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WVU This Week October 22, 2011
Quote of the Week
"I try to leave out the parts that people skip."
Elmore Leonard (1925)
If you have a favorite Writer's quote you'd like to share for Quote of the Week send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Be sure to include name of author, birth/death date, and your name.
*** A Birdie Told Me - Writing Markets
by Birdie
Avalon Books
http://avalonbooks.com/
Avalon Books imprint, Thomas Bouregy & Co., Inc. is a publisher of hardcover Romances, Mysteries, and Westerns focusing primarily on the library market. There is no explicit sexual content or profanity in any of their novels. It is the author’s responsibility to heighten the romantic atmosphere by developing love scenes with tenderness, emotion, and perception.
They publish sixty books a year in bimonthly cycles of ten. A cycle consists of four Contemporary Romances, two Historical Romances, two Mysteries, and two Westerns. Books range in length from a minimum of 50,000 words to a maximum length of 70,000 words.
AVALON ROMANCES
GENERAL INFORMATION: They do not want old-fashioned, predictable, or formulaic books. They are looking for contemporary characters and fresh, contemporary plots and story lines. Supporting characters and subplots should be interesting and realistic, and they should add an extra and interesting dimension to the book. Strong, believable dialogue and character interaction are crucial to making the romance work.
HEROINES: Every Avalon heroine should be an independent young woman with an interesting profession or career. She is equal to the stresses of today’s world and can take care of herself. She should be smart, capable, and likable.
HEROES: Avalon heroes should be warm, likable, realistic, sympathetic, understanding men who treat the heroine as an equal, with respect for her intelligence and individuality, and with courtesy. The hero should be a fully-realized character, someone the reader can warm up to and be happy to see with the heroine.
AVALON HISTORICAL ROMANCES
Time, period, and setting for the historical romances are the author’s preference. Writers should take care that all description is authentic and indicative of period and place. Use of appropriate expressions and phrases, as well as authentic dialogue are key to bringing the reader into the world of the heroine and hero. Accurate depictions of the values and behaviors of the time are also essential. Historical Romances may be set in a variety of time periods up to the 1940s, around the time of the end of World War II. Heroines and heroes should be depicted much the same way they are for their contemporary romances.
AVALON MYSTERIES
GENERAL INFORMATION: The element of suspense is very important, but it is equally important to have a tight, well-researched, believable story line. Avoid contrived, predictable, mechanical plots and old clichés. The main protagonist should be someone compelling and interesting to the reader. Avoid the "info dump." Too much exposition can ruin a story—part of the enjoyment of a mystery is the puzzle. Supporting characters and subplots should be handled carefully; characters should behave in a manner that is consistent with real life and not used simply to further your plot. Do your research! No matter what your story is about, it is a crucial point of a mystery that police work be handled realistically. When dealing with tense, highly-charged plot points, dialogue should reflect the emotional content of the scene.
HEROES: The hero can be male or female or a team of people with sound values. The hero must be someone for whom the truth is paramount.
AVALON WESTERNS
GENERAL INFORMATION: All Westerns are historical novels. It is important that characters and setting be placed in time and that the background is carefully researched. Avoid using words and phrases that were not part of the language at the time your Western is set. Though it is important for flavor and authenticity to use some Westernisms in dialogue, overuse of dialect is to be avoided. Plots should be suspenseful and action packed. Stereotypes are to be avoided.
HEROES: The hero must be a strong individual with sound values. He’s excellent with his fists and his gun, but not overeager to use either.
SUBMISSIONS GUIDELINES
They do accept unagented material. When submitting they require a query letter that briefly introduces your story, the genre you are submitting it under (only genres listed above will be considered), and your manuscript's total word count (see their word count requirements above). Also include a 2-3 page (and no longer) synopsis of the entire manuscript and the first three chapters. All submissions must be typed and double spaced. If they think that your novel might be suitable for their list, they will contact you and request that you submit the entire manuscript. The length of time for response to a query may vary from a week to a few months. Full manuscript review times are approximately 10-12 months based on their publication needs.
Please Note: They do not return partial manuscripts. Unsolicited submissions will not be returned and queries that do not include an SASE will not be answered. If any of the above guidelines are not met your submission may not be reviewed. The only exception to the SASE rule is for authors living outside of the United States, please make sure to include a valid e-mail address so that they may respond to your query.
They do not publish nonfiction, racy romances, general fiction, poetry, YA, illustrated children's books, or any genres not described in their Writer's Guidelines. There are no exceptions to this.
There is no need to send your partial to any specific editor at Avalon. The editors read all the genres that are listed above. Address your letter to: The Editors. They are not accepting e-mail queries at this time.
The address for submissions is:
The Editors
Avalon Books
160 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10016
***Upcoming MFA Courses
MFA Courses are always free to annual, 3-year, and lifetime members.
Classes starting October 20 Registration ends October 22
MFA 102 Sentence Structures: Propositions, Subtext and Syntax
Classes starting October 27 Registration ends October 29
MFA 103 Creativity and the Cumulative Sentence
Classes starting November 3 Registration ends November 5
MFA 105 Sentences: Tough, Sweet, and Stuffy
Classes starting November 10 Registration ends November 12
MFA 201 Discovering the Rose in the Rubble
Classes starting November 17 Registration ends November 19
MFA 202 Finding Triggers
Classes starting November 24 Registration ends November 26
MFA 203 The Masks of Fiction
***F2K Free Creative Writing Course
Be the first to know when registration opens again, and have some fun.
It's free.
Join F2K Social at http://writersvillage.com/free
***Upcoming WVU Classes
Register now for upcoming October & November classes.
Classes Starting October 19 Registration ends October 22
B101 WVU Orientation, facilitated by Melissa Anne
B142 Blockbusters
C114 Comedy Workshop: Working With Alternate Meanings
F136 Mythic Structure Part 4 Prerequisite Part 3,
facilitated by Priscilla Fagan
F152 Horror Writing
Classes Starting October 26 Registration ends October 29
B128 Opening Hooks
F126 Story Structures
F178 Writing Boosters - Recipe #2 facilitated by Joni Zipp
N124 Writing for a Living
P172 Poetry Triggers - Using Music as an Inspiration to Write Poetry facilitated by Joni Zipp
Classes Starting November 2 Registration ends November 5
B154 Finding Your Voice
C102 Comedy Writing Part 2, Prerequisite Part 1
B136 Introduction to Fiction Writing
F160 Lightness and Weight in Fiction
B107 Writers Way Part 1 facilitated by Janet Smith
Classes Starting November 9 Registration ends November 12
B122 Libel and Permission
F148 Other Worlds in Science Fiction and Fantasy
F236 Romancing the Plot Doctor
N116 Writing for Magazines Part 3, Prerequisite Part 2
Classes Starting November 16 Registration ends November 19
B101 WVU Orientation, facilitated by MelissaAnne
B134 Proper Intertwining of Plot and Character
C118 Comedy Workshop: Working With Analyzation
F108 Creativity In A Box
F102 Romance Writing Part B
Classes Starting November 23 Registration ends November 26
B114 Point of View & Related Topics
B132 Complex and Believable Characters
F146 Let's Make A Scene
F162 Character Driven Plots - The Big 5
Classes Starting November 30 Registration ends December 3
F220 Writing Boosters - Brainstorming for Characters,
facilitated by Joni Zipp
N122 News Writing Part 2, Prerequisite N120
F164 The Single Effect Theory by Poe
N102 Writing for the Web Part 2, Prerequisite Part 1
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