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WIWA NEWSLETTER
News from the Whidbey Island Writers Association
Vol. 6, No. 6 December 2006 – January 2007CONTENTS
Letter from the Editor, by Achaessa James
WIWC 2007 Conference Update – Deadlines and Discounts Galore!
WIWA Announces
On the Island
Off the Island
The Secrets to Marketing Fiction , by Penny Sansevieri
A Self-Publishing Odyssey, Part 3 - Pretty Profits, by Tom Trimbath
Recent Releases
Cheers! Plus an interview with Bruce Holland Rogers and the October Poetry Slam winner
Contests and Market Requests
WIWA Reporter-at-Large, Brad Walker, reports on Christopher Vogler’s workshop
WIWA Web Site News and Member Services
WIWA Wish List
Quotations
CyberSurfing
Writers Ask / And Writers Respond
To Contact Us or Submit an Article
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe
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This newsletter is like a holiday stocking stuffed to the brim and overflowing. Dig all the way to the bottom to be sure you get every last sweet and each carefully wrapped surprise.
Keep writing and keep in touch – and keep warm in this unseasonably chilly winter.
Dearest regards, Achaessa
P.S. Adios, Erika, I will miss you in the WIWA office. And, welcome to WIWA, Jan, thanks for filling some big boots.
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WIWC 2007 Conference Update – DEADLINES AND DISCOUNTS GALORE!
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS TOMORROW !! Well, maybe, depending on when you read this. December 1 is the last day you can register and save lots of money – WIWA members will save $40, non-members will save $35. In fact, if you’re a not yet a WIWA member, you can register right now and pay $20 to become a WIWA member and still save $15. Or if you are a WIWA member, you can simultaneously register and renew your annual membership and still save $20. It doesn’t take a rocket science instruction manual writer to figure out that this is a REALLY GOOD DEAL.
Already registered and bored with this update? DON’T STOP READING YET – if you refer a new, first-time participant to the conference, and they register, you will receive a free consult with an editor or agent of your choice. That's a $35 thank-you gift for the referral. And there's no limit! For every first-time registrant who gives us your name as a referral you receive a consultation. So spread the word! (Oh, and if your referrals register by December 1, they’ll get the Early Bird Registration discounts, too!)
What is up with all these capital letters and exclamation points? Yes, I know my word selection should convey the excitement but this news really needs color and splash and I’m not allowed to use either in this e-mail, so here goes – squint if you don’t want to be overpowered by my digital passion . . .
SUPERSTARS IN EVERY GENRE – This year’s conference has a faculty bursting with bowl-you-over credentials! Here is a tiny, tiny sample:
Fiction & Mystery: Gail Tsukiyama, Karen Joy Fowler, Jane Hamilton, Dorothy Allison – These authors are New York Times bestsellers and national book club idols; they’ve won awards and many of their books have been made into movies that have won awards. Have you heard of the Oprah Book Club, the Book of the Month Club? Come meet the writers whose works have been acclaimed by the national reading public.
Children & Young Adult: With Anjali Banerjee, Bonnie Becker and Jane Yolan, where do you start? Anjali’s got the fewest publications, but her work has already been featured in literary journals and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Bonnie’s work has been read on National Public Radio and selected for the Junior Literary Guild and Children’s Book of the Month Club. Jane is probably the most prolific and most awarded children’s book author living; she’s written 250 books in her career and her short-list of awards include two Nebulas, a World Fantasy Award, a Caldecott, the Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic awards, and two Christopher Medals.
Humor: You’ll be laughing all the way with any of our three professors of glee. The humor faculty includes Martha Bolton who has written comedy for such performers as Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Wayne Newton, Ann Jillian, and more. She’s authored over 50 books and is also the Cafeteria Lady for Brio magazine.
We have best selling and award winning presenters in every genre! Take a look at their bios on the conference Web site – http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Conference/Presenters.html.
SAVING THE MOST INTENSE FOR LAST – You say you’re looking for more than just 60 minute workshops? Well, pay attention! This year we’re offering – AT NO EXTRA CHARGE – three hour master classes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, to be held concurrent with the regular programming. (That’s three full hours in one class – not three classes of one hour each.)
Friday will have three master classes - Ellen Sandler – Turning a Screenplay into a TV Pilot, Don McQuinn – Critiquing Fiction Manuscripts, and Elizabeth Lyon – Instantly Improve Your Nonfiction Writing. These sessions offer an opportunity for in-depth review and refinement of your writing. ENROLLMENT LIMITED to 10 people per class, on a first-to-register basis.
Saturday’s master class will be led by Brenda Copeland, Executive Editor at Hyperion Press. This class will focus on hands-on editing and refining material for publication. ENROLLMENT LIMITED to 15 people, on a first-to-register basis.
Sunday’s master class will be led by award winning fiction/mystery/fantasy writer Don McQuinn. Bring your work. Plan to read and critique it. Find practical ways to make your own work better and get some answers about why you’re not having the success you’re working so hard to acquire. ENROLLMENT LIMITED to 12 people, on a first-to-register basis.
Of course, if you’ll be arriving early to the conference, you really must take a look at the wonderful full- and half-day pre-conference workshops available on Thursday, March 1. Workshop details are at http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Conference/Workshops.html.
Need another reason to register now? Conference capacity is 275 registrants – and registrations are already ahead of last year’s conference! I’d love to say I’ll hold you a spot until you decide, but if you don’t register now, there may be no room at the inn hen you knock. http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Conference/form_register/Form_Registration.htm.
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WIWA ANNOUNCES
Opportunity For Published WIWA Members To Participate In An Instructive Panel At Whidbey Island Writers Conference 2007 – WIWA members who have published books and are registered to attend WIWC 2007 are invited to participate in a panel, How I Got My Book Published. The session is scheduled for 8 a.m. Sunday, March 4, at the conference. Participation is limited to eight on a first-to-inquire basis. If you participate in the panel, you may contract with our bookseller to place your books in the Conference Bookstore for sale. Contact the WIWA office writers@whidbey.com or Nancy Ruff at ruff@whidbey.com for details.
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2007 Celebrate Writing Contest for Students – Once again, WIWA is sponsoring the Elementary Student Celebrate Writing Contest. This contest has been very successful in the past, and we anticipate a great deal of enthusiasm from students again this year.
Students may enter one submission in each of three categories: poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. All submissions will be read, evaluated, and considered for special awards. Submission deadline will be February 2. We expect to receive upwards of 250 submissions from elementary students, and would appreciate help in reading and evaluating them. While it can be a tough job it is also one with instant gratification as you read through the range of self-expression held within the pages submitted by these young writers.
The contest not only supports part of WIWA’s mission to enhance the education of writers, but it also supports the existing efforts of teachers and students across the Island. We are fortunate to live in a community that is both talented and inspired – this contest is one way we can showcase those attributes for the benefit of all.
The contest is open to all Whidbey Island elementary students (K-6) in public schools, private schools, and home schools. Only original submissions suitable for publication are accepted and they must be accompanied by the official submission form. The purpose of this formality is to instill a sense of professionalism in the contestants, helping them build self-respect as writers while also helping our WIWA readers get a better sense of the individuals submitting work.
The more support we get from the membership of WIWA, the more meaningful this opportunity becomes for our next generation of writers. If you would like to help, or have questions about this program, please contact Judy Feldman at jfeldman@whidbey.com or by telephone at 360-679-7328.
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ODE TO THE ISLAND SLAM – The famous/infamous Poetry Slam MC, Jim Freeman, has 10 years of slams on video and needs some film editing assistance. I told him I’d pitch for a volunteer but, frankly, this sounds like a project worthy of a grant to do a montage for the local historical society or some such. So, if you’re an heroic filmster with time to spare and/or a grant writer willing to champion this epic task, please contact Jim Freeman at fun@whidbey.com.
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The Creativity Check-up and Recharge Workshop – January 6. Bruce Holland Rogers, award winning author, past conference presenter and current faculty member with the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program, will be teaching this innovative day long workshop in Coupeville . This is a workshop for artists of all kinds, so tell all your creative friends – painters, sculptors, quilters, glass artists and, of course, other writers. Come spend a day with Bruce, your work will thank you. More information on the workshop is available on the WIWA Web site at http://www.writeonwhidbey.com/Classes_Groups/Workshops.htm . To register call the WIWA office at 360-331-6714 or e-mail wiwa@whidbey.org. For more information on Bruce, read the interview below in the Cheers! section or go to his Web site at www.shortshortshort.com. And remember, WIWA members receive a discount on all workshops and classes!
Media 101 – January 3-March 6 at Skagit Valley College in Clinton (Ken's Corner). Barbara Moran, WIWA workshop leader, conference faculty and founder of The Special Species Project, guides this class in exploring all the exciting ways the field of mass communications is evolving. Review the history and current status of newspapers and magazines, then delve into online news, blogs, and other forms of information technology. Create two of your own projects (one print and one electronic) with a media veteran and see how writing for paper is different than writing for electronic dissemination. This class is open to anyone curious about publicity or publishing in the electronic age. Take the course for college credit or for fun. Registration begins December 6. Call 360.341.2324 for registration and course fees (students 60 and older qualify for special rates). E-mail the course instructor for information on course content and required materials – barbara.moran@skagit.edu.4 th Annual All Whidbey Island Book Gathering – February 15 at Freeland Hall (in Freeland, of course). Come spend the evening with Whidbey Island’s book-loving community. Enjoy a keynote address by longtime local journalist and on-air correspondent, Sue Frause, followed by a book exchange, silent auction, potluck, and bookclub picks for the year. Important dates to remember: December 28 – deadline for silent auction donations; January 5 – deadline for book dropoff. Please contact Donna Hood at 360-341-1860 for more information about drop-off locations (in Freeland, Clinton, Coupeville, Oak Harbor), pick-up availability, and any other questions you have about this event.
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WIWA Winter 2006-2007 Classes. The lineup of Winter Classes has been posted and it’s inspiring! Go online at http://www.writeonwhidbey.com/Classes_Groups/ for complete details. Here are the teasers . . . and did I remind you that WIWA members get class discounts?
Mapping the Personal Memoir: A New Approach to Finding the Story – Molly Larson Cook leads this dynamic program, steering the memoirist beyond the dates on the calendar to the vibrant stories hidden among the years. Starts January 9, runs 8 weeks, Tuesdays 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
The World of Writing for Children – Writing for children is not easy. Deb Lund shortens the learning curve in this informal workshop setting where you'll generate ideas, create characters, play with words, critique manuscripts, and write, write, write. Starts January 9, runs 8 weeks, Tuesdays 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Writing Poetry and the Pursuit of Memory – Lorraine Healey has shaped a comprehensive course that begins with craft essentials, includes analysis of contemporary poetry and trends, and concludes with submitting, publishing and performing in today’s market. StartsJanuary 18, runs 8 weeks, Thursdays 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Advanced Fiction Workshop – Wayne Ude’s ever popular fiction workshop takes the experienced novelist or short story writer through an in-depth analysis of three stories or novel chapters. Take this opportunity to work with an MFA faculty member if you’re ready for a serious look at your writing. Starts January 24, run depends on enrollment, Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
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WIWA-Sponsored Writing Groups. WIWA sponsors a broad selection of writing groups and you can find the details for your particular locale or genre on the WIWA Web site at http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Classes_Groups. In the meantime, here are newsworthy announcements about specific groups:
NEW Online Writing Group – Whidbey Poets . Julian Taber is starting a new on-line WIWA Writers' Group for poets. If your passion is poetry, we hope you will join this new group called Whidbey Poets. This new group is designed to provide helpful critiques of poetry, discussions of the craft of poetry, news and chat. The archives of Whidbey Poets WILL NOT be open to the public. To join Whidbey Poets, please send a new message to: jtaber AT whidbey DOT net stating your interest. If you are not comfortable using a computer for this kind of communication, we will do everything possible to answer your questions and help you get started. List members must be current WIWA members.
Note: WIWA encourages its members to be creative in forming writing groups that meet your genre’s special needs. If you have an idea for a writing group and you’d like to take the lead in making it a reality, we’d love to assist. The proposal form and group guidelines can be found at: http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Classes_Groups/FormNewGroup.htm. You don’t have to be a WIWA member to join a writers’ group, but you will have to become a member to remain in the group once you’ve joined.
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December 1, 2006 – Katherine Kirkpatrick , will read from her new release The Snow Baby: The Arctic Childhood of Robert E. Peary's Daring Daughter, at University Bookstore in the University District, Seattle at 7:00 p.m.
December 6, 2006 – Larry Karp , WIWA member, will read from his newest crime novel, The Ragtime Kid, at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA at 7:00 p.m.
December 10, 2006 –Larry Karp, WIWA member, will read from his newest crime novel, The Ragtime Kid, at Murder by the Book in Portland, OR during Christmas Open House between 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
December 14, 2006 – SoulFood Poetry Night , Thursday night, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at SoulFood Books in Redmond, WA. Featured readers Kelli Russell Agodon and Ann Batchelor Hursey. Open mic follows. Free. For directions, visit www.soulfoodbooks.com or call the store at 425-881-5309. For info contact welchm@aol.com or moonlit.cloud@yahoo.com.
December 19, 2006 – Larry Karp, WIWA member, will lead the monthly Writers' Roundtable in a discussion of Writing Fiction and Nonfiction: What's the Big Difference? at Field's End Writer's Roundtable, Bainbridge Public Library, in Bainbridge Island, at 7:00 p.m.
Meet Your Favorite Authors – This fall your favorite writers are at local libraries! Authors Matt Briggs, Richard Jesse Watson, Bob Seidensticker, Sena Jeter Naslund, Cecil Andrews and more will be at libraries across Washington State discussing their work. Author events are free of charge so come join the fun! For more information, go to your local library Web site:
King County – www.kcls.org
Snohomish & Island Counties – http://www.sno-isle.org/applications/calendar/current/
January 16 – Larry Karp will read from his newest crime novel, The Ragtime Kid, at Village Books in Bellingham at 7:30 p.m.
January 25 – Larry Karp will speak about his latest book, The Ragtime Kid, and his interest in Scott Joplin and ragtime music at the Friends of Mystery Bloody Thursday Meeting, in the Auditorium of Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital, 1040 NW 22nd Avenue in Portland, OR. The meeting begins with Social hour at 7:00 p.m. and the program starts at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the public.
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The Secrets to Marketing Fiction
By Penny C. Sansevieri
When my first book (The Cliffhanger) was published nearly seven years ago, I had high hopes of its success. I mean I am, after all, a PR person – so how hard could it be to market fiction? Granted, up till that point I hadn't taken on a lot of fiction — well, to be honest I hadn't taken any fiction. Fiction is tough and everyone knows it. But now I was going to get my chance, and what better way to start than on my own book? When The Cliffhanger hit the #1 spot on Amazon it was no accident, it was a creative push that got it to #1 and ironically, the pitch that prompted this Amazon soar had nothing to do with the book. Curious? Then read on.
When I was first pushing The Cliffhanger I did all the things a good fiction author is supposed to do. I sent out review copies, created a stunning press release, scheduled book events. All of these things were great, but they didn't give it the momentum the book really needed to succeed. The book signings were good, but a tad boring, the press was interested, but not enough to feature me more than once. I knew I needed to do something, but let's face it, when you're writing romance it’s tough to find a pitch that has the stickiness to, well, stick. When you're taking a fiction book to market you need to have more to hang your star on than a groovy story – you need something the media can sink their teeth into, you need grit. That 'grit' is the reality piece of your story.
The truth is there's always a thread of reality that weaves through each piece of fiction. Find your reality and own it, if need be, craft your pitch around it. Let's say you wrote a book about a woman overcoming domestic abuse. You've done your research, you know the stats, in fact, you might even be considered an expert. Why not then turn a portion of your campaign into a domestic violence pitch? The same can be said for just about anything. They key here is to find that grain of reality and see if it's interesting enough to create a new peg. Once you've found your hook, own it. What I mean is become the expert on that hook and familiarize yourself with every statistic, every study and every new trend.
When The Cliffhanger was released I soon realized that marketing romantic fiction was only going to take me so far, but marketing the method of printing was more unique. Why? Well, TheCliffhanger was one of the first books in the San Diego area to be published via print-on-demand. Hence, that became my story. Until the Presidential race of 2000. Now that was an entirely different story.
No doubt many of you will remember the counts, recounts, chads, and hanging chads, right? Well, one morning I woke up to find our local paper with the following headline: "Cliffhanger." I knew right then that if I couldn't find a hook to hang my star on that angle, I might as well hang up my marketing hat forever. It was at 3 a.m. that I woke up with an idea so stunning I knew it had to work. I raced out to the office supply store the minute it opened to pick up several packs of clear labels. I got out the postcards I had printed with the book cover on them and stuck on labels with the following slogan:
Getting tired of the Presidential cliffhanger?
Try this one.
The Cliffhanger , a novel.
No politics involved.
I mailed 500 postcards out that day while praying the election wouldn't get called. I mailed these postcards to everyone in the media I'd ever contacted. Ever!
Days after my mass-mailing, I was walking through my living room, when suddenly I spotted my book cover on the screen. I was stunned. The local TV anchor was saying, "This has got to be the best thing I've ever seen. This lady wants you to go buy her book. I say everyone should rush out and buy it." And everyone did. That afternoon my book shot up to the #1 spot on Amazon, where it stayed for three months. It even beat out Harry Potter (which was #4 at that time), yet Harry got the movie. Go figure.
The point is that finding an "anchor" will help you push your campaign. This works for book events, too. If you've written a crime book, why not "theme" your event with DO NOT CROSS Police line tape (if you can get your hands on it) or some other prop? The key is to be unique, carry your theme throughout your marketing and hang your star on unique ways to promote your book.
But the second piece of this, the piece that's become all the rage recently, is the visual aspect of your book. Now I'm not talking about the cover, I'm talking about the movie. Yes, you read right. Your book, a movie. Now I'm not talking about a full-blown two hour motion picture. I'm talking about a movie trailer. Most recently several major publishers have started using book trailers to promote the fiction books they publish. Why? Because we are a very visual society, and if you're trying to distill the core of your book into a thirty-second elevator pitch, why not distill that same information into a trailer? Studies have shown that book trailers can increase book sales in excess of 30%. This is why most of the major publishers are jumping on the book trailer bandwagon. Still not convinced? Check out this book trailer of Candlewood Lake and see if it doesn't entice you to buy the book: http://www.authors-online.com/billboards/drivein/.
Now here's a short list of tricks we've used to promote fiction:
For a series of detective novels we worked with, we told the author that instead of pitching the book, we were going to pitch some of the intriguing unsolved mysteries. He became the unsolved mystery expert and when he did a book event, that's what he talked about. People were enthralled, and it also got him quite a bit of radio, too!
For a chick lit book last year the author had one of her recipes (for Orgasmic cookies) come to life when she partnered with a local cookie company. The result? We had people writing us for copies of the book just so they could try this fabulous cookie.
And what better place for a romance reading than a romantic winery? If you live near some wineries, don't hesitate to stop by there and ask if they'd like to invite you in for a reading.
Have you ever considered partnering with another author who has a similar title? Last year, I consulted with two authors who'd written books about Paris, I decided they might want to meet and partner up for events. They did, and the result was magnifique! Everyone loved the "evening in Paris" they'd created, and needless to say, they got lots of bookings!
The trick is, with all the fiction out there you have to find a way to be different. Selling the story isn't always going to sell your book, but entertaining the reader or selling how the story affects the reader or how it can benefit them will. Find your anchor, hook, or story – and you've found an audience. Becoming a marketing story-teller isn't as hard as some people make it out to be, and whoever said fiction can't be marketed just didn't know how to tell a great story.
Wishing you Publishing (and publicity) success!
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She will be on the faculty of the 2007 Whidbey Island Writers Conference, covering How to Make the Most of Your Writer’s Conference; Striking Internet Gold; How Do I Get a Publisher to Notice Me and Self Publishing, Traditional Publishing. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. She is the author of five books, including Book to Bestseller which has been called the "road map to publishing success." AME is the only marketing and publicity firm that uses Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour (TM), which strategically works with message boards, blogs, ezines, and relevant sites to push an author’s message into the virtual community and connect with sites related to the book's topic, positioning the author in his or her market. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com. To subscribe to her free ezine, send a blank e-mail to: mailto:subscribe@amarketingexpert.com.
Copyright ã 2006 Penny C. Sansevieri
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A Self-Publishing Odyssey, Part 3 - Pretty Profits
By Tom Trimbath
Imagine a world where getting published is fun, easy, and profitable. Wouldn’t it be great? Write your heart out and get a big fat check for your efforts. Sigh.
Unless you are Hillary Clinton or Stephen King, it is extremely unlikely that you will get an advance check big enough to buy a house on Whidbey. But, maybe you are very lucky. Good luck. Independent authors like me, who use self-publishing and print-on-demand, work the other way around. We start by writing checks instead of cashing them.
The economics of writing can be demoralizing. Divide the amount most authors make by the hours they spend writing and the hourly wage pops out at less than minimum wage. For those writers who write to write, hourly wages aren’t important. But every author has to decide whether writing is a cheap hobby that might pay for itself, or an occupation that has to pay the rent. In either case, it makes sense to see how the money flows.
Traditional publishers are known for advance checks followed by single-digit royalty percentages over the long run. That is overly simplistic, but good enough for this short essay. The publisher sets the price, knows the costs, and takes the biggest risks.
Conversely, self-publishing starts with an author spending a lot of money. A typical print run of a few thousand copies at a few dollars per book costs thousands of dollars. That is expensive and risky; but for some authors it will be worth it because their book gets published, their message gets read, and they may sell a lot of books. There are no royalties because the author is the publisher. Fortunately, if the books sell well, the author can make anywhere from 20 percent to 80 percent profit on each book. Picking the right price is very important.
Print-on-demand sits between those two possibilities. The author writes a check to get the book produced, published, and printed; but that can create a print run of as little as one copy. After that, copies can be printed one at a time, or in bigger batches. Just like in traditional publishing, the publisher writes royalty checks. The good news is that the print-on-demand royalty percentage is higher. (Depending on the contract, my books get either a 10 percent royalty or a 20 percent royalty.) But that is because the author has paid up front and shouldered more of the risk.
In print-on-demand, the author also acts like a self-publisher. If writing is a hobby, then it is logical to print only a few copies. If it is a business, then bigger batches make more sense. Smaller batches cost less, but the price per book goes up. Larger runs get bigger discounts, but the total price is higher. I usually have an inventory of about a hundred copies, built up from a few different print runs. Special offers from the publisher, returns, and last minute orders, result in a variety of discounts. Throw in shipping charges and the cost per book becomes quite variable. In my case, my publisher picks the price. The difference between the price and my costs becomes my potential profit.
The simplest, and least effective, way to sell a book is to wait for friends and family to read it and then hope that they convince enough others to build a self-sustaining audience. Under that scenario, the author doesn’t have to do anything else except make sure there is a good inventory handled by a capable distributor, which may also be the author. The next easiest step is to get the book into online bookstores and see what happens, but that isn’t much better without substantial advertising.
In the real world, much more work is involved between writing the book and lazily enjoying the profits. Readers have to be introduced to the book through freebies, readings, signings, and sales. Many of these activities require the author’s personal appearance.
The cost of a self-published book is so low that almost every sale makes money for the author, and the self-publishing author is intimately aware of the cost and the profit margins. The decision to sell a book, or give one away, is a well-understood business move.
I can only make so many sales in person. Thank heavens for real bookstores. Especially for the independent author, books get into stores and onto shelves because an author called, knocked, e-mailed, and generally pestered a store owner to free up some shelf space. But the stores have to make money, too, and often the price they are willing to pay might be less than the cost of the book. Most stores expect about a 40 percent discount. Unfortunately, my discount for a small order from my publisher is only 20 percent, and that is before the cost of shipping.
Stores either buy the books, or sell them on consignment. A few stores buy the books outright at about a 40 percent discount, but the books might not sell and that is risky. Consignment sales mean that they put the books on the shelves and only send a check for a percentage after each sale. They have a lower risk, so they sometimes give a better percentage.
One bookstore was so supportive that they only wanted to sell my books if I made money on each sale. That is as writer-friendly as it gets. Unfortunately, my books have been printed in so many batches, with so many different discounts that almost every copy had a different cost. (We settled on a fixed percentage to make my life easier.)
No wonder accountants are always in demand.
Why go through all of this possibly unprofitable effort? Door-to-door sales, even to bookstores, are not the end goal for profits. Like readings and signings, they are the necessary, enabling steps that lay a foundation from which sales can build. Significant profits come from significant sales through conventional outlets. That happens when readers take over and start selling the book. At some point, bestsellers are sold without any additional effort by the author.
It is easy to see writing a book as the main hurdle. Getting it published through any means is the next step and should be celebrated. Getting that first sales or royalty check is a major event. Profit comes later, when a large audience builds on itself. But to get there, the author has to navigate through some potentially unprofitable environments by temporarily switching roles from writer to a combination of accountant and marketer.
Fun, easy, and profitable with a big fat check must have happened for at least one author, but for most of us that is a fantasy. Our reality requires a lot more work. Of course, if we didn’t get to struggle against something we wouldn’t have anything to write about.
Tom Trimbath is the author of four books, all of which were self-published through iUniverse, a print-on-demand press. His first book, Just Keep Pedaling, is a mixture of cultural essay and travelogue based on bicycling from north of Seattle ( Roche Harbor) to south of Miami ( Key West). The next three are part of a series of nature essays. Each book describes the year-round story of one lake in the Cascades: Twelve Months at Barclay Lake on the wet west side, Twelve Months at Lake Valhalla which is up on the high divide, and Twelve Months at Merritt Lake over on the dry, east side. All are available at local stores, the library, and online. The photos have been well received and can be viewed and purchased via www .trimbathcreative.com and www. trimbathcreative.smugmug.com .
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RECENT RELEASES
The Ragtime Kid , by Larry Karp (Poisoned Pen Press, November 2006). “Larry Karp found a worthy, though neglected segment of American music history to set a cleverly devised story of fact and fiction. By filling some of the undocumented gaps with a plausible tale, he retells the early history of ragtime, with its undercurrent of racism and business dealings. Along the way he provides deserving recognition for several creators of the art form, aside from Scott Joplin and ‘The Ragtime Kid,’ Brun Campbell.” From the review by David Reffkin, Director, The American Ragtime Ensemble; Producer and Host, The Ragtime Machine, KUSF-FM, San Francisco
High Technology Crime Investigator’s Handbook, 2 nd edition , by Dr. Gerald L. Kovacich (Elsevier’s Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers, August 2006). Dr. Kovacich has also signed two new book contracts. He will co-author a new book on corporate security and terrorism; as well as write a book about fighting corporate fraud. These books will be published by Elsevier’s Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers in 2007 and complete his series of 14 security-related books.
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MFA Faculty Member Honored by Fantasy Fans Worldwide!
Bruce Holland Rogers, faculty member of WIWA's MFA program in creative writing, is now the recipient of two World Fantasy Awards after receiving the 2006 award for his outstanding collection of short fiction, The Keyhole Opera (Wheatland Press, November 2005), announced at the World Fantasy Convention in November. Bruce will teach an all-day workshop about creativity January 6 in Coupeville – check out the announcement in the On The Island section, above. In celebration of our colleague’s win, I had the great good fortune to solicit the following interview with Bruce:
AJ - In 2004, your short story Don Ysidro won the World Fantasy Award for short fiction. Are you just as excited as 2004 or is this old hat by now?
BHR - I don't think winning a World Fantasy Award could ever feel old hat to me. If anything, I am more excited this time because the award is for a book.
AJ - According to your official bio, you’ve been writing full time for 15 years now, but you actually started writing long before that. How many years did it take before you felt unquestionably like a writer? And did that moment come before or after you became a published author? How many years had you been writing professionally before you won your first award?
BHR - I felt unquestionably like a writer when I was in high school. I didn't yet think that writing would be my career, but I did think I would publish what I wrote. Some early successes helped to support that belief. Accompanying my journalism teacher, I sat in on a faculty meeting where a controversial scheduling policy was discussed. I thought that what teachers said at this meeting would be of interest to the wider community, so I wrote up the meeting and took it to the editor of the town paper. He thought the direct quotes in my story were great. And they probably were pretty juicy, since the teachers had no idea that a reporter sat in their midst. That was my first adult byline.
I say "adult" byline because my words appeared in print a few times when I was a child. My mother was the sort of mom who felt that a proper home for children had to be better stocked with finger paints, glitter, glue, and construction paper than the typical kindergarten classroom. When I made up poems as a child or even wrote stories as a teen, my mother typed them up and submitted them to magazines or contests.
Really, my mother did a lot to shape and encourage me as a writer. She read to all of her children. My father did, too. They were both wonderfully dramatic readers. For two years of grade school, we lived close enough to the school for me to walk home for lunch. My mother would read to me while I ate. We enjoyed The Hobbit together this way. Later, she gave me science fiction novels that she had enjoyed. I read Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Kurt Vonnegut, and Frank Herbert at her suggestion.
When you ask about awards, it's hard to say which was really the first one since I had won little local or scholarship awards as a student and in college, and awards seem to me a continuum of more local to more global praise. I grew up feeling praised and rewarded for writing and telling stories well. That's not to say that I haven't had the usual long periods of trying to break in to paying markets. And like so many creative people, I still occasionally feel like an imposter, like any minute someone will say, "Hang on! His stories aren't so good after all!" It took me six years of trying to sell a story, and then seven more years to sell a second one. But underlying all of that was the deep and early experience of knowing that my creative work was good.
Editors like to joke, "Don't tell us in your cover letter that your mother loves your novel." But it does matter that your mother loves your novel.
My first award on a national scale was a Nebula Award in 1997. My mother had died six months before, and I'm afraid I cried at the podium. I really wanted her to know and to be there. But in a way, she did, and she was.
AJ - In writing your novel in progress, Steam, (or one of your other novels under pseudonym) have you had any moments or epiphanies that made you sit up and say “Now that’s the difference between writing a novel and writing a short story?” Has blogging your experience while writing Steam been useful or distracting?
BHR - In writing a novel, I am constantly aware of the difference. A novel is an immersive experience to read, but it's an immersive experience to write one, too. You put on your SCUBA gear and go down and live underwater for years. With a short story, you're jumping off the diving board, and you're only down for as long as you can hold your breath. Then you're out of the pool, standing in line behind the other divers, and thinking about what pose you're going to strike or what you're going to shout this time.
A novel like Steam requires a lot of research and planning, and in some ways I am discovering what this novel has to say by saying it. I'm afraid that a novel like this does not fit in very well with the daily life of buying groceries, much less the daily life of interrupting the novel to write stories and teach. But that is always the novelist's problem: How do you write novels in a life that is not conducive to novel writing? You write anyway. You do the best that you can. Though I must say, I am looking forward to a time when I can be a hermit for a few weeks with no visitors but my wife, my cats, and the characters in Steam.
Blogging about what I write as I write it is helpful, except for when I'm so busy and distracted that the blog becomes one more thing that I have to do.
AJ - You’ve lived in Canada, England and Oregon (which I, personally, classify as distinct country unto itself); has the mundane immersion in those cultures had a noticeable affect on your writing style or tempo? In your essay On Being A Minor Writer…and why all writers are minor (Amazon Shorts, October 2005), you quote Geoffrey Cotterell as saying, “In England, no writer is important.” Is England really incognizant of it’s resident writers?
BHR - I don't think that living in various places changes how I write or how my writing sounds, but I do incorporate my surroundings in my work. A Toronto eatery called Yammie the Cat became the setting for a story. I just wrote a story about Guy Fawkes Night fireworks, which I experienced for the first time this November in London.
England is, actually, very good to her writers in the sense that here, and in Canada, literary culture thrives as part of popular culture. The BBC's Radio Four, like Canada's CBC One, has a treasure of daily literary programming with smart radio plays, story readings, story dramatizations, and literary discussions, along with history and current events programming done with such flair that even if you thought you didn't care about the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, you soon discover that in fact that bit of history is a fascinating story. The airwaves of America are a relative desert of one-sided demagogues of the left or the right.
Writers in Britain are valued. They may be less likely, however, to become celebrities.
AJ - How has working with e-publishers like FictionWise and Amazon Shorts been different than working with traditional publishers? Any specific advice for working with / negotiating with e-publishers?
BHR - Publishing is publishing, whether on paper or on the web. Writers need to educate themselves about contracts so as to read and understand the terms of any deal they are offered. Even a writer with a good agent needs to be able to read a contract and spot potential problems. Agents can miss the significance of a clause or two now and then.
AJ - I note that you’ve lived for a year here and a year there – is that something you do specifically to stimulate your writing or augment your research, or do you work your writing in around the moves?
BHR - My wife and I move when we can, though so far we have always returned to Eugene, Oregon. But the world is so vast, and I don't want to spend my life knowing only one or two corners of it. Moving is disruptive of my writing. But I have the advantage of regular deadlines. I have paying readers who are expecting stories and chapters from me on time, and it doesn't matter if I have just moved across a continent or across the sea --- I had better get those stories written and sent.
AJ - What has been your best experience as faculty at the Whidbey Writers Workshop MFA Program? Have you found that your teaching obligations compliment your writing obligations? How do you keep all these writing balls in the air – MFA faculty, your short story subscription list, your Web site www.shortshortshort.com, Steam, blogging, conferences, creativity seminars?
BHR - We have a fabulous first class of students in the MFA, and they are doing what good MFA students always do: they soon create a self-sustaining community of criticism and analysis. My best experience is seeing the students earn and assert their status as my peers and colleagues.
Keeping all the balls in the air is difficult, but this is my life. I do one thing at a time, and try not to say yes too often to other requests.
AJ - Your blog tells how your love of Tolkien sparked your impulse to write. But Tolkien was the master of the epic novel; what influenced you to write short stories? Was there are particular piece or author?
BHR - I used to devour short story collections. Novels are great, but it's also wonderful to have bite-sized adventures. My first introduction to the short-short story may have been Richard Brautigan's Trout Fishing in America, which calls itself a novel and sort of is, but is also a collection of stories with recurring characters. I still read and re-read his collection The Revenge of the Lawn. But I like Yasunari Kawabata's Palm-of-the-Hand Stories, too. In my twenties, I did a lot of amateur literary translation, and I gravitated toward short-short stories in Spanish and German because I was a slow translator. Especially in German.
AJ - Did your love for Tolkien have any influence in your decision to move to London? Does Mrs. Simermeyer know about your writing success?
BHR - We've come to London because the London Business School is interested in my wife's research and teaching and because it is a world city. When I walk to the corner story for milk in the morning, I can thank Samee, the cashier, in Urdu and greet the garbage men in Polish. I like being in a place where even a walk to the store makes me feel like a world citizen.
Sara Simermeyer was my formidable junior-high language-arts teacher, who was as encouraging of creativity as my mother, but who was insistent upon rigor and correct usage. Like my mother, she was key to making me feel that my stories mattered. I looked her up once when I was in college, but since then, I have been unable to find her. She retired not long after she taught me.
Bruce Holland Rogers has been writing fiction full-time since 1991. His stories range from literary and experimental to SF, fantasy, and mystery. Rogers is married to psychologist Holly Arrow and has long been interested in what psychology might teach writers. That interest was the foundation of Word Work: Surviving And Thriving As A Writer. He is the author of four or six story collections, depending on whether or not you count e-books. His stories have won a Pushcart Prize, two Nebula Awards, two World Fantasy Awards, and half a dozen assorted nominations. Rogers's fiction appears regularly in a wide range of magazines and anthologies. He teaches fiction writing for the Whidbey Writers MFA program in Washington state. He also teaches writing seminars in Greece, Italy, and other locations in Europe.
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Slammin’ at the Dog House
I was not personally there to witness the word fest, but the October Poetry Slam was unanimously won by Joni Takanikos. From the cornucopia of words, she selected palm, clouded and quash – and her poet’s oven baked up this autumnal delight. Thanks, Joni.
Ghost Feast in remembrance of October 21st, 2005
for Brandon – by Joni Takanikos
Iroquois Teaching: Death is not final, it is a change of worlds, and to travel there is the width of a maple leaf.
Your lions are preparing the feast,
The coarse bread, the fruit of autumn,
Red and gold apples, the plates arranged,
Set out with tears that come twice a
day--your Grandmother said--
Twice a day, She remembers your last smile,
Your eyes whipping up the wind.
You traveled light, in the body of youth.
You danced along the width of a maple
leaf in October--turning your relatives hearts
Red and gold--thin as paper--torn
And carried away inside a season that
is an expert at the turning--falling--
Eventually crumbling away--but remembering
All the same, though clouded some remembering
May be--the year turned swiftly--like
A moon--from full to new. We disappeared
with you those days--void of course--then
Began again, without you, though we
Carried the leaf of you
In our palms, traced the veins golden,
And nothing--no nothing,
Could quash our love.
And for those of us who are not able to be quite so thoughtful in a pack of panicking poets, here’s a finalist cooked up by our local poetry and writing teacher, Molly Cook, with the words centaur, haunting and clouded. Molly has inferred in her e-mails to me that this poem should not be taken as reflective of the quality or style of her teaching. I dunno, Molly, I’m kinda partial to centaurs and mentaurs.
Apologies to E.A. Poe
By Molly Cook
Once upon a night in Langley
Came a centaur, seedy, gangley
Looking for a party
Underneath the clouded Langley skies.
Shook his head and said, It's wanting.
This town needs a little haunting.
Let's get something going soon
Before this rainy evening flies.
Wandered to the Dog House Tavern
Cried, This place is like a cavern
Filled with humans sitting here
With little pens in hand.
"What the heck? What are they doin'?
Where's the lively road to ruin?
Don't they know the hour glass
Is filled with shifting grains of sand?
Carpe diem, cried the centaur.
What you need's a mythic mentaur
Versed in ways to liven up
An evening at the local bar.
Poetry may make you brainy
But on a night both dark and rainy
Cozy up, for Zeus' sake!, lads and ladies
'Ere you stray too far.
Put down your pens and hoist your glasses
Start the music, shake your asses!
Life's the thing so live it up
And let the ponderous lyrics wait.
Then like a ghost that centaur gangley
Disappeared in quiet Langley
Leaving but a cloud of dust
And poets working way too late.
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NOTE: When you place in a competition or get a submission accepted for publication, please let us know. We love to celebrate your successes in our CHEERS section.
SPECIAL CALLS:
Authors wanted for the Snohomish County Arts Council’s new Web site . The new Web site is publishing free listings for local artist-and as of October 9 had only one author! Help represent the literary community and allow the Snohomish County Arts Council to put your name in lights on the Internet highway! E-mail your name, contact information and a photo (nice, but not necessary) to neumaierdesign@comcast.net. Include a brief statement about yourself. And don't be shy, you're talking to your neighbors first person is fine!
Call for Puget Sound Authors/Books. The non-profit organization People For Puget Sound is developing a reading series to be held at Scotts Bookstore in Mount Vernon, highlighting local authors who have written about Puget Sound. The goal is to have this series be a regular third Thursday of the month event from 7:00 -8:00 p.m. PFP would like to solicit participants who have written about Puget Sound –poems, stories –fiction or nonfiction. The series begins in January 2007 and they are now booking openings in February, March, May and possibly June. Authors who have already signed on include John Lommbard who will read from and discuss his book Saving Puget Sound, and Ken Wilcox who has written a series of hiking books. For more information please contact Britta Eschete, Education and Involvement Coordinator, People For Puget Sound –North Sound Office, (360)336.1931, www.pugetsound.org. Though there is no payment available for participating authors, there is a thank you gift, and the opportunity to sell copies of your books at the readings.
DATED CALLS:
West Wind Review, Southern Oregon University’s literary anthology, seeks poetry, short fiction, and essay submissions for the 2007 book. Submission deadline December 1. Selection by jury. Send MS with SASE to 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. For more information, go to www.sou.edu/english/westwind.
Christian Science Monitor’s 11th Annual Young Poets Contest . Submit original poems on any subject. Pre-school through high school. Submission deadline December 1. For poetry tips and to read winning poems from previous years, visit www.csmonitor.com/youngpoets. Winners published in early January. Send poems (no more than three) to youngpoets@csps.com. Include your name, mailing address, grade in school, e-mail address, and home phone number. For mailing information, visit Web site www.csmonitor.com/youngpoets.
The Alembic Providence College, is accepting submissions of poems and short fiction. Submission deadline December 10. Include up to 5 poems and/or 15 pages of prose to Editors, TheAlembic, English Dept., Providence College, Providence, RI 02918.
Freshwater 2007 . Craft and originality are the keys to publishing your poetry in Freshwater’s 2007 issue. Submisson deadline December 15. Payment: 2 copies. Sample copy: $6. Send 5 unpublished poems with bio, name, address, phone number, e-mail, plus SASE for notification, to Freshwater, Asnuntuck Community College, 170 Elm St., Enfield, CT 06082.
Water~Stone Review seeks poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for its Fall 2007 issue. Open to all styles; quality counts. Submission deadline December 29. Submit, with SASE, up to 5 poems, 20 pages total, or up to 5,000 words of prose. Manuscripts will not be returned (recycled). Water~Stone Review, Graduate School of Liberal Studies, MS-A1730, Hamline University, 1536 Hewitt Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55104-1284.
Writing it Real Essay Contest. Sheila Bender's Writing It Real, an online magazine for those who write from personal experience, announces an essay contest with cash prizes and publication of the top three essays. Contest deadline is December 30. Seeking creative non-fiction essays based on personal experience. Essays must be previously unpublished and can be up to ten pages in length, double-spaced. For submission guidelines, go to http://www.writingitreal.com/contest.html.
Lunch Hour Stories VERY Short Story Contest. Lunch Hour Stories short fiction magazine is now accepting entries for its 2006 VERY Short Story Contest, deadline December 31. Accepting “REALLY great, REALLY short stories in nearly ANY genre, 500 words or less.” Narrative prose poems will also be considered. Winners receive cash prizes, publication, and free issues. Writers may submit as many unpublished stories as you wish and simultaneous submissions are accepted. Complete contest entry information is available at: http://www.lunchhourstories.com/very_short_story_contest.html.
Natural Bridge #18 seeks poetry, fiction, essays, and works in translation exploring the theme of Temptation, in addition to our usual miscellany. Guest Editor: Steven Schreiner. Submission deadline December 31. No previously published MSS Include SASE. Natural Bridge, Dept. of English, The University of Missouri, St. Louis, 1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121. For further details, visit www.umsl.edu/~natural.
Wordtech Communications LLC is now reading poetry manuscripts for all imprints (Cherry Grove Collections, CustomWords, David Robert Books, Turning Point, Word Press, and Word-Tech Editions). Royalty contract. List includes Nick Carbo, Philip Dacey, Rachel Hadas, Allison Joseph. No reading fees. Submission deadline December 31 postmark. For detailed guidelines visit: www.wordtechcommunications.com/deadline-list.htm.
Between the Lines , Edmonds Community College's art and literary publication, seeks quality submissions for its 2007 edition. Deadline is January 12. The current edition can be purchased for $15 at the Edmonds Community College bookstore, ( 20000 68th Ave. W , Lynnwood, WA). For more information, including submission guidelines go to http://www.edcc.edu/betweenthelines.
4th Annual Lohmann Contest. The Olympia Poetry Network invites Washington poets to enter the 4th Annual Lohmann Contest. OPN and contest sponsors invite you to enter 1 poem (up to 2 pages, double-spaced). Submission deadline is January 31. For additional contest information go to our Web site at http://home.comcast.net/~yake/opn.lohmann.htm.
Poems About Investing wanted for untraditional anthology. Think: stocks, bonds, making money, losing money, the ever-changing stock market, and philosophies (i.e., the “human side”) of investing. Simultaneous submissions/previously published poems are welcome. Leads are also appreciated. Submission deadline January 31. E-mail: poetryprojects@yahoo.com.
Poems About The Internet wanted for anthology. Web surfing; e-mail; SPAM; viruses; blogs; online dating/networking; Google; instant messaging; e-commerce: It’s all fair game. All styles are fine-rhymed or free verse, serious or hilarious. Simultaneous submissions/previously published poems are welcome. Leads are also appreciated. Submission deadline January 31. E-mail: poetryprojects@yahoo.com.
Comstock Review celebrated 20 years of outstanding poetry in 2006. $9 for sample of either Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter Awards edition. Submit 6 poems, short bio for 2007 open reading period: January 1-March 15 postmark. Early submissions encouraged! Interested in metaphor, fresh imagery, free or formal verse. No e-mail submissions. Prefer no simultaneous submissions. Replies: 6-8 weeks after end of reading period. Often comments. Check Web site for extensive information, including growing links to online poetry, prize-winning poems, editors¹ poems, short book reviews, and downloadable Poet¹s Handbook. SASE for guidelines if necessary. Subscriptions: $16/1 year, $28/2 years. John M. Bellinger, Managing Editor, Comstock Review, 4956 St. John Dr., Syracuse, NY 13215. Web site: www.comstockreview.org.
Whidbey Writers Conference Contest. The Benefactor’s Award Contest gives writers an opportunity to submit their best work for recognition during each Whidbey Island Writers Conference in March. Each year, a particular benefactor to Whidbey Island Writers Association is recognized along with the winners in fiction, poetry, essay and children’s writing at the closing ceremonies. Submission deadline is February 1. For information visit the WIWA Contests Web site at www.writeonwhidbey.org.
Pacific Northwest Writers Association 2007 Literary Contest. Entry form available now. Don't miss this opportunity to put your work to the test and compete with some of the best in the northwest at the 2007 PNWA Literary Contest. 12 categories (2 new for 2007), cash prizes and accepted entries receives two valuable critiques. Winners are announced every year at the Summer Conference in front of writers, agents and editors. Submission deadline February 20. Details, contest rules and entry form are available online at www.pnwa.org or e-mail staff@pnwa.org.
The Mad Hatter , an international journal of creativity by pre-college students, seeks poetry, black and white photography, and art for 10th annual issue. Submission deadline: February postmark. Issued: April of each year. Payment: 1 copy. Send work, school or home-school affiliation, and SASE to Mad Hatter, 320 S. Seminary St., Madisonville, KY 42431. Visit the Web site for additional information: www.hopkins.k12.ky.us/gifted/mad_hatter.htm.
The Cardinal Stritch University literary magazine, Clare, seeks short fiction and poetry (3-5 poems). SASE. Submissiondeadline March 1. Send to: Barbara Wuest, Clare, Cardinal Stritch University, 6801 N. Yates Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53217.
Cranky Literary Journal announces its first-ever chapbook contest. The details?
You: Poet with 20-45 pages of poetry waiting to be let out to play. Maybe a few of these poems have been published in literary journals, but the set has not been previously published anywhere, though your poems are deliciously crisp and black (like ants). You live in a cold-water flat and could use the $500 first prize. Unlike the runners-up at a beauty pageant, you know how competitive chapbook contests can be; you’d be ecstatic just to be named a finalist.
Us: The Cranky editors. If you've read the journal (and you should have), you know we admire wit and word play and quirky intelligence. We share a fanatic commitment to truth, justice and the American (left wing) way—at least when it comes to judging. We’ll read all entries blindly (like the three mice), which means anything that shouts out your name will disqualify you; please do not include in your manuscript any poems previously published by Cranky. Once semi-finalists have been identified, we will narrow the field to finalists and then choose a winner, to be announced August 1. We will work with the winner regarding design and cover art.
The Prize: We will pay $500 and 25 copies of the chapbook (nicely printed).
The Deadline : Get your precious tome in the mail by April 15, otherwise fuggedaboutit
More Important Information: http://www.crankymag.org/contest.html.
Ecotone welcomes unsolicited works of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry with a specific focus on place and borders, be them geographical, interpersonal, sexual, spiritual, etc. Our audience appreciates literary work that is vital, thorny, and alive. Submissions accepted August 15-April 30 only. See Web site for details: www.uncw.edu/ecotone.Iron HorseLiterary Review reads manuscripts August 15-April 15 each year. We are looking for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Payment: $100 per prose piece, $40 per poem. For further information, please visit www.english.ttu.edu/ih.
Gift of Words; Poetry for the Iraqi People . The Challenge: Write a poem for the Iraqi People, something that you want to express to their citizens. Submission deadline May 2007. More information at http://www.poetslane.com/.OPEN CALLS:
Crate , UC Riverside's MFA Literary Magazine, is dedicated to exploring the borders and boundaries of art and literature. This edition's theme is "Margins and Mainstreams" after a series of lectures by historian Gary Okihiro who writes that, "The core values and ideals of the nation emanate not from the mainstream but from the margins." Soliciting poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, interviews, photography, visual art, and multi-media works. For more details, visit www.crate.ucr.edu or e-mail crate.journal@gmail.edu.
divide: Creative Responses to Contemporary Social Questions invites submissions of poetry, fiction, essays, and visual artwork on the theme “Sports and Adventure: Finding the Extraordinary in the Subtle and the Momentous.” Send with SASE: divide, University of Colorado, UCB 317, Boulder, CO 80309. Web site: www.colorado.edu/journals/divide.
Eclipse , a Literary Journal, seeks submissions of quality short fiction and poetry from both new and established writers. Past contributors include Wanda Coleman, Mary Crow, Dana Gioia, William Heyen, Allison Joseph, George Rabasa, James Ragan, Richard Schmitt, and Virgil Suarez. Send manuscript, SASE, and cover letter to Bart Edelman, Editor, Glendale College, 1500 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA 91208.
Everything Guides Looking for Writers . Request submitted by literary agent Andrea Hurst, for more details, please go to www.andreahurst.com.
Here are the current projects Andrea is seeking Writers for:
1. A science person or teacher to write The Everything Kids' Magic Experiments Book. 150-200 science experiments with a magic twist like making things change color.
2. An Everything Guide to Green Living book. Written by an energy or organic expert. Covers organic food, hybrid cars, nontoxic cleaning products, conserving energy, etc.
Fresh Boiled Peanuts literary magazine. The editors of Fresh Boiled Peanuts have announced a call for entries for their third issue. According to the editors, they have "no grand illusions of money or fame--they just want every issue packed full of good fiction, essays, creative non-fiction, poetry and generally anything they believe is worth reading." For complete submission guidelines and some good editorial humor, check the Fresh Boiled Peanuts Web site at: www.freshboiledpeanuts.com.
Plain View Press , a 30-year-old independent publishing house, is accepting manuscripts-high literary standards, collaborative process, activist orientation, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction relevant to environmental protection, peace, and gender, racial, economic justice. Spoken word and print-offset, pod, e-books, CDs. For guidelines, e-mail sbright1@austin.rr.com, or visit Web site: www.plainviewpress.net.
Rock & Sling : A Journal of Literature, Art, and Faith seeks poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction/memoir, art, critical reviews, and reportage that brushes up against Christianity. We do not publish devotionals, testimonies, or preachy tales. For guidelines, excerpts, and details on upcoming poetry contest, visit www.rockandsling.org.
The Inspired Pen. Now accepting submissions of short stories, poems, vignettes . Check out the new journal devoted to publishing a wide range of short work. The Inspired Pen is currently accepting works from both established and new authors. For more information, pay rates and submissions guidelines, go to www.inspiredpen. net.
The Natural Soul Journal seeks submissions . The Natural Soul Journal is a place where writers and photographers, especially those just starting out, interested in presenting and delving deeper into what wilderness is about and means, can find a venue for publication and hopefully have their work stand side-by-side with more established writers and photographers. For more information, visit www.naturalsoul.org., call 425-640- 1328 or e-mail btl@edcc.edu.
Unbound Press open call for submissions. Submissions are limited to 1-6 poems or 1 short story or 1 creative nonfiction contribution at a time. Prose should be no more than 5,000 words - double spaced, 12pt font, 1" margins. Material must be previously unpublished and although we do accept multiple submissions we ask that you note this on your cover letter and notify us as soon as possible if material has been accepted elsewhere. We hold one time rights only. Send e-mail submissions to UnboundPress @gmail.com. Send snail mail submissions to: Unbound Press / P.O. Box 530781 / Mountain Brook , Alabama 35253 . Please be sure to include a SASE with sufficient postage or an e-mail address. Do not send the original copy of your submission as material will not be returned. We will do our best to reply within 6 - 8 weeks. For more information, e-mail UnboundPress@gmail.com.
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WIWA REPORTER AT LARGE – On Christopher Vogler’s Workshop
THE QUEST FOR TRUTH - Field’s End Workshop on Bainbridge Island
By Brad Walker
I’m a novice at writing even though I’ve been doing it most of my life. When I finally retired and exchanged my suit for “island” clothes, I decided to look more deeply into my hobby of writing. It wasn’t long before I realized I had to change my words from instructional communication to something far more challenging. My audience was no longer getting paid to listen to my words; now it was I who wouldn’t get paid if they didn’t listen to mine! Upon my baptism in this new, daunting craft, I could see the transition required a working understanding of a highly elusive concept – the “truth.” My previous life as an administrator and counselor gave me experience using words to motivate or manipulate audiences. However, I found that writers must ground their stories in a universal truth if they hope to communicate with their readers. This article shares one writer’s quest for dis-covering that truth.
My adventure began when I joined a writers support group on South Whidbey Island. Despite Hemmingway’s warning that, “ Writing is a lonely life. Writing groups probably alleviate loneliness but they don’t improve writing,” the group offered camaraderie and exposure to a wide variety of constructive criticism that led to the publication of my first essay. But the group’s best gift was hidden among suggestions for resources. As a result, I attended a one-day, non-fiction writing class conducted by Barbara Moran at Skagit Community College where I learned that “both fiction and non-fiction stories are grounded in truth.” But what is this truth? Where is it; how do I learn about it; who wrote the book on it?
I left Barbara’s class wondering how anyone could find such an objective principle in a society made up of so many subjective, opinionated, individualistic minds. Then one day I noticed an opportunity in the Whidbey Island Writer’s Associationnewsletter inviting community members to interact with residency students from the Whidbey Writers Workshop Masters in Fine Art Program. All I had to do was host a reception, so I volunteered my wife to help with the coffee and cookies. (I paid for this later as she sported her new carry bag from L.L.Bean!) In exchange, I got to sit in on a presentation by Randy Powell, an MFA faculty member representing the young adult genre in the program. But he decided to digress from his presentation that day, and set me off on my quest for the “authentic truth.” By the time Randy finished his presentation on Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey, I had a good understanding that a truthful rhythm really does exist. In fact it’s the essence of every story written. Mr. Vogler’s book was based on the life work of Joseph Campbell, a comparative mythologist who authored many books including Mr. Vogler’s favorite, A Hero with a Thousand Faces. As a fan of Dr. Campbell, I had always admired how he evaluated and identified the common denominators of so many mythologies written, spoken and sung throughout history. I already had some understanding of the truth in nature but now Randy was identifying a truth in human nature. Later that year I received an announcement from Field’s End, an active writer’s community on neighboring Bainbridge Island, informing me that they were hosting Christopher Vogler for a one-day workshop. I jumped at the chance to see my “truth-hero,” up close and personal and I wasn’t disappointed.
After a beautiful ferry ride to Port Townsend, we cruised down the Olympic peninsula until finally arriving on Bainbridge Island. It was one of those awesome fall days when Indian summer brings coolness and warmth together in a spectacular clash of color. Scrambling into my seat in the auditorium, I looked up just in time to notice the relaxed, middle-aged author stepping confidently onto the stage, pull up a stool and remark, “How bad can the journey be when you ride a boat to work each day?”
Vogler’s day-long presentation was divided into three sections: a spontaneous and interactive sharing with the audience, followed by an in-depth analysis of the generic hero-heroine’s journey in life reflected in every book or screen play ever written, then he closed with a didactic session on his highly successful book now in its second edition. I could attempt a synopsis of the notes in this newsletter but I will spare you the agony. However, I will share a hint – as he was signing my severely worn copy of The Writer’s Journey he said, “Brad, the best way to use this information is to read it, then forget it!” And so I was led to uncover the wisdom that there is an impeccable rhythm of universal truth in everybody’s story, from Ulysses to Star Wars to the humblest individual story. Best of all, I left this workshop feeling a little less alone, embracing that comforting reassurance that the I, really is We, even for solitary writers.
Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Brad for reporting on this local writers’ event. If you would like to report on a writers’ event that you attended that is pertinent to WIWA newsletter readers, please see the WIWA Seeks Volunteer Reporters paragraph below.
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WIWA WEB SITE NEWS AND MEMBER SERVICES
Keep Up With Your Favorite WIWC Presenters
To make it easy for our members and conference attendees, WIWA links to the Web sites of past conference presenters who provide their Web site addresses to us. It’s a convenient place to look up your favorite presenters and find out where they’re reading and what they’re publishing. Just visit our Web site under Writers Conference/Prior Conference/Prior Presenter at http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/Prior_Conferences/Prior_Presenters.html.
If you’re a past WIWC presenter and your link doesn’t appear on our links page, but you would like it to, just let us know. The only requirement is that you provide a reciprocal link to WIWA and/or the conference Web site at: http://www.writeonwhidbey.org/.
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The Whidbey Island Writers Association is looking for generous individuals or groups interested in donating any of the following items to help us in our efforts to offer outstanding and new programs to local writers and readers. Please contact 360-331-6714 if you have any questions or to make a donation, or e-mail wiwa@whidbey.org. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to WIWA may be tax deductible.
–Work station (student desk size) with room for a computer and monitor
–Desk chair
–Computer and monitor to run sophisticated graphics software WIWA received through a recent grant. (Please contact Elizabeth Guss, Conference Director, for specific details)
–The Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press
–AP Stylebook, Associated Press
–New books on writing (to be used as prizes in the annual youth writing contest)
–Phone cards
–Copy paper
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WIWA Seeks Volunteer Reporters
Join WIWA's team of volunteers as event-specific and beat reporters. I know you’re out there attending events and participating in our local writing community and our readers want to hear about your experiences. This position calls for enthusiastic individuals who attend writing-related events in the Whidbey Island and Puget Sound writing community.
There is no payment or stipend available for event or class tuition. Reporters will work with the newsletter editor to cover current events they have already attended to bring pertinent news back to our writing readership. For more information, please contact Achaessa directly atNewsletterEditor@writeonwhidbey.com.
WIWA does not pay for articles published in the newsletter, but your article will be circulated to approximately 2,000 writers, agents and publishers on our e-mail distribution list and posted on the WIWA Web site. After publication, all rights revert to the author, who may freely use publication in the WIWA newsletter as a publishing “clip” either in hardcopy, PDF format, or by citing to the newsletter archives on the WIWA Web site.
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NOTE: Please send us quotations about writing that you would like to share.
“ You become a good writer just as you become a good joiner: by planing down your sentences .” – Anatole France (submitted by WIWA member Diane M. Schuller)
“What is written without effort is, in general, read without pleasure.” – Samuel Johnson submitted by WIWA member Achaessa James)
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CYBERSURFING
NOTE: If you find a Web site you think other writers would like to visit, send us the URL.
www.crankymag.org – I have to recommend the Cranky Literary Journal Web site just because every writer needs a good laugh now and then. Going to crankymag.com has become like re-reading the funniest parts of a favorite book whenever I need a pick-me-up. Since I’ll have to wait until I’m back in Seattle in March to pick up my hardcopy at my p.o. box, I entertain myself by browsing the Web site. Though both humor and thought-provoking prose can be found on almost every page, my current favorite is the Editors page – kinda makes me want to invite them to hang out at the Chupacabra in Greenwood, drink tequila and compare tattoos. If you’re in the US and have regular mail service (unlike some of us), subscribe now, and clap your hands when Cranky 8 arrives in your mailbox – http://www.crankymag.org/subscribe.html.
www.syntaxis.com/grammar_quiz - Syntaxis, Inc. trains professionals to speak and write more effectively. As part of their Web site, they’ve installed this user-friendly grammar quiz (or user-not-so-friendly, depending on your command of basic business grammar). I confess, it took me four tries to go from 50% correct to 100% correct with digital fireworks congratulating me. Okay, I also confess I was irritated and disagreed with one or two of their grammar interpretations – but I learned a couple of things, too, so all in all it’s a thumbs up. Go play and have some grammar fun.
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I don't know where to ask this question but maybe you can help me. How do you go about using a fictitious name as an author? I would like to use my maiden name on my book and don't know how to properly and correctly do this. THANK YOU!
WIWA Member - Darlene Makin, Coupeville, WA
Editor’s note: Hi, Darlene. Thanks for writing. While waiting to see what suggestions our newsletter readers have for you, my research on using a pseudonym has come up with the following information:
1. Generally speaking, you should include your legal name (for payment purposes) and your pseudonym both clearly marked (e.g., Legal name - Darlene Makin, Pseudonym for publication - Marlene Dakin);
2. If you want to write using your pseudonym only, most states will require that you get a business license and file a fictitious name statement - and you'll need that documentation to set up a bank account for any payments you receive in your pseudonym. (I'm sure there are also tax issues you should discuss with your accountant.);
3. In this day and age, most publishers have submission guidelines on their Web sites that say how they want you to tell them about your pseudonym. Since you should check out submission guidelines before you send out a proposal letter anyway, be sure to check for that information, too; and, finally what the government has to say,
4. Here is the address for the US copyright office that talks about some issues you might not otherwise think of when using a pseudonym - http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl101.html.
Do you have a question on writing or publishing that could use additional input? Do you have writing or publishing resources, information or experience that you’d like to share with our readers? Questions and responses can be sent to NewsletterEditor@writeonwhidbey.com and may be published in upcoming editions of the newsletter for the benefit of all readers.
AND WRITERS RESPOND
In August, Chris asked for assistance on locating a local specialty publisher. Thanks to Diane Schuller, a WIWA member in Canada, for the following helpful suggestions. You can learn more about Diane’s writing services online at www.dianeschuller.com.
In catching up on the last newsletter I read your reminder: " In August, Chris asked for assistance on locating a local publisher interested in her book proposals on Nature and Spirituality topics. We’re still waiting for responses to your question, Chris, so keep checking back."
I honestly don't have a specific answer for Chris, but I'm wondering why Chris is looking for a 'local' publisher? Perhaps the best thing would be to check the current Writers Market for publishers that most closely match the book/manuscripts Chris has in mind.
I realize not everyone buys the current copy of Writers Market but all major library's keep a copy of the current issue in their Reference section. I hope that will be helpful.
All best, Diane
Diane M. Schuller
freelance & ghostwriting services
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TO CONTACT US OR SUBMIT AN ARTICLE
We are interested in hearing from you. Perhaps you've been to a recent book fair, heard a favorite author speak, or learned valuable tips from a writing class. Perhaps you're a professional willing to share your expertise. If you would like to submit a writing related article; tell us about your good news for the Cheers or Recent Releases columns; send us your favorite quotes, markets, contests and cyber sites; or contact us about the newsletter for any reason, please e-mail NewsletterEditor@writeonwhidbey.com. For information about the Conference, e-mail writers@whidbey.org. The WIWA Web site is: www.writeonwhidbey.org.
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The WIWA Newsletter is published approximately every two months and is delivered to subscribers by e-mail. If you would like to subscribe, send an e-mail, with SUBSCRIBE WIWA in the subject line, to wiwa@whidbey.org. If you would like to unsubscribe, please reply to this e-mail with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject, and we will delete you from our records. WIWA will not share or sell your name or e-mail address.