A Cappela Newsletter for Writers                 August 2002

Your monthly newsletter from Patrika, your Author’s Advocate™

Visit her, send an email, at www.acappela.com

Recipient of the Certificate of Merit
Writer’s Digest 2001 Zine Publishing Competition

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DON’T MAIL THAT MANUSCRIPT

without a professional review from A Cappela

Before you mail out that manuscript or query, make sure it’s as polished and professional as possible. Send your work to A Cappela Publishing and get the specific tailored advice you need to get an extra edge on the competition — and make all your manuscripts more marketable.

After a thorough evaluation of your submission, one of our published, professional staff writers will give you detailed feedback and recommendations. You’ll learn what is and isn’t working in your writing, and how to fix it.

Your Critique includes:

*Genre-specific Advice

Whether your writing is a novel or a nonfiction book, an article or short story, a query letter or book proposal, you can be sure that your work will be evaluated by a pro who has personal experience with the same kind of writing.

*Grammar and Style Suggestions

Your personal reviewer will evaluate your writing to point out common grammatical, structural and stylistic mistakes — mistakes that can mean the difference between a rejection and a sale.

*Market Recommendations

If your manuscript is marketable as is, or with slight revision, you’ll get recommendations for marketing your work — including how to identify the publishers which buy your kind of writing.

For complete information, including submission guidelines and rates, visit

http://www.acappela.com/critiques.htm

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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 450 writers. Won't you help this ezine grow? Tell your friends to subscribe at http://www.acappela.com

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PAT’S PICKS:

New Class: The long-awaited class on Dialect Writing is now available. See www.acappela.com/classes.htm for details

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MARKETS

~Interviews/Fiction/Poetry

Discovery Trails Needs Christian-themed stories, poems, and articles for a young (10- to 11-year-old) audience; Fiction with a strong story line that presents Christianity in action without being preachy. Nonfiction should have reader appeal and emphasize some phase of Christian living. 800-1,000 words (fiction); 300-500 words (articles); 300 words (poetry, fillers, games). Electronic and/or simultaneous subs OK; submit material about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter 12-15 months in advance. Pays 7 to 10 cents per word; on acceptance.

~Fiction

Murder One Books are currently soliciting stories for "The Mammoth Book of Road Stories." "The Mammoth Book" is open to many different styles and genres but all stories must be about the love of the open road, of rolling down the window to feel the miles breeze by. Suggested themes include: cops and crooks barreling down midnight boulevards; summer vacations gone wildly wrong; sentimental journeys made in hope and despair; ancient travels of wandering wise men; postapocalyptic road warriors and high-octane nightmares; tales of truck stops and gas stations; parodies and variations on such classic road pictures as "Thelma and Louise" and "Vanishing Point" or even the "road" films of Hope and Crosby; stories of fast driving and reckless cornering; explorations of the seduction of the open road and modern wanderlust; stories of the lives of traveling salesmen and hard driving, hard living truckers; and many, many more. Participants in this anthology will have the honor of being published alongside such notables as Jack Kerouac (On The Road), John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath), Hunter S. Thompson (The Rum Diary) and many others. Payment: $150 for original works, $100 for reprints. Word Count: 2,500 to 10,000 words maximum. Deadline is Jan. 1. US submissions should be sent to M. Christian and European and United Kingdom submissions should be sent to Maxim Jakubowski,Editor, The Mammoth Book of Road Stories, 71-73 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OAA, U.K.

~Nonfiction

Story Ideas TV documentary series seeks great true tales from small towns and rural areas -- stories that have become part of local lore but would also enthrall a national audience. Must have memorable characters, interesting evolution, satisfying outcome. Avoid tales of crime, disaster, illness unless part of larger, more unusual story. Those whose suggestions are produced receive $500 and role in documentary production. Send submissions and queries to Jack McDonald at AnAmericanStory@cs.com

Memory Makers (http://www.memorymakersmagazine.com) Editorial content for features is typically driven by actual scrapbook page ideas submitted by our readers, but we also consider article queries covering related topics (Pages That Heal, Scrapbooking Around the World). Editorial is finalized six months in advance of newsstand date, so plan appropriately for timely or seasonal article topics. Our voice is conversational and friendly. We look for detail-oriented writing that captures people's personalities and experiences. When applicable, we prefer articles that include at least two expert sources.

We typically run five features in each issue. The two longest are usually about 1,500 words and deal with a scrapbook theme (such as scrapbooking about yourself or everyday inspiration for pages) or technique (such as using vellum). Our inspirational feature (1,000-1,200 words) tells the personal story of how someone's life has been impacted by scrapbooking. It is often written in the first person, from the perspective of the person featured in the article. The two other features (about 800 words each) are designed to motivate readers to try a new technique, craft or product in their albums. Our craft features include a short introduction and step-by-step instructions. Strong instructional writing skills are necessary. Material for these articles is typically generated from reader-submitted ideas. Deadlines will be assigned when the editor initially contacts the writer about an article. Articles can be submitted by e-mail or Macintosh-formatted disk (using Microsoft Word or Quark Xpress) on or before the deadline that the writer has been given. Computer disks should be clearly marked with the author's name (and address if they want the disk returned), magazine department and article's title. Along with the finished article, please include information for verifying all sources used in the article. Freelancers are responsible for providing some means of verification for names, titles and other pertinent information used, such as a phone number, business card or e-mail address. Purchases first world serial rights for the one-time use of articles. Payments vary. Authors will be paid approximately 30 days after completion of the project. Advice to New Writers: Familiarize yourself with Memory Makers. Then send or e-mail a query letter to the attention of our copy editor, Amy Partain, with the idea you feel may interest our readers. Include samples of your previous work and an outline of your writing experience. We are also willing to look at completed manuscripts. Be sure to include your phone number and enclose a stamped return-reply postcard. We are unable to return unsolicited manuscripts. Memory Makers Magazine,

12365 Huron St., Suite 500, Denver, CO 80234. Phone: (303) 452-1968, fax: (303) 452-2164, editorial@memorymakersmagazine.com

~ Screenplays

StoneKap Productions, Ltd. (www.stonekap.com) currently accepting feature length screenplay submissions for possible development and production. Those wishing to submit original work should supply a one page treatment, contact information, and a script that best represents the author's true vision and talent. All styles and genres are welcome as long as they are considered the best example of the writer's work. If your work is considered you will be contacted. Therefore, no phone calls please. E-mail submissions to scripts@stonekap.com. Thank you for you interest.

Breakout Productions looks for manuscripts that take a different perspective than the norm. It publishes 6 titles a year and offers as much as a $1,500 advance.P.O. Box 1643, Port Townsend WA 98368. Phone: (360)379-1965 Fax: (360)379-3794

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CONTESTS

NOTE: Writers interested in entering literary contests should check out the Literary Contest Caution (http://windpub.org/literary.scams/index.htm), a site that lists poetry and creative writing contests known to rip off writers

Deadline August 12, 2002 Were you there when Arthur pulled the sword from the stone, a sad queen lost her head after ruling for only nine days, a young prince forfeited his throne and his life in London Tower? Or maybe fantasy is more your forte and you rode at the side of a lost king from middle earth or had a strange encounter with the fisher king in the land of desolation. If you can see through their eyes and others like them, then you'll have no trouble in coming up with a winner for the new short story competition being promoted jointly by http://www.writelink.co.uk and http://www.raindance.co.uk Celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee, the Once and Future King has a theme wide open to creative interpretation. The only stipulation is that stories must be no longer than 2,000 words and feature a member of a royal family! There are prizes of £175, £75 and £50 or US dollar equivalent. Full details on the website. http://www.writelink.dabsol.co.uk/Competitions/Once___Future_King/once___future_king.html Deadline: August 15, 2002

Oregon Writers Colony Annual Short Fiction and Nonfiction Contest. Prizes: $200, $100, and $50 for top 3 finishers in each division. Length: up to 3,000 for short stories; up to 1,500 for creative nonfiction. Multiple entries OK. Original, previously unpublished entries only. Send 4 copies of your entry with no identifying marks. Entry fee: $10 per entry for OWC members; $15 per entry for non-members. Include name, address, e-mail and title of entry. Include SASE for confirmation of receipt. Send entries to Oregon Writers Colony, PO Box 1829, Lake Oswego, OR 97035. Inquiries: Nancy Boutin, phone: (503)636-4759.

~Deadline August 26, 2002 http://readersworld.com.au Telling tales is something we can't seem to help. Well now it's your chance to do just that and get paid for it. Most tales get told at school, someone can't help 'dobbing-in' someone either for reward or to shift blame. Have you ever told tales or has someone told tales about you? We'd love to hear about them and of course most importantly we want to know the consequences. Make us laugh, make us cry, it doesn't matter which, just as long as you stir our emotions. In no more than 250 words we want you to tell tales. Prizes: 1st: AUS$200, 2nd: AUS$100. Open to anyone in the world. No entry fee. Each entry should be submitted on one A4 page. Don't forget to add your full name and address, plus competition entered. For snail mail please send to: Telling Tales, Readers' World, PO Box 301 Joondalup, Western Australia 6919. If using e-mail, please send in body to tellingtales@readersworld.com.au . Attachments will not be opened. Send as many entries as you like but only one entry on each page. In subject line please state name of competition entered. The best entries chosen for publication in our first Terrific Tales anthology will receive $5. ~Deadline August 31, 2002 Garden State Horror Writers is now accepting entries for its 10th Annual Short Story Contest. No specific theme, but entries must be horror, science fiction, fantasy, mystery or any combination thereof. Up to 4,000 words. Entries must be unpublished, and not accepted by any publisher, at the time of contest submission. First prize is $100 and The Graversen Award; second prize is $50 and third prize is $25. Each eligible entry will be critiqued by three published writers and/or editors. To enter, submit three copies of the story by mail to GSHW Short Story Contest, P.O. Box 156, Chatham, NJ 07928-0156. Each entry must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped business envelope for score sheets and critiques, and a check or money order, payable to GSHW, for the entry fee of $10 per story, or $7 for GSHW members. Winners will be announced Oct. 19. For full guidelines, write to the contest address or visit http://gshwgravesite.tripod.com. E-mail inquiries to mlf20@msn.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.

A: When on-line publishers first hung out their virtual shingles, busy publishers barely looked up from their slush piles long enough to take notice. Now, three years later what began as a "novel" idea, has turned into a publishing revolution. These on-demand publishers are churning out new titles by the thousands and iUniverse recently announced that they've paid out over a million dollars in royalties. In fact, early estimates suggest the on-line publishing industry will reach the 78 billion dollar mark this year. Print-on-demand machines once seen as "clunky and expensive" are becoming quite a bit more sophisticated. Even Xerox has thrown their hat into the POD ring offering machines that will soon be able to produce the much sought after color interiors. While the original objective of the on-line publisher was to offer a doorway to ebooks, the electronic book has just begun to take off leaving the terrain wide open for the newest kid on the book publishing block. Naysayers of this industry thought that only sub-standard books would be published this route and lamented that the industry would be deluged with second rate novels. Nothing has been further from the truth. Yes, while many more books are now filling the shelves of such on-line retailers as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, still only the good ones rise to the surface. Those remarkable books that were overlooked by busy agents and editors have found a voice elsewhere and authors are succeeding by the thousands. Xlibris recently announced that one of their novels (The Pearls of the Stone Man) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has since been picked up by a larger house. And by this time, of course, we all know the success of Legally Blond, Chris Lear's Running with the Buffaloes, and Learning to Fall. With larger publishers no longer able to take the risks they used to on first-time authors, they are closely watching the emergence of these books. Why? Because it's a sure thing. Buying out a contract of a book that is already successful is less of a risk than one that still needs to build an audience. Certainly, this doesn't happen all the time. But it does happen. And making the "best seller list" is a not-too-far-fetched fantasy for an on-demand author anymore. Is there a downside to POD publishing? Of course, nothing's perfect. But I'd rather take my chances with this than leave my manuscript to languish on the shelf, unread and unpublished. So, if you're still on the fence about on-demand publishing why not hop off and join us at Advocate House (http://www.acappela.com/AH.htm) where the grass is green,, the readers are plentiful, and success is everywhere!

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WORDPLAY.

*Pokemon (n), A Jamaican proctologist

* temulency -- n. Inebriation, drunkenness.

* teratosis -- n. A biological freak, or monstrosity.

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Notable quotes from those who’ve done it:

Patrika

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