A Cappela Newsletter for Writers                                                 Sept/Oct 2003

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:

NEW COLUMN: MEDIA CONTACTS

*Pat's Picks

*Markets

*Contests

*Media Contacts

*Writing Q&A

*Wordplay

*Quote of the Month

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Got a writing question?

E-mail your questions to our Q&A and read your answers in this newsletter. Send to:

acappub@aol.com, Subject: Q&A. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

SELF QUIZ ABOUT YOUR WRITING......

Here's a little self-quiz to help you figure out just where you are, and to point you toward where you want to go. The links following each question will lead you to some answers. For more information, email me: acappub@aol.com

Where are you?

1) have an idea but haven't written anything (link to WP&M, Consult; Writing Coaching)

2) got started, but bogged down (link to Classes, Writing Coaching, WP&M)

3) have first draft, but don't know if it's any good (link to Critique)

Where do you want to go?

1) improve my writing skills (WP&M, audiobooks, Classes)

2) edit what I've got into something publishable (Editing, Book Doctoring)

3) have a great piece of writing, and need to get it published (link to Stalking the Markets; Book Promotion; Self-Pub; Selling to Ims; eLitAgent)

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

MEDIA CONTACTS:

This new column is for those of you looking for ways to get your writings reviewed, to get a radio or TV interview, or in some other way promote your writing.

There's no easier way to get a guest slot on top national TV interview programs than to fit into a show the producers have already decided to do. Last issue we covered the Oprah Winfrey Show. Here are this months's topics:

Ricki Lake apply at www.ricki.com

Topic: *I think my spouse is cheating

Montel apply at www.montelshow.com

Topics: *Are you a woman who regrets living a life of crime?

*Are you a woman who regrets committing a crime against a loved one?

*Did some kind of disaster or tragedy happen at your wedding?



PAT'S PICKS:

What do you want?

Diana writes:

Here's what I like about the newsletter. I like the new media contacts and I like the market listings and Q &A. I like info. that can get me thinking in terms of new writing projects or learning more about the industry. Something I always look for in a newsletter is whether or not it has any links to quality websites for writers where I find more up-to-date current job listings. So I'm looking for something that give's me writing tips/info. like the Q&A and also something I can use as a resource.

So, readers: shall I re-institute the Websites of Interest column? Let me know.

(By the way, you'll find all sorts of writer resource links on www.acappela.com)

How to Become an EXPERT in Your Field

Write a book! Here's why:

* Authoring a book will help you gain instant credibility and differentiates you from your competition.

* People will listen to you and respect you because a book proclaims you as an expert.

* Your book will introduce you to new, more affluent clients.

* It will open the door for interviews on radio, TV and in newspapers, and a book review gives you FREE advertising.

Need help writing your book? See http://www.acappela.com/AH.htm

****Donate $5 to the A Cappela Newsletter for Writers and receive a free copy of the e-book, The Manual of Book Signings and Other Promotional Techniques****

Your donation helps in keeping this publication free for all writers!



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MARKETS

Nonfiction

~Child Needs articles on children's health, parenting and marital relationship issues; child behavior and development and personal essays pertaining to family life.. Pay: varies Guidelines: http://www.childmagazine.com/child_magazine/index.jsp#writers_guidelines

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A Cup of Comfort Devotional (Christian). While all of the Cup of Comfort anthologies are developed by Colleen Sell, the devotional is being developed by James Bell, a noted Christian writer, and his associate, Stephen Clark. For guidelines or to submit, please visit http://www.stephenrclark.com/cup/

~High Rise Magazine

Promotes modern living and emerging trends and cultures to 25-45 year old male readers. Looking for the submission of pitches. Topics: interior design, architecture, industrial design, fashion, lifestyle and culture; travel food; profiles of people recreating their industries from cities across North America and around the world. "Our spin is promoting design to men along with how design is contributing to culture and how culture is defining design." guidelines: 

Fiction/Poetry

~Eleven Bulls dedicated to promoting emerging artists and writers; publishes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Guidelines: http://www.elevenbulls.com. Email: friends@elevenbulls.com

~ ROMANCE STORIES/NOVELLAS. Write to: submissions@romancerag.com or The Romance Rag, P.O. Box 176, Saratoga, CA 95071-0176 for guidelines.

~Poetry. John Daniel and Co. pays 10% royalty on wholesale price. Established in 1980, they publish only the very best poetry they come across. When submitting a poetry collection, the editors advise sending 12-15 sample poems and SASE. Recent titles include Jonah and Job, by Judson Jerome, and The Balancing Pole, by Ann L. McLaughlin. jd@danielpublishing.com. www.danielpublishing.com

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CONTESTS

SEPTEMBER CONTESTS

Deadline: September 15th Wicked Words, Dirty Deeds: The Voodoo Stories Anthology The fifteen most intriguing stories will be selected for publication in the anthology. 1st place: $250 and copy of the anthology, 2nd place: $75 and copy of the anthology, 3rd place: $25 and copy of the anthology. 4th - 15th place will receive a copy of the anthology. Stories must be no less than 1,500 words and no more than 7,000 words.

Deadline: September 15th: Literal Latte Essay Awards. Entry fee: $10

Deadline September 17th: A Calling for Christian Poetry Currently seeks Christian Poetry. Submit up to 3 poems, each containing a maximum of 350 words. All poems must be typed in 12-point, single or double spaced--please, keep readability in mind. First Place $100; Second Place $75; Third Place $50. Additionally, each poem will be published on our site for a finite period of time. Poems must be relative to the Lord in some manner or another, be it by way of laughter, historical, testimonial, lyrical, prayerful, inspirational, etc.-- from the mundane to the sublime. May the Lord's creative gift of writing flow through you as you write. Please be sure to read and follow all of the poetry submission guidelines. Otherwise your poem(s) will have to be automatically excluded from review.

Deadline September 24th: Donard Publishing's short story competition, word limit 5000 words.. No entry fee.

Deadline: September 29th: OnceWritten.com is looking for the hottest short stories for our Fall Fiction Writing Contest. Polish off your best unused piece and send it along for a chance to win $1,000.

September 30th: Tom Howard Poetry Contest. Entry fee: $5 for every 25 lines Theme: Open. All types, genres and styles of poetry will be considered. No minimum or maximum length. Prizes total $1,000 in cash, plus publication in a printed anthology by John H. Reid and on-line by Jacobyte Books. A free copy of the printed book will be mailed to all authors whose poems are selected for publication. Entry forms are not required and there is no limit on the number of poems that may be submitted. Published poems are eligible, provided the author has retained anthology and electronic rights. Full details: http://www.jacobytebooks.com Deadline: September 30th: The Iowa Short Fiction Award & the John Simmons Short Fiction Award. No entry fee. Details: http://www.uiowa.edu/uiowapress/prize-rules.htm

OCTOBER CONTESTS

Deadline October 1st: Playing by the Lake Scriptwriting Festival Entry Fee: $10 Seeks full-length plays. Winner receives a $300 award, plus full production by Lake County Repertory Theater. For information and application contact ljaltman2@mchsi.com.

Deadline October 15th: St. Martin's Press' Malice Domestic Contest Prize: advance against future royalties of US$10,000

Deadline October 31st: Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine's sixth annual FIRE TO FLY short story contest. The stakes are higher, the topics more varied. And this year they're adding MORE winners. That's right, more chances for you to win! Entry Fee: $15/story Visit http://www.fmam.biz to read up on the contests, see what the magazine is all about.

Deadline October 31st: Book & Pamphlet Competition The Poetry Business Book & Pamphlet annual competition. Entrants enter a small collection of poems (20-24 pages of poems). The first stage winners have their work published as a pamphlet by Smith/Doorstop Books. Each winner can then submit an extended manuscript: the final winner will have their entry published as a full collection. There is also a cash prize. For full details and entry form, contact the Competition Administrator, The Poetry Business, The Studio, Byram Arcade, Westgate, Huddersfield HD1 1ND tel 01484 434840, mailto:edit@poetrybusiness.co.uk The details and form are also available on our web site: http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk

Deadline October 31st: The 2nd Annual FundsforWriters Success Wanted. Entry Fee: No and Yes/$5 FFW believes in promoting writing successes, but not just through simply selling an article. The key to this competition is to provide a good story about a unique writing success so other writers can gain insight into the possibilities that exist for their talent. Characteristics of a successful Success Story: * Must be true - doesn't have to be your own story. * Part of the success has to generate payment/income. * Has an "Aha," "Oh Yea," or "Neat Idea" impact. * Tight writing. RULES: 750 words maximum - less is absolutely fine. * Previously unpublished. * With or without entry fee of $5. Win $100 or $50 first prize depending upon your entry fee. Two categories - both with $20 second prizes. Winners announced December 1, 2003. http://www.fundsforwriters.com/FFWcontest.htm



Writing Q&A

For you aspiring screenwriters:

Q: How do you go about buying the screen rights to a book?

A: Good question! If you know of a book that has potential for a film, the first thing is to identify who owns those screen adaptation rights. The best place to start is with the publisher. Get their contact number from a resource like Publishers Weekly or search Google, and ask for the subsidiary/ancillary rights department. They should be able to tell you if the screen rights are available. They may not even control those rights (some authors retain them), so you may have to dig further beyond the publisher.

If the film rights are available, then you will probably want to enlist the aid of an agent or attorney to negotiate the option price for the screen adaptation rights. If the book is obscure, you may be able to get a free option, or perhaps the author is just feeling generous. Regardless, it is a great exercise for any screenwriter with aspirations of adapting a book for the screen.

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Wordplay

I usually don't add a person's homepage, but this one is great. He has a searchable Cliché list, a contest for incomprehensible business jargon, a word counter (which ranks the most frequently used words in a specific document), and lots and lots of more fun stuff.

1 Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon. 2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained. 3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.



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QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"To write fiction, one needs a whole series of inspirations about people in an actual environment, and then a whole lot of hard work on the basis of those inspirations." --Aldous Huxley





Don't forget to send in your suggestions, feedback and your writing questions. And check out the writing resources page at http://www.acappela.com

Patrika

TELL A FRIEND - Any writing friends who would be interested in this newsletter? Send them this link with your suggestion to sign up: http://www.acappela.com

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