Essay Online

My publishing journey has been unusual enough that friends and publicists alike have suggested I write about it, especially the part about being a man writing love stories in a woman’s genre. But it’s not just the genre. The whole publishing and agency world I encountered was dominated by women. Sound interesting enough? Okay. There’s just one little hitch. Now that I’m sitting in front of the keyboard, I find that there’s not much to tell that’s dramatic. Most of the women editors treated me fairly, and I worked well with the ones who gave me room to turn in.

If anything, being a man may have given me a certain advantage, you know, from a novelty standpoint. Not only was I a male engineer (of all things!), with no detectable writing credentials, daring to show up with a love story, but I was touting it as a love story unlike any other, one written of love at a higher level. Well, at least it made them look up from their keyboards. Even from clear across the Internet’s vast ether, I could feel their skeptical smiles.

I did have advantages related to temperament. Women have always been my epitome of beauty, and I have long admired the feminine spirit and disposition, the nobility of her biological calling, the sophistication of her romantic instinct. As a result, I have always worked well with women. Plus I am grateful. Everything I ever learned about romantic love at a higher level I learned from a woman.

The other advantage I had was acquired: I had studied love stories for decades and I knew the intricacies and jargon of the genre. At one point, an editor who was intrigued by my sample chapters started an e-mail conversation that escalated to a phone discussion. I knew this was curiosity bringing opportunity to my door. She was a Romance novelist as well as a Romance editor, so I was nervous as I dialed her office number. I could tell that she was surprised then delighted to meet a man who could discuss nuances of love story plot and characterization ranging from risk factors in portraying heroines as less than physically perfect, to pet theories for best lead up to denouement. I knew before the conversation was over that she would offer a contract. Not only did I address some reservations she had about my characters, but I had done so in the professional jargon she knew. As a result, she knew she could work with me for the editorial portion of the project.

With all this said, let me offer an opinion based on what I experienced. To the question about whether the bar is higher for a man writing in this genre, I would say yes, at least in a certain sense. If you are a man who writes mediocre romances, then I think it will be harder for you to get published than a mediocre woman writer. But if you are a man producing material that matches the top ten percent of the genre, then the reservations that woman editors naturally have about you won’t matter. You will get the consideration you deserve. Know the audience you are targeting. That counts for a lot. And be sure you can defend the theory you have chosen for how you spun your characters and how you wove your plot.

You have completed your ms, and now what?

You may ask yourself:

How can I submit it to publishers?

How can I present it?

Here comes the cover letter. It is not difficult to write one, just follow the instructions below.

Submitting the right cover letter to the editors /publishers will increase your chances of getting your work accepted!

What is a cover letter?

It is a letter that goes with your work. You can’t send your work alone. You need to say something about it and about yourself in the cover letter.

This letter is very important as it is this document that will persuade prospective editors/publishers to read your work.

It is not difficult to write a cover letter, but you should be careful not to omit any essential info. If you don’t do it right, you can’t expect success.

I will help you do it right. If I can write a cover letter, you can do it, too. It’s easy.

Let’s get started!

• First write your name, address and contact number/e-mail on the right side of an A4 sheet.

• Next, write the editor/publisher’s name and address on the left side, below your personal info.

• Write the date on the right side.

• Start with : Dear Mr/Ms &ndashname of publisher

It’s better to write the name of the publisher if you know it. If you don’t, start with: Dear Sir/Madam

• Keep in mind that the letter is formal. Don’t use any contractions such as I’m or it’s.

The first paragraph

Now you can add the first paragraph. It goes like this:

‘I enclose the synopsis of my book/article and I wonder if you would be interested in it.’

• Now give the publisher sufficient info about your book/article. Tell him in 1-2 lines the content of your book/article.

e.g. Let us suppose you’ve written a book about Turtles.

You can write:

TURTLES is about keeping and caring for turtle pets indoors.

The main body

You should tell the publisher why the people are going to read such a book, and who is going to buy it.

e.g. TURTLES is a pet book that would interest children from 8-16 years old, and all pet lovers as well. This book is original because it is written with children at that age in mind , and it is practical and easy to read.

• You must convince the publisher that you are qualified to write on the subject.

e.g. ‘ This book is based on my own experience in turtle

breeding. Or ‘ I have worked in a pet shop for two years…’ . You can add any experience you’ve had on this subject. Ask yourself:

Any other experience relevant?

Any studies?

Any research?

More tips

• Be brief and informative. One page of an A4 sheet is enough.

• Now, if you wish, mention in your letter that you also enclose a sample chapter of your book.

e.g ‘I also enclose a list of chapters and a sample

chapter for you to read.’

The cover letter usually goes with a synopsis, a sample

chapter and a list of chapters.

This is the complete proposal package and I always do so myself. However, you can send a cover letter and a synopsis only, but be prepared to have a sample chapter ready whenever you are asked to by a publisher to submit it.

It usually takes a lot of time before you get a reply, so you may as well send the whole package to save time.

• State that you enclose a s.a.e ( a second envelope that is stamped and addressed to yourself). They are not going to reply if you don’t enclose this.

• Close the letter. Be polite.

e.g. ‘ Thank you for your time.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest

convenience.

Yours sincerely

Your full name

Your e-mail address

• If you wish to use the internet to submit your work, follow the same procedure-of course there’s no need for a s.a.e.

Last notice

Before you submit any work, read the regulations thoroughly . Some publishers do not accept sample work via e-mail!

Now, you are ready to write your own cover letter.

GOOD LUCK!

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748

I found myself sitting in the HR department of one of the most famous companies in America. My ice queen soon to be boss wanted me and I knew it. After all, I had graduated from a pseudo impressive university and I looked really good in my Ann Klein suit. Problem was, I’d never worked a day in Corporate America and I had just turned fifty. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks but the bills were piling up and the only place my freedom loving artistic spirit had gotten me was down and out in New York City.

I was offered the job; mostly because the actress in me conjured up Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl, a dash of Faye Dunaway in Network and I performed a nifty little improv using the shrewd and sassy elegance of Judy Holiday and Melanie Griffith as rather impressive role models. My stunning performance worked and there I was, embraced by my new corporate family and occasionally loaned back out to the rest of society, my pet Pomeranian and my old disco buddies.

After filling the pages of my gratitude journal for at least six months, and thanking the universe for this rather prestigious position, the honeymoon wore off and I became increasingly shell shocked. My co-workers were very strange indeed. I didn’t feel that they were family at all, but that’s what having a job is called on the Planet Corporate: family. Oh, they like putting us in teams too. Teams connote competition and a great rah, rah spirit. In my old world they called it “opening night.” Here they call it “making goal.” As you can imagine, I was confused.

I had a hard time understanding these people. They talked about a lot of things that didn’t really interest me. When they weren’t obsessing on how low the sales numbers were, they were obsessing on the New York Jets, what to nuke for lunch and whether or not the Bachelor would chose the blonde or the tenacious little redhead. I was beginning to feel quite miserable. Why, the first time I heard I had a direct report I thought I was going to be writing up a presentation on how I was going to direct the Christmas play. The first time I was called a subordinate, I almost wept aloud. Jeez, if I wanted to be subordinate to anyone I would have married my ex.

Then I was told I was getting a performance review. Well, finally something to look forward to. I was happy at last. Surely, my calculated persona as a prisoner in pin stripes was impressive. Why, I learned to click down the hallowed halls of this very famous corporation in three inch heels. I found the perfect skirt length and kept my nails conservatively French tipped. I even talked numbers all day, like they were as important as season tickets to the Met, and I pretended to be in a constant state of urgency so my boss would think I was absolutely killing myself to make my sales goal.

Well, you could have knocked me over in a breath when I discovered that a performance review was actually based on whether or not I was selling anything. Disappointingly, my review was moderate to cold. I felt that I wanted to crawl under a rock and not emerge until I figured out how I could learn to care how much money my company made off the ninety percent of my life it was taking. My self esteem had taken an affront. Here I thought my humanity was more important.

So be it. I licked my wounds and went on like a good soldier. These people were expanding my sales goal wider than a middle age waist line, but still, I persisted. I plodded along, cursing my fate and trying to figure out if I’d enjoy driving a cab for a living.

Finally, some good news from the Planet of the Corporate: We were all going on a retreat. I joyously ran out to buy a yoga mat, karma sutra oil to share with colleagues, hot pink sweatpants and new Addidas. I couldn’t want to chant with my corporate family. I was ecstatic.

But then, the bomb fell. I was both surprised and appalled. My corporate family was thrusting me into a hotel room with another adult, asking me to share the spit and spittle of sleep, the intimacy of bodily woes and the loss of privacy on my frequent calls home to the dog walker. That did it. I rebelled. I wore the new Addidas and the hot pink sweats to their all day meetings on how to sell more stuff. I chanted enthusiastically during the power lunch and used some little book on cheese they gave me as a place mat for the very gooey award night dinner.

Wouldn’t you know it, I was written up. At first I thought I’d earned some good review on the little monologue I gave to the company president on corporate greed. Not so, I was put on probation and sent home to watch Oprah, the Secret and meditate on changing my life as I sat by the Hudson with my Pomeranian re-reading What Color Is Your Parachute.

After two weeks, I was back on the planet Corporate wondering how I’d get through it. I couldn’t quit, it was already going to take me two years to get out of the debt I’d accumulated relying on an income doing extra film work and occasional voice overs for pharmaceutical drug companies. I needed the damn job. But something had shifted for me during my little reprisal from the bull pen of consumption. Maybe it was Oprah, maybe the law of attraction really works. I sure was intending to alter my present state. And it happened just like that. I put all my efforts into seeing myself as a happy little puppy and lo and behold, I started writing a novel.

Once I began, the words just flowed. I wrote and I wrote till my little fingers twitched. My life was altered forever by that simple action. I now started to wake at five am with a passion I hadn’t felt in years. I threw myself at the keyboard for an hour or more. I filled my weekends weaving a story, creating characters that I couldn’t get enough of. My joy was abundant.

Wouldn’t you know it? The bull pen became tolerable. Even the ice queen melted a bit and the complicated hidden agendas of coworkers became insignificant. My head was filled with plot and character. Who cares who wants my head on a corporate silver platter? What cared I for corporate agendas when my chapters flowed off the page? I thought about nothing else. My sales numbers even increased, as did my tolerance for the ice queens and bully boys on the Planet Corporate. How strange it all was.

Now I have a book, actually several books. You see, I stole back my time. I found a place that I wanted to be. You might say I took back my soul to write. I would advise anyone out there who has found themselves on an alien planet, to follow their passion as well, even if it doesn’t get you back on the planet Earth right away, I can assure you that eventually, it will, one way or the other. You see, your freedom will come out of the creation and your joy is in action, not the inaction of just feeling miserable. Writing is a place no one can enter or soil with demands you may never reach and definitions that limit you. So find your book and write it. If you don’t, your Corporate family will become the title of your life, and the spirit who longs to fly free will loose touch with the words that might have been, and the key to the door not taken.

Writing articles is an excellent way for you to get free publicity. The techniques for writing articles are numerous and beyond the scope of this article. That is why writing articles are one of the most utilized Internet marketing media today. Many marketers know that writing articles are great and powerful methods to marketing online. Although writing articles are very easy to do once you know how, getting someone to show you the tricks can be the hard part. Both the press release and writing articles are two important steps on the road to internet marketing success. I think speaking and writing articles are effective ways to keep your name out there. Writing articles are one of the oldest forms of advertising on the internet.

A quality web site should contain at least some original content. Articles make great keyword-rich content for your site. Duplicate content is penalized in the Google search engine results and many other search engines are following. Creating effective web content is a skill that is built over time and experience. Good articles are content rich. The best kept secret of traffic is still the secret of good content. Because content is still superior on the internet, writing articles provides you with a major piece of leverage online. Providing the content the search engines need is a virtual gold mine for entrepreneurs. Content is superior, this will never change on the internet. Writing web content is much like writing articles. Many people don’t realize that a website needs good content to work. Try to focus most of your time getting good content for your web site.

Here are some article writing tips. Article containing guidelines and tips for writing articles, online magazines, white papers, tutorials, educational and corporate are excellent articles to write. Here are some other writing tips to increase traffic to your site. If you don’t like writing paragraphs, you could make it a ‘Tips’ article, here is an example, 5 ways to improve your golf swing, then list the 5 good ways. The following are some good tips to master the technique of writing articles. Create a list of keywords your target audience would use to find information on your topic.

Many successful Internet marketers have found out that one of the best ways to drive traffic to their websites is by writing articles. One of the best ways to get traffic to your site is by writing articles and placing the link to your site in the author’s bio-box at the end. Nevertheless, there are ways to promote your website and increase your web traffic without spending anything. The second best way to bring free traffic to your website is writing articles. The simple answer is that it takes time to write articles, submit them and get targeted traffic to their websites. Turn words into traffic is something everyone can do to grow and expand their online business by writing articles. You can get reasonable amount of traffic by writing articles. Ever wonder how some people seem to generate traffic at the click of a button. Don’t forget about all those back links to your website, this is very important when building link popularity. Online articles may be the single best way to get traffic to your web site.

Writing articles are a great way of positioning your online business. One key point to remember, one article will not do it you need to continually submit articles to all of article sites. One strategy to use is to submit one article per week. By the end of the year you would have submitted 52 articles.

Has anyone else noticed a trend of books, both self-published and from commercial publishers, that were originally ebooks and have not completely shaken the unfortunate signs of their origin?

1.Since ebooks can be sold easily at 80-100 pages, but print books cannot, the book version gains length through appendices that take up one-third of the page count. Sometimes the appendices are quite tangential to the main topic, and other times they contain golden information that should have been better integrated with the main content. There’s also padding evident within the book, especially a lot of large illustrations, cartoons or Powerpoint slides that add little to the reader’s learning experience.

2.Because ebooks are often sold with a lot of time-limited bonuses, these books also contain bonuses printed in them &ndash bonuses that have already expired when the book was purchased! This just happened to me with a hardcover 2007 book from John Wiley purchased through Amazon.com - not from some aftermarket source. What were they thinking?!

3.Ebooks, both free and for-fee, often function as a first step in a marketing funnel, with a disproportionate emphasis on moving the reader into the next, higher-priced offering, such as a boot camp or seminar. I’ve read two hardcover books recently that have too prominent and too pushy a pitch for the author’s very expensive seminar. A book should be a self-contained information unit, with other offerings mentioned but not with a hard sell. All promos should be placed after the main text, not within the chapters.

4.It’s common to create and sell or distribute an ebook anthology by asking contributors to send something in on a loosely defined theme and accepting all the contributions, with wildly uneven quality and relevance to one another. If it’s got a salable title, people will buy this sort of thing as a print book also, but reviews will be so-so at best, and the book is destined for a quick death.

5.Above all, laziness abounds. Since most ebooks have a short shelf life, there’s little thought given to making the contents substantive enough to withstand the evolution of the marketplace for a year or two. People who buy books for their personal library don’t want something that will make little sense when they pull a volume down from their shelf in three years’ time.

People can be fooled once, but book lovers won’t buy that author’s “books” again when it’s really an ebook in the trappings of a book &ndash without a book’s soul. Additionally, one of the big benefits for an author of publishing in print is getting books into libraries. Librarians don’t normally purchase books with the above weaknesses.

Want to turn an ebook into a print book that fully works in its new format? Give it depth, organize it well, use quality control if coordinating multiple contributions, make it useful and relevant for years to come, and keep self-promotion low-key. Then you’ll have readers eagerly awaiting your next book &ndash and the next and the next &ndash to add to their personal libraries.

Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of .Bookpleasures.com, is excited have as his guest Frank McGee, author of A Song for the World: The Amazing Story of the Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen: Musical Diplomats.

Frank has built a distinguished career as a writer and journalist over half a century. In the tumultuous 1960s he covered stories as far a field as Brazil, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. As managing editor of Pace magazine, a contemporary of Life, Look, and Holiday, he worked with thought leaders from around the world.

Norm:

Will you share a little bit about A Song for the World: The Amazing Story of the Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen: Musical Diplomats with us?

Frank:

Glad to Norm. This is a book about the power of music. It tells the story of four musicians, The Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen. The Colwells were already country and western instrumental and singing stars in their teens, on TV and national radio in the Tex Williams shows that originated at Knott’s Berry Farm, the first theme park in America. They were the youngest group under contract with a major label, Columbia Records.

Herb Allen of Seattle, a true music prodigy, conducted the Seattle Baby Orchestra at age four. He was a xylophone maestro performing weekly on radio from age five to sixteen, a student of classical piano scheduled to enter Oberlin School of Music, and in high school, conductor of his own dance band, “Herbie Allen and his Orchestra.”

In their teens these four musicians made a choice that startled everyone who knew them: they committed their lives to public service. The remarkable story of how this happened, and what their decisions led to, is told in the book.

Here’s a quick rundown: The Colwells went on to perform in 37 languages and dialects, including songs written with locals in the scores of countries they visited. They sang in African villages, the Diet of Japan, and Carnegie Hall. They worked for a full year in the Congo as the country gained independence, lived through revolution and invasion, and made 400 broadcasts on Radio Congo (there’s a quite dramatic chapter, if I may be permitted to say so, about that tumultuous year). They walked through Indian villages with Gandhi’s disciple Vinoba Bhave seeking land for landless peasants.

The Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen began collaborating from their first meeting in Switzerland in 1953. In 1965 they were the musical founders of Up with People, and a decade later literally invented the modern Super Bowl Halftime Show format during America’s Bicentennial Year, 1976. They performed in three more Super Bowl shows, more times than anyone else on record. That’s how many people came to know of them: through television audiences of 90 million at those games. In 1978, at the end of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, their Up with People cast was the first performing company to visit China. And in 1988, before the Berlin Wall came down, the first in the Soviet Union, where they returned three more times. There’s lots to tell.

Norm:

What motivated you to write your book and whom do you think will benefit from reading it? What are your hopes for this book?

Frank:

The seed was planted in 2003. At a gathering of longtime friends a prosecuting attorney from California told us about terrible things youth in her city were facing. “There ought to be a book about what the Colwells and Herb have done,” she declared. That resonated instantly with all of us. We knew the adventures of these amazing musicians were not only history making but topical. Of course I only realized after the research just how profound the story was, an intensely relevant story of courage, and doing something of value with your life.

Who will benefit from reading the book? I think what a great English headmaster said in 1862 would answer that: “Music is the only thing which all nations, all ages, all ranks, and both sexes do equally well. It is sooner or later the great world bond.” Music has the power to connect people whether they’re musicians or not. Some read the book as an adventure story, not a Harry Potter sort of one of course, but a story from real life that also intrigues the imagination.

Here are my hopes for the book. The Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen have been called musical diplomats. Doors have opened to them wherever they’ve gone, because they’ve gone to listen and to learn, to appreciate instead of compare. That sort of diplomacy is needed in the polarized environment of our times. Many NGOs operate on that basis. But if official diplomacy also did, think what a giant step that would be toward building a better world. That’s why I hope to see this book utilized by schools and universities that train public servants and candidates for Foreign Service.

Norm:

Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for your book?

Frank:

With this book I was really lucky. The families of these guys kept the letters and photos they’d received from their globetrotting sons. Among hundreds of letters were the personal stories of the struggles they’d faced operating for years in crisis areas around the world, of the sheer grit and sacrifice involved. Then when it got out that a book was in the works, people from other countries began sending photos and documents they’d squirreled away about some historic event. I received emails, letters, photos, publications, and record albums from across the world, Zurich to Anchorage, London to Cape Town, Hollywood to Helsinki. And of course the color of the story and much of the dialogue developed through hours of interviews with the artists, and with music industry people with whom they’ve worked.

Norm:

What challenges or obstacles did you encounter while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?

Frank:

I’ll mention just a couple. The first challenge shouldn’t have existed: biographers should portray their subjects with complete objectivity; I was a journalist long before I put on the hat of “author” and well aware of that. As the story unfolded though, with its unparalled global connections, and I became increasingly impacted by the lives and work of these four musicians, I needed to be certain that I let the story speak for itself. They’ve never made claims, and neither should I.

The other challenge turned into a very great plus. Initially I wanted the book to include story-telling pictures throughout, as we had unearthed great photography from around the world. But an important New York publishing company we were in contract negotiations with made it a condition that they would control the design and format, much to my unhappiness. That contract was not finalized, fortunately, and Many Roads Publishing in Santa Barbara, California produced a picture-rich design and format that greatly enhances the effectiveness of the book.

Norm:

What’s the most difficult thing for you about being a writer and journalist?

Frank:

Well, you’ve probably heard the old saying: “There comes a time in the life of every decision when it’s got to be made.” I translate that to mean that if you’re a writer and journalist you need deadlines. I’ve never relished them, something to do with my temperament I suppose, but it’s obvious that until there’s a deadline, nothing happens.

But deadlines are insignificant compared to the satisfaction, intense at times, of creating something that you know has significance and value. I’m very lucky to be in this profession. I became a photographer in Brazil, moved on to creating magazine photo essays, and then to editing, writing, and publishing.

Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Frank:

I definitely feel writers owe something to readers. Some books have been hinges on which doors of enlightenment have opened. Whatever we read remains forever in the mental landscape of our lives. Whether the contribution grows or withers is up to each individual, but putting it there in the first place is a considerable responsibility, I would say.

Norm:

As a follow up, what does it mean to tell the truth? And what does it mean to tell stories in a work of non-fiction?

Frank:

What a great question, Norm! A wise family friend once told us of an exchange she’d had with her professor at Vassar College. Apparently she had submitted a paper in which she’d stated some opinion as fact. So her professor asked her, “And what else is also true?” The topic of truth has filled countless volumes and will fill countless more. What is truth to one might seem lies to another. But if writers portray what they sincerely believe, we should regard their writing as ethical, even if we are diametrically opposed to what they’re saying. Sounds like we’re describing the religious and political divides of the world here, doesn’t it?

About stories, I think they can make non-fiction immensely readable. My wife Helen, who was an English major, has insisted for years that history should be taught through literature; it would be better absorbed and understood. Currently we’ve been reading historical novels, and I’ve become intrigued with things I never thought I’d care about, as I tended to fall asleep in history class. In A Song for the World, I’ve been fortunate, as there was a wealth of first person information in the letters retained and in the interviews.

Norm:

In the past few years or so have you seen any changes in the way publishers publish and/or distribute books? Are there any emerging trends developing?

Frank:

Many changes, Norm, and all of them contributing to the accessibility of information. Conventional publishing channels still run the Olympic games for writers, but the initial selection process can overlook significant manuscripts. A friend recently sent me an article that appeared in The Guardian. It seems that a writer, puzzled by continuing rejections of his masterpiece, submitted to eight major publishers the first chapters, with surnames and locations only slightly modified, of several Jane Austin novels. He received seven rejections, with standard not the type of book for us explanation and keep writing and good luck best wishes. Only one responder mentioned the plagiarism, which he seemed to find amusing.

I think writers, now as always, need to catch the attention and spark the enthusiasm of someone who will carry the writer’s banner, and will wave it where it can be seen. You’ve heard the axiom: “You can promote anyone but yourself.” But the writer may have to work to find that third person, whether enthusiast, agent, or publisher.

Publishers have long probed distribution channels and are expert at exploiting book clubs, bestseller lists, teacher assignments, library recommendations and more. Of course now the apparently limitless possibilities of the digital world are changing everything from bottom to top.

Norm:

What do you think of the new Internet market for writers?

Frank:

Well just look at us, Norm. Here we are having this conversation online! Our kids think it’s perfectly natural, and it is today, but I grew up before you could say something like that, and I still find it pretty amazing. Someone might read your interview tomorrow in Berlin, or Bangkok, or Budapest. Of course A Song for the World is all about that, isn’t it? Connecting?

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Frank McGee?

Frank:

Most of all I hope a lot of people will read the book, because what these musicians have done offers real hope for the future. There’s an engaging glimpse of the story at .asongfortheworld.com, and the book can be purchased there.

We’re in the midst of a book tour now and there is information about that on the website. Special appearances by the Colwell Brothers and Herb Allen in connection with the tour have caused a buzz in cities across the country.

Next for me is a novel I was working on and set aside to write A Song for the World. I’ll be expecting a bidding war for the publishing rights for that, of course. Many thanks for inviting me today, Norm.

I have lived in New York City my entire life. I often feel privileged to be a part of the energy and magic of this Mecca of celebrity. Under the semi privileged dome of my existence, I encounter the rich and famous at every turn. When I was a teenager, I crossed paths with Jerry Lewis in Times Square and bumped elbows once with Marvin Gaye.

As a passionate college student of Cinema Studies, I dined across the room from Woody Allen and stopped to compliment his latest film. At Caf

Most people in the writing world talk about the three levels of rejection–form, personal, rewrite–but I’ve discovered seven types (after over 200 rejections before being published and about hundred after, I should know). Learning how to analyze rejection is a helpful skill for any writer because you’ll learn what to ignore, what to consider, and what will put you on the right track or, as the case may be, off of it.

Here are the seven types of rejections that may find their way in your email or mailbox:

1) No response. The agent or editor doesn’t send you anything. I find these ones most annoying. You wait in anticipation, hoping, praying for something either in the mail or online. Nothing. Six months past. Still nothing.

2) Form rejection. These are the ones that start Dear…fill in the name. They tell you that your work isn’t right for them and wish you better luck elsewhere. There’s no feedback. You should toss these rejections immediately. But be warned, form rejections are easy to get if you don’t follow directions: submitting to the wrong magazine or publisher, a wrong topic, wrong manuscript format, or writing in crayon or invisible ink. To avoid form rejections, study the magazine or publisher’s criteria for submissions to make sure you’re giving them something they’ll want (i.e. a clean manuscript that addresses the needs of their readers) and not a missive of “Why I Should be Published by You.”

3) Multiple choice. These agents or editors have gotten creative and made a list of reasons they’re rejecting your work because a) they have something similar, b) the quality of your work doesn’t meet their standards and/or, c) they think you’re completely without talent and hope you’ll never query them again. Sometimes they’ll check one, sometimes they’ll check all three. This is still a form rejection because it’s too general to give you any real advice; however, you at least get an idea of what they’re looking for. But then again, if number three is selected it is best ignored because it’s just an opinion.

4) Personal note. These are nice, except when they’re mean. A nice personal note can provide support like, “Good job, but needs work.” A mean note on the other hand can be devastating like, “This is awful” written in blood red ink on the corner of your query. When an agent or editor takes the time to put “Not bad” on the corner of your query take it as the sign of encouragement that it is. Ignore the nasty ones. But even if they don’t tell you why your work is being rejected, you’re heading in the right direction. Getting a good or bad personal note indicates your style. It is my experience that it’s better to get some kind of response rather than just a form rejection. Why? Because that’s how readers will be. Some will hate your work. Some will love it. Receiving a response, especially a personal note, lets you know that you’re hitting buttons and that’s a good thing.

5) The critique. Most aspiring authors expect this type of rejection, but editors and agents don’t owe you this. They get hundreds of queries and manuscripts a week and they can’t critique all of them. If you do receive one consider yourself fortunate that someone has taken the time to tell you why they’re rejecting your work. They may be wrong, but at least you know why. Remember, they are taking a risk by sending you bad news. The form rejection is popular because many editors and agents have suffered the wrath of rejected authors who will bombard their offices with letters arguing why they think they critique was wrong. Don’t be one of those authors. Take what you can from the critique then move on.

6) Try again. This type of rejection is close to a personal note, but it’s never mean. They are saying that what you submitted isn’t right for them, but they’re curious to see more. Make sure you follow up.

7) Rewrite request. This type of response can make most writers jump for joy. The editor is interested and is offering hints on how to gain their favor. This is good news, of course, only if you agree with the suggested changes. Unfortunately, this is still a rejection and there is no guarantee that making the changes will result in a sale. However, the most important lesson to learn from this type of rejection is that you have caught the interest of an editor and it’s a relationship you should nurture.

No matter what type of response you get, ‘close’ is still ‘no.’ There is no gray area in publishing. You are either offered a contract or not. However, as I’ve outlined above, look at the type of rejection before you burn it. When you get varying rejections like: ‘I hate the character, but love the plot’ and ‘I love the character, but hate the plot’ you’re on your way. Why? Because whoever is reading your work is stating personal preference instead of offering a common complaint. That will be what makes your style unique.

Most writers loathe rejections and for some their careers never survive the pain of getting them. You don’t want this to happen to you. You now have the skills to sift through your rejections and never fear them again.

I have no idea how many books are crammed onto bookshelves all about the subject of marketing, there must be many millions. It is a subject well understood, how do you make someone buy your Widget as opposed to the other guys Widget? Marketing is the answer, but, marketing comes at a price. How much can you afford?

I have a friend who is a retired BBDO exec, and in his mind, marketing that widget should cost the same as the national debt of a small country. Most small businesses can hardly manage to pay the rent and other expenses, never mind a TV spot on The Superbowl.

David Mason has done a very fine job of encapsulating the important aspects of marketing into a very short read. While I am not sure that he has introduced anything new, he has put it on paper that even the most book ‘resistant’ company owner could manage, at a scant 121 pages this should not scare even the skittish book reader.

Of course there is a downside with using such a short format, in a word ‘lists.’ My wife knows me very well, and she always has stuff for me to do. But she also knows that giving me a long ‘To Do’ list makes my eyes glaze over. If the list has less than than 5 items, the chances are good that I will at least attempt a few of them. David Mason prefers longer lists, I believe one was 16 items long! That I found a little of a turn-off, my wife knows better than to try a list that long on me!

On the plus side, he makes very convincing arguments. Arguments that make sense. It is important that every business has a ’slogan,’ David Mason calls it the USP (Unique Selling Proposition), but slogan or banner is what we are talking about.

How do you attract customers? You have your slogan, but if it only exists on your computer or in your head, who is going to hear the message? Many people have small companies, some sell niche products, some sell niche services, how do you sell your idea? Newspaper Ads might work, but only for the day, a Magazine might work for a month, radio and TV spots last for seconds! How about the internet?

David Mason explores all of the potentials, all of the advertising mediums have their up’s and down’s, cost, effectiveness, even the number of eyeballs that you get your message in front of are important considerations.

The last part of the book I found really helpful, he has included some samples of headlines and opening lines that the small business owner could use in his advertising campaign, and some simple worksheets to assist in customizing the slogans to your own specific needs.

Marketing You Small Business For Big Profits is small enough to be a quick and easy read, but large enough to contain the vital elements important to run an effective advertising program. The author also takes a very down to earth approach in offering advice on implementing the strategies. ‘You don’t have to do them all, just start with one and see what happens.’ In other words you don’t have to do everything, just do something.

Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Rob Costelloe, author of Coinage of Commitment.

Good day Rob and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm: When did your passion for writing begin? What keeps you going?

Rob: I wrote earlier in life, including a teeth-cutting first novel, then I abandoned writing altogether. But I continued to study romantic love as a potential source of fulfillment in people’s lives, and I enjoyed studying love stories in books and films. In 2005 I read an otherwise well written novel whose denouement was so suddenly despairing that I felt outrage on behalf of all the women readers who were disappointed by this disjointed outcome. Within twenty-four hours, I started writing Coinage of Commitment.

Norm: Will you share a little bit about Coinage of Commitment with us?

Rob: Sure. Coinage of Commitment offers a different kind of love story, a drama of characters who love at a higher level than what we see all around us. But this is not portrayed as just a case of spontaneous feelings conquering all. Rather, our lovers develop a hunger and capacity for higher love by reflections and experiences they have before and after meeting. The story gives a glimpse into the unique challenges such a pair would face in striving to reach the zenith they seek. The plot does feature a love triangle, so the novel is actually two love stories that culminate dramatically in a surprise ending.

Norm: How did you get the inspiration for this book? Did you have a hard time fleshing out characters initially?

Rob: The inspiration, or at least the creative energy for the project, was driven by this concept of love at a higher level, one requiring a thinking basis as well as an emotional one. Some nonfiction books that offer advice for improving relationships deal with this issue extensively, but fiction has not risen to exploring love that’s anything higher than merely spontaneous emotions.

You asked about character development and, yes, it was difficult. These are not characters who would ever be mistaken for plain vanilla. The male protagonist had to be recast from the first draft to realistically portray the conflict he experiences before the lovers find union.

Norm: How much real-life did you put into your book? Is there much “you” in there?

Rob: My contribution was that I’ve experienced love at a higher level and for a long enough time that I could define its elements from experience and inject them into a story of lovers who have class, financial, and religious differences to overcome, as well as opposition from both families, before they can reach the destination they seek.

Norm: It is said that if you want to write a good story or novel you need to create struggles of powerful descriptive individuals and not just issues. Through their accomplishments and travail, we very much comprehend the issues. How is this applicable to your book?

Rob: I agree with your premise and that’s why I put a lot of effort into refining and, in some cases, redefining the main characters so that the story would center around them more than the plot elements. At the same time, they need to be believable and appealing to readers who want and deserve to be immersed in characters they can relate to. But as you’ve indicated, it is really the setbacks and challenges the characters must resolve that make them all they can be in a story. Watching them struggle onward, never losing that certain air that we ourselves admire, is what makes them memorable to readers.

Norm: What kind of research did you do to write this book? What are your hopes for this book?

Rob: I had to get acquainted with the Penn and Drexel campuses, where the story is set. In a way, the research was more difficult because the story takes place in the late 1960s, and many of the settings I used no longer exist, or have changed. Cavanaugh’s Restaurant, realistically set in the first chapter near 31st and Market in Philly has since moved. The movie theater used in the Chapter seven date scenes was real, and I used it because it was very popular at the time. But it has since been torn down. Recovering its address was quite an adventure. Little things can be challenging: like researching the legal driving age in California in the early sixties.

You asked about my hopes for the book. In a way, Coinage for me was a labor of love, an attempt to give something back for the life I’ve been blessed with. My hope for the book is that it will sell well, that readers will enjoy it, feel enriched and uplifted by it. So far, reader feedback has exceeded my expectations.

Norm: What motivated you to write a book pertaining to romantic love, and what is your definition of romantic love? How does it differ from other kinds of love?

Rob: Believe it or not, one thing that got me started on this journey was a case of bad science. Sometime during the sixties, a widespread notion got established that romantic love did not exist except as a trivial permutation of the sexual impulse. Instead of being viewed as a unique emotional capability that is obviously separate from the sexual impulse, romantic love was derided as this maudlin quirk of the sexual impulse itself that teenagers experience and then grow out of as they mature and grow up.

I kept reading these articles, by Ph.D.s who should have known better, claiming that romantic love was an illusion, produced as an unfortunate byproduct of sexual chemistry, and that the sooner one got over it the sooner one could settle into an “adult” relationship based on calculated mutual benefit and, of course, sex. Yes, this was a kind of underside of the sexual revolution. I grew alarmed that people were lowering their expectations about what romantic love could provide in their lives because of crackpot science. I also watched it affect our literature, as stories featured more sex and a more watered down, primitive sort of love, one based mainly on impulse and sexual attraction. I started writing, partly to contribute what I could in the way of damage control. It was painful to watch the needless harm that was done to millions of emotional lives. And it took another whole generation for science to finally condescend to legitimizing the same romantic love that flourished in the Middle Ages.

You asked about a definition of romantic love. Well, let’s see. Romantic love is that affection between the sexes that augments and usually stimulates the sexual urge. Often an initial sexual upwelling serves as an emotional attractant, and the couple falls in love. It is more volatile than others kinds of love–such as maternal love–and it has been known to change from adoring affection to murderous hate in a matter of minutes (given the right kind of adulterous news). It can burn brighter than any other kind of love, and often does, but it is hard to maintain. The higher love I write about is an attempt to examine how that brighter state might be enhanced and sustained by intellectual and behavioral means, while also giving readers a good story to enjoy.

Norm: I read where Dr. Helen Fisher, author of Why We Love: The Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love believes that romantic love is a universal human feeling that produces specific chemicals and networks in the brain. Do you agree with Dr. Fisher?

Rob: I agree, but really…how could romantic love not be a universal human feeling? From literature, we’ve known about it since ancient times. The Bible even has a book of poetry dedicated expressly to it. And on top of that, from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century, a well developed and very feminine-flavored form of romantic love was a feature of Western culture that distinguished it from all others. The Russians ridiculed it during the cold war; the Japanese adopted it as one of the first things they copied from us after World War II. As far as chemicals and networks in the brain are concerned, I am happy to see this kind of quantitative progress. I am especially happy to see the scientific community catching up to reality and verifying a feature of our basic humanity that many of us have long viewed as indisputable.

Norm: Can you tell us how you found representation for your book? Did you pitch it to an agent, or query publishers who would most likely publish this type of book? Any rejections? Did you self-publish?

Rob: I never did come close to landing an agent. The agencies tend to be hidebound conservative, and I was peddling a love story unlike any other. And it is written in a more emotionally vivid style than is currently fashionable. The sales figures tell me that that works well for readers, but the agencies wouldn’t touch it. I went through five hundred rejections in three months until I came across a group of small royalty publishers who have sprung up in the last five years. They do not accept returns, they provide little in the way of promotional help, and they sell mainly through Internet outlets–although their books are carried by the major distributors. Among this group, I ended up with three contract offers. I went with Saga Books because they offered the best contract, and they thought the book good enough to publish it in three months on a fast track basis.

Norm: How have you used the Internet to boost your writing career?

Rob: Without the Internet, the publisher who produced my book would not exist. Many of the watchdog groups that have sprung up to protect writers from shadier elements of the publishing universe are Internet-based. They helped me greatly, and I offer them my thanks, especially Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware. The Internet has helped create an environment closer to a truly free market festival of ideas and expression than we have ever had.

Norm: Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered and what is next for Rob Costelloe?

Rob: I will be writing fulltime starting next month. My next project, another love story, is about one-third drafted and should be ready before mid next year.

Thank you for this opportunity to reach out to my readers. This was my first interview as an author, and you made it fun as well as educational.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.