The A Cappela Newsletter for Writers - May 2002
NEWS & VIEWS YOU CAN USE
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
IN THIS ISSUE:
*Pat's Picks
*News You Can Use
*Markets
*Trivia
*Contests
*Book Gossip
*Writing Q&A: Have a question? Send it in!
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. Send toacappub@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
ENTIRE issue, not bits and pieces of it. This issue has been sent out to 395 writers.
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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.
New Class: The long-awaited class on Dialogue Writing is now
available. See www.acappela.com/classes.htm for details
*****
NEWS YOU CAN USE:
~ Oprah Ditches Book Club For the last six years, Oprah's endorsement of a book has
turned obscure novels into best sellers overnight. In an industry where few books sell
more than 30,000 copies, those selected by Oprah routinely sold a million or more. Now,
suddenly, it is ending. The news jolted the publishing world, and not everyone is happy
about it -- or her explanation. The other reality is that Oprah's impact on book sales has
waned in recent years. In a recent issue of Fortune magazine, a Winfrey producer conceded
that the book club shows lagging ratings. Winfrey says she will continue to promote her
favorite books on her program -- just not as a regular feature. That's still disappointing
to an industry that considers Winfrey to have been its greatest salesperson ever.
~ Book-Buyers' Anonimity Preserved
In early April, the Colorado Supreme Court refused to order the Tattered Cover
bookstore in Denver to tell police who bought two how-to books on making illegal drugs.
The court ruled in a 6-0 unanimous decision that the First Amendment and state
constitution protect the right to purchase books anonymously.
~Informed Caution The Authors Guild (http://www.authorsguild.org) is urging members to
remove links on their Web sites to the amazon.com online retailer. In a statement, The
Guild said, "Amazon's practice does damage to the publishing industry, decreasing
royalty payments to authors and profits to publishers." As an alternative to Amazon,
the Guild is telling members to link to Barnesandnoble.com and BookSense.com instead.
~
U.S. Copyright Mail Still Slow
The U.S. Copyright Office received what it called "a small amount of mail" on March 4. The Copyright Office also reported that some of the mail it received was damaged by the irradiation process. This was the first mail the Copyright Office has received since October 17, when delivery was halted because of the anthrax mail attacks that killed five people and infected 13 others. The Office said it will be receiving more mail daily, although the amount coming in is only a small percentage of what has been held. The Office also reported that the mail it receives will not arrive in any particular order. Even though mail is being received, the Office said it may be a long time before it receives all the late mail and several months before it is caught up. The Office normally receives over 600,000 pieces of mail a year and did not receive mail for 4 1/2 months. The Office said it will inform people if there are problems with any of their filings, but it may be several months before people hear from them. The Office has laid out a procedure for handling the delayed mail on its website. Updates are posted on its website, along with FAQs for those with questions. http://www.loc.gov/copyright/mail.html
~ Stephen King Beamed to Manhattan In an effort to promote Everything's Eventual, Stephen King's latest short story collection, Palm and Simon & Schuster are beaming an excerpt from the book directly to Palm owners in Manhattan. For the next several weeks, New Yorkers with a Palm Powered handheld can get a free excerpt from King's new book by pointing their handheld at one of the 100 kiosks set up on the sidewalks of midtown Manhattan. Designed by interactive mobile media company Streetbeam Inc., in partnership with Viacom Outdoor, the kiosks are set up to beam information to Palm Powered handhelds using infrared signals. The hardcover edition and ebook of Everything's Eventual have already been released.
Stephen King has been involved in numerous ebook projects and electronic promotions
from Riding the Bullet to The Plant. The Plant was a solo project where
he sold a serial ebook from his website, but most of his epublishing adventures have been
promotion-oriented projects with his publisher.
~ Judge Backs AOL in Author's Suit Author Harlan Ellison lost his suit against AOL last
month when US District Judge Florense-Marie Cooper ruled that AOL was protected by
provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Ellison had sued the giant Internet
service provider for allowing pirated copies of his eBooks to remain on the Usenet
newsgroup servers for two weeks. The original suit also named Usenet and Stephen
Robertson, "the fan who scanned the work and uploaded it onto the Usenet
servers," CNET reported. Robertson and Usenet settled. Ellison hasn't commented on
the ruling.
~ Defamation Doesn't Pay An Australian court ruled Friday that private investigator
Frank Monte defamed the Versace family and fashion empire when he claimed in his memoirs, The
Spying Game, that the family had mob ties and that it was involved in money
laundering and Gianni Versace's 1997 murder, the A P said Friday. Federal Court Judge
Brian Tamberlin said he didn't believe any of Monte's claims and granted an injunction
against any further publication of the book, which was pulled off shelves last year after
only 800 copies were sold.
*****
MARKETS
~ Native American Writer/Reporter Experienced freelance writers/reporters wanted for weekly Native American newspaper. Seek journalists who understand the issues facing Native people and who can report local and regional news with an eye toward helping readers gain a better understanding of how these issues affect them. Also need feature writers who can both work on assignment and develop ideas on their own. Our paper is distributed across the Upper Midwest and Plains states but our coverage is not limited to this area. Our needs are immediate--we want to build a top-notch network of the best Native-affairs journalists in the country. If you fit the bill and have the clips to prove it, contact Frank King at The Native Voice, 605-431-0405, or fjk@rushmore.com
- New American Review. A paying market. This magazine of selected short contemporary
fiction, essays, and poetry published by Authorlink.com.
http://www.writerswrite.net/pubdisp.cfm?market=112412895
~ Woman's Day (www.womansday.com) circulation 6 million, publishes 17 issues a year. 75% freelance written, pays $2,000 for "spirited essays" of 750 words for the Back Talk page, for example. Tips for breaking in: "Our primary need is for ideas with broad appeal that can be featured on the cover. These include diet stories, organizing tips and money saving information. We're buying more short pieces. Submissions must be double spaced and must include a SASE and clips. Faxes and e-mails will not be read."
~ The Sun:a Magazine of Ideas ( included in Writer's Digest's annual Fiction 50 listing in the June 2001 issue as one of the best for fiction writers.) Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, reprints. 90% freelance written. Pays $300-$500 fiction, $300-$1,000 nonfiction. Open to all kinds of writing, though favors work of a personal nature. Avoids stereotypical genre pieces like sci-fi, romance, western and horror. Query: Sun Publishing Co., 107 N. Roberson St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (919)942-5282
~ Grey Line Entertainment, a Motion Picture Production and Literary Management company
now accepting submissions. E-mail a letter of query (under one page long) to Sara Miller
at: submissions@greyline.net. Guidelines: "Queries for novels, nonfiction book
proposals, screenplays, and treatments should consist of a compelling and businesslike
letter giving us a brief overview of your story--and a one-sentence pitch. Be sure to
include your return address and a telephone number. Do not send any attachments.
*****
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
~ SCRIPTAPALOOZA extends deadline to May 7, 2002. (See last month's newsletter.)
~ May 31 deadline - RIVER STYX 2002 INTERNATIONAL POETRY CONTEST $1000 First Prize. Send up to 3 poems, not more than 14 pages. All entrants will be notified by SASE. $20 reading fee includes a 1 year subscription (3 issues). Include name and address on cover letter only. Judge: Ellen Bryant Voigt. Winner published in August issue. All poems considered for publication. Send to River Styx Poetry Contest, 634 N. Grand Blvd., 12th Floor, St. Louis, MO 63103.
~ May 31 deadline - PEP Writers' Contest Sponsored by Personal Success Systems.
Write a 500-word original profile of a person, fictional or real, that captures the
essence of that person. Prizes: $10,000 plus 3-months' free coaching/ $5,000/ $2,500.
Visit http://www.thewritecoach.com/contest.htm for additional information.
~ June 1 deadline - WILLAMETTE AWARD IN FICTION AND POETRY THE CLACKAMAS Literary Review, an award-winning, semi-annual journal, invites submissions for the 2002 Willamette Award in Fiction and Poetry. Winners in each genre receive $500 and publication in the Fall 2002 issue. Judges will be Tim Schell in fiction and Jeff Knorr in poetry. Submit one story up to 10,000 words or three poems by June 1 with SASE. The entry fee is $10 in each genre. No other submission guidelines.. Clackamas Literary Review, 19600 Molalla Ave. Oregon City, OR 97045. http://www.clackamas.cc.or.us/clr/
~June 21 deadline - 10TH GREAT BLUE BEACON SHORT-SHORT STORY CONTEST
Submit three double-spaced typed copies of each entry (only five entries per person). Maximum length = 1,000 words. Enter title & word count on first page, each copy. $5 reading fee. Prizes: $50, $25, $10. GBB Contests, 1425 Patriot Dr., Melbourne, FL 32940. Ajircc@juno.com
~ June 30 deadline - RED HEN PRESS SHORT STORY AWARD One story and 25 pages maximum per entry. Finalist judges are Kate Gale and Mark E. Cull. $15 entry fee per entry. SASE for notification only. Name and address on cover sheets only with title, address and telephone number. Award is $1000 and publication of the winning story. Send entry to: Red Hen Press, Attn: RHP Short Story Award, P.O. Box 3537, Granada Hills, CA 91394
~July 1 deadline - Arizona Authors Association
Money, publication and publicity prizes: Unpublished: Poetry (50-lines maximum), Short
story (15-page maximum) Essay/article/true story (15-page maximum) Novel, novella (5-page
synopsis and first 25 pages) Critiques available. Published categories (2000 or 20001
publication date):Novels, novellas, or short story collections Non-fiction Children's
literature. Entry forms and fee information: www.azauthors.com. Contact: Toby Heathcotte
623-847-9343
July 1 deadline -
WILLIAM FAULKNER AWARD ORIGINAL SHORT FICTION COMPETITION Draw from your own "postage-stamp of native soil" and write about it...as Faulkner would do. Send original unpublished short-fiction with three copies of the manuscript, and a copy of the work on disk (MS Word format preferred). Original copy must include a cover page with title, name, address, phone number for notifying winners. Additional copies should include only the title of the manuscript. Winners automatically release publication rights to the Tallahatchie RiverFest. Winners announced during the RiverFest on September 27, 2002. Contest open to adults (19 y/o and up). $10 fee per story. Make checks payable to Tallahatchie RiverFest. 5,000 word limit, double-spaced, typed in 12 point font. $500 First Place, $250 Second Place. Send to: Faulkner Short Fiction, Tallahatchie RiverFest, P.O. Box 125, New Albany, MS 38652. http://www.riverfest.ms/writing_competition.htm
*****
BOOK GOSSIP
~
Did you hear that J.K. Rowling "was upset" because a children's radio show in
Sweden was reading one of her Harry Potter books? Although the station didn't seek her
permission (and that's legal in Sweden), it did call her agent to ask where royalty checks
should be sent. Rowling demanded that the station cease reading her book. How many authors
do you know who would resent the publicity?
~ Author Amanda Brown has sold the print rights for her novel Legally Blonde to Dutton, after initially self-publishing it in 2001. She also captured a foreign publishing contract with Heyne Verlag of Germany. Legally Blonde was Ms. Brown's debut novel and the basis for the hit movie of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon and Luke Wilson.
~Legal News - The California Supreme Court struck down the state's "Son of
Sam" law last week. The court said the 1983 law, which prevents criminals from
telling stories of their crimes for profit, was unconstitutional because it violates a
criminal's state and federal First Amendment rights.
- A class action lawsuit is being filed against HarperCollins by authors who published books with the company between Jan. 1993 and April 2001. The current plaintiffs, Ken Englade and Patricia Simpson, claim the publisher breached their contracts in regards to overseas royalties. To participate in the suit, or for more information, call (212) 818-9150.
-A Turkish court acquitted Aram Publishing and author Noam Chomsky of disseminating separatist propaganda. If convicted, Chomsky and Fatih Tas, director of Aram Publishing, could have received a one-year jail sentence. Last year, Aram Publishing printed a Turkish translation of Chomsky's essay, "American Interventionalism," which claimed Turkey had launched a 15-year war against the Kurds. The country's anti-terrorist laws forbid criticism of the state's conduct of the war in the southeast.
~ The American Library Association (http://www.ala.org) recently released its list of
the Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000. They are: 1. The "Harry
Potter" series by J.K. Rowling (occult and antifamily themes) 2. "The Chocolate
War" by Robert Cormier (violence and offensive language) 3. The "Alice"
series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (sexual content) 4. "Killing Mr. Griffin" by
Lois Duncan (violence and sexual content) 5. "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
(offensive language, racism and violence) 6. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
by Maya Angelou (sexual content) 7. "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers
(offensive language, racism and violence) 8. The "Scary Stories" series by Alvin
Schwartz (violence and occult themes) 9. "The Terrorist" by Caroline Cooney
(negatively portraying the Islamic religion and Arabs) 10. "The Giver" by Lois
Lowry (sexual content, violence and occult themes)
*****
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: When I submit articles to magazines for publication, do I need to have them copyrighted? If so, how do I do that?
A: copyright protects the "expression" of an idea, such as
literary or musical works. Copyright does not protect ideas, concepts or facts. The most
important thing you need to know is that as soon as you create something in a "fixed
and tangible medium"--as soon as you write something down on paper or in a computer
file--it is protected under copyright. When you submit a manuscript to an editor, that
manuscript is protected under copyright, so the editor cannot publish your manuscript in
any form without written permission from the copyright owner (you). This is where
"publication rights" come into play. If an editor wants to publish your story,
he or she will usually send you a contract for either First North American serial rights
or all rights. If you sold all rights then you have lost the right to use the work again
yourself without getting the publisher's permission. If you sold only first serial rights,
then you are free to submit the work elsewhere. If you want to have documented proof that
your manuscript was created on a certain date, you could register your copyright with the
Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. The registration costs may be prohibitive to
struggling writers however, and it is highly unlikely that an editor would risk the high
cost of going to court over a freelance manuscript that could be purchased for a few
hundred dollars.
*****
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
www.uni.edu/english/craft/ is "Craft of Poetry," a site by an instructor and a former grad student at the University of Northern Iowa. It contains descriptions and examples of many different types of poetry and poetic elements.
Translation sites:
-FreeTranslation.com.- Type in the URL of a foreign language site and know the gist of what's being said.
-world.altavista.com, is more sophisticated, offering additional translations from Korean and Japanese to English (but not vice versa).
-And here's a fun site: The Dialectizer. Pretty much explains itself. My favorite: is
"Elmer Fudd"
*****
WORDPLAY
More from The Washington Post contest for readers: Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash. Flatulence (n.) the emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller. *****
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"The first draft reveals the art, revision reveals the artist." --Michael Lee
Don't forget to send in your suggestions, feedback, and your writing questions, and check our website (www.acappela.com) for other website resources
Patrika
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