Chat Log - Kim Wilson & Book
Proposals
Session Start: Wed Sep 22 20:36:31 1999
Megan P = Megan Potter,
Writng Corner Senior Editor
Kim W = Kim Wilson,
Freelance Author
<Megan P> Welcome Spring!
Kim W is our guest speaker - if you have any questions on book
proposals please feel free to ask them!
<FunnyGirl> Kim, how long
have you written nonfiction?
<Kim W> Professionally 14
years
<FunnyGirl> Do you write
fiction at all?
<Kim W> No, I don't. I've
tried and it looks like something a 5th grader would write.
<Kim W> I admire anyone
who can write good fiction.
<Megan P> Kim - maybe
you'd like to intro yourself!
<Kim W> Sure, Hi everyone.
I'm Kim Wilson and I'm a nonfiction freelance writer/author.
<Kim W> My first book is
coming out this spring and I've been professionally writing for
14 years.
<Kim W> Feel free to ask
questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
<terij> LOL first off I
have a question and I am whining... do I have to make a table of
contents?
<Kim W> Teri, for your
proposal?
<terij> yes
<Kim W> In my opinion,
yes. Agents/publishers want to see what your book will entail.
Now you may have to change your TOC, but I would include one.
<Kim W> I put a TOC in my
proposal. It changed over the course of time, but it gave my
agent and publisher a good idea of what to expect.
<terij> ok... I have a
letter from a bookseller who sells at homeschool conferences…they
want our book.
<terij> do I include that
and where?
<Kim W> Put it in your
proposal towards the beginning.
<Kim W> After the
marketing stuff but before your sample chapters.
<terij> oic
<FunnyGirl> Can you tell
us about your promotion plan on paper?
<Kim W> You want to tell
them why this is such a great book, then go into the book
contents.
<Kim W> Funny, I'm not
sure exactly what you are asking. Are you interested in the
marketing plan?
<FunnyGirl> Yes, I know
some of the agents and publishers use either word.
<Kim W> I just got notice
from the publisher that we (my co-author and I) will be on a
national publicity tour.
<Spring> How many books do
you have to compare yours with?
<terij> I am doing an
informal survey of homeschoolers on how many books they have
bought in the past three months... where can I put this?
<Kim W> That basically
means, book signings, national tv shows, etc.
<Kim W> Not many. Ours is
very unique.
<Kim W> Teri, that
depends. If the results are good, put that in the who will buy
the book section. If the results are not good, skip it.
<terij> They have been
incredibly good
<Kim W> Then in the who
will buy the book. Explain that homeshoolers purchase certain
books and site your stats.
<Megan P> Kim -0 what is
your book's topic?
<Kim W> Premature Babies
<Kim W> The title is
<Spring> No , I meant how
many books do I have to compare with my book.
<Kim W> Living Miracles:
Stories of Hope from Parents of Premature Babies.
<Megan P> Oh I see Spring
- IS there a limit to how many books (or a min.) you should
compare your book to? Is that what you mean?
<Kim W> Spring: As many as
you can. Limit it though to the ones that most closely compete.
<Spring> Yes, that is what
I meant... thanks.
<Kim W> I think in my
proposal we sited about 7 books. But they were similar. Ours
topic was very unique.
<terij> so is mine... I
have maybe seven
<terij> and none are
exactly like ours
<Kim W> Our book is the
only one with numerous accounts from parents whose babies
survived. We had all different gestational ages and cause of
prematurity.
<Kim W> Other books only
concentrated on one baby or were written from a medical
standpoint.
<Kim W> Basically we found
a niche and filled it.
<FunnyGirl> Did you get
accepted on the first try?
<Kim W> Spring, did that
answer your question?
<terij> what are you
supposed to put in marketing... I mean I can't travel too far
away..
<Kim W> Funny, no...first
we queried 50 publishers. All rejected the query. Then we sent
out 50 queries to agents. We got a huge positive response.
<Kim W> 27 were
interested.
<FunnyGirl> WOW!
<FunnyGirl> That could be
a record!
<Kim W> I NEVER thought
I'd be turning down agents.
<terij> so about
marketing?
<Megan P> Kim: BTW the
Idiot's Guide to Getting Published was a great book! We have an
11% discount going on the site for it!
<Kim W> That is a great
book.
<FunnyGirl> Anyone else
writing a nonfiction book?
<terij> I haven’t gotten
it yet though I did get the Kim Lyons book and had it so long I
could have self published with the fine money
<Kim W> Terasia, how's
your crime book coming along?
<FunnyGirl> I am waiting,
forever waiting (LOL) on an agent. I have had good response from
one agent and two publishers.
<Kim W> lol
<FunnyGirl> But.. I am
picky.
<FunnyGirl> LOL
<Kim W> Teraisa,
good...you should be picky.
<FunnyGirl> I am ready to
rewrite with my new perspectives.
<FunnyGirl> Thanks, that
makes me feel better.
<FunnyGirl> :-)
<Kim W> I'm currently
working on two more Law Enforcement books.
<terij> Is your national
tour paid for?
<Spring> Do you find it
hard to cover stories that haven't been done before? I mean
there are so many books out there and so many topics that seem
to have been exhausted because they have been done so many times
and ways.
<terij> Or do you pat
yourself?
<FunnyGirl> Good question.
<terij> LOL pay
<Kim W> Teri, I'm still
waiting for all the details, publicist stuff, etc.
<FunnyGirl> I will love to
read your law enf. books.
<FunnyGirl> Can we get
autographed copies?
<Kim W> Spring...I don't
find that discouraging. Seems like my books are well thought
out.
<Kim W> Meaning.....
<FunnyGirl> Did you make
an agreement to buy a certain amount?
<Kim W> When I get the
wild idea for a book, I'll check to see what's been done and so
far I'm filling niches.
<terij> do you get a
certain amount of copies?
<Kim W> No...we asked the
publisher for free copies for our families and for all the
contributors and happily agreed to that.
<Kim W> We're not under to
contract to buy any of them.
<terij> how many pages
should your proposal be?
<Kim W> My agent and the
publisher is GREAT. I can't thank them enough.
<FunnyGirl> I was asking,
as I have reviewed proposals with an amount in there, maybe to
sell books.
<Kim W> Terri, I think our
proposal is about 150 pages...longer than normal.
<Kim W> We included photos
and a pretty large appendix of supporting material.
<terij> what do you put in
an appendix?
<Megan P> What kind of
supporting material is important?
<Megan P> QUESTION TO ALL
- is anyone thinking of a FICTION book proposal? It's slightly
different!
<Kim W> We put photos of
preemies that would be in the book, magazine articles, stuff
like that which shows why the book is needed.
<terij> so I can include
any mag article that i published on the subject?
<terij> or anyone else to
show interest?
<Kim W> Absolutely and any
other mag articles written by others.
<terij> and where would
that go?
<Kim W> in the back in the
appendix section.
<terij> oh ok
<FunnyGirl> Did you send
out your own press releases, or will you?
<Kim W> I'm sure we will,
and the publisher will too.
<Kim W> In fact I know
they will....I just saw the catalog copy, I'm also pleased with
that too.
<Megan P> Kim W is Kim -
our guest speaker... she's answering questions on book proposals
plese feel free to jump in anytime!
<Kim W> Oh, even though I
didn't mention my agent...the publisher is St. Martins Press
<Kim W> They are wonderful
to work with.
<Megan P> Are you thinking
about a book too Linda?
<Megan P> Nonfic or fic?
<Sherwood> Fiction. But am
compiling a nonfiction too. But I think just one copy.
<Sherwood> Historical. The
copy would be a reference at the local library.
<Megan P> Well then please
ask your fiction proposal questions because so far it's been all
non-fic oriented!
<bearpaw> I have heard of
authors sending in their proposals before they have their book
finished. Is this common practice?
<Kim W> Just for the
record...I know didly squat about fiction, so I won't be able to
answer any fiction questions...which is to your advantage...LOL
<Megan P> I know a bit
about fiction proposals...
<Kim W> Oh, Oh, Oh...I
know that answer....LOL
<Megan P> Linda - are you
talking fiction or non-fiction?
<Kim W> In nonfiction yes,
in fiction no
<Kim W> BUT....I prefer to
finish my books then send in the proposal.
<Kim W> Some would say
that's unprofessional as an author (waste of time) but it's
still my preference.
<FunnyGirl> The rule is
nonfiction you do NOT finish book, Fiction you FINISH.
<FunnyGirl> I think it
depends what kind of book, though, in nonfiction.
<bearpaw> OK, now ...why?
<Kim W> Bear...you asking
me?
<Megan P> Why? Because
non-fiction the publisher is buying and idea - your writing
style is evident in your proposal
<Sherwood> If there is a
huge commitment by the author before writing the book, you'd
want to guarantee it would be published.
<bearpaw> Who ever can
answer the question
<terij> LOL Jan, that is
what I was wondering... I could work better if I had a bit of
money and a deadline
<FunnyGirl> If you only
send three chapters with fiction, they do not know if you can
finish the story adequately and cannot take that chance.
<Megan P> In fiction -
it's not an idea they are buying but a plot and characters... so
they need to see it all...
<Sherwood> By huge
commitment, I meant financial.
<Kim W> I like finishing
my books for several reasons.....
<terij> I guess that makes
sense
<Kim W> 1. It's a great
selling point. St. Martins loved the idea that ms was ready to
go.
<bearpaw> I change my mind
about several items in the story line often
<Sherwood> Could you
explain how it works if the publisher accepts the idea before
the book is written? Do they then have a lot of input in the
writing process?
<Kim W> 2. My books
involve lots of people, consents, etc. I want to know I can
deliver what I promise. If I finish the book first, then I know
I can deliver.
<Kim W> 3. If I can't sell
it to the publisher, I'll self publish it, so it's not a waste
of time for me.
<terij> that’s a good
point Kim
<bearpaw> Kim that would
be the way that I would go also (#2)
<Kim W> Plus, you just
never know what's gonna happen in life by doing proposal before
the book.
<bearpaw> Ok, when you
self publish...are you doing it by computer or the traditional
way?
<terij> do you send a
chapter outline with proposal? Even the outline for the chapters
you have done?
<Kim W> What if I got a
deadline, advance and then got really sick, etc. that would
prevent me from not meeting my deadline...YIKES>
<Sherwood> Kim, I'd like
to know how you find the people to interview for your books and
articles?
<Kim W> Bear...I'm not
sure. I haven't had to self publish a book yet.
<Sherwood> And in case you
missed it, I was wondering how much input the publisher has into
the book if they buy a proposal versus a finished manuscript?
<Kim W> I target areas
where they are at. For example for the premature baby book, I
found many parents on the Internet and through word of mouth.
<Megan P> Teri can tell
you a bit about that too.. she's had an enormous reaction...
<Megan P> I on the other
hand have had a slower reaction...
<Kim W> Sherwood, I'm not
sure about input before the ms is finished. St. Martins was
great. They suggested a few changes to the ms, but said it was
ultimately up to my co-author and me.
<Megan P> I think maybe it
varies by publisher/editor
<FunnyGirl> For my book, I
have interviewed almost 500 people, you will be amazed who will
talk once you talk about your project.
<FunnyGirl> BTW - I only
had to toss about 50.
<terij> I sign up for
onelists in my subject area and then ask.... we also have a
website and have put the call for contributors in several
different mags and newsletters
<Kim W> Teraisa, that’s
great!
<Sherwood> What was the
hardest thing for you in the process of writing your book to the
finished product?
<Kim W> Teri, that's what
I do too for my LE books.
<Sherwood> Did you use an
agent? (if i repeat questions, I'm sorry. I was working late and
just got home.)
<FunnyGirl> And Teri is
great at getting people to open up!
<Kim W> Reading the
stories and writing my own. Going down memory lane and reliving
some really tough times when my son almost died.
<Kim W> Sherwood, yes I
have an agent.
<Megan P> Ohh = I was
using newsgroups and getting low response.. is onelist better?
<Kim W> onelist has TONS
of topics
<Kim W> I have an article
coming out in Writers Digest about writers lists
<Megan P> My advice is get
a free email like Yahoo where it goes to a separate box and go
through it every now and then reading what you like, deleting
and responding for exposure..
<Sherwood> When?
<terij> cool Kim W
<Kim W> It should be out
sometime this spring.
<Kim W> Writers Digest is
great to work with.
<Sherwood> I set up
separate folders on my regular email. So everything gets sorted
right away.
<Tammie> yep same here
<Kim W> Sherwood, that's
kinda what I do, I have several email names, but list stuff goes
to one email name and gets sorted.
<Megan P> My email program
doesn't sort them separate - bulks them together... what program
are you using?
<Sherwood> I have numerous
emails, but use only three on a regular basis.
<Sherwood> Outlook Express
<Kim W> I'm currently
working on a law enforcement web site, so all mail and lists
currently go to that name.
<Tammie> same here
<Megan P> Ok so am I - how
do I have it automatically sort?
<Sherwood> Under Tools,
choose Inbox assistant
<Tammie> or Message Rules
in the later version..
<Kim W> thank you
Sherwood, I was trying to mentally think about how to tell Meg
to set up sort.
<Sherwood> Then set the
parameters. For instance, all of my Get-It-In-Writing goes into
that folder if the "To:" is GIIW@onelist.com
<Kim W> Sherwood do you
set up only the to: or do you do the from as well?
<Tammie> can do either
<Sherwood> For the onelist,
I tried the from and it didn't work. So I just do To
<Megan P> Thank you so
much!
<Megan P> I have so many
mini folders.. it will be a big help!
<Sherwood> But I also have
some email addresses listed From, that go into the same folder
<Kim W> whew, I thought it
was just my system acting up when the from wouldn't work.
<Kim W> from, gives me
problems with lists
<Sherwood> Me too.
<Sherwood> It wouldn't
work at all.
<Kim W> yep same here,
imagine my surprise when I got several hundred unsorted
emails...ugh
<Tammie> my from's are
okay..
<terij> yuk.... T could
use that
<Tammie> but I have the
latest version of o.e too
<Tammie> so maybe it's a
bug they've fixed
<Sherwood> I didn't
realize there was a newer version Tammie! I'll have to check
into upgrading.
<FunnyGirl> LOL on using
that... I checked, I don't have a tools list, but let's not go
there, right Tammie?
<Kim W> Okay, are there
any other proposal or writing questions?
<Tammie> if you upgrade to
IE 5 it updates o.e. as well
<Tammie> lol fg
<FunnyGirl> Good Idea,
Kim.
<FunnyGirl> Kim was
scheduled an hour, I believe she has served us well!
<FunnyGirl> Show of
applause?
<Megan P> True enough...
<Sherwood> Thanks Kim!
<bearpaw> clap,clap
<Megan P> clap clap
<Megan P> No final qs?
<Sherwood> clap, clap,
clap
<Kim W> Well, thank you
for having me. I really enjoyed myself.
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