"Wherever men have lived there is a story to be told." Henry David Thoreau

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The LAURA Short Stories Online

Women Writing the West (WWW) started a short story contest for its members in 2008, creating the LAURA award named in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The winners for 2008 and 2009 are now in a WWW journal online. My short story, "The Ranch," received an Honorable Mention in 2008 and can be found on page 23. The link is: http://womenwritingthewest.org/laura.html
Click on "Read the Winning Stories."

Monday, May 3, 2010

Get to Know Publishing Law


Many authors believe that all they have to do is sit back and let their agent iron out the details of their contract with the editor. And, yes, that is the agent's job, but you, as a writer, should have some knowledge about a book contract so you can talk intelligently to your agent. Many new authors are under the misconception that their agents can work miracles with a publishing house and get them anything they want. In reality, the negotiations depend on many factors. The more you know, the more you will understand your agent's job and the limitations she might face in negotiating certain aspects of a contract. You will also know if you have an agent who "isn't" negotiating at all for you but accepting a boiler plate contract.

A very good book I think every author should have is Kirsch's Handbook of Publishing Law (1994) by Jonathan Kirsch. He also has another one called Kirsch's Guide to the Book Contract (1998). There might be newer additions, but I have "Publishing Law" and it is invaluable for the author who wants to understand contracts and contract negotiations.