The Writers Network News, Sept. 21, 2005 http://ezezine.com
September 21, 2005
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News. I hope you love it and forward it to all your writing friends, but if you don’t love it, follow the simple instructions at the bottom to remove your address from the mailing list.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos: Richard Loehle, Sarah Harrison, Vicki Flier, Tara Dillard, Vicki Kestranek, Loretta Paraguassu, Bobbie Christmas
Two: From the editor’s desk: Back at my desk
Three: Ask the Book Doctor: About Manuscript Lengths, Self-Publication, and Bylines on Ghostwritten Proposals
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Five: Jobs, contests, grants, agents and markets
Six: Writing Assignment: Look at Lists From Both Sides
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
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LOOK! Next Roswell meeting date: Friday, October 7, 2005
12:00 noon at Wok & Chops Chinese Restaurant
If you happen to be in Atlanta on the first Friday of the month, bring questions and business cards and network with us. See directions at the end of the e-zine.
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To view past issues of The Writers Network News, go to: http://ezezine.com/home/770/
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Writer’s quote of the day:
Interesting swap of literary insults:
"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the
dictionary." --William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)
"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"
--Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)
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One: Kudos to Richard Loehle, Sarah Harrison, Vicki Flier, Tara Dillard, Vicki Kestranek, Loretta Paraguassu, Bobbie Christmas
[Kudos: noun: praise or honor: praise, credit, or glory for an achievement]
(Did you know kudos is singular? There’s no such word as kudo.)
Richard Loehle sent the following information:
I don't think it is a great accomplishment to get a story in an on-line magazine, but I did, and it is worth mentioning only because it is my first. When I started out as an artist some fifty or so years ago the first illustration I did was for the pulps. Deja vu. This is like the pulps of today.
I've written three books. One I published with an on-demand publisher, and there is no promotion with that system unless you do it yourself. I did less than break even. The other two books are still wanting publishers.
For more instant gratification (and to avoid depression), I turned some excerpts from one of the books into short stories and even wrote a mystery. Very rewarding, in its way. Anyway, the mystery can be found atwww.spinetingler.com.
By the way, Bobbie edited one of the books, Innocents at War, so I know it is at the professional level technically. Any problems are my own, but this situation underscores the necessity of finding the right publisher. Some day...
I responded: Congratulations! It IS an accomplishment to be published online, because the competition is strong, and with the exception of people who post their own writing, the chosen pieces are often the cream of the crop.
“My husband heard about a contest that Whirlpool was sponsoring for moms. He told me to write up my idea and enter it. I did just that, using the writing skills I learned at a workshop with you. I won First Prize, $5000.00, to get my invention started. They have made special arrangements to pay my way to Benton Harbor, Michigan, for a one-day boot camp with the judges. Originally only the grand prize winner was supposed to do that. Look on the Website https://offer.whirlpool.com/moms/ and you will see my name and all the many appliances I won, too.” –Sarah Harrison
Kennesaw State University awarded Vicki Flier the honor of Instructor of the Year for International Programs. Way to go, Vicki!
Tara Dillard writes, “My book, The Garden View: Designs for Beautiful Landscapes, is available at www.amazon.com and is packed with how-to ideas to create a tranquil outdoor haven with benches, birdbaths, statues, and unusual plantings.”
Vicki Kestranek won fifth place in the Georgia Writers monthly contest for her short story, "Moonlight Escape." She writes, “That story came about from the exercise we did in your workshop where we had to write a paragraph with a word from each of two lists. Mine were ‘dark’ and ‘halo.’ I hope to get it published somewhere. Thank you for giving me the idea.” To see more about the lists Vicki was talking about, see the assignment in this newsletter.
Loretta Paraguassu reports, “I'm a second-tier finalist in the Women-in-Film Las Vegas screenplay contest. There are 55 scripts listed on the final cut, and I have two of them. The winner will have his or her film produced.”
On September 15, the Best Books 2005 Award winners (USABookNews.com) were announced, and my book for writers, Write In Style, placed as a finalist. Hooray, me! –Bobbie Christmas
Please send in your accomplishments for our kudos section.
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Two: From the editor’s desk: Back at my desk
Dear Fellow Writers:
Thank you for all the warm wishes for my visit to New York, a place I’ve avoided since 1964, when my beloved sister Sandi died in an accident while living there. I’m pleased to report that the prayers and light everyone sent me worked. I arrived with no trepidation, only excitement, and the city returned all I had hoped for and more. Nothing compares to the vibrations of a city where day and night, bustling crowds fill the sidewalks and bright lights illuminate everything.
Surprises abounded. We stopped by a McDonald’s for a quick, cheap breakfast, but found ourselves mesmerized by a skillful pianist whose hands danced on a grand piano in the corner. He wore a fine suit on his back and flip flops on his feet. We toured the Lincoln Center, and to our thrill found an orchestra practicing in the lobby, while stagehands worked on the theater. We walked Times Square, and I gawked at the scenes I had seen so many times on television. We attended Broadway plays and saw Alan Alda and Gordon Clapp perform in person. Mostly we grew as a family, while I spent time with my significant other and his two grown children, and I came to know that family is not defined by blood, but by love and caring.
For my fellow writers I gathered gobs of information to pass along. Thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope you will forward it to all your writing friends and tell them to subscribe.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, please sign up to get your own copy. Simply go to my Website, www.zebraeditor.com, and click on “Free Newsletter.”
--Bobbie Christmas
Author of triple-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: About Manuscript Lengths, Self-Publication, and Bylines on Ghostwritten Proposals
Q: After five years I have completed my autobiography. After submitting many query letters with the word count of 777,568, I have been informed as a new author no one is going to take a chance and publish me, because the cost would be great. I am told it should not be more then 90,000 words. How can you help me to condense my book, and what would the cost be?
A: The advice you received is correct. Most first-time authors should keep their books under 100,000 words.
You have put a great deal of work into your book, though, and it must break your heart to think you must cut so many words. I feel for you, and I can help, but I have some suggestions, first.
We charge by the page, so you can save a great deal of money by reducing the word count yourself. I may be cutting off my nose, here, but I like to help authors, not scalp them, so I suggest another way to approach it.
Consider carving several books out of the one. The breakdown could, perhaps, be something like the early years, the middle years, and the most recent years. Go through each new segment yourself and see which chapters are the weakest and least important and delete them, before sending me all the books or one book at a time.
I want to help, and I look forward to working with you, but I want to give you the best job for your dollar. If you can cut the book into three or four books, I can help you with each portion much easier and more economically than if you had me cut the 777,000 words down to 90,000.
Q: If you doubt my manuscript can be properly prepared for marketability, then I should proceed toward self-publication. I very much want to move into the traditional publishing field; however, I need to be realistic. You’ve edited my book. What do you think?
A: I have good news and bad news. First the bad: Only one percent of fiction written today gets published by traditional publishers. Odds are low, no matter how great your writing may be. Next the good news: I truly believe [title deleted for privacy] has an interesting story line, good twists, and a good title. I've watched it grow from wordy and static into a novel that is much more in line with the style that contemporary publishers want. With a little more work, I honestly believe it has a chance. I would not lie about that fact.
Self-publishing is always a fall-back, but self-published fiction rarely achieves much success. I’ve heard that the average self-published fiction book sells about 100 copies. Dismal statistics, when authors are investing their own money. For that reason, I advise fiction writers to do their best to find a traditional publisher, and to self publish only as a last resort. Traditional publishers have the distribution system that will help get your fiction into bookstores, whereas bookstores rarely handle self-published books.
Q: I am a marketing consultant and was asked to write a book proposal for a client. I am new at writing book proposals. The client gave me a couple of books I followed, but it did not say whether I should put my name on the proposal as the person who prepared it. The clients wanted me to do it, to give me credit. Is it proper for my name to appear on a proposal for a book to be written by my client?
A: You already guessed the answer. No, your name should not appear on the proposal. You have ghostwritten the proposal; a ghostwriter’s name does not appear on anything except the check.
Sometimes, though, my clients have acknowledged me vaguely in the acknowledgments section. The acknowledgement never says, “Thanks to ghostwriter Bobbie Christmas,” though. It simply says something like, “Thanks to all who contributed to this book,” and my name is often amid several other names, if it appears at all.
Do you have a question? Send it today to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Hurricane Relief Fundraisers for Writers
Books, items, and critique services to be auctioned off on e-bay to aid Hurricane Katrina victims. See http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfrtsZ0QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsassZlarissafund and http://www.romaid.net/
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Although created for romance writers, much of the information about how to submit a manuscript still applies to all writers. See http://www.nebraskaromancewriters.com/advice_mssSubmitting.html
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From a literary agent in Chattanooga: Blogs Work!
“Today one of my clients, Cherie Priest, got a review by Charles De Lint! You cannot get much better. Partly because of this review and partly because she has been keeping her Blog up for several years, her blog today is ranked 62nd in the world. Go here and scroll down: http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2005/cdl0510.htm. Her blog: http://www.livejournal.com/users/wicked_wish.” –Lantz Powell Literary Agency for Southern Authors
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The GET IT WRITE™ Writer’s Circle Teleclass
Take it from the comfort of your home, anywhere in the United States!
Become An Author In 2005!
The book you want to write, have been trying to write, and haven't been able to finish can be completed in 2005. Say it, believe it, and make it happen, in the "Get It Write" Writers Circle, which includes authors, editors, publishing professionals, marketers and fellow writers in one circle, with one goal: To Help You Write Your Book.
Guest Speakers Include:
RM Johnson, author The Million Dollar Divorce, The Harris Family
Anita Diggs, past editor – Ballantine Publishing & author, A Meeting In The Ladies Room, Success At Work: A Guide for African-Americans
Wendy Bailey, creative writing/personal/professional coach – Brilliance In Action Enterprises Inc.
Bobbie Christmas, The Book Doctor, owner of Zebra Communications and author of Write In Style, Purge Your Prose of Problems, and Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition
Petula Wright, editor and writer
Jacqui Knight, publicist, editor
Topics Include:
WRITING: BEST PRACTICES
WRITING & COACHING
WRITING STYLE
WRITING SAMPLES & CRITIQUE
AUTHOR DISCUSSION
EDITING
GET READY FOR PUBLISHERS
SELF PUBLISHING/PUBLISH ON DEMAND
MARKETING & PROMOTIONS
Spend one evening a week with a circle of professionals, including fellow writers, editors, coaches, marketers and other industry experts. We've assembled a group of professionals who've been writing for years and who've worked in the book publishing industry. They will discuss the crucial elements you need to write and complete your book.
Attend A Free Sneak Preview Teleclass:
September 21, 2005 – 2 pm or 9 pm EDT
The GET IT WRITE™ Writer’s Circle Begins September 22 @ 8:30 pm. On your phone! REGISTER NOW:
http://www.prospeakersbureau.com/taracoyt/writerscircle/index.htm
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Free workshop touring U.S.: Putting Your Passion Into Print (Workman, 2005) about how to get successfully published
* Figure out the right idea
* Perfect a killer pitch
* Locate and land an agent
* Sell a manuscript/proposal to the appropriate publisher
* Self-publish, if that’s where the road goes
* Understand your contract
* Get P-A-I-D
* Become savvy about publicity, marketing and media
* Plan and execute a magnificent event
* Plant your flag on bestseller lists
September 22
NEW YORK CITY at Barnes & Noble (18th & 5th Ave.) @ 6:00 pm
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
http://www.bnnewyork.com/top.html
(212) 675-5500
September 26
CINCINNATI/DAYTON at Books and Co. @ 7:00 pm
http://www.booksandco.com/
http://www.booksandco.com/events/dayton.html
937-298-6540
September 27
CHICAGO at Bookstall @ 7:00 pm
http://www.thebookstall.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
Tel: (847)446-8880
September 28
MINNEAPOLIS w/event at Bookcase @ 7:00 pm
http://www.bookcaseofwayzata.com/calpages/ev0505.html
952.473.8341
September 29
MILWAUKEE at Barnes and Noble (Wauwatosa store) @ 7:00 pm
2500 N Mayfair Rd, Ste 196, Wauwatosa, WI 53226 (414) 475-6070(414) 475-0395(fax) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/storedetail.do?store=2944
414-475-6070
September 30
ST. LOUIS at the St. Louis Co. Library @ 3:00 pm
http://www.slcl.lib.mo.us/
314/994-3300
October 2
SAN FRANCISCO at Book Passage @ 4:00 pm
http://www.bookpassage.com/
http://sf.ruggedelegance.com/places/684.html
415.835.1020
October 3
MOUNTAIN VIEW at Books Inc. at 7:30
301 Castro Street
http://www.booksinc.net/
650-428-1234
October 7
SAN FRANCISCO at Booksmith @ 7:00 pm
http://www.booksmith.com/
415-863-8688
800-493-7323 (toll free in USA)
October 10
BERKELEY at Cody’s Books @ 7:00 pm
http://www.codysbooks.com/
October 23
New York
The international woman’s writer’s conference
October. 29
Palo Alto at Stanford University @ 10am(-5pm)
http://www.stanfordbookstore.com/htmlroot/index.html
Phone: 650-329-1217 or 800-533-2670
November 1
Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa at Copperfields @ 7:30 pm
http://www.copperfields.net/
http://copperfields.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
707) 823-2618
For information contact: Nicki Clendening at 212.614.7596 -or- nicki@workman.com
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One of our members heard me mention that some words are overused and can often be deleted and sent us the following from the Internet:
There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?
At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?
We call UP our friends And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.
At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.
To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And this UP is confusing:
A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.
We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP!
To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.
If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.
When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP,
for now my time is UP, so, time to shut UP!
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A word from one of our Canadian members:
Kathleen Handziuk wrote, “Just in case you are wondering what book to buy for your 4 - 8 year old, look at the newly released Kids Can Press book by my talented friend and Writers Network member Colleen Sydor. http://www.kidscanpress.com/kidscanpress/KidsCanPress_3/KCP/f_home.htm.”
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The Obvious Expert: The Easy Way to Write the Book That’s Inside You
Many people have a nonfiction book inside them but do not know where to start or how to keep going. This two-CD seminar lays out simple steps for anyone writing a nonfiction book. For this information-filled seminar Elsom Eldridge, Jr., founder of the International Guild for Professional Consultants and www.obvious-expert.com, interviews Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of “Write In Style” and publisher of “The Writers Network News.”
The two-CD seminar is only $14.95 plus $4 shipping and handling. It will be mailed as soon as it is available. To order, call in or mail your credit card information and mailing address to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or 770-924-0528 or mail a check for $18.95 to Bobbie Christmas at 230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B, Woodstock, GA 30188, and ask for the “The Obvious Expert” CD set.
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Former Avalon Publishing Group senior managing editor Claiborne Hancock is publisher and editor-in-chief of the new Pegasus Books, launching in spring 2006. The house will issue "quality commercial fiction, with a special emphasis on crime novels and mysteries, and serious nonfiction--biography, history, and popular culture, aiming for 20 titles in the first year." Among titles already signed for the launch list are British crime writer Martyn Waites' THE MERCY SEAT and the successful French thriller THE ANGEL'S PROMISE by Frédéric Lenoir and Violette Cabesos.
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Tips on ways to write your book faster
I've discovered a Web site that is designed to help you write your book faster than you thought possible. There's information here that claims to lead you to write your book in 14 days. It’s worth a look if you feel bogged down about writing your book.
Mark Victor Hansen (co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and dozens of other books) said it was some of the best stuff he'd ever used, and Mark is using the information to crank out still more books.
There's even a free email course that gets you started fast, so if writing a book is your goal, your dream, your desire, or even your need (as consultants and entrepreneurs, for example), go to http://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp?afid=290962
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My favorite ghostwriter friend, Cec Murphey, corrected something I said in the last newsletter. He wrote, “You referred to gerunds, but I think you meant participles. Gerunds are verbal nouns, as in ‘Swimming is good exercise.’
“I totally agree with you that writers need to avoid participles, yet I see so much of it in print today.”
Cec makes a good point. To avoid sounding like a grammarian or English teacher, I usually call gerunds AND participles “-ing words.” One takes a good verb and turns it into an adjective, such as in “The dancing bear entertained the crowd.” The other takes a good verb and turns it into a noun, as in “The bear was dancing to music.” A better solution would be: “The bear danced to music.” The overuse of “–ing words” results in weakened verbs and unpleasant repetition. Call “-ing words” whatever you will, but use my Find and Refine Method to find all “-ing words” and replace them with powerful verbs to give your prose more punch.
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Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing e-book answers hundreds of writers’ questions
“Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your Writing” is a 122-page e-book that answers all the questions you wish you could ask a writing and editing expert. It has electronic bookmarks that allow you to go directly to your preferred subject and features clickable links that take you to Internet resources for additional information. Learn more on how to write, edit, and sell your work, whether you write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything else. To order go to http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
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Free Information for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order e-mailed reports on correct manuscript format, how to form and run a critique circle, how to identify weak writing and repair it, self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, and much more. Twelve reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to www.zebraeditor.com and click on “Tools for Writers.”
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New! Free Report #114: Short-Story Format
Format your short stories correctly, and you increase your chances of selling them. E-mail Bobbie@zebraeditor.com and request report #114. It will come to you in a virus-free PDF file.
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No-cost e-mail newsletter filled with publishing/agents/sales information: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/cgi-bin/lunchSubscribe.pl
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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 words and phrases you can delete, upgrade or rewrite to power up your prose. Bobbie Christmas 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 and Internet retailers. To order at Amazon.com DISCOUNT prices, go to http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml
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Saturday, October 22, 2005
10:00 – 1:00
"I've Finished Writing My Book; Now What Should I Do?"
The Knowledge Shop
Marietta, GA
$39 plus $6 registration fee = $45 total
Call 678-766-6666 for more information and to register
Book Doctor Bobbie Christmas tackles the question most asked of her: "I've Finished Writing My Book; Now What Should I Do?"
The answer is not simple. This event allows you to clarify the direction you want or need to take. Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, poetry collections or short-story collections, come ready to listen, think, plan and make deep decisions about your direction and your future while you learn about:
• When and how to find a literary agent
• What to cover in a query letter and what to leave out
• How to write a professional cover letter
• How to write a proper synopsis
• When and how to write a book proposal
• When and how to submit work without an agent
• When and why to use a traditional publisher
• When and why you may want to self publish
• Options available to self-publishers
• What to expect from traditional publishers
• And more
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Some of our longest-standing members will be glad to hear I have heard from Kathy Creighton, founder of the Roswell Women Writers, from which The Writers Network emerged. She left Georgia to lead a church in New Orleans after becoming a minister. She reports, “I am safe. Got into New Orleans on Thursday and rescued my six cats. My house did not flood. We are safe at my house across Lake Pontchartrain. Horse survived too! Still don't have phone. Borrowing friend's phone line to email. Long story, but I am without a church and looking for a job. During this recovery time, things are going to get pretty boring sitting around the house in Ponchatoula. My college roommate from Syracuse U., herself a former journalist (CBS Radio producer) turned theologian, said, "Kathy, write!" Here's the time I always wanted for my writing!
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“Companies like IUniverse, Xlibris and Author House are primarily POD printers not publishers.”--Jan Nathan, Executive Director of PMA – the Independent Book Publishers Association in an interview with Publishing Basics Radio
This seven-part series gets to the bottom of the multi-billion dollar “pay to be published” publishing industry. Publishing Basics Radio Show Host Ron Pramschufer interviews the presidents of Author House and IUniverse, the top two online “pay to be published” publishers as well as the former VP of Finance, the third largest. See http://wbjbradio.com/series/pod.php
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On Saturday, October 15, at 1 p.m., The Atlanta Writers Club welcomes horror writer James A. Moore for a bloody good discussion about writing fright fiction and surviving the scares and perils on the ruddy road to getting published. Please join us--if you dare—at the Sandy Springs Library Meeting Room.
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In 1995, according to the Associated Press, 46,000 U. S. publishers were in business with at least one book in circulation. Today the number is 83,000, more than 70,000 of which have ten or fewer titles. In 2004, 11,500 new publishers applied for a block of ISBNs, up 70 percent from 6,800 in 1995. Self-publishing authors and small presses exceeded 90 percent of all publishers for the first time in 2001.
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Five: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Looking for a writing job or contract work for writers and editors? Check out http://employment.topechelon.com/web65600/jobseeker/sSetup.asp?, which lists jobs all over the country by category. Here’s an example of a recent listing in metro Atlanta:
Contract Editor (Cumming, GA) Job # PE 225
ProEdit has an exciting new opportunity for an Editor for a full-time, onsite, three-month contract position in Cumming, GA. The editor will be responsible for copyediting and proofreading technical reports and marketing documents for several upcoming projects. The successful candidate will have an excellent grasp of the English language and be capable of editing to project-specific style guides and standards.
This position will begin during the last week of September and run through the end of the year. This is an excellent editorial opportunity in a fast-paced and close-knit team environment.
Qualifications for this position include:
- A minimum of one to two years of editing experience, preferably in a technical or corporate communications environment.
- Proficiency with MS Word including formatting and track changes features.
- Good understanding of a broad range of computing concepts and software packages such as Adobe Acrobat.
- Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Bachelor's degree in English, Technical Communications, or related field.
- Willingness to have editing skills tested.
If you are interested in this position, please apply on our http://www.proedit.com/employment.asp. A recruiter will contact you if your skills match the job qualifications. To speak with someone about this position, contact one of our recruiters at (770) 886- 6255, or toll free at 1 (888) PROEDIT.
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Absolute Write newsletter says, “We’re always looking for new interviews, articles, essays, and humor for this newsletter. We pay $5 or a 1-year subscription to the Absolute Markets Premium Edition (www.absolutemarkets.com – a $15 value). We’re happy to check out reprints, and we take non-exclusive electronic rights. Got some advice for your fellow writers? Check out our guidelines here:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/site/submissions.htm
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WRITER NEEDED - M.D. News Atlanta, a highly successful medical news and lifestyle magazine for doctors, seeks one freelance writer for cover story and special features assignments. Pay is $150 per story. Average length, 1,200 - 1,500 words. For consideration, email or fax three clips and resume to: kim@mdnewsatlanta.com Fax: 770/671-8248.
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Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine
P.O. Box 770458
Memphis, TN. 38177
staff@chickensoupmagazine.com
Based on the book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine
publishes short stories and anecdotes on a variety of subjects. Being
familiar with one or more of the books is a great way to understand
the makings of a Chicken Soup story. Submit completed story via
e-mail or standard mail. Pays $100.
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Lake Life
1900 State St., Suite J
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
http://www.lakelife.net
We welcome queries from professional freelancers. Our features focus on specific lakes, mostly in the United States, but occasionally abroad. We’re interested in the history of the lake, its natural beauty, and the lifestyle of its residents – all the elements that make it special. We also run stories on extraordinary lakeside houses and their owners.
We are eager for suggestions for Journal, which consists of shorter pieces on narrow-focus topics: food, offbeat lake items, artists and artisans with lake-oriented work, or even historic lake events. We also run personal back-page essays on lake themes or reminiscences of specific lakes.
Please send queries by e-mail; we also would like to see a couple of relevant published clips. We pay at least $1/word; photographic rates for assignments are to be negotiated.
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"America's Funniest Humor" Contest & Book Project is a monthly opportunity to get published online and in print, add to your writing credits, receive valuable exposure and publicity, and get your share of $150.00 in CASH PRIZES.
Entry fee is $5. Send In Your Funniest Humor Essay/ Column
(Previously published material is welcome.)
Winners Receive $150.00 In Cash Prizes:
1st Place Winner Receives $75.00
2nd Place Winner Receives $50.00
3rd Place Winner Receives $25.00
Cash Prizes paid through PayPal. Finalists & Honorable Mentions also will be selected. See http://www.HumorPress.com/
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BLACK GATE
John O'Neill, Editor
New Epoch Press, 815 Oak Street, St.
Charles, IL 60174
EMAIL: submissions@blackgate.com
Guidelines: http://www.blackgate.com/bg/guide.htm
http://www.blackgate.com
Black Gate publishes epic fantasy fiction at all lengths, including novel excerpts, as well as articles, news and reviews. We're looking for adventure-oriented fantasy fiction suitable for all ages, as long as it is well written and original. See our online guidelines for the seven most common reasons we return manuscripts.
Fiction up to 6,000 words: 3-6 cents/word; 6,000 to14,000 words: $180-$280; More than 14,000: $280-$400; Query for works over 25,000 words
Nonfiction: 3 cents/word
Submit by mail or email, no attachments please
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Gallant Greetings Corp
P.O. Box 308
Franklin Park IL 60131
joanlackouitz@gallantgreetings.com
www.gallantgreetings.com
Gallant Greetings Corp. is a publisher of traditional, religious and humorous greeting cards for all occasions and seasons. Card ideas are purchased from freelance writers at $45 each.
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Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize
Graywolf Press
ATTN: Nonfiction Prize
2402 University Avenue, Suite 203
St. Paul, MN 55114
http://snipurl.com/h8zs
Deadline, October 1, 2005. Looking for literary nonfiction
Open to any writer who has not published more than two books of literary nonfiction (excluding academic work and books in other genres) and resides in the US 200-400 pages
Contest judge Robert Polito says: "This prize seeks to acknowledge -- and honor -- the great traditions of literary nonfiction, extending from Robert Burton and Thomas Browne in the 17th century through Defoe and Strachey and on to James Baldwin, Joan Didion, and Jamaica Kincaid in our own time. We seek the boldest and most innovative books from emerging nonfiction writers, although we define 'emerging' as lightly and flexibly as we define literary nonfiction. Whether grounded in observation, autobiography, or research, much of the most beautiful, daring, and original writing over the past few decades can be categorized as nonfiction. Submissions might span memoir, biography, or history -- but it's essential that they be finished books. No miscellaneous essay collections, sample chapters, or proposals."
PRIZE: $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf in 2007. No electronic entries.
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WizBids.com for writers
Freelance writers: Check out this Website that allows you to bid on projects. Many are low paying—under $100—but will get you clips, and others pay better. You must pay a low monthly fee to bid on projects, but go to http://www.wizbids.com/find/projects/browse.aspx to check out some of the projects available. Don’t give up over the many $100 projects. Keep going through the pages, and some of the work looks interesting enough that I may join the service and bid on a few projects myself. Many potential freelance writers ask me where to find projects. This site looks like one of the many ways you may find work, some of it regular, contract work, the best kind for freelancers.
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Six: Writing Assignment: Look at Lists From Both Sides
You may have noticed one of the kudos in this newsletter resulted from an exercise I gave in a workshop for the Atlanta Writers Club. I won’t repeat the actual list, and you can create your own, but look at the two lists of words below. Pick any adjective from the first column and combine it with any noun in the second column to come up with ideas that trigger your creativity. Write a poem, a short story, or even just a clever phrase based on unusual word combinations.
Elephantine love
Dizzy vacuum
Curious empathy
Cheerful cruelty
Heartless liquid
Depressing flutter
Inanimate concealment
Tragic faithfulness
Endless respect
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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.
I want to join or form a critique circle in my area.
Debbie Ellison
Roswell/Alpharetta
(W) 770-641-7641
(cell) 770-843-0940
I write nonfiction and poetry.
Wants On-Line Critique Partners
I would love to join an online critique circle. I live in Sydney, Australia, and I write children's books. I am also putting together a Web site that provides creative writing activities for middle to upper primary students called KidsWrite.com.au. --Nora Panossian, nora292@ozemail.com.au
I'm interested in starting a critique group in my home, as I am disabled and cannot drive. I’m in the Locust Grove, Henry County, Georgia, area.
--Susan Mason
susan62450@charter.net
Remember to ask me for 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 “Newsletter.” …………………………………………………………………………….
The Writers Network News--a 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
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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 Wachovia 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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