Grier's Almanac: 200 Years of Service

     One of my favorite "reads" are almanacs. From the formerly named Information Please almanac to the Old Farmer's Almanac, these handy paperback books contain a wealth of information on virtually any subject, particularly the more generalized tomes such as Information Please.

In November 2005, I visited my locally owned drugstore and found that they had free copies of Grier's Almanac available for customers. Similar in design to the Old Farmer's Almanac, I took a copy home with me.

Although not peppered with stories such as can be found in the Old Farmer's Almanac, Grier's contains the usual "zodiac" information which farmers in time's past would rely on to help them determine when to plant. In addition, you can find information on daily weather predictions, a fishing calendar, an exhaustive list of holidays for the year, and interesting chronological information on events that happened on particular dates throughout history. In the back of the almanac is a section devoted to all kinds of classified ads.

As with most almanacs in this particular genre, Grier's has its share of ads. Some are helpful and include ads for insurance and gardening, while others are bizarre and include ads for oils and candles to help make your opposing lawyer stupid. Okay, if it works than that is great!

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Grier's is that 2006 represents their 200th anniversary edition. For two straight centuries the almanac has been published including throughout the Civil War period, a remarkable feat indeed.

Grier's is written for the southern states only from Virginia to Texas. As mentioned, copies are free and can be found in many drugstores, feed and seed establishments, and retail outlets throughout the south. Annual circulation reportedly exceeds three million copies.

Congratulations to Grier's Almanac Publishing Company of Atlanta for 200 consecutive years of service!

Date Added: Wednesday, 09-24-2025 02:44:12 PM

Getting Your Book Published: What You Need to Know About Literary Agents

     If you are an author who is shopping around for a publisher, you may find the phrase "agented submission only". What does this mean? This means that the publisher in question will not even look at manuscripts that are sent in directly by the author. Instead, the approach must be made by a professional literary agent.

Since many large, well-known publishers only accept book manuscripts that are sent in by a professional literary agent, you may decide to use the services of one. If so, that will likely be a good choice on your part, but there are some important points that you will first want to take into consideration. Please continue reading on for information that you and all other authors should know about literary agents.

It is first important to know exactly what a literary agent should do for you. A literary agent will essentially submit your book to a publishing company for you. The whole process is just like what you would do at home, but it is different because new doors are opened for you. A professional literary agent is able to submit your book to publishers that wouldn't even look at it if you submitted it on your own.

As for the benefits of using the services of a professional literary agent, they are experienced in the field. A successful literary agent has spent years, months, or at least weeks researching publishers. They should know what publishers look for, in terms of themes, and they know what publishers don't want to see. This research allows many professional literary agents to know what publishing houses are likely to accept your book, often within a few minutes of reading it.

If you do decide to use the services of a professional literary agent, it is important to know that you may be screened. This means that a publisher may examine your book and then decide not to represent you. This often occurs for two different reasons. The first being that the publisher tends to specialize in a specific genre, such as children's books. The second being that your book isn't good enough. Having a well-known publisher stand behind your book isn't enough to get it published; therefore, many well-known agents are picky with the clients that they choose to work with.

Speaking of being picky, you should also be careful with the literary agent or agency that you choose to work for. Many experts in the field of book publishing state that having a bad literary agent is actually worse than having no agent at all. This is because many well-known publishers are well aware of literary agents that have poor track records. In fact, some publishers may completely overlook manuscripts that are sent in by a bad agent and you do not want yours to be one of them. That is why you need to carefully find and choose a literary agent, should you wish to use the services of one.

When examining literary agents, examine specialties, success rates, reputation, and so forth. If you truly want to become a successful and well-known author, you should spend just as much time searching for a literary, as you would searching for a publisher. With that said, it is important to remember that there are publishers who will read your manuscripts even if you choose not to use a literary agent.

Date Added: Sunday, 09-21-2025 04:01:38 AM

Getting a Book Published: Do You Need an Agent?

     Are you a writer who would like to get a book published? If you are, you may have heard that you should hire the services of a professional literary agent. Yes, there are a number of benefits to using a professional agent, but is one really needed? You are about to find out.

As for whether or not you use should use the services of a literary agent, there are a number of important factors that you will first want to take into consideration. One of those being your book. Have you already written your book? If you haven't, you may be at an advantage. For example, you can take the time to first research publishers and what they are looking for. When you are able to tailor what you write to exactly what most publishers are looking for, you are more likely to see success, even without the help of a professional agent.

If you have already written your book, you may still be able to get it published without using the services of a professional agent. What you will want to do, however, is find the publisher or publishers that are the perfect fit for you and your book. This will involve a little bit of research on your part, but it is often a lot cheaper than using a professional literary agent. As for how you should proceed, if you are a science fiction writer, only send your book manuscript to publishing houses that are looking for science fiction books, as opposed to those who are requesting romance novels and so forth.

Although it is possible to get a book published without having a literary agent by your side, there are times where a literary agent is needed. For example, many of the larger, well-known publishing houses do not accept manuscripts from authors who are not working with an agent. If you have your heart set on seeing your book published by a larger, well-known publisher, as opposed to a lesser known, smaller publisher, an agent may be in your best interest. If you do decide not to use a literary agent, just be sure not to send your book to publishers who request that their authors have agents, as this can create a bad image of yourself.

If you do decide to hire the services of a professional literary agent, you will want to proceed with caution. For starters, just about anyone can call themselves a professional, but that doesn't mean that they are. For your best interest, it is worthwhile to research and examine a number of literary agents before making your decision. Compare costs, quality, and success rates. If you are targeting a specific genre, such the children's market, try to find publishers that specialize in the field of children's books.

For the ultimate level of protecting your best interest, examine literary agents who only get paid when your book gets published. In all honesty, these types of literary agents and agencies are few and far in between and many only extend this offer to a limited number of authors, but you do not have to worry about losing money.

As a recap, there is no rule stating that a literary agent is required to get a book published. That doesn't mean, however, that you cannot benefit from using the services of one.

Date Added: Sunday, 09-21-2025 03:51:13 AM

How to Improve Your Chances of Publishing a Children's Book

     Are you a writer who would like to write and publish a children's book? If you are, you should know that you have a lot of work ahead of you. A lot of new writer's believe that children's books are easy to write. Yes, children's books are easier to write, for the most part, but that does not mean that children's books are easier to get published.

The first step in getting a children's book published is to write a great children's book. You will want to write a children's book that kids can't wait to read or a book that kids don't want to put down. This is most often the case with chapter books or books for young adults, but even picture books must be interesting and captivating.

One of the best ways to ensure that you write a good children's book is by talking to kids in the age group that you intend to write for. Are you a parent yourself? If you are, speak to your kids. What would like they to see in a book? If you don't have any kids, consider asking your younger relatives or the children of your friends.

Also, if you are a parent, you are at an advantage because there is a good chance that you have read stories to your children before. What books did they find the most interesting? Which books did you like to read to them the most? Examine the themes and layouts of these books and consider making yours similar in nature.

After you have written a children's book, your first thought may be to start approaching publishers right away. This is a step is one that should wait. First, it is important to proofread and edit your book. Unfortunately, many new authors assume that this is a step that they do not have to take. Many mistakenly believe that since children's books are shorter in length that there is much less to edit. The truth is that you should actually proofread and edit a children's book more. Since there are less words, publishers expect every word to be written perfectly. If you must, hire the services of a professional editor.

Join a critique group. Writer's critique groups are easy to find and they have a number of benefits. The best way to find a writer's critique group is by using the internet. You may be able to find online critique groups or information on local groups. Depending on what you find, you may need to pay a small fee to join a critique group, but some out there do not require the payment of a membership fee. When becoming a part of a writer's critique group, you share your book with other group members and they will do the same.

Whether you use the services of a professional editor, join a writer's group, or just let your friends or family read your book, it is important to take all advice into consideration. Of course, this does not mean that you have to completely rewrite your book, but you will want to take all suggestions into consideration. Your friends, editors that you pay, and other members of a writer's critique group want to see you succeed, not fail. This means that the advice that they do give you is likely useful and helpful; therefore, it should be taken into consideration.

Date Added: Sunday, 09-21-2025 03:49:39 AM

Writing a Book: What You Need to Know About the Publishing Process

     Have you just finished writing a book that you would like to see published? If you have, you may want to start sending your book manuscript to publishers that fit your genre. Doing so is okay, but before you accept any offers, it is important to know as much about the publishing process as possible. You do not want to end up being the writer that gets taken advantage of or paid less than they are worth because you didn't take the time to do the research first.

One important point that you will want to take into consideration, when looking to get a book published, is that many publishers have specific wants and needs. For example, one children's book publisher may be seeking science-fiction books for young adult readers, while another children's book publisher may be looking for nature-inspired picture books. Since is there a variance, even in a specific genre like children's books, it is important to know what each publisher wants before sending your manuscript off, especially if your book is not what is needed at the current time. This allows you to not waste your time or money.

In keeping with what a book publisher wants, it is important to learn as much as you can about the publisher and their guidelines for writers. For example, if you are writing an adult book, see if full manuscripts are allowed or if sample chapters or query letters are advised. You will want to make sure that you follow all instructions given by a publisher because if you don't, your chances of having your book published significantly decrease. The Writer's Market books, others similar guides and the online websites of publishers can often tell you what is expected of you as a writer.

Before accepting an offer from a publisher, be sure to learn as much as you can about book publishing payments. This is important as not all publishers pay their authors the same amount of money. You won't want to lose sight of the main goal, which is to make the most money possible. Many first time authors are so excited that a publisher wants to publisher their book that they will accept just about any offer, even one that is significantly less than it should be. Flat rate payments, advance payments, and royalty payments are common methods of payment for book publishers.

In keeping with payment, advance payments are nice, but be sure to closely examine them. You will want to look at the long-term payment. Some publishers make advance payments seem better than they truly are. With that said, some writers, especially unpublished writers, find advance payments, regardless of what they are to be enticing. As for royalty payments, get everything in writing and have a set schedule. What percentage of sales will you receive? When are your royalties counted; on a quarterly or annual basis? How soon can you expect payment after each schedule ends? These are all questions that you will want answers to before agreeing to sign a contract.

The above mentioned points are just a few of the many points that you will want to take into consideration before accepting an offer from a book publisher. Regardless of what genre your book is for or what publisher you receive an offer from, be sure to fully read and examine a contract before signing it. Also, be sure to ask any additional questions that you have. All reputable publishers should be more than happy to answer your questions.

Date Added: Sunday, 09-21-2025 03:43:15 AM

Tips for Writing a Children's Book That Will Get Published

     Are you interested in writing a children's book that you one day hope will be published? If you are and if you have yet to start writing, there are a number of important points that you want to take into consideration first. These important points, a few of which are outlined below, may help to improve your chances of getting your next children's book published.

It is important to remember that the genre of children's books covers a wide range of books. When many individuals think of children's books, picture books for toddlers and early reading books for preschoolers often come to mind. Yes, these two groups are major parts of the children's genre, but there is so much more. Typically speaking, publishers categorize children's books by picture books, early readers, transition books, chapter books, and young adult books. Decide what type of children's book you would like to write. This will prevent you from falling in between two different categories.

Next, it is important to know what children's book publishers want. Not knowing what publishers want or expect from authors is a common mistake made. After a close examination, you will find that it often varies depending on the publisher. Many publishers state which categories of children's books they publish, such as picture books or young adult books. This is important information to know as you will not see success by sending a young adult book manuscript to a publisher that is only looking for picture books.

In keeping with what children's book publishers want, it is also important to know what they are searching for in terms of themes. For example, a specific children's book publisher may be seeking stories that are educational in nature or those that focus on a specific religion. Many well-known publishers are trying to stay away from talking animals for the most part. It doesn't mean that you can't take this approach, but you need to be careful and realistic when you do. The Writer's Market book for the children's genre outlines this information wherever possible. The same information may also be found online.

Another note that many children's book publishers make to hopeful authors to not outright preach or focus too much on morals in a children's book. Of course, parents want to purchase children's books that their kids can learn from, but you don't want to be too pushy. If you must outright state a theme or good deed, such as being nice to other kids, show it through action and dialog in the book, but don't outright state so until the end.

Should you wish to write chapter books or books for young adults, you will want to open your book with an amazing beginning. Many professional writers and publishers recommend opening with action and adventure, as opposed to first just introducing the characters. This is because most publishers know that some children are hard to please with books. The attention of all readers and publishers needs to be captured right away.

The above mentioned tips are just a few of the many that can help to increase your chances of getting a children's book published. Any writer who hopes to be published needs to know the importance of research. Your chances of seeing your book published increase when you know what is popular with the market today, as well as what publishers want.

Date Added: Saturday, 09-20-2025 03:42:56 PM

Author:

knowsclupt

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