Update

I've read up to page 166. Yes I know I'm far behind my own schedule but it is rough as I have other work from other classes to worry about. An interview with Mrs. Johnson has been set for March 2nd, after school and it will be video taped. Nothing much more to report right now. I have a lot more reading and notetaking ahead of me. There is a lot more to the publishing process than I thought. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I'm not discouraged. Writing a book and publishing it is what I dream of doing.

Long Haul but Getting There

I've calculated that if I read 50 pgs. per day of Putting Your Passion Into Print, it will take me approximately 8.5 days to read it. Afterwards, I have to read all my other sources which equates to about eight others.

Although I have a lot to do still, I have accomplished a lot as well. Firstly, I've finished my first draft of interview questions and emailed a request for an interview with Patrice Wade Johnson, author of Wisdom Seeds and Lundyn Bridges. Ms. Johnson is also one of the administrators at my school and we are well acquainted, as I am the Vice-President of her Pearls group. After, the interview, if all goes well, I'd like to ask her to be my mentor on the whole project. The whole correspondence would be very convenient for the both of us. We are in the same building everyday. Additionally, I have OK-ed switching stories with my teacher and I sent an email to Vicky asking if she is okay with that.

As for the story I'm now going to use, it is a finished product. All I have left to do is edit and revise it. Once that is finished, I'll ask someone close to read it over and give me feedback. But for now, I'm going to go back to taking notes and prepare for the interview (camera for pictures, and a tape recorder? video camera?....)

SOoooooo much to do.....


Did You Know Facts cont.

Bestsellers represent less than 5% of Barnes & Noble's total sales
Paper is the largest manufacturing cost for a book
Publishers make less than 10% profit on each book sold
Less than 10% of books earn back their advance
Average American buys fewer than 2 books per year
How well a book sells is 15% dependant on its content and 85% dependant on author's ability to network
A manuscript needing a hefty editing can cost up to $25,000

Back in Action

I haven't posted in a while...PSSA Testing and Internet problems...but it's all good now. I've finished reading through and taking notes on my first source and am moving onto my second (Putting Your Passion Into Print).

I am conflicted. I had a crazy bout of inspiration the other day with another story I am writing and I really like where it is going. It's a lot more completed than the one I'm writing with Vicky. I'm not giving up our the story but I'm not quite sure she'll be around to help me with it. Writing and perfecting our story takes time and I can't do it without her because then it becomes mine, not hers. She's been very busy lately with her boyfriend, scholarship applications, etc. She is going to college in the fall and she's going to want to prepare for that, so we have a very limited time.

Regardless of what choice I make, I'm working on both. Should I switch the stories I use? Or should this be a decision I make later on based on the progress made for each manuscript? Any suggestions?

errr...I'm going to have to talk to Vicky about this. I don't think she'll care, since it is my graduation project.

Notes...

My webliography is 100% finished and I'm reading and taking notes on my sources.

Webliography...Just About Done

Much progress has been made today. I just about finished my Webliography. I've proofread what I have already but there is one other source I may include. I'm quite sure yet if I will use it. I'll definitely know by tomorrow though. Right now I'm taking notes on my "How to Write Fiction like a Pro" source.

Awesomeness

Eureka! Ok, Vicky did get some books out. She's amazing. They are awesome books (she's not a librarian for nothing). I looked them over and I'm really excited about the information that they contain. I think I will be able to more than answer just my foundation questions. The three that she has given me so far (one from her personal collection, two from the library) all got ten ratings on my webliography. Speaking of which, that's almost done. Out of the eleven sources I have so far, I've completed citations and annotations for seven. Once I finish my webliography, it is my intention to comb through my sources and jot all important information into a notebook.

GO STEELERS!!!

Turns out Vicky did have a book for me and it's really good. I'm actually pretty excited about it. It's my best resource so far for this project. :)

Since she works at the library and I had a busy weekend (homework), I asked her if she could look around for writing and publishing reference books. I haven't heard from her. There has been a lot of hit and miss communication. Hopefully, I will find out today. If not, I'll just have to make a quick trip to the library today or tomorrow, perferably today.

MLA, Annotations...not so bad

Usually citing sources is a royal pain and often the part I hate most about a research project. Thanks to www.easybib.com, all that's not so bad anymore. I went through three websites and completed their citations. I feel that is a good start, especially because I am being very thorough with my annotations. Putting my best writing forward, so to speak. I've come across some sites that aren't all that good and I will have to toss them. I'm thinking about checking out some publishing/writing books from the library. I'll definately do that when I get home today. For some reason I think Vicky has a book that will be useful but I'm not sure. I suppose I should call her and ask...

Well I lied...

I only have five WOW facts, haha. But I just came up with a sixth. They are as follows.

Book advances go from $100 to $1 million+
Royalties (% of income author recieves): Trade Paperbacks 6 to 8%, Mass Market Paperbacks 6-10%, Hardbacks 10-15%
Literary Agents can improve your publishing deal by 10%
One example of a good editor deal is $25/hr. (ahhh!)
When the publisher sends you the first published copy of your book it's important to check over the cover, jacket, spine, margins, etc. for errors the publisher may have made (they will happen!)
People will "judge your book by its cover" and especially if you are a first time author, an eye catching cover is essential for more readers/buyers.

I will keep my eyes open for more "Did you know" facts as I look over my initial 10 websites and begin to work on my Webliography.