The A Cappela Newsletter for Writers                                                                                                                     NOV/DEC 2001

IN THIS ISSUE:
*Pat's Picks   
*News You Can Use
*Markets    
*Trivia
*Contests    
*Book Gossip
*Writing Q&A: What's your opinion? Question of the month:  "Do you see e-publishing as an opportunity or
an obstacle?" and "Will e-books sell?"
*Wordplay:   
*Quote of the Month
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Writer's Digest is accepting nominations for their annual installment of the 101 Best Websites For Writers. Feel like giving us a plug? (You can nominate  more than one site, by the way-- I always do!) Send your nominations  to wd-tools@fwpubs.com.

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?
My hope for this newsletter is to bring you the stories that affect the choices you're making, events that are shaping this industry and tools to help you grow and market your book! This is your newsletter.  Does it contain what you most want?  If not, email me (http://acappub@aol.com/) with your ideas on what to add/delete.  Let me know what you like most/least about it.  I'm here for you.
Forward this issue to your writer friends NOW and tell them to subscribe. Forward the ENTIRE issue, not bits and pieces of  it. This issue has been sent out to 350 writers. Won't you help this  ezine grow? Tell your friends to subscribe at  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Writers%20Newsletter/join


PAT'S PICKS:
New column?
Would you like a chance to network with your fellow subscribers, putting out a call for information or feedback or whatever?  I'm considering adding a Bulletin Board column to this newsletter — but I need your input to decide.  Email me at PvScribe@aol.com with your thoughts on this, please.
Got a story haunted with lifeless characters or stiff, plodding dialogue? We can help you bring them back from the dead and to life on the page. It's not as  hard as you thought: you just have to know the right tricks in order to treat your readers to compelling characters.  Sign up now for the workshop, Bringing Your Characters to Life

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NEWS YOU CAN USE:

~McGraw-Hill Trade ( http://www.ebooks.mcgraw-hill.com ) is offering to the public -- free -- the newly released ebook for The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery, and Growth by Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D.  Dr. Schiraldi has taught stress management at the Pentagon.  The ebook is available from  Amazon, McGraw-Hill eBookstore, Palm Digital Media and the Adobe eBookstore.


~In response to the Supreme Court's decision on the Tasini case, the San Diego Union-Tribune is shuttering it's online archive of articles published before January 1, 2000. The company says it's not worth the bother or expense of combing through all the material to pull out freelance stories.
~Envisional, a UK-based Internet monitoring company, announced that many bestselling titles of top authors, such as J. K. Rowling, John Grisham, Stephen King and Terry Pratchett, are available for free download  over the web. Envisional's research showed that 7,267 different pirated ebooks could be freely accessed through newsgroups and Napster-like file-sharing networks such as gnutella. Envisional warned the publishing industry that the growing problem has the potential to impact upon the sector as hard as Napster hit the music industry.

~Print Begins Its Decline Hammered by lower dot-com advertising, rising postal rates and canceled subscriptions by consumers who increasingly prefer the Web, the circulations of many print magazines have started to shrink. The most recent Audit Bureau of Circulations report found that circulation has dropped for 76 of the top 200 magazines. TV Guide suffered a huge plunge. With a decrease of 13.1% it  missed its rate-base by over 500,000 copies.  (Source: Ad Age)

~ Author and futurist Douglas Rushkoff just released the Internet's first "open-source" novel on Yahoo Internet Life's website. The "open-source" scenario relates to the book's footnotes, to which readers will be able to contribute. One hundred of the best footnotes will be selected and included in the self-published U.S. print version of novel. The 100 contributors  whose footnotes are selected will be sent free autographed copies, and invited to the book release party. The author said that the online experiment cost him a conventional print book deal, since publishers were not inclined to publish a book already distributed for free on the Internet. The book did not strictly adhere to the open-source philosophy since contributors aren't allowed to repurpose and then share the modified work.

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CONTESTS

Sarasota Literary Society.  Unpublished fiction or non-fiction:  Articles, Essays, Short Stories, up to 5,000 words.  Poetry, 2 pages per entry.  PRIZES: Ist = $500. Annual. For details, see www.unknownauthors.org


Nov. 16 deadline  CRIMINAL INTENT CONTEST
Write a short story where the lead character opts to change from a law-abiding person to one willing to commit a felony. No fee.. Entries must be written in English,but writer can live anywhere in this world. Single space your entry, but place a double space between paragraphs. Do not indent. Stories should be less than 1,500 words. Paste your entry directly into the body of an e-mail and send to Contest@inscriptionsmagazine.com with the subject "Inscriptions Criminal Intent Contest." Include your real name, pen name (if applicable), mailing address, e-mail address and word count. Enter as often as you like.1st place -- $50 gift certificate from Amazon.Com (or cash equivalent)
   
Nov. 12 deadline. Crime and suspense webzine "Blue Murder" is sponsoring a "Hard-Boiled  Holiday Writing Contest." Must be written in 1st or 3rd third person, have a title and be 1,000 words or less.  Guidelines at (http://www.bluemurder.com)    Each story  must contain the words: fruitcake, wreath, eggnog, gloves, brandy, gift, turkey, taxi, store and cigar. $10 entry fee. The  prize is $100.  Info: David Firks at  info@bluemurder.com. Or call 503-292-6987, ext. 260.
"Glimmer Train Stories" announces that it is modifying  its submission policy. Beginning in October. Send submissions via their online  procedure at http://www.glimmertrain.com/.
Young Lions Fiction Award Mark Z. Danielewski has been named the winner of the first annual Young Lions Fiction Award for his novel, House of Leaves. The award,  carrying a $10,000 prize, recognizes the work of young authors age 35 and younger.Sponsored by the New York Public Library and given each spring to honor a novel or short story collection published within the calendar year. Nominations now being accepted for the third year of the award. Guidelines and entry forms at




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FEEDBACK

Correction:  Hi Patrika
Very interesting trivia section, however the P and Q definition is not correct I'm afraid. Quarts are not and have never been served in British pubs...The P and Q in question is a corruption of P(lease) and (Than)k you, ie mind your manners!!!   John Bannister, 14 Leyton Court, 51 Devonshire Road, London SE23 3EL
Thanks, John.  I appreciate your feedback.   Patrika

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BOOK GOSSIP

Stories Making News   St. Martin's Press has purchased the life story of Chuck Zito. This former bodyguard and president of the Hell's Angel's New York chapter, who is now acting, will write about his hard- living days. The book is said to probably  be titled Street Justice, and will be released in spring of 2003.  First-time author Joshua Furst sold a collection of short stories and a  novel to Knopf. The collection, Short People, will offers dark stories about  youth in America.
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~ Author and futurist Douglas Rushkoff  just released the Internet's first  "open-source" novel on Yahoo Internet Life's website. The "open-source"  scenario relates to the book's footnotes, to which readers will be able to  contribute. One hundred of the best footnotes will be selected and included in the self-published U.S. print version of novel. The 100 contributors whose footnotes are selected will be sent free autographed copies, and  invited to the book release party. The author said that the online experiment cost him a conventional print book deal, since publishers were  not inclined to publish a book already distributed for free on the Internet.The book did not strictly adhere to the open-source philosophy since contributors aren't allowed to repurpose and then share the modified work.

~Ted Fang, the editor and publisher of the San Francisco Examiner (http://www.sfgate.com) has been ousted by his mother, who will become the new publisher.

~Talk show host Oprah Winfrey (http://www.oprah.com) rescinded her offer to invite author Jonathan Franzen for dinner and to make an appearance as a guest on her show. Franzen's novel, "The Corrections," was recently chosen as the book of the month for Winfrey's book club. However, in interviews, Franzen made comments disparaging Oprah's literary selections. Franzen has apologized but Winfrey said she felt the author wouldn't be comfortable appearing on her show.

~Author Ken Follett placed the top bid of £2,200 to appear in Terry Pratchett's next fantasy novel. Ten authors, including Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smith, have offered to sell spots in their upcoming novels to benefit The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

~Horror author Douglas Clegg, who was among the first authors to offer a serialized e-book via the Internet, is now offering his well-regarded short novel, Purity, free to download at www.douglasclegg.com. Previously, Purity had only been available in a $30, signed, limited edition of 500 from Cemetery Dance Publications.

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MARKETS

online: Aribella Magazine publishes articles that educate, enlighten, and entertain women.  Wants well-written, informative articles in: current events, women's issues, health, nutrition, fitness, work, parenting, relationships, financial matters and self-improvement. New and experienced freelance writers.  Pays $20-50 for 800-1500 words, and $10 for 1st-person narratives and reprints. Buys first electronic rights. Full guidelines: http://www.aribella.com/guidelines.htm

~The Poetry Market (http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Poetrymarket),monthly e-zine featuring poetry markets, contests, articles and reviews, launched in November.

~Writer seeks input from his peers. Do you have a funny story or  memory about a dead parent? The kind of thing which always cracks you up when you're reminiscing about the old geezer?  E-mail me with the story (the funnier it is the better chance it has of making the book), together with details of who you are, who your mom/dad was, and a few lines about your relationship, how and when they died, etc. Submissions welcome from anywhere in the world.  $20 (or local currency equivalent) for all stories used, credit given  on acknowledgments page, and a free copy of the finished product.  Send to glenn@onlinegenerics.com.   ~Poetry writer compiling book of comic verse after the HAIKU style. Being essentially a book of funny poems, the only rule is that every poem has to be exaclty 17 syllables long. Any subject.  $10 for each which makes me laugh, credit in the book and a free copy  when produced.  Send to glenn@onlinegenerics.com.

~BABY TALK MAGAZINE . Mostly  freelance written. Published 10 times/year.  Written for women considering pregnancy or expecting a child and parents of children from birth through 18 months.  Emphasis on pregnancy through the first six  months of life. Non-Fiction articles and columns. Byline given.   Contact: Brittni Boyd, editorial assistant - http://www.babytalk.com/  

~Men's Health Magazine (http://www.menshealth.com) Authoritative source of information on all aspects of men's physical and emotional health. We rely on writers to seek out the right experts, and to either tell a story from a 1st-person vantage or to get good anecdotes. We carefully fact- check all quotes and health information. Average reader 35-years-old, well-educated urban or  suburban professional, active in sports and exercise  pursuits. Articles have the tone of a peer who happens to have spoken to a few authorities on the issue at hand. Imagine you're relating that information to the reader, one on one, over a beer or at dinner. The best place to break into the magazine is "Malegrams," or one of our one-page columns. For "Malegrams," we seek submissions of about 200 words. We pay $25 - $50 upon completion of fact-checking. Departments run 1,500 words; pay $500 - $2,000. Features 1,200 - 4,000 words,d pay $1,000 - $5,000.  Pamela Brinar, http://www.menshealth.com
  

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WRITING Q&A
If you have questions about general writing issues, send your questions to acappub@aol.com with "Ask Pat" in the subject line. The questions with  the greatest general interest will be answered here

.Q: A publisher wants to print my book but they say it will cost me $7,500.  Is this reasonable?
A: Sounds to me like a vanity publisher.  Vanity publishers will always publish your work if you pay them to do so.  They won't market your book - that will be up to you.  My advice would be to either find another publisher or to self-publish.  Visit our website at www.acappela.com for advice and help on self publishing.

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WEBSITES OF INTEREST

PUBLISHER'S CATALOGUES   (http://www.lights.com/publisher) A massive database of over 7400 entries. Search by region, topics, or enter a specific publisher's name. Volumes of info.  MARKETS FOR CHILDREN (http://members.tripod.com/~Beawriter/kids.html) Markets for children and teens who write. A great  site to encourage our children to read and write.  

CHILDREN'S WRITING LINKS (http://susettewilliams.com/Children's%20Resources/ChildrensPublishers.htm) Links to publishers message boards and resources for anyone who writes for children.

The Romantic Writer
(http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/theromanticwriter), a writers community dedicated to the discussion of romantic fiction, debuted.  ( http:www.acappela.com)

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WORDPLAY    (Fun Definitions:)

.>>Intaxication (n.), euphoria at getting a refund from the IRS, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

>>.Ignoranus (n.), a person who's both stupid and an @'hole.

Did you know:   The original name for butterfly was flutterby.

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Notable quotes from those who've done it:

A big leather-bound volume makes an ideal razorstrap. A thin book is useful to stick under a table with a broken caster to steady it. A large, flat atlas can be used to cover up a window with a broken pane. And a thick, old  fashioned heavy book with a clasp is the finest thing in the world to throw at a noisy cat.-- Mark Twain

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