Writeful

a weblog for readers and writers

Monday, November 29, 2010

TRACKS Announcement in Publishers Lunch

When an agent sells a book to a publisher, they usually place an announcement in Publishers Lunch, the industry newsletter published by Publisher’s Marketplace. Tracks, a novel in stories, is no exception.

Below is the book deal announcement of Tracks that the Doris S. Michaels Literary Agency, Inc. recently placed in Publishers Lunch.


Fiction: Debut

Eric D. Goodman's TRACKS
, in which the reader journeys by train from Baltimore to Chicago via the perspectives of a diverse array of characters, to Dan Cafaro at Atticus Books, by Doris Michaels at DSM Agency (World English).

Subscribe to Publishers Lunch at their page.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/lunch/subscribe.html

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Monday, November 22, 2010

Goose for Thanksgiving

Is Goose on the menu for your Thanksgiving activities? It should be!

Gilbert encourages parents to read Flightless Goose to their kids this Thanksgiving. But Gilbert offers so much more than great entertainment, a fun story, and lessons about self-worth, bullying, tolerance, being different, and focusing on positive strengths.

Gilbert wants you to enjoy Flightless Goose so much that he’s throwing in two free gifts for any orders: a coloring set, and an audio read-a-long CD with music and special effects to make reading the book even more exciting.

Also, Gilbert loves to play and he invites you to his new website, www.Flightlessgoose.com, where you can interact with him, watch animation, listen to music and sound effects, and share your own favorite activities with Gilbert.

There are a number of ways to get your goose in time for Thanksgiving.

Visit a local book store. If they don’t have it on the shelves, they should—ask for it by name!

Go to www.Amazon.com where you can take advantage of free super saver shipping if you order two copies (or pair it with another). You can also read customer reviews, or leave one of your own once you’ve read the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Flightless-Goose-Eric-D-Goodman/dp/097544025X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287755912&sr=8-1

Visit the official website at www.RunGoose.com. There, you can read about the book, see some sample illustrations, and find out what reviewers have had to say about the book. You can order the book directly from the website and receive an inscribed, autographed copy postage-free! We’ll even include a free gift: your choice of a DVD or CD read-a-long.

Visit the blog, www.flightlessgoose.blogspot.com, where you can learn about readings, events, and news surrounding Flightless Goose.

Or explore the new interactive website that kids love best, www.FlightlessGoose.com, where you can play games, watch animations, listen to music, answer questions, print page to color, and order the book. When you order through the new website, the publisher will offer two free gifts: a Crayola coloring set and an audio CD read-a-long.

So this Thanksgiving Day, eat your turkey, but read your goose!

www.FlightlessGoose.com

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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Manuscript Shelved for 100 Years

I’ve always been an advocate for distancing yourself from your writing. Whether I’m writing a short story or a novel, I find a lot of value in putting my work on the shelf for a year or two and then revisiting it with fresh eyes instead of revising right away.

A good example of that is TRACKS, my novel in stories. I wrote the original draft back in 2004, then set it aside for two years before starting with the revisions. Of course, I’m writing and revising other manuscripts during that wait time. Shelving the work for a few years can be helpful.

But a hundred years?

The first of three volumes of Mark Twain’s autobiography was published this month, 100 years after his death. When Twain died in 1910, he left behind an unedited manuscript of 5,000 pages with instructions that it was not to be published until 100 years after his death.

So 100 years after death, Mark Twain is still creating a lot of buzz. His latest book was a bestseller before even being released, causing UC press to extend the print run from 50,000 to 300,000.

Maybe shelving your manuscript for a few years isn’t enough.

Meet the editors of Twain’s newest hit below.

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/11/15_mark-twain.shtml

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Friday, November 12, 2010

Fun New Website for Kids and Readers

Hey Kids! (And Adults who like to have fun online.) Gilbert the Flightless Goose wants to play — and he has a fun new website where you can join him!

The new Flightless Goose website at www.FlightlessGoose.com is a great, interactive site that gets visitors involved. Fun, colorful, and animated, the site pulls kids in with the use of music, sound effects, games, storytelling, and animation.

After a few interactive pages introducing the character of Gilbert to children, the website asks you to pick your own favorite activities. You can leave comments, print out pictures from the book to color, or try to draw the characters from the book yourself.

Then, you’re given an opportunity to answer a key question about the book. Weather you know the answer or not, you’ll have fun selecting different options and listening to the sound effects.

Finally, there’s a special offer for parents: two free gifts with the purchase of Flightless Goose for a limited time — between now and the end of the holiday season, or while supplies last. One of the gifts is a free audio CD of the book with sound effects and music that make the already lively book even more exciting!

Check out the new Flightless Goose website now. Gilbert’s waiting for you.

www.FlightlessGoose.com

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Monday, November 08, 2010

Lit & Art Makes Pen In Hand

The Lit & Art reading series has hit its stride. The reading series started at the Watermark Gallery in October 2007 and has been meeting about six times each year since then. Each event draws in a respectable crowd of 25-40 people. The last two events have been exceptionally well attended and received.

The Lit & Art at the Baltimore Book Festival was standing room only, about 50 audience members in attendance at any given time (more, considering the nature of the roaming crowd behind the seats).

The October event, with readers such as Bathsheba Monk and Charles Jensen and visiting musician and artist Bahman Panahi, was one of our most enjoyable events yet.

We encourage you to come to the next Lit & Art at the Watermark. Mark your calendars for Sunday, January 30, 2011 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Watermark Gallery, 100 South Charles Street, right across from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Check www.Writeful.blogspot.com in January for more details.

Pen in Hand, the official newsletter of the Maryland Writers’ Association, recently plugged Lit & Art in print. Take a look and learn all about the reading series, the great community of authors, artists, and musicians we’ve established, and how you can get involved.

http://marylandwriters.org/PenInHand/2010-Summer.pdf

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Monday, November 01, 2010

Literary Agent Finds TRACKS a Publisher

Exciting news on the fiction front: TRACKS, a novel in stories, is being published by Atticus Books in Summer 2011.

Yes, TRACKS has a publisher!

Persistence pays. It’s been about six years since I wrote the first draft of TRACKS. Three years since it was a semi-finalist and the most-widely read entry in the First Chapters Writing Competition sponsored by Gather, Borders, and Simon & Schuster. About a year since TRACKS picked up an agent in New York City. Now, after riding the rails for years, TRACKS hits bookstores in Summer 2011.

Nearly half the stories have been published in journals and magazines, and thousands read excerpts during the contest—so many readers have had a taste of TRACKS. Next year, it will be available in its entirety.

Come back aboard for updates as they become available! And thanks to the many readers who have remained along sometimes treacherous lines of track.

Learn more at the Doris S. Michaels Literary Agency website.

http://dsmagency.com/news.html#FrankfurtHotList2010


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