Katherine Bryant TMC 2015

Find a partner and talk about these questions: What’s a book that had a lasting impression on your life, personal or professional? What about that book made it so important?

 Built-in community  Instant opportunities for feedback  Ability to edit anytime  Immediacy/short writing times

What do you think?

 Space to go deeper  Larger, more structured argument  A need and an opportunity to think things through  “The book I wanted didn’t exist, so I wrote it.”  A different kind of audience  Wide reach/different reach  Potential to start conversations  Status, like it or not

“A book is so much more than a series of blogs! It’s a chance to structure a larger argument, add nuance and thoughtfulness, and build something coherent.” – Tracy Zager

“We all know that you really don’t understand something until you try to teach it. The same holds for writing – you haven’t really clarified your thinking until you try to write it and communicate it coherently to others.” – Steve Leinwand

“You want to write a book because you have a LOT of ideas that seem to all interrelate but you're not sure how and you’re not really sure how to tell people about them. The best remedy for that condition is to try to get a book contract and force yourself to write a book about all those ideas.” – Max Ray-Riek

“Every step of the way I am motivated by finally having the opportunity to find (and give form to) answers to all the questions I’ve been asking for so long, and to think more closely about what I believe and know about my work on a tacit level.” – Malke Rosenfeld

“Selfish, but writing books clarifies my thinking. Sharing is a bonus.” – Marilyn Burns Twitter, June 30 Writing can be the best kind of selfish: What do you need or want to say? How can you say it better?

“[The audience is] (hopefully) larger, but also more focused. The conversation feels more intimate.... I think it’s fair to say we can expect readers to have a different level of buy-in with books. Purchasing and reading a book with the intention to apply what we’re learning is more work--more of a personal investment--than clicking and scrolling.” – Tracy Zager

“Books can reach educators who aren’t on Twitter—often, these are people who need to be reached!.... Books don’t replace conversations; books become the focal points for deeper/sustained conversations.” – Tobey Antao (one of my fellow editors)

“Writing a book and capturing your ideas in print has a far great impact than merely a bunch of tweets. You simply become more important when you have authored a book.” – Steve Leinwand

“Districts reform their systems from books not blogs.” – Tim McCaffrey Twitter, July 10 “Books give authors street cred with folks who aren’t on Twitter (principals, admins, potential employers).” – Tobey Antao Whether we like it or not, being a book author carries a certain status.

1. Decide what you need to write. 2. Test your ideas. 3. Do your research. 4. Be ready for the proposal process. 5. Write! 6. Get feedback and act on it. 7. Have a strong support system.

 What’s your big idea?  What are your goals and purposes? What’s the change in practice you want teachers to take away? Backwards design works for books, too.  Who’s your audience?  What inspires you?  Other books/authors/bloggers/etc.  People you work with  Can you summarize your book idea in a paragraph? A sentence?

 Think about structure.  Think about the big questions, main ideas: how can you put them together?  Draft a table of contents. Sit on it for a week. Share it.  Try writing.  Write an introduction. Can you express the ideas succinctly?  Write a sample chapter. Does your plan work?

 Share what you’ve done.  Share your table of contents and writing with people you trust.  Act on their feedback!  Don’t be afraid to change your plan.

 Read other books.  Has someone already written the book you want? How can you make yours different?  Who publishes the books you love?  How does your book fit into the larger universe of ideas?

 Get information about potential publishers.  What books do they publish? Does yours fit?  What are their submission/manuscript guidelines? Usually available on the website OK to contact and ask, “Are you interested?”  Do you need an agent? Probably not.

 Different publishers have different procedures. Follow the guidelines!  Typically required information:  Cover letter/introduction  Annotated table of contents Make sure someone who isn’t you can understand.  Sample chapter  Be prepared for feedback and revision before contract – maybe.

 Leave yourself enough time.  It takes longer than you think. Real life interferes.  Plan at least a year if you can.  Ask your editor:  What are the expectations?  Do you want it all at once or in chapters?  How do you give feedback? Don’t be shy about asking for what you want.  Anything else you need to know!

 Momentum matters. Write regularly – every day if you can.  “Break up the project into manageable parts. A book is a collection of smaller pieces.” – Tom Newkirk  But it needs to remain a coherent whole, too.

“One thing that is almost certain: you are writing for someone who is tired. Make use of humor, personal examples, page breaks, headings, alternation, and brevity. Do not write to impress.” – Tom Newkirk

 It’s not personal, except that it is.  Writing is emotional. …for editors too! We really do care.  Feedback is about the writing, not about the person.  We’re all on the same side. Really!  Revise, revise, revise.  No book ever matches its initial proposal.  Nobody gets it right the first time.

 Your editor doesn’t have to be your only editor.  Find people you trust and whose opinions you value.  Set things aside and come back to them later.  Above all, communicate.  If there are problems, we can work with them. But not if you don’t tell us.

“Be generous to yourself – cultivate the attitude of ‘self-trust.’ Remember beginnings are fragile.” “You need a team. Find readers who can help you – that can be affirmative and, when necessary, let you know when something doesn’t work.” - Tom Newkirk

“Surround yourself with people who may or may not want to read your book but who so want you to write it that they are willing to do things like take on some of your work responsibilities, let you write late into the night and then put up with you being grouchy the next morning, or get you a puppy.” – Max Ray-Riek

Katherine Bryant Heinemann’s submission guidelines: