The Writers Network News 3-20-09 http://ezezine.com
April 2009 Issue
The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2009, Bobbie Christmas
No portion of this newsletter can be used without permission; however,
you may forward the newsletter in its entirety to anyone who may be
interested in subscribing.
Newsletter Sponsor
Zebra Communications: We help you write in style, so you increase your
chances of success. We write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, synopses, and articles. We
are a Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Note Bobbie’s NEW Blog: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/. Add your
own comments, too.
----------------------------------------------
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: Kudos to Joe Rogers, Fiona Ingram, Vicki Flier Hudson, Joann Dunn
Two: From the editor’s desk – Scorching Summer Down Under
Three: Ask the Book Doctor – About Book Covers and Free Feedback
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Semicolons
Five: Letters from Members
Six: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents, and Markets
Eight: Writing Assignment – All of a Sudden the Writer Gets Wordy
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
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To view past issues of The Writers Network News, go to:
http://home.ezezine.com/886_2/
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[Note: Some links may include “tiny url” with the help of
www.tinyurl.com, which takes long Web addresses and converts them to
short ones.]
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Writer’s quote of the day
"Women see me as living proof that you don't have to come to a sticky
end—put your head in an oven, stay silent for thirty years, not have
children—to be a good and serious writer." –bestselling novelist
Margaret Atwood
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One: Kudos to Joe Rogers, Fiona Ingram, Vicki Flier Hudson, Joann Dunn
The idea behind my historical novel, The Diary of a Scullery Maid, was
to present to the many people of Irish descent an account of events
leading up to the 1916 Rebellion in Dublin, as seen through the eyes of
a servant girl in a British household —the birth of a nation taking
shape and its story unfolding in a relaxed, enjoyable form rather than
having to absorb history in the more painful, solemn, classroom,
didactic manner. The Diary of a Scullery Main is available at almost
any bookstore. –Joe Rogers
Fiona Ingram, a South African member of The Writers Network, has just
published in the USA The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her
children's adventure series, The Chronicles of the Stone. The book is
available in Barnes & Noble bookstores as well as on Amazon.com, where
the book received a five-star review. For a fun-filled, interactive
trip through the book, enjoy the first chapter, solve the Curse of
Thoth, and read the first installment of the next book, visit
www.secretofthesacredscarab.com.
A drum roll and big congratulations go out to Vicki Flier Hudson for
having won Best in Category, Local Culture Division, of the
international Wanderlust and Lipstick travel-writing competition with
her article called “The Calcutta Railway Riot.” She will receive either
a travel bag from Timbuk2 or a SteriPEN water purifier. Wanderlust and
Lipstick specializes in providing travel destinations for women.
Joann Dunn is among the ninety nominated authors for the 43rd Annual
Georgia Author of the Year Awards. Her two books, The Curtis Family
Chronicles, Book 2, Fortune's Road, and Book 3, Autumn's Road, are
available by e-mailing her at DueWestBooks@Gmail.com.Her Web site is
www.DueWestBooks.com.
Congratulations!
Your successes encourage others, so please send in your accomplishments
for our kudos section.
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Two: From the editor’s desk — Scorching Summer Down Under
Dear Fellow Writers:
Many of my readers know my sister, also a writer, lives in Australia,
thirteen time zones away, where their seasons are the opposite of ours.
With the wonder of the Internet she and I stay in close contact, and
several readers have asked if she is okay, after the horrendous
bushfires down under. She and her husband live in Canberra, the
capital, whereas the fires ravaged the state of Victoria, farther to
the south, far enough away that she was safe, this time. A few years
back, however, Canberra had fires, and she and her house narrowly
escaped harm.
Several of you have asked how you can help the many displaced and
grieving Australians, and the Salvation Army in Australia (Salvo) has
been the most helpful and fiscally responsible, so here’s the Salvo Web
site link, where you can donate online:
http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/. I hope you will contribute.
The fires are out now, but while they were still going, Jean’s report
was sad, hopeful, interesting, and written with her Australian sense of
humor and British spelling, so here goes:
“It was so sweet of you to pass on the Salvo address to friends. I told
my Salvo friend, and she just got goose bumps to think people so far
away are thinking of us. The death toll is 209, but there will be a few
more to be discovered. The fires are still burning, and I heard that
the fire fighters are working to manage the 1,100 km front before the
winds shift for the worse on Friday. Can you imagine a fire over 1,000
km across? They have evacuated one more town, but that seems to be
contained now. It’s still wait and see. We had the funeral yesterday of
a Canberra fire fighter that died – a tree fell on him. So far he’s the
only fire fighter, which is amazing. The people in the three towns that
have totally disappeared are still camped at evacuation centres while
they wait to get back to their properties or get accommodation
elsewhere. It’s summer, so they’re all camped out on the football oval
with lots of support. We had a national day of mourning Sunday, and all
the churches held memorial services. It was really big everywhere. Lots
of politicians and tears, not that they go together. On Monday, the
Parliament member from the devastated areas stood up to make a speech
in Parliament and just wept. Out of the 209 deaths, 198 were in her
electorate. The PM (who’s in the opposite party) held her and promised
to work personally with her to get people back on their feet. She has
presented a list of ideas, such as helping some of the traders set up
Internet stores until they can have a brick one back so there’s some
income coming in, and his office is working on it. It’s nice to see the
parties playing together when it’s important.”
You may know that Australia is one of the world’s driest continents,
and bushfires are common and even normal there. Some seeds in Australia
cannot germinate until they have been exposed to fire, but all that
knowledge doesn’t make it any less devastating when the fires hit
populated areas.
I want to thank all your folks who inquired about my sister and
especially thank those who donated money to help displaced Australians.
The world truly is one.
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of triple-award-winning _Write In Style_ (Union Square
Publishing), owner of Zebra Communications, and director of The Writers
Network
P.S. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Let me hear from you
when you have questions, kudos, markets, or any other information to
share with your network.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you, please sign up to get your
own copy. Simply go to my Web site, www.zebraeditor.com, and click on
“Free Newsletter.” I never share your address or send out spam.
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Three: Ask the Book Doctor — About Book Covers and Free Feedback
Q: My book is being edited and will be soon be ready to be printed.
Being short on cash, how can I put a nice cover on it as cheaply as
possible? I don't expect it to be on a bestseller list, but I do want
it to be more advanced than my first attempt.
A: You are wise to be concerned about the cover. The cover often is the
only thing that sells a book. If the cover looks bad, few people will
buy the book, no matter how well written the contents may be. As in
editing, the cover is not a place where you want to scrimp.
If you don’t want the cover to look cheap, don’t go cheap. That is, pay
someone, even if it is only a design student, to design a book cover
properly and well. Don’t create your own artwork for it unless you’re
an accomplished artist. Don’t use the artwork of one of your children
unless the book is a children’s book.
Getting the front, back, and spine looking professional takes much more
work and knowledge than most non-designers can imagine, plus the file
must be compatible with the printer’s equipment. Unless you have a
design program, know how to use it, and have studied design, I don’t
recommend designing a book cover yourself. If you want the cover to
look professional, hire a professional to do it.
Barring hiring a pro, you may choose one of the self-publishing
companies that offer cover design, templates and originals, as part of
their printing packages. You can check the Internet for such companies
and see if they offer any covers that appeal to you at a price that is
satisfactory, or you can surf the Web for cover designers and pick one
with the best price. Through the miracle of the Internet your designer
can be anywhere in the world and send the files to you electronically.
Be sure to check out some of the lower priced book design companies in
India, too.
Q: I have started to write a novel based on facts [that took place] in
the 1865-1880 time frame [sic]. I have no experience writing anything,
I just know I wish to write a story. Is there some where [sic] to send
a few chapters to be read over to determine if there is hope in
proceeding [with] it. [sic]
A: I am one of many editors who provide professional feedback for a
fee, but if you want free feedback, join a critique group and get free
feedback from peers, to see if fellow readers find the information
captivating.
My strongest suggestion is to take a class or a course in creative
writing before or while attempting to tackle writing a novel. Creative
writing requires much more than simply owning a computer and knowing
how to type, and novels require even more specialized knowledge, such
as how to handle pace, point of view, dialogue, characterization, and
plot, among other things. Any good creative writing teacher will also
give you feedback on some of the writing, during the time you take a
course.
Although I don’t believe e-mails have to be flawless, the errors in the
one asking this question show me that the novel will need careful
editing before it is ready to market.
If you want professional feedback, or if you do not want to take a
class or join a critique circle, or if you can’t find anything suitable
in your area, by all means go to my Web site at www.zebraeditor.com,
click on “Editing Request Form,” and follow the prompts to learn now to
submit work to me for a professional evaluation and/or editing.
Send your questions to the Book Doctor Bobbie Christmas at
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com.
Would you like to read or save the Ask the Book Doctor column as a
clear PDF file? Now you can! See
http://zebraeditor.com/files/ask_the_book_doctor.pdf. The newest column
is posted around the first of each month.
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Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Semicolons
Semicolons have a place in good literature; however, be sure to use
them correctly and never overuse them. If you find yourself using
semicolons often, perhaps it’s because you have too many long
sentences.
Let’s examine the rules of semicolons.
1. Use a semicolon before the following words when the word is used to
pull two sentences into one: accordingly, besides, consequently, for
example, for instance, furthermore, hence, however, instead, moreover,
on the contrary, otherwise, that is, therefore, and thus. In addition,
a comma goes after all those words, with the exception of hence and
thus. Besides the example of my opening sentence, here are some other
examples of commas used to hold two sentences together: Successful
writers approach their craft like a profession; for example, they set
aside a specific amount of time each week to write. Writing daily makes
the words add up; hence the most prolific writers write daily.
2. Semicolons hold two sentences together when there is no conjunction
to hold the two together. Example: No one answered the door; no one was
home.
3. Semicolons separate items in a list when commas appear in the list.
Example: To his wife’s horror, he chose a hat with a green, orange, and
blue headband; a green belt; and a tie that sported green, orange, and
blue stripes.
Time to Find and Refine
You can use the Find and Refine Method to check to be sure you have
correctly used semicolons in your manuscript. My trademarked Find and
Refine Method is more carefully outlined in my textbook on creative
writing: _Write In Style_ (Union Square Publishing), which lists many
more ways you can easily refine your own manuscripts.
With your file open on your computer, pull down Edit, and then Find.
Type a semicolon into the “Find What” box. Click on “Find Next” and let
your computer stop on each semicolon in your manuscript. Review it and
decide whether it is appropriately or inappropriately used.
You can do the same for all the words listed under number one and see
if they are used to hold two sentences together. If so, be sure to put
a semicolon before the words and a comma after, if appropriate.
For more opportunities for improvement, buy _Write In Style_ (Union
Square Publishing) in your local bookstore or order it from Amazon.com
by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/2ayh2m.
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Five: Letters from Members
Great newsletter -- always insightful and packed with valuable info.
Howard K. Brodwin
hkb@teammarketingsystems.com
===
I receive many publishing newsletters and yours is the only that
actually lets readers put up their news.
Thanks again!
Fiona Ingram
===
[Regarding Writers Literary Agency mentioned in the last newsletter], I
think it’s a safe bet that this agency is a no-no. They made the thumbs
down agency list top-20-worst of the Sci Fi and Fantasy Writers of
America, and there are other credible sites that say the same (Writer
Beware.). Robert Fletcher, known scammer, seems to be behind it and a
long list of other agencies under the Writers Literary Agency umbrella.
Sigh. --Joann Dunn
===
Writing is more exciting than I could have imagined, since your book,
WRITE IN STYLE, arrived.
I am now editing the -ly words and, as you say, doing this makes me
think of other ways to phrase a sentence. Also, I find I don't
“actually” need a lot of words and can eliminate them without losing
anything.
I have to let you know how happy I am working with your book. Thank
you.
Angela Sue Nash
Australia
===
Thank you for all that you do to help.
JW Thompson
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Six: Subjects of interest to writers
Where is Bobbie Christmas speaking next?
Pasco/New Port Richey (Florida) Mini Conference
One full day: April 19, 2009
For complete information and online registration (save money by
registering early) see http://mysite.verizon.net/resockeb/id26.html.
I have not yet firmed up the remainder of my 2009 speaking schedule,
but watch my Web site (www.zebraeditor.com) for more. Can’t wait to
hear me in person? Order seminars on CD at
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
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The 10,000-hour Rule
According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of The 10,000-hour Rule and Other
Secrets to Extraordinary Success, intelligence alone does not translate
into any measurable real-world advantage. What sets successful people
apart from those who don’t succeed is that successful people took the
time to master something.
In other words, writers rarely are able to write a bestseller the first
time they write a book; instead, those who meet with success first
practice their craft for 10,000 hours, according to Gladwell. Ten
thousand hours would equate to about twenty hours a week for ten years.
I completely agree with him. I edit books for a living, and I can spot
the ones that are written by people who have not taken time to learn
about words, word order, sentence structure, composition, organization,
conflict, tension, creative writing, and other important points of good
writing. Being able to string words together does not make a person a
good novelist. Even being able to tell a good story does not make a
person able to sit down and write the story with the same inflection
and enthusiasm.
Writing is fun for many of us, but it is also work. Consider reading
Gladwell’s book, The 10,000-Hour Rule, but even if you don’t read the
book, follow his advice: If you want to be a good writer, practice,
practice, practice. Learn as much as you can about all the elements of
fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Study creative writing. Read good
books (not necessarily popular books), and in the end, put your rear
end in the chair and write, write, write and then edit, edit, edit.
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Attention Writers in Metro Atlanta!
The Writers Network has occasional local meetings in the
Roswell-Alpharetta general area. If you’re interested in meeting with
other writers, send me an e-mail (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com) and ask to be
put on a list of local members to be notified if and when we plan a get
together.
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Scribblers’ Retreat Writers Conferences
www.scribblersretreatwritersconference.com
Sea Palms Resort, St. Simons Island, Georgia
800-996-2904
May 14-17, 2009
“How To…”
Dickie Anderson, Ed Ginn, Dr. Ervin Williams, Holly McClure, Cappy
Rearick, Harlan Hambright, Constance Daley, Bud Hearn, Mary Wagner, Dr.
William Rawlings
August 13-16, 2009
“SciFi, Fantasy, Mystery, Inspirational-This World and Beyond”
Linda Armstrong, Charlotte Babb, Maggie Carter d’Vries, Jack McDevitt,
Tom Dent/Andy Lamon, Jaclyn Weldon-White, Daniel Black, Victor DiGenti
November 12-15, 2009
“Novels, Short Stories, Etc.”
Chris Rumble, Lois Ruby, Len d’Eon, Jackie Cooper, Julie Grimm, Carolyn
Howard-Johnson, Patricia Patterson, Stephen Doster
Scribblers’ Retreat is a nonprofit organization established with the
goal of reaching writers of all ages; to inspire and promote their
hidden gifts and talents.
Scribblers’ Retreat is designed to bring world-class authors,
literature professors, editors, journalists, and publishers one-on-one
with young and old alike.
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Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference, Fourth Edition
Save thousands of dollars by editing your own book!
This proprietary reference book is not available in stores. Written in
easy-to-understand language, the information covers all you need to
know to plow through the maze of the editing phase: grammar,
punctuation, word choices, creative writing, plot, pace,
characterization, dialogue, Chicago Style, formatting a manuscript, and
much more. More than 500 subjects covered. Spiral binder lies flat for
easy use. To order go to http://www.zebraeditor.com. Click on Tools for
Writers and scroll down).
Save almost $5.00 in shipping PLUS instantly get _Purge Your Prose of
Problems_ as an e-book with clickable links and bookmarks that zip you
directly to any subject. Go to
http://www.booklocker.com/books/2225.html.
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Southeastern Writers Workshop 34th Annual
http://events.linkedin.com/Southeastern-Writers-Workshop-34th/pub/47618
Sunday, Jun 21 to Thursday, Jun 25
Epworth by the Sea, Saint Simons Island, GA, US
Learn from stellar faculty members such as the following:
* Steve Berry, NY Times Best Selling Author
* Jo Kittinger, children's author
* Church Sambuchino, screenplay author
* Cheryl Norman, novelist and cooking blogger
* Jimmy Carl Harris, short-story author
* Charlotte Babb, webmaster and blogger
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Bobbie Christmas seminars on CD
“Write In Style and You Write to Win”
“Travel Writing for Fun and (a little) Profit”
“Write it and Reap: Make Money Selling Your Expertise”
“An Editor’s 10 Secrets to More Persuasive Writing”
“I’ve Finished My Book; What Should I Do Now?”
Take seminars in the comfort of your own home. Repeat as often as you
want. Invite your friends to join you. To order, go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wooden Horse Magazine News reports that publisher Hearst is set to
launch an electronic reader that it hopes can do for periodicals what
Amazon's Kindle is doing for books. A long-time investor in E Ink,
which supplies the electronic-ink technology, has developed a wireless
e-reader with a large-format screen suitable for reading newspapers and
magazines. The device and underlying technology, which other publishers
will be allowed to adapt, is likely to debut this year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_Ask the Book Doctor: How to Beat the Competition and Sell Your
Writing_ answers many of the questions you wish you could ask an
editing expert. It’s available in print or as an e-book. Whether you
write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything else, learn
more about how to write, edit, and sell your work,
To order the printed version, go to http://tinyurl.com/6cr88z.
In the e-book edition, electronic bookmarks take you directly to
preferred subjects, and clickable links take you to Internet resources.
To order the e-book, go to http://www.booklocker.com/books/1906.html
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E-Book Boost
About 20 million people now own Apple iPhones, and about a million of
those have downloaded a free app called Stanza that allows them to get
and read e-books on their telephones. Kindle has a new version of its
e-book reader out as well. Perhaps the e-book format will soon
flourish; it’s certainly an inexpensive way to publish and to read
books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_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; Simon
and Schuster, distributor. Available in bookstores and Internet
retailers. To order at Amazon.com prices, go to
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
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Free books from Harlequin
“To celebrate sixty years of pure reading pleasure, you can download,
read, and share sixteen full books, a total value of $60 USD.” Go to
http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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 versus traditional publishing, and much more. Sixteen
reports are available, and the list keeps growing. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml. Newest report: How to choose
the correct editor for your manuscript. Surprise! It may not be me!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do You Twitter?
Keep up with Bobbie’s activities on Twitter:
http:twitter.com/BookDoctor4u
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Delight Gluten Free
Julie Luse, founder, publisher, and editor
This magazine is a new quarterly food and lifestyle magazine for people
with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and food allergies. The next
issue is scheduled for May. Topics include gourmet recipes,
semi-homemade meals, "Gluten-Free on a Budget" ideas, healthful
illustrated recipes, all with suggestions for gluten-free, casein-free,
dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, soy-free and rice-free diets. The Web
site is http://www.delightgfmagazine.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php
Deadline: April 1, 2009
"Now in its eighth year. We seek the best humor poem that has been sent
to a 'vanity poetry contest' as a joke. Cash prizes totaling $3,336.40
will be awarded. This contest is free to enter." Check the Web site for
details and submission instructions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BEST SF/F EROTICA CONTEST
Circlet Press
39 Hurlbut St.
#278
Cambridge, MA 02138
E-Mail: editorial@circlet.com
Web site: www.circlet.com
All editorial solicitations will be directed to the contest. This
anthology will be a compilation of erotic stories with a sf/fantasy
twist, or sf/fantasy stories with an erotic twist. Prefers stories to
be 5,000-7,000 words, but anything up to 15,000 words is eligible. Mail
a hard copy, or submit via e-mail (only if outside the US).
Deadline: Deadline: Accepts submissions April 15-August 31 annually.
Fee: $5/entry
Prize: 1st Place: $500; 2nd Place: $250. Runners-up will be published
in the anthology for the regular payments ($50-100, depending on the
length). Entrants will receive a $5 coupon good for buying anything in
the Circlet catalog.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SAWTOOTH POETRY PRIZE
Ahsahta Press
Boise State University
1910 University Dr., MS 1525
Boise, ID 83725-1525
Phone: (208)426-3134
Web site: ahsahtapress.boisestate.edu/contest.htm
Poets writing in English are eligible. Previous book publication is not
a consideration. No students and former students of Boise State Univ.
and of the judge; no close friends of the judge. No e-mail or faxed
entries.
Fee: (include 7 X 10 SAE with postage of $4.60)
Prize: $1,500 for a book of poems upon publication plus 25 copies of
the book; announcements in national publications, featured on our Web
site.
Judged by Rae Armantrout
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Living
Christine Harvey
Editor-in-Chief
1212 Route 25A, Suite 1B
Stony Brook, NY 11790
New Living is the largest holistic health and fitness publication in
the NY market with a readership of over 100,000 monthly distributed to
gyms, health food stores, book store chains, holistic centers, New Age
shops and other select sites from the Hamptons, Long Island, to Queens
and New York City. We are looking for writers to contribute articles
based on the books they have written. We do not pay for articles,
however, we do give you a 35-40 word credit at the end of the article
to promote the book, your company, catalogue/ordering info, Web site,
phone number, e-mail address, and author's upcoming speaking/lecture
availability, etc.
Articles should be 900 words long and be purely informational. Please
no mention or reference to the book, or any other self-promotion (i.e.
tense should be third person, not first person.)
For a better feel for our editorial style, please review our articles
at www.newliving.com. Deadline for each monthly issue by the 20th of
the month prior to issue date. Please e-mail article by copying and
pasting to: charvey@newliving.com. A headshot of the author is also
required. Please scan in no less or larger than 170 dpi 2" x 2.5" save
as a JPEG file and attach to e-mailed article, or you can mail a hard
copy.
Include your address so we can mail the issue with your article in it.
Questions? E-mail them at info@newliving.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaeden Books
P.O. Box 16190
Rocky River, OH 44116
Kaeden Books is an educational publisher. We specialize in early
literacy books and beginning chapter books that support young readers.
It is our goal to produce materials that are of high interest to the
student, as well as have a structure suitable for instruction.
Familiarity with guided reading, Reading Recovery, and reading
intervention programs will help you understand what we need from our
authors.
At this time, we have a particular need for beginning chapter books and
unique non-fiction manuscripts.
We are looking for fiction stories with humor, surprise endings, and
interesting characters that will appeal to children in pre-kindergarten
through second grade. The stories should have well-developed plots with
clear beginnings, middles, and endings.
Nonfiction manuscripts should have interesting topics and information
presented in language comprehensible to young students. Content should
be supported with details and accurate facts.
Length can be as minimal as twenty-five words for the earliest reader
or as much as 2,000 words for the fluent reader. Beginning chapter
books are welcome.
Our readers are in grades pre-kindergarten to second grade, so
vocabulary and sentence structure must be appropriate for young
readers. Make sure that all language used in the story is of an
appropriate level for the students to read independently. Sentences
should be complete and grammatically correct..
For full submission information, see
http://www.kaeden.com/pages/authors_illustrators.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLACK ROSE WRITING
7810 Kingsbury Way #4
San Antonio, TX 78240
creator@blackrosewriting.com
I’m not sure, but this book publisher may be one that asks you to
contribute to the cost of printing, but it appears to help some with
publicity. Check it out carefully before submitting.
See http://www.blackrosewriting.com/ContactSubmissions.html/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Diversion Press
http://www.diversionpress.com/
We are accepting proposals for books, anthologies, encyclopedias, and
short stories. Submit a proposal by e-mail that describes your work and
a short biography with your credentials. We will not open unsolicited
E-mail attachments, therefore, be sure that the body of your e-mail
addresses whatever you may have attached. Failure to do this may result
in the deletion of your e-mail.
Please address in your proposal your target audience, the marketability
of your work, and how it will compete against similar works. We will
only accept manuscripts that are complete. This includes having been
proofread and polished. Please also include the total page count. The
proposal plus biography should not exceed two typed pages.
You must have an active E-mail address as this is how we will respond
to you. You can expect to receive a reply regarding the acceptance or
rejection of your proposal in 4-5 weeks. If you have not heard from us
in that period you may contact us regarding the status of your
submission. We may not comment on rejections, but we will notify you by
E-mail regardless of our decision.
If we are interested in your manuscript or work, we will request that a
hard copy be mailed to us. Keep in mind that your proposal is the first
thing we see from you. It represents you and your work. Make sure it is
polished and free of grammatical and spelling errors. A poorly written
proposal may result in a rejection.
Feel free to contact us with questions: diversionpress@yahoo.com
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Eight: Writing Assignment – All of a Sudden the Writer Gets Wordy
Imagine you’re walking or riding along the street and something blows,
rolls, or falls in your way. What might it be? Could it be a leaf
falling from a tree? Might it be a child who pedals his tricycle in
front of your car? Maybe it’s a balloon that crosses on the wind. What
happens when you see that object? Does it remind you of something you
did or need to do? Does it scare you and make your heart pound? Does it
spur you into action to take cover or to do something to save the
object or person? Write a scene where you or one of your characters has
such an encounter, and write the entire scene without using
unnecessary, overused words and phrases such as “suddenly,” “all of a
sudden,” “without warning,” or “to his or her surprise.”
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Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
A list of free reference sites for writers:
http://www.writers-free-reference.com/
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Fiction Writers Connection: http://www.fictionwriters.com/
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Tools for writers plus free reports, information, and answers for
writers like you: www.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. Deadline: The
15th of each month.
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research all information and study every stipulation before you accept
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The Writers Network News– a newsletter for writers everywhere. No fees.
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