Sara Dobie Needs YOUR help!

Back in May, I did an experiment. For a week, I wrote every day, creating a short story through day-by-day blog posts. I’m doing it again this week, and I would love to get a critique going as I write. So be sure to head to http://saradobie.wordpress.com. Keep an eye on the posts, and comment as much/often as you can with kudos and feedback. Writers gotta help each other out! Hope to hear from all of you this week!

Tips for Authors - Submission Packages

This week's tip comes from our reviewer Lynette Latzko.

Authors and readers alike are well aware of the old adage that one should never judge a book by its cover. However, in this competitive, fast paced world, there are times when it is critically important for an author to pay particular attention to the presentation of his/her new book. Parents of a newborn would never think of dressing their precious tot in a potato sack when they are out in public, and so authors should take that much care and pride in their new work when sending review copies to reviewers. Here are some important tips for authors to consider when they are mailing their works to reviewers. Remember, you want to make a great, if not unique, first impression.

1. If you request a review, or a reviewer inquires about your book, send out the book promptly. Many reviewers receive loads of books - the quicker you get it to them the sooner they will be able to review it.

2. Pay particular attention to the type of book you are sending, and how it will survive in transit. For example, if you have a thin paperback children's book, send it with a hard piece of cardboard so it does not get bent. Also, if the book is on the larger side, don't squeeze it in a small package which may end up getting torn before the package arrives. Of course there are always "postal accidents" that are out of your control, but try to lessen the likelihood that your book will end up crushed, or in poor condition before the reviewer even has a chance to read it.

3. Be careful when sending a letter or note of introduction along with the book. Don't forget to use spell check. It's best to slip the actual paper inside the book instead of merely in the package. This will make it easier for the reviewer to locate promptly. Wrapping the book/submission form in a plastic wrapper is another added precaution - it keeps the book/papers together and protects them against the occasional wet postal package.

4. Some reviewers may have different preferences, but I personally appreciate books that are signed by the author, as it gives the book a personal touch.

5. Add something unique to the mailing that sets your book apart from others is always a plus. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. Consider including a business card, a personal thank-you, a bookmark, etc. It won't change the reviewer's opinion of the book, but it certainly can help leave a good impression or intrigue the reviewer enough to want to read your book first. Also, if the reviewer enjoys the book, they may be willing to spread the word about it, and what better way to do so than by having something small to hand out to others.

6. Finally, don't forget to keep the reviewer's information handy to send out a thank-you note for the review. It's always good to leave a good final impression, by showing your appreciation, especially if you plan on writing more and need reviews again.

New eBook Format from Sylvan Dell Publishing

SYLVAN DELL PUBLISHING
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JULY 29, 2009

MOVE OVER KINDLE
Sylvan Dell’s innovative eBook format promises to improve reading speeds, comprehension, and language learning skills

MT PLEASANT, SC – Sylvan Dell Publishing goes LIVE this week with its next generation eBook, proving the company represents “so much more than a picture book;” it represents a full-fledged campaign for literacy in America.

From Sylvan Dell publisher and co-founder Lee German: “These are the most technologically advanced eBooks in the world today, featuring Auto-Flip, Auto-Read, and Selectable Language. There is nothing even close to this on the market. Amazon/Kindle and Barnes & Noble eBooks are not even in the same category. I encourage parents and teachers to take a test-drive and see for themselves. Let the children play with these for a few weeks, and you’ll be amazed at their excitement and improved reading performance. For children wanting to learn a foreign language or ESOL families learning English, these are phenomenal tools.”

Below is a link to a 90-day trial of all 45 Sylvan Dell eBooks:
http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ebooktrials.php?e=MSBL9J
Code expiration date: 10/31/2009
For guided directions:http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/documents/eBookOperatingInstructions.pdf

Sylvan Dell eBooks will rock your world

“Whether in Auto-Flip or Manual Mode, switch back and forth between English and Spanish text and audio (more language choices on the way) and remain on the same page,” said German. “With the addition of Auto-Flip and Auto-Read features, our Sylvan Dell eBooks are powerful literacy and language learning tools to complement our mission of teaching ‘Science and Math Through Literature.’”

Sylvan Dell is no newcomer to literacy education and no stranger to technological advances. Since the company’s founding in 2004, co-founders Lee and Donna German have been ahead of the picture book publishing curve. Last year, Sylvan Dell awarded free eBook site licenses to over 2600 elementary and Title I/III schools nationwide through their School Resource Grant Program.

What’s next? According to German, “We want moms, dads, and grandparents to be able to record a reading of our books and add that audio to the language selection list. This is especially important for military families with a parent overseas. We are also developing an iPhone, iPod, and iPod touch application so that our eBooks will be available on handhelds and an online data capture system to allow teachers to track student reading and quiz performance.”

Sylvan Dell eBooks are available on the company website,http://SylvanDellPublishing.com, as are an array of free educational resources, which include Teaching Activities and Interactive Math and Reading Comprehension Quizzes. For more information about the eBooks, visithttp://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ebooks.php. For more about the eBook Resource Grants: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/ResourceGrant.htm.

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Self-Promotions or Death: PR Tips from Sara Dobie

Being that my company is in the midst of a massive PR blitz (http://saradobie.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/hail-to-the-sylvan-dell-revolution/), the tip for this week is well founded on my experience over the past five days. The word is BLOG. I know I already told you to make friends with your local media. The same goes for your blog community. Your blog community does not have to be composed of your geographical neighbors. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Your blog community DOES have to be related to you and your book. First, find blogs that relate to your target audience. Second, build a rapport with said blogger, following his/her posts and commenting where applicable. Then, you can ask said blogger to review your book. Maybe said blogger can cover a new release or write about your upcoming events. Either way, I’m beginning to see the techie world is the world that matters. So go out there and conquer your blogosphere. (I just did a full month series on blogging, in fact, so if you want some extra help, visit ForeWord Magazine’s Publishing Insider, month of July: http://www.forewordmagazine.com/blogs/insider/.)

Summer Reading Suggestions

Here are some of the hottest new books to arrive in August:

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Jonathan Tropper writes compulsively readable, laugh-out-loud funny novels, and his fifth book, This Is Where I Leave You is his best yet. Judd Foxman is oscillating between a sea of self-pity and a "snake pit of fury and resentment" in the aftermath of the explosion of his marriage, which ended "the way these things do: with paramedics and cheesecake." Foxman is jobless (after finding his wife in bed with his boss) and renting out the basement of a "crappy house" when he is called home to sit shiva for his father--who, incidentally, was an atheist. This of course means seven days in his parent's house with his exquisitely dysfunctional family, including his mom, a sexy, "I've-still-got-it" shrink fond of making horrifying TMI statements; his older sister, Wendy, and her distracted hubby and three kids; his snarky older brother, Paul, and his wife; and his youngest brother, Phillip, the "Paul McCartney of our family: better-looking than the rest of us, always facing a different direction in pictures, and occasionally rumored to be dead." Tropper is wickedly funny, a master of the cutting one-liner that makes you both cringe and crack up. But what elevates his novels and makes him a truly splendid writer is his ability to create fantastically flawed, real characters who stay with you long after the book is over. Simultaneously hilarious and hopeful, This Is Where I Leave You is as much about a family's reckoning as it is about one man's attempt to get it together. The affectionate, warts-and-all portrayal of the Foxmans will have fans wishing for a sequel (and clamoring for all things Tropper).
--Daphne Durham

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The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Mixing the magic of the most beloved children's fantasy classics (from Narnia and Oz to Harry PotterEarthsea) with the sex, excess, angst, and anticlimax of life in college and beyond, Lev Grossman's The Magicians reimagines modern-day fantasy for grownups. Quentin Coldwater lives in a state of perpetual melancholy, privately obsessed with his childhood books about the enchanted land of Fillory. When he's admitted to the surreptitious Brakebills Academy for an education in magic, Quentin finds mastering spells is tedious (and love is even more fraught). He also discovers his power has thrilling potential--though it's unclear what he should do with it once he's moved with his new magician cohorts to New York City. Then they discover the magical land of Fillory is real and launch an expedition to use their powers to set things right in the kingdom--which, naturally, turns out to be a much murkier proposition than expected.The Magicians breathes life into a cast of characters you want to know--if the people you want to know are charismatic, brilliant, complex, flawed magicians--and does what Quentin claims books never really manage to do: "get you out, really out, of where you were and into somewhere better." Or if not better, at least a heck of a lot more interesting.--Mari Malcolm

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The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley

"The movement for the conversation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method." So wrote Theodore Roosevelt, known as the "naturalist President" for his efforts in protecting wildlife and wilderness, merging preservation and patriotism into a quintessential American ideal. The Wilderness Warrior, Douglas Brinkley's massive(ly readable) new biography, intrepidly explores the wilderness of influences (Audubon and Darwin), personal relationships (Muir and Pinchot), and frontier adventures (too many to mention) that shaped Roosevelt's proto-green views. Topping 800 pages (ironically, one wonders how many trees fell for the first printing), The Wilderness Warrior makes an excellent companion to Timothy Egan's The Big Burn and Ken Burns's The National Parks: America's Best Idea. --Jon Foro

FREE Book Contest for August!

Every month Feathered Quill Book Reviews runs a FREE book contest. There is no obligation - it is simply our way of saying thank you for visiting our site. This month's book is A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi. You can read the review here. Then, simply follow this link to enter your name in this month's contest. Good luck!

Author interview with Syrie James

Today we're excited to talk with Syrie James, author of The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte

FQ: How much did you know about the Brontës before you started this project? How did your perception of Charlotte change (if it did) once you started writing?

Before I started my research for this novel, I knew nothing about the Brontes, other than the fact that they were sisters who wrote two of the world’s most famous novels. I was incredibly curious to find out who Charlotte and Emily were, and what inspired them to write these books that I so admired. I was astonished to discover the incredible volume of writing the Brontes did as children, and what wonderful artists and poets the sisters were. I was delighted to “meet” Anne. I was surprised to learn that Charlotte was secretly in love with a married man, and that he was the partial inspiration for many of the heroes in her novels.

It was intriguing to discover what a private and introverted woman Emily was, considering the very passionate novel she penned. I was touched to learn that Mr. Nicholls was secretly in love with Charlotte for so many years, before he had the nerve to propose. It's a remarkable story, and the Brontes were a complicated and fascinating family.

FQ: Bronte remarks that she didn't care for Jane Austen's literature because it was "lacking in sentiment." Since you have also written a book about Austen, what do you think she would have made of Jane Eyre?

I believe Jane Austen would have greatly admired Jane Eyre, for it is one of the most perfectly conceived gothic novels ever written. It has romance, mystery, horror, and the classic medieval setting of an ancient manor home that resembles a castle. Jane Eyre's story is very appealing: the rise of a poor orphan girl against seemingly insurmountable odds, and a tormented hero who is ultimately redeemed by her love and determination.

Jane Eyre also has serious things to say about timeless issues, such as women's struggle for equality, the realization of self, the relations between men and women, and the nature of true love. These are topics which were all dear to Jane Austen’s heart—and Austen always loved a good story. Although Austen did write her mature novels with more restraint (when it came to passion) than any of the Brontes, she enjoyed gothic novels, and wrote incredibly torrid and passionate stories in her youth which are very similar in subject and tone to the works of the Brontes.

FQ: Did you need to change Charlotte's tone or the narrative to make the book appeal to a contemporary audience?

I made a concerted effort to stay true to Charlotte’s life story and to the voice in her novels and correspondence, and to represent the people in her life as accurately as possible. For much of her romance with Mr. Nicholls I was obliged to use my imagination, since we do not know exactly what transpired between them in the early years of their acquaintance—nor can we know exactly what occurred on their wedding night. I may have romanticized a few things about their relationship for today’s audience, but in the end, I wrote the story that I would love to read!

FQ: You begin the book with a marriage proposal. Why did you choose to lead with that diary entry?

My goal is always to keep the reader turning pages: to begin with a hook that poses a question, and keeps the readers in suspense to find out how that question is resolved. This is such a huge story. I didn’t want to tell it in linear fashion. This seemed to be the most interesting way to structure the novel.

FQ: What is your next project?

It’s entitled Dracula, My Love. It's a retelling of Bram Stoker's famous Victorian novel from the point of view of the heroine, Mina Harker: the untold story of her secret, scandalous passion for the man who is not her husband—the young, gorgeous, charismatic, intelligent Count Dracula, who she deeply loves, despite herself.

This is a Dracula unlike the one we usually see in film and print: a vampire with a heart and soul, who struggles against the evil within him, and has been misunderstood. The novel will be published by Morrow in 2010. I’m having such a fabulous time writing this book. If you liked Jane Austen's Mr. Ashford, I promise this is a Dracula you will love!

Syrie welcomes visitors and messages at her website, Syrie James.com

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