoey Dean

Anna Cabot Percy was very good at a wide variety of things: Conjugating irregular French verbs. Putting together the perfect understated outfit. Memorizing the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Ballet. Any and all forms of analytical left-brain thinking. Looking tan and gorgeous in her white racer-back Polo Ralph Lauren bathing suit. So okay. She was not without talents.  Bust as she shivered on her surfboard in the ocean at Zuma Beach, Anna realized the surfing was not going to be one of them.

Here you’ll notice that the writing is descriptive in a different way. The opening is a bit “artier” than the first sample, for lack of a better term.  There’s still mention of a name brand, but it’s also interesting to know that they are targeting a similar audience as the THE IT GIRL series. Both of THE IT GIRL books and the A-LIST novels are produced by Alloy Entertainment. So it’s not that surprising they are somewhat similar to each other.

Now let’s look at one more YA series.  The S.A.S.S. series. I’ll pick the opening lines from GIRL OVERBOARD by Aimee Ferris.

Marina cringed as her monstrous purple suitcase slid down the baggage ramp and landed with a sickening thud on top of a small carry-on. A petite girl standing next to Marina wailed in dismay.

In this one, we’re seeing a simply written opening. The writing is not highly stylized in any way. It’s also 3rd person.

When I researched the S.A.S.S. books, I probably read about 6 or 7 of them to figure out what was similar about the writing.  Here are some more openers from the series. From NOW AND ZEN by Linda Gerber.

Seventeen hours. That’s how long it takes to fly from Columbus, Ohio, to Narita, Japan, when you make three stops along the way. Seventeen long hours stuck on a plane with a bunch of losers. Not exactly the experience Nori had envisioned when she signed up for a summer abroad.

From GETTING THE BOOT by Peggy Guthart Strauss

Turbulence jolted Kelly Brandt out of a deep sleep as the captain announced their initial descent into Rome’s Fiumicino Airport. Almost there! She looked at the view out the airplane window, expecting a fairy-tale scene below her. Instead, the neat squares of fields looked surprisingly like the Illinois farmland they had passed over on their takeoff from O’Hare.

Starting to notice something?  Doesn’t it seem like all of these books could have been written by the same person? Do they all start out in a similar way, too? Simply. No flash.

So that’s what I had to do for my sample chapters–adapt my writing style to the S.A.S.S. series.  What do you mean by adapt? This is a sample from PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE, coming out in June 2009.

Where should I start? The first time I felt my life hanging in the balance? Or the moment I believed the deceased had a way of talking to me? Or maybe I ought to begin with the second I walked into that school.

Looking back I should have been suspicious from day one, but now I know that if you want something bad, you’ll do anything to get it.

You’ll lie to your friends.

Steal from your family.

Eat a whole box of orange Creamsicles.

The writing is in first-person! I usually like to write in first over third. Don’t ask me why. It just comes out that way. Second, the writing is more deliberate (stylized) . There is even a somewhat direct address to the reader in the narration. If I did this for the S.A.S.S. proposal there would be no way I would have won the book. So you need to pay attention to how the series are written. Do your best to replicate the overall style and tone of the writing.

For THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA, this is the opener.

Cece and Alison flipped through a pile of jeans at Macy’s. Cece was looking for a pair to replace her worn-out boot-cuts. She needed something new and fresh for her trip to China.

So it’s not Printz-award winning material, but these books aren’t aiming for that audience. The. S.A.S.S. series is billed as fun books for teens about travel, adventure and romance. That’s what you need to deliver, not a literary masterpiece per se.

Also, I know I only talked about YA series, but you can apply the same analysis techniques to middle grade series books as well.

Yeah? So now you’ve got an idea of what to look for as you study the writing. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss even more about those sample chapters to make sure you nail that proposal.  Stay tuned!

Happy style-analyzing,

Cynthea and Snoop!

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Yesterday, we discussed what to look for when researching a children’s or teen book series. Now we’re going to talk about developing your idea for the next book into a pitchable concept.  Let’s break down what you’ll be putting together.

The Proposal

Assuming, you’ve already inquired about the guidelines from the publisher or packager, you have now reached the stage where you have been invited to submit a proposal. Or you have gotten confirmation from somewhere that the publisher or packager is accepting proposals.  Usually they will tell you what they need you to send in, but if not,  use this as your guideline.

• A cover letter
• Short plot summary and character sketches (for new characters you are introducing)
• A one-to-two page synopsis or outline of the book you propose
• Three sample chapters

What if I want to propose my own original series?

As I mentioned before, I won’t be fully addressing this topic because that has its own requirements, but you should still pay attention because you need to understand how series books are put together and pitched.

I will say though that proposing your own original series as an unpublished writer can be very, very difficult. Why? Publishers are hesitant to buy just one book from a new author. Why would they risk buying three or more?   In general, the rule of thumb is, if you are unpublished, you need to write the first book in full (to demonstrate you can write a whole book well) and sell that using normal procedures for selling a first book (see my crash course). Don’t even bother to mention the other books. Let the publisher decide if the book has enough commercial appeal to become a series.

I kinda agree with this advice, but then I kinda don’t.

I do believe that you should write that first book, over sending in just a proposal with six zillion story ideas. Yes, agree! As for mentioning other story ideas when you submit a full book? It’s not exactly necessary, but if it’s important to you to let the publisher know you have more, a line or two in the query letter won’t kill your chances. Your manuscript is what’s going to make it or break it for you. Not a small mention in your query letter.

Okay, let’s get back to the proposal now.

The cover letter

Read my article on writing a cover letter if you don’t know what this should entail.  In our scenario, you have already contacted the publisher or packager, and now you’re sending in what they need.  You’ll need a cover letter to go with your submission. If this were me, I would also add a snappy one-paragraph summary of your idea in your cover letter. Something that you might usually include in a query letter.  Why? Your one-paragraph summary (if it’s good) will help spark interest in reading the pages that come after.  Also, if the editor likes your proposal, you are helping him or her tremendously by giving them something they can use to tell others about your proposal.  These one-paragraph summaries can be excellent tools to help get your book sold!

For THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA proposal, my agent wrote the cover (usually an email telling the editor what she is sending). If you are submitting on your own, you will MAIL a letter with your proposal to the packager or publisher unless you are told to do otherwise.

Plot Summary and Character Sketches

So the cover letter will be the first thing in your proposal. The second might be a page or two of info that contains a brief plot summary, so your reader has context (once the cover letter has been chucked to the side), and some character sketches …  Here’s an example of the brief plot summary that I turned in for THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA.

Cece Charles wants to cure a case of Texas-sized boredom and a summer abroad in China is just what she needs. But going to Xi’an, China’s most historical city, isn’t only about soaking up the culture and learning new things; it’s also Cece’s chance to reconnect with her mysterious past–a past Cece’s adoptive mother had hoped would never be explored.

Of course, Cece can’t spend every moment in China looking for family she’s never known. She’s made a promise to herself: no matter what, she’ll make her visit one she’ll never forget. With all the shopping, nightlife and sites to be seen, there’s never a dull moment. But what else does the “land of kings and emperors” have in store for Cece? Is it the truth?

Or love?

Or maybe both…

Now you’ll need to tell the editor about your characters.  If the books always have the same characters, this may not be necessary.  They’ll know who the characters are; you won’t have to explain it to them. But in my case, each book in the series features a whole new cast of characters. So I tried to give the editors some flavor of who my major characters were. Some publishers or packagers may ask you to turn in more detailed sketches, but for me, I just did enough to give you a general idea of what they were like. I didn’t work out their life history or anything. Try to keep it simple if given a choice. Here’s an example of what I submitted for that part.

Character Descriptions:

Celise Charles or “Cece”, adopted 16-yr-old Chinese girl (white parents). Wavy hair, a distinctive beauty mark on her cheek. Very cute, but doesn’t totally realize it.

Edmond Charles, Cece’s supportive father, paleontologist/professor.

Sheryl Charles, Cece’s overprotective mother, sports doctor.

Jessica Ye, roommate in the program. Rich Chinese-American. Long, smooth hair. A girl used to getting her way. Born from strict Chinese-American parents.

Wow! Looking back, I really didn’t put too much info in there. You could probably stand to add a sentence or two for each one. If I were to do it all over again, I’d also make them each sound pretty interesting. Ugh! This is so dry and blah. (Seriously, do a better job than I did. This is pretty embarrassing.)

Okay, next …

A one-to-two page synopsis or outline

Some publishers might want a chapter by chapter outline, others might want just a synopsis.  If you have no real guidelines to work from, do what makes you most comfortable. But no matter what, work pretty hard on this part.  Yeah, stop groaning.  Synopses and outlines are hard, I know. But if you want to write for a series, or pitch your own series, you really have to get this stuff down.  See my article on the Anatomy of a Synopsis to help with this arduous task.

One important thing to keep in mind: your synopsis or outline is muy importanto for a proposal.  You may have heard that they don’t matter, but that is more likely to be the case when you are sending in an original manuscript. For a proposal, this will be one of the only things (aside from your sample chapters) that will demonstrate to the editor that you know how to plot. SO MAKE THIS GOOD. It should be engaging to read.

Here’s a sample of the opening paragraph of my synopsis for THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA.

CECE CHARLES needs to cure a serious case of Texas-sized boredom and a summer abroad in China is just what she needs. S.A.S.S. has partnered with a local university in Xi’an to create an international anthropology program (IAP) for high school students. Cece, who dreams of becoming an anthropologist, can’t wait to research a real dig there–the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, one of the world’s greatest archaeology finds–in addition to many other historic treasures Xi’an is known for such as the Bell Tower and Drums, Wild Goose Pagoda, the City Walls, and numerous tombs and shrines spanning eleven dynasties. But Cece’s protective mom SHERYL is worried. She fears her daughter will turn the trip into a quest to find her birth mother (Sheryl’s instincts are correct). But she doesn’t have the heart to stop Cece from going to China. How can she let her own insecurity get in the way of Cece’s career pursuits? And Cece’s father ED? He’s always felt Cece should know more about her adoption (he’s already shared photos with her and the location of the orphanage) but he won’t say more, especially in front of his wife …

K, looking back again, I realize now I had some doozy sentences in there. WHERE WAS SNOOP WHEN I WROTE THIS?!  So I’d edit this more for clarity. But anyway, it gives you some idea of how a synopsis might read …

If you want to do an outline, I’d avoid using the format we all learned in school with the  Is, As, abcs…. That can be hard to read and should probably be reserved for a scientific paper rather than a fiction book outline. Instead just do something as simple and easy to read as this:

Chapter 1

Blah blah blah (about a paragraph per chapter)

Chapter 2

Blah blah blah (about a paragraph per chapter)

I’m going to save the next part of the proposal (the sample chapters) for another article. There’s just so much to cover about them! So stay tuned!

Happy proposal-making,

Cynthea (and Snoop!)

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Yesterday, we covered how to find children’s and teen book series that you can write for.  Now I’m going to assume that you have some good idea of whom you will try to approach. You’ve verified the publisher or packager accepts new ideas for stories, and maybe you even have some guidelines from them about the series.

For S.A.S.S. I received a series concept letter from my agent (which came from the publisher).

The series concept letter detailed what a writer should consider when formulating a proposal for the series.  To give you an idea of what that letter looked like, here’s a paragraph from the letter…

This series needs a light, sassy tone, and as one of our authors, you would need to have a firm grasp of the setting that you’re writing about. Each book is 224 pages in length (approximately 45,000 words), and the outline and plot of each manuscript would be subject to our editorial approval.

There was more about the dilemmas characters’ faced in the books, small hints of what plots might be interesting, and so on.

If you do not have guidelines for the series, but think your idea is absolutely perfect, then do your best to formulate your own guidelines.

How? Study the series.

In fact, even if you have guidelines or a “bible” for the series, you should do this anyway!!!

Your first job is to read as many of the books as you can, so you can get a good handle on what will fit into the series.  Examine the five elements of fiction in each book. They are …

• Character
• Plot
• Theme
• Setting
• Style

Think about what each of the books in the series have in common and how are they different.

Here’s a checklist.

• Character
  
  • Always the same cast of characters? Same MC?
  • If so, what are that characters traits? What do they always mention in each book? Do they add new qualities to characters  in each book?
  • Do the characters grow or change? Or do they largely stay the same from one book to the next?Do they always introduce new characters into every book? Who are they? How many?
  • Come up with your own ways to distinguish how character-related issues differ or stay the same between one book and another.
• Plot
  • How does each story build?  How many subplots in each book? Two, three, four?
  • Is the plot episodic like the TV show 24?  Or do the characters start over with each book like Law and Order?
  • Is the book more plot-driven or character driven?
  • High action or low action?
  • What are the elements of plot that are similar or different across all books?
• Theme
  • What kinds of issues are being addressed? How serious are they or how light?
  • Is there a message in each book? What kind? How far reaching or surface-like?
  • Is the book mainly just a fun read or is there something else that should be a takeaway.
• Setting
  • Are the books always set in the same places? Or do the locations change?
  • How is setting incorporated into the books? Lengthy descriptions or just passing thoughts?
  • How important is setting to the story?

• Style
  • Is the writing very commercial, literary? or somewhere in-between?
  • Are the stories in first person, third person limited, omniscient, switching points of views? etc.
  • Is the writing fast-paced or quirky?
  • To what extent is the style of writing similar or different across books?
  • How is the writing similar or different from your own style of writing?

While my process for S.A.S.S. wasn’t THIS organized, the above were the things I thought about while researching the series.  I understood that I would need to make major adjustments to the way I write. I’d also have to tackle the kinds of plots I don’t usually address in my writing.  (I’m predominately a middle-grade-and-younger writer.)  And I’d have to put together a synopsis and writing sample that showed I knew how these books worked.

Now YOU have a handy list of questions to work from. Once you answer questions like these, you, too, will have a better picture of what you need to do to write a proposal that will fit into the series. Maybe that great idea you had will have to be tweaked because you realized X, Y, and Z about the books from your research.

Either way, arming yourself with knowledge can’t hurt you. Take the time to be thorough. And that will show when you pitch your stuff!

This concludes Part II of my article series on how to write for a children’s or teen book series. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about the elements of a proposal.

Happy researching,

Cynthea (and Snoop!)

P.S. S.A.S.S. THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA is coming out in NINE DAYS.  Agggghhhhhhh!

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Are you curious about how authors get in on multi-author series books like S.A.S.S. Students Across the Seas?

Do you want to understand what skill set and experience is required to write for any established series?

Would you like to know how to approach a publisher to get your idea sold?

Then this is the article series for you. In the coming days, I’ll talk about how to get started writing for a series based upon my own experience with S.A.S.S: THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA.  We’ll look at the process in-depth and I’ll share the techniques I used to get in.

For this first article, we’ll start from the beginning!

If you haven’t already,  read the crash course. I’ll be using terms you need to know. At the very least, refer to my glossary.

Okay, let’s get started.

Even though I am only speaking from my experience with the S.A.S.S. series, you can also apply this stuff to similar series as well … but do understand, each publisher has their own requirements and ways of going about it.  I will touch on that when I get to the appropriate spot in this article series.

Now you may ask, am I qualified to write for a series?

As with anything, you have to start somewhere. Don’t worry about this. Worry about presenting yourself in a professional manner.  Worry about writing a really great pitch (I’ll go into this when we get to that part).  If you don’t have any credentials, that usually doesn’t matter if you can demonstrate to whomever is reviewing your proposal, that you can write. The proposal you put together will help you demonstrate your skilz.  So when the time comes, knock the proposal out of the park.

Sure, some series will require that you have a body of work already, but again, you have to start somewhere.  And you shouldn’t let your non-experience stop you from going after something you want.

In my case, I did not have any prior experience writing for a series. I had nothing published. I turned in a proposal.  It did help the acquiring editor had seen another manuscript of mine. A full book. So she had some idea that I could finish a book.  She didn’t know if I could write fast enough though. I think she took some chances on me.  And that’s what you’re hoping for–that if you turn in a great proposal, they’ll take a chance on you, too.

Now that we got that out of the way, you should ask yourself this:

Why should I write for an existing series?

Here’s my answer.

• Do you want a built-in audience?
• Do you want the experience?
• Do you want an “in”?

If your answer is yes, yes, yes. Then that’s a great start.

Now respond to this.

• Are you willing to be paid on a work-for-hire basis?  This means you are paid a flat fee for the book. No royalties.  The plus side is you don’t have to worry about earning out any giant advances. You just do the job and cha-ching!, money is in the bank.  The downside is, if the book is really successful, you can forget about buyin a yacht–you’ll only get your flat fee.
• Can you accept low royalties or no royalties at all?  In some cases, the publisher may offer a royalty, but that royalty may be less than a standard royalty paid to original series books or original novels.
• Do you understand that you must  be able to capture the series’ tone and writing style to give fans what they want?
• Do you understand that you must be able to meet a tight deadline?

If your answer is yes, yes, yes, YES! That’s terrific. Now your expectations are properly set.

But what if I want to write my own original series?

You’ll want to listen to this, too, especially when I get to the part about pitching your series idea.  Though not a requirement, becoming familiar with how other serial books work may help you come up with the best ideas for your series, and guide your pitch in such a way that you sound like you know what you’re doing.

Next, you might be wondering–how can I tell which series I can write for? Some seem to be written by only one person.  But is that really true?

Okay, so here’s the deal. Many series books, even if they have the same author’s name on it, are written by different people.  Those are called ghostwritten books. Ghost writers do not receive author credit for their books.  But ghost writing is a very respectable profession and if you’re good at it, you can pay the bills, writing other people’s books.  I’m not going to go into that too much because I am not a ghost writer.  If you want to hear about a real ghost writer’s experience, you should definitely check out, http://www.scottwesterfeld.com/author/rants/ghost.htm.

To find out which series are written by people other than the original author, here’s a big hint. Open up the series book in question and see who owns the copyright. If it’s a company other than the publisher, like Alloy Entertainment for example, then you know that there are probably ghost writers writing for this series for that company.  Look up that company’s guidelines. Google away!

If you find the publisher owns the copyright, then look up the publishers guidelines online. You’ll find stuff  guidelines like these from American Girl.  If you can’t find anything online, check the CWIM. If not that, Google until your fingers are numb. Still can’t find anything? Keep reading.

If you have an agent, he or she can be a resource.

In the case of S.A.S.S., I heard about it through my agent.  Penguin had put out a call asking agents if they had any writers willing to write for the series. This practice is pretty common.  So that’s how I heard of the opportunity.  If you’re interested in writing for a series like S.A.S.S., ask your agent about it. He or she can help determine if that’s a good fit for your career. And if they think it’s a great idea, they can help you figure out if the publisher is still accepting ideas and pitches for series.

Okay, but I don’t have an agent and I STILL couldn’t find out anything about how to break into the series. Now what?

Query the publisher.  You do not need to find out who is editing the series. In fact, try not to bug them with this question.  Any slush monkey at the publisher will know whether or not they are still accepting proposals.  So mail in a brief query letter to whomever is listed in the CWIM for that publisher (see my article on writing a query letter).  Pitch the book like you are pitching your own, but make sure your savviness about the series shows in that short pitch.  Meaning, make sure your story idea is nicely aligned with the series, and not a duplicate of something they’ve already done.  Here’s an example of what you might put together for your query letter.

“Dear So-and-So,

I am very familiar with the X series, and I would like to know if you are accepting proposals.  If so, I’m including a brief summary of my idea for another book.

INSERT ONE PARAGRAPH or two … about your idea.

NEXT INSERT A BRIEF EXPLANATION OF WHY YOU MIGHT BE QUALIFIED.  See my query letter article about what is relevant and what is not.

If you are interested in a three-chapter sample and a full synopsis, an SASE is enclosed for your reply.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

YOU

Then wait for a reply.  Hopefully you will get one, maybe you won’t.  But there’s a very good chance that if your idea is awesome and your pitch is well-written,  AND it fits their needs, you’ll hear from them, asking for more.

This concludes the first article in this series about writing for a children’s or teen book series. Now you should know how to go about finding a series you to write for. Next, I’ll discuss how to put together a perfect pitch!

If you have any questions about something I have covered, or you’d like me to cover something in my next article tomorrow, do leave a comment.

Happy series-searching!

Cynthea (and Snoop!)

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