=====================================================No part of this newsletter is paid advertising.=====================================================
Newsletter for Writers May/June 2007
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 Distinguished Recipient: The Literary World
IN THIS ISSUE: (Jump to a topic by clicking on the title below)
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
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***** Book Gossip: From the Southern Review's April 15th edition: Mangled metaphors and tortured similes award of the month: from The Amorous Adventures of Sarah: Mayhem for Two, a nightgown novel by Emy Naso… "Elisha turned her breasts at him and pointed them like a fully loaded bazooka. Sarah smiled to herself and thought if the lady knew Billy's inclinations were attuned to dark-eyed male waiters, she'd put the safety catch back on that bosom..." ***** I want to hear from you, and to motivate you I have an offer: Send me your biggest writing fear and how you overcame 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 _____________ The publishing world is changing We're undergoing a paradigm shift in the way people buy books. It's undeniable. More and more people are buying books online. If there is demand for your book, it doesn't matter where your book was published, only that it can be easily found. When it comes to reaching readers, being available online is becoming a more important success factor than it once was. That means having both a hard-copy version and an electronic version (an e-book) plus a website. Putting all this together is no simple task. It takes time for us to prepare your website and your files for distributed printing, and for our partners to make them available. Sign up now. The sooner we can get started the better! The first step maybe a critique and/or editing. If your manuscript is not quite ready and you want to get a head start, we can begin on some of the administrative aspects of the publishing process before the manuscript it self is finalized. Simply send us the signed Publishing Agreement (Advocate House contract), data form and payment (if you prefer to pay by credit card see: Advocate House page). Once you send us the manuscript and cover materials, we will begin preparing the book itself. The right time to get started is NOW! Remember that: *Your book will enjoy#1 World-Wide Distribution, through Amazon.com, major chains, distributors, wholesalers and bookshops and your own website.. *You retain copyright forever and earn larger royalties. *Your book can be launched internationally in paperback, hardcover and e-book editions simultaneously. Contact Lilo, your Publishing Consultant now at acappub@aol.com for more information. Contact her right away with any questions -- and to reserve a spot on this exciting wave of massive change, advertising, publicity and opportunity. I wish you quick progress in completing the writing and editing stage - please sign up right away so we can begin the preparations for your book. Only by starting now will your books distribution be in place, and your own promotions have started to take advantage of the best selling time of the year. We're looking forward to serving you soon. Thanks, Patrika ***** Book Gossip Do you know which celebs wrote their own books? Publishers all too often fail to acknowledge that books, especially those purportedly by celebrities, are ghost-written. Examples: Simpson’s If I Did It; Idol winner Fantasia’s ghost-written memoir, and Madonna’s kids books, reportedly written at least in part by others ***** . 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 www.acappela.com/classes.htm will ensure your work catches an editor’s or agent’s eye! 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)
***** Book Gossip For One More Day by Mitch Albom sold nearly 50,000 copies in Starbucks outlets last October. The book was the first in the coffee chain’s program to sell selected titles in its stores. Publishers Weekly says that Starbucks sales represent about 12 percent of the nearly 400,000 copies recorded as sold by Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70 percent of book sales 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 Also:Writers Guild of America, West online Registration Service - for concepts, documentaries, manuscripts, lyrics, etc. ($20) ****************************************************************************** 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 For many months now I have been providing you with contact information for Media folks, from talk show hosts to literary agents. But names and addresses are only half of what you need, especially when trying to line up a radio or tv interview. You also need to know how to approach busy media people. So here’s a tip: Prepare your talking points in advance of your pre-interview or interview with the media. This way, you will appear in command over your area of expertise and knowledgeable about the issue under discussion. You’ll avoid stumbling for thoughts or concepts. If the media doubts your ability or expertise in the pre-interview, they will not use you for the placement. They simply have no choice. Their job is to book top qualified experts and if you indicate you are not that, they have to move on. Think of any contact you have with the media as an audition. Everything you do is evaluated by the media with the thought in mind - is this person the perfect expert for the story or the segment? You can make the media contact confident in choosing YOU if you are ready and prepared to discuss the topic. Create at least five discussion points on the topic before you speak to the producer or journalist. You'll be happy you did! ***** Word Trippers
Seperate/Disparate: As an adjective, “separate” means set or kept apart, disunited. “Disparate” means existing independently; fundamentally distinct in quality or kind. Example: Libraries usually have a separate section for reference books that cover a variety of disparate topics.
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Media Contacts This 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. GET INTERVIEWED "Hardball", heard Monday to Friday on MSNBC, is executive produced by Tammy Haddad, who is reached at (202) 783-2615. Hardball is reached at MSNBC, 400 N.Capitol St., NW, Ste. 850, Washington, DC 20001. (202) 783-2615. GET REVIEWED Alternate.read.review.requests@inbox.com GET INTO PRINT For information on finding local libraries in the United States, including the address, phone; operating expenditures, go to: http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/librarysearch/ and follow the instructions. This site will tell you the size of the library’s collection, services offered and other facts. For similar data on libraries in Europe, go to http://portico.bl.uk/gabriel/index.html, or for libraries in other parts of the world go to http://www.ifla.org/II/natlibs.htm GET AN AGENT Www.eLitAgent.com World’s first electronic literary agency submits your work to up to 100 publishers simultaneously! ***** Enjoying this newsletter? 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: Capitalization questions? Check out http://englishplus.com/grammar/captcont.htm for all the answers! ***** 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 yesterday. 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 differentiate 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 _____ 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! ***** MARKETS
(Some of the listings below have been derived, with thanks, from http://FundsforWriters.com . Check out this site for listings of further markets and grants for writers.) Travel Magazines for article writers: American Airlines/American Way Magazine - http://www.americanwaymag.com/ Continental Magazine -http://www.pohlyco.com/work_for_us/freelance_continental.htm Delta/Sky Magazine - http://www.delta-sky.com/ Frontier Airlines/Wild Blue Yonder - http://www.gowildblueyonder.com/w01mSU1.html Southwest Airlines/Spirit Magazine - http://www.spiritmag.com/ Spirit Airlines/Skylights - http://www.worthit.com/ SkyWest Airlines/Delta Connection - http://www.skywestmagazine.com/EditorialGuidelines.htm SkyWest Airlines/United Express - http://www.skywestmagazine.com/EditorialGuidelines.htm United Airlines/Hemispheres Magazine - http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/ US Airways/US Airways Magazine - http://www.usairwaysmag.com/ Hope for Women accepts queries by mail, e-mail and fax. This magazine pays 10-20¢ per word. The readers are a diverse group of women, ages 25 to 54. They want to read articles about real women dealing with real problems. Phone: (765)284-4673 Fax: (765)284-0919 E-Mail: publisher@hopeforwomenmag.org Website: www.hopeforwomenmag.org ***** CONTESTS
Some of these contests come to you courtesy of other websites, such as FundsforWriters.com. Visit this site for information about grants for writers. Deadline May 8, 2007. Writers’ School Scholarship. http://www.wss.org.uk/competitions.htm No entry fee. Three free places at the Writers' Summer School in Swanwick in August 2007. Each scholarship is worth more than £350. Categories are short story, poetry and children's writing. Deadline May 15, 2007 Lost Horse Press. The Idaho Prize for Poetry 2007. Prizes:$1,000 plus publication for a book-length poetry manuscript. All U.S. poetes eligible. Reading fee $25 Guidelines: email losthorsepress@mindspring.com or www.losthorsepress.org Deadline May 15, 2007. Writers Post Journal is celebrating its third anniversary by sponsoring a novella contest (30,000 to 40,000 words) in conjunction with Lachesis Publishing (http://www.lachesispublishing.com/) . Three categories: Romantic Fantasy, Futuristic Romance and Paranormal Romance. Romance must be an element, but does not have the major element, of the plot. The 1st and 2nd place winners in each category will be published in trade paperback and e-book by Lachesis Publishing. Third place winners will be featured in a year-long serial in the Writers Post Journal.Entry fee: $10 USD per entry. Deadline May 15,2007. The Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition for original, unpublished. works. Each story should be accompanied by a cover sheet with your name, complete address, e-mail address, phone number, and title of the piece. Entry fee: $10 each story. Prizes include $1,000 first-place; $500 apiece to second-and third-place winners, and honorable mentions to other promising writers. Send to: Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition, P.O. Box 993, Key West, FL 33041. Winners announced in late July in Key West, and all entrants will receive a letter from Lorian (either via snail mail or e-mail) and a list of winners by October 1. http://www.shortstorycompetition.com / for details. May 31, 2007. Field Poetry Prize Unpublished poetry manuscripts 50-80 pages. $1,000 award and publication in Oberline College Press' Field Poetry Series. Reading fee $22 includes one year subscription to Field. Guidelines: Field Poetry Prize, Oberlin College Press, 50 N. Professor St., Oberline,OH 44074 June Deadline June 15, 2007. New England Writers contest in poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction. Robert Penn Warren Awards: $300, $2000, $100. Winners published in the Anthology of New England Writers. Details: www.newenglandwriters.org or (802)674-2315. Deadline June 15.2007. Writing About Labyrinths--prose & poetry contest. $10 Entry. Cash prizes.. Details: http://www.labyrinthsociety.org ; SASE Labyrinth Society, P.O. Box 736, Trumansburg, NY 14886. *****
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 New words that will appear in the fall in the best-selling 'Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. biodiesel (n) 1986: a fuel that is similar to diesel fuel and is derived from vegetable sources soul patch (n) 1991: a small growth of beard under a man’s lower lip *****
Quote of the Month “Thought is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
***** 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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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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