Teaching Choral Concepts

Review

     The president of a respected publishing firm shares four decades of book-industry knowledge and experience in this very valuable work. A prolific author of more than 40 books and 35 talk tapes, and the managing editor and publisher of more than 600 books, Duane S. Crowther knows his subject well. He provides both authors and publishers with many valuable tools and thought-provoking tips of the trade in this concise writing and publishing guide. 

Three hundred forty-nine valuable tips for writing fiction are provided, followed by a similar listing of 331 tips for writing non-fiction. Suggestions for writing for children and teens, including educator-approved vocabulary lists for grades one through six, are also furnished. 

Much of the book is based on professional monographs he has written for book-industry professionals which have been adapted for authors. During several national booksellers conventions the author surveyed many of the nation's major publishers, drawing together information on essential publishing practices. These surveys were later published to the industry in Publishers Weekly. Further research is drawn from his MBA thesis, which was written on the publishing industry, and from other recent industry studies. 

The book provides a host of useable facts which give authors essential information on what sells, how it is advertised, when it is produced and released, how manuscripts are selected for publication, what makes a book a best-seller, how royalties are calculated, how to submit their manuscripts and much, much more. 

Every publisher, author and potential author can benefit significantly from this unique, useable book. It's a gold mine of valuable information! 

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments, 6

1. Guidelines for Writing Great Fiction, 13
Introduction, 13
How to Use the Fiction-Writing Manuscript Scorecard, 17
Fiction Evaluation Criteria, 20
1. Plot and Story Idea, 20
2. Story Flow and Pace, 20
3. Conflict, 20
4. Suspense, 22
5. Characterization, 22
6. Protagonist (Hero), 22
7. Antagonist (Villain), 23
8. Dialogue, 23
9. Main Title, Chapter Titles, 24
10. Beginning, 24
11. Middle, 25
12. Climax, 25
13. Ending, 26
14. Chapter and Scene Structure, 26
15. Settings and Atmosphere, 26
16. Author Intrusions, 27
17. Style, 28
18. Writing Technique, 29
19. Use of Basic Writing Principles, 30
20. Word Preferences, 31
21. Language Usage, 31
22. Polishing and Rewriting, 32

2. Guidelines for Writing Great Non-Fiction, 34
Introduction, 35
How to Use the Expository-Writing Manuscript Scorecard, 38
Expository Writing Criteria, 41
1. Significance of Subject, 41
2. Motivational Impact, 41
3. Reader Demand, 42
4. Reader Benefits, 42
5. Audience Definition, 42
6. Author's Credentials, 42
7. Research, 43
8. Documentation, 43
9. Viewpoint, 43
10. Mood, 44
11. Depth, Weight, Intensity, 44
12. Taboo Avoidance, 45
13. Readability, 45
14. Organization, 46
15. Main Title and Subtitle, 46
16. Chapter Titles and Subtitles, 47
17. Beginning, 47
18. Middle, 47
19. Ending, 48
20. Style, 48
21. Writing Technique, 49
22. Use of Basic Writing Principles, 51
23. Word Preferences, 52
24. Language Usage, 53
25. Polishing and Rewriting, 53

3. Guidelines for Writing for Children and Teens, 54
Introduction, 55

Junior Book Field
(Books for Children Ages 2-12), 56
1. Picture Books, 56
2. Picture Story Books, 56
3. Easy-to-Read Books, 56
4. 'Tween-age Books, 56

Teen Book Field
(Books for Youth Ages 12-19), 57
1.Teen Books, 57
2. Teenage Romance Books, 57
3. Hi/Lo Books, 58
The Importance of Using Appropriate Vocabulary When Writing Children's Books, 58
First Grade Vocabulary, 59
Second Grade Vocabulary, 61
Third Grade Vocabulary, 63
Fourth Grade Vocabulary, 65
Fifth Grade Vocabulary, 67
Sixth Grade Vocabulary, 69
Dolch Reading System First Grade "Sight Words", 72
Dolch Reading System Second Grade "Sight Words", 74
Suggestions for Effective Writing for Young Teenagers, 76

4. Writing to Meet Publishers' Needs., 77
Introduction, 78
Publishers' Manuscript Selection Criteria, 80

Must Criteria,80
1. Legal Clearance, 80
2. Ecclesiastical Compatibility, 80
3. Language Suitability, 80
4. Publishing Domain, 80

Want Criteria,81
1. Sales Potential, 81
2. Profit Potential, 81
3. Return on Investment, 81
4. Break-even Target, 81
5. Subject Popularity, 81
6. Message Strength and Uniqueness, 81
7. Risk Factor, 82
8. Production Costs, 82
9. Retail Price, 82
10. Product Life, 83
11. Market Compatibility, 83
12. Market Crossover Potential, 83
13. Advertising, Marketing, Promotion, 83
14. Quality of Writing, 83
15. Author Stature and Participation, 84
16. Production Timing, 84
17. Book Format, 84
18. Book Length, 84
19. Editorial Plan Compatibility, 84
20. Other Product Relationships, 85

5. A Subject-Matter Analysis of Best-Selling Trade Books, 86
Introduction, 87
Description of the Lists, 88
The Subject Categories, 88
Analysis of the Data, 94

6. A Subject-Matter Analysis of Best-Selling Religious Books., 97
Introduction, 98
Description of the Lists, 99
The Subject Categories, 99
Analysis of the Data, 101

7. Basic Book Publishing Industry Practices: Sales and Printing, 104
Introduction, 105
How the Surveys Were Taken, 105
Typical First-Edition Print Quantity, 106
Quantity of Books Presold, 107
Average Months a Book Remains in Print, 107
Quarterly Sales of New Books, 108
Cumulative Sales per Quarter, 108
Product Life Cycle Expectations, 109

Months in a Book's Introductory and Growth Phases Percentages of an Average Book's Total Sales in Its Introductory and Growth Phases, 110
Sales Required To Reach Breakeven, 110
Sales Required to Achieve Average Sales, 111
Sales Required to Be a Best-seller, 111
Sales Required to Appear on Major Best-seller Lists, 111
Most Profitable Retail Prices for Hardbacks and Trade Paperbacks, 112

8. Basic Book Publishing Industry Practices: Marketing, 114
Introduction, 115
How the Surveys Were Taken, 115
Best Months for New Book Releases, 116
Optimal Interval Between a Book's First Announcement and Publication, 117
Amount Spent on Pre-Publication Advertising and Its Allocation, 117
Relative Popularity of Media for Book Announcements, 118
Allocation of Funds for Announcement Media, 118
A Publisher's Pre-Publication Book Introduction Campaign, 119
Major Sales Sources: Company Sales Force, Outside Reps, Distributors, 119
Break-even Point for Sales Representatives, 120
Percent of a Book's Retail Price Spent on Advertising, 120
Timing of Book-Advertising Expenditures, 121
"Push" vs. "Pull" Advertising, 122
Summary, 123

9. How Authors Are Compensated: Royalty Policies, 124
The Switch from List-Price to Net-Receipts Calculations, 125
Current Statistics on Royalty Rates, 126
Highest Royalties Paid, 127
Royalty Advances, 127
Pre-Publication Book Purchases, 128
End-of-Run Book Buyouts, 128
Royalty Escalation Clauses, 129
Royalties For Sales to Book Clubs, 129
Royalties for Mass Market Paperback Sales, 129

10. Negotiating a Contract for Your Book, 130,
Forty Items a Publishing Contract Should Specify, 131
A Sample Book Publication Contract, 134

11. ObservatIons on Book Pricing, 146
Profitability: A Perennial Challenge When Choosing and Pricing Books for Publication, 147
Publishing Is Selective Investing, 147
The One-Year Sales Window, 148
Changes in Discount Structures Are Driving List Prices Higher, 148
Dramatic Shifts from Hardcover to Trade Paperback Formats, 149
A Book Production Cost Model, 149
The Effects of Shorter Print Runs and Other Variables, 150
Average Book Production Costs, 151
Current Price-Per-Page Book Pricing, 152
Per-Page Pricing Analysis: 6'x 9" Hardbound, 153
Per-Page Pricing Analysis: 6"x 9" Paperback, 154
Do Customers Set Prices?, 155

12. Current Book Industry Trends, 157

An Historical Comparison:
Book Industry Business Trends in 1988, 158
Trends in 1998, 160

13. The State of the Industry: An Analysis of 1997 Sales, 168
Bookstore Sales, 169
The Consumer Research Study on Book Purchasing, 169
Sales by Outlet Type, 169
Sales by Type of Book, 170
Additional Perspectives on 1997 Sales, 171
Sales of Children's Books, 173
Book Sales Projections for 1998, 174
Chain Store Sales, 175
Publicly Traded Publishing Companies, 176
Hardbound Fiction Best-Sellers, 178
Hardbound Non-Fiction Best-Sellers, 180
Trade Paperback Best-Sellers, 185

Index, 189
About the Author, 191

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