Tips for Developing a Saleable Book Idea
Laura Backes
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In this session, you’ll discover:
Find out why it’s important to think through different aspects of your idea before you write. Learn about the first steps a fiction and nonfiction writer should take to develop their story idea to make it saleable, and how to know when you’re ready to start writing.
Session Links:
Bonus:
– Free ebook, The Ultimate Children’s Writing Cheat Sheet. A great get-started guide to writing for children, or a good review for experienced writers.
Comment Below With Your Key Takeaways Or If You Have Questions About The Session.
30 responses
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Love Laura. She always has wonderful tips, insight and information. I’ve listened to tons of her talks and consistently take away new suggestions, even now with this talk. I’m a multi-year member of Children’s Book Insider and highly, highly recommend every children’s book writers to join. It’s value to the extreme.
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Great concrete ideas. Much food for thought for this pantser. Thanks, Laura
FYI: I have downloaded your cheatsheet using the link under your video. However, after 10 minutes, it still has not come in. I also checked my Spam. -
Laura never fails to educate and inspire me, and I’ve been a fan of CBI and Write for Kids for decades. My key takeaway today was to write down an affirmation of what excites me the most about the writing process and display it at my desk. She also suggested we write down the reason we are the best person to write our particular story and similarly post it nearby the keyboard. I plan to do both … in colored markers.
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Laura gave some honest reasons how we can us Chat-bot AI. I like that we should use it as an assistant especially research but like all assistants, fact check it first. I also liked the final tip she gave that when you write down your writing idea also write why you are the best person to tell this story.
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I enjoyed this session with Laura Backes. I do watch her program and always enjoy her interviews with the authors. She said something this time though that I thought was so important and I hadn’t thought of before. What is your agenda for writing this book. What is its purpose. This question really made me pause and think. It’s true you may have an idea for a book but what real purpose will it serve. I thank you for that phrase and have already written it down and put it on my bulletin in my office.
Very knowledgeable interview. -
As always, Laura provides information you can trust. Her tips for the appropriate use of Chat bots such as Chat GPT was very helpful from a children’s book perspective – as for the caution about ‘teaching’ it too much and the consequences of that for the future for writers.
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Very helpful. I hadn’t thought of using Chat GPT in relation to my writing. Thanks for all of this food for thought!
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Laura is full of a lot of valuable information. It was a pleasure listening and learning from her. Her insight on not putting too much information into AI because it can use our information to write better itself is a great tip. We certainly don’ t want to put ourselves out of business.
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Many thanks Laura! Great information, tips, advice! Clear explanation and current, relatable information – great help to us aspiring writers!
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Thank you for another great and informative webinar, Laura! I’m a member of CBI and have learned so much from all the information you provide. I have 3 pages of notes from your session today and will definitely apply what I have learned to the picture book I am working on.
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Fabulous info as usual, but I wouldn’t feed the AI with my story ever to get feedback from the bot. That’s like feeding the monster – you would just give it free content to digest and whatever you feed it can be reused, rephrased, and published… who knows where it would end up, who would use your ideas and if that story/article was published earlier than your story you could be accused of plagiarism. Far-fetched probably, but… AI will still use your content to learn from, at the minimum. There are other free services that could count your sentence length, find passive voice etc. You could try ProWriting Aid, the Hemingway app and there are some others.
I don’t use Chatgpt for anything, I prefer to use my own brain and imagination and google whatever info that I need and check few sources, not just one as some articles are now written by that bot too.
AI is not always accurate, it is pretty good at lying. There is a blog post written by AI with questions are answers done by the bot and the bot is pretending to be an editor at some of the top publishing houses. It is scary how the bot came up with its own education, work experience at different publishing houses etc. All made-up stuff! Totally invented person! So it can lie for sure – it has no scruples.
I do hope publishing houses add clauses against AI into their contracts, some magazines already stopped accepting submissions from outside as they can’t trust writers anymore, they don’t know who wrote the article submitted, so they prefer to produce articles in-house.
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We can get great ideas and lots of information out of this presentation. I could see myself in much of you had to say as well as pick up some helpful hints. My first book was self published as an experiment (a very expensive experiment) into what I really wanted to do.
The second book sent me down many roads of change and rewrites to get where I want it to be but was worth the time spent. It is ready to publish now and I am already working on the next two under the brand name “MS P” ( a name my students have called me for 40 years) books.
Thank you for the time and efforts you spent on this presentation, -
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You always give something new in your presentations. Today I learned how AI can help with research and marketing. I look forward to the bonuses you so generously give. Thank you so much!
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Loved this as it gave me more insight to writing my book and also how to use the AI if needed but only as an assistant. I did apply for the freebie but have never received the email for it. I have tried entering my info several times and waited for the email but never got it.
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Two best tips:
1. Outline where you are going with the story
2. Readers relate to the emotion of the storyDonna
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Thank you, Laura, for so much practical information. What a great idea to constantly remind ourselves why we love this book idea, and we are the best person to write about it. No one else can write it from our specific point of view.
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LAURA: You have done a BAZILLION+ interviews and posts, and yet you ALWAYS have SO MUCH to share! THANK YOU for ALL the AMAZING INSPIRATION! I have been taking advantage of your Kidlit Distancing Socials and LOVING it all. THANK YOU and Jon for ALL you do to support and INSPIRE the kid lit community!
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Thank you for the presentation and for the free ‘Ultimate Children’s Writing Cheat Sheet’ – I can’t wait to read it! And CONGRATULATION on your 30-year Children’s Book Insider – many years ahead!
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