American Society of Authors and Writers

The New York Times
Best-Seller Lists

NY's Cuomo

Writing Bio

by Tom McElroy, A.P.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - HarperCollins said it has acquired world rights to a book by Gov. Andrew Cuomo about his life and the "profound moments" of his first term in office, including signing gay-marriage legislation.

The publisher told The Associated Press exclusively on Monday that Cuomo's book will be a "full and frank look at his public and private life."

Cuomo, who shares a Westchester County home with Food Network star Sandra Lee, served four years as state attorney general before being elected governor. As attorney general, the state's top legal officer, he helped reform the student loan industry, uncover health insurance fraud and Wall Street abuses and worked to make the Internet safer for children.

As governor, Cuomo, a Democrat, has signed legislation allowing gay couples to marry in the state, worked with President Barack Obama to help secure financial aid for victims of Superstorm Sandy and signed tough gun control legislation into law after the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting massacre.

Yahoo

How To Write

The Great American Novel

Writing a novel, if it's done right, is a daunting task. It's like nothing you've ever done before. It requires patience, perseverance, diligence, and just the right amount of blood, sweat, and tears. It's tough work, but once you get the hang of writing long fiction, you'll be hooked.

And your readers? Will they be anxious to read more?

They will if you follow a few critical points. Here are twelve of the best things you can do toward creating that best-selling novel.

DON'T start at the beginning. Instead, start with something gripping. If it's extraordinary, it's grabby. If it's grabby, use it to capture the reader!
Move forward from there, saving the backstory to unfold, a little at a time, as appropriate. Use only the most essential elements from the past. If you have your protagonist staring out the window while you dump information about the past, you're failing to deliver. Remember, good novels show it; bad novels say it!

Don't be wordy. Authors should be unseen and unheard. It's the characters your reader wants to learn about, not the person who created them!

Build conflict from the start. Simple conflict--a single element, a bad guy, an unfortunate circumstance--can get boring, though; so plan on layering different conflicts one atop the other. Multiple conflicts keep the reader from getting bored and keep him wondering what else could go wrong.

Keep things moving. Have things happen. Action keeps the reader engaged. Slowing things down with too much meaningless narrative is the best way to lose your reader's interest. Keep the story moving ahead in real time--and avoid the temptation to use flashbacks and other gimmicks for filling the reader in on the past.

Keep the dialogue real. Every character, as in real life, should have his or her own voice. Some use slang; some curse. Some are optimistic; some pessimistic. A reader should be able to tell who's talking even without identifying him. And DON'T USE ADVERBS! ("He said impatiently" is much weaker than "He snapped.")

Create three-dimensional characters. They should be interesting and multi-faceted. Dump the cardboard cutouts except for the most minor of characters, who don't require "fleshing out." Remember, even the most noble of characters have weaknesses to them and vice-versa.

Motivate your characters with believable incidents. You wouldn't expect someone who receives a speeding ticket to pull out a gun and shoot the officer in real life. Why settle for less realism in your novel?

Make sure your plot is believable. If it sounds too fantastic to be true, it is. Built a solidly believable story from the start, and whatever happens after that will be easier for the reader to accept.

Don't spell out every little detail, which is another way of saying don't assume your reader is an idiot. Spelling things out might make you feel really clever, but it will only alienate your reader. Readers like to add up the clues and derive their own conclusions. That's one of the hallmarks of good literature.

Avoid "Writerese"--writing like you think writers write. Use straight-forward writing like you do in your everyday correspondence, and your voice will ring true. If you write the way you think writers should write, your voice will be hollow and self-indulgent.

Once you've finished a page or section or chapter, go back and read it out loud. You'll be amazed at just how many "mistakes" your ears will catch that your eyes have missed. This is the single most important tip a writer of any level can do. Try it. You'll like it.

Outed Gay Jason Collins

Denies Book Shopping

NEW YORK � Jason Collins, the NBA veteran who last week announced he was gay, is disputing reports from publishing insiders who say he is shopping a book deal.

Officials at three publishing houses told The Associated Press on Monday that they had been contacted about a planned memoir by Collins, the first active player in any of four major U.S. professional sports leagues to come out as gay. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the proceedings.

Collins tweeted that it wasn't so: "I have no current plans to write any books. Sorry to disappoint my literary loving fans," he said, adding a hashtag "GoingToTheGym."

Collins' agent, Arn Tellem, also disputed the claim in a statement released May 6. "As you can imagine, we've been inundated with all kinds of requests and various opportunities, but as of now have not had any discussions on behalf of Jason regarding a potential book deal because Jason has yet to decide if he wants to write a book," Tellem said.

Indie Booksellers

Backing Debut Authors

We couldn�t agree more: �The relationship between booksellers and emerging authors is markedly symbiotic,� Elizabeth Knapp writes in Bookselling this Week, announcing the lineup of fall titles for the ABA�s new Celebrate Debut Authors With Indies program.
The Authors Guild

Winning Hacks, New Launches, and More

At least 30 projects were submitted as part of the Publishing Hackathon over the weekend, viewable here. Contestant Eric Hellman reports that the five finalists are:

BookCity
(suggests books to match places you visit)
Captiv
(turns your Tweets into book recommendations)
Evoke
(connects books for teens based on the emotional connection to characters -- classifying reading experiences as "inspired, challenged, amused, or informed")
KooBrowser
(browser plugin that matches book recommendations to web pages you visit)
Library Atlas
(app that sends you book quotes based on your location)

He says that Evoke was the "clear judging favorite" for now (finalists will refine their projects and benefit from publishing mentoring before the second stage of judging at BEA).

LEGAL

U.S. Names

Greatest Violator

The U.S. government is calling out Ukraine for its shoddy enforcement of intellectual property rights laws, putting the Eastern European nation literally in a class by itself among trading partners who fail to protect copyright holders.

The Authors Guild

Authors Sue

Author Solutions

by Sarah Weinman

Following years of complaints about Author Solutions' business practices and the big target painted when the company was acquired by Penguin last July, those grievances have turned into a lawsuit. Writers (and customers) Kelvin James, Jodi Foster, and Terry Hardy filed suit in New York federal court on April 26, seeking $5 million in punitive damages from Author Solutions and Penguin "for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, California unfair competition law, and New York general business law."

According to the complaint, obtained by Courthouse News but not yet available in the electronic docket, the three writers allege that Author Solutions "fails at the most basic task of a publisher: paying its authors their earned royalties and providing its authors with accurate sales statements." This despite the company's claim that approximately one-third of their reported $100 million in annual revenues comes from book sales.

They also charge that Author Solutions "fails to take diligent care of its authors' works, making numerous and egregious publisher errors - errors made by the publisher, not the author" that the company profits from as "aggressive sales techniques ensure that these errors are corrected only for a fee of several hundred dollars. Even though, as a matter of policy, Author Solutions promises to correct publisher errors for free, it rarely does."

Publishers Lunch

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

Piggyback Your Book for

Greater Sales

Marketing guru Steve Harrison asked the question: "What did the late Steve Jobs have in common with Scarlett O�Hara? Their names are known around the world. Yours may not be--yet. But using what I call �The Publicity Piggyback Strategy,� you can boost your book sales and make you an in-demand speaker and a sought-after media expert."

It's not a new concept by any means, but it's worth mentioning because it's so successful. Here are some proven strategies for piggybacking your way to more sales.

PIGGYBACK ON A FAMOUS NAME

No, you don�t have to know a famous person to piggyback on his name. Carmine Gallo has written three bestselling books about Steve Jobs and has become an A-list business coach who commands top dollar for the speeches he gives at Intel, Cisco, Google, Medtronic, Disney, The Four Seasons, and elsewhere.

Gallo expanded upon what he learned from watching Jobs by using his own experiences to create seven principles of innovation. That�s the key to the piggyback. Something famous attracts attention, but beneath that are your shoulders and the strength of your expertise.

Here are some other piggybacking ideas.

PIGGYBACK ON FAMOUS GROUPS

Author Richard Courtney made his business book stand out from the competition by tying it into The Beatles. Come Together: The Business Wisdom of the Beatles, a best-seller, went so far as to feature a photo of the Fab Four on its cover.

Courtney took the piggyback into social media. His Facebook page names him �Richard Courtney, Beatle Author.� Anyone searching for The Beatles or books about them will find Courtney and his book.

It needn't be The Beatles, of course. You could use a sports team, a company, or a well-known organization that interests you. Do your research, and share what you've learned with your readers. As a bonus, if you write about a major organization, they might endorse your book or even agree to sell or distribute it to their audience.

PIGGYBACK ON FAMOUS WRITERS/CHARACTERS

One clever use of a Hemingway novel is this: To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, compiled by Phillip Greene. It landed on the bestseller lists. Other examples include Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, The Jane Austen Book Club, and Becoming Jane Austen.

PIGGYBACK ON A FAMOUS TITLE

Paul Simon�s song. �Graceland,� became a monster hit because he was writing about Elvis� former home. Likewise Elton John's �Philadelphia Freedom.�

See the possibilities here?

PIGGYBACK ON POPULAR SHOWS/CELEBS

Shows such as Mad Men have enormous followings of people who want to know more about the back story, actors, directors, and lifestyle portrayed in the show. Some books that recently capitalized include Mad Men: The Illustrated World; Kings of Madison Avenue: The Unofficial Guide to Mad Men; The Fashion File (by the show�s award-winning costume designer); and Sterling�s Gold: Wit and Wisdom of an Ad Man, which was �written� by one of the show�s lead characters, Roger Sterling (but actually ghostwritten by a full-time author).

PIGGYBACK ON A FAMOUS EVENT

Readers never seem to grow tired of revisiting great or tragic moments in American and world history. Bill O�Reilly hit the bestseller lists with Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, which he followed up with Killing Kennedy: The End Of Camelot. Killing Jesus: A History will soon follow.

Speaking of Jesus, The History Channel�s �The Bible� miniseries created a worldwide phenomenon that proves that people never tire of great stories.

And don't forget political events. Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime became a big bestseller.

PIGGYBACK ON A BIG-NAME CO-AUTHOR

People who are famous and successful are very busy. If you propose to do the work on a book with such a person, and give them most of the credit, they might be receptive to co-authoring with you.

One great example: Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, "co-authored" a book with Donald Trump, entitled Why We Want You to Be Rich. That�s just one example. Many authors have gained increased visibility and book sales after teaming up with influential people.

So what are you waiting for?

HOT SPOTS

Interested in some cutting-edge technology? Want to share what you write with others--including real-time collaborators and editors? Check out the best known tool of all, Google Drive (formerly Google Docs). You can share and work on word files, spreadsheets, presentations, and even drawings using Google Drive. Editing takes place in real time so you can see who changed what and everyone is saved the hassle of uploading multiple versions of files or sending email attachments back and forth. You can set different access levels for people you share files with, from "can edit" to "can comment" or "can view." Use your Google account to log in at http://drive.google.com.

Zoho Docs (https://www.zoho.com/docs/) allows users to collaborate together on word files, presentations, and spreadsheets. The online word processor comes with spell check and word count features.

There is also a chat feature so that you can discuss changes made to your files with your collaborators as they are made. The Task feature allows you to assign specific tasks to your collaborators and keep track of who's doing what. Zoho's basic (free) plan offers 1GB of storage space.

lino (http://linoit.com/) is basically a giant virtual canvas where you can post anything, whether it's pictures, notes, files, or videos. You can add due dates or tags to your notes to make them easier to search for in the future. Each person can have multiple canvases, and you can move notes and files from canvas to canvas as needed. lino can function as your own personal inspiration board, or you can create an invite-only group board for multiple users to brainstorm on. Jot down ideas anytime, anywhere -- lino is available for PCs, iPhones, iPads, and Android phones.

Want to hear the voices of the people? Want your voice to be heard?

mixedink (http://www.mixedink.com/) is a good place to start.

mixedink is like a cross between collaborative writing and social media. Share your thoughts on topics you're interested in. Mix and match your words with other peoples'. Vote on what other people have written. The "suggestions" feature shows up in real time to the right of the screen as you type so that you can see what other people have had to say on the subject you're writing on. Like what they have to say? Add their words to your draft. Authorship tracking makes it easy to see who wrote what on a collaboratively written piece, so everyone will be credited accordingly. Note that the free version of mixedink doesn't allow you to create private (password-protected, invite-only) collaboration groups.

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