Karen Lange, of Write Now, and I are preparing a one sheet for our book. We want to see if there's an interest in our story.
Some questions came up with the one sheet format:
1) With two biographical sketches needed, how could we fit everything on one page? After much discussion, we decided to depart from the norm and produce a two sheet. All the book information is on the main page, while our biographical information is on the second page. Otherwise, there would have been no room for the book summary.
2) What is the title of our book? We have to come up with one...fast. I slapped a temporary name onto the draft of the one sheet/two sheet, but we're still emailing about that subject.
Technical problems:
1) My ancient Microsoft Publisher program that I used to produce the one sheet for The Moses Conspiracy decided not to cooperate. I managed to put something together, so we'd have a basic document to refine.
2) When I emailed the document to Karen, she couldn't open it. Snail mail to the rescue.
3) I sent my picture to Karen's secondary email address because she couldn't open it from her primary account.
Karen was able to do the layout in Word and solved the picture problem via cut and paste. Her son did a small graphic. We were happy he was in the wings to bail us out if we ran into serious trouble. Karen will send the finished one sheet/two sheet to me via U.S. Mail.
I'll be putting together a packet for the conference. The one sheet/two sheet, our business cards, and the first two chapters will be put in a presentation folder. It keeps everything organized.
Collaboration is a lot easier when you have the right equipment and it meshes with that of your co-writer. Karen is doing a post on producing a one sheet. I hope you'll visit her sometime this week.
Have you run into difficulties sending pictures via computer or opening documents from another writer? Have you ever had an email submission get lost in cyberspace? I'd love to hear your experiences and advice.
24 comments:
Hi Susan and Karen .. snail mail - who'd have thought it!
Not really - other than irritations because of updates - eg Blogger etc .. and my posts sent to FB are now garbled .. and as I haven't altered anything .. it's a bit irritating to say the least!
Irritations .. because all I really want to do is get done simply! Still we have to move on in the world ..
At least snail mail works ..
There's Drop Box .. but that's new - sharing documents .. and I suppose you could open a new gmail account - and share the password? Whether that would work .. I don't know ..
Cheers Hilary - good luck is all I can say!!
A collaborative project sounds interesting, indeed. My best to you and Karen on this book.
I sent a suibmission that bounced back four days past deadline and apologized and sent it on anyway. It was accepted. I get flustered with computers and all that I do not know.
Oh my goodness, have I! I think I shot myself in the foot with this years ago. And recently I've found certain taglines mess with my receiving attachments.
I was excited to nail the description on my one sheet early yesterday morning. Felt good.
~ Wendy
Hi Hilary -
When the frustrations of cyberspace become too much, I'm glad snail mail still works.
I've experienced problems with Blogger and Facebook. For awhile my blog posts weren't showing up on Facebook. One day, they mysteriously reappeared.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Linda -
One of my submissions ended up in the editor's SPAM folder. Unfortunately, the outcome wasn't like yours.
I'm glad you were able to re-submit and got an acceptance.
Blessings,
Susan
P.S. I still have not been able to comment on your blog. I keep getting thrown out of the comments. :(
Hi Wendy -
The Internet is so complex that when things go awry it's hard to pinpoint the problem...unless you're a computer geek!
Congrats on getting your one sheet done.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Yes, snail mail to the rescue! Yes, I have had other problems opening documents and such. Technology is great when it works for us. Good thing we are resourceful when it doesn't!
Blessings,
Karen
More-and-more I'm learning to have a backup, and a backup plan. I've lost waaaaayyyy too many things in cyberspace (their must be a virtual dead letter box somewhere).
When I worked in business, there was just no substitute for collaborations. It's the best of teamwork, bringing to bear many facets of thought.
Good to "see" you this morning. Have a blessed day!
Kathleen
My old PC is quirky in its old age. I sometimes have yo scoot over to wifey's PC to open certain attachments. I'd like to replace the PC but hey, it still runs.
Hi Susan and Karen. I work on a Mac and sometimes forget not everybody does. It's a matter of taking a moment to check with your destination to see what program they run. Of course, this only works if you're up to date on your apps.
I still have to reformat anything my guest bloggers send me... unless they're working off a Mac too. It's annoying, but I'm learning to accept even blogspot's limitation.
Great post.
I'm taking a 2-week hiatus, just completed a ms, so I think I'll tackle a one-page. I completed the Act 3 exercise Alex Sokoloff teaches.
Hi Karen -
Yes, I'm glad you're the resourceful one. Whatever would we do if both of us were technologically challenged?
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Kathleen -
Back-ups AND hard copies! While those CD's and flash drives are a wonder, there's still nothing like a good ol' hard copy.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Stephen -
I know what you mean by "quirky." The thought of getting a new computer ranks right up there with getting a new Bible. I'd have to put all that good stuff into the new machine and risk losing some of my favorite things.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Joylene -
I'm not familiar with Mac terminology, but it sounds good to me. :)
Enjoy your hiatus. Congrats on completing the manuscript.
Blessings,
Susan
Wow, that gets complicated coordinating between two people, doesn't it? But it's also double the minds to brainstorm and plan. :)
My Yahoo email account (which I use just for personal emails) is really bad about attaching big files and pictures. But I never have a problem with Gmail.
Hi Sarah -
I've also found gmail a lot friendlier than my other email accounts. Karen and I use it a lot.
Thanks for stopping by. I'll try to get by your place soon.
Blessings,
Susan :)
These are foreign terms to me. I'll probably have to learn them sometime, so I know just where to go to find out!
Still praying for that conference. Can't wait to hear how it goes!!
Very informative, thanks for sharing.
That's a lot of work. Good thing the old methods are there to bail you out when tech. happens.
I'm excited about your package and book. Hope you get your name soon. There seems to a a certain power when you know the name.
Hi Rhonda -
They were foreign terms to me until a couple of years ago. The one sheet has been a blessing. I'd rather produce one of those than an elevator pitch any day!
Thank you for your prayers. They are much appreciated.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Hi Toyin -
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's always nice to see you. :)
Blessings,
Susan
Hi Nancy -
We settled on a working title about a week ago. (I write these posts ahead of time.) At the moment, we'll keep it under wraps. Maybe we'll talk more about it in another installment.
Blessings,
Susan :)
Enjoyed reading about your one/two sheet. Couldn't help but hear 'One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish' in my head! Clever to include your bio info on a second sheet.
Looking forward to interviewing you and Karen when you return from the conference! Hugs and God bless!
Hi Maria -
We're looking forward to it. :)
Blessings,
Susan
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