|
||||||||||
|
Subscribe to the Absolute Write Newsletter and get the Agents! Agents! Agents! report free! Click here.
|
Win a 1-year subscription to Writer's Digest by subscribing to Absolute Markets-- all paying markets for your writing. Click here. |
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|
Interview with Lea Schizas
Interview by Susan Stephenson In an interview with Lea Schizas, we
discover just what makes this editor, author and publicist tick and what that
means to us as writers. Lea, you are senior editor for Coffee Cramp and
editor-in-chief at Apollo's Lyre. What are your pet peeves as an editor? Can you
give us some insider information about the sorts of submissions you are looking
for? To be honest, I only have
one pet peeve: writers need to check the submission guidelines more carefully.
When a publication venue specifically asks for an article/story of no more than
1000 words, don't hand in something that is above this limit. All you are asking
for is a quick route to the slush pile. First thing I do as an
editor is to scan and see what the word count is. When it checks out, I read. By
following guidelines, this shows the editor you have taken the time to read them
and he/she will take more interest in your submission. What are we looking for?
Like any other publication, good, tight writing, something to show us this
writer took time to self-edit, something people will want to read. What inspired your YA fantasy novel, The Rock of
Realm, due to be published soon? As a mother of five and a
children’s hair stylist, I’ve read
thousands of books written for the very young up to young adult. What I found
missing was a different 'caption' for villain. I started to wonder how I could
make mine different yet scary at the same time. And then it hit me. I won't
reveal what it is since it will give away the whole point of my book, but I can
tell you that in The Rock of Realm, I have tried to show kids three
important elements of life: 1-Discovery: My main character,
Alexandra Stone, will discover a secret her mother was desperately trying to
hide from her, and Alex's reaction when finally the truth comes out. 2-Friendship: Even though
scared and unsure of what Dread's Forest hides, my characters stand strong
because of the friendship bond they forge. 3-Bravery: All of the
characters will draw on each other's strength to overcome the dilemma they find
themselves in. I also want to show that
'nothing is as it appears to be,' This is where I have tried to demonstrate a
different concept of villain. I am trying to show kids that at times what we
fear may not be as frightening when confronted. This can be applied to adults,
too. Why did you choose Star Publish for The Rock of
Realm as opposed to other publishers? I did have another
publisher, a traditional publishing house but decided on Star for several
reasons. I received the other
publisher's contract and started looking it over. It was the usual contract:
5% royalty, no advance, and he wanted ALL RIGHTS except for movie rights. Only
5% royalty, yet I was going to do all the legwork in promoting and marketing my
book. Then Carolyn Howard-Johnson, God bless her soul, introduced me to
Kristie Maguire from Star Publish. I fell in love with Kristie right off the
bat. She wasn't pushy, never plugged her company, and answered all my worries
about print-on-demand straightforwardly. I decided that THIS was the publishing
house I wanted to be associated with. As publicist for Star Publish, have you learned
anything new about marketing and promotion for writers? Absolutely! And I’m still
learning. I’ve been helped so much by Kristie's guidance and Carolyn
Howard-Johnson's book The Frugal Promoter. All passionate writers who
have committed themselves to writing as a career need to get out there and
promote, promote, promote. No one else cares as much for your success as you
should. As publicist, I try to come up with various angles to help all Star
authors. For instance, by interviewing each author, then placing them in
reputable e-zines, I’m promoting the author AND Star Publish. Whenever there
is a function connected with an author’s book (book signing, association/group
discussions, workshops, etc.), I send out a media release to all the contacts
Kristie has provided and ones I already have on file. Promotion and marketing
are two words no writer should fear. The only thing required is time and
dedication. There are several MuseItUp Club members who say
they have "felt your lash but love you anyway," Lea. Care to comment
on that? First, we’d better
explain what my 'lash' is before I get a reputation as a meanie. The MuseItUp
Club is an online critique community with new and seasoned writers, some
published, and others close to publication. Every so often, I go into my files
on each member, check out their 2005 resolutions and then email them to find out
what's happened with submissions they planned to hand in. Sometimes, all we
writers need is someone to nudge us in the right direction. That’s what I’m
doing. And I'm happy to report, it's working. My little 'whippings' have
prompted several members to submit and be published. The buzz is that your MuseItUp Club is about to
publish a book on writing. What's special about this book to make us want to buy
it? There is nothing like this
on the market right now. These are writers who have a unique specialty in
various aspects of writing. They will show you how to fine-tune your writing.
They will suggest different slants and ideas for you to incorporate within your
own work. There are several 'how-to' books around, but our Muse Book will have
much more than just 'how to' explanations. In several chapters, exercises will
be included, as well as links to other references. Here are a few chapter
headings to whet your appetite: Unmasking the Flasher by
Mike Kechula, will guide and inspire you to write flash fiction. This is
becoming very popular with magazines and the turn around for a flash is much
faster than for longer pieces. Michelle Webster will guide
you into the wonderful and hectic world of Self-Publication. Charles Mossop will take
you down a path some writers haven’t considered or were too afraid to use.
Pass the Chopsticks will demonstrate how to incorporate cultural aspects and
myths/legends into your writing. Candace Wiggins will whip
you into shape with Sod Off! I'm Editing. And there's more!
Altogether, the book will contain 20 main chapters with subheadings and several
inspirational articles. It will be available in both print and e-book formats
from DoubleDragon. So there you have it, writers! To find out more
about the Muse-it-up Club, visit: http://pages.ivillage.com/rockofrealm/museitup
Apollo's Lyre: Star Publish: For more on Lea’s
soon-to-be-released YA fantasy book, The Rock of Realm, by Star Publish: http://pages.ivillage.com/rockofrealm
- Susan Stephenson is an Australian, a writer, and
passionate about both. She has been published at Writers Hood (“View from
Within,” Sci-fi, October 2004, and, “Love in Dementia,” Poetry, November
2004), is an honorary professor at Jackass College (“How to survive a Chinese
Restroom”), and her essay, “Metamorphosis,” recently appeared in the
Absolute Write weekly newsletter.
Susan’s review on Ann Durand’s novel, A Promise to Keep, can be found
at http://tri-studio.com/Reviewers.html.
Her essay, “Reflections on Moon Hill” is due to be published in the March
2005 edition of The Traveler newsletter. |
Sponsored links 
Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer! How to find a book publisher |
Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007
Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
|
