The Writers Network News - February 2011 issue http://ezezine.com
The Writers Network News, February 2012 Issue
In This Issue
One: From the editor's desk--It's a Jungle out There
Two: Ask the Book Doctor--About Blogs, E-book Reviews, and Poetry
Chapbooks
Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas--Have Fun,
but Use It Right
Four: Subjects of Interest to Writers
Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Six: Got Muse?--Of "The" I Sing--Or Not
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The Writers Network News
No Rules; Just Write!
Editor: Bobbie Christmas
Contents copyright 2011, 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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1992 -- 2012: Celebrating twenty years in the business of editing books
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As book doctors, we write, edit, and evaluate fiction and nonfiction
manuscripts, book proposals, query letters, and synopses. As book
shepherds, we guide writers through the process of self-publishing.
We are a top-rated Better Business Bureau Accredited Business.
Zebra Communications
230 Deerchase Drive
Woodstock, GA 30188
770/924-0528
http://zebraeditor.com/
Follow my "Write In Style" creative-writing blog at
http://bobbiechristmas.blogspot.com/
Follow my "Don't You Dare Call It a Diet" weight-loss blog at
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Meet Fellow Writers
Do you live in or visit metro Atlanta? Sign up for local meeting
notices today! Send your name and e-mail address to
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upcoming meeting.
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Past Issues Available
To view current and past issues of The Writers Network News, go to
http://tinyurl.com/c4otf6.
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Some links in this newsletter 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
"Compromise thy egotism." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
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One: From the editor's desk--It's a Jungle out There
Dear Readers:
A few days ago, I spoke with a woman who was helping an older man
self-publish his book. He had already paid an editor to edit it and
paid a printer to print it, but after he sold a few copies, buyers
demanded their money back. They complained that it was poorly written
and unedited. The woman told me, "He paid someone to edit the book, and
that editor did practically nothing."
Today a man came to my office to discuss his publishing fiasco. He had
paid a company $17,000 to edit, design, and print his book. When he
received his first copy, it obviously had not been edited at all; it
was exactly the same file he had sent the company. In addition, the
book they sent fell apart while he was looking at it. He is now suing
the company to try to recoup some of the money. He came to me to edit
his book, and he will let me guide him through self-publishing without
paying a "publisher" an outrageous amount for a low-quality product.
When I hear about an editor or publisher who fleeces writers, my skin
crawls. How can writers be sure they will get good service from an
editor or publisher, especially when payment in advance is customary in
our industry?
One way to ensure you will get a good editing job is not to use
no-name, anonymous editors at companies that charge you to publish a
book. Be sure you hire a good editor yourself, one you know you can
trust, and not just any editor or the cheapest editor you can find. Ask
for references. Spend a little time checking those references. Find out
if the Better Business Bureau has a record of any complaints filed
against that editor or editor's company. Check to see how long that
editor has been in business. If the editor is relatively new at
editing, move to the next prospect. Be sure your potential editor is
familiar with and has edited books of your type, as well. Don't send a
cookbook to an editor who specializes in business-to-business books,
for example. Don't send a romance novel to someone who edits technical
manuals. Don't send a how-to book to an editor of novels only.
In all things in the publishing industry, perform due diligence, a term
used in business and finance. Due diligence, or appropriate
carefulness, is the degree of care that a prudent person would
exercise. Take nothing for granted. Also, as I often tell writers,
don't look for the cheapest or fastest editors or publishers, or you're
looking at the bottom of the barrel. Most important of all, if you
choose a pay-to-publish company, read the contract carefully before you
sign. Be sure you're getting everything you want, and be sure the
contract has recourse, if you are not satisfied with what you get.
Oh, how I wish I didn't hear stories about fast, cheap editors and
publishers who take money from writers, only to give them bad service.
Please be careful. It's a jungle out there.
My supply of Write In Style is now dangerously low. If you haven't yet
gotten your copy, your chances are getting slim. Don't pay the
used-copy prices of $75 and up. Buy one of the remaining new copies
from me for only $12.95. To purchase, go to
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml. Hurry!
Yours in writing,
Bobbie Christmas (Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or bzebra@aol.com )
Author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), owner of Zebra
Communications, and director of The Writers 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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Two: Ask the Book Doctor--About Blogs, E-book Reviews, and Poetry
Chapbooks
By Bobbie Christmas
Q: Maybe I'm too old to understand all this new technology, but what on
earth is a blog?
A: The term "blog" is a blend of two words, "web" and "log" and in
general is a personal journal published on the Internet. Bloggers
(those who write blogs) can write journal entries whenever they feel
like it and post them to the Internet for anyone to access or for
limited access to people who sign up to read the posts. Most blogs
cover a specific subject, such as writing, editing, cooking, traveling,
or photography. Many authors use blogs to gain a platform—a following
of readers who might then buy the authors' books.
Q: Is it worth my time and money to write a book that will mainly be my
whole blog? People may want a hard copy of the website information so
they can use the resources, reference information, and worksheets.
A: Many books have been published that were the contents of a blog. If
you have good information that people need, some will access it on the
Internet and some people will prefer to buy it in book form. In writing
the information into book form, you may very well discover more
information you need to add to both website and book, in that way
enhancing and expanding both.
It sounds as if you want to self-publish, and if so, you can promote
your book in your website, as well. It gives you a sales outlet for the
book as well as an added source of income. In that case, reserve some
information to put into the book, added content exclusive to the book,
to entice people to buy it.
If, however, you hope to sell the book to a publisher, be aware that
some publishers don’t accept books that have already been published in
any way, and posting on the Internet is considered publishing. Not all
publishers feel that way, though, so be sure to employ a method to
count the number of people who access the site. If you get a good
following on your website or blog, some publisher may very well be
interested in buying the book.
Q: How can I send copies of my e-book to reviewers without making them
pay for the copies?
A: Each reviewer will have specific preferences on how to receive books
for reviewing. Check the guidelines of each reviewer. One safe way is
to send the e-book as a pdf attachment. Do be sure to include the link
where the book can be purchased, so reviewers can embed that link in
their reviews.
Q: I plan to compile a poetry book using my own computer and a desktop
publishing program. I can use photos, make my own cover, and have as
nice a book as most of the small presses, plus I can keep all the
profits. I plan to sell the book online, at readings, and when I teach
classes. I have no further aspirations. I am sixty-eight years old, and
I don't want to wait forever for some publishing house to accept my
book. If I self-publish, will my book be considered as worthy in
literary circles as those who have been published by a small press or
those whose books were published by Lulu.com? My poetry has been
published in many journals and magazines already.
A: Many chapbooks of poetry are self-published. It’s been that way for
a long time, even before the early 1960s, when I helped a friend
prepare his first chapbook. South Carolina later nominated him for poet
laureate and didn't care that he had self-published.
If you have a following or buyers at readings and classes, produce a
good-looking product, and keep your costs down, you will no doubt make
a profit on your poetry chapbook.
The highest literary circles do not have a lofty regard for
self-publishing of any kind, and even Luly.com is simply another way to
self-publish. Poetry, however, does not have a huge market, so few
publishers buy it. Poetry lovers do not care if a book is
self-published. They just want to own the works of the poets they like.
Instead of concerning yourself with the reputation the book will give
you, create a collection of excellent poetry in a well-designed and
polished book, and enjoy the thrill of selling copies to followers and
pocketing the profits.
Bobbie Christmas will answer your questions, too. Send them to
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor” questions and
answers at www.zebraeditor.com or www.zebracommunications.com.
Would you like to read, save, or share the Ask the Book Doctor column
as a PDF file? At http://zebraeditor.com/files/ask_the_book_doctor.pdf,
the newest column is posted around the first of each month.
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Three: This Month's Easy Editing Tip from Bobbie Christmas--Have Fun,
but Use It Right
You can have a sundae or a Monday, but you can't have a fun day. Fun is
a noun, not an adjective. If you have used "fun" to modify a noun
anywhere in your manuscripts, as in "We had a fun time," it's time to
go back and correct the error. The mistake is common. I hear otherwise
intelligent broadcasters saying things such as this: "A fun time was
had by all." You as a conscientious writer, however, will check your
manuscripts for such errors and fix any misuses of the word "fun." Here
are some correct ways to use the word: The day was fun for everyone.
The children had fun painting the mural. How much fun skating can be!
Use my trademarked Find and Refine Method to locate every use of the
word "fun" in your manuscript. Go to the Find function on your computer
(Control + F on a PC or Command + F on a Mac) and under "Find What,"
type the word "fun" and hit the spacebar, to add a space after it. The
extra space ensures the computer won't stop on words with the letters
"f-u-n" in them, only on the word "fun." When you hit "find next," your
computer will find the word, and you can check to see if it is used
incorrectly as an adjective that modifies a noun that follows. If so,
recast the sentence or use a correct adjective, such as "exciting,
delightful, amusing, or entertaining." Hit "Find Next" to check the
next use of the word and go through the entire manuscript, correcting
any misuses of the word "fun."
For more opportunities for improving your manuscripts, buy one of the
few remaining copies of Write In Style at
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
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Four: Subjects of interest to writers
Member Avrum Weiss sent some great news. "My book "Change Happens: When
to Try Harder and when to Stop Trying So Hard" was published last month
by Rowman and Littlefield." Way to go, Avrum!
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Free Self-Publishing 101 Workshop and Webinar
Saturday, February 4, 2012
12:30 - 2 p.m.
BookLogix, 1264 Old Alpharetta Road, Alpharetta, Georgia
Do you want to see your book in print, but aren’t sure where to turn?
Self-Publishing could be the direction for you. With a little knowledge
and some guidance, you can publish your own book.
In this FREE workshop and webinar (attend in person or on the
Internet), BookLogix President & CEO Ahmad Meradji explains the basics
of self-publishing, including the steps and some approximate costs.
To learn more or register for the in-person workshop or the webinar, go
to https://www.booklogix.com/Self_Publishing_101.html.
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Toronto Bookstore Comes Alive in Viral Video
You'll love the story behind the video as well as the short video
itself, a tribute to the printed book. To see the secret life of books
after the store owner leaves, see http://tinyurl.com/85pt9au
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Georgia Author of the Year Awards Entry Deadline Looms
The Georgia Writers Association announces the call for nominations for
the 48th Annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA). All Georgia
resident authors with books published in the calendar year of 2011 are
eligible for the competition. The books can be traditionally published,
independently published, or self-published. Nominations will close on
January 31, 2012. The winners of the 48th GAYA will be honored at an
Awards Ceremony on June 16, 2012, at the Kennesaw State University
Center. For full information, go to
http://authoroftheyear.org/submissions.html.
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Write In Style Soon to be Unavailable; Do NOT pay $289 for a copy!
Hurry! I have fewer than twenty copies left of Write In Style, my
award-winning book that teaches writers my Find and Refine Method ™
and gives you specific words and phrases you can delete, upgrade, or
rewrite to power up your prose.
After I sell all my copies, you'll have to pay the prices on Amazon, up
to $278 per book, unless or until I find a new publisher or
self-publish it. Prices are likely to rise even more, when I run out of
new copies.
When I last checked, new copies of Write In Style were selling for
between $75 and $289 on Amazon.com. Don't believe me? See
http://tinyurl.com/4hc2bxu. Used copies were selling for as much as
$123. Don't pay those prices! While they last, you can still buy this
book at the original cover price of $12.95 plus shipping, and I'll even
sign it for you. To order, to go
http://zebraeditor.com/book_write_in_style.shtml.
Write In Style: Using Your Word Processor and Other Techniques to
Improve Your Writing by Bobbie Christmas 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.
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From The Chicago Manual of Style Website Q & A This Month:
Q. I have a photograph that I want to describe. It is a picture of two
couples who are business friends. Would I write, “This is a photograph
of the Gould's and the Johnson's” or "This is a photograph of the
Goulds and the Johnsons"?
A. Our readers never tire of asking this question. What you need is a
simple plural: one cat, two cats; one Gould, two Goulds. This is a
photograph of the cats. This is a photograph of the Goulds.
Q. What is the correct way to report ages of people? In what cases, if
any, would it be acceptable to use numerals? Our company’s style guide
follows CMOS, but suggests using figures in reporting ages. I
appreciate your guidance.
A. It’s usual to use numerals in lists, in tables, and in any context
where an abundance of numbers makes spelling them out awkward.
Q. Our group has chosen The Chicago Manual of Style as a reference for
our university translation project (textbook on international trade).
What I'd like to know is whether, since we have chosen CMoS, it now
supersedes the capitalization rules used by the publishing agencies of
works cited in the text. For example, would it be "Customs--Trade
Partnership Against Terrorism" as it appears on their website or
"Customs--Trade Partnership against Terrorism," following CMoS rules
for lowercasing prepositions?
A. The latter. Choosing a style guide means that you will edit your
documents to conform to that guide. It's actually one of the primary
purposes of having a guide. Titles in original published works feature
various display styles--all caps, small caps, italics. There's really
no way a writer or editor can be expected to research and reproduce the
exact appearance of the title page of every book. Since you've decided
to follow CMOS (yay!), you will lowercase "against" per CMOS 8.157.
Q. According to 8.84 of the 15th edition of CMOS, the names of major
sporting events are capitalized. But none of the examples provided
include major sporting events made up of multiple games. For the World
Series, for example, would it be Game Four of the 1948 World Series, or
game four of the 1948 World Series?
A. Either way is fine, but Chicago style prefers to lowercase when
there's a choice, and we also like to use numerals for enumerations, so
we would probably refer to game 4 of the World Series, in the way that
we refer to chapter 1 of a book.
The Chicago Manual of Style is the reference that book editors use. For
more CMOS Q & A, see http://tinyurl.com/2xscwn.
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Purge Your Prose of Problems
A Book Doctor's Desk Reference, Fifth Edition
Please don't buy this book! I'd rather you pay me thousands of dollars
to edit your book. I don't want you to use this book to go into the
business of editing books for others, either, yet many people do.
If you insist, though, you can order my proprietary book-doctor desk
reference book online at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
In alphabetical order and in easy-to-understand language, Purge Your
Prose of Problems covers all you need to know to revise and edit
fiction and nonfiction books, including grammar, punctuation, word
choices, creative writing, plot, pace, characterization, point of view,
dialogue, Chicago style, format, and much more. The spiral binder lets
the book lie flat in front of your computer, for easy use. Available
printed or as a PDF e-book that allows you to keep all this vital
information on your computer for ready reference.
To save thousands of dollars by editing your own book, order Purge Your
Prose of Problems today at http://tinyurl.com/4ptjnr.
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Capitalize or Not?
Are dog breed names capitalized? When do you capitalize the title of a
college course? When are things not capitalized? Hunter College offers
a terrific list that explains almost all the rules of capitalization,
although it follows academic style, rather than Chicago style. For
example, in Chicago style, president and pope are not capitalized
unless those words precede the name. (The president gave a State of the
Union speech. The crowd rose when President Obama walked in.)
Nevertheless, the following website is a great beginning resource for
writers. See
http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-writing/on-line/capital.html.
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Free Tools for Writers from Bobbie Christmas and Zebra Communications
Order PDF reports on writing-related subjects, including 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. Go to
http://zebraeditor.com/free_reports.shtml. Newest report: Genre: A
Slippery Subject Essential to Fiction: Learn about genre fiction
categories and the benefits of complying with genre specifications.
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Words Writers Should Know
paregmenon
puh-REG-muh-non
noun: The juxtaposition of words that have a common derivation, as in
"sense and sensibility."
Today's word comes from "Word of the Day" at dictionary.com.
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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: $8.95, no
S & H, with almost instant delivery. You'll save almost $10 by buying
the e-book! To order either, go to http://tinyurl.com/lexp7n.
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Why Use an Editor?
A friend recommended some books by a particular writer, so I looked
them up on Amazon. To decide whether I wanted to buy any of the
author's books, I read the reviews by those who had read them. One
review stood out like a stop sign. In part it said, "There were a lot
of misspellings. I don't know if it is a failure of the Kindle version
alone or not, but it is really off-putting. If he didn't care enough to
spell words correctly, why should I care enough to read it and take it
seriously?" This excerpt came from a review of The Storm Before the
Calm: Book 1 in the CONVERSATIONS WITH HUMANITY Series (Kindle Edition)
written by someone who uses lwalker as an ID.
Why pay to have your book or e-book edited? Don't bother, unless you
want to be taken seriously.
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Keep up with Bobbie's activities on Twitter:
http:twitter.com/BookDoctor4u
Become Bobbie's friend on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.christmas
New! Zebra Communications on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Zebra-Communications/133481530079088
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Five: Contests, Agents, and Markets
Wisdom of Woodstock Anthology
Call for Personal Experience Essays
Were you living at the time the world came together in peace, love, and
harmony for the infamous Woodstock concert? If so, you have spent
enough years on earth to have learned some valuable lessons and
experienced unique, pleasant, or even unpleasant events that resulted
in wisdom. It is time to share that wisdom in the Wisdom of Woodstock
anthology. We are looking for original personal experience essays that
reveal an incident that resulted in wisdom, revelation, or comfort. For
details, see http://zebraeditor.com/writing_competition.shtml.
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Say Cheese!
Culture, a magazine devoted to all-things cheese, launched earlier this
year. The quarterly covers the broad spectrum of cheeses, detailing
artisan and regional varieties, the craft of cheesemaking, profiles of
cheesemakers, recipes, and more. Editor-in-chief is Elaine Khosrova,
editor@culturecheesemag.com. For more, see www.culturecheesemag.com.
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Big World Looking for Articles
(for guidelines, see http://www.bigworldmagazine.com/submit/)
Big World magazine is looking for great articles about culture, ideas,
voyages, food, people, and trends. Send us strong narrative,
provocative profiles, reported stories, investigative work, video, and
photos that evoke a sense of place.
Big World pays modest rates for original, unpublished story packages.
We'll also carry your bio, your website link, and an ad of your
choosing. If you'd like us to syndicate your story, we'll pay you 50%
of any syndication fees.
Categories:
BIG SHOT Photos, illustrations, videos and brief docs that tell stories
about places
VOICES Audio clips that take us there
CULTURE Reported stories from the ground (up to 2,000w)
JOURNEY Unforgettable odysseys (up to 2,000w)
PROBE Investigations into travel abuses and scams (variable)
FAR FLUNG Life in removed or under-the-radar places (up to 800w)
PEOPLE Amazing profiles (up to 800w)
FEST Show us an unusual celebration (500w)
EAT Explore cuisines (variable)
COMMENT Essays of protest and ideas (up to 1500w)
READING Books we need to know about (please query)
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STOREY PUBLISHING
210 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams MA 01247
Phone: (800)793-9396
Fax: (413)346-2196
webmaster@storey.com
www.storey.com
Deborah Balmuth, editorial director (building, sewing, gift).
"The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages personal independence
in harmony with the environment. We seek to do this in a positive
atmosphere that promotes editorial quality, team spirit, and
profitability.The books we select to carry out this mission include
titles on gardening, small-scale farming, building, cooking,
homebrewing, crafts, part-time business, home improvement, woodworking,
animals, nature, natural living, personal care, and country living.We
are always pleased to review new proposals, which we try to process
expeditiously. We offer both work-for-hire and standard royalty
contracts."
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HAYDEN'S FERRY REVIEW
c/o Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing
Arizona State University, P.O. Box 875002
Tempe AZ 85287-5002
Phone: (480)965-1337
HFR@asu.edu
www.haydensferryreview.org
Beth Staples, managing editor.
"Hayden's Ferry Review publishes the best quality fiction, poetry, and
creative nonfiction from new, emerging, and established writers." A
semiannual publication with a circulation of 1,300.
See website for more information.
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Six: Got Muse?--Of "The" I Sing--Or Not
Strong writers know to use the article "the" to mean a specific item.
They avoid overusing "the," especially when "a" is a better choice.
Look at this example: He jumped into the car and took out his keys. The
previous sentence means the car was specific (probably the owner's
car). The following sentence means she jumped into any car she could
find. She jumped into a car and hid in the back seat.
For this exercise, write an essay or short story without using the word
"the." You'll be surprised how much more creative you will become when
you limit your use of this one little article.
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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."
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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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