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Friday

Chapter 12 Other Writing Opportunities

Chapter twelve topics
  • Stay Abreast of Oline Marketplace Changes
  • Opinion-editorial (Op-ed)
  • Writing Book Reviews
  • Writing for Online Sites
  • Screen Writing
No matter what kind of writing you do, in order to be successful it's important to know what's happening in the writing marketplaces.

*** Keep abreast of online marketplace changes ***

Read media news
Media Channel, http://www.mediachannel.org/
PoynterOnline, http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=45
ABYZ News Links, http://www.abyznewslinks.com/. Lists by (English speaking or conversant) countries, states, etc. Also, a good source for locating publications to query, with contact information.

Opinion-editorial (OP-ED)
Writing Opinion-editorial, or Op-Ed is writing on subjects that you feel strongly about. Op-Ed stands for "opposite editorials," as in, the page that faces the letters-to-the-editor page or the back page of magazines. The next time you have the urge to expound on a politically incorrect issue, write an op-ed.

For a comprehensive explanation of the ABC's of op-ed writing visit Dewitt Wallace Center Op-Ed Resources at Duke University web site, http://cnx.org/content/m14433/latest/, the Module, by Betty Monk. Use Find to search op-ed to quickly locate what you need to study.
  • Craft an op-ed on any issue.
  • Write out whatever you're intense about while you're still red hot about it.
  • Hone it to 500 words +/-.
  • Check one of the sites listing newspapers, build an email list, and blast it out.
In the subject line of your e-mail write: Op-ed Sub: (your Powerful Title.)'Write a one or two line bio to accompany the piece. Include a good, sharp mug shot, too.

Kathleen Purcell, former newspaper Editor, says,
"Most daily metros use staff and syndicated copy. Editors cannot wait until deadline to see if they have enough copy to fill the op-ed page. Second, in my experience, the big dailies pay little more than the small and mid-sized dailies. But they demand a lot more effort. Third, most big dailies these days have ugly, awful grab-all-rights contracts.
"My advice is to target small to mid-sized dailies, and the largest 3-to 4-times-per-week papers. They will be more accessible to you because of their smaller staffs and lighter organizational structures, they will pay roughly the same and they might have better contracts."
Writing book reviews
Nationally distributed periodicals rely on in-house reviewers. You have to collect your clips from smaller publications before approaching the big guys to ask for a spot on their payroll. They'll determine your worth as a reviewer based on those clips.

Book reviews contain:
  • Title
  • Author
  • Publisher
  • Price
  • ISBN Number.
  1. An overview of the book's contents. What is the book? Biography? History? How-to manual? Fiction? For nonfiction, use jacket copy and table of contents as a guide.
  2. The author's approach to the subject. How is book organized? Which subjects are given the most weight and how are they presented?
  3. Background information about the author. Is he an expert in his field? A journalist? List his credentials, if any. Again, you might find this information on the jacket cover or front or back matter.
  4. What makes the book unique or particularly useful? Does it differ from similar works on the subject? Does it contain something that can't be found anywhere else, or present information in a particularly useful way? If not, don't be afraid to say so. Be honest.
  5. What is the book's targeted audience? Beginners? Experts? Does it require prior knowledge of the subject? Is it for a general audience or a specific group? Is it an introductory text?
  6. A short critique of the book's strengths and weaknesses. What's good? What's bad? How does it compare to similar books?
Here's a suggestion to get you started. Like all book authors these two welcome reviewers.
  • Bob Sanchez, author of When Pigs Fly (an iUniverse Star book.) Bob Sanchez ; http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com/.
  • Mel Jacob (Melduvall@aol.com), Train to Yesterday by Nell DuVal; Thorndike Press 978-1-4104-0878-5, (Five Star Expressions (Gale) 978-1-59414-663-3 available at http://www.spritepress.com/.
When you're serious about writing a book review, contact either or both.

Tip: You don't need to buy any book you are reviewing. If you can't get enough information online, write to the author and ask questions. If you have a magazine or newspaper that commits to publishing your review, authors are willing to provide you with a "review copy."

*** Never *** ask for review copies from an author if you don't intend to publish a review -- that's cheating and very unprofessional and unethical!

Also, book review writing is not for you if your attitude is (as some writers feel), "it's not worth the effort to wait 2 months for a measly $30 bucks."

Markets that pay for book reviews include, Clarion which is a part of ForeWord Magazine. Foreword/Clarion also looks at small press, mostly POD from Xlibris and AuthorHouse. For information, contact jennifer@forewordreviews.com.
It's good to have a clip when you're starting out. Reviewers reported, ForeWord and Clarion paid $50 apiece for 400-500 words; one said "the folks there are very nice ... the job was excruciating because the self-published books included mediocre and very academic, in-depth analysis works. Another said at ForeWord, most of the books are from independent presses, payment is $30.00, and takes about eight weeks to receive payment.

Keep your eye on New York Journal of Books, http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/ to learn when\if they start paying for reviews. Early this year they were working on getting their site to look good. Ted Sturtz, Editor-in-Chief said in October 2010,
"W've not yet begun to pay reviewers. Our new site is just up, so we are just beginning to commercialize and will have to see how quickly we are able to begin to see any material revenues."
Read here, http://tinyurl.com/27ncjru, or email info@nyjounalofbooks.com if you're interested.

Writing for online sites
My long-time friend and professional freelance writer, Kathleen Purcell, shared the following excellent insights into writing for online.
"Look for corporate sites that provide content. I go to sites hosted by manufacturers of fitness clothing and gear, but there are many others. And then there are the sites doing what is called "data mining." Data mining is what they call it when a site posts articles about some topic complete with links to other sites on the web that further the conversation.
"Basically, if you see a corporate site that is posting articles relevant to (but not actually about) the corporate product or image, it's possible they pay freelancers to write those articles. For the most part these sites are being managed by a computer or marketing type, not an editor.
"This is good and bad. It means they rarely ask for revisions and they often pay more than the going rate, but they don't even understand the whole "which rights are you buying" discussion. Most want to pay one time and keep your article forever. And I wouldn't be surprised if they used the articles in the company newsletter or something. I just assume I'll have to rewrite all those articles if I want to resell them.
"On the plus side, you can sell corporate sites a rewritten article, or even a reprint, and they still pay top-dollar, whereas an editor might want to pay less for a rewrite or reprint. I can recycle an 800 word article and get $300-$400 for it on a web site, which is the same pay the Chicago Tribune will pay for a painstakingly researched original article twice as long.
"Most sites have an email link to someone. Often this person is the web master or web site designer, not the editor-like person. Still, a politely worded inquiry often yields the name and email addy of the individual responsible for site content. And--whereas web zines and data miners often want links, sound, video clips, etc.--corporate sites do not want those things.
"They don't want to crowd their server with AV clips, and they definitely don't want to send people OFF their site with a link, unless it's a link to another of their sites. And--once--when I did include a link to another page on a corporate site, they paid me for the link like it was a word. Which is another nice thing about non-editor editors: they count words by running a word counter. There's nothing like getting paid 50 cents for "a". "
You can read another good article on this topic at a CopyDesk,Inc. http://www.copydesk.net/nf_digwrite.html

TV and Screen writing
The University of Illinois website -- Unit For Cinema Studies, http://www.uiuc.edu/unit/cinema/links/index.html has links to excellent information. It's an excellent place to begin learning about this genre. Browsing brought me, http://media.illinois.edu/media-and-cinema-studies/resources.html, with links galore to informative sites.

Hollywood Film Festival site: http://www.hollywoodawards.com/. Click About Us, and surf until you're satiated.

Other film industry sites include,
Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: http://www.oscars.org/

Screen Writers Federation: http://www.screenwritersfederation.org/. Scroll to bottom and click Site Map.

TV Film Rights.Com, http://www.tvfilmrights.com/, billed as a world marketplace community for TV and film rights offers a wealth of information on the subject of rights, as well as other topics of special interest to writers in this genre. Our Marketplace is where you'll find About Us. Pitch Template is where you'll discover the nuts and bolts of screen writing.
Screenhead has this link that explains many complexities, study these: Unfilmables, A List of The Hardest Novels to Film, http://www.screenhead.com/reviews/the-unfilmables-a-list-of-the-hardest-novels-to-film/

Scriptwriters Network, http://www.scriptwritersnetwork.org/swn/, is an organization that may have just what serious screen writers are looking for. Fee membership. A wealth of information and Resources are available to site visitors, without charge. It's worth your time to browse and study, especially while you're deciding whether or not this is your niche.

Don't let yourself get swept away in any of the above sites, and forget to devote time to write, daily!

Exercise,
  1. Study and discuss other writing opportunities. Make a priority list of writing jobs in the order of your 1st preferences.

5-5, Screenwriters Online Resources: http://tinyurl.com/2ck4psp
5-6, Medical Writing: (currently being updated)
5-7, Travel Writing: http://tinyurl.com/2dumo9g
5-8, Newspaper Contracts: http://tinyurl.com/2b3kkax
Next, Chapter 13 - Genre Writing and Writing for Children: http://tinyurl.com/3x33osl

Chapter 13 Genre Writing and Writing for Children

Chapter thirteen topics
  • Who Wants Your Book?
  • Names and Body Language
  • Genre Writers
  • Science Fiction
  • Novel Writing and Group
  • Writing for Children
Who wants your book?
Targeting your writing to a specific genre (or kind of book) is one way to become specialized. Begin compiling markets, addresses, and information about the specific genre that interests you. Next, finding a publisher willing to take your book requires a good deal of effort. Start by finding the agent who wants to represent your work.

You'll find helpful information at these sites:
dmoz, http://dmoz.org/Arts/Writers_Resources/Fiction/

Emily Hanlon, http://www.thefictionwritersjourney.com/Links_and_Resources.htm.  If links don't work for you, try typing the link title into a search engine to locate the material.

SpeculativeVision, Science, Fiction, Fantasy also offers excellent resource links, http://speculativevision.com/network/Writers_Resources/Genre_Resources/.

Using a search engine to surf for agents can lead to others.

Names and body language
Have you thought about how facial expressions can help you tell your story? Although outdated, these books can help:
  • 1977. Manwatching: A Field-Guide To Human Behaviour, Jonathan Cape, London. 320p.
  • 1979. Gestures: Their origins and Distribution (with Peter Collett, Peter Marsh and Marie O'Shaughnessy) Jonathan Cape, London. 296p.
  • 1985. Bodywatching: A Field-Guide To The Human Species, Jonathan Cape, London. 256p.
To locate online resources, type manwatching or human behavior into http://www.dogpile.com/.

Explore names and their meanings for your characters at Kalabarians Philosophy, http://www.kabalarians.com/index.cfm.

Genre writers
SFF Net, http://www.sff.net/ is a host for genre writers. Explore its links, network with members, and find many outlets for your writing.

Science Fiction
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. HOME page offers great information for writers: http://www.sfwa.org/. For background and definition of "slipstream" books, read Nine Below, http://ninebelow.livejournal.com/169856.html.

Writing for children
Childrens Writing -- Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBSI), http://www.scbwi.org/ is considered the best resource available for writers who aspire to write for children. If you're new to writing for children start with Resource Library tab. Use Illustrators tab to locate illustrators.

The Children's Book Council, http://www.cbcbooks.org/ is another great resource.

Interested in writing for Children? Check out these FREE resources at Write 4 Kids.com, Children's Book Insider, http://www.write4kids.com/index.html. Be sure to click the About US Link at the bottom.

Hover your mouse along the top bar, and especially appreciate the drop-down site style to locate goodies!

Explore! Explore! You won't find such a wealth of excellent, free information anywhere else, http://www.write4kids.com/ebooks.html.

Patricia Johnson, a proffesional writer offers excellent advice for query letters.

Query Advice
(c) Patricia Johnson
  • A query is succinct; make it one page in length.
  • Include the unique elements of your work; the genre, subject and target audience.
  • Include marketing information such as if you are already beginning to market by social media like twitter and blogging on relevant sites. Briefly mention the marketing you plan to do after publication. Will you market locally as well? Mention that also.
  • Include a brief history of your writing experience that is relevant to this project.
  • Give the name(s) of those who referred you to the publisher/agent.
  • If you are submitting other queries, be sure to mention this. Limit the amount of queries you send at one time since some agents/publishers want a low number of queries out on a book, or even an exclusive query. ### Patricia Johnson,patricia.writeviewpoet@GMAIL.COM.

Writing Romance:
Romance is a broad category with many specialties. Begin your search at Romance Notes, http://www.romancenotes.com/write_romance.html, Follow the links provided. When you need more answers, use http://www.dogpile.com/ to search writing romance and romance writing and "publishers of romance." Tip: By omitting quotation marks, you'll get different lists of URLs.

Sift through the URLs returned by each. Pay attention to the web link shown, and consider it carefully before you click to help avoid sites that offer little help, and want your money!!

Exercise,
  1. Study and discuss the various genres. List all genres you could write a story for. Tip: Use your idea file and topic spoke. 
Advice FromThe Pros: http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

6-1, Strong Fictional Characters: http://tinyurl.com/2v23v69

6-2, All About Names: http://tinyurl.com/32vyakh

6-3, Character Traits: http://tinyurl.com/2cmgumc

6-4, Show Versus Tell Issues: http://tinyurl.com/298dogs

6-5, Song Lyrics, Fair Use and Trademarks: http://tinyurl.com/2bpb9oz

6-6 e-Zines By The Dozen, http://tinyurl.com/32lag6w

Next, Chapter 14 - Tending to Business: http://tinyurl.com/32rr8a5

Chapter 14 Tending to Businesso

Chapter fourteen topics
  • Setting up shop
  • Laws
  • Taxes
  • Know Your Rights and Fees
  • Work-For-Hire
  • Co-authoring and Contracts
  • Contract Help
  • Getting Your Money
  • The Letter of Understanding
  • Writers Digest Fee Chart
  • Cashing in From Databases
  • Health Insurance
There are many aspects to the "business" side of writing. You'll market your work more effectively the more you understand these important aspects.

For example, when a publisher doesn't send you a contract to sign and return, be sure to enclose your statement or invoice with the submission of your assigned manuscript. Pay close attention to contracts, rights, and copyright issues, too.

Setting up shop
Doing it right is just what you learn how to do when you visit Digital Women web site: http://www.digital-women.com/. Don't be mislead because these resources include the word "women." Each contains valuable business information for either sex.

Tip: I do not suggest that you sign ujp for services, but to learn about business-related terms and issues I recommend studying the information on linked pages at FLOWFUNDING,
http://www.flowfunding.com/.

The National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO) online, http://www.nfwbo.org/ hosts an exceptional amount of resources. A non-profit research organization, NFWBO's mission is to support the growth of women business owners and their enterprises by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge. You can contact them at: info@nfwbo.org.

The National Association of Business Owners, http://www.nawbo.org/ is another site with links to useful business knowledge. Scroll to the bottom and use their Site Map. Then scroll to Business Resource Links. Browse and study.

You'll find other useful help at America's Small Business Development Center Network, http://www.asbdc-us.org/.

Laws
The Publishing Law Center sponsored by the law office of Lloyd L. Rich, http://www.publaw.com/ is an excellent source of information. Be sure to check out the Links to get to some of the best writing-related links.

Taxes
This site lists all the publications put out by the IRS to help you figure out how to file, learn about allowable deductions, etc., http://www.irs.ustreas.gov//. Click Site Map (at top) to make it easier to find what you're seeking. Also, see publication 535.

Know your rights and fees
First North American Print Serial Rights (FNAPSR).
Question: Does inclusion of a work in an anthology constitutes first printing (with or without the copyright)?

The opinion which counts is that of the editor to which a writer wants to subsequently market the piece. An editor or publisher who wants to purchase FNAPSR wants exactly that, a pristine, virginal work to which you (the creator) are licensing First North American Print Serial Rights. Otherwise, for a work which has appeared in print anywhere, a writer may only sell subsequent rights, such as reprint rights, or one-time rights.

Work-for-hire
The most important thing for a freelance writer to remember is that unless there is an express written agreement, signed by both parties, that the work is made for hire, the work does not fall into that category. Even where the entire copyright is assigned by the author, he can get it back eventually. But once a work is legally designated a work made for hire, an employment relationship is deemed to exist, and the employer is considered the author for all time, no matter who wrote the piece.

Co-authoring and contracts
When you contract a co-authored book, two separate contracts are necessary. The first is between the writers ~~ outlining the responsibilities and respective shares ~~ and should be drawn and signed before a word is written. If you are drawing up the contract after-the-fact, you need to hope there won't be any problems over the split. If it isn't on paper, it isn't legal.

A copy of this contract goes to the publisher as an addendum to their contract to publish.

Make a condition in the contract with the publisher that they pay royalties to writer separately. You need a lawyer to draw up your contract between authors and possibly examine the publisher's contract for unfair clauses that take away rights you don't wish to sell (ancillary rights such as electronic publication, film and tv rights and stipulations about increasing royalties when the book reaches certain benchmarks.)

You may want to consider an attorney who is also an agent. He or she will know the most about the legal and the publishing ramifications. The cost shouldn't be extreme unless the attorney is bargaining the contract for you, in which case, he will earn for you far more than he charges.

Contract help
American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) is a great supportive organization for writers, http://www.asja.org/

ASJA Contracts Committee (contracts@asja.org) seeks information about contracts from writers and publishers, http://www.asja.org/cw/cw.php. ASJA Contract Committee are great folks, willing to offer free help to any writer, whether they're an ASJA member or not. When youneed contract clarification or help, ask them.

Another great organization for writers is National Writers Union (NWU), http://www.nwu.org/

Getting your money
Invoicing: Be sure to invoice any publication (or organization you write for) and include all details of your arrangement.

If you are going to donate your writing, send a bill for services anyway, and under total due, put "$0, Balance of xxx Donated to ..." or something like that. That lets both you and whoever is publishing your writing know that your services and your writing have a value.

Remember, you can use writing donations for your charitable contributions on your taxes.

The Letter of understanding

Dear (Editor who assigned article)
The following is my understanding of the details of the assignment that we discussed:
Subject: XXX
Slant: (The slant you and the editor discussed.)
Length: xxx words
Date assigned: (Date editor assigned the article)
Deadline: (Date article is due.)
Publication date: (Date of issue the editor said article will be published.)
Payment: $xxx (agreed on price.)
Pay schedule: Payment (whether on acceptance or on publication -- specify a deadline.)
Rights: First North American, licensed for one time publication. Reprints, electronic, or other secondary publication to be negotiated with author. All rights not expressly transferred are reserved by author. (or whatever you've agreed on.)
Photos \ Art work: You provide; I will provide contacts. (or whatever you've agreed on.)
Acceptance: You will accept the manuscript within xx days or notify author that you require a rewrite. Author will be given reasonable opportunity for a rewrite. Work beyond the scope of this letter does not constitute a rewrite, and additional payment may be necessary.

If there is anything in this letter that is incorrect, please call me at once so that we may be in agreement. Please sign and return one copy of this Letter of Understanding in the SASE provided.

Kind Regards,
[your name]

Getting paid
Use a search engine to search information on writers getting paid.  At Write101, http://www.write101.com/paid.htm, Laura Backes, author of Best Books for Kids Who (Think They) Hate to Read, writes about how authors get paid.

Getting paid
At A List Apart, http://www.alistapart.com/articles/gettingpaid/ Jeffrey Zeldman's (2002) article addresses the difficulty of getting paid.

Writers Weekly, http://www.writersweekly.com/ has a forum in each issue, Whispers And Warnings, that tracks non-payers ~~ which is probably most relevant for those who write for magazines and such.

Cashing in from databases
Copyrights Clearance Center: http://www.copyright.com/. Writers who register their works set their own fees and dictate use of their works.

Health insurance
At least 30% of artists and writers are without any kind of health coverage, according to surveys. That's about twice the national average. In 1994 the National Endowment for the Arts convened a group to look into health care insurance.

Visit the Actor's Fund, http://www.actorsfund.org/, to learn about assistance; top tab, Services and Programs, to Health Care and Health Insurance.

Search, Social Services. and go here, http://www.actorsfund.org/human/social/. Scroll and read links. Also, check the links under Services and Programs, at the top of the page.

Search insurance will get you extensive links to insurances, etc., http://www.actorsfund.org/util/search?SearchableText=insurance.

No writer or artist should go without adequate healthcare for lack of insurance.

Exercises,
  1. Create a business plan.
  2. Set up your record keeping method. (Books, ledgers, reports that will help you at tax time.) 
Advice FromThe Pros, http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

7-1, Freelance and Security: http://tinyurl.com/39g3qo9

7-2, Infringement and Plagiarizing: http://tinyurl.com/2amdvnf

7-3, What About Taxes : http://tinyurl.com/25ssc52

7-4, Formatting your manuscript in .pdf: http://tinyurl.com/38qgqv4

7-5, Publications That Renig on Payment: http://tinyurl.com/24eqoa2

Next, Chapter 15 - The Many Facets of Freelancing: http://tinyurl.com/36v758m

Chapter15 - The Many Facets of Freelancing

Chapter fifteen topics
  • $$$ and Sense of Publishing Specialties
  • Associations and Freelancing
  • Technical Writing
  • Trades
  • Writing Memoirs
  • Personal Interest Stories
  • Writing Parenting Articles
  • Writing Columns
  • $$$ and Sense of Publishing Specialties
  • Associations and Freelancing
  • Technical Writing
  • Trades
  • Writing Memoirs
  • Personal Interest Stories
  • Writing Parenting Articles
  • Writing Columns
$$$ and sense of publishing specialties
Sometimes writers, caught up in the editorial content side of things, forget that publishing is by-and-large a business, with many financially-sensitive cogs in the wheel that ultimately deliver your article to the readers.

Writing for corporation's specialty publications is one career field. According to news figures Corporate America spends $14 billion producing its own publications and another $4 billion to $8 billion in postage to distribute the material. And that's only roughly half of the combined amount generated by the traditional consumer and business-to-business magazines.

Who's spending this money?

Publishing is costing health care, technology and finance businesses $510 million.

What types of publication is the money spent on?

Custom-publishing a quarterly magazine, on average, costs in the neighborhood of $470,000 annually.

The marketing and public relations departments of corporations handle the majority of custom publishing in-house.

Tip: Marketing and public relations departments need employees with writing skills.

Typically, companies produce 1.82 unique publications, each at an average frequency of 6+ times. If publications are aimed at non-company audiences, approximately 50,000 copies (20+ pages each) are printed and three quarters of those are in four-color.

Companies spend, annually, a billion dollars on these publications. Advertisers add over $700 million to the publishing pot.

Custom media spending has risen to an all time high, which you can read about at Custom Content Council, http://tinyurl.com/yhozzyr.

Associations and freelancing
National Association of Publisher's Representative (NAPR), http://www.napronline.org/. While you're browsing and learning, check Resources.

The Editorial Freelancers Association's site, http://www.the-efa.org/, offers courses on medical copy-editing, grammar and usage, editing footnotes, picture research, interviewing and breaking into corporate communications. . Information here, http://tinyurl.com/32ka8or. Follow links, and discover a wide variety of markets, too.

EFA's Archives contain a wealth of information. Click Resources, and look in left panel for Archives. You'll find fee schedules for various writing jobs here, http://www.the-efa.org/res/rates.php. Browse the links to find good free information, such as Job List Tips, which provides good advice, http://www.the-efa.org/mem/joblisttips.php.

Michelle Goodman's The Anti 9-5 Guide has this article on freelancing,
http://www.anti9to5guide.com/category/this-freelance-life/.

Surf at these sites
Terry Burns is a fifth generation Irish storyteller who is also a fourth generation Texas teller of tall tales. You can enjoy his writing and learn from him free, http://www.terryburns.net/. Don't miss his Articles, Musings, and Writing Link Library.

Technical writing
Technical writing information is available at FreelanceWrite.About.com., http://freelancewrite.about.com/. (Search technical writing and scroll to In This Topic: Technical Writing.) The direct link is: http://freelancewrite.about.com/od/technicalwriting/.

Click Technical Writing first, because it's important that you learn if Tech Writing is right for you. (part of the New York Times http://www.nytco.com/, New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/. New York Times login, http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login required (which is free))

Please be advised that linking to an article on The New York Times is free of charge and does not require permission, but you MUST include the New York Times Publisher's URL, http://www.nytco.com/ which will take readers back to The New York Times web site in which they have to be a member, or become a member. Membership is free of charge and only takes a minute to complete.

Learn all you can from the resource links.

IMPORTANT -- Take time to learn which web sites are the property of New York times (You'll find them listed at the bottom of the home page.) About.com is owned by New York Times. In the permission I received from them to include information and links, they also said,
"Please be advised that linking to an article on The New York Times is free of charge and does not require permission. You do, however have to use the Publisher's URL which will take your readers back to The New York Times web site in which they have to be a member, or become a member. Membership is free of charge and only takes a minute to complete. For further information on linking, please see the URL below: http://www.nytimes.com/membercenter/faq/linking.html. If you wish to post an article onto your site (your URL would then host the material), then permission is needed and copyright fees apply." 
At JournalismNet, http://www.journalismnet.com/, you can get free web research tips every week, sent to you by email. Don't miss valuable information at People Search Pro, http://tips.peoplesearchpro.com/articles.html, and at Julian Sher, Investigative writer, TV director and trainer, http://www.juliansher.com/training/.

Trades
If writing trade articles interests you, you can learn a great deal about the industry at The International Trade Administration, http://trade.gov/index.asp. It's directed towards both new-to-export and experienced exporters.

Locate Trade Magazine at Free Trade Magazine Source, http://www.freetrademagazinesource.com/index.aspx. Selecting a category takes you to freetrademagazines.com, where you should begin with FAQ in top bar, and read, http://www.freetrademagazines.com/faq.asp.

Tip: If you don't already have the dogpile toolbar in your browser you should go to http://www.dogpile.com/ and Add dogpile to your browser. Then copy the title of a magazine into the dogpile search and scroll the results until you find the magazine's home page.

Presto!! You'll be able to study trade magazines online.

At Free Trade Magazine Source, http://www.freetrademagazinesource.com/index.aspx, when you click on a listed magazine, you'll get a freetrademagazines.com page with more magazines in that topic, too!

Study and compare them to learn magazines styles, content, publication dates, etc. Request media kits and editorial calendars from magazines you plan to target.

How much can you learn from one magazine?
SeedQuest contains an online and prints publications list. Begin at the homepage, http://www.seedquest.com/. I don't remember ever surfing so many links from one web page, and that led me to a wider variety of topics!! Nearly every line of type is a link!

Tip: Be persistent when something piques your interest but you don't find what you want. For instance, while surfing from the SeedQuest site, I became curious about the name PENDULA I read on a nursery site, but I couldn't locate a picture, and really didn't know what it was, either. So I typed PENDULA into http://www.dogpile.com/ and bingo! I located a picture and learned it is a particular weeping birch tree, BETULA PENDULA.

Let your curiosity lead you, because you never know when you might topic-spoke articles from a nugget of information.

Type trade magazines in SeedQuest's Search to get a list of archived seedquest articles to learn what has been published and to generate article ideas. (You can read full articles by topic listed in the left panel.) An editorial calendar is also linked. Seedquest-White-Pages-Homepage returns a wealth of information.

Writing memoirs
Sue William Silverman's Fearless Confessions: A Writer's Guide to Memoir is a highly recommended book on this genre, http://tinyurl.com/33zlgan.

While there are magazines that publish stories from your past, storypreservation.com, http://www.storypreservation.com/ published hundreds of people's memoirs online. Although an announcement reported it closed in 2004, the links to valuable memory-writing information still work and are worth studying.

Family Tree Magazine: http://www.familytreemagazine.com/magazine/.

Research Toolkit will reveal 101 Best Websites at, http://tinyurl.com/3585bbn.

Tips on writing memoirs
Memoir: A Journey Into Your Past, http://tinyurl.com/34gweg9.

At Read.Write.Think, you can teach yourself much by surfing links and gleaning,
http://www.readwritethink.org/.

Personal interest stories
Feminine Wiles, by Donna Elizabeth Boetig (Linden Publishing Inc, http://tinyurl.com/2vbhd2z) is a fantastic course in writing these type pieces for national publications.

Tip: Scroll to Free Reports, http://tinyurl.com/2323afmand Links for Writers, http://tinyurl.com/2abgay7.

Boetig has made her career writing these heart-trending stories for Readers Digest, Family Circle and others, and tells you everything you need to know from the query to the interview to the article.

Poetry
Poetry writing has its own special requirements, and since I'm not a poet you'll need to search out more information on the web. Don't think poetry doesn't pay. A visit to Griffin Poetry Prize website, http://www.griffinpoetryprize.com/ will enlighten you to the possibilities for recognition and big money.

The Griffin Poetry Prize was founded in 2000 to serve and encourage excellence in poetry, and the Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry doubled the annual prize money to a cumulative amount of $200,000 (which includes $10,000 for each of the short listed poets who participated in the Readings). The judges for this year's books were Anne Carson, Scottish poet Kathleen Jamie and American poet Carl Phillips.

Search online for paying poetry markets, and also type in payingpoetry (all one word) when searching for paying markets. Suite101.com Media Inc., a private Canadian company based in Vancouver, British Columbia has information at suite101.com, http://tinyurl.com/34l8g4c.

At Poets and Writers, http://www.pw.org/, users can go to the magazine, which includes articles on agents, editors, and the literary life, as well as a Classifieds advertising section; the databases, which includes Grants and Awards: Our Guide to Writing Contests, Literary Agents, Literary Magazines, and Small Presses; plus the Literary Events calendar and a Directory of American Writers.

Founded, in 1970, Poets and Writers "believes in contemporary literature's indispensable value to our national culture. The organization's mission is
"to foster the professional development of poets and writers, to promote communication throughout the literary community, and to help create an environment in which literature can be appreciated by the widest possible public. P and W accomplishes this by publishing Poets and Writers Magazine, producing http://www.pw.org/, providing publishing information, introducing emerging writers outside of New York to the New York City literary community, and paying fees to writers participating in public literary events. P&W's programs introduce writers to the larger literary community and connect them to audiences, making today's writing visible and accessible in major cities and small towns across the country."
While The Electronic Poetry Network (EPN), founded in 1997 and edited by Carlos Colon, doesn't pay for poetry, it offers something of infinite value; week-long electronic display in a public library. Check it out here, http://www.shreve-lib.org/poemofday.htm.

Although many links are for residents of Louisiana only, you'll find many terrific links to information sources for anyone.

Writing parenting articles
At Parenting Publications of America, http://www.parentingpublications.org/, scroll left panel to For Writers. You can find target-markets for articles in PPA's Mailing List ($50.) Search free  and find some publications here, http://tinyurl.com/2d2qgfk. It's not necessary to know the name of the publication; simply type in a parenting-related word and see what comes up. (ie: parent, parents, parenting, etc.) Links also bring good tips for writers, and also a fee schedule.

Writing columns
There are many reasons to write a column. Remember, though, that you are competing against the large syndicates which sell subscriptions to papers for $20-$30 a week. For that they get camera-ready copy of columns, features, filler, cartoons, editorial and puzzles.

With that as competition, it's hard to ask for more than $10-$50 for a column. To be profitable selling columns to newspapers you have to be in a volume business. Another reason to go for volume when you market your column is simply to diversify your market.

If you've published a book and want publicity, start a syndicated column on the subject. That will put you constantly in front of potential customers.

Study at University of Missouri Extension, http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/comm/cm0360.htm.

At ewritersplace.com, http://www.ewritersplace.com/, read Why the Editor is Not the Enemy, by Mridu Khullar, a 2007 graduate student of Access The World And Write Your Way To $$$.

Submission guidelines for columns
For information about submitting columns (and to see specifically what one editor wants) study Strike website, http://www.strike-the-root.com/submissions.html. It spells out what many editors consider the basics writing columns.

Washington Post's column web site, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/. To read all columns, sign in (free) is required. However, you can find their Style columns for every day of the week; click on them and get to the archives of that column.

They include advice, humor, family, book reviews, magazine reviews, chess, and all sorts of stuff. You may find a column type you hadn't considered before that you could develop and market in other directions
."Washington Post allows text links (no use of their logo, graphics or photos please) to current articles for 14 days after they are published. After that period of time, the articles go into the Archives (fee-based) and are unavailable for linking. WP also does not allow their content to appear within frames at other sites. For permissions to post the full article after the 14 day period, please contact their Permissions Group at, permissions@washingtonpost.com." 
Try out any or all of the above categories and keep writing daily while you're finding your niche and developing your unique writing voice. Send queries, and keep climbing your ladder of successes.

Exercise,
  1. Write your resume.
Advice FromThe Pros: http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

8-1, Negotiate Your Contract! (waiting for permission)

8-2, Collecting What's Due You: http://tinyurl.com/2cw8fnm

Next, Chapter 16 - Education and Reference: http://tinyurl.com/36maz9e

Chapter 16 Education and Reference

Chapter sixteen topics
  • Education
  • Guide to Writers Conferences
  • E-newsletters
  • Finding Dates and Statistics
  • A Unique Discovery Site
Education
Continuing education is a necessity for writers in every field of writing. The websites below barely touch on available opportunities. As your writing progresses, I'm sure you'll develop your own searching strategies to find the specialties that meet your needs.

Every writer needs to study here. Strunk and White's Elements of Style, http://www.bartleby.com/141/.

Editorial Freelancers Association, http://www.the-efa.org/ has many links where writers find valuable insights, as well as members only links. Learn all you can, and decide whether membership will benefit you. Annual membership is $105 - $125, depending on where you live. A Job List subscription is available, $40 US per year, and a Non-member newsletter, $20 per year. EFA offers courses on medical copy editing, grammar and usage, editing footnotes, picture research, interviewing and breaking into corporate communications.

CopyDesk, Inc., http://www.copydesk.net/ is an outsourcing and placement agency for professional writers that places writers in both full-time and freelance positions, hosts a wealth of information. Surf thoroughly to find free, helpful articles! You can bypass the entry page by going here, http://www.copydesk.net/nf_home.html.

Check WritingWorld, http://www.writing-world.com/.

Federal Resources for Education (FREE), http://www.free.ed.gov/. Surf the site thoroughly and you'll find amazing things.Alphabetical lists abound and Search is available, also. However, I probably took the most roundabout way to discover the Smithsonian Institution's exceptional oral history guide to interviewing. Surfing from link to link one final click brought me the guide to interviewing at Smithsonian Center For Folklife and Cultural Heritage here,  http://tinyurl.com/5aeho.

A terrific Character Building Workshop, provided by Writers' Village University, http://writersvillage.com/ was developed and produced by R.J. Hembree with special thanks to Judy Hunt for her work in the questionnaires and her editing skills. Credit is also due to Lateef Raspberry for his programming assistance. Hembree said,
"We also have F2K Social, which includes our free creative writing course we've run since 1995 at http://writersvillage.com/free/ It's staffed an Mentored by volunteers from Writers' Village University member."
A former student, Kriti Bajaj said,
"When I signed up for it, I really didn't know what to expect... I hoped for inspiration and feedback. The course worked from 3 angles - reading, writing and critiquing, not to mention the wonderful and informal interaction between students and mentors. It truly was a case of 'writers helping writers' and learning from each other, which is WVU's aim and mantra. The final lesson was to be a complete short story, ideally using everything we had learned. That's when I realized how much I'd gained from the course, and the short story I worked on for Lesson 6 was selected for publication in an online collection shortly after."

Dixie Barnes, currently enrolled in the free creative writing course F2K as a refresher says,
"It's a great way to refresh your skills in writing fiction, especially if you have taken a hiatus from writing like I did.
"There are professionally published authors mentoring and also participating as students in the course, which means we get awesome feedback for our posts.
"The course is free. Occasionally there will be an inexpensive paperback book to purchase, but these are available through the school from Amazon.com. I've purchased some of mine for $2.50 + tax, so the outlay is minimal."
My fellow IWW writer, Rick Bylina shared this information and his insights about a topic in Writer's Digest:

"The September 2010 edition of Writer's Digest has an interesting take on top ten things related to writing.
"Included are the pros and cons over ten of the most recognizable writing rules by some highly respected people in the world of writing.
"What are the top THREE rules in your writing world?
"My tag line identifies my feelings about writing RULES, and I think the top ten article covering writing rules only champions my opinion. However, to play along, my top three writing GUIDELINES are:
"1. Tighten, tighten, tighten
"If real estate can be boiled down to three words: location, location, location, then writing can too: tighten, tighten, tighten. With tightening, look for plot or character tension on each page (see Maass' "Writing the Breakout Novel"). Avoid unnecessary details and wordiness. Remember the rule of three--most people only remember up to three things in a list. Watch for redundancy. Ensure your dialogue moves the story forward.
"2. Use the five senses, plus two.
"Richness of the scene is managed by what your POV character sees, hears, smells, tastes, and touches. Plus, don't forget to pepper lightly your senses with intuition (experience based) and premonition (the anticipation of an event without conscious reason). Jessica Page Morrell's book "Between the Lines" highlights the five senses succinctly.
"3. Reveal something in each sentence.
"Move the story forward in each sentence. Reveal through character development (D), background information (B), foreshadowing (F), tension (T), conflict (C), surprise (S), or resolution (R). Take a page of your story. Mark it up using these identifiers. If your page isn't marked up like a kid with chicken pox, it's probably not moving the story forward. Whether genre or literary fiction, you don't want the story to lie there on the page like a three-week-old flounder stinking things up.
"Well, there you have it.
"Write on! Write on!! Brothers and sisters, amen. Write on!!!"
-rick bylina
The only rule: writers write! Everything else is a guideline.

Guide to writers conferences
In addition to those listed on ShawGuides writing page, http://writing.shawguides.com/ I searched writers conferences which produced a list of 289 conferences complete with their information and contacts. Links guide you to special interests, states, and countries. However, to locate the dates and location of the 2010 Idaho Writer's League conference, I had to access their website -- backspacing the provided link to their primary site, http://www.idahowritersleague.com/.

Writers should attend conferences
  1. For continued education opportunities.
  2. To meet editors, agents and publishers
  3. To expand writers networking
Do your research well in advance of attending a conference. To decide which conference you'll get the most from, before deciding to attend request the conference schedule, because at many conferences the scheduling forces attendees to make hard choices between speakers.
  • Check out speaker's backgrounds.
  • Make notes of what you want to learn from each.
  • Be sure conflicts won't prevent you from hearing speakers of your choice.
  • Sign up as early as possible if you want a meeting with an editor or agent.
E-newsletters
eNewsletters are a valuable to resource as quick, concise ways to receive or research information. Always note when the material was published, and don't overlook the archives.
Finding dates and statistics
Robert Niles.com is a great starting point for understanding how to locate statistics, http://www.robertniles.com/data/.

A Journalist's Database of Databases, by Drew Sullivan is an invaluable resource, http://www.drewsullivan.com/database.html.

The most awesome web site I've found for learning about world history and historical peoples is Hyper History Online, http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html which I came across while reading the fascinating history behind World History Chart, developed by Andreas Nothiger: http://www.hyperhistory.com/index.html.  Scroll down towards the bottom. Quick link: >http://www.hyperhistory.com/chart/author.html.

Bookmark this awesome web page collection, http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html.

Tip: Click Options, then in right panel, Special Lifelines, then click each block to see biographical notes. Information is presented on a column on the right.

Scope Systems site, http://www.scopesys.com/today/ is also a good starting point to the following sites:
  • http://www.scopesys.com/anyday/ allows you to select the month and year and it provides birth dates, deaths and significant events.
  • http://www.scopesys.com/year/, covers all the years for a specific day when you type the year into the box provided.
  • Scope System site also includes links to other resources.
For history research projects visit History,com: http://www.history.com/tdih.do.

At dMarie Time Caps, http://dmarie.com/asp/history.asp type a specific date and find the top songs and the price of benchmark items, i.e., house, car, gas, bread, postage stamp for that period in time.

TheHistoryNet.com, http://www.historynet.com/ provided by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines, is excellent, and will also show you the picture of the day

Medical statistics can be found at the Agency For Health Research and Quality, http://tinyurl.com/2vu3zdt and at Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Faststats, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/default.htm.

Weather, http://www.noaa.gov/.

If you've searched for something specifice without success, before you give up and ask my help, please try an online list. Type a keyword followed by listserv into a search engine. For example, chicken raising listserv. You can either monitor the list messages, or post your question to list members.

If all else fails, remember that I'll be glad to help if I can. I've amassed a virtual potpourri 'library' of websites.

Exercise,
  1. List your education goals.
Advice FromThe Pros: http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

8-3 Purposeful Pitching - How To Get The Most Out Of Writers Conferences: http://tinyurl.com/22rvp65

Next, Chapter 17 - Organizations and Newspapers: http://tinyurl.com/35mr8f2

Chapter 17 Organizations and Newspapers

Chapter seventeen topics
  • Publisher's organizations
  • Magazine Publishers
  • Newspapers
  • Newspaper contracts
  • Finding facts and articles
It never hurts to know a bit about the 'boss' and what his job requires. Editors and publishers appreciate the writer who has a working knowledge about issues they, as the boss, have to deal with. So learn all you can from the following sites, and you'll be better informed and better prepared for various situations when they arise. It could enhance your position with a 'boss' sometime.

Publisher's organizations
Find publisher's organations from ASAE Association directory, http://www.asaenet.org/. Tip: Choose Site Map, scroll to Gateway to Associations (under Directories), then in the "begins with" search field type publishers. Also search magazine publishers and periodical publishers. Browse links to discover more publisher associations. Example, Publishers of the West's Links and Resources brings many more publisher associations, http://www.pubwest.org/index.php?page_id=8.

Search the same words in the "contains" search field, and also search book publishers.

Magazine Publishers
Begin your research at Magazine Publishers' of America's website, http://www.magazine.org/. The Site Map at bottom makes it easier to navigate links to explore useful information.

This site is a good one for learning statistics about the magazine industry, along with a good way to gauge growth (or slump) in categories. For example, I learned how many new magazines were launched, and the numbers in various categories.

You can learn the top 50 magazines. Scroll down to find Editorial Trends and Magazine Handbook, http://tinyurl.com/8n5o7d which provides the latest publishing statistics.

Click Research and type Magazine Anniversaries in the search box. You'll find the Magazine Fact Sheets and Trends. Scroll to Publishing Trends and Magazine Anniversaries to find the names of thousands of magazines, http://tinyurl.com/5r9xcq

Don't overlook finding the newest markets, what they are about, and who publishes them to learn valuable market information, http://tinyurl.com/6qr4d3.

Tip: Remember, magazine's online sites can be located in seconds by copy\pasting the magazine title into a search engine.

By knowing the concerns that editors and publishers face, you're better equipped to target markets, too. Browse this site and get to know the editor's business at the ground level. Take a fascinating look at award winning articles in award winning magazines (by year). Read the articles that won awards for the magazines. It is important to know, because editors are always seeking what will bring them this prestigious award the next year.

Publishers' Representatives
A publishers' representative specializes in selling advertising space for publishers of business-to-business, consumer, international and Web media. National Association of Publishers' Representatives, http://napronline.org/, Resources directs you many associations, and Questions a Publishers' Representative Should Ask a Prospective Publisher provides helpful insights.

One example of important information browsing will produce and how you can benefit is Western Publications Association, http://www.wpa-online.org/, a site where you'll find the Maggie Awards (drop down list by year.) From there you'll find good current publishing news articles, too.

Resources has Associations links, Browse, browse, browse and learn, learn, learn.

Examples
American Society of Business Publication Editors, http://www.asbpe.org/, (Awards link) yielded the 2010 Azbbee Awards of Excellence, and very useful information.

City and Regional Magazines Association also lists award winning magazines, and the stories that excelled.

Check other Association websites for Awards to learn which magazines won awards.

Search out the publications and study what makes them winners. Then, blueprint your articles and stories to the award winners.

Newspapers
Many newspapers have job openings. Search on any good search engine for newspaper job or work for hire links.

Tip: First North American Print Newspaper Rights (FNAPNR) differ from First North American Print Serial Rights (FNAPS) in that one specifies the type of media publication, while the other doesn't.

I never sold electronic or database rights with first publication rights until publishers all began lumping them in without additional payment. Since then, sometimes I've been able to negotiate extra money for unlimited archive time-limit, so when I sell re-print or one-time rights I have a handle on where the article stays archived online.

At Newspapers.com, http://www.newspapers.com/ you'll find email addresses and URLs to every paper in the world. There are links to tons of newspapers as well as trade, religious, specialty and business publications.

Choosing the Specialty link (at the bottom) when I typed food into the US Publications search engine it returned one hit, but when I typed food into the Worldwide Publications search it returned 162 hits!

Try food (or another topic) into each of the Publication specialty tabs at the bottom of the page, searching both categories, and I guarantee you'll be astounded at the results!

You'll also find links to state press associations and college newspapers. Although it does not provide a complete list, its low-graphic content and wide ranging offerings make it a very effective search site.

The American Journalism Review, http://ajr.org/, also has a large number of geographically organized newspapers, both within and outside of the United States, including lists and links to the 50 largest circulation magazines in the states and the 25 largest circulation magazines in Canada. Not every large circulation magazine has a link because many do not have web pages. Scroll to bottom and click newspapers.

Tip: Searching for something to write about? Check a newspaper in your area, then read the Arts and Entertainment section and you'll find a wealth of happenings to write about, listed by dates.

Newspaper contracts
Newspaper contracts differ from others. Try to always strike out an indemnify and hold harmless clause. And anything that about the author paying for any complaint or claim relating to materials made by third party at any time, and holding the publication harmless against damages, liabilities, costs, expenses, etc. You can say you've already warranted the material as being original, not previously published, not infringing on others' copyrights, etc., so if someone sued the paper for what you wrote, well they'd chosen to publish it. Try to insert, 'to the best of my knowledge' for above representations and warranties.

Try to negotiate out a 'renewing rights' clause. If this is the first time you've sold to the newspaper, tell them you are striking it out as irrelevant since you don't have previous works published by them.

Grant the paper first rights (preferably for 30 days) and subsequent rights if the contract asks, because most contracts include it. Be sure the wording includes "nonexclusive." The paper is probably just protecting its butt because really, all they want to do is publish the piece on their web edition.

If the contract states 'moral right' and\or 'rights of identification of authorship' ask what is meant. A newspaper contract will usually have a clause giving them the right to edit. If you don't like what \ how they edit, then stop submitting. Newspapers don't have the time to give authors the right to approve edits.

Tax indemnification is standard, since you will get a 1099 as an independent contractor. It's unlikely you can use an alternative contract to the one drawn up by their legal department and they already know what they are allowed to strike or insert if requested. A whole new contract would require a whole new legal review, which just won't happen.

Finding facts and articles
HighBeam e-Library Research, http://www.highbeam.com/library/index.asp? is a fee-subscription online archive that enables users to search over 10 million articles from thousands of newspapers, magazines, books, TV and radio transcripts, maps, pictures, etc. for the exact information that they crave. Find alphabetical listings of newspapers and magazines at a click. Offers a 7-day free trial subscription.

Encyclopedia.com, http://www.encyclopedia.com/, a free online encyclopedia contains over 50,000 articles, 40,000 bibliographic citations and 80,000 cross-reference entries.

Check RefDesk, http://www.refdesk.com/, free fact checker for the Internet.

Random Facts, http://facts.randomhistory.com/, also aids researchers with brief, random histories and word origins. Be sure to read information use, http://www.randomhistory.com/info.html.

The Excite Network, Inc. Excite's Newstracker, http://excite.com/ is thorough and free for tracking recent news.

The Labyrinth, Resources for Medieval Studies, created by Martin Irvine and Deborah Everhart at http://labyrinth.georgetown.edu/ links to fascinating information.

Scoop! Direct, http://www.scoop.com/ is a fee-based resource that will also e-mail you newspaper, wire service, trade and journal stories according your personalized settings. 7-day free trial offered.

Business.com, http://tinyurl.com/6d2m8s will search through many of the publications on the web for subjects or keywords, including newspapers, magazines, journals, periodicals, etc.

Reminder: When researching sites always read Terms and Conditions, usually found at the bottom of the page.

Exercises,
  1. Write a resume for a reporter position at a small, daily newspaper.
  2. List your education goals.
Advice FromThe Pros: http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

8-4, PR is PR: http://tinyurl.com/2dv2g39

Next, Chapter 18 - Book Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/38d98qf

Chapter 18 Book Publishing

Chapter eighteen topics
  • Targeting The Right Publisher
  • Writing The Book Proposal
  • Marketing Savvy
  • Additional Resources
  • Agents
  • Contracts
  • Alternative to Having an Agent
  • Self Publishing
  • The International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
  • Publishing Books
  • Print-On-Demand Books
  • Software For Printing Booklets
  • Electronic Text and Publishing Resources
  • E-Books
  • E-Book Reader\Creater
  • E-Royalty Advice
  • Ways to Market an E-book
Targeting the right publisher
You've written a book! Now what?

Do what you should have done first -- begin targeting potential publishers.

With pencil and notebook in hand, in your local bookstore locate the physical shelf that will display your book. Look inside the covers of ALL the published books there. Compile a list of the publishers who publish books similar to yours, or that are about the bigger message (or region) yours covers. Where possible, note their addresses, dates of publication, etc.

Tip: The agent who represented the book is sometimes listed, too. Ask the bookstore owner if they know, or can find out the agent.

Because many publishing houses put books out under different imprints, you'll see the same publishing company listed in a variety of genres. Note these, too.

If a book contains many elements, be guided by the bigger message of the book. The other elements enhance the bigger message. The bigger message defines who the ideal reader is. Based on that message, jot down why your book will be better.

Tip: Keep abreast of publishing news with Publishers Weekly, http://www.publishersweekly.com/. Visit their web pages, and subscribe to the magazine if you can.

Most major publishers only accept book proposals and/or manuscripts from agents, but you can write to the prospective publishers and ask if they accept queries and/or book proposals from authors. Those who do can be contacted through their Acquisitions Editor. (If the publisher has several imprints, select the appropriate AE.)
Request the publisher's
  • Acquisition editors' contact information
  • Writer's guidelines
  • Book proposal template, if they have one
  • Latest lists and catalogs
The Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network (SPAWN), http://www.spawn.org/ offers links to writing and publishing information research sources, publishers, printers, and the media.

For information on writing book proposals check The Seven Vital Elements of a Successful Nonfiction Book Proposal, by Mary Embree, http://www.spawn.org/marketing/bookprop.htm.

Textbook And Academic Authors Association (TAA), http://www.taaonline.net/, provides invaluable service for members. (Dues are reasonable and can be found at About TAA, near the bottom.) You'll find plenty of free information and advice just by surfing the links. Links bring you to Authors Organizations and other resources, http://www.taaonline.net/links/authororgs.html.

Library of Congress gateway, http://lcweb.loc.gov/. It is open to the public, but only Members of Congress, Supreme Court justices and other high-ranking government officials may check out books. However, Search "book publishers" (including quotation marks) at, http://catalog.loc.gov/ to display 2870 book titles and authors. Click the title to find the book publisher's information.

The National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc
has manuscript collections. Type manuscript collections catalog in a search engine.

Studying books that are published, reading synopsis, etc., should be an on-going activity of all novel writers. Dozens of resources listing over 40,000 free books on the Web are linked at The Online Books Page, http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/

Association of American University Presses provides an alphabetized list of university presses, http://www.aaupnet.org/membership/directory.html.

Simon and Schuster's web site, http://www.simonsays.com/ is also an excellent resource at your fingertips.

Tip: Select a category, then select a book. Hover on a book and get Read more to click for a synopsis. When you become familiar with navigating this site, it's better than a trip to the bookstore for discovering the information you need to know.

With the information you've gathered you're ready to search for the appropriate agent or publisher.

Writing the book proposal
Writing a book proposal takes a ton of work! Its importance cannot be overstated! The book proposal is your sales tool. It must be wonderful and contain strong, fresh ideas. Nonfiction Book Proposals Anybody Can Write, by Elizabeth Lyon (1995, Blue Heron Publishing) is still one of the most useful guides.

Peggy Vincent, author of Baby Catcher advises that you seriously consider hiring a reputable writing consultant to help with your query/proposal. Following advice from the consultant she hired, Peggy sent her query and one-page sample to five agents simultaneously. Selecting one of the two responding agents who accepted her, Peggy sent a 15-page formal proposal and nine sample chapters. The agent made 10 copies of the 115 pages Peggy supplied and sent them to 10 top NY publishing houses where she had contacts. Three weeks later Peggy had a great contract.

Sandra Friend, another successful author says,
"Sample chapters ARE requisite with a book proposal. With non-fiction, send your best chapters, two or three at the most; with fiction, supposedly your first few chapters. I've sent a fiction proposal to an agent with the first two chapters, several in the middle, and the ending, and landed a contract."
Armed with a successful proposal, the appropriate agent, AND a great self-marketing agenda to include in your package, you, too, can be successful.

Tip: If your book will be written in first person, the outline has to be in first person also. The sample chapter(s) included in your proposal should be easy-to-understand and exciting. One chapter should also be "light" if your book includes "dark" and "light" material.

I highly recommend frequent visits to Jeannette Czanne's blogspot, Beyond The Elements of Style, http://beyond.customline.com/. If you can read all of her archives you'll learn a great deal about publishing, such as why doing film trailers for books is becoming more and more popular. Among other things you should know, you'll learn about platforms, http://tinyurl.com/28wb3dp.

Also, download and study (free), The Author 2.o Blueprint: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Build Your Author Platform Online, by Joanna Penn, http://tinyurl.com/37uh4yx. Penn offers good information on her website and free podcasts. Listen to 30+ hours, http://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/ that include interviews for authors and writers on writing, publishing and book marketing. Check her other resources here, http://www.thecreativepenn.com/resources/.

Also regularly visit, learn and participate at Hope Clark's excellent FundForWriters website, http://www.fundsforwriters.com/. Links bring an awesome array; Resources and Grants are terrific, also.  Writing Kid. Scroll to Read the archived editions at: http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?writingkid.

Go to Ally E. Peltier's website, Ambitious Enterprises.com, http://www.ambitiousenterprises.com/. Ally is an experienced editor, writer and publishing consultant. Click About to learn more about this exceptional professional, and then click Resources \ Useful Links. Follow her advice on why educated writers are more likely to succeed than those who don't bother to learn about the publishing process.

Marketing savvy
Publishers want authors committed to promoting their book. Show your agent and publisher what you've got in your marketing arsenal. In today's market-driven economy, a writer who thinks as creatively about marketing as about plot is a more likely to become a published author.

An author's ability to bring a marketing synopsis (a few pages explaining how you can market your own book) to the table along with a great manuscript makes a difference in what books get picked up, whether fiction and nonfiction titles.

If you can't travel to do book signings, etc, it's not necessarily a problem. There are other ways to promote, including the web, your associations, hobbies, affiliations, getting endorsements from celebrities, experts, etc.

Get blurbs from authors
Try to get a list of at least four authors who will blurb your novel. List what books they've published and include their affiliations. Tip: Bigger names aren't always better. The right match matters more. For example, you might share an affiliation. Any connection can be an important affiliation. Think hobbies, profession, avocation, volunteerism, etc.

Any marketing ideas you have are best presented to a publisher in a marketing synopsis. It helps your agent sell your book to a publisher, and can be the decisive factor that makes an agent take your book over someone else's. Anything that differentiates your book from other submissions is a big advantage.

Additional resources
McGraw Hill Higher Education, http://www.mhhe.com/ is a tremendous starting place with lots of good links to explore -- and stretch your mind! Tip: Click Publish With Us at the top of the main page. From here you can learn a variety of 'need-to-know' subjects.

Click Catalogs to get lists of books, and then click on a book to read it's synopsis. Study these descriptions and learn how to write a brief, compelling synopsis of your book.

Look for suggestions, ideas and plans on how to market your book on John Kremer's web site, Book Marketing and Book Promotion, http://www.bookmarket.com/. Explore, explore. *Note, Many of the offerings involve purchasing books etc., however you can locate a few free features. Browse and absorb, and you'll learn a great deal without paying a fee.

Scroll to Site Map and select Tip of the Week to subscribe to John Kremer's Book Marketing (free). An index provides quick links to archived tips.

Publisher's Weekly.com, http://www.publishersweekly.com/ informs readers about the publishing industry. Type "book reviews" in the search to get a list of helpful articles to study, plus a link to Reviews. (You register to log in to the database to find book reviews.)

Literary market directory
Literary markets, http://www.mamohanraj.com/Writing/litmarket.html.

Keep abreast of today's topics and know who's publishing what. Visit your local bookstore and browse the shelves.

Networking with other authors is important to your success. Attend readings, book signings and writers conferences as often as possible. Also, join a writers group, either online or locally. I highly recommend Internet Writing Workshop, http://www.internetwritingworkshop.org/. Get inspiration and important insider information from reading members successes stories, http://internetwritingworkshop.blogspot.com/.

Wooden Horse, http://www.woodenhorsepub.com/ also helps you keep up todate on the publishing world.

Agents
Find answers to your questions about agents by visiting The Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR), http://aaronline.org/. AAR's site explains the organization and tells what to expect from a reputable agent. It includes questions you should ask any agent you're considering. Click Agents to display a list with contact information. (*Read Advice From The Pros, 9-2, About That Agent: http://tinyurl.com/2wqyscf.)

Contracts
Look at a contract as a business proposition, not just as an opportunity to publish books. Your agent might help you get the best contract, but you'll want your Intellectual Property Attorney on board, too.

Novelists, Inc., http://www.ninc.com/ keeps its members connected, communicating, and well informed while striving to better the status of fiction writers. This fine web site has excellent articles.

Self-publishing
I highly recommend that anyone considering self-publishing get Dan Poynter's views on the topic. Go to Para Publishing, http://www.parapublishing.com/ and read the links on the topic.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
ISBN is generally required on books placed in libraries and in many bookstores. A wealth of book information is provided at R. R. Bowker, http://www.bowker.com/. Bowker is the US authorized agency to get the ISBN. The minimum fee for an ISBN prefix and a block of ten numbers is $275. Pricing information, http://isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbn-fees.asp.

Publishing books
See Bookwire, http://www.bookwire.com/,  where clicking a book displays a synopsis, along with the book's price, etc.

There are also fee-based products like BooksInPrint, http://www.booksinprint.com/ and Literary Marketplace, http://www.literarymarketplace.com/ that require a user ID and password.

Library of Congress hosts a calendar of book events here, http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/bkevents.html. Check out Author's webcasts while you're there. Scroll the to bottom of Inventing Entertainment, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edhome.html, for instructions on working with the Collection, such as How To View Videos, etc.

Print on demand books (POD)
You need to study this subject thoroughly before making an informed decision about using POD. Search online for the latest information.
Trafford Publishing, http://www.trafford.com/ is one of the many on-demand book publishing services.

Software for printing booklets
FinePrint, http://www.fineprint.com/ is an easy-to-use printer driver intended to give unprecedented control and customization of your printing. Jonathan Weiner and Mark O'Brian authored the software for printing booklets.

Electronic text and publishing resources
Ann Chambers Theis, Collection Management Administrator Chesterfield, VA County Library is in charge of Overbooked, http://www.overbooked.org/ a web site formerly known as Book Links for ravenous readers. It specializes in literary and genre fiction information.

BookWeb hosts a list of electronic publishers, http://www.bookweb.co.uk/elec_pubs/index.htm.

E-books
To keep abreast of the growing electronic book industry is daunting! Along with Matt Frisch's CNN article on digital piracy, http://tinyurl.com/ycwkdtf you can scroll down to find links to related topics. Study them.

e-Books are reviewed by ForeWord Reviews, http://www.forewordreviews.com/. Contact Jennifer Szunko, Director of Clarion Review Services, jennifer@forewordreviews.com. They offer book reviews anytime, anywhere and anyone can Download their new iPhone App, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foreword-reviews/id360257054.

Xlibris is one E-Book Publisher. Does not charge for their core service, but charges a one-time $300 fee. Publishes your book in electronic and paperback. http://www2.xlibris.com/index.asp. Click on FAQ.

BookLocker, http://www.booklocker.com/ is an online source for self-published electronic and print books. Click a book to read a description and sometimes find a related book title.

Amazon offers a free digital platform for publishing books for sale in the Kindle Store, https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin.

As with all book publishing, study, study, study, before making your decision about electronic publishing.

E-book reader\creater
Microsoft Reader is another e-book reader that is free, and with the free Word 2000 add-in you can create your own ebooks, http://www.microsoft.com/reader/uk/default.mspx.

ScanSoft markets PDF converter software, which allows you to create and convert PDF files, http://www.nuance.com/.

E-royalty advice
National Writers Union provides information, https://nwu.org/.

Ways to market an e-book
Need suggestions, ideas, or a plan? Look for answers on John Kremer's web site, http://www.bookmarket.com/.

Exercises,
  1. Write a sketch of a book idea that sparks an interest in you -- fiction or non-fiction.
  2. Write a short article about what's happening in the book-publishing world now.
Advice FromThe Pros: http://writerinsidertips.blogspot.com/

9-1 "Plussing" Your Novel: http://tinyurl.com/35m6k9j

9-2, About That Agent: http://tinyurl.com/2wqyscf

9-3 Audio Book Publishing: http://tinyurl.com/28qz3rx

9-4, E-Book publishing and e-book readers: http://tinyurl.com/29jtmap

9-5, Book Publicity and Marketing: http://tinyurl.com/3aj2nrw

9-6, What About Distribution and Publicists? http://tinyurl.com/2dw2teo

9-7, What an Agent Expects to See: http://tinyurl.com/26cvlhr

9-8, Promoting Your Book: http://tinyurl.com/25yux95

9-9, Trade Book Publishing Agreement: http://tinyurl.com/2eq4myf

Next, Chapter 19 - Research and Libraries: http://tinyurl.com/3x2h4uq