Book Reception for Pahutchae's Pouch

Ready for guests to purchase copies

      Saturday, December 15, 2018, at the Edmond Library, a reception to honor vehoae's second book and first fiction novel was held.

      A steady stream of guests greeted the author,  enjoyed the displays, and had books signed. Some guests brought copies they had previously purchased.

                                                                                                      

      Vehoae put together an amazing display. The three pictures here give the different views of a trifold of some of the real people she used as characters in her novel, fictionalizing them of course.

      Another 4RV author, Kathleen Gibbs, visited with vehoae's brother Kad.

    

      Moments before guests began to arrive, vehoae paused a for a photo beside the refreshment table.

      Guests waited to visit vehoae and to have her sign their books.

      Vivian Zabel and Jacque Graham manned the book table where guests could purchase either hardback or paperback versions of Pahutchae's Pouch.

      Several photos that included other 4RV people didn't turn out well. My cheap-type camera did the best it could, though.

      Copies of Pahutchae's Pouch can be found on the 4RV Bookstore, as well as through brick and

mortar bookstores or other online businesses.

Willard the Dragon - a children's favorite

      Willard the Dragon first appeared in Suzanne Cordatos' book Sneeze Fire, illustrated by LuisaGioffre-Suzuki. Children loved the Willard books beginning then and continuing through the second book Camp Dragon-Fire.

     The author shared the following pictures of her books for sale and in the hands of young readers:

 
           On the left, Willard on display. On the right, Suzanne with her books.

A young reader

                                              On the right

 Willard found his way to Turkey.

         

      The Willard the Dragon books can be found on the 4RV Bookstore, as well as through brick and mortar stores and other online stores. 

Fiction vs Nonfiction Part 2

Fiction vs Nonfiction Part 2

         As with the first part of this article, I will present the material in outline form.

First Draft

1. Use correct grammar, mechanics, and structure.
2. Revise as you go (don’t search for errors but be aware and fix any you see).
3. Be sure information/story is presented interestingly, keep reader reading.
4. In fiction, “Show, don’t tell,” rather “show much more than tell.”
5. In nonfiction, be sure to keep on topic.


Fiction Components

1. Plot (longer works also have more sub-plots, can also apply to creative/narrative nonfiction)
2. Character(s)
3. Theme
4. Setting
5. Conflict
6. Crisis / Climax
7. Resolution
8. Conclusion (also for nonfiction)
9. Point of View

Nonfiction Components

1. Introduction ending with thesis sentence
2. At least one or more paragraphs to support each point of the thesis
3. A strong conclusion


Fiction and Nonfiction Combination

1. Narrative Nonfiction or Creative Nonfiction
2. Combination by “fictionally” providing material, such as dialogue, that can’t be proven to happen as written, but which is restricted by facts.
3. Author creatively creates literature that is based mainly on fact, reported, but shapes the material so that it reads like fiction.

8 Cs of Good Writing

1. Clarity
2. Conciseness
3. Concreteness
4. Correctness – includes research
5. Coherency
6. Completeness
7. Courtesy
8. Character (fiction)
http://lessonsbyzabel.blogspot.com/p/fiction-vs-nonfiction.html


      I hope the two parts of this article will be helpful as you begin or develop your writing career. Part 1 can be found here.

 

4RV Participates in Jingle Jam

                 Every year, the Piedmont, Oklahoma school district holds a Christmas market called Jingle Jam the first Saturday of December to raise money to help teachers with their classroom expenses. Thanks to Wayne Harris-Wyrick, our staff member with a slew of positions, 4RV is notified and has participated the past two years. This year, we were represented again December 1. Dianna Street, managing vp, Wayne, vehoae, and Kathleen Gibbs represented 4RV. Our friendly, helpful mascot, Morgan Street, also attended.

Wayne Harris-Wyrick with his books

Dianna Street behind one table

On left, Morgan Street.  Above,vehoae and Kathleen Gibbs

        



       

        Books by all 4RV authors can be found on the 4RV Bookstore,

and most are available through other online stores and brick and mortar stores. 

       Books make perfect Christmas presents, gifts that continue to keep giving.

4RV New Release Sells in Italy

        Pahutchae's Pouch written by vehoe, cover art by Aidana WillowRaven, has reached the Italian market, making vehoe our first international author with Aidana our first international artist. This is the first fiction work by vehoae.

        Pahutchae's Pouch is a compelling fictional history of people and events from 1783 to 2017. The story relates the interaction and intertwining of descendants from Pahutchae, an Ioway Indian, and Johann Sordenauer from Hamburg, Germany.

        Oil, murder, love, a concealed treaty with American Indians, and international and national political intrigue make Pahutchae's
Pouch the quintessential page-turner.


        The book and vehoae's first book, a nonfiction work titled Conscience: Breaching Social Amnesia, can be found on the 4RV Bookstore, as well as through brick and mortar stores and other online sources. 

 

Book Marketing and the Query Letter

By Karen Cioffi

If you are contemplating writing a book or you’ve already written one and intend on going the traditional publishing path, you’ll need a query letter and a cover letter.

This is true whether you’re an author, a writer, or a business owner who wants to build his authority with a book.

Wondering what a query letter has to do with book marketing?

The query is part of the second step in your book marketing journey. Think of it as the beginning of a hopefully rewarding relationship with a publisher or agent.

The first step is writing a great story. The second is getting a contract – this is where the query comes in.

If you’re not sure what a query letter is, Jane Friedman notes that it’s a stand-alone letter and has only one purpose. Its sole purpose is “to seduce the agent or editor into reading or requesting your work. The query is so much of a sales piece that you should be able to write it without having written a single word of the manuscript.” (1)

The query letter is your foot in the publishing door. So, you can see how much rides on this one or two page letter (preferably one page).

The query letter usually has 8 elements to be aware of:

1. Do your research. Have you gone to the publisher’s or agent’s website to make sure your manuscript topic is something s/he handles?

You can do an online search for publishers or agents that will be a fit for your story. Or, you can use an online service, like WritersMarket.com.

2. Know what you need to do. At the site, did you carefully go over the submission guidelines? I mean really, really, really, carefully!

3. Is your opening (in the query) grabbing? Will it get the reader’s attention?

4. Edit, edit, edit. Have you checked for grammar errors? Have you checked for redundancy? How about spelling? Don’t rely on a word processors speck check feature alone. Edit your letter manually.

5. Keep it short and sweet. Eliminate non-essential personal information.

6. Include credentials, and/or pertinent background information that is relevant to the story you’ve written, if any.

7. Include your book marketing strategy for promoting your book. In this section, include your social media following, only if significant: 500 followers, 1000 followers, 5000, 10,000. Obviously, the more the better. And, it’s essential that you have an author website and include the link in your heading.

8. Have you studied the query letter format?

The format consists of several paragraphs?

a. Your introduction, mentioning that you’ve visited the website and why you’re querying.
b. A very brief gist of what the manuscript is about and the intended age group.
c. A very brief synopsis of the story.
e. Your background, if pertinent. Include your marketing intentions.
f. Thank the editor/agent for her time. Mention that you included XXX pages (the number the guidelines said to send), if applicable.

Taking the time to do it right and write an optimized query letter may make the difference between the slush pile and a contract.

The query letter is the portal to a contract. If the reader says NO at the letter, your manuscript may be great, but it won’t have a chance.



Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter as well as the founder and editor-in-chief of Writers on the Move. She is also an author/writer online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing.

You can check out Karen’s e-classes through WOW! at:
http://www.articlewritingdoctor.com/content-marketing-tools/