There is a common misconception that the author of young-adult fiction needs to be colloquial and introduce modern-day slang into his or her book in order to really speak to modern youth. But as Dr. Marion Crook exposes in her book, Writing for Children and Young Adults, today’s teenager uses a variety of different vocabularies in different contexts: “A teen who says to her friend, ‘I haven’t a clue. I mean, I mean, duh!’ is the same teen who can say to her teacher, ‘I’m sorry, I have no information on that’.”

colloquial language in young adult fiction is an unfortunate trap

In other words, like most teens, “her varied diction is part of her personality and part of her life.” The phrases in Dr. Crook’s example mean the same thing, yet if the modern teenager can speak both phrases, he or she clearly understands what they both mean. Feeling a strong pull to use colloquial language in young adult fiction is an unfortunate trap that some authors fall into, and one that may date your book unnecessarily. Colloquialisms change; though once ragingly popular, we rarely hear young adults use the term "gnarly" anymore. But who knows — maybe we’ll begin hearing it again soon!

The most important thing to remember is that straightforward, easygoing, and easy-to-digest language is the best way to get and keep the attention of young adults over the years — and just because you should use relaxed language, doesn't mean it should be languid and lacking liveliness. What’s more, by keeping to this sort of relaxed and easily accessible language, you may suck a good number of adults into your story as well — and become the next best-selling author!

About For more information on writing for young people, read Writing for Children and Young Adults by author Dr. Marion Crook.

Dr. Crook holds a PhD in education and is the author of a number of books for young aduts.

You can preview content, read the detailed table of contents, and purchase the book in our Web store.

You’re torn. Cathy has a point — Marcus disregards the rules of grammar with gusto. But Cathy’s write-ups, though flawlessly worded and written with precise grammar, are dry. Marcus, indignant at Cathy’s outburst, points this out. “I dare you to wade through Cathy’s writing without falling asleep! It can’t be done.”

With both employees clearly in no position to work together, you’re stuck with a dilemma: Marcus’ casual tone might be more personable, but Cathy’s will almost certainly appear more professional. What is more important when it comes to writing for the Internet?

I am convinced that trying to write right is what keeps many people from writing well

Well, that depends on who you ask. Dan Furman firmly backs up Marcus’ position in his book entitled Do the Web Write. “I am convinced that trying to write right is what keeps many people from writing well,” he articulates, demonstrating his point with flourish; “people just get so wound up in making sure their grammar is correct that they let it get in the way of just writing what they mean.” Furman is a firm believer of ensuring the websites he designs are easy-to-read and easily understandable. “If your writing is interesting and clear, does it really matter if it has fragments? Trust me,” he writes with an air of confidentiality, “in regards to business, it really doesn’t.”

correctness is … part of clarity because it helps readers understand your message more clearly

Meanwhile another author, Crawford Kilian, offers a different perspective in Writing for the Web. “If you like long, long paragraphs full of long, long words, your readers will soon lose interest in what you have to say,” he writes. “Your role as a web writer is to make your reader’s job effortless.” A major component of that is writing while employing grammatical laws. “This kind of correctness is … part of clarity because it helps readers understand your message more clearly.”

Kilian and Furman would probably agree on at least one thing: Your website content must be clear and easy-to-read in order to be effective. But where Kilian might argue that the key to clear writing is in the grammar, Furman might argue that it’s all in the language.

So who should write your website’s copy — Cathy the grammarian or Marcus the engaging writer?

Well, that’s up to you — but both Kilian and Furman offer solid advice. Catching your audience with engaging language that is also grammatically correct — a happy medium — is probably the best possible solution. Why choose one over the other when both language and grammar augment clarity and readability?

More Information: Do the Web Write is available to purchase from our Web store.





Writing for the Web is also available in the Web store.

You can see the entire table of contents of each book, together with initial chapters, on the store pages.


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Where do you start?

If you’re passionate about seeing your project in print, self-publishing is one great way to see your dreams realized.

Reasons to Self-Publish

Most writers you talk to will tell you the same thing when you ask them how they imagine getting published: Submit manuscripts to a publisher and brace yourself to get rejected many times before someone finally recognizes your genius.

But this is not the only option. Submitting your manuscript to publishers takes time, patience, and a thick skin. Rejection letters are a harsh reality of the publishing business. Self-publishing can save your ego from the perils of an overly conservative, market-conscious publisher who can’t see the merit in the subject matter in which you’re most interested.

However, this is not the only reason to consider self-publishing. When you are your own boss, you get to control the marketing, timing, and sale of your publication. What’s more, you get to keep all the profits! If you want to handle the workload yourself, then self-publishing is a more direct way of getting your manuscript out into the world without worrying about the go-between: the publishing house.

Steps to Self-Publishing

In her publication Self-Publishing 101, Debbie Elicksen describes the self-publishing process:

• Find a designer
• Design the cover
• Design and typeset the text
• Proofread the laid-out text
• Obtain ISBN, CIP/LCCN, and barcode information
• Request printers’ quotes
• Set a price

Make sure you contemplate all the considerations associated with these steps before you decide to self-publish.

The most important factor to consider is budget. Don’t forget that, unless you have good friends in high places, you will have to pay for a designer, printer, and distribution. In the United States, you also have to pay for an ISBN code — a fundamental requirement for publishing your work. It is important to have an idea of your book’s production costs. Printing your book will likely be the most expensive element of the self-publishing process. Factors to keep in mind are: your book’s length, paper used, format, and how many copies you plan to print.

It is also important to have a layout in mind. Remember that your layout and your budget may not always get along; even in self-publishing, you may have to sacrifice some of the details of your dream for the sake of its general realization.

“You will save a lot of time and money by having a vision of how you want your book to look,” writes Elicksen.

Patience and adaptability are key when considering self-publishing. Leave room for errors, unexpected costs, and time delays. But once these obstacles are overcome, there is very little preventing you from achieving the dream of seeing your work published — by you!

About For more information on self-publishing, see Self-Publishing 101, available in our Web store.



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If you want to write for us, please take a look at our website at www.self-counsel.com to see if your proposed book might fit one of the categories in which we publish, and to make sure we haven't already published the book you wish to propose. We do not publish fiction of any genre, nor do we publish adult books, books on mental health, psychology, religion, or the paranormal.

Please note that due to the high volume of submissions received, Self-Counsel Press does not respond to queries about the status of unsolicited manuscripts. We will contact you only if we wish to publish your manuscript. Further, we regret that we are unable to return manuscripts unless they are received with a self-addressed, prepaid envelope. We recycle all unused materials.

We are currently interested in:

• Books for our Start & Run series
• Books about personal and small business tax matters in Canada
• Books about personal finance
• Books about legal/business nonfiction topics that would appeal to Baby Boomers

Submission checklist

When submitting your manuscript, please be sure to provide the following:

• Cover letter, with current contact information
• CV describing why you are qualified to write this book
• As much of your manuscript as possible, typewritten and double-spaced
• Detailed chapter-by-chapter outline

Send your submission by mail to the address below. Manuscripts sent by fax will not be considered. Simultaneous submissions will be accepted, on the condition that it is clearly stated in the cover letter that another publisher is considering your work. Multiple submissions of up to five manuscripts are welcome. All manuscripts submitted must be copies only. Do not send originals, as we will recycle any and all manuscripts we choose not to publish.

Please mail your submissions to

Acquisitions Editor
Self-Counsel Press
1481 Charlotte Road
North Vancouver, BC
V7J 1H1
Canada

Please ensure that you have included sufficient Canadian postage. Do not include US postage or international postage vouchers, as we cannot use them, and your manuscript will not be returned. Unless you are a professional artist, sample illustrations are not necessary.

If you want to write for us, please take a look at our website at www.self-counsel.com/ to see if your proposed book might fit one of the categories in which we publish, and to make sure we haven′t already published the book you wish to propose. We do not publish fiction of any genre, nor do we publish adult books, books on mental health, psychology, religion, or the paranormal.

Please note that due to the high volume of submissions received, Self-Counsel Press does not respond to queries about the status of unsolicited manuscripts. We will contact you only if we wish to publish your manuscript. Further, we regret that we are unable to return manuscripts unless they are received with a self-addressed, prepaid envelope. We recycle all unused materials.

We are currently interested in:

• Books for our Start & Run series
• Books about personal and small business tax matters in the US
• Books about personal finance
• Books about legal/business nonfiction topics that would appeal to Baby Boomers

Submission checklist

When submitting your manuscript, please be sure to provide the following:

• Cover letter, with current contact information
• CV describing why you are qualified to write this book
• As much of your manuscript as possible, typewritten and double-spaced
• Detailed chapter-by-chapter outline

Send your submission by mail to the address below. Manuscripts sent by fax will not be considered. Simultaneous submissions will be accepted, on the condition that it is clearly stated in the cover letter that another publisher is considering your work. Multiple submissions of up to five manuscripts are welcome. All manuscripts submitted must be copies only. Do not send originals, as we will recycle any and all manuscripts we choose not to publish.

Please mail your submissions to

Acquisitions Editor
Self-Counsel Press Inc.
1704 North State Street
Bellingham, WA
98225

Please ensure that you have included sufficient postage. Do not include international postage vouchers, as we cannot use them, and your manuscript will not be returned. Unless you are a professional artist, sample illustrations are not necessary.