The Writers Network News, November 2009 issue http://ezezine.com
November 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
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230 Deerchase Drive, Suite B
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Bobbie’s Blog: http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/.
New! Be Bobbie’s friend on Facebook:
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----------------------------------------------
Welcome to this issue of The Writers Network News
In This Issue
One: Kudos to Dona Lee, Robert Somers, Alvin Guthertz, and Fred C.
Billy
Two: From the editor’s desk – Culling Clutter
Three: Ask the Book Doctor – About soliciting clients, resubmitting to
publishers, and using new words
Four: This Month’s Writing Tip from Bobbie Christmas – Loose or Lose?
Five: Letters from Members
Six: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents, and Markets
Eight: Creative Writing Assignment – Fortune Cookies
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
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To view current and past issues of The Writers Network News, go to
http://tinyurl.com/c4otf6.
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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
My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best
and simplest way. —Ernest Hemingway
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One: Kudos* Dona Lee, Robert Somers, Alvin Guthertz, and Fred C. Billy
Florida Writers Association's "From Our Family to Yours" is publishing
two of my family stories, and "The Cougar Book" is publishing an
erotica [story I wrote]. And "The Cougar Book" pays real money! –Dona
Lee, Bradenton, Florida
---
Robert Somers of Greer, S.C., has released his book, The Cuban Eight,
about aviator extraordinaire Len Povey and his friends, fascinating
flight information that spans most of the twentieth century. Within the
first week the author sold more than 500 copies. Way to go, Robert! I’m
proud to have been your editor.
---
Appointment with Death, the second of my Royce Collins mystery series,
will be released by Publish America on November 21.
The novel follows the Inspector and a mysterious woman known as Aleolus
on a worldwide hunt for one of the most "despicables" of our era.
"Appointment eith Death" will be available on the Internet at Borders,
Barnes Noble, Amazon, through Publish America, and at other such
worldwide locations. -- Alvin Guthertz
---
“My first book, Where the Wind Blows, is a collection of poems I have
written over a period of twenty years. I turned them into a sixty-day
devotional book. Each day begins with a scripture, a poem, my
reflections, a prayer, and a place for readers to write their thoughts.
It is listed on Amazon.com.
“I want to thank you for all the help your book, Write in Style, was to
me in making my book a better publication. I have a lot to learn, and
your book took me to a higher level.” --Fred C. Billy
*Kudos: praise or honor, glory for an achievement (Like “praise,”
“kudos” is a singular noun and takes a singular verb.)
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Two: From the editor’s desk — Culling Clutter
Dear Fellow Writers:
Thank you for the outpouring of response regarding my flooded office.
Although papers, books, notebooks, and other objects that await a new
location or new home are still piled high on my tables, chairs, and
sofa, I see progress.
Saturday I attended the Atlanta Writers Club meeting and brought with
me about thirty books on writing, everything from plotting fiction to
writing magazine articles. I put a sign on those books that said FREE.
I enjoyed the surprise on the faces of my fellow writers when they
found a table filled with free books. Some people stood for a long
time, deciding which free book to take, until I said, “I don’t care if
you take them all; they need a good home.” Several people then
gleefully picked up more than one book.
I also sold a few copies of Write In Style and Ask the Book Doctor,
including some copies damaged in the water that seeped into my office.
At the end of the day, I came home lighter and with a little extra cash
in my pocket, and writers went home with books they can use to make
their writing stronger. Everybody won.
To clean up from the flood, I have to pull out all items stored on or
near the floor of my office, basement, garage, and two large storage
closets. I will have to dry off, examine, consider, relocate, throw
away, donate, or sell all those things. I also lost a huge bookcase
that collapsed, so hundreds more items need to find new locations,
either here or in someone else’s home. With so much less storage space,
I must weed out the things I no longer need. When I finish this job, my
basement, and probably my life, will be considerably less cluttered;
hence the hidden blessing. I look forward to it.
By the way, now that Write In Style is officially out of print, it is
no longer available directly from Amazon. Several used-book dealers
offer used copies of Write In Style, now considered a rare book, for
anywhere from $52.99 to $95.94. You can still pay the original $12.95
price, though, if you order one of the few remaining new copies through
my Web site, www.zebraeditor.com. I have a limited quantity, so order
today!
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 www.zebraeditor.com, click on “Free Newsletter,”
and follow the prompts. I never share your address or send out spam.
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Three: Ask the Book Doctor — Ask the Book Doctor: About soliciting
clients, resubmitting to publishers, and using new words
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: When writing for a magazine that invites you to solicit clients,
what’s the best way to do it?
A: Make full use of the byline at the end of the article. If you are a
family therapist, for example, and you’ve written an article on
reconciling estrangements, and if you have a Web site that has all your
contact information on it, you could simply add at the end, usually in
italics, a brief note that might go like this: John Tranquil is a
family therapist in practice in Pleasant Falls, Tennessee. His Web site
is www.TranquilFamily.com.
If you do not wish to refer to a Web site, you can try something like
this: John Tranquil is a family therapist in practice in Pleasant
Falls, Tennessee. He can be reached at 555-555-5555.
If you'd like to go for the super-deluxe version, write a longer byline
and see if it passes muster with the editor. It might go like this:
John Tranquil has been a family therapist in practice in Pleasant
Falls, Tennessee, for 22 years. He has put together more than 100
previously estranged families through his unique style of counseling
that is outlined in his upcoming book, Glue Your Family. Contact him by
calling 555-555-5555.
The byline is the contact information, but remember to include clues in
your article that reveal your products or services. Don’t sound like a
commercial, though. You might use an anecdote like the following:
When Sue and Ralph came to see me for counseling, their son had sought
emancipation at age 16 and had not contacted them since. After six
months of working with the parents, I was able to bring the family back
together by . . . etc.
Q: I submitted my nonfiction book to quite a few university presses
some time ago. It’s possible that they rejected me because my writing
wasn’t good enough, which may not be the case after I incorporated your
editing suggestions. Is it okay to resubmit to the same presses?
A: It’s also possible that the first submission did not reach the right
person or that the company had already filled its publishing calendar.
Without feedback, you have no way of knowing the reason for rejection.
I don’t know how long ago you submitted the manuscript, but if a year
or more has passed and the newer version is much better, go ahead and
resubmit. Treat it as if you never submitted it before. With the
turnover rate in this business, chances are good the submission will
reach a different person, anyway.
Q: I would like to know of a book or Web site that shows complete
sentences in which a specified word is used. I have a good vocabulary
and know how to use a thesaurus, but I’m fearful when it comes to
promoting a word from my cognitive vocabulary to my active vocabulary;
i.e., actually using a word I know in a sentence I write. (For example,
I stepped out on a limb to use the word “cognitive.”)
A: First, never use a word in your writing that you wouldn't use in
casual conversation, and you'll never go wrong.
Next, if you never stretch your own vocabulary, you won't grow, so
after the first caution, I’ll add my favorite source: American Heritage
Dictionary. It often, but not always, uses words in a sentence.
A third warning: When you look something up in a thesaurus, be
cautious, because each word has its own connotation, and choosing a
word from a list does not ensure that the exact meaning you intend will
be relayed to the reader. One of my clients for whom English was not a
native language, for example, wanted to impart excitement, so after
referring to a thesaurus, he wrote, “Oh, no!” he ejaculated. Yes, the
sentence and word use are both technically correct, but Americans more
often use ejaculate to mean something other than exclaim, so the word
choice was less than ideal. It did give this editor a chuckle, however.
Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square
Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your
questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the
Book Doctor” questions and answers at www.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 – Loose or Lose?
When I edit manuscripts, I’ve found that even the most educated people
often confuse the words loose and lose. They are not interchangeable.
See this explanation from my Purge Your Prose of Problems book:
Loose/Lose
Loose: Not tight (pronounced luce)
Lose: Misplace, no longer have possession of (pronounced looz).
Be sure to make the right choice between the two spellings and
meanings.
If you think you have used either loose or lose incorrectly in your
manuscript, use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to search for and
repair any misuses. To use the Find and Refine Method, pull down the
Edit menu in your software program and go to Find.
Type in “loose” and click Find Next. Go through the manuscript checking
each usage to be sure you have chosen the right spelling.
Next type in “lose” and click Find Next to check to be sure that word
too is used correctly throughout the manuscript.
For more information on editing your own manuscript or finding
opportunities for improvement in your writing, buy Purge Your Prose of
Problems at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Five: Letters from Members
Love that you found your book on the shelves of that library in
Thailand! Congratulations! -- Marianne Sciucco
===
Bobbie,
I have just discovered your newsletter and love it. Signed up for it,
of course, as I have been a fan of yours since purchasing Purge Your
Prose of Problems several years ago.
I ordered three copies of Write in Style, one for each gal in my
critique group. I want them to learn about you, too.
Keep on sharing your knowledge, Bobbie.
Barb Deming (No, not the dead writer/feminist!)
===
Why the world needs editors and proofreaders
Many, many years ago when I had my first newspaper job I had to both
write and proofread my articles. I covered a local wedding and wrote
"...the bride was draped in Chantilly lace,” except I didn't catch
myself, and the story ran "…the bride was raped in chantilly lace..."
and THAT's how you really LEARN. –Alvin Guthertz
===
Tell me what you think of the newsletter, what you’re doing, or any
tidbit of information you want to share with other writers. E-mail me
at Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com.
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Six: Subjects of interest to writers
Where is Bobbie Christmas speaking?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Sisters in Crime
Smyrna Library
Smyrna, Georgia
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
===
Scribblers Writers Retreat
St. Simons Island, Georgia
May 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This quotation isn’t specifically for writers, but Ralph Golson sent
it, and I wanted to share it with everyone. “There is no competition
for success.” --Joe Pici, speaking at the Space Coast Entrepreneurs
event:
We writers are all entrepreneurs, trying to create a product the public
will buy, and it’s true there’s no competition for success. Go for it!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor’s Desk Reference, Fourth Edition
Save thousands of dollars by editing your own book!
This proprietary desk 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. Spiral binder lies flat for easy use. To order go to
http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
Save shipping costs 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://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Interesting tidbit from The Writers Almanac by Garrison Keillor,
produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public
Media
Graham Greene, born in Hertfordshire, England, the author of such
novels as The Power and the Glory (1940), The Heart of the Matter
(1948), The End of the Affair (1951), The Quiet American (1955), and
Our Man in Havana (1958), had bipolar disorder. He once told his wife
that it gave him "a character profoundly antagonistic to ordinary
domestic life" and that "unfortunately, the disease is also one's
material."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writers: Always Proceed with Caution
I am looking for an agent for my latest nonfiction book and saw an ad
for an agency looking for submissions. I know that legitimate agencies
do not have to advertise. They get more submissions than they know what
to do with. Still, I decided to act like a novice, to see what I might
learn.
I immediately received an e-mail that said, “I may have something for
you. We have recently merged with a publishing group and they have
asked us to immediately send them authors that we believe meet their
criteria. I will be forwarding this information to our sister publisher
that likes situations like this (smaller and more focused), and can
move quickly.” It added, “Please start prepping your manuscript now,
the odds are greater than 90% they will want to see it based on the
fact that we sent you to them.”
As those of you who are familiar with scams know, the “publisher” is
one that asks authors to foot the “publishing” bill. If I wanted to
self-publish, I would have gone to a printer, not a company that
misleads eager and innocent authors.
Yes, of course the publisher contacted me, not once but three or four
times, begging for my manuscript. The sister publisher’s name was
Strategic Publishing.
Folks, please be careful! Zebra Communications uses as a slogan,
“Because it’s a jungle out there,” and we mean it. Below is a lawsuit I
found on the Internet involving the agency as well as the sister
publisher and many other names the same deceitful owner has used.
Case Number: L07-3-1146
Subject of investigation:
Writer’s Literary Agency Group, Writer’s Literary Agency, Writer’s
Literary & Publishing Services, New York Literary Agency, Writer’s
Literary Children’s Agency, The Children’s Literary Agency, Children’s
Book Publishing Agency, Writer’s Literary Poet’s Agency, Poet’s
Literary Agency, Poetry Book Publishing Agency, The Christian Literary
Agency, Writer’s Literary Screenplay Agency, Screenplay Writers’
Agency, The Screenplay Agency, The Literary Agency Group, f/k/a
Rapidpublishing-screenwriter911, Inc., Stylus Literary Agency, S T
Literary Agency, Inc. , Writers Literary & Publishing Services Company,
Writers’ Book Publishing Agency, Strategic Publishing Group, Strategic
Book Publishing, Strategic Book Marketing, AEG Publishing Group, My
Editor Is A Saint, Author’s Edge, Sydra-Techniques, Global Book Agency,
Eloquent Books, and Robert M. Fletcher a/k/a Robert Williams a/k/a Bob
WIlliams a/k/a Robert West and Leslie Williams a/k/a Leslie W. Mroz
Subject’s address:
699 SW 8th Terrace, Boca Raton, FL 33486-5509 (Home Address) 1355 West
Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, FL 33486 (P.O. Box) or 3840 West
Hillsboro Blvd., #302, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 (P.O. Box)
Subject’s business:
Talent agency
Allegation or issue being investigated:
(1) Charging aspiring writers various fees totaling hundreds of dollars
for professional services that were either not rendered at all or were
not rendered in good faith; (2) Charging for unnecessary services; and
(3) Creating unreasonable consumer expectations concerning their
prospects for publication by failing to criticize submitted drafts, in
order to encourage the consumer and collect more fees.
Economic Crimes Division in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
If you have had any contact with Fletcher under any of his names or his
businesses, get in touch with the State of Florida.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think You Don’t Have Time to Read? Then Listen Up! And It’s Free!
Audio books can be played on your computer or your iPod, so you can
“read” books while you drive, play with the children, mow the lawn,
cook, walk the dog, or do something else.
Get free audio books from www.LibriVox.org, a site that allows you to
download audio files of hundreds of books in the public domain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Download Bobbie’s newest one-hour seminars in MP3 format from the Zebra
Communications Web site! Below are the newest seminars, ready to
download:
"Write In Style and You Write To Win, an Introduction"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#1 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. Learn the secret of Bobbie's trademarked
Find and Refine Method to make your writing unique, direct, and tight.
This method allows you to be objective about your writing. After you
apply Bobbie's suggestions to your manuscript, it will win the
attention of your intended audience and more likely win the eye of an
agent or acquisitions editor. Instant download. $5.00
"Self-Editing Techniques You Can't Live Without"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#2 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. After you have taken the first seminar,
take this one to learn even more ways to apply Bobbie's trademarked
Find and Refine Method to all your written materials. Learn the most
common flaws and errors Bobbie spots in manuscripts and learn how to
avoid making the same mistakes. Instant download. $5.00
"Tricks You Didn't Know Your Word Processor Could Do"
Gail Richards of AuthorSmart presents this hour-long seminar (#3 in the
series) with Bobbie Christmas. After the first two seminars, you're
ready to learn even more tips and tricks in Microsoft Word or Word
Perfect, tips that can save you hours of time and endless frustration
when you prepare your manuscript for submission to an agent, publisher,
or printer. Instant download. $5.00
SPECIAL! Purchase all three AuthorSmart seminars featuring Bobbie
Christmas and save 20%.
You'll get...
• "Write In Style and You Write To Win, an Introduction"
• "Self-Editing Techniques You Can't Live Without"
• "Tricks You Didn't Know Your Word Processor Could Do"
Instant download. $12.00
To buy and download these seminars go to
http://zebraeditor.com/seminars_on_cd.shtml.
Also available on that site: 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Chicago Manual of Style Q & A this month:
Q. I have written a novel and am currently working with an editor, and
we have different attitudes toward the use of the semicolon. According
to my editor I have used semicolons copiously, but I have done so in
order to achieve the connection of thoughts and ideas that are related
but not so closely that they require a comma, and in order to avoid a
series of the staccato-like sentences that so much current literature
is subject to. Is this acceptable in today’s modern fiction?
A. Although an editor should respect a writer’s voice and style, a
writer doesn’t always realize how her voice comes across after it
passes through the wickets of punctuation. There should be
collaboration here. Your editor should consider each semicolon before
nixing it, rather than wipe them all out on principle alone. You should
acknowledge that a surfeit of semicolons can distract any reader who
sees it as a writing tic; it can also be unsightly on the page,
depending on the typeface. Here’s an idea: Find a passage where
semicolons dominate and ask someone to read it out loud. Then replace
the semicolons with commas or periods and ask someone else to read it
to you. See whether you hear a difference. It might help you determine
the best course.
For more CMOS Q & A, see
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/new/new_questions01.html.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
Whether you write books, short stories, articles, reports, or anything
else, learn more about how to write, edit, and sell your work.
Paperback: $14.95 plus $4.99 S & H (total: $19.94 US) E-book: $14.95
and no S & H. To order go to http://tinyurl.com/lexp7n.
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With so much confusion about various types of publishing and producing
books, Barbara Florio Graham has just expanded the Book Publishing
Options page on her website, with more comprehensive descriptions and
many links to additional information. See:
http://www.SimonTeakettle.com/options.htm
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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. Available at
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
The bad news/good news—do not pay $93 for Write In Style!
When inventory got too low, the publisher of my book, Write In Style,
took the book out of print rather than invest in another edition in
this economy. I bought the last books available and am selling directly
through my Web site, something my contract with the publisher did not
allow me to do when the book was still in print. Because the book is
officially out of print now, it is considered a rare book, so several
Web sites that sell used copies are selling the book as a rare book and
charging between $52 and $93 for the book. I get absolutely nothing
when my book is resold as a used book, though, so that's bad news.
You still have a chance to buy it directly from me for $12.95 plus
shipping while supplies last, though, so that’s the good news. If you
are a writer or know a writer who can benefit from tips that make your
writing stand out as pristine, clear prose, order Write In Style today,
while supplies last. See
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Distress sale! Save Five Bucks! About two dozen copies of Write In
Style were damaged in my office flood. All are completely usable, but
the pages are a little wavy. Pristine copies are $12.95 plus $3.99 S&H,
but hurry and buy a slightly damaged copy for only $10.00 plus $2.00
S&H (total: $12.00 US). You’ll save almost $5.00! To order send me your
snail mail and e-mail addresses, a note asking for a legible but
slightly damaged copy of Write In Style, and a check for $12.00 made
out to Bobbie Christmas. I will even autograph the books. They may
become collector’s copies! Sorry, but this low offer is good only for
US customers. Mail everything to Bobbie Christmas, 230 Deerchase Drive,
Woodstock, Georgia 30188-4438.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Words Writers Should Know
Tmesis: inserting a word or nonsense syllable into another word for
intensifying effect, as in absobloominglutely
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order PDF 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Forbes research shows that celebrity endorsements sell books. One test
in 2009 showed that celebrity-endorsed advertising prompted sales from
13.5% more people who viewed an Internet site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Seven: Jobs, Contests, Grants, Agents and Markets
Short stories needed for a wide variety of anthologies
Pill Hill Press
Jessy Roberts, Editor
343 West Fourth Street
Chadron, Nebraska 69337
pillhillpress@gmail.com
Any person may submit to Pill Hill Press. American authors are paid by
check; International authors are paid through PayPal.
We are looking for unpublished fiction. Please do not submit previously
published stories. We are open to all mainstream genres (including
action/adventure, cross genre, slipstream, experimental, fantasy,
historical, horror, literary, mystery, romance, science fiction,
suspense/crime, western) as long as it fits within the theme of the
anthology. See www.pillhillpress.com for themes and
www.pillhillpress.com/writers-guidelines.html for full submission
guidelines.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 2009 Los Angeles Book Festival has issued a call for entries to its
annual competition honoring the best of international publishing. The
2009 Los Angeles Book Festival will consider entries in general
non-fiction, fiction, biography/autobiography, children’s books,
cookbooks, science fiction, business, spiritual, genre-based, how-to,
photography/art, spiritual, poetry, foreign language, romance and
mysteries, teenage/young adult, how-to and the wild card (anything
goes!) categories published on or after Jan. 1, 2006.
Entries can be in English, French, Spanish, German or Portuguese and
can be published, self-published or issued by an independent publishing
house. Our grand prize for the 2009 Los Angeles Book Festival is $1500
cash and a flight to Los Angeles for our gala awards ceremony in
February, 2010.
Submitted works will be judged by a panel of publishing industry
experts using the following criteria:
1) General excellence and the author's passion for telling a good
story.
2) The potential of the work to gain a wider audience in the worldwide
market.
TO ENTER: Entry forms are available online at
LosAngelesBookFestival.com or may be faxed/e-mailed to you. The 2009
Los Angeles Book Festival is part of the JM Northern Media family of
festivals, which includes the DIY Convention: Do It Yourself in Film,
Music & Books, the New York Book Festival and the Hollywood Book
Festival. The 2009 Los Angeles Book Festival is sponsored by eDivvy,
the Larimar St. Croix Writers Colony, Shopanista; Westside Websites and
the DIY Reporter.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you write lusty romances or erotica? Ravenous Romance is looking for
you!
We believe in developing our writers’ careers. We are interested in
keeping working writers working, and we personally help you shape
ideas, build series, and polish your prose. We actively sell print and
foreign translation rights to all of our books, ensuring our authors
find the widest possible audience for their work.
If you’d like to write for us, please review our submission guidelines
at http://tinyurl.com/y8h9ajw
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New England Book Festival will hold its annual program celebrating
the best books of the holiday season at the Omni Hotel in Boston,
Massachussets on January 21, 2010.
The competition is now accepting entries in the non-fiction, fiction,
biography/ autobiography, children's books, teenage, how-to, cookbooks,
science fiction, audio/spoken word, photography/art, poetry, spiritual
works, e-books, compilations/anthologies, genre-based, unpublished
stories and wild card (for books that don't neatly fit other
categories) categories. All entries must be in English.
Our grand prize for the 2009 New England Book Festival winner is $1500
cash and a publicity campaign during the post-holiday season
spotlighting your work. The winning author will also have a choice of
flights to our various awards ceremonies for our family of festivals
and a free vendor table at the 2010 day events, including New York and
Hollywood.
For complete rules and entry forms, see www.diyconvention.com.
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A.T. PUBLISHING
23 Lily Lake Rd.
Highland, NY 12528
845-691-2021
Anthony Prizzia, publisher (education); John Prizzia, publisher.
Publishes trade paperback originals.
Publishes 1-3 titles/year.
100% titles by first-time authors.
100% titles from unagented authors.
Pays $500-1,000 advance.
Responds in one month to queries. Responds in two months to proposals.
Responds in four months to manuscripts.
Nonfiction Subjects:
cooking, foods, nutrition
education
recreation
science
sports
“Audience is people interested in a variety of general topics. Submit
typed manuscript for consideration, including a SASE for return of
manuscript.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coffee House Press
Christopher Fischbach, Senior Editor,
79 Thirteenth Avenue NE, Suite 110,
Minneapolis, MN 55413
The mission of Coffee House Press is to publish exciting, vital, and
enduring authors of our time; to delight and inspire readers; to
contribute to the cultural life of our community; and to enrich our
literary heritage. By building on the best traditions of publishing and
the book arts, we produce books that celebrate imagination, innovation
in the craft of writing, and the many authentic voices of the American
experience. Coffee House Press publishes emerging and midcareer
authors. Nearly all CHP authors have had works published in literary
magazines or other publications: a resume including a list of prior
publications can strengthen your submission. Although this is
important, part of our mission is to present first novels.
Coffee House Press publishes literary novels, full-length short story
collections, and essays.
Please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with every submission
or we will be unable to respond. Coffee House Press does not accept fax
queries, or electronic/disc submission. We prefer to see samples (20-30
pages) with outlines before reviewing entire manuscripts. Our response
time on samples is four to six weeks. The review process for full
length manuscripts currently takes four to six months, possibly longer.
Manuscripts that seem appropriate for CHP are given several careful
readings, and the final decision rests with CHP's publisher, Allan
Kornblum.
If you would like to know if your manuscript was received and how long
it will take for us to reach a decision, include a self-addressed
stamped postcard so that we can reply upon receipt.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Eight: Creative Writing Assignment – Fortune Cookies
Think of those little sayings and predictions that come inside Chinese
fortune cookies. Here are a few I’ve received that I remember:
You are about to embark on a new adventure.
Jealousy is as useless as the waves upon the shore.
If you can see it in your heart, you can bring it into your life.
A trip is in your near future.
A friend will bring you good news.
For this assignment you will write a story that evolves from such a
fortune. You may use one of the fortunes I’ve listed, use a fortune
you’ve found in a cookie, or you can write your own fortune. Start your
story with someone opening a fortune cookie and reading the fortune.
Show the story unfold, either to reveal the fortune coming to life or
influencing the main character in some way.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Nine: Web Sites of Interest to Writers
Writers must constantly be learning. For free on-line courses, see
http://education-portal.com and see the free on-line courses on the
right of the site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you have a question about commas, apostrophes, semicolons, and other
punctuation? See http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Looking for a job in writing or editing? Check out the national
listings for publishing jobs at http://www.ihirepublishing.com/. Member
Albemoi Faire warns: “You have to upload your resume, because if you
copy it in, the formatting goes WILD!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tools for writers plus free reports, information, and answers for
writers like you: www.zebraeditor.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get a list of free book reviewers for your self-published books:
www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net/free-book-reviews.html
Christy Pinheiro says to check back often; she adds new ones to her
list when she finds them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keep up with Bobbie’s activities on Twitter:
http:twitter.com/BookDoctor4u.
Be sure to send us your favorite Web resources for writers to share
with your network.
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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.
…………………………………………………………………………….
Send a copy of this newsletter to all your writing friends. Tell them
to join The Writers Network F-R-E-E by visiting www.zebraeditor.com and
clicking on “Free Newsletter.”
…………………………………………………………………………….
With the exception of Zebra Communications, information in this
newsletter is not to be construed as an endorsement. Be sure to
research all information and study every stipulation before you accept
assignments, spend money, or sell your work.
The Writers Network News– a newsletter for writers everywhere. No fees.
No officers. “No Rules; Just Write!”
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