A BOOK by ME Writer's Guidelines

A BOOK by ME Writer’s Guidelines

Checklist for A BOOK by ME
   □   Choose a subject
   □   Register online at www.abookbyme.com
   □   Read writer’s guidelines completely
   □   Set up meeting with subject for interview (if possible)
   □   Read interview tips
   □   Take several pictures with your subject (make sure they are clear with a nice background)
   □   Make copies of five old photos of the subject
   □   Write, edit, and ask teacher or friend to edit
   □   Consult with writing coach and get two-page biography from writing coach
   □   Illustrate your project
   □   Complete 10 page book project
   □   Ask three or more individuals to edit both biography and book
   □   Scan artwork (11 pages counting the book cover)

Suggested Timeline for a Six-Week Writing Project
Week One:
 Introduction to writing project, view website, and writer's guidelines
 Choose a subject
 Register your project
Week Two:
 Introduction to subject's story
 Research (make sure your resources are reliable)
 Arrange interview with subject
Week Three:
 Complete interview
 Write
Week Four:
 Write
 Edit
Week Five:
 Illustrate
Week Six:
 Complete Project
 Have 3-5 people proofread your work
 Make the necessary changes to your project
 Submit

1|www.abookbyme.com

A BOOK by ME Writer’s Guidelines
Choosing Your Subject

We need just one children's book about each subject. We don't want you or your class to work hard on
the project only to find out another author or school wrote about the same person. After you have
selected your subject, go to the registration tab and fill out the form to register with A BOOK by ME.

WHAT do you write about?
 Research the time period of your main topic.
 Research your area for possible stories from this time period. You can go to your local VFW, nursing
  homes, or put an article in the newspaper to locate a subject. If you need an example of a
  newspaper press release, visit www.abookbyme.com and click on the Press Room tab.
 Use primary sources and up-to-date resources.
 Historical accuracy is extremely important. Look at photos on the internet before illustrating your
  book to see what clothing and hair styles, buildings and cities looked like in this time period.

WHO do you write about?
Preferably someone 1) in your area 2) still living and 3) who was directly impacted by an historical event.
If the subject is deceased but you are able to find sufficient information about their story, please feel
free to register the project online. Choose one of the following to write about:
 Holocaust Survivor, Liberator, or Righteous Gentile
 Human Rights – Refugee, Japanese Internment, Civil Rights, etc
 Heroes – Soldier, Firefighters, Policemen, everyday heroes

Registering Your Project
First, go to www.abookbyme.com to register your project. You must fill out all the required paperwork
under the Young Author tab and email it to abookbyme.youngauthors@gmail.com. The paperwork
includes contact information, About the Author page information, and a signed release.

You will need to designate a person to be your mentor or “Writing Coach” while you work on this
project. It needs to be an adult, such as a teacher, parent, librarian, etc. Your writing coach will:
     attend the interview with you
     help you write the Dear Reader page of your book
     write a two-page Biography on subject (1,000 word max.) that will be published in the back of
         the book
     write a brief summary for the back cover of book
     help you obtain photos of the subject for the Dear Reader page and the From the Family Album
         page (at least five pictures, three older B&W and two more recent, if you find more that is great)
     take a photo of you with the subject for the About the Author page during the interview
     help you with any questions you have during the writing/illustrating process

There is a $25 registration fee payable at www.abookbyme.com, under the Young Authors tab. School
districts may pay by check to “Never Forget Publishing” and send to Never Forget Publishing, Inc c/o
Jeanie Bowen 562 Lakewood Drive Hollister, MO 65672

2|www.abookbyme.com

A BOOK by ME Writer’s Guidelines
Interview Preparation
Because some of the subjects may have been through a traumatic experience, it may be difficult for
them to talk about it. Take this into consideration when conducting the interview. Exhibiting patience
and understanding is essential. Be aware the individual may be hard of hearing so talk slow and clear.

Before the Interview:
     Phone the individual to make meeting arrangements, preferably in a public location familiar to
        the individual that is not too crowded or noisy.
     Let them know the approximate length of the interview, typically an hour.
     Get a physical description to recognize the individual.
     Ask if they would bring at least five photos of their youth. If the subject does not have a digital
        copy of these photos, you can 1) take a clear picture of the photograph using a camera or cell
        phone 2) stop at a copy center and immediately return them 3) take the photos home to scan
        and return the originals by mail with a thank you note.
     Ask permission to take several photos with them. Prepare to bring a camera or phone with a
        clear camera with you to the interview if they agree.
     Arrange for writing coach to take detailed notes so that you have another resource during your
        writing stage. The writing coach will need this for the two-page biography.
     Ask permission to record the interview if you have the necessary equipment. This will be
        beneficial if you have trouble remembering a fact or detail later in the writing process.
     Research your subject’s time period.
     Prepare potential questions in chronological order on paper to refer to during the interview: ex:
        pre-war years, war time years, liberation, post-war years. This will help you in the writing
        process. Ask questions dealing with the subject's family, occupation and education. Ask open
        ended questions like: Tell me about your family life before the war.

During the Interview:
     Arrive early and wait.
     Take time to tell them about you and why you want to write their story.
     Look them in the eye and speak clearly. Be a good listener and avoid interruptions.
     Respect the individual's time and energy level.
     Respect their right to not answer a question. You don't have to ask every question on your list.
     Ask if the individual would like to take a break.
     Clarify what you don't understand.
     Take several photos with the subject. Make sure the background is nice and clean. Make sure
        the quality of the photo is clear.
     Thank them for their time and for helping you understand that time period.
     It will be emotionally draining for the individual so display much gratitude.
     Ask if they'd like to see the completed story.

After the Interview:
     Follow up with a thank you phone call a day or so later.
     Send a Thank You card.
     Mail them a copy when your project is complete.

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A BOOK by ME Writer’s Guidelines

Writing
HOW do you write their story?
 Have a beginning, middle and end: What was the person's life like before, during and after the war?
 You may include dialogue when the character expresses feelings or thoughts through the conflict or
  situation. If writing about the Holocaust, remember to distinguish Germans from Nazi regime- Nazis
  were the bad guys.
 Style: Past tense. Show the story, don't just tell. A good story should involve the five senses: sight,
  sound, touch, taste, and smell.
 Remember to leave the reader with a lessoned learned or positive outcome.
 Stories must be exactly 10 pages in length, plus the book cover – each page written and illustrated.
 Must be true stories. Must be well-written (so that a third grade student can understand)
 Have a captivating title, not just the person's name.

Details:
 Format: 8 ½ x 11 computer paper with 1” margin around paper
 Story Font: 16 pt. Tahoma
 Front Cover: 36 pt. Tahoma
 Pages: 2- 4 short sentences on each page;
   10 pages total; with an illustration on each
   page
 Include a resource page (this will not be
   published; only for our reference when we
   check facts)

When you type the story on a Word Document,
make sure to clearly mark the pages so that we
can tell the exact order of the book. Below you
will see an example of how we need the writing
set up.

Illustrations
Read the story thoroughly. Research the time period with specific attention to clothing, hairstyles,
surroundings, buildings, roads, automobiles, trains, etc. Reach to the edge of the page - use your
colored pencils, crayons or markers to fill the space as much as possible to make for an eye-catching
illustration.

Illustrations are to be done on separate paper from the writing. You can use any art supplies. Usually,
illustrators use markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc. When you finish the illustrations, you must scan
them. Label each picture file as the page number so that we can easily match the illustrations to the
correct page.

4|www.abookbyme.com

A BOOK by ME Writer’s Guidelines
Below are some pages from the young illustrators who have done this project. Notice the use of bold
bright colors really makes a great presentation.

Submissions

Scan to CD (in a Word Document) and mail CD. Note: All submissions will be reviewed but not all will be
published.

Mail to:
               Never Forget Publishing, Inc.
               Jeanie Bowen
               562 Lakewood Drive
               Hollister, MO 65672

The CD should contain:
     Word Document with 10 page story
     Digital scans of the artwork (11 illustrations – 10 for the book and 1 cover)
     Two-Page Biography of subject
     Dear Reader Page
     Back of the book summary
     Old photographs of subject
     Photo with author and subject
     Individual photo of author
     Individual photo of illustrator

5|www.abookbyme.com