Anthology, Collection, Omnibus, Compilation, Box Set, Derivative Works, Compendium – Differences?

Posted on August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 by Zoe M. McCarthy

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Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days is designed to shape a not-yet submitted, rejected, or self-published manuscript with low ratings into a book that shines. The method can also be a guiding resource for writers starting a manuscript. See details below.

I’ve been a member of two “collections.” Were they really box sets? I led a workshop for a writers’ group whose members want to create a “compilation.” What’s a compilation?

I researched the following terms and include the commonalities and fresh thoughts about these terms.

Anthology

A single book.
Collection of writings in similar form, from the same period, possibly based on story length (flash fiction), or about the same subject or shared theme.
Written by a number of different authors or poets.
Sometimes called a collection, but should be classified as an anthology.
Examples for book publishing: poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts by different people.
Examples for genre fiction: short stories, novelettes, novellas by different authors.
Some research included: TV programs and movies.
One resource said works in an anthology are expected to be by current (living) authors.
Marketing advantage: all contributors promote the book.

Collection

Selected short writings.
Written by one author.
Pieces can have a common theme.
Examples: excerpts from books, short stories, letters, or poems.
Often from a deceased writer.
Advantage: Good for readers who don’t have a lot of time or who want to sample a writer’s work.

Omnibus

Book of reprinted complete works.
Written by one author.
Example: includes complete novels previously published separately.

Compilation

Result of bringing together, organizing, and arranging existing works whether related in some way or not.
Works written by several authors.
Examples: interviews, essays, chapters, answers to a posed question.

Box Set

Collection of full-length, usually existing, books sold together, forming a new book.
Written by one or several authors.
Usually ebooks.
Often sold at a savings compared to buying all the included books separately.
Often sold for a limited time.
Encourages readers to buy a series all at one time.
Marketing advantage: all contributing authors promote the book to their followers and others.
Can generate good income.

Derivative Works

Reworked, transformed, or adapted existing works. New, original works that have features of already copyrighted works.
Authors can create derivative works of their own copyrighted works or give permission to others.
Fair use would allow, say, a book reviewer to include some content from the book.
Be careful in using another’s work in your adaptation to avoid legal issues.
Examples: translations, musical arrangements, film versions, condensations, parodies, and abridgments.

Compendiums

A list of items, especially one whose items have been systematically collected. Or a detailed but concise summary of a larger work or broad field.
Examples: encyclopedia, gathered anecdotes, or collected folk tales.

Have you participated in an anthology, collection, or box set and could share your experience?

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Zoe McCarthy’s book, Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days, is a fresh and innovative refocusing of your novel or novella. Through a few simple—and fun—steps, Zoe helps writers take their not-ready-for-publication and/or rejected manuscripts to a spit-polish finish. Writing is hard work, yes, but it doesn’t have to be difficult. —Eva Marie Everson, best-selling and multiple award-winning author, conference director, president of Word Weavers International, Inc.

If you want to increase your chance of hearing yes instead of sorry or not a fit for our list at this time, this book is for you. If you want to develop stronger story plots with characters that are hard to put down, this book is for you. Through McCarthy’s checklists and helpful exercises and corresponding examples, you will learn how to raise the tension, hone your voice, and polish your manuscript. I need this book for my clients and the many conferees I meet at writer’s conferences around the country. Thank you, Zoe. A huge, #thumbsup, for Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript in 30 Days. —Diana L. Flegal, literary agent, and freelance editor

Tailor Your Fiction Manuscript is a self-editing encyclopedia! Each chapter sets up the targeted technique, examples show what to look for in your manuscript, then proven actions are provided to take your writing to the next level. Whether you are a seasoned writer or a newbie, you need this book! —Sally Shupe, freelance editor, aspiring author

McCarthy crafted an amazing self-help book that will strengthen any writer, whether new or seasoned, with guidance and self-evaluation tools. —Erin Unger, author of Practicing Murder, releasing in 2019

Need to rework your book? Zoe M. McCarthy’s step-by-step reference guide leads you through the process, helping you fight feeling overwhelmed and wrangle your manuscript and into publishable shape in 30 days. Tailor Your Manuscript delivers a clear and comprehensive action plan. —Elizabeth Spann Craig, Twitteriffic owner, bestselling author of the Myrtle Clover Mysteries, the Southern Quilting Mysteries, and the Memphis Barbeque Mysteries http://elizabethspanncraig.com/blog/

The Call to Write: Prepare, Pursue, and Persist

Posted on August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 by Zoe M. McCarthy

My guest today is Erin Unger. She offers truths and encouragement for writers. Erin is giving away a ebook to one of at least five readers who leave a comment. Learn more about her new book, Fateful Fall, at the end of her post. Here’s Erin.

Prepare

I have often said writing is not for the faint of heart, and it takes time. This saying is as true today as ten years ago when I set my fingers to keyboard keys and typed my first sentence. But if you’re called to write, you must do it. And you must give yourself time to learn how it is done.

Writer Lawrence Block once said, “If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass. If the feeling persists, you probably ought to write a novel.”

Block said this because he recognized how hard writing is. And I bet he wanted to help new writers understand the commitment level needed.

It takes a while to become a good writer. And it requires courage.

Take time to pray as you consider your writing journey. We say God has all the answers, but then we don’t turn to Him to get them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”

Pursue

Give yourself time to bloom into an amazing writer. Do not believe that because so-and-so had their first novel published right away you are meant to do the same thing. Maybe that’s what God has planned for you…but maybe not. Work at it. Study. Go to conferences and workshops. Write, write, write. And then write some more.

There are quite a number of excellent conferences and workshops. Here is a small list of a few you could look into:

Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
Mount Herman Christian Writers Conference
Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference
American Christian Fiction Writers Conference
American Christian Fiction Writers Virginia Chapter Conference
Florida Christian Writers Conference

Don’t discount a one-day workshop. I’ve learned valuable information at several yearly workshops I’ve attended. And it’s just as important to get together with writers as it is to learn from teachers.

Don’t waste time. Too often, we play with our first manuscript ad nauseam. Let that baby go and get to work on the next brilliant book. You learn as you write, and usually the first novel will not see the light of day—well, maybe it will years later—but not right away. Starting another story helps you grow. And it shows you that you can keep moving forward to become a serious writer.

Persist

When at last you’ve handed your hard work over to an editor or publishing house, more time passes in the publishing process. Don’t sit still. Start the next manuscript. Who knows, they may be interested in more than one of your stories. It happened to me.

Take time to do it right. And keep going. God’s got it all worked out for you.

To win an eBook of Fateful Fall, tell me in the comments below about a goal of yours that took a long time to be realized.

Buy Fateful Fall

Private Investigator Ava Worthington and her partners head to the mountains to solve the death of a farm owner’s son who was discovered murdered in an outhouse on the property. Without local cowboy Cory’s protection, Ava won’t get the chance to follow leads as the killer tries to stop her investigation. But Ava’s falling for Cory against her better judgment. She should be working and not pining after a cowboy. And Cory doesn’t want a relationship. His successful career was destroyed by a woman he trusted, and he won’t make the same mistake twice.

One suspect after another is cleared from Ava’s list until she’s sure she has the real killer targeted in her sights, but he’s hunting her, too. How will Ava and Cory find the killer and admit their love before they are buried under a mountain of secrets?

Erin Unger was raised in the hills of Virginia, exploring abandoned houses and reading the scariest books she could find. After marrying so young it would make a great romance novel, she has enjoyed an exciting life with her hubby.But her fast-paced life sometimes rivals the suspense in her books thanks to all her mostly grown children and a couple grandkids. www.erinungerwrites.com

12 Tips to Edit a Story Draft into an Enjoyable Read

Posted on August 1, 2019August 1, 2019 by Zoe M. McCarthy

I’m close to finishing a first draft. I’ve avoided editing, except fixes that made the plot work. I’ll edit the draft using the following tips.

Editing Tips

Tip 1 Writing to a word count can help with overwriting. In writing blog posts, my word-count goal is 500 words. It’s amazing how much better the post is when I hunt down wordy or unnecessary phrases and stick close to my goal. Same for a novel.

Tip 2 Don’t allow backstory in the first chapter. Do know your protagonist’s backstory. Do feed what’s necessary into other chapters. Do use backstory in how your character acts and reacts.

Tip 3 Get rid of repetition and explaining. Sometimes repetition comes in a different form but says the same thing. He shoveled in food, bite after bite. Explaining suggests readers aren’t smart enough to get it. He shoveled in food. He was hungry.

Tip 4 Kill your darlings. You have a paragraph you think is clever. If you’re unsure it’s funny, something the character would say, or whether it’s melodramatic, cut your darling.

Tip 5 “Overwriting is a natural result of our own effort to figure out what’s happening in any given scene. Only after we have discovered the core truth can we know what truly belongs and what doesn’t, based on a clearer knowledge of what we’re trying to say and what the scene requires.” “The Too Long and Short of It” by David Corbett (Writer’s Digest September 2019)

Tip 6 Similar to Tip 5 but for the entire book. Understand your character’s past wounds, struggles, and values so you know how he’d react to events, people, and dialogue. Understand what you’re trying to say in your novel. With this knowledge, write a one-sentence theme for your story. Let this guide you so you don’t ramble.

Tip 7 Make sure every scene has purpose to the plot, characterization or the character’s growth arc. Otherwise, cut or change it.

Tip 8 If you describe many body-part movements in a character’s actions, look for a single word. He tightened his fingers on the ball, pulled his arm back, and then threw the ball. Instead, He pitched the ball.

Tip 9 For all genres, add suspense to your scenes, i.e. create and hold back information the reader wants to know. End chapters with a hook or “cliff hanger” to draw readers to the next chapter.

Tip 10 Don’t explain dialogue. Dialogue itself should do the work. Write dialogue that‘s: necessary, unique to the character speaking, shows his emotion, and interesting.

Tip 11 Don’t over describe characters or settings. Allow the reader to visualize with a few key “traits.”

Tip 12 Make sure your ending is satisfying to the reader. Wrap up all the subplots, except maybe one for the next book in a series. Don’t rush the ending. Make sure it’s plausible. Include a surprise or a reward the character receives, such as an understanding or something that relates to an item in the story.

What in a novel do you dislike reading or skip over?

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