Writing Tips: TIP Sheet

Hey all!

As promised, this week we will be talking about the TIP (Title Information Page) sheet. So, here we go.

TOPIC: TIP Sheet

So what is a TIP, you ask? It is a very handy form an agent may send along to editors with your manuscript. The TIP or Title Information Page gives editors a plethora of information about you and your book. Now, not all agents will have you do this but those that do are doing the editors a real favor. So we'll break down the TIP into its basic components.

The first block contatins the TITLE, Author Name, Reading Line, Age Level/Grade Level, Specs, Subject/BISAC, Agent contact information and author websites/blogs/etc. Most of this information is pretty self explanatory. Title and author name are a snap. You don't have to fill in the agent information either. The Age/Grade level information is generally for children's novels (at least it is for my agent's form). Specs are projected page length and format. The Subject/BISAC relates to the keywords that will be associated with your book. Finally the reading line is a one line phrase that also conveys the essence of your book. Think of it like a movie tagline.

The next section the author needs to consider is the Handle. This is often referred to as the elevator pitch. It is a one to two sentence hook for your book. Think of it as you have 10 seconds to interest a prospecive editor. What would you want to convey about your book?

The next big section is the Description. Treat this like the body of a query letter. So, (as review) it is written in third person present tense and it about 250 words, maximum. Introduce your main character, their dilemma and what is at stake if they fail to achieve their desired goal.

Next comes the selling points. This is more focused on marketing. What do you beleive sets your book apart from all of the others out there? You can list things such as if it provides a new approach to an old trope or if it's geared towards a specific audience. For instance for my current work in progress, my selling points include the fact that it is geared towards a subset of younger readers and provides a prominent historical figure in a new and interesting light.

AFter the selling points section comes the Author's Bio. This is fairly straightforward. Include information about where you grew up and attended school. Mention what postsecondary degrees you hold and some of your interests. To give the editor some idea of where they might focus local marketing efforts, you can include where your family is located.

The second to last section on a TIP sheet is reserved for the author's prior sales. If you haven't sold anything before, don't sweat it. Your agent will remove it. It's there to demonstrate to editors that if you do have prior sales tht you are worth taking on as a contact.

The final piece of the TIP is the Comparative/Competitive Titles. Admitedly, this is my weak spot. It requires the author to conduct research in the genre to determine what other books they will be competing against. You are also asked to provide comments on why you believe your book is similar or diferent to the titles you choose. It's important that you don't just chooose the latest trendy book. If it is an accurate comparison to your book, then fine. Otherwise, try to avoid the latest best seller. You can get the information you need by going to a library or bookstore such as Borders or Barnes & Noble or by using their online counterparts. You may find something in your search that piques your interest.

So, now that we've taken a quick trip through what the TIP includes and how to go about preparing it, we'll talk briefly about when you should complete the TIP. It really doesn't matter whether you do it before you begin writing, while you're in he process of writing or after the book is finished. It really all depends on how you organize your ideas. If you believe working on parts of the TIP, such as the description and handle, before you write will help you focus your ideas, then go for it. Completing it at these various stages of the writing process each have their own advantages and only you can determine what works best in your situation.

As a little side note, my agent gave me an A+ in my TIP prep for my projects. That makes me smile.

I hope you found this a useful and helpful writing tip. I'll see you next week.

Off and Running!

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a good President's Day. If you had it off, yay you! If not, well I hope it was still a good Monday. Also, a belated Happy Valentine's Day to those of you who celebrate. Hope you got share a little something special with your some special.

Anyway, I've got some very exciting news to share. As of today (2/16/2010) EUTERPE'S SONG is on submission to publishers.

What does that mean?

It means that my agent (Roger) has sent out my manuscript and the TIP sheet (tune in next week for a Writing Tip on the TIP) to editors at various publishing houses. We should hear back on this initial round in a few weeks. I will keep you updated.

So now I'm going to celebrate this rather monumental step forward in the publishing process. See you next week for a fun and informative Writing Tip.

Writing Tips: Organization

Hello all!

I'm back with a new writing tip this week. So let's dive in!

TOPIC: Organization

This may seem like an obvious thing for a writer to have but it's not as easy as one might think. Organization doesn't just apply to making sure you have all the elements in a story in a coherent order. It can apply to the story development phase of the process, which is what we will be talking about today.

As a writer, you no doubt have more than one idea floating around in your noggin. Lord knows, I've got several stories fighting for my attention right now. So how do you keep them straight and make sure you don't go crazy trying to keep them all in line? You commit them to a print media and let them stew for a while.

I have found that keeping an Excel spreadsheet allows me to get down the details of ideas in a smei-coherent form and free up space in my head. I recently decided this would be a good idea to keep my latest shiny new ideas from tangling up with one another.

What I've done is set up mutiple sheets within the larger document, each tab relating to its own idea. Each sheet has the same set up. Title, genre short summary and status columns for drafts. This is an easy way to jot down some basic ideas about a storyline and characters without having to spend arduous hours working through every plot detail. That comes later when you're actually ready to tackle that idea and take it through the whole writing process.

A quick note about titles. They are by no means set in stone (as we talked about before). These should be something that will jog your memory down the road so you don't sit there going "now what was this again?" Even with summaries, you can sometimes forget where you were going with an idea. Having a title helps your brain latch on and recall those initial brain sparks that got you interested in the idea in the first place.

Now, Excel isn't required to keep a list of ideas. A simple Word or Text file would suffice just as well. I tend to be a little anal about my organization and the additional separation of Excel sheets suits me. Regardless of how you decide to keep your ideas organized, it's important that you do so. If not for all the wonderful bits and pieces that you come up with, than for your sanity. After all, no one wants to go crazy with a zillion ideas bouncing around in their head.

I hope this little tip was somewhat helpful. See you next week!

Status Update

Hey everyone!

This week is basically a status update on EUTERPE'S SONG. I've finished my final edits and my agent (and editor) are figuring out where to submit my baby. With any luck we'll be on the road (read: on submission) in the next couple weeks. I'll keep you updated as I know more information.

I have to say, I'm quite amazed by how much EUTERPE has changed since that first draft back in May. Sure, I'd had beta readers critique it and did a revision before I started submitting to agents in August but it wasn't quite where it needed to be. So, I did another revision in August before I sent it off to a new batch of agents (Roger included), getting it up to about 34,000 words. A better length but not quite strong enough still with some elements of the plot. Despite my overwhelming misuse of commas and my plethora of disembodied body parts, Carlie stuck with me and I think we have a beautiful little novel. Now weighing in at 35,000 words. She's ready to find a nice home somewhere.

So I will see you next week (possibly sooner, depending). Stay warm!