=====================================================
No part of this newsletter is paid advertising.
=====================================================


A Cappela Newsletter for Writers        Holiday Issue 2006
November/December

 

NEWS & VIEWS YOU CAN USE

Your monthly newsletter from Patrika, your Author’s Advocate

Visit her, send an email, at http://www.acappela.com

A WRITER'S DIGEST'S 101 BEST WRITING SITES
Also Distinguished Recipient: The Literary World


Holiday Gift Ideas!
 


   IN THIS ISSUE: (Jump to a topic by clicking on the title below)

*Who We Are - Your one-stop shop for successful writing and publication

*The Editor’s View - Doing radio interviews

*Book Gossip - prize-wining novels go begging!

*Pat’s Picks - Which self-publishing companies are right for you?

*Writing Tip - Get celebrity endorsements for your book

*Word Trippers - Glimpse or glance?

*Media Contacts - Get interviewed, reviewed; get into print; get an agent, etc.

*Markets - Romance meets comics; literary and consumer magazines; pulp fiction

*Contests - 13 of them this issue

*Writing Q&A - What’s the copyright law on titles already in print?

*Wordplay - New words in the dictionary

*Quote of the Month - G.B. Shaw and Winston Churchill insult each other


                  

If you haven't already, nominate us for a listing in Writer's Digest's 101 Best Sites of The Year. Please send your nomination, along with our web name (A Cappela Publishing, Inc.) and our URL (www.acappela.com) to: writersdig@fwpubs.com Subject "101 Sites" Send a copy to acappub@aol.com. Your help won't go unnoticed. Thanks

HAVE YOU BEEN FORWARDED THIS E-ZINE? Subscribe now, and we will send our bi-monthly Newsletter For Writers to your own email address.

Subscribe to the A Cappela Newsletter                                                              

     

                                                       
                                                                           


Please consider nominating Acapppela.com for Writer's Digest's 101 Best Sites of 2006. If you like this site, its newslettter or any of it's products, send comments/nominations to:
E-mail: writersdig@fwpubs.com with "101 Sites" in the subject line

************************************************************************

Who We Are

A Cappela Publishing, home of your Author’s Advocate, prides itself on being a one-stop shop for authors.
We can work with you from the time you say to yourself, “I’ve got a great idea for a book.” We can guide you through the completion of that book, and then usher it through successful publication and marketing. Taking these steps piecemeal results in erratic successes...too often steps get lost in the shuffle from one provider to another. Let us oversee the entire operation and provide you with a coordinated plan for success.

The Editor’s View
Over the summer I did several radio interviews, among them On By For and About Women and another on Calling All Authors. You’ll be able to hear them through the A Cappela website by the time you receive this newsletter. My reason for mentioning them is that global radio has become one of the hottest and most cost-effective ways to market yourself and your works. It is also time and energy efficient for you, since you can do these in pajamas from your own home (nobody can see you, only hear you), which means you could do up to five radio interviews in a single day, geared to every segment of your potential audience.

You should have no problem locating potential interview programs through your search engine. Try “radio interview programs” or something similar to find the appropriate venues for you. The thing to remember is to establish a dialogue with the interviewer before you go on air. If possible, supply the interviewer with a list of questions you’d like to be asked; questions that will bring out the most important points about you and your works. During the actual interview, be standing and/or walking around. You will sound much more dynamic if you are in motion. Most importantly, keep your answers brief. You will have somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes to give your message, and it should tie in to the radio program’s overall area of interest.

Case in point: Calling All Authors usually does a 15 minute interview with an author, followed by a publisher’s segment of 15 minutes. Because I included conversation about the publishing end during my 15 minutes, the program host elected to keep our conversation going through the publisher’s 15 minute segment – giving me twice the scheduled exposure to her global listening audience.

Oh, and lest I forget to mention it, most such interviews cost you nothing except your time. Some of them even interview unpublished authors. What are you waiting for? Get out there and get noticed!

                                                                 Patrika

______________________________________________________________________________

I’m getting tired of this one-way communication. I want to hear from you, and to motivate you I have an offer:

Send me your biggest writing fear and how you overcome it, and I’ll share it with all the other subscribers to this newsletter and send you a copy of our best-selling tape, Common Writing Problems and How to Cure Them.


 
Book Gossip: Watch Out for the Big Guys!

Earlier this year , the Sunday Times of London sent 20 British publishers and agents previously published prize-winning books as manuscripts by new authors seeking publishers. The object of this was to see if the agents or publishing houses could distinguish true talent.

Some rejected the two Booker prize-winning novels. One of the books was by V.S. Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Typed manuscripts of the opening chapters of Naipaul’s In a Free State and Holiday by Stanley Middleton were sent to the 20 publishers and agents.

None of the publishers or agents appeared to recognize the manuscripts as Booker prize winners for the 1970s that were lauded as British novel writing at its best. Of the 21 replies, all but one were rejections.

The rejections for Middleton’s book came from major publishing houses such as Bloomsbury and Time Warner as well as well-known agents such as Christopher Little, who discovered J.K. Rowling. London publisher Bloomsbury read the manuscript submitted “with interest” but found it unsuited to its list. Time Warner said it contained “good ideas” but was not its sort of book. Thirteen others gave similar replies. Only one literary agent, Barbara Levy, expressed an interest in reading further chapters.

Responding to the Naipul manuscript, in which only the author’s name and the names of the characters had been changed, a submissions department reader for PDF, a major London literary agency, wrote: “Having considered your material, we do not feel, we are sorry to say, sufficiently enthusiastic or confident about it.”

The Blake Friedmann agency also sent apologies: “In order to take on a new author, several of us here would need to be extremely enthusiastic about both the content and writing style. I’m sorry to say we don’t feel that strongly about your work.”
A few publishers and agents, when they realized they had been stung, blamed the sheer volume of manuscripts they received and lack of time to read every page. “With other forms of entertainment today there are very few people around who would understand what a good paragraph is,” added Naipaul.

Nicholas Clee, former editor of The Boookseller magazine, said publishers were no longer eager to take risks on untried authors because they face fierce competition as supermarkets force down prices. “Publishers tend to go for newcomers who have something sensational to offer, or established names. They’re putting big promotional efforts behind just a few titles,” he said.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to hear from you, and to motivate you I have an offer:
Send me your biggest writing fear and how you overcome it, and I’ll share it with all the other subscribers to this newsletter and send you a copy of our best-selling tape, Common Writing Problems and How to Cure Them. Patrika
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t Accept the First Interview Offer unless....
if you've agreed to a segment in People you can probably kiss Oprah goodbye because they won't feature something that People Magazine has already covered. So why do outlets enforce these strict "following" rules? Well, for ratings of course: they all want to be the first show to get a celebrity or hot topic. The challenge with this is that most authors who aren't using publicity firms don't know this. Many times authors will be so excited to get the requests that they'll agree to the first one they get and put themselves at a disadvantage when other shows come a-calling. When you're booking yourself for a hot or high-profile topic, hit all the major outlets at the same time and see what comes back. Know that most shows can create "packages" for you, meaning that they'll offer you a segment on 20/20 and tease it on Good Morning America. Or you might get a segment on Oprah that they tease in an early issue of her magazine. These are all things you should know about and consider before setting up your campaign. Also, as you're booking your media remember to choose the right type of media to suit your reader demographic.


Increase your odds of getting published!

Getting published involves more than being a great writer. If your goal is to see your work commercially printed, you need to know how to effectively approach editors and agents.
But have no fear--these marketing courses from http://www.acappela.com/classes.htm  will ensure your work catches an editor’s or agent’s eye!

Points of interest:
Stalking the Markets   Book Promotion   Book Promotion Time Table

_____________________________________________________________________________
-Nominations are now being accepted for Writer's Digest's Top 101 Websites for Writers. To nominate A Cappela Publishing ( http://www.acappela.com ) for the 2006 list, e-mail writersdig@fwpubs.com  with "101 Sites" as the subject line.
______________________________________________________________________________

Let’s get interactive!
If you've got a Reader Tip you'd like to share, please send it to acappub@aol.com  with the subject line "reader tip."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEED HELP GETTING PUBLISHED?

For many writers, writing is the easiest part of getting published. After all, writers love writing, and they love words. But when it comes to the business of the publishing industry, they often need a hand. Here are some great new resources that will provide that much needed help:

Take the following 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 (WP&M, Consult; Writing Coaching)
2) got started, but bogged down (Classes, WP&M, Writing Coaching)
3) have first draft, but don’t know if it’s any good (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 (Stalking the Markets; Book Promotion; Self-Pub; Selling to Ims; eLitAgent)


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

 


Writers! Protect your original work and important documents in minutes! Instantly establish the date and time-of-creation of all your files, including screenplays, proposals, Web pages, treatments, inventions, lyrics and ideas. Register and protect your original work online at ProtectRite.com. ($18.95 (US dollars) for 10-year registration)Go to:

http://www.protectrite.com/default.asp?SessID=318256989&AffID=9jlw0RTAF8



This newsletter is sent by subscription only. Please pass this newsletter along to people you feel may benefit by this information. This issue has been sent out to 820 writers. Won't you help this ezine grow? Tell your friends to subscribe at http://www.acappela.com
______________________________________________________

WRITING TIPS
Get celebrity testimonials for your book. Promote Your Book, Service, Product with Celebrities
who wil endorse you free. http://www.getcelebritytestimonials.com
Bulletin: Get free articles on writing at http://groups.com/group/WriteBetter-GetPublished
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Word Trippers

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.

*****

Media Contacts
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.


GET INTERVIEWED

O, The Oprah Magazine Established in April 2000 and written as a woman's personal growth guide for the new century, O provides women with information and tools needed to follow and reach their dreams and lead a more fulfilling life. Its circulation is 2,403,917.

Pitching Tips:
Read the magazine before pitching. Its motto is 'Live Your Best Life' so pitches should fit into that area. The magazine also focuses on solutions to problems. There is a mission every month and it's listed on the website. The site is interactive and allows you to talk to O editors on topics of interest. The magazine's lead time is 60 days.
Pat Towers, Features Director, prefers to be contacted by mail.
Liz Brody, Health & News Director, mailto:lbrody@hearst.com 

Brody is the Health and News Director and is responsible for coordinating Health, News and Human Interest stories for the publication. She prefers to receive press releases by fax and to be contacted by e-mail.
Valerie Monroe, Beauty Director, prefers to be contacted via mail.

Contact information:
O, The Oprah Magazine, 300 W 57th St, Fl 36, New York, NY 10019-3741
Phone: (212) 903-5000 Fax: (212) 977-1947


GET REVIEWED

Library Journal
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 646-746-6819
Fax: 646-746-6734
Book Review: Anna.Katterjohn@reedbusiness.com


GET INTO PRINT

Martha Stewart's new magazine, Blueprint: Design Your Life, is geared for women aged 25 to 45. The publication is a how- to guide to home fashions, apparel and beauty. The magazine is published 6 times a year to start. On their editorial staff is: Debra Bishop, the design director; Page Marchese Norman is the home editor and an editor-at-large; Rebecca Robertson, senior home editor; Elizabeth Graves, beauty, health and fitness editor; Tom Prince, the AVP, development, is the editor,Katie Hatch is the fashion editor. They are at the magazine, 11 W. 42 St., New York, NY 10036, (212) 827-8000.

Get an Agent

Newly formed agency, Bennett and West Literary Agency, looking for fantasy; romance; young adult; mystery and mainstream, plus nonfiction. Contact Joan West, Agent, 1004 San Felipe Lane, Suite 104, The Villages, FL 32159, joanwest@wmconnect.com  352-751-2314
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're benefitting from this newsletter, please forward it to three other writers who might find it helpful. (We'd like to hit 10,000 subscribers by this winter.) Thank you!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PAT’S PICKS:
Lost in the maze of self-publishing companies? Then check out Mark Levine’s new book,
The Fine Print of Self-Publishing. This book analyzes the contracts and services of 48 self-publishing companies and ranks them in order of their services. He also exposes those that should be avoided. This little book could save you a lot of time, money, effort and heartache
And when you’ve taken in all this information, then compare it to the sweet deal offered by
Advocate House

*****

Book Gossip:
Bestselling novelist Danielle Steel has ventured into the world of fragrance, launching her new perfume called Danielle by Danielle Steel in partnership with Elizabeth Arden, Inc. in New York City. She's sold a mind-boggling 560 million copies of her books, and wanted to share her love of fine fragrance with her readers.

*****

 

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 Advocate House
 
 

 


 

Writing and Selling Your First Book?                                                                                           

 

If you've ever dreamed of writing a book, now is the time to start. With Write Publish & Market Your Book you'll get all the information you need to get started, as well as learn what to do when you're finished writing!

Here's a peek inside:
* Discover 10 easy ways to get past writer’s block
* Learn the nuts and bolts of writing your opening

* Find out how to pace your novel like a pro
* Get the inside scoop on what editors really want
* Discover 25 tips for publishing success 
* And of course, pages and pages of information on how to choose the markets
that are best for you!


***** 


WRITING TIP 

How long, how much?
Does the length of your fiction affect the retail price of it? Yes. Current statistics show that the average sci-fi novel was 329 pages, followed by romance at 324, mystery and detective at 292, and westerns a relatively skinny 261 pages.
The average suggested retail price for mass market sci-fi in 2004 was $7.35, close to the average for all mass market fiction; mystery and detective novels averaged $6.94; and romances continue to be a bargain at $5.57
And b the way, Romances account for 54% of all mass market paperbacks and 39.6% of all fiction.

*****

MARKETS

~HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES ( http://www.eharlequin.com ) has launched its manga-format imprint, Harlequin Ginger Blossom, which will blend Harlequin's romances with Japanese-style manga comics. The imprint is aimed at girls age 12 and up and priced at $7.99 U.S./$9.50 Canadian.

~THREE PENNY REVIEW http://www.threepennyreview.com/submissions.html A literary magazine at present paying $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. In addition, each writer gets a year’s free subscription. The appeal of the magazine lies partly in its offbeat combinations of the tried-and-true with the deeply unexpected.

--TODAY'S PARENT/BABY &TODDLER/PREGNANCY & BIRTH http://www.todaysparent.com/corpinfo/article.jsp  Pays up to $1/word. Consumer magazine for parents. Website has detailed guidelines on slant, payment and style for all three magazines.


~Quill Pen is looking for stories of a pulp fiction nature between 4,000 and 7,000 words. A good plot is a must. Complete information can be found at: http://quill-pen.net/submission.html . This is a PAYING market.

~GIRLFRIENDS http://www.girlfriendsmag.com/faq.html#subm  Girlfriends is a national monthly magazine for lesbians. Our mission is to provide entertaining, visually pleasing coverage of culture, politics, and entertainment from an informed and critical lesbian perspective. Potential contributors are encouraged to query the editor. Book Review: 950 words. In-depth critical analysis of one or two recent lesbian releases discusses the titles in the context of the author's previous work and/or lesbian literature. Pays 15 cents/word.

*****

CONTESTS

New Letters offers Awards for Writers: $1,500 for Short Fiction; $1,500 for Poetry; $1,500 for an Essay. Winners receive publication in New Letters magazine and consideration for national radio broadcast on New Letters on the Air. Guidelines: www.newsletters.org .$15 first-entry fee includes one-year subscription

Seeking unpublished and unknown authors. Win up to $100,000 and literary representation for your book. Every entry receives at least 2 reviews . Go to http://www.SobolAward.com  to enter

Deadline November 27, 2006. NEXT GREAT CRIME FICTION CONTEST http://getpublished.courttv.com/  “Search for the Next Great Crime Writer” Contest is open to all legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia, age 18 years or older, except individuals under exclusive book publishing contracts. Sponsor will conduct a Contest promoting the new Court TV series “Murder By the Book” and encouraging participants to compete in a writing contest for the opportunity to win a book publishing deal. During the Entry Period, participants must: (i) log on to the Court TV website, http://getpublished.courttv.com  (the “Website”), and complete and submit the online entry form; (ii) submit (a) a synopsis and/or outline of his/her unpublished, original, crime-themed work of fiction containing no less than fifteen hundred (1,500) words and no more than three thousand (3,000) words, (b) sample chapter(s) containing no less than five thousand (5,000) words and no more than ten thousand (10,000) words (collectively, the “Submission”). All Submissions must be submitted online. One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a check in the amount of One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) and an opportunity to sign an exclusive book publishing deal (“Publishing Deal”) with Regan Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.

Deadline November 30, 2006. THE BRIAN WAY AWARD http://www.theatre-centre.co.uk ---NO ENTRY FEE NOTED. The Brian Way Award (formerly The Children’s Award) is aimed at playwrights who write for young people up to the age of 18. It is open to writers who have had such a play performed between July 1,2005 and June 30, 2006, and should be either the writer’s first, second or third production in the last 10 years. The play must be at least 45 minutes long and the writer should be resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland. The winning playwright will receive a prize of £6,000. winner will be announced in February 2007.

DEC.

Deadline December 1, 2006. JOHN STEINBECK AWARD FOR THE SHORT STORY
http://www2.sjsu.edu/reed/  — $15 ENTRY FEE. Writers are invited to submit original unpublished stories of up to 6,000 words. The first place winner will be selected by the 2007 final judge. The first-place winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize. The winning story will appear in the 2007 issue of Reed Magazine, and an excerpt may be published in the Salinas-based
newspaper, The Californian. Runners-up will also be considered for publication. All entrants will receive a complimentary copy of the 2007 issue of Reed magazine.

Deadline December 1, 2006. NO ENTRY FEE. Books published by small presses as well as university presses are now eligible for the historical fiction prize. A small press is defined as one that in the preceding year has published no fewer than five and no more than 50 books by itself or through affiliates, and has accepted no subsidy or payment from the author of the book submitted. Because of the difficulty of contacting small presses, we will rely primarily upon author submissions. Deadline for 2006 books is December 1, 2006. Books published in December 2006 may be submitted in proof or preliminary edition. Two copies of each book must be sent. $1,000 prize

Deadline December 1, 2006. Book Contest--Small Press, Big Opportunity. On January 1, 2007, JADA Press will celebrate excellence in print-on-demand books. The first place winners in the Fiction and Nonfiction categories will each receive $1,000.00, a JADA trophy, Award Winning labels for the winning books and a paid announcement in one newspaper of their choice. The titles selected as First Runner-up will receive a JADA trophy and labels. All winners will receive extensive
Internet exposure.There is no restriction on the year of publication. Books must have ISBN
numbers and be printed-on-demand. Authors may enter up to four books for judging. To enter, submit your book/books, a $40.00 entry fee per book and a completed registration. Registration forms may be downloaded at: http://www.jadapress.com/EntryForm.html  Because entries are limited, authors are encouraged to write JadaBooksEntry@aol.com  to reserve a spot for your entry before sending it.

Deadline December 15, 2006. OBSIDIAN PRIZE FOR POETRY, FICTION AND NONFICTION
http://www.highdesertjournal.com/html/obsidian.html   - $15 ENTRY FEE. Submit up to 5,000 words of prose or up to five poems. Experimental work will be given particular attention. The submission We will announce the winners by May 31, 2007. Awards will be given in three categories poetry, fiction and nonfiction. The winner in each category will be awarded $500, and two additional finalists in each category will be awarded
$100. Entry fee includes subscription.

Deadline December 15, 2006. DISLOCATE MAGAZINE PRIZE. $10 ENTRY FEE http://dislocatemagazine.blogspot.com  . Seeking submissions for the Dislocate prize in outstanding nonfiction. Prize: $500, publication, and copies. Send us your lyrical essay, your treatise on nature, a whimsical account, a group of nonfiction shorts, a travel memoir, a part of your MFA thesis, or anything else you think we'd like to read. The only guidelines are excellence and up to 5,000 words.

Deadline December 20, 2006. Writer's Digest Poetry Awards. Regardless of style--rhyming, free verse, haiku and more--if your poems are 32 lines or fewer, we want them all. First Place: $500, Second Place: $250, Third Place: $100, Fourth Through Tenth Place: $25 Eleventh Through Twenty-Fifth Place: $50 gift certificate to Writer's Digest Books. Names and poem titles of all First- through Tenth-Place winners will be printed in the August issue of Writer's Digest, and all winners will receive a copy of the 2007 Poet's Market. Guidelines and to enter online:
http://fwpubs.sparklist.com/t/2132375/3664592/947/0/


Deadline December 31, 2006 X.J. KENNEDY AWARD FOR NONFICTION #4 http://www.rsbd.net/x__j__kennedy_award.htm  - $10 ENTRY FEE. . $1,000 and publication for the
first place winner. Ideal length 3,500 words.


Deadline December 31,2006. MICHAEL SHAARA PRIZE FOR CIVIL WAR FICTION
http://tinyurl.com/em8gd .  NO ENTRY FEE. The award of $2,500 will be awarded annually to honor a novel about the Civil War published in the current calendar year to "encourage fresh approaches to Civil War fiction." Publishers, critics, and authors may submit books published in previous year by December 31, 2006.

Deadline December 31, 2006 ACCENTI WRITING CONTEST $20 ENTRY FEE. http://www.accenti.ca/_bin/contests/nonfiction.cfm  The topic is open, but must in some way reflect or make reference to Canada and Italy, or the Italian Canadian experience. The contest is open to all writers, established and emerging, worldwide (non-Italians welcome – isn't the whole world just a little Italian!). No fiction, poetry, plays, reviews, and scholarly essays. No footnotes and endnotes. No pseudonyms. The length can vary from 1,000 to 3,000 words. Submissions must be nonfiction, in English, previously unpublished and not under consideration by any other publication. Top prize: $1,000 (CDN) and publication in Accenti Magazine and Accenti Online. Second Prize: $250 (CDN) and publication.Third Prize: $100 (CDN) and publication.




WRITING Q&A
Q. What’s the copyright law on titles already in use?
A. While the copyright law will generally protect the contents of a book, the title of that particular book will not be protected. The purpose of the copyright law is to protect the author's creative expression. Although nothing in the Copyright Act specifically precludes protection for titles, Copyright Office Regulations and judicial decisions have made it clear that titles are only the equivalent of short slogans and therefore a title does not contain sufficient expression to be worthy of copyright protection. At least one reason that courts are hesitant to grant titles copyright protection is because they fear that by doing so they will prevent the title's use by others for whom that particular title may be equally appropriate.
 




Wordplay
In 1806, 200 years ago, Noah Webster published his very first dictionary. 'A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language' contained 37,000 entries, thousands of which were not listed in any other dictionary. Keeping with the spirit of Noah Webster, the Merriam-Webster dictionary has just released nearly 100 new words that will appear in the fall in the best-selling 'Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Here are a few of them:

mouse potato (n) 1993: slang: a person who spends a great deal of time using a computer
supersize (vt) 1994: to increase considerably the size, amount, or extent of
labelmate (n) 1981: a singer or musician who records for the same company as another

Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. Here are some of the winners:

Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.

Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.

Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
 



Quote of the Month

Literary Insults
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend...
if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill
--and--
"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." -
Winston Churchill to GBS

 


Happy holidays, dear friends.
I wish you peace, joy, love and writing success in the coming year.

 
Holiday Gift Ideas!
 

___________________________________________________________________________________________

If you have received this mailing in error, or do not wish to receive any further newsletter mailings from us, simply email us. You will be automatically excluded from any future mailings including our Newsletter that shares tons of free writing and marketing tips, tricks and techniques:  acappub@aol.com                                                                                                                                                                                    

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

 

HAVE YOU BEEN FORWARDED THIS E-ZINE? Subscribe now, and we will send our bi-monthly Newsletter For Writers to your own email address.

Subscribe to the A Cappela Newsletter                                                              

     

                                                       
                                                                           

 

=====================================================
No part of this newsletter is paid advertising.
=====================================================