The A Cappela Newsletter for Writers
March/April 2002
NEWS & VIEWS YOU CAN USE
Your monthly newsletter from Patrika, your Author's Advocate
Visit her, send an email, at www.acappela.com
IN THIS ISSUE:
*Pat's Picks
*News You Can Use
*Markets
*Trivia
*Contests
*Book Gossip
*Writing Q&A:
Websites of Interest
*Wordplay
*Quote of the Month
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ANSWER YOUR WRITING QUESTIONS THE EASY WAY
You're new to the writing game and you have more questions than you can count. You don't have an agent yet and aren't even sure what an agent does. Same goes for an editor or a publicist. You're not even sure who can help answer all your questions.
E-mail your questions to our Q&A and read your answers in this newsletter, acappub@aol.com Subject: Q&A
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 (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
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PAT'S PICKS:
Want to learn how you can get published? Need help editing or marketing your
manuscript? Want to take virtual classes to improve your writing skills? Visit this
award-winning website to learn what options await you. http://www.acappela.com.
*****
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
~ NAME YOUR PRICE 1stBooks Library (http://www.1stbooks.com) plans to offer authors the option of choosing the retail price of their books.
~ NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW ADDING POETRY The New York Times will now regularly publish original poetry in the Book Review, striving to include a mix of poetic forms from both well-known and brand-new voices. Audio components will be available online for the poets published in the Book Review.
~ The United States Postal Service (http://www.usps.gov)
plans to raise the price of a first class stamp from $.34 to $.37 in June. ~ Less than 30%
of 20-29 year olds preferred print newspapers or magazines over the Web version, according
to a study from Forrester Research. Source: Media Life Magazine:
~SURGING BOOK SALES REVEAL CONSERVATIVE TREND. While Borders reports that fiction was their best selling category over the holidays, other stores noticed a different trend: nonfiction books by conservative authors have been flying off shelves. The most popular is Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distorts the News, by Bernard Goldberg, a former CBS correspondent, which has raced to the top of the New York Times' best seller list.
~ PALM EBOOK SALES UP. Palm Digital Media announced that it sold almost 180,000 ebooks
in 2001, up more than 40 percent from 2000. Palm is still bullish on ebooks despite some
recent bad news for the industry -- the closing of epublishers iPublish.com, Mighty Words
and Random House's AtRandom ebook imprint.
*****
MARKETS
~ BOOK, The Magazine for the Reading Life 80% freelance written bi-monthly magazine covers books and reading. Buys first electronic rights, makes work-for-hire assignments. Nonfiction: Book excerpts, essays, interview/profile. Query alanger@bookmagazine.com with published clips. Length: 1,000-4,000 words. Pays 30 days after publication, Query alanger@bookmagazine.com
: ~A CUP OF COMFORT FOR WOMEN(www.cupofcomfort.com) actively seeking submissions of compelling true stories (1000-2000 words) about the people, places, experiences, and things that bring comfort to women. Aspiring & established writers welcome. Submission Deadline: April 1,2002. Guidelines:wordsinger@aol.com
~Freelance Writers. Looking for new writers to contribute to a new women's travel site. Must have good research skills and a hip, fresh, brutally honest style of writing. Site is for independent women, 18-26, who love to travel and don't take any crap. Query Sabrina Sakata (sfsakata@yahoo.com ) with article ideas or for a working list of article needs. Pays $10/article plus bylines galore and cool, free perks.
~From Arcady Soclakov: "I am intending write and send releases and short articles
about quality, management, human relations including life quality, health and food. But
you see my clumsy English. I have some positive results but for what price! And now is my
idea. Can I find some writer maybe among moms or other freelances which may transform my
clumsy content in elegant linguistic form? I can't pay in cash but reward maybe from fee
or mutual fame." arcon@dialup.ptt.ru .
~The Writer's Lounge is now a paying market for personal essays.
E-Markets (web sites & ezines)
5/1
Bi-monthly literary e-zine, The Pedestal Magazine, seeking contributions from poets,
short story tellers and article writers, both established and burgeoning. Prints poetry,
ranging from the highly experimental to the traditional; fiction of all sorts, but
especially work that crosses genres; also open to academic/scholarly works, as well as
articles focusing on aesthetics, psychology, philosophy and religion. Details: http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com
POZ Magazine (http://www.poz.com), the national magazine for people living with HIV/AIDS, needs bright and creative freelance medical/health writers to tackle everything from full-length features to brief news reports.Submit a resume or letter describing your writing experience to Walter Armstrong (waltera@poz.com ).
*****
TRIVIA
According to a 1999 Gallup Poll, 60% of Americans read 10 or fewer books per year; 13%
read none; 55% of adults spend less than half an hour a day reading printed material at
all. Also: mankind has been reading for 5,000 years and moveable type has been around for
500 years.
The November 13th issue of "Publishers Weekly" reported that romance is
holding its own as the most popular mass market category, with a 58.2% share of the market
last year.
*****
CONTESTS
NOTE: Writers interested in entering literary contests should check out the Literary Contest Caution (), a site that lists poetry and creative writing contests known to rip-off writers.
~ L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest, in its 18th year, has
become the largest and most successful merit competition of its kind in the world, with a
Hall of Fame judges panel. Details:
info@bridgepub.com
4th Annual Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. First prize is
$10,000 and screenwriting software for the 3 winners, 10 runners up, and 17 finalists. All
thirteen winners will be considered by Scriptapalooza's participants, which include AMG,
Samuel Goldwyn Films, Film Colony, Evolution, Phoenix Pictures.All entries must be
postmarked no later than April 15, 2002. , <http://www.scriptapalooza.com>
or call 323.654.5809.
*****
FEEDBACK
"Just wanted you to know that your Strip Tease Writing, was the
most challenging writing course I've ever taken. I appreciate the fact that you made me
think, rather than put a bunch of words on paper in an attempt to make them sound
sensible. I think that people like you who know how to make writers strive to reach their
potential are to be valued." Anne Jasper (luvsdsea@yahoo.com
)
*****
BOOK GOSSIP
Stephen King (http://www.stephenking.com) announced his plans to retire after he writes the five books he's currently under contract to pen. However, King's agent, Arthur Greene, says it's unlikely King will be able to just stop writing.
Houghton has bought U.S. and Canadian rights to the first novel from non-fiction author, Bella Bathurst. The subject will reportedly be about teenagers in trouble.
Some shifting is going on at Viacom, and according to the New York Times,
book division Simon & Schuster will now fall under the auspices of its entertainment
group. Viacom also said that unit chief exec John Newcomb had resigned. The announcement
puts an end to rumors that have been circulating about Viacom's intention to sell Simon
& Schuster. Newcomb, who has been at the helm of Simon &Schuster since 1994, said
he didn't agree with the decision not to sell or merge the unit with a larger publisher.
Avon Books has secured more than seven titles from Meggin Cabot. She is
signed to pen three historical romances and three contemporary romances. In addition, she
is also planning a comic novel told through emails, titled The Boy Next Door.
Jerry Seinfeld has signed a deal with Little, Brown Children's to write a book for the kids. The full-color picture book, to be titled Halloween, is based on his comedy routine about what he calls "the two Cs of the holiday" - candy and costumes. It is scheduled for release in July.
Hollywood News
~Warner Brothers has optioned the screen rights to noted science fiction writer Philip K. Dick's semi-autobiographical novel, A Scanner Darkly. The story tells of a man so immersed in drug dementia that he cannot differentiate between his job as a narcotics officer and his paranoid addict persona, Fred. ~St. Martin's Press has purchased the world publishing rights to PhoebeHoban's untitled biography of renowned American artist Alice Neel. The book will chronicle the life of Neel, who died in 1984 at the age of 84. She was an early feminist, a single mother, and a political activist. She suffered the loss of two children and a nervous breakdown, but never ceased her passionate political and social activism. ~Columbia Pictures has acquired the film rights to A Code for Zero by Ken Follett. It is about an American during the heyday of the space race of the 1950s who had his memory erased. In his quest to regain it, he finds his life getting more complicated, rather than less. Mirage Entertainment has secured the screen rights to Cheet, a novel by Anna Davis, about a vivacious London cab driver who is juggling five boyfriends at the same time. Savile Productions has optioned the motion picture rights to the life of Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards. Perhaps best known for his bid for glory in the 1988 Winter Olympics in the ski jump competition, the true story will chronicle his clumsy performances and last-place finishes. Walt Disney Pictures has secured the life rights of Peter Westbrook, the only African-American to win a fencing medal in the Olympics.
DreamWorks has optioned the film rights to the Matt Helm series of spy
novels. Made famous in the 1960s by Dean Martin's portrayal of the suave, American spy,
the stories chronicle the exploits of the U.S. answer to James Bond.
*****
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: Are there any rules for E-QUERIES?
A: As e-mail continues to become more popular than traditional "snail" mail, many writers are discovering that e-queries elicit better responses from editors than regular queries and SASEs. Here are three rules to help keep your e-query out of the trash folder:
1. WAIT A WHILE. If an editor rejects an idea of yours, don't fire another one back seconds later. This may suggest to the editor that you're going to be a pest.Also, allowing at least a few days between queries gives the editor the impression that you've been thinking hard about why the first idea didn't work and trying to come up with a better one.
2. GIVE REMINDERS Just because you listed your awesome credentials in a previous e-mail, don't assume the editor remembers who you are. Sneak at least a sentence or two about yourself in there as a reminder.
3. TAKE IT SLOW Queries containing multiple ideas work better on paper
than in e-mail. Editors who don't like your first idea may not scroll down to read more.
If you're determined to send more than one idea at a time, number them and alert the
editor up top. For example, "Here are three ideas I thought might be right for your
magazine."
*****
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
the "Guide to Grammar & Writing," prepared by English prof Charles Darling
Want to brush up on your grammar rules? Check here for overviews of sentence parts,
punctuation, unbiased language, "notorious confusables," and more. More than 170
quizzes to test your understanding
CREATIVE CENTRAL (http://www.creativecentral.com/central.htm) is a gateway to four separate marketplaces for writers. Search for jobs in Creative Central, Medical Central, Executive Central, or Technical Central. INTERNET MARKETS FOR WRITERS A list of various links for all writers, such as e-zine databases, jobs and assignments, submission guidelines, writers groups, and more.
The U.S. Copyright Office's Web-based search engine () to help locate the
copyright status of millions of books, music recordings, movies and software items.
Copyright records in the search engine date back to 1978.
*****
WORDPLAY
From The Washington Post's contest for readers, in which they were asked to supply alternate meanings for various words:
>>Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent >>Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp
>>Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightie..
*****
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its
ultimate expression." --Isaac Bashevis Singer
*****
Don't forget to send in your suggestions, feedback, and your writing
questions and check our website (www.acappela.com)
for our page of website resources
Patrika
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