The Writers Network News, January 22, 2006 http://ezezine.com
January 22, 2006
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Newsletter Sponsor
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you write to win.
We write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, book
proposals, query letters, synopses, and articles.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
----------------------------------------------
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News. I hope you love it,
forward it to your writing friends, and tell them to sign up, too. If
you do not love it, follow the simple instructions at the bottom to
remove your address from the mailing list.
Note from the editor: Our new newsletter system strips out some of the
apostrophes, dashes and quotation marks. I hope you can understand the
information and fill in where such punctuation is required. Despite the
punctuation oddities, I have chosen to stick with text format rather
than HTML for our newsletter, because not all computers can read HTML
files. Thank you for your understanding.
In This Issue:
One: Kudos: Carolyn Robbins, Sandy Speer, Roy Lantz
Two: From the editor’s desk: Publishing Quirks and Snafus
Three: Ask the Book Doctor: Questions for readers to address
Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Five: Jobs, contests, grants, agents and markets
Six: Writing Assignment: Come to your Senses
Seven: Looking for Critique Circles
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LOOK! Next Roswell meeting date: Friday, February 3, 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://home.ezezine.com/886_2/70/
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Writer’s quote of the day:
“Yes, it’s hard to write, but it’s harder not to.” –Carl Van Doren
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One: Kudos to Carolyn Robbins, Sandy Speer, Roy Lantz
Member Carolyn Robbins reports that an article she wrote for Dollhouse
Miniatures Magazine will appear in the April issue. It's titled “Garage
Sale by Carolyn Robbins.”
Member Sandy Speer reports that she contributed a story to Deborah
Ford's G.R.I.T.S., Friends Forever, which hit the shelves of bookstores
December 28, 2005. It is published by Penguin.
Roy Lantz continues to get publicity for his book, _Never Beat the Boss
at Horseshoes._ He recently had an article published in The American
Management Association on-line Journal.
Congratulations to these folks. Your accomplishments encourage others.
Please send in your accomplishments for our kudos section.
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Two: From the editor’s desk: Publishing Quirks and Snafus
Dear Fellow Writers:
Last month was the first month we relied on the new e-zine program, and
as I did at the top of this newsletter, too, I noted the quirk that
strips out some punctuation, but not all. The instructions warned me
not to copy and paste from a Microsoft Word file, which probably causes
the problem. The instructions say to retype the entire manuscript into
the e-zine provider’s system, but as you can see from the length of our
newsletters, such a solution would take far too much time. My final
decision: I copied and pasted anyway and added the apology.
If I charged for this newsletter, I would definitely eliminate all the
flaws, but it is a free service to writers, and to create it, I gather
files all month, copy, and paste them into a Word file that I later
copy into the e-zine program. I have to limit my time with the
newsletter and move on to projects that pay the mortgage. I’m sure you
all understand.
Here’s a letter I received from a reader who read my lament and
apology. Following it is my response to her. It may interest those of
us in the publishing industry. If you’re a writer, you had better
believe you are part of the publishing industry, or you never will be.
“I can relate! I printed a newsletter where the printer's software
deleted all the apostrophes after the proof was finished and before it
went to print. And I thought I was the only caught one in such a web! “
OMA BOOKS OF THE PACIFIC
Rachel Fischer Gladson, Publisher
www.OmaBooks.com
I answered like this:
Everyone in the business has nightmare stories like yours. Perhaps I
should write a book about it!.
One of my personal favorites was when I was, according to a publisher,
over-proofing a publication. She thought speed was more important than
accuracy and kicked me out of the press room near deadline time. We
were publishing a daily paper associated with the world's largest
clothes-manufacturing conference, and the publisher told me to leave
her alone; she knew what she was doing. I followed her instructions and
left.
The next morning the printer delivered thousands of daily papers with a
banner headline, probably more than 56 points high. It was supposed to
say CAD WARS (CAD means computer-aided design, various software
programs that clothing manufacturers use). Instead of CAD WARS, though,
the screaming headline read CAR WARS. When we tried to get conference
attendees to take the paper and read it, they refused, saying they were
at a clothing and textile conference, not a car-manufacturing
conference. We had to explain over and over to potential readers that
it was a typo. The advertisers in that day's paper were incensed, too,
and had to be given free ads, because no one wanted to take or read the
paper that day. We had thousands of copies left over, unused. Thousands
of dollars of investment and potential revenue were lost, all over one
letter.
Enjoy this newsletter, with all its quirks, and let me hear from you
when you have questions, kudos, markets or any other information to
share with your writers network.
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 (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com)
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: Questions for Readers to Address
Q: Five years ago I self published a children's book. Being optimistic,
I had 5,000 printed. Not a good idea, as we still have 2,000 left.
Unfortunately, we learned that the burden of marketing is on you and
you alone. This meant that I had to appear at book signings and shows
all over the country. Our budget didn't include this expense; besides
which I am 86 years old, and my old bones wouldn't accommodate it.
Is there anything I can do to sell the book now? It is a Christmas book
in hard cover and really very attractive--good illustrations, etc. I
have contacted a few remainder companies, but they tell me that 2,000
copies are not enough for them to bother with. Any ideas?
A: Boy, you may have stumped the book doctor. In truth, you've done
quite well to sell 3,000 copies, when statistics say that most
self-published books sell 100 copies or less.
I would look for outlets who might handle it on a consignment basis,
such as local gift shops or children's stores. This method will, at
best, sell only one book here and there, though, and 2,000 is a bunch
to try to sell in ones and twos.
Without seeing the book, I can't tell if there is a possible tie-in
with a region, a product, or a company that might take the remainders
off your hands for a flat fee. In the worst case, you could donate them
to a children's organization and take the loss off your taxes.
I will put the question to the readers of The Writers Network News,
too, and see if we come up with any other ideas. Hey, folks, do you
have any suggestions?
Q: Did you see Dan Poynter’s newsletter this month? He suggests
assigning an ISBN to everything you get published, including articles.
What do you think? I'm getting some articles published lately, either
magazine or on-line, and I'm wondering if I should follow his advice.
A: I read Eric Gelb’s (http://www.PublishingGold.com) article in
Publishing Poynter’s Newsletter. Gelb gives a logical reason in using
ISBN numbers as a marketing ploy. I don’t do it, but then I’m not a
publisher and don’t buy ISBN numbers. Perhaps publishers who must buy
ISBN numbers in bulk anyway would find it an effective marketing
technique. Here’s what Gelb says:
“Assign an ISBN to everything you write (publish). We assign an ISBN to
every article, special report, etc., that we publish, even if we give
them away. Enter your publications in Books in Print; then people can
find you easily. This is a very inexpensive yet powerful global
marketing technique, and it’s permanent.”
Here is my opinion: ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number.
To use book numbers for anything other than books sounds like abuse of
the system.
What do you readers think? Let me know if you have any valuable
feedback or ideas or other marketing tactics you have used to your
advantage. I might use the information in a future newsletter.
Bonus! Ask the Book Doctor: About Book Doctoring. Go to
http://www.spawn.org/editing/askthebookdoctor12.htm
Do you have a question? Send it today to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Is there a formula for creating a bestselling book title? Perhaps.
The self-publishing Website Lulu.com assumes that much of the success
of a book lies in the title. Based on that assumption, it offers a
title-writing formula to help customers prepare books for the market.
A team of three statisticians, helped by programmers, studied 54 years
of number-one fiction titles from the New York Times as well as the 100
favorite novels in the BBC's Big Read poll. They found that the titles
of winning books had three common features: They were metaphorical or
figurative instead of literal; the first word was a pronoun, a verb, an
adjective or a greeting; and the grammar patterns took the form either
of a possessive case with a noun, or of an adjective and noun or of the
words The ... of ...
According to an article in The Guardian, though, if the above formula
were infallible, _The Da Vinci Code_ should have been a flop. Who is
right? To read more, see
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,6109,1674327,00.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New York Times January 4, 2006
Rejected by the Publishers
By LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Submitted to 20 publishers and agents, the typed manuscripts of the
opening chapters of two books were assumed to be the work of aspiring
novelists. Of 21 replies, all but one were rejections. Sent by The
Sunday Times of London, the manuscripts were the opening chapters of
novels that won Booker Prizes in the 1970s. One was _Holiday,_ by
Stanley Middleton; the other was _In a Free State,_ by Sir V. S.
Naipaul, winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Literature.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Talese Contradicts Frey's Account of Sale (from The Observer)
If you have not yet heard of the controversy surrounding James Frey’s
popular book, _A Million Little Pieces,_ the quick version is that he
is accused of having fabricated a good portion of the story of his
decline into addiction.
Nan Talese talks to the Observer about the publication, and her
essential truth is different than the author's. She tells the Observer
she "almost collapsed" after hearing Frey tell Larry King, "When Nan
Talese purchased the book, I'm not sure if they knew what they were
going to publish it as. We talked about what to publish it as. And they
thought the best thing to do was publish it as a memoir."
Her statement: "When the manuscript of _A Million Little Pieces_ was
received by Doubleday, it was received as nonfiction, as a memoir. It
had always been a memoir, and for the first year and a half it was on
sale, it was always a memoir with no disputation. It was never once
discussed as fiction by me or anyone in my office."
Talese also indicates "that if Mr. Frey had confessed prior to
publication to the fabrications revealed by the Smoking Gun, she would
have excised them from the book. A transgression had been committed,
Ms. Talese acknowledged, but the person responsible was Mr. Frey. "I
don't think it is ever a good idea to purposely distort the truth," she
said."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Last Chance to sign up for unique writers workshop at half price!
HURRY! Only a few seats left.
Saturday, February 4, 2006
9:30 to 2:30
Write in Style and Snag an Agent!
Location: 230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B, Woodstock, GA 30188
(Office and home of Bobbie Christmas)
Special Offer: Help us create a new workshop product and save $ while
we practice!
Regularly $105, but this one time, you will pay only $55 (make checks
payable to Bobbie Christmas)
Call 770/924-0528 for more information and to register or to pay by
credit card. No walk-ins allowed. Must pre-register! Very limited
seating
Benefit from a one-two punch! A literary agent tells you the secrets of
how to get published, and an independent editor shows you how to add
power to your prose.
Working together in a new and unique way, Susan Graham, literary agent,
and Bobbie Christmas, independent editor, reveal the inside secrets you
need to know to get your book published. Between 9:30 and 2:30 you will
get a two-hour seminar with Q & A, one hour of casual conversation
during a bring-your-own lunch, and two hours to workshop your completed
manuscript with the help of the dynamic duo of a literary agent and an
editor.
Bring your completed fiction manuscript and a full synopsis that
includes the ending or bring your book proposal for nonfiction.
Must register in advance! Class size is very limited, so you will get
personal attention.
Reasonably priced hotels within four miles include Suburban Extended
Stay, Comfort Suites, and Hampton Inn.
For more details see http://writers.aboutwords.org/ and
http://www.zebraeditor.com/ or call Bobbie at 770-924-0528.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Build Your Characters, Do Not Just Describe Them
A Bobbie Christmas Seminar
Georgia Writers Association
Saturday, February 11, 2006
10:15 – 12:15
Dunwoody Library
Dunwoody, Georgia
$10 for members of GW; $20 for nonmembers
In all fiction and some nonfiction, strong characters keep readers
interested. Learn how to build characters from the bottom up and make
them believable, lovable, memorable, or even despicable. Come ready to
work during this interactive event and learn new aspects to consider
every time you create a character in your writing.
Bobbie Christmas will impart information that comes from her
triple-award winning book, Write In Style, as well as from other
sources.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Delaware Christian Writer’s Conference
Member Vonda Skinner Skelton shares the following information: “I
wanted to let you know about a new conference, the Delaware Christian
Writer’s Conference in Newark, Delaware, April 20-22. The director,
John Riddle, is the founder of I Love to Write Day and a popular
instructor at writers conferences around the country. Bestselling
authors T. Davis Bunn and Alton Gansky will be there, as well as other
authors, editors and agents. I’ll be teaching on writing magazine
articles and opportunities for Christian writers. Best of all, the
writing contest offers a first place award of $1,000! The Web site is
http://www.delawarechristianwritersconference.com/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The GET IT WRITE Author's Circle
A nine-week class you can take from the comfort of your home, anywhere
in the USA
9 Weeks, 9 Toll-Free Calls, 9 Guest Speakers - One way to become a
published author
Starts March 2, 2006
Join The Author's Circle from any phone and talk to publishers,
editors, publicists, agents and published authors, including The Book
Doctor, Bobbie Christmas. Make invaluable contacts. Expand your
resource library with weekly reports, contact lists, book lists, how-to
guides and much more. The Author's Circle begins March 2, 2006. Enter
the GET IT WRITE Author's Circle by calling 404.441.0883 or visit
http://www.coytcommunications.com/. (Ask about The Writer's Network
News BONUS.) (See http://www.takeateleclass.com/taracoyt/TC01201T.asp
for a free sneak preview)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Wall Street Journal reports that Venture capitalist Tom Perkins has
followed in the path of his ex-wife Danielle Steel by writing a romance
novel, _Sex and the Single Zillionaire_. Perkins is friendly with
Rupert Murdoch and sits on the board of News Corp.; the book is
published by ReganBooks, and Perkins is donating proceeds to Harvard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Publisher/Agent group indicted for fraud
(from Alerts for Writers: http://www.sfwa.org/beware/general.html)
On Monday, December 5, 2005, Martha Ivery, aka Kelly O'Donnell, dba
Press-Tige Publishing, pleaded guilty to 15 counts of mail fraud and
acts against the United States as a principal in a conspiracy; one
count of credit-card fraud; and one count of false testimony in a
bankruptcy proceeding.
Only a fraction of Ivery's fraud is included: just sixteen of her
nearly 300 victims, $55,000 of her "take" of more than half a million
dollars, and one of nine documentable instances of false sworn
testimony before the bankruptcy trustee. Even so, it's worth reading
the indictments, for a window into the way literary scams work. To see
the indictment, go to: http://www.authorslawyer.com/iveryindict.html
Writer Beware received scores of complaints about Martha Ivery, a.k.a.
Kelly O'Donnell. Ivery ran several fee-charging literary agencies
(Kelly O'Donnell Literary Agency, Inc., O'Donnell Literary Services,
Inc., Writers Information USAgency), as well as two vanity publishing
operations (Press-Tige Publishing and New Millennium Publishing). The
connection between the agencies and the publishers wasn't revealed; to
further the deception, clients were encouraged to believe that the
Kelly O'Donnell who ran the agencies and the Martha Ivery who ran the
publishers were two different people.
Writers who paid fees to Ivery--whether for agenting, book doctoring,
or publishing--frequently did not receive the promised services.
Manuscripts submitted for agenting were never sent to publishers or
were placed with vanity publishers (including the fraudulent
Commonwealth Publishing, which paid kickbacks to agents who persuaded
their clients to accept expensive vanity contracts). Promised editing
was never completed or was poorly done. Books contracted for
publication were never produced.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donate your used books to a prison
Prisoners need good books to read. Consider sending your old books (and
copies of your own books) to one of the collection centers. You can
send them by media mail at a postal discount. See a list at:
http://www.freewebs.com/books4prisoners/resourceslinks.htm or
http://www.booksthroughbars.org/content/Prison%20Book%20Program%20Directory.htm
or send to
Prison Book Program
c/o United First Parish Church
1306 Hancock Street, Suite 100
Quincy, MA 02169
http://www.prisonbookprogram.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 an editing expert. Electronic bookmarks allow you to go
directly to your preferred subject, and clickable links take you to
Internet resources for additional information. Whether you write books,
short stories, articles, reports, or anything else, learn more about
how to write, edit, and sell your work, To order go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, March 25, 2006
9:30 to 2:30
Write in Style and Snag an Agent!
The Knowledge Shop
Marietta, GA
$99 plus $6 registration fee = $105 total
Call 678-766-6666 for more information and to register
Benefit from a one-two punch! A literary agent tells you the secrets of
how to get published, and an independent editor shows you how to add
power to your prose.
Working together in a new and unique way, Susan Graham, literary agent,
and Bobbie Christmas, independent editor, reveal the inside secrets you
need to know to get your book published. You will get a two-hour
seminar with Q & A, one hour of casual conversation at lunch, and two
hours to workshop your completed manuscript with the help of the
dynamic duo of a literary agent and an editor.
Bring your completed fiction manuscript and a full synopsis that
includes the ending or bring your book proposal for nonfiction.
Register early to ensure your seat! Class size is limited, so you will
get personal attention.
For more details see http://writers.aboutwords.org/ and
http://www.zebraeditor.com/.
To download the entire catalog to see what other seminars The Knowledge
Shop has to offer, go to
http://knowledgeshopatlanta.com/images/Jan06_Catalog.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Tools 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. Fifteen
reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to
www.zebraeditor.com and click on “Tools for Writers.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CALL FOR ENTRIES!
USABookNews.com
BEST BOOKS 2006 AWARDS
Open to all books and audio books with an ISBN and published in 2006 or
late 2005. National media campaign for winners and finalists and
extended listings on USABookNews.com. Added promotional opportunities
with award logo book stickers and industry exposure. More than 90
categories to choose from. Visit the Call for Entries page on
USABookNews.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What sells a book?
(Quoted from AP article)
"When in doubt, hand out awards; but don't depend on them. Harold
Pinter's Nobel Prize had little impact on sales for the British
playwright and William T. Vollmann's National Book Award for fiction
has only slightly advanced his commercial status beyond that of cult
writer. The Quills Awards, people's choice prizes started this year,
were no more successful at increasing sales than they were at getting
the public to vote.
"Nothing is certain in publishing, except for Oprah Winfrey. She made a
medical advice book, _YOU,_ an instant smash; inspired hundreds of
thousands to buy, if not read, the novels of William Faulkner, and
helped Vintage Books make millions off of James Frey's alleged
addiction memoir, _A Million Little Pieces._"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Purge Your Prose of Problems: A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference_ is
finally also available as an e-book! Save thousands of dollars by
editing your own book. This one reference book covers all you need to
know to plow through the maze of the editing phase. Find information on
grammar, punctuation, word choices, creative writing, plot, pace,
characterization, dialogue, Chicago Style, formatting a manuscript, and
much more. Available in printed form for $29.95 plus $4.99 shipping at
www.zebraeditor.com (click on Tools for Writers and scroll down) or
save almost $5.00 in shipping PLUS get the book instantly as an
e-book—a downloadable PDF File with clickable links and bookmarks that
zip you directly to any subject you choose. To order the e-book, go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2225.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Going Postal
The US Postal Service raised its rates on January 8, but no change in
Media Mail rates was announced. You can send a manuscript by media mail
if you do not include a personalized letter, but you would do well not
to ask agents or publishers to return it to you by media mail, because
they will not be able to include a personal letter or any feedback.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday Luxury: upscale lifestyle magazine launches: The weekly
independent lifestyle and celebrity publication is launching into an
already crowded market, says WritersMarket.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing_ by Bobbie Christmas 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, Best in Division (Georgia Author of the Year Awards), and
Finalist in USABookNews Best Books 2005. Union Square Publishing,
publisher; Simon and Schuster, distributor. Available in bookstores and
Internet retailers. To order at Amazon.com DISCOUNT prices, see
http://zebraeditor.com/bookstore.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bite a Book? Hershey Thinks So, According to Lawsuit
The Hershey Company has filed a suit seeking an injunction against the
jacket of Simon & Schuster's January release _Hershey: Milton S.
Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire and Utopian Dreams._ The
candy company says it is concerned that readers might think the company
"authorized, sponsored or approved" the book, whose jacket looks like a
big Hershey bar (if Hershey bars were oversized, printed on paper, and
sold in bookstores). The suit claims in part, "defendant has designed
and adopted a dust jacket for the book which extensively uses Hershey's
well-known marks and trade dress beyond any manner permissible under
law."
In its legal reply Simon & Schuster notes, "Trademark laws are designed
to protect the public from likelihood of confusion, not to protect the
monopolistic goals of a company that for whatever reason appears not to
like the fact that a book has been published about its founder without
its imprimatur."
Publisher David Rosenthal says in a statement, "The book jacket in no
way infringes on Hershey trademarks. No one will confuse it with a
candy bar and attempt to bite it or melt it, nor will they believe that
the book is in any way sponsored or endorsed by the Hershey Company."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why ESL writers need editors--or--Which thing would be the sense that
better a publisher wished to see it?
I took a typical question from my “Ask The Book Doctor” column, asked
http://translate.google.com/translate_tools to translate it to Italian,
and then asked it to translate it back to English. Here’s the first
English version and then the “perfectly translated” version.
Original Version
Q: Instead of putting footnotes within the text or at the end of the
book, can I put them in the footer? What would be the best way a
publisher would want to see them, without leaving them in the text?
A: In the end, your publisher will decide where to put them when the
manuscript is formatted into a book. For now, as you prepare your book
to submit to a publisher, you have the choice of putting them at the
bottom or at the back of the manuscript. If you have specific
publishers in mind, contact them to see how they prefer footnotes
handled in their manuscripts. If you don’t have specific publishers in
mind, you can’t go wrong by putting them at the bottom of the page,
where the software program probably automatically puts them, anyway.
Translated into Italian and back to English by computer; note how some
words did not translate at all.
Q: Instead putting notes to piè of page to the inside of the text or
the extremity of the book, I can put it in the footer? Which thing
would be the sense that better a publisher wished to see it, without to
leave them in the text?
A: To the end, your publisher will decide where to put them when the
manuscript is formattato in a book. For hour, poichè prepared your book
in order to introduce to a publisher, you have the choice to put them
to the inferior part or the posterior part of the manuscript. If you
have specific editori in mind, seli it puts in contact with in order
seeing as they prefer notes to piè of page handled in they manuscripts.
If you do not have specific editori in mind, you cannot go at the
bottom badly putting them to the page, in which the program of the
software it probably puts them automatically, in any case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Show, rather than tell: New Report Available!
Statistics show that authors who SHOW outsell authors who TELL by more
than 100 to one. Yes, narrated books sell, but books filled with action
and dialogue (or in the case of nonfiction, books filled with anecdotes
and examples) sell best of all. Want to know how to tell when you are
telling? E-mail me (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com) and order my new report
#115: Show, rather than Tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A site you will love to hate
Hate business-related jargon? Go to the Plain English Campaign Website,
a British site, and with one click, generate terrifically frustrating
sentences that make no sense whatsoever.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/generator.html
My favorite (or in British, favourite) sentence was this one: “Our
upgraded model now offers synchronised organisational contingencies.”
Sounds great, yes? Unfortunately, many a CEO would be proud to have
written it, and editors like me would have to make sense of it.
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Five: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Quality-of-Life Magazines want your articles
Member Carolyn Williams-Walker sent us the following information:
SouthComm Publishing Company, Inc. is looking for writers for our
publications. SouthComm has been publishing quality of life magazines
for chambers of commerce throughout the Southeast for more than 20
years, recently branching out to the Northeast and Texas. We cover all
types of communities small and large, from Grove City, PA to
Beaufort, SC and Knoxville, TN. Articles vary from feature articles to
profiles of a famous community resident and much more. Many of the
writers we work with really enjoy learning about the communities
they're covering. Pay rates vary per project. Averages range from $100
to $850 generally. If you're interested in contributing to our
magazines, please send samples of your work (at least two published
articles) and a resume to:
Carolyn Williams-Walker, Editorial Director
SouthComm Publishing Company, Inc.
2600 Abbey Court
Alpharetta, GA 30004.
Submissions may also be emailed to: cwwalker@southcomm.com.
No phone calls, please.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kids and Money Stories
I'm looking for horror stories and happy stories about the struggles
and successes with kids and money. Making, managing and investing money
with kids. Writing a book for KID$WEALTH. For more info
www.kidswealth.com. Send info to skk444@aol.com --Suzanne Kincaid,
www.investworks.net, suzanne@investworks.net, 253-661-7614
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Meeting Professional
http://www.mpiweb.org
Pays up to $.75/word for feature articles on acceptance.
"The Meeting Professional is produced primarily for meeting planners,
but includes articles and columns relevant for hoteliers, airline
personnel,caterers, audiovisual professionals, speakers, facility
managers, production company personnel and others providing services or
products to the meetings industry."
See the complete guidelines:
http://www.mpiweb.org/news/tmp/contribute.asp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Triathlon Group of North America
328 Encinitas Blvd.
Suite 100
Encinitas CA 92024
Phone: (760)634-4100
Fax: (760)634-4110
E-Mail: cam@triathletemag.com
Website: www.triathletemag.com
Triathlete Magazine claims to be the world's largest triathlete
magazine. This monthly magazine pays $200-600 for nonfiction pieces of
1,000-3,000 words. The editors say, "Training-specific articles that
focus on new, but scientifically-based, methods are good, as are
seasonal training pieces." Query with published clips.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OurEcho.Com has expanded submissions to include diary/journal entries,
letters, photographs, fiction and more. It has also added a dozen new
$50 Special Content Contests to highlight these types of submissions:
Biography, Local History, Photograph, Diary/Journal Entry, Letter,
Travel, Things to do, Period Piece, Fiction, Family History, Only Here,
Poem. Review Contest Link to learn more: www.ourecho.com/contest.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
USA Water Ski
1251 Holy Cow Rd.
Polk City FL 33868-8200
Phone: (863)324-4341
Fax: (863)325-8259
E-Mail: satkinson@usawaterski.org
Website: www.usawaterski.org
The Water Skier is published nine times per year. This membership
magazine of USA Water Ski pays $100-150 for nonfiction pieces of
1,500-3,000 words. The editors say, "We are looking for interesting
stories about people in the sport. Also, short news features which will
make a reader say to himself, 'Hey, I didn't know that.' Keep in mind
the publication is highly specialized about the sport of water skiing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Romantic Short Love Stories is seeking true romantic moment submissions
of all kinds, including wacky, embarrassing, funny, and heart-wrenching
work. There is no length requirement on true love stories. Tell your
true love story as long as you need to, and then send it in. Submit
only one story at a time.
I am looking for the special moments in between. Romantic dates between
couples, blind dates, how we met stories and more.
Pay is $15 per true love story and a one-year subscription to the
upcoming Club Romance, an online magazine that features romantic
poetry, romantic short stories, and true love stories.
Visit
http://www.romantic-short-love-stories.com/make-romance-happen.html to
begin submitting your work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADBUSTERS
Journal of the Mental Environment
The Media Foundation
1243 W. 7th Ave.
Vancouver BC V6H 1B7
Canada
Kalle Lasn, editor
Phone: (604)736-9401
Fax: (604)737-6021
Website: www.adbusters.org
This bimonthly magazine is looking for articles. Query first. Accepts
queries by mail, e-mail or fax. “We are an activist journal of the
mental environment." 50% freelance written. Pays one month after
publication. See Web site for guidelines for submission. Needs essays,
exposés, interviews/profiles and opinions. Pays $100/page for
unsolicited articles; 50¢/word for solicited articles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New literary magazine : GSUREVIEW
Georgia State University
Campus Box 1894
MSC 8R0322, Unit 8
Atlanta GA 30303-3083
Phone: (404)651-4804
Website: www.review.gsu.edu
Editor: Jody Brooks.
Contact:
Benjamin Hanna, fiction editor; Jessica Lindberg, poetry editor.
Literary journal published 3 times/year covering literary fiction,
poetry, and creative nonfiction. "We want original and well-written
prose and poetry by new and established writers." No subject or form
biases. Only pays for winners of spring contest; others receive
contibutor's copies.
Publishes manuscript 3-4 months after acceptance. Responds in 1-2
months to manuscripts. Sample copy for $5. Writer's guidelines
available at Website.
Needs literary fiction, maximum 7,500 words and literary poetry,
maximum three poems, maximum length, two pages.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am looking for personal experiences with lawyers, both good and bad.
Prefer stories that can be verified with court records. In the subject
line, please put "LAWYER STORIES" and e-mail to JCR@ReisLaw.org. –Joe
Reisinger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Artlink Australia
Australia's Leading Contemporary Art Quarterly
363 Esplande
Henley Beach SA 5022
Australia
Phone: (61)(8)8356-8511
Fax: (61)(8)8235-1280
E-Mail: info@artlink.com.au
Website: www.artlink.com.au
Contact:
Stephanie Britton, executive editor.
This quarterly needs general interest articles. Submission method:
Write or e-mail the editor with your CV and 2-3 examples of previously
published writing. Pays $250AU/1,000 words.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Got a good-from-bad or bad-from-good story?
I am looking for original, unpublished stories about negative
experiences that actually had major positive effects and positive
experiences that had very negative impacts. If you experienced illness,
the death of a loved one, catastrophic loss or other challenging,
traumatic or defeating events which ultimately uplifted you, I would
like to interview you. Alternately, if you experienced great success,
an influx of money, a magical love relationship or other positive,
longed-for events that in the end turned into trouble, devastation and
heartbreak, I would also like to speak to you. Please contact me at
drdiana@openinglovesdoor.com. Diana Kirschner, Ph.D., nationally-known
media psychologist who has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and
Sally Jessy Raphael and is widely quoted in the New York Times, USA
Today, Time Magazine & hundreds of other radio/TV talk shows—author of
Opening Love’s Door: The Seven Lessons & # 1 bestselling Amazon short,
“The Ultimate Guide to Getting the Love You Want.”
--Diana Kirschner, Ph.D., www.openinglovesdoor.com, 212-420-8079
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLUBHOUSE MAGAZINE
Focus on the Family
8605 Explorer Dr.
Colorado Springs CO 80920
Phone: (719)531-3400
Website: www.clubhousemagazine.org
Contact: Suzanne Hadley, associate editor
"Clubhouse readers are 8-12 year old boys and girls who desire to know
more about God and the Bible. Their parents (who typically pay for the
membership) want wholesome, educational material with Scriptural or
moral insight. The kids want excitement, adventure, action, humor, or
mystery. Your job as a writer is to please both the parent and child
with each article." Responds in 2 months to manuscripts. Sample copy
for $1.50 with 9x12 SASE. Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE. Needs:
Essays, how-to, humor, inspirational, interviews, profiles, personal
experiences, photos, and more but warns,
"Avoid Bible stories without a unique format or overt visual appeal.
Avoid informational-only, science, or educational articles. Avoid
biographies told encyclopedia or textbook style." Buys 6
manuscripts/year.
Send complete manuscript
Length: 800–1,200 words.
Pays $25-450 for assigned articles; 15-25¢/word for unsolicited
articles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CLUBHOUSE JR.
Focus on the Family
8605 Explorer Dr.
Colorado Springs CO 80920
Editor: Annette Bourland
Magazine for 4-8 year olds.
Frequency: Monthly
Accepts simultaneous submissions
Publishes manuscript 1 year after acceptance.
Does not accept previously published submissions
Sample copy for $1.25 and 8x10 SASE.
Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE.
"Poetry should have a strong message that supports traditional values.
No cute but pointless work."
Submit maximum 5 poems.
Pays: $50–100.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Barn Fire Stories
Seeking stories from anyone who has had experience with a barn fire,
either as a horse owner, livestock manager, firefighter, witness, or
who has had to help friends or family members recover from a barn fire.
Sharing stories on my website, http://www.laurieloveman.com will
benefit others by providing support for their loss and help in
preventing fires in their barns. Please email me through my website or
directly at lloveman@alltel.net --Laurie Loveman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FINE HOMEBUILDING
T he Taunton Press
63 S. Main St.
P.O. Box 5506
Newtown CT 06470-5506
Phone: (203)426-8171
Fax: (203)426-3434
E-Mail: fh@taunton.com
Website: www.taunton.com
A bimonthly agazine for builders, architects, contractors,
owner/builders and others who are seriously involved in building new
houses or reviving old ones.
"We're interested in almost all aspects of home building, from laying
out foundations to capping cupolas."
Submission method: Query with outline, description, photographs,
sketches and SASE.
Pays $150/published page.
Columns open to freelancers: Tools & Materials, Reviews, Questions &
Answers, Tips & Techniques, Cross Section, What's the Difference?,
Finishing Touches, Great Moments, Breaktime, Drawing Board (design
column).
Submission method: Query with outline, description, photographs,
sketches and SASE.
Payment varies
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LOST Magazine
We've all experienced loss in our lives--lost rings, lost pets, lost
memories, lost hope-- and LOST Magazine is all about reclaiming those
things that the world has passed by, that may or may not still be
whispering around us.
LOST publishes nonfiction from emerging and established writers varying
in length from 500-10,000 words. LOST also publishes one fiction
feature each month, as selected by a guest editor. For submission
guidelines and more info, please check www.lostmag.com.
Sorry, no compensation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bean Publishing
Attn: Submissions
700 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006
Cindi Hensley
602.418.7488
cindi@audiobean.com
Audiobook publisher seeks authors of short (10,000 words)
novellas/short stories for audiobook production.
We pay royalty for work, plus additional if you are available to lend
your voice to the production. Genres we are accepting are modern
fiction, Chick lit, comedy, mystery, historical fiction and
first-person essays and storytelling.
Audiobooks are an expanding market that is growing in double digit
numbers every year and an excellent way to sell some of your shorter
works while working on the "Big novel." I only acquire audio rights do
NOT acquire print rights at this time, so you are free to sell your
work again to a print publisher at a later date.
This is not a "Pay-To-Publish" situation, we are a legitimate new
publishing company located in Phoenix. To submit, e-mail your cover
letter in the body of the e-mail and manuscript as a Word document to
cindi@audiobean.com.
All submissions must include a header with your last name/title/page
number on EVERY page. Submissions that do not include this basic header
cannot be reviewed. Hard copies may be mailed to address above. We will
reply within three weeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Six: Writing Assignment: Come to your Senses
The best writing draws us in by including all our senses: sight, touch,
hearing, smell, and taste, yet most writers rely mostly on the sense of
sight to describe events, characters, and settings. Look through
something you have already written and find a passage that relies
heavily on the sense of sight. Add other senses to the scene and see
how it comes to life.
For example, if a character goes to an open-air market, in addition to
naming the fruits, vegetables, and cooked dishes for sale, add what
things smell like, how they feel to touch, and how they taste. Report
the sounds of a busy market, the din of voices, and other sounds that
emanate from the market.
Learn to include all the senses in your fiction and nonfiction, and
your stories will come to life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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 will list your information here, to help you
find or form a group that allows you to get feedback.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember to ask me for Report #101 on forming and maintaining a
successful critique circle. Send your request to me at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Do YOU have news for The Writers Network News? Please send it in the
body copy, not an attachment, to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
…………………………………………………………………………….
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!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 will
see the restaurant in the hollow on the right. Restaurant phone:
770-552-8981.
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