A Cappela Newsletter for Writers             July/August 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

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE:

 

NEW COLUMN: MEDIA CONTACTS

*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!

 

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 (WP&M, Consult; Writing Coaching)

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

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

*****

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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. Here’s a sampling of current topics:

 

OPRAH WINFREY SHOW apply at www.Oprah.com, then click on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" then "Be on the Show"

Topics scheduled:

*Got an incredible weight-loss story?

*Do you have a unique family you’d like to tell the world about?

*Should your child be doing THAT? Are they pushing the boundaries?

*Running on empty. Feel drained at the end of the day?

*Are you an over-worked mother or father?

*Are your relationships suffering because you’re so frazzled?

*Is your daily routine boring?

*Were you a contestant on a reality TV show?

*Are you facing hunger and poverty due to the economy?

*Caring for an aging parent?

*Men who are kitchen klutzes
____________________

Next month: upcoming topics on Montel and Ricid Lake

 

PAT’S PICKS:

a)This month’s Pick is for all those aspiring writers who aren’t yet published.

Did you know that many famous authors, including Mark Twain and John Grisham, launched their writing careers by self-publishing? Today, that’s a better choice than ever. It’s no longer a "vanity" thing to do, because publishing houses often snap up a successfully self-published book for a second printing. It seems they don’t like to take a chance on an unproven book.

To launch yourself as a successfully published author, see http://www.acappela.com/AH.htm

b) No matter how brilliant your writing, it won’t get read unless it gets published. Find out how to get your works in print.

For books -- whether you’re self-publishing or going through a publishing house -- there are things you need to do to market your book. Check out the following courses to find out what you need to know and do:

 

Book Promotion

Book Promotion Time Table

For articles and short stories, see Stalking the Markets

 

 

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

 

*****

MARKETS

Nonfiction

~A Cup of Comfort Each volume of A Cup of Comfort is filled with uplifting true stories about the relationships and experiences that comfort, inspire, and enrich our lives. Written by people from all walks of life and selected for inclusion based on originality, creativity, and substance. Ggrand prize of $500 awarded for each contest/anthology. All contributors receive a monetary stipend and free copy of the book. Seeking submissions for the anthologies for Teachers (deadline July 15); Sisters (deadline August 1st); Spirituality (deadline October); Mothers & Sons (deadline November). Stories (1000-2000 words) must be original, positive, true, written in third or first person and in English.No entry fee. For guidelines: E-mail Colleen Sell, Edotpr at wordsinger@aol.com, or mail an SASE to A Cup of Comfort Editor, P.O. Box 863, Eugene, Oregon 97440, USA; or visit the publisher's website at http://www.cupofcomfort.com .

 

~Beginnings Publishing: A Magazine for Novice Writers ( http://www.scbeginnings.com ), Semiannual magazine; does not read in January or April. Pays one contributor copy for first rights. Jenine Boisits, fiction editor. P.O. Box 92, Shirley NY 11967-1525. Tel: (631)205-5542. E-mail: Jenineb@optonline.net.

Poetry/Fiction

~Acme Press , P.O. Box 1702, Westminster MD 21158-1702. (410) 848-7577. Acquisitions: (Ms.) E.G. Johnston, managing editor. Established: 1991. Publishes hardcover and trade paperback originals. Publishes 1-2 titles/year. Offers small advance. Does not accept simultaneous submissions. Responds in 2 months to mss. FICTION: Submit synopsis, with first 3-5 chapters. " We are always looking for the great comic novel. Any subject as long as the material is humorous; prefer full-length novels. No cartoons or art (text only). No pornography, poetry, short stories or children's material."

~The Strand Magazine, P.O. Box 1418, Birmingham MI. 48012-1418. (800) 300-6652. Fax: (248) 874-1046. E-mail: strandmag@worldnet.att.net. Contact: A.F. Gulli, managing editor. Quarterly magazine covering mysteries, short stories, essays, book reviews. * "Mysteries and short stories written in the classic tradition of this century's great authors." Established: 1998. Pays on publication. Publishes ms an average of 4 months after acceptance. Byline given. Buys first North American serial rights Responds in 1 month to queries; 4 months to mss. Guidelines for #10 SASE. FICTION: Horror, humorous, mystery, suspense. Send complete ms. Length: 2,000-6,000 words. Pays $25-150.

- Permutations: The Journal of Unsettling Fiction A new small press magazine scheduled to launch in June 2004. We seek to publish modern literary fiction with echoes of science fiction, fantasy and horror. http://www.writerswrite.net/pubdisp.cfm?market=513535133

*****

CONTESTS


~ Donard Publishing’s second short story competition of 2003. It is free to enter and the winner is chosen by the public. Details can be found at: http://www.donardpublishing.com

Deadline August 1 Colorado Ranch Essay Contest. Dreams do come true! 32 acres in national forest with log home, guest cabin, barn Entry fee $100

Deadline: 10th of each month. Writer’s Digest Opening Line contest. What is Your Opening Line? We run a photo in the magazine, and ask readers to come up with the opening line in a novel inspired by the photo. One entry per person, no word limit, but longer doesn't always mean better. The monthly winner receives "2003 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market;" runners-up receive a one-year subscription to WD. Photo for this contest is NOT posted on our Web site--you MUST see the print version of the magazine. Entries must be typed on a postcard to Your Opening Line (with the contest's number), WD, 4700 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati OH 45236 or e-mailed to wd-tools@fwpubs.com


WRITING Q&A

Q: How many characters are right for a short story??

A: . That depends on how many characters could be put in and developed effectively in the story, without confusing readers. For a short story of fifteen pages or less, at least one major character and a maximum of two should do well. Then you can add at most three minor characters. It depends on what kind of writing technique you’re going to use and how "short" your short story will be. Be careful not to give your minor characters very long speaking parts, thereby sacrificing space for your major characters. Minor characters could be friends, fellow customers in a restaurant, an antagonist's ally or anybody the major characters would interact with as the story progresses. Rule of thumb for minor characters: you should be able to justify their existence and make them a worthy part of your story. For instance, if you write about a mother waiting in the emergency room while her child’s stomach gets pumped, you could have her sitting next to another woman who consoles her and reduces her guilt for leaving out the laundry detergent. Major characters need as much time and space as possible so you won't be confusing your readers with their intentions and choice of actions. Using your major character's point of view in your story will help create reader identification and avoid confusion.

Book Fact:

Books by Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as "Dr. Seuss," have been translated into more than 20 languages and have sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

Wordplay

IDIOM:
1. The language peculiar to a people or to a district, community or class
2. An expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically
3. A style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or movement, or a medium or instrument

"Even though I am an identical twin, my idiom is different than my brother's..."

 

*****

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. - William Styron

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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