A Cappela Newsletter for Writers
SPRING 2003
NEWS & VIEWS YOU CAN USE
Your monthly newsletter from Patrika, your Author’s Advocate™
Certificate of Merit
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Hall of Fame Award, |
IN THIS ISSUE:
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Pat’s Picks*
Markets*Contests
*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!
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 us 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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PAT’S PICKS:
This month’s Pick is for all those aspiring poets who never get noticed. We know that there aren't a lot of opportunities for publishing poetry, much less making a living from it. But Ruth Lilly, heiress to the Eli Lilly pharmaceutical fortune, made an incredible gift to Poetry magazine of $100 million. So, if you are itching to get your poetry published, you might try this periodical. Just click on <http://www.poetrymagazine.org/guidelines.html> to read their submission guidelines, and maybe your poem will get in!
How to Become an EXPERT in Your Field ....write a book!
*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
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MARKETS
Fiction/Poetry
~ Harlequin (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk) Publisher of romance and women's fiction, including Harlequin, Silhouette, MIRA and Red Dress Ink imprints. See website for guidelines.
~ Tickled by Thunder (http://www.tickledbythunder.com) Caters to beginning/intermediate writers of fiction, poetry and articles. Published quarterly for 1000 readers. Be creative, take a unique approach, use language what squeaks and squeals or in some way demands response. Fiction: totally open, no adult content. Articles: about writing and writers only. Cartoon about writing might be nice. Small payment based on length, plus two copies. Guidelines at website. Submit to: Larry Lindner, 14076 86A Ave., Post Code - V3W 0V9 Surrey, BC, Canada. Include some indication about why you are sending your manuscript to us. -e.g., for a contest, selling first rights, etc
~ Kaleidoscope Magazine. A literary and fine arts magazine. Emphasis not on medical, technical or research info. Guidelines and/or submissions: DarshanPerusek, EIC, United Disability Services, Kaleidoscope Magazine, 701 S. Main St., Akron, OH 44311-1019 (330)762-9755, fax 330-762-0912. Mshiplett@udsakron.org
Nonfiction
~ BackHome Magazine (http://urlshortcut.com/r.php?id=248) First-person articles based on actual experience in the fields of gardening, home construction and repair, workshop projects, cooking, crafts, outdoor recreation, family activities and vacations, livestock, home business, home-based and other education, and community neighborhood action. Buys First North American Serial Rights. Pays $35 per printed page, on publication. Query first, by e-mail to mailto:backhome@ioa.com.
~ A Cup of Comfort http://www.cupofcomfort.com A Cup of Comfort is the best-selling book series featuring true stories about relationships and experiences that matter most in our lives. Currently compiling: a Cup of Comfort for Mothers and Daughters and a Cup of Comfort for Christmas. Additional story collections are planned. Stories weave powerful life lessons into vividly told tales.. They are slice-of-life, creative nonfiction stories that make us think and care, that give insight and inspire positive action.$500 grand prize; $100 each for all other , upon publication. Plus complimentary copy of book. For guidelines and info: Colleen Sell. Ed., wordsinger@aol.com or 541-424-2422 ~ ChristianWeek (http://urlshortcut.com/r.php?id=253) Articles/news written from an evangelical perspective, covering events and issues of interest and concern to the Canadian church. Pays $30-$100, after publication. Query first by phone, fax or e-mail.
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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: March 1 - Appalachian Fiction Competition
Short stories (under 3,000 words) pertaining to the Appalacian region. $10 entry fee. No email submissions. Details: (423)439-5348 or woodsidj@mail.etsu.edu
Deadline: March 1 - John Gardner Memorial Prize $500 prize and publication, summer issue of Harpur Palate. $10 entry fee. Stories under 8,000, any genre, previously unpublished. Send to: Harpur Palate, English Dept., Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
~ongoing -A Cup of Comfort. Share your most compelling and creatively true story with a large and receptive audience -- and win $500. The publisher of the internationally acclaimed book series A Cup of Comfort is now sponsoring several inspiring true story contests per year. For each contest, 50-60 stories are selected for publication in an anthology, which is carried by booksellers throughout North America and abroad. Authors of all stories published in A Cup of Comfort receive a monetary fee and publishing credit -- with one grand prize awarded for each book. Contact: Colleen Sell, Editor, mailto:wordsinger@aol.com or PO Box 863, Eugene, Oregon 97440, USA 541-942-3405 Fax: 800-872-5627
Deadline: July 1 - Sara Henderson Hay Price ( http://www.city-net.com/~tpq) Prize: $500. Entries limited to 100 lines per poem and up to three poems may be submitted. Only previously unpublished poems. Include a single cover page with author's name, address, phone number, and entry titles and indicate "Contest". Author's name must not appear on poems. Subject is not limited but may include such issues as quality of life and conditions in a
new world. $10 entry fee. Check or money order payable to The Pittsburgh Quarterly, 36 Haberman Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15211-2144.
Deadline: July 31- AZ Literary Contest (www.azauthors.com)
Both published and unpublished categories for novels, nonfiction, childrens, plus short sto\ies, poems, essays, articles, true stories, novellas. For entry application and fees, see website.
WRITING Q&A
Q: Do you write the book first or get the contract first?
A: If it’s your first contract and you write fiction, then write the book first. For nonfiction, the publisher may be willing to go to contract with a newbie for particularly hot topics if you are a recognized expert in your field.
If you don’t have a track record as a published author, you’ll have to give publishers enough information to decide if you have a marketable product. For a first nonfiction book, submit a Table of Contents and two completed chapters to the publisher. This tells the publisher many things: whether your book says something new or different about the subject, compared to competing books already in the marketplace; whether your writing is polished and ready for publication; what your tone or approach to your subject will be , and if this is likely to interest your probably audience. All these factors will be weighed in the decision to publish or not publish your book.
Fiction is less cut and dried. Many factors are involved in fiction being successfully written*. Fiction has to open with a hook; the characters have to involve the reader; the plot must keep readers interested and be believable; the ending must satisfy, etc. Because of all these requirements, no publisher is likely to agree to publish a manuscript (s)he hasn’t read, first to last page. It’s acceptable for you to begin by querying a publisher with just a short description of your work, but the response will only tell if that publisher is interested enough in your plot idea to be willing to look at the full manuscript.
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*For a full description of what keeps manuscripts from being publishable, get the audiotape, "Why Your Writing Isn’t Working and What to Do About It" from www.acappela.com
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WORDPLAY
Grammar Gremlins and Word Trippers:
Ability/Capability
Ability refers to skill, while Capability means aptitude.
After years of practice, he has the ability to play the piano. He also has the capability to learn more instruments.
Elicit/Illicit
To elicit something is to draw it out or bring it forth. Illicit means something illegal or forbidden.
The police want to elicit a confession fro the robber for his illicit behavior.
Precede/Proceed
To precede is to go before. To proceed is to go forward.
When good planning precedes any trip, you can proceed to have a wonderful time.
Glimpse/Glance
A glimpse is a quick sight of something. A glance is a quick look at something.
I glance over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of traffic behind me.
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Whenever you feel depressed and it seems certain you’ll never finish your novel, give yourself the gift of a two-hour visit to your local public library. Wander along the aisles, smell the pages and touch the weathered spines of the books that call to you. Remind yourself of the magic books bring to the world. Then go home and make more magic."
--Aileen Alcornp
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
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