The Writers Network News; February 28, 2005 http://ezezine.com
February 28, 2005
The Writers Network News
“No Rules; Just Write!”
Editor: Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com)
Next Roswell meeting date: This Friday, March 4, 2005
12:00 noon at Wok & Chops Chinese Restaurant
If you happen to be in Atlanta this Friday, bring questions and business cards and network with the best of us. See directions at the end of the e-zine.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos: Kenn Allen
Two: From the editor’s desk: Should e-mail be edited?
Three: Ask the Book Doctor: nonfiction credits vs. fiction, BookSurge Publishing POD vs. others, essays/vignettes/articles/stories, and more
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Five: Jobs, contests, grants, agents and markets
Six: Writing Assignment: File it down
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
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Writer’s quote of the day:
“We are too busy today to work at reading books.” — Terri Lonier, Working Solo
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One: Kudos
[Kudos: noun: praise or honor: praise, credit, or glory for an achievement]
“My essay, “How Yankee Newwilly Met Spotted Dick,” has been published on http://www.villagewritersgroup.org/. In it I tell my experience as a schoolboy in Lincoln, England. This will be my seventh piece to get published in print or online. I wrote it about four years ago at a writers workshop in Gainesville, Florida.” –Kenn Allen
Way to go, Kenn!
We want to highlight your achievements. Send yours today.
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Two: From the editor’s desk: Should e-mail be edited?
Dear Fellow Writers:
This week I’ve gotten some interesting e-mails from friends, readers, clients, and businesses. I’m probably the world’s worst typist, so when I see a typo in an e-mail from a friend, I shrug it off. If I criticized e-mails from friends, I’d never get any mail from them.
Once in a while a client, prospect, or reader, though, will send me an e-mail with a major error, and I wonder if they realize they made those mistakes. Again I shrug them off. E-mail is supposed to be quick and simple communication. A minor error here or there should not stand in the way of getting a message across.
This week, though, I received an e-mail from a printing company that apparently thought I was a publisher, not just an editing service. It quoted its prices and listed its services, and it included the following statement: “All quotes are CIF (inclusive of Customs, Fright & Insurance).” Fright? I cracked up. I wonder how much the company would charge to scare me, if it did charge for fright.
The point is this: When you write a business letter or business e-mail, thoroughly edit the message before sending it out. I imagine this “frightening” e-mail went to hundreds—maybe thousands—of prospects. The error made me think the company won’t proofread anything it publishes, and I would never recommend a company that cannot write a correct business letter.
In a separate e-mail this week I got an invitation to a promotional event for the YWCA. The subject line read, “Your Invited!” I wrote to the person who sent the e-mail and explained that it should be “You’re,” not “Your,” and because the event was about educating and improving the lives of women and girls, The YWCA should begin by using correct English. I actually got a thank-you note and a corrected version of the e-mail message.
AOL has an option that automatically spell checks the body of every e-mail (but not the subject line) before it sends it out. I’m sure other e-mail services offer a similar option. The spell checker catches many of my typos and makes me double-check the spelling of all names and places. Do mistakes still get through? Yes, but not nearly as many as if I had not proofed the e-mail and then run it through a spell check before sending it.
Enjoy this newsletter, send it to your friends, and be sure to send your kudos, questions, comments, and leads to share with members of your network.
--Bobbie Christmas
Author of award-winning Write In Style (Union Square Publishing, an imprint of Cardoza Publishing) and director of The Writers Network
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Three: Ask the Book Doctor
Q: I have had a great deal of success selling nonfiction books. Will publishing nonfiction help me get my foot in the door somewhere that publishes fiction? Or don't publishers care about publications in other genres?
A: Your suspicions are correct. I personally know at least two highly successful nonfiction writers who have been unsuccessful in selling their fiction.
Publishers probably question whether an author’s nonfiction-writing skills will translate to fiction, which, unlike nonfiction, requires believable characters, strong plots, natural dialogue, good pacing, voice, and more. Nonfiction often relies on telling, then showing; fiction should show rather than tell. Writers of nonfiction may build up an audience that will automatically buy that author’s books, but if the authors switch to fiction, the audience starts at zero again. The final blow is the fact that nonfiction sells better than fiction, so publishers buy more nonfiction than fiction. Fiction writers have only about a one percent chance of selling their work to a traditional publisher. Yes, one percent.
Do not let horror stories stop you from pursuing your dream, though. A powerful nonfiction writer can learn to be as powerful with fiction, and a persistent powerful writer can join the one percent of traditionally published fiction authors. It happens every day.
Q: A student of mine who failed my class and, obviously, is unhappy with me, has been writing bad reviews about my books on Amazon.com and other sites. Is there any way to prevent such things from happening, other than giving all A's?
A: This question could be more fitting for an attorney to address. If the student is writing lies, he could be legally liable. If he is telling his opinion, this is America, and we have the First Amendment. The only alternative I can suggest is to get as many people as possible to write good reviews. The good reviews can even point to the fact that an earlier reviewer must hold some prejudice against the author.
If my readers have other suggestions, please send them, and I will publish appropriate suggestions in a future column.
Q: What criteria should I use when selecting character names?
A: The fact that fiction gives us wide latitude in name selections should not make us take name selection less seriously, so I’m glad you asked this question. Here are a few guidelines:
Pick names appropriate for the era, the region and/or country or origin, as well as the social class of the parents who named the child. Avoid odd spellings that have no reason for being spelled in a strange way. Do not choose androgynous names, such as Pat, Robin, or Chris. Speaking of Chris, choose names appropriate to the beliefs of the parents who named the child. For example, a Jewish family would not name a child Chris, which is short for Christian. To help readers differentiate among characters, never use similar names in the same novel. For example, do not name one character Robert and another one Robbie. I recommend not even using the same initial letter in character names. If the main character’s name is Sam, do not choose any other character names that begin with “S.”
Q: What’s the difference between an e-zine and a blog?
A: Everything. The first is active; the other is passive. An e-zine is an electronic magazine that is sent to subscribers. A blog is a Web-based log, or journal. It sits on a blog site and is not disseminated to readers; they have to go to the site to read the blog. An e-zine should inform readers and teach them, without regard for who the creator or editor may be. A blog is a personal journal that may interest readers if they have a personal interest in the blogger, but if readers have never heard of the writer, they are unlikely to have much interest in what that person has to say, unless the person has a fascinating writing style or strong opinions.
Fiction writers and poets often create blogs to get readers interested in their personal life and opinions. Nonfiction writers and business owners often create e-zines to send information of interest to clients and people in their profession who are likely to use their services.
Q: I’m attending a writing class, and the round trip is 48 miles. Can I take the expense off my taxes?
A: The answer is yes, under certain circumstances, but I’m not an accountant, so I don’t know the complete set of circumstances. I can tell you what I know, but please speak to an accountant before you do something that gets you in trouble with the IRS.
To take a deduction for such an expense, you must show that writing is not strictly a hobby for you; that you intend to make money at it, and then you must treat writing as a business. You will probably need a set of books to show your writing-related expenses, and you may need a separate checking account out of which you pay those expenses. You do not need to show a profit; you need only to show that you hope to make a profit one day. You have to have proof that you try to sell your work, so keep copies of every query letter and cover letter you send, and keep your rejections slips, too. You do not have to go to the expense of forming a corporation.
I began freelance writing more years ago than I like to admit. At that time I had to buy a typewriter, first, so I opened a separate checking account in my name for my writing business. I paid for the typewriter with a check from that separate account. Every penny I made from freelancing went into that account, and eventually I paid myself back for the initial balance that came out of my own pocket. I kept track of all the money that went in and out of that account, and I paid taxes when I owed them. In 1992, I set up a full-time business and chose to name the company something other than my own name (Zebra Communications), but you don’t have to do that.
Setting yourself up in the business of writing from home has many financial advantages. You can deduct a portion of your rent, electricity, gas, phone bills, and more, if you set yourself up the right way, so check with an accountant, and then follow his or her professional advice.
Q: Do you happen to know anything about BookSurge Publishing, or have any of your readers had any experience with it? It's a POD company.
A: Print-on-demand companies in general offer a book of reasonable quality with fast turnaround and no minimum copies. For those conveniences, you pay a higher price per book, but you do not have to buy as many copies as if you used a regular book printer.
I wish I knew who asked me this question, because I told the person I did not know anything specific about BookSurge Publishing and had only checked the company Web site. Later I found some negative press at http://www.voracitybeat.com/saucebooksurge.htm. Anyway, when I looked at the company Web site, I saw that for a book between 150 and 200 pages, your cost would be $13 per book. It offers 50 percent off the first order of 50 or more books, but after that, the price returns to the $13 level.
Traditional wisdom calls for keeping your cost down so you can double the price to buyers, to make a decent profit. If your cost is $13, few people I know will pay $26 for a paperback book of 200 pages, unless it is a reference book or textbook. In my opinion, the printing cost with this company is too high. If you have to sell the book for $15 and make only $2 a book, you are not working with a good retail model, because you have no profit margin to work with. You will not be able to offer discounts for larger orders, and you will never be able to sell books through any outlet that takes a cut of the profit, because the outlet will want a much larger discount than you can offer.
To sell more 200-page paperback books, the retail price should be around $10 to $15. That price point means that you should look for publishers that can get your cost down to between $5 and $7.50 per book, so you can make a reasonable profit, even if you offer discounts to stores or other outlets.
For a site that compares the services and costs of a few POD publishers, see http://www.booksandtales.com/podframeo.htm. BookSurge Publishing is not one that is listed. I have no idea of the quality or reliability of the work of BookSurge Publishing. If anyone else does, please let me know.
Q: At a meeting last year we learned a word that meant writing nonfiction but taking liberties with the facts. Do you remember what that writing is called?
A: You must be speaking about the word “faction.” It does not take liberties with the facts, so much as with the dialogue. It makes assumptions about the dialogue that probably took place. Truman Capote was possibly the creator of this new genre when he took the story of a real crime and turned it into a book that develops characters, includes dialogue, and reads like fiction. He had to make many assumptions about the dialogue, action, and thoughts, but the facts of the crime were correct as uncovered by the investigators. The book was “In Cold Blood,” and who has not heard of it?
Q: In your Report #101 on how to form and run a critique circle, you say not to mix poets with prose writers. Why?
A: My comment about not mixing poetry writers with writers of prose is based on personal experience. Although poetry is a great foundation for strong prose, not all prose writers understand it or even want to hear it. Many poetry writers prefer to stick with writing only poetry and are not helpful in critiquing the elements of fiction or evaluating the requirements of nonfiction. As a result, when poets read their poems in a mixed critique circle, often only the poets will have enough knowledge or interest to give any constructive feedback. I saw blank stares from the prose writers when poets read their work in former circles where I belonged. The blank stares then transferred to the poets, when the prose writers read their work.
Some people have reported success mixing children’s writers with poets for a couple of reasons. First, some children’s books are written in rhyme, so poets would be able to critique the meter, rhyme, and impact of those books. Many children’s book writers need feedback on their poetry, because many do not realize the importance of meter, rhyme, and consistency. The children’s book writers may be able to help the poets a little, but I’m not sure to what extent. I have heard it does work in some circles.
Usually it is best to have separate critique circles for prose, poetry, and children’s books. If any two were to mix, I’d say it might be okay to mix writers of children’s books with writers of adult prose.
Q: I have several questions:
1. How do you set up the proper line spacing per page for a novel?
2. How many lines do you get per page?
3. When you use italics, do you ever use quotation marks with them?
1. First, I must assume you mean the proper setup for a novel in standard manuscript format. The steps to take depend on your software. Most word-processing programs have a bar at the top that allows you to set the spacing at double spaced. In my current Microsoft Word software, the icon for spacing is second from the end on the far right. I can put my curser on it, pull down, and change the setting from single spacing to double. You may have to type something and select it (highlight it) before you can change the spacing to double-spacing, but from then on the spacing would be set for that document.
I’m not a software guru or a technical writer who can describe each form of software and how to make it double space. You may have to refer to a manual or take a class in the software you use for word processing.
2. When you double space and use 12-point Courier type, which is standard for manuscripts, you will almost automatically get about 23 lines on a page, which is correct. Anywhere between 23 and 25 lines per page is standard. Pages should average about 250 words each, once they are set in standard manuscript format.
If readers would like to see a manuscript set in standard manuscript format, e-mail me at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com and ask for free report #104, Standard Manuscript Format.
3. I’m not sure of the nature of the question on italics, but I will assume it refers to using italics to show someone’s inner dialogue (thoughts). In the case of thoughts or inner dialogue, do not use both italics and quotation marks. Choose one or the other.
Foreign words should be italicized (or underlined, which means the same thing as italics), though, even if they are inside dialogue surrounded by quotation marks.
Q: I saw an anthology looking for stories, essays, vignettes and articles. What’s the difference?
A: A story can be fiction or nonfiction. It has dialogue and action plus a beginning, middle, and end. It may involve several characters, and usually by the end of the story the main character has changed because of the events that took place in the story. Good stories show, rather than tell the story, and readers watch the events unfold “before their eyes” as they read. A story gets readers involved emotionally, so they care what happens to the characters.
An essay is always nonfiction. It’s a personal opinion. Op-ed pieces in the newspaper are essays. Essays begin with a premise and give points that compare and contrast it with other premises. It draws to a conclusion or a call to action. Writer’s Encyclopedia adds, “A number of magazines solicit opinion essays on topics of interest to their readers, and others use inspirational essays that deal (without being preachy) with uplifting personal experiences. The humorous essay is usually light and witty and treats as subject matter the trials and irritations common to the readers of the magazine to which it is submitted.”
A vignette can be fiction or nonfiction. It is a peek into one specific situation and is sometimes called a slice of life. It has characters, dialogue, and action, but may not have a conclusion or change at the end. Vignettes are short and give a snapshot of a scene or situation. Good vignettes touch readers emotionally.
Articles are nonfiction and profile a person, place, organization, or event for magazines, newsletters, or newspapers. News articles report only the facts, but feature articles can be more emotionally charged and creative in style. Articles tell more than show, and they can have quotations from people who know about the subject of the article.
Q: I have dictated some Christian-based children’s novels on tape, but I haven’t typed them up. Are there publishers who will publish a book, if it's a great story, working solely from an audio publishing perspective, and if so, how would I find submission guidelines, etc.?
A: First I want to say that I learned just last month that cassette tapes are being phased out; CD recordings are the thing of the future. I just replaced my tape recorder with a digital recorder, myself. I’ll talk more about that later, because a digital recorder offers features you may want to investigate, and the costs are reasonable, around $80 to $100.
To answer your question, though, I searched WritersMarket.com for “audio books” and found no agents or publishers that handle them. I added agents to my search because if you write fiction, you may need an agent. Most fiction publishers use agents to sort through the mire and submit only the best of the best. Agents won’t accept tapes, because publishers won’t accept tapes. Somebody, somewhere, has to type up the stories.
Some Christian publishers accept unagented children’s books, but I could find none that accepted tapes. Publishers want submissions to follow stringent guidelines, which require that the books be well written, edited impeccably, and in standard manuscript format.
If books must be typed up first, how do audio books make it to market? Audio books (other than those that are self-produced) almost always feature books that have been published by a traditional publisher first and have a good sales record. Audio producers then buy the rights to record the book for resale.
It sounds like you will have to sit and type your work, but not necessarily, as I’ve learned. My new Sony digital recorder can download a digital file to my computer, and with the aid of voice-recognition software, translate that file into typed words. The process requires training your computer to understand your voice, plus it is not 100 percent accurate. You still have to edit, revise, and improve the writing, so voice-recognition software does not offer an instant and total answer, but it does offer assistance.
Do you have a question? Send it today to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Does the title of your book matter? See http://www.absolutewrite.com/novels/mcdonald02-09-05.htm and decide for yourself.
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Save $7! Rev Up Your Writing and Win Seminar on Tape Reduced!
“Rev Up Your Writing and Win,” a fact-filled one-hour seminar, comes to you on a high-quality cassette tape and features Bobbie Christmas. The package includes all accompanying materials and handouts. Was $14.95 plus $4 shipping (total $18.95). Sale priced at $11.95 and we pay the shipping, but only while supplies last! To order, send your check today. Zebra Communications, 230 Deerchase Drive, Woodstock, Georgia 30188. Credit cards accepted through PayPal or on the phone: 770/924-0528.
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Making Books
Self-publishing companies are in the business of selling dreams, but what if the dream becomes a nightmare? See the full article and disparaging remarks about Print on Demand and PublishAmerica in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20
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BOOKEXPO AMERICA, the national trade show for the book publishing industry, will be held June 2-5, 2005 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. With more than 2,000 exhibits and special pavilions, and over 80 educational and conference sessions. Most sessions are included with event registration.
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Writers Marketing Association offers free membership
As a member you receive its monthly e-zine, receive discounts on WMA conferences and literary contests and will be mailed a welcome packet from WMA corporate offices. Membership is free. Go to http://www.wmaconnect.com/pages/2/index.htm.
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Writing and Editing Staffing Firm offers Web-based resume submission
ProEdit, the largest staffing firm in the writing and editing industry has made some exciting changes to its Web site. “To help you market your skills and search for jobs, we have recently implemented a Web-based resume submission and job application tool. Using these new features, you can quickly and easily search open jobs, receive new job announcements via e-mail, and update your resume on file. Within minutes, you can become part of ProEdit's extensive network of 20,000 writing and editing professionals!” See http://www.proedit.com/employment.asp.
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Secrets from “Write In Style” Revealed
The Find and Refine Method™ assists writers in being objective about their work. To learn much more about Bobbie Christmas’s trademarked method, see http://tinyurl.com/5vabr
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Plum: pregnancy magazine launches: A collaboration between the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and Groundbreak Publishing, Plum is aimed at women over 35 who are pregnant for the first time.
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Media lists via the Internet
http://www.usnpl.com/
Visit this site and click on your state for all the media for your state and links to each of them, including newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations.
http://www.newsdirectory.com/ gives links to many categories and lists magazines according to topic and/or geography
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Is Spelling Important?
The following came to me by e-mail from several friends, and I must admit surprise at how easy it is to read, although my automatic spell checker is going to have a seizure. As an editor, it amazes me. Don’t try this in your manuscripts, though! Here goes:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh, and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.
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Author STORMY STEELE has launched a new nonprofit literary organization for writers to help self-published and mainstream authors gain more exposure for their books. Details: http://www.literarysource.com
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Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to Improve Your Writing teaches the Find and Refine Method ™ to locate specific letters, words and phrases you can delete, upgrade or rewrite to give power to your prose. Bobbie Christmas, professional book editor, reveals secrets only a book doctor could know. First Place winner of the Royal Palm Award for education! Union Square Publishing, publisher; Simon and Schuster, distributor. Available in bookstores as well as from most major Internet retailers, including Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and SimonSays.com. Can also be ordered at http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml
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Five: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Complete Woman is "written for today's busy women, in a concise, clear format with useful information." This bimonthly magazine is 90% freelance written, paying $160-400 for nonfiction features. The editors say, "We're looking for new ways to explore the usual topics, written in a format that will be easy for our readers (24-40+ women) to understand. We also like sidebar information that readers can review quickly before or after reading the article." http://www.writersmarket.com/index_nl.asp?cat=cm&id=2619
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Writers Needed
“I am looking for people to write articles on all different types of things for publishing in my new magazine due to be released late this year. It could be on anything from Politics, food, sports, poetry, crime, etc. If you have anything you would like to share with me please send it to me via e-mail at BSTNRNTSRVS@aol.com. Pay depends on each article.
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Write articles about digital cameras
job-57359423@craigslist.org
“Digital camera review Website seeks freelance technical writers. Extensive knowledge of digital cameras required as well as strong writing skills. “We are looking for a review per week commitment. Pay is on a per article basis.”
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Woman's Life, a publication of Woman's Life Insurance Society, is published for a primarily female-membership to help them care for themselves and their families. This monthly magazine is 30% freelance written, paying $150-500 for nonfiction features. The editors accept queries by mail, e-mail, and fax, though it's okay to submit a complete manuscript. http://www.writersmarket.com/index_nl.asp?cat=cm&id=2003
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Submissions Wanted for Getting Started Without Getting Burned II
“If you’ve been conned, scammed, or made a writing mistake you regret, we want to hear about it. We're looking for stories of publications, people or services you've been conned by
• scams you've fallen for
• writing mistakes you've made
• anything you've done in your writing career that you regret.
“We’re looking for short descriptions of what has happened to you, what you’ve done, or what you’ve learned in 200 words or less. Deadline: March 30, 2005. For online submission form see: www.writingstuff.com/submit.html
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Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction
The Malahat Review invites emerging writers of fiction who have yet to publish their stories in book form to submit their best work for a new award that recognizes the voices of the future. In 2006, a similar award will be inaugurated to recognize the new voices of poetry. The two awards will be subsequently run in alternate years.
Story that must not exceed 3,500 words. Submissions previously published or accepted for publication elsewhere are not eligible. Prize: $500, plus payment for publication at contributor’s rate of $30 a page. The winning entry will be published in the fall 2005 issue. Entry fee: $25. Deadline: May 1, 2005. See: http://web.uvic.ca/malahat/farhorizonsfiction.htm
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NYC magazine wants stories of national interest
A NYC based magazine is expanding its content to include national issues. We currently write about arts, business, and local matters. Get a feel for the magazine: www.licmagazine.com.
While we have had success promoting NYC-oriented matters, we are shifting to a wider view. We need features writers for science, technology, anything relating to art of any medium, history, or politics.
If you are interested in writing, submit story ideas and three writing samples in the body of an e-mail. You do NOT need to send a resume. E-mail work to suzanne @licmagazine.com.
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job-57040425@craigslist.org
We are a web services company looking for writers of adult fantasy/erotica. We are evaluating a potential new service to offer our clients. Stories to post on their sites on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. (1000-2000 words) If you are interested, drop me a note including your rates (per word or flat).
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The Consumer Economist, an on-line magazine solicits queries and submissions in all areas of better living-- health, wealth, leisure, travel, entertainment, home improvement, food, home computing, personal law, and all the rest. Our mission is to provide the consumer with information and inspiration for cost-effective better living. We pay $50-$300 for article. For editorial guidelines and other info, see www.consumereconomist.com.
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Want to Contribute to The Fashion Society?
Nicole Garner
The Garner Circle PR
770.256.1800
E-mail samples to pr@thegarnercircle.com
Are you a fashion hound? Are you always going to the latest fashion events? Do you know when a boutique is going to open before all your friends? Do you set the trends for others to follow? Are you looked upon as a fashion source? Well, we are looking for you. Contact us today to turn your fashionable addiction into a line of work.
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Sports Writers
Gridiron Sports Magazine is seeking seasoned sports writers to contribute to a new football magazine. We are looking for well written freelanced articles that will focus on players, coaches, teams, owners, fans, and referees. Gridiron Sports Magazine will be a magazine that will be distributed monthly (off season) and weekly (regular and playoff season) nationally. We are looking for writers to cover the most accurate and behind the scenes news in the NFL such as players, fans, referee, coaches, owners, and teams around the league. Also, the magazine will focus on health issues and game analysis of upcoming games and post games. The pay rate starts at $.35 per published word. For relevant queries or questions please e-mail us. gridironsportsmagazine@hotmail.com
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Chicken Soup for the Mothers of Preschoolers Soul
Maria Nickless, Editor
2833 Monterey Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
preschoolmomsoul@comcast.net
http://www.chickensoup.com
We invite you to contribute a true story, article, or anecdote hat will bring comfort, laughter, and inspiration and express a new language of love to those who shape young lives with their hands, hearts and souls.
Topics will include: Making A Difference – stories about the significance that mothering matters. Small Accomplishments - stories to bring peace and balance in the midst of daily chaos. Pigtails and Froglegs: Learning a New Language of Love: stories that teach us that love comes in all shapes and sizes. Friendship: Mommy Play Dates--stories about encouragement from friends, family and other moms. Time Out!--stories about being understood, needing a break and sharing the load. It's My Time--stories about putting yourself first for a change Sharing Mommy--stories about sibling rivalry & revelry. Building Blocks: Perspective and Hope--stories on overcoming obstacles, regaining focus and hope. Growing Up--stories about change, growing up and empty nest as they go off to school for the first time. Tiny Bits of Wisdom--stories and anecdotes on things moms have learned from their little ones. Word count: 1,000 words or less. Deadline April 29. Pays $200 for stories and $50 for poem. Prefers e-mail submissions. For complete (and important) guidelines, go to www.chickensoup.com and click on Story Guidelines
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Write travel articles about South and Central America
adventuresandbeyond@comcast.net
We are seeking a travel writer who can write about South and Central America. Excellent opportunity for one who is passionate about this part of the world. Send your telephone number, and if you have anything written on this part of the world, we would love to see it.
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Children’s Books Authors and Illustrators Wanted
http://www.fabjob.com/jobs.html
To launch its new line of children's picture books, FabJob is seeking complete manuscripts containing both words and artwork (illustrations).
If we wish to publish your book we will pay you a flat fee of $2,000 U.S. for all rights to the story (words and artwork). This is not a royalty publishing arrangement.
This is otherwise a standard author-publisher arrangement for print books. Your name will appear on the book as the author, and you will be entitled to author discounts. See Web site for guidelines for submission and much more information.
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Down South Fo Life! magazine wants writers
http://www.dsfolife.com/Freelance.html
We pay up to $1,500 per article for high-profile successful life stories of our people. All of our articles of interest in line with our company’s overall focus. We are the magazine of Southern cultural living from a project level to the outstanding levels of accomplishments and the success of our people. Each story must cover this area of interest dynamically. Query first. If approved by our review board, we then will ask you to send SASE along with all manuscripts to Down South Fo Life! P.O. Box 30983 Charleston SC, 29417. Issue # 1 deadline March 15 before 8:00 a.m.
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Poems Niederngasse Poetry Contest
If you are dedicated to poetry, Poems Niederngasse is seeking your best work. Surprise us; make us see our world in a new way, use language that demands to be read. Write to appeal to our senses! Show us a world we can reach out and touch! Remember that we've been reading poetry for a long time, so we're not likely to be impressed with poems about your kitty, your lovely baby, or how bad your daddy was. Send up to three poems. Winner gets $50. No word limit. Deadline March 31.
Enter by sending your poem(s) in the body of an email, no attachments, with the subject line: Poems Niederngasse Contest: Your Name. Send to contest@niederngasse.com. For more info see: http://snipurl.com/co0f
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Tenth Annual PARSEC Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Contest
The contest is open to non-professional writers (those who have not met eligibility requirements for SFWA or equivalent). Previous multiple winners and current contest coordinators are also ineligible. The best story which relates to and features the contest theme will be published in the Confluence 2004 program book, and the author will be awarded the first prize of $200. At the discretion of the judges a second and third prize in the amounts of $100 and $50 may be awarded, with possible publication in a PARSEC zine. Submission to the contest implies consent for publication, but all rights revert immediately to the authors upon publication. The entries will be screened by the coordinators, and the best submissions will go on to our panel of three Judges. Decisions of the judges and coordinators in all these matters are final. There is NO entry fee.
Stories must be Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror in genre. Stories must be original, unpublished, unsold and no more than 3500 words in length. Submit in standard contest format (title and page number on each page, but author name only appears on separate cover page; otherwise as in any professional submission). No email submissions. Include SASE for notification only, as manuscripts will not be returned. Incorrect format will make an entry ineligible.
Theme: "High Crimes and Misdemeanors"
We think this theme is broad enough to give everyone scope for new and interesting stories. The sf/f/h connection can be with the crime, the misdemeanor, or the Highness of both. Please remember, though, that Confluence attracts many families, and the story will be printed in the program book. A certain restraint and subtlety is called for. Too much explicit gore will definitely count against you.
Deadline: April 15, 2005.
Send entries to:
Ann Cecil
PARSEC Short Story Contest
2966 Voelkel Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15216-2036
For questions or clarifications only, email cecil@city-net.com
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I am looking for personal stories of Icarus survivors. Those who have reached the pinnacle of their careers, fallen to their depths and picked themselves up again. Send your story and/or contact information to: Tim Pearson, tpearson@taxibranding.com
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Dog Stories Wanted
I need one-page anecdotes about your pure-bred dog to include in a series of dog books. All breeds will eventually be covered, but most interested in Goldens, Labs, German Shepherds, Boxers, Corgis, Newfoundlands, Bichons, and Shelties immediately. Also informal jpegs 200 kb or smaller of the dog at play. If used, credit given. Send to gaffneym@gmail.com --Peggy Gaffney
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Fresh Voices 2005 Literary Awards
Writers Marketing Association
Categories: Adult Genre Novel, Adult Short Story, Children’s Short Story or Picture Book, Mainstream Novel, Nonfiction Book/Memoir, Poetry Collection, Romance Novel, Screenwriting, Young Adult Novel
Awards are open to unpublished work only. All entries must include ONE copy of the synopsis and manuscript. If the work is in progress, a synopsis and two (2) sample chapters are required. All entry material will not be returned and will be shredded at the completion of the contest.
$49 per entry. Submit your entry by March 31, 2005, and receive a free 15-minute brainstorming session with WMA President and publishing executive, Jeffrey Bowen. All Entries are due by June 30, 2005. Winners and Finalists will be announced August 1, 2005. For complete guidelines and awards, see http://www.wmaconnect.com/pages/3/index.htm
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Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest
Prizes of $1,000, $500, $250 will be awarded, plus four Publication Royalty Awards of $150 and three Encouragement Awards of $75 each. Winning entries will be published. Submit any type of short story, essay or other work of prose, up to 8,000 words. You may submit work that has been published or won prizes elsewhere, as long as you own the anthology and online publication rights. $10 entry fee, payable to Winning Writers. Postmark deadline: March 31. Judge: Tom Howard. Submit online or mail to
Winning Writers
Attn: Tom Howard Short Story Contest
351 Pleasant St PMB 222
Northampton MA 01060
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Six: Writing Assignment: File It Down
You’ve heard that you should write tight. You’ve found a few words here and there that you could delete without changing the intent of your message. Have you seen how tight you can make your writing, though? Here’s your chance. Pull out a short story, essay, or some other short piece you wrote more than a year ago. Attack it with fervor. Mark out every word you can live without. Delete every adverb. Change every weak verb formation (such as “was + -ing word) into a single strong verb (For example, instead of saying “She was dancing,” change it to “She danced.”). Chop, chop. File it down to the nub. See how much you can shorten. You may find whole sentences you can delete. You get “extra points” if you delete entire paragraphs or scenes.
Read over your new piece and compare it to the old. You may have to add some words back in, but the exercise will undoubtedly result in a stronger story. Whoops! Did I use an adverb? See? Tighten, tighten, tighten.
Go to it.
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Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
Do you want to join or form a critique circle in your area or online? In the body of an e-mail send me your name, general location, contact information, and your preferences (fiction, nonfiction, short stories, books, poetry, etc.). I’ll list your information here, to help you find or form a group that allows you to get feedback.
Remember to ask me for Free Report #101 on forming and maintaining a successful critique circle. Send your request to me at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Do YOU have news for The Writers Network News? Please send it in the body copy, not an attachment, to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Send a copy of this F-R-E-E newsletter to all your writing friends. Tell them to join The Writers Network F-R-E-E by visiting www.zebraeditor.com and clicking on “Free Newsletter.”
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The Writers Network News--a free newsletter for writers everywhere.
"No Rules; Just Write!"
Newsletter Sponsor:
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you write to win.
We write, edit, and evaluate manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, synopses, and articles. Call to ask about our services or visit www.zebraeditor.com.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
Bobbie Christmas Blog for Writers: http://journals.aol.com/bzebra/BobbieChristmasBlogforWriters/
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The Writers Network – No fees. No officers. “No Rules; Just Write!"
Directions to meetings:
Directions to monthly meetings held the first Friday of each month at Wok & Chops Chinese Restaurant, Roswell, Georgia.
The restaurant is in King’s Market on Holcomb Bridge, Roswell, Georgia, one block from Hwy. 400. If on 400, take Exit 7 toward Norcross (7A if going north, exit 7 and turn left, if going south). If on Holcomb Bridge already, turn into King’s Market by turning onto Market Boulevard beside SouthTrust Bank, turn left behind the bank, and you’ll see the restaurant in the hollow on the right. Restaurant phone: 770-552-8981.
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