StoryGodmother Newsletter #5
Hello!
Welcome to newsletter number 5! I can’t believe we’re nearly at the end of January. So what has been happening, and what’s about to happen? Read on…
Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize.
Christmas Gift - Deadline Tuesday.
WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE
A massive congratulations to everyone who entered the Picture Book category of the Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize and especially to our winners who have recently been announced:
1st place:- Snatcher in the Bog by Abby Voss
2nd place:- The Simple Tale of Slug and Snail by Anne Weedon
3rd place:- The Seed by Fiona Powell
Thank you to everyone who entered the category – it’s a huge achievement to even complete and submit a story. We’re still reading the shortlisted entries for the Chapter Book category but hope to make a decision soon.
WINTER WRITING CHEER
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported Winter Writing Cheer, raising funds for Alzheimers Research UK. The aim is to raise £1000 a year over both Winter and Summer Writing Cheer but we are almost approaching £1000 already! You can keep up with the progress here on JustGiving.com and find out more about the charity here: Alzheimer’s Research UK
We had an absolutely brilliant Agent Q & A Panel with Julia Churchill, Sam Copeland, Jodie Hodges and Gemma Cooper. Thank you to everyone who came along - I hope it was a useful insight into the agents’ work. I’ve certainly had some excellent feedback.
Tomorrow it’s the last Winter Writing Cheer of 2023 so be sure to keep an eye on social media channels on Monday.
There’s also more information about the Writing Cheer initiative on my website.
CHRISTMAS GIFT
Just a reminder that as a thank you for being subscribers in 2022, I would love to offer you all £5 of a Story Godmother service booked in January (excluding charity fundraisers), so you only have a couple of days left! The services can include £5 discount for a critique or coaching session, including GroupCoach. The session or critique does not need to take place in January, but please make your booking this month to claim your gift..
To look at various options, please visit the Coaching page on my website. To book, or enquire about affordable critique packages, please contact me via email and make sure you use the same email address you do for the newsletter.
MARCH ONWARD WRITER
The programme for the second March Onward Writer collection of events will be announced soon – a timetable full of mix & match workshops, courses and opportunities, all at an affordable price.
To make sure you’re first to hear of the new sessions when they’re released, you can follow me on Eventbrite.
I’m really excited about running this programme again this year and hope you find it motivating and informative.
RESOURCES & IDEAS
10 Submission Mistakes to Avoid
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Hide your story
If you’re happy with your story, then act on it. You might want to catch breath but don’t let dust settle on your story or let fear persuade you it’s not worth doing something with. -
Fail to make a plan
Focus is helpful for building a writing career. Where would you like to ‘be’ ten years from now? Would you write for different age groups or a particular one? Would you like to cover a wide range of genres? What are the different options to get to where you want to be? -
Pick publishers/agents randomly
It’s tempting to approach anyone but you’ll save time if you plan ahead. Your story will then go to the most suitable place, increasing its chance of success. The first step is research. Look at an agent’s list. Do they represent authors you’ve heard of? Does the agent seem to like the sort of books you write?
Follow agents and agencies on social media, including LinkedIn, which is often overlooked. As well as finding individual agents on there, you can also follow agency pages.
Watch publishing houses like a hawk. Even those which are closed to submissions sometimes have an open 24 hour slot during the year, such as Chicken House’s Open Coop, Nosy Crow, and Firefly Press.NB. If you’re going to LinkedIn, by all means join my network. I’d love to connect.
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Submit to one place at a time
You can submit to multiple publishers/agents simultaneously. Obviously, prioritise the ones you feel are more appropriate. Look through the Children’s Writers’ & Artists’ Handbook for suggestions. If you do send exclusively to a publisher/agent for a specific reason, then explain why in your cover letter. -
Ignore guidelines
What really annoys publishers and agents? When they provide submission guidelines and authors ignore them. Even if your story is fabulous, if you haven’t stuck to the guidelines, it may head for the pass pile. Attachments are frequently treated as spam, so if a publisher or agent specifies no attachments, they do mean it, your email won’t be opened, and may not even be seen. -
Write an inappropriate cover letter
Ah, the cover letter. Always fun. This is difficult to write but worth spending time on - it’s your introduction to a publisher or agent. And first impressions count. What do they not want to see? A long-winded, unclear, standard cover letter which is a one-size-fits-all and doesn’t communicate all the information they need. For more info on what to include in a cover letter, see the tips I’ve written up on my website. -
Put everything into your synopsis
It’s natural to want to include every detail of your story. However, the maximum length of a synopsis is usually two typed A4 sides (but check individual guidelines). One side is even better. Cramming everything in means you’ll end up with a long-winded, confusing synopsis, which probably won’t support your submission. Consider the main points of each chapter.
If you struggle with writing a synopsis, keep an eye open for my brand new course: Surviving the Synopsis. -
Hit send/receive obsessively
We all do it. We all know it’s pointless. Let your story fly free for a while. Save your time, your stress levels and reduce the risk of RSI by working on your next story instead. At least then, when an agent or publisher responds, you have other ideas to offer them. -
Take rejection personally
‘Thank you for your submission, however we didn’t feel it was right for our list.’
Yes, sometimes it’s the quality or presentation of the writing. However, there may be nothing wrong with the story itself. Agents receive thousands of submissions, so they prioritise ones they personally connect with. Or they may have just signed an author who is similar to you. There are many reasons your story may be passed, but often all you hear is, ‘Thank you for your submission, however…’
If your story has been passed more than 10 times, you might like to try my Pass Clinic to help identify whether there are core problems in the story. -
Give up
It’s sad when talented writers struggle to find a home for their work or find the submission process too gruelling. The world needs good stories and you can be the one to write them. Sometimes it’s enough of a challenge to finish writing the wretched thing, let alone face sending it out into the world. But do keep going. The reward of seeing your story in print is worth it. Promise.
BOOK NEWS
I’m really excited that the second book in The Repair Shop Stories series, THE TOY BUS, is coming out on March 2nd with illustrator Katie Hickey and publisher Walker Books.
“Elsie and her little brother, David, love watching the red buses that drive past. David longs to be able to toddle up to see them a little closer, but he has cerebral palsy and finds it difficult to stand…”
This is such a lovely project to be involved with, and I thoroughly enjoyed writing this based-on-real-life story.
If you would like to pre-order, please visit your local indie bookshop or see:
END NOTES
Thank you very much! Have a good couple of weeks and hope your writing goes well.
Best wishes and sparkles,
Story Godmother.