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W R I T I N G W O R L D
A World of Writing Information - For Writers Around the World
http://www.writing-world.com
Issue 5:18 15,300 subscribers September 1, 2005
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CONTENTS
=================================================================
From the Editor's Desk
WRITER TO WRITER: What was your worst experience with an
editor? by Peggy Tibbetts
News from the World of Writing
FEATURE: 20 Ways Writers Can Save Money,
by Mridu Khullar
The Write Sites -- Online Resources for Writers
WRITING DESK: by Becky Mushko
WHAT'S NEW at Writing World
MARKET ROUNDUP/Writing Contests
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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
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If You Knew Then What You Know Now...
-------------------------------------
Have you made mistakes early in your writing career that you wish
you could undo? Do you wish you'd understood more about the
business before you -- signed that contract, submitted to that
publication, agreed to those changes, whatever?
I am working on an article about "first-sale mistakes to avoid"
and I need input! I'd love to hear about mistakes you've made,
mistakes you'd like to warn other writers against, or perhaps
mistakes that you barely avoided making. It doesn't have to be
your very first sale; anything that makes you say, "Gosh, I wish
I hadn't done that!" will do. Help other new writers avoid the
pitfalls that surround us early in our careers; send your
"mistake" to editors"at"writing-world.com Thanks!
Writers Wanted is Down Again
----------------------------
If you stopped by the Writers Wanted section recently, you'll
have found -- nothing. Again. The classified program got
spammed by Nigerian cell phone dealers, among others. So I have
yanked the program offline, and have just purchased yet ANOTHER
classified program that will allow me to approve listings BEFORE
they go online. I hope to have it installed and tested within
the next week. On the bright side, at least the problem this
time wasn't writers (or writer wannabes) who insisted on posting
their "I'm a really great writer and need work" ads in the wrong
categories.
-- Moira Allen, Editor
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WRITER TO WRITER
=================================================================
by Peggy Tibbetts (peggyt"at"siltnet.net)
What was your worst experience with an editor?
----------------------------------------------
Most of the 19 writers who responded shared funny and unusual
stories about quirky editors. Although when it comes to really
bad experiences, it's the editors who keep changing their minds
that top the list. If I gave out prizes -- which I don't -- the
hands down winner for the worst experience would have to be A.
Mercer, because they ruined her vacation! "My most horrific
experience just happened," she wrote. "They gave me an October
16th deadline for the November issue. Then they bumped me back to
the December issue which gave me more breathing room. Next they
put me back in the November issue and gave me an August 24th
deadline -- which was while I was away on vacation! I've had a
migraine off and on for a week."
Coming in at a very close second is "The Editor Who Kept Changing
Her Mind" by Moira Allen: "The editor contacted me to write an
article about several 'notable' individuals in a particular
field. She sent me a list of about ten names, and asked me to
come up with five short interviews -- the implication being that
I could select from the ten names to get the interviews. She
wanted two 'longer' interviews and three 'short' interviews, and
she wanted all this in 1500 words. I figured I had only about 350
words to play with for each of the 'long' interviews and another
200 words for each of the 'short' interviews.
"I worked on contacting the ten people, found that several were
out of town or unavailable, and finally managed to get five
interviewees. I sent the editor the list of who would be the
'long' vs 'short' interviews, and she told me, 'Oh, no, we MUST
have an interview with Person X' -- one of the other names on the
list. Up to this point, she had never indicated that any of the
ten were 'must-haves', but simply that she wanted five out of the
list. Person X, of course, was one of those who was out of town.
Somehow I did find a way to get hold of that person for a 'long'
interview.
"Then, halfway through the writing process, the editor wrote back
and said that she'd decided that instead of two long interviews
and three short ones, she wanted three long interviews and two
short ones (within the same word count). I think she also changed
her mind about which people she wanted long vs short interviews
with.
"I stopped worrying about word count at that point -- let THEM
cut! -- and sent in a preliminary version of the article. She
then told me that she really wanted them to be interviewed about
a completely different subject area. Needless to say, she also
decided that she no longer wanted interviews with some of the
original ten people that she had sent, and now wanted interviews
with a couple of people who weren't on the original list.
"Believe it or not, the article actually did get written, though
it was never one that I felt proud of, and I also became friends
with a couple of the interviewees. I also learned that there are
situations in which no amount of money makes the hassle
worthwhile."
The strangest acceptance letter C. Buburuz ever received from an
editor stated: "Even though I'm not really sure whether or not I
like your art, it will appear on the cover of the next issue."
At least the editor didn't change her mind!
L. Womach related her experience with The Clueless Editor: "I'd
written an article about the Lamont Larson comic collection --
the 3rd largest comic collection in the world. I sent the article
to a regional magazine. The editor told me that the article
sounded good, but they couldn't use it because they didn't think
Lamont Larson was alive and they didn't think he still lived in
this state. I had to laugh because he's my dad, he lived 100
miles from me IN THIS STATE, and I'd just had a phone
conversation with him 10 minutes before I called this editor.
Wonder where she got her research?"
Then there's The Editor Who was Stuck on Autopilot as described
by J. Craggs: "Wishing to give a favorite writer a 'pat on the
back' I wrote to his publisher asking if they would forward a
letter to him. What came back was a 'courtesy slip' assuring me
that my novel would be 'thoroughly read and considered, and that
I could expect to hear from them within three months'. Whilst I
did hear back from the novelist himself I am still waiting to
discover the fate of my three line 'novel'."
Some editors like to lighten the burden of rejection with a
little humor as C. Hillebrenner learned the hard way: "When I was
a new writer, I received what at the time was a devastating
rejection. Basically the letter said my writing quality was poor,
my plot was missing, and she/he could see no earthly reason to
buy the story. Scrawled across the bottom were the handwritten
words, 'I also kicked my dog today.' At the time I cried, ripped
the rejection into shreds, and swore I'd never write another
word. Then I met a few editors at a writing conference and
discovered they were humans just like me." I admire M. Dole's
ability to laugh at The Editor Who Made a Joke at her expense
with this reply: "I am impressed with your exuberant writing
style, your ability to flesh out characters, and your plot-driven
story. Unfortunately, bugs are out of the question this year (too
many). Good luck in placing 'Chacha La Cucaracha' elsewhere."
However sometimes the editor's humor simply escapes us all, such
as this reply received by M. Edden: "Your poetry is too poetic."
I wouldn't exactly describe DS Dollman's experience as humorous,
but it definitely wins the final prize for The Worst Gross-out:
"I sent an article to an editor when I was in grad school and he
wrote back to say he liked it, but it was too long. He said he
would love to take a second look if I did some slicing and
dicing. I was so thrilled to receive something besides a
rejection letter from this publication that I actually cried! I
revised the piece and sent it in one more time with my fingers
crossed. In the meantime, the editor moved on to a different
magazine. Six months later, my piece was sent back with a form
rejection, and right in the middle of the letter was a giant,
slimy booger. It was too big to pass it off as an accident by a
careless slush pile reader and by far one the most unprofessional
-- and disgusting -- things I've ever seen!"
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
Peggy Tibbetts answers your questions about writing for children
in her monthly column, Advice from a Caterpillar:
http://www.writing-world.com/caterpillar/index.shtml
She is the author of "The Road to Weird" and "Rumors of War".
Visit her web site at: http://www.peggytibbetts.net
Copyright (c) 2005 by Peggy Tibbetts
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NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WRITING
=================================================================
Paris bookstore chain debuts vending machines
---------------------------------------------
Parisians craving a good book in the middle of the night can get
a quick fix at one of the city's five newly installed book
vending machines. "We have customers who know exactly what they
want and come at all hours to get it," said Xavier Chambon,
president of Maxi-Livres, a low-cost publisher and bookstore
chain that debuted the vending machines in June. "It's as if our
stores were open 24 hours a day. Our biggest vending machine
sellers are 'The Wok Cookbook' and a French-English dictionary."
He added that poet Charles Baudelaire's "Les Fleurs du Mal" (The
Flowers of Evil) is also "very popular." All books cost $2.45.
Installed in four busy Metro stops and a chic street corner in
central Paris, Maxi-Livre's distributors were designed to bypass
the characteristic vending-machine-drop, which can be punishing
for books. "We knew that French bibliophiles would be horrified
to see their books falling into a trough like candy or soda,"
Chambon said. "So we installed a mechanical arm that grabs the
book and delivers it safely." Books are the latest in France's
expanding vending machine market that offers everything from
toilet paper to carnations.
Google halts scanning of copyrighted books
------------------------------------------
Google Inc. has halted its efforts to scan copyrighted books from
some of the nation's largest university libraries so the material
can be indexed in its leading Internet search engine. The company
announced the suspension, effective until November, in a notice
posted on its web site August 12. Google hasn't disclosed how
many books it has scanned since it first announced the program
eight months ago. The company expects to be scanning books for at
least five years -- and probably much longer if it can persuade
other libraries around the world to participate. Publishers fear
that making digital versions of copyrighted books available on
the Internet could lead to unauthorized duplication and
distribution. The allegations about Google's handling of
copyrighted material extend beyond books. Google News has also
triggered claims of copyright infringement. Agence France-Presse,
a French news agency, is suing for damages of at least $17.5
million, alleging Google News is illegally capitalizing on its
copyrighted material.
Amazon sells shorts
-------------------
Amazon.com has branched out into publishing with a new program
that showcases and sells short magazine-like work from
established authors. Amazon shorts offers new work for 49 cents
in several digital forms and print. Currently 64 titles are
available by a variety of authors including Mark Crispin Miller,
Kevin Anderson, Stuart Woods, Ann Beattie, Terry Brooks, Audrey
Niffenegger, Richard Rhodes, Danielle Steel and Gloria
Vanderbilt. Amazon is aiming for 250 authors. Not all publishers
have supported the idea. One prominent editor reportedly said:
"Their approach of going to agents is a bit of an end-around. You
never want to do something that's so big that it offends everyone
else." Most agents endorsed it, calling it clever and a good
sales tool, and said it would increase traditional sales.
Indie bookseller and Authorhouse will promote new authors
--------------------------------------------------------
Joseph-Beth and Davis Kidd Booksellers has joined with
AuthorHouse for a publishing program called "Fresh Voices in
Print" For an $899 fee, AuthorHouse will design, publish, and
distribute books. They will also offer placement in Joseph-Beth
and Davis Kidd bookstores and a book signing at the location
nearest the author. The "Fresh Voices" program guarantees new
authors that 5 copies of their book will be stocked for 8 weeks
at the nearest Joseph-Beth/Davis Kidd Bookseller. "We embrace all
local authors by going out of our way to reach out to them and
promote them," said Michelle Sulka, Joseph-Beth Marketing VP. "It
seemed like a natural fit to take that promotion of local authors
to the next level and they seemed like a really good match for
us." AuthorHouse's director of promotional services Lynn Zingraf
said, "Every day everyone who works in a bookstore is asked, 'How
can I get published?' Now, at last, we're able to tell them there
is a way to get published and promoted." For more information:
http://www.authorhouse.com/jb
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20 WAYS WRITERS CAN SAVE MONEY
=================================================================
by Mridu Khullar
With today's financial see-saw tipping from one end to the other,
it's no wonder that writers often find themselves in a cash
crunch. But buying another writing book or springing for an
expensive two-day writing conference doesn't always have to
pinch!
Instead of over-burdening yourself with deadlines you can't
possibly meet, think SAVING. Twenty bucks saved on a subscription
could get you a favorite author's new release. Another couple of
twenties and you could be enrolling in a much-wanted e-course. A
few smart choices and you could attend that conference you
thought you'd never be able to afford. Cutting small expenses
can add up to hundreds of dollars in savings.
Here are 20 ways to cut out small expenses that often go
unnoticed.
1. Why pay hundreds of dollars for a fax machine, and then pay
more each month when the phone bill arrives? I've opted for the
free efax.com service, which lets you receive faxes right in
your e-mail. If you want a local fax number or the ability to
send faxes through your computer, the cost is $12.95 a month.
This of course has the added benefit of no busy signals or
clogged telephone lines.
2. In the market for a printer, a scanner and a fax machine? Buy
them together in a convenient bundle. Many "all-in-ones" give you
all three functions for the price of a good printer, and also
save you a bunch of desktop real estate.
3. If you're just starting out, don't bother investing in fancy
bond paper letterhead. These are nice to have when you're
established, but they won't make or break your career.
Similarly, don't get caught up in such unimportant details as
building a website before you have clips! This will only bring
attention to the fact that you're a newbie. Wait until you're
actually able to cover the annual expense of a website before
exploring hosting options.
4. I always have at least 10 magazines on my want-to-
get-published-in list. Since I can't afford to subscribe to that
many, I set up trades with friends. I send them back issues of my
magazines, and they send me theirs, or perhaps I'll trade a copy
of my latest book for some issues. Trades don't have to be
limited to friends, though. I'll often exchange services with
professional designers or photographers too. As a writer, I know
my strength lies in my words. And what photographer or designer
wouldn't appreciate a tightly written press release, copy for a
website or even just a referral to other prospective clients?
5. There are several other ways to get free magazines, too. In
her book "Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer", Moira
Allen suggests the following methods:
* Searc Writer's Market for publications that offer a
free sample copy.
* Read recent issues of magazines at the local library.
* Check the library's giveaway or book sale section for back
issues.
* Visit websites of the magazines you want to write for.
* Read back issues at your doctor's or dentist's office.
* Look for magazines at specialty stores.
* Respond to "free issue" offers, and keep an eye out for
trial offers online.
(See also "Finding Sample Magazines - Without Breaking the Bank"
at http://www.writing-world.com/basics/samples.shtml)
6. I buy dozens of books each month -- writing-related, novels,
inspirational -- and end up keeping only a select few in my
bookcase. The rest are given away or donated. That's money
wasted. I don't have a public library to fall back on (or the
option of reselling used books on Half.com or Amazon.com), but if
you're in the U.S. or UK, you probably do. Instead of taking
that weekly trip to the bookstore, try the library first; you can
always buy the book later if you like it. For international
writers, try trading with friends.
7. Think before swiping that credit card: Is there a more
cost-effective alternative? When I wanted to design my personal
website, I first considered hiring a designer, but didn't want to
give up control of the design to someone else or shell out $200
to $500 in the process. So I looked for web templates instead,
and found a very nice one for $60. An hour of tweaking, and I
was done! I'm also not a big fan of online courses, so instead of
spending $100 to $150 for a class, I buy a book on the same topic
for a tenth of the cost.
8. Each week, I make it a point to learn something new. A couple
of summers ago, I took a free mini-course in web designing.
Similarly, through free online materials, I've taught myself
several Photoshop-related tasks, basic CGI programming and even
magazine page layout and design. All these skills came in very
handy when I was setting up a mailing list, hiring a book cover
designer and convincing an editor how my article would be best
presented. And they saved me money several times, including the
time I gave my cover designer a basic layout to work with. He cut
his fee in half, simply because I knew how to create a basic
cover!
9. Try shifting the bulk of your communications from paper to
e-mail. Almost 97% of my work is now done via e-mail. That saves
me a lot in postage and paper! I also IM (instant message) with
my clients more than I talk to them over the phone. This is
especially useful if you're an international writer. Let your
editors know that you're available on IM, and many will actually
take you up on the offer!
10. Editors hate free e-mail, right? Wrong. Editors don't hate
free e-mail; what they hate are those mile-long ads that appear
at the bottom, or situations when you can't accept a particular
attachment because it exceeds a file size limit. That's why
Hotmail is such a huge turn-off. But Hotmail isn't your only
option. There are many free e-mail services that won't make you
seem unprofessional. GMail is one of them. Not only are you able
to send ad-free e-mails, but you also get a whopping 1,000 MB
limit of storage space.
11. Speaking of free e-mail accounts, did you notice that I
mentioned that GMail has 1,000 MB of storage space? Are you
thinking what I'm thinking? Backups! You know how valuable your
data is, and how much work you'd have to re-do if even one day of
that data went missing. If you produce work daily, you'll want to
back it up daily -- but it's not financially feasible to burn 356
CDs a year! Flash drives and back-up drives can also cost a
pretty penny. So why not e-mail your work in progress to
yourself each day and then use that free storage space to make a
proper backup every week or every month?
[Editor's Note: Keep a folder on your desktop for a copy of any
files you've created or altered during the day; this makes it
easy to determine what you need to back up at the end of the day.
You can zip the folder and e-mail it to yourself as an
attachment, upload it to your online storage space, copy it onto
a flash drive (and then transfer it to another computer), or copy
it onto a rewritable CD-ROM.]
12. Like most writers, I like to print out my reference notes
from websites and articles for future use. You never know if that
information will be available online a month later when you
really need it! To spare your ink cartridges, set your printer to
"draft." Also, save on ink by downloading/saving those articles as
text files to avoid printing out all the graphics, ads, logos, etc.
13. If you're promoting a book, split advertising and promotion
costs with other writers. You could jointly create a newsletter
or website, team up and do speaking engagements or just share the
cost of advertisements in online and print media. If you're a
fiction author, find another author with the same publisher and
go on a book tour, do book signings together and include flyers
for each others' books with your own promotions.
14. People who complain about expensive software obviously
haven't heard the term "open source". This is software that
you're free to use as you wish. Even the source code files are
available to you to modify (hence the term "open source"). So
instead of buying the expensive MS-Office package, download the
free Open Office Suite (http://www.openoffice.org) for free.
Similarly, an alternative to the expensive Adobe Acrobat software
is available at http://www.pdf995.com
15. If you must buy software, try the shareware version first to
see that you're actually getting what you're paying for. Also,
look for all-in-one packages or combo packages, which are much
cheaper than all the software bought separately. Look for bundles
and free giveaways. Many companies give you free software if you
buy one of their products, so see if there's something you can
put together on the cheap.
16. As you start getting more and more work, you'll need to hire
people on a job-to-job basis. Many writers require transcription
services, web designers or photographers. Instead of seeking
someone from an expensive agency, look at the local colleges in
your community. Could you find a student to do the work instead?
Many college-goers or even high school students will be glad to
help you for the chance to learn the ropes. [Editor's note: Some
colleges and high schools also have intern programs, which means
you may be able to get the work done for free!]
17. With the cost of gas skyrocketing, those trips to the post
office, library, or stationery shop can add up quickly. So fix
one day as "errand day" (and make a list of the things you need
to buy or accomplish). You'll save time as well!
18. Don't wait to do everything at the last minute. If the
contract needs to be in by Friday, don't send it by priority mail
on Wednesday! Send it a week in advance so that you only have to
pay regular mail rates. Try to avoid overnight delivery
services; think ahead!
19. Instead of sending a SASE and requesting your whole package
back (which you're probably not going to get anyway), send a
postcard with a list of options for the editor to tick off. It'll
be easier for the editor to send back communication and you won't
have spent money on an envelope and stamps that will likely never
make it back.
20. Credit cards are bad enough as it is, but they can be
financial suicide for a writer who doesn't know where her next
paycheck is coming from. Unless you have a steady income of a
couple of thousand dollars a month, or a steady job to fall back
on, cut those babies up and throw them away. If you do use them,
make sure you can pay them in full each month; otherwise, you'll
spend hundreds of dollars on interest. Remember, the more you
save, the more you'll have to spend at that annual conference
you've been dying to go to!
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
Mridu Khullar is a full-time freelance writer with hundreds of
national and international credits and is the author of "Knock
Their Socks Off! A Freelance Writer's Guide to Query Letters That
Sell". Visit her website and sign up for a free 12-day e-course
on writing queries that sell:
http://www.writerscrossing.com/ecourses.html
Copyright (c) 2005 by Mridu Khullar
*****************************************************************
GET SAMPLE COPIES OF HUNDREDS of magazines from MagSampler.com.
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THE WRITE SITES
=================================================================
The Truth About POD
-------------------
A series of PodCast interviews with the presidents of iUniverse
and AuthorHouse and the former VP of finance from Xlibris,
offering inside information on just how many POD books actually
sell. Highlights of each interview are included in print on the
website.
http://wbjbradio.com/series/pod.php
Publish On Demand.net
---------------------
An excellent resource for all things POD, including a reviewed
list of POD publishers, comparing prices and services.
http://www.publishondemand.net
Bookner
-------
A free service where writers can upload their manuscripts for
peer review; participating agents are sent a notice when a
manuscript receives a high enough rating to be considered
"publishable." The site also plans to offer a database of agents.
http://www.bookner.com
eBook Crossroads
----------------
One-stop writing, publishing and marketing advice for ebook
readers, writers and publishers.
http://www.ebookcrossroads.com
Junglescan
----------
A free service that scans products on Amazon.com to record their
sales ranking over time and allows you to start or participate in
discussions about any item.
http://www.junglescan.com
Online English Phrase Checker
-----------------------------
Find out how many times the phrase (or word) is used and in what
contexts.
http://www.oleng.com.au/phrase-checker.html
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LONG STORY SHORT SCHOOL OF WRITING - Classes begin October 5;
Register NOW! Highly qualified instructors. Courses include
fiction writing, promoting your book, writing poetry, developing
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HUMORPRESS.COM'S AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HUMOR" contest invites YOU!
$150.00 in cash prizes, plus publication online & in print! Prev.
pub. material ok. Entry just $5. Length: 250-750 words. Deadline
Sept. 30th! Don't miss out! Enter at http://www.HumorPress.com!
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THE WRITING DESK
=================================================================
by Becky Mushko
Editor's Note: This e-mail arrived in response to my "Writing
Desk" in the previous issue, and I thought it well worth sharing:
Moira, you've just told the world that you're not a horse person!
From "The Writing Desk": "Why say 'The horse walked slowly' when
you could say it ambled, or shuffled, or plodded?"
Answer: Because if you use "ambled" or "shuffled" for a horse's
movement, you are naming a gait that is faster than a walk.
Actually, plodded could be as fast or even faster than a walk. A
horse who plods is using heavier footfalls than one who doesn't
plod.
An "amble" is a four-beat lateral gait that is faster than a walk
but slower than a trot or canter. Amblers are easy-gaited horses;
i.e., instead of a trot, they do a smooth gait that moves fast
but doesn't bounce the rider. Chaucer mentions an ambler in his
"Canterbury Tales" -- the Wife of Bath rides an ambler. In
Chaucer's time, only the poor rode those bone-shaking trotters.
Amblers are also called single-footers.
"Shuffle" is also faster than a walk, but not by much. Some
Appaloosas do what is called the "Indian Shuffle." Again, it's a
four-beat lateral gait -- so it's smooth.
A walk is also a four-beat lateral gait, but the rhythm is
different. And the speed of a walk can vary -- a horse can either
walk slowly or walk fast. The difference is a couple miles per
hour. People might walk slowly when they amble or shuffle. Horses
don't.
If you are describing a farmer looking for a good plow-horse,
"walked slowly" would accurately describe why the farmer didn't
buy him. A farmer wants a horse who walks fast, so that he can
plow the field in a shorter time, but not a horse who does a gait
other than a walk while harnessed to a plow. A horse who ambled
or shuffled while pulling a plow would be too fast for the
farmer to keep up with him.
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
Becky Mushko, an adjunct English instructor at Ferrum College,
writes the humor column "Peevish Advice" for The Smith Mountain
Eagle. A 3-time winner of the Sherwood Anderson Short Story
Contest and a 5-time winner of the Lonesome Pine Short Story
Contest, she was nominated for a 1997 Pushcart Prize and won the
1996 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest "Worst Western" division. Her
novel, "Patches on the Same Quilt", won the 2001 Smith Mountain
Arts Council Fiction Award. She edits the Valley Writers Chapter
website (http://www.valleywriters.org). She and her horse Cupcake
won many ambling, trail racking, and costume classes during the
1980s. Visit her website at: http://home.infionline.net/~rmushko
Copyright (c) 2005 by Becky Mushko
*****************************************************************
WHAT'S NEW AT WRITING-WORLD.COM
=================================================================
SEPTEMBER COLUMNS:
------------------
Ask the Book Doctor, by Bobbie Christmas
About Publishers, Amazon.com, and Poor Reviews
http://www.writing-world.com/columns/book/book10.shtml
Advice from a Caterpillar, by Peggy Tibbetts
Identifying oneself as a SCBWI member; sending multiple
manuscripts to an agent; finding good reference books
http://www.writing-world.com/caterpillar/cat56.shtml
Murder Ink, by Stephen D. Rogers
Red Herrings
http://www.writing-world.com/columns/mystery/murder23.shtml
Romancing the Keyboard, by Anne Marble
Getting to Know the Erotic Romance Field
http://www.writing-world.com/columns/romance/marble23.shtml
ARTICLES:
---------
Writing for (not by) the Ear, by Donnell King
http://www.writing-world.com/freelance/ear.shtml
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WRITE IN STYLE AND SELL MORE! We edit and evaluate manuscripts,
proposals, synopses and more. Bobbie Christmas (author of Write
In Style) BZEBRA"at"aol.com. Sign up for our free tips/markets
newsletter! Zebra Communications: http://www.zebraeditor.com.
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MARKET ROUNDUP
=================================================================
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: THE HOME FORUM
Judy Lowe, Editor
Stephanie Broadhurst, Kidspace editor
1 Norway St., Boston, MA 02115
EMAIL: Submit via online email form
URL: http://www.csmonitor.com/homeforum/index.html
The Home Forum is looking for upbeat, personal essays. We also
publish short poems. Every Tuesday we publish Kidspace, feature
stories (main story and at least one sidebar) aimed at 9-14 year
olds. The best way to understand what we're all about is to read
our five-days-a-week section online for several weeks. Essays are
first-person, nonfiction explorations of how one responded to a
place, a person, a situation, an event, or happenings in everyday
life. Tell a story; share a funny true tale. The humor should be
gentle. We are looking for more submissions on parenting (your
experiences in solving a family situation), gardening, home,
family, food and recipes. Poetry should explore and celebrate
life. It provides a respite from daily news and from the
bleakness that appears in so much contemporary verse. For
Kidspace, we're looking for stories on high-interest topics that
will engage, empower, entertain, and educate kids. Interview an
engineer in the locomotive cab, for instance; go on an expedition
to collect fossils; try out the high-tech sled. The best stories
have this "live action" component. See online guidelines for more
information.
LENGTH: Essays: 400-1,100 words; Kidspace: 700-1,000 words for
main story, plus at least one 250-400 word sidebar and another
even shorter one (a resource list, bulleted items, etc.)
PAYMENT: Essays: $75-$160; Poetry: $20-$50; Kidspace: $230
RIGHTS: Worldwide rights for 90 days
REPRINTS: No
SUBMISSIONS: Prefer email for queries and submissions via online
submission form on web site. Please send submissions to the
appropriate editor.
GUIDELINES:
http://www.csmonitor.com/aboutus/guidelines.html#homeforum
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: MOON HANDBOOKS SCOTLAND
Joseph Hayes, Editor
The Burry Man Writers Center
EMAIL: mail"at"burryman.com
URL: http://www.burryman.com
The Burry Man has been contracted to write the new "Moon
Handbooks Scotland". This book will show visitors the real
Scotland, the Scotland that doesn't include bottled beer or
American bluejeans or McDonalds (the burgers, not the Clan).
We're asking writers in Scotland (and those from Scotland) to
send suggestions of what to include in the book: your favorite
local restaurant, a pub you greatly enjoy, where you go on a
perfect afternoon, things locals like to consider their own
"secret" places you would show visitors that they wouldn't see
anywhere else. If we write about your suggestion you'll be
acknowledged in the book. We'll be working on this book for a
year, with publication in the Spring of 2007.
LENGTH: 300-400 words
PAYMENT: $50
RIGHTS: Exclusive first world publication rights
REPRINTS: No
SUBMISSIONS: By email, subject: Scotland
GUIDELINES: http://www.burryman.com
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
BLACK GATE
John O'Neill, Editor
New Epoch Press, 815 Oak Street, St. Charles, IL 60174
EMAIL: submissions"at"blackgate.com
URL: http://www.blackgate.com
Black Gate publishes epic fantasy fiction at all lengths,
including novel excerpts, as well as articles, news and reviews.
We're looking for adventure-oriented fantasy fiction suitable for
all ages, as long as it is well written and original. See our
online guidelines for the seven most common reasons we return
manuscripts.
LENGTH: Query for works over 25,000 words
PAYMENT: Fiction up to 6,000 words: 3-6 cents/word; 6,000 to
14,000 words: $180-$280; More than 14,000: $280-$400; Nonfiction:
3 cents/word
RIGHTS: FNASR
REPRINTS: No
SUBMISSIONS: By mail or email, no attachments please
GUIDELINES: http://www.blackgate.com/bg/guide.htm
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
Please send Market News to: peggyt"at"siltnet.net
"FNASR": First North American Serial Rights, "SASE":
self-addressed, stamped envelope, "GL": guidelines. If you have
questions about rights, please see "Rights: What They Mean and
Why They're Important"
http://www.writing-world.com/rights/rights.shtml
*****************************************************************
WRITING CONTESTS
=================================================================
This section lists contests that charge no entry fees. For more
contests, check our online contests section.
http://www.writing-world.com/contests/index.shtml
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize
DEADLINE: October 1, 2005
GENRE: Literary nonfiction
OPEN TO: Any writer who has not published more than 2 books of
literary nonfiction (excluding academic work and books in other
genres) and resides in the US
LENGTH: 200-400 pages
THEME: Contest judge Robert Polito says: "This prize seeks to
acknowledge -- and honor -- the great traditions of literary
nonfiction, extending from Robert Burton and Thomas Browne in the
17th century through Defoe and Strachey and on to James Baldwin,
Joan Didion, and Jamaica Kincaid in our own time. We seek the
boldest and most innovative books from emerging nonfiction
writers, although we define 'emerging' as lightly and flexibly as
we define literary nonfiction. Whether grounded in observation,
autobiography, or research, much of the most beautiful, daring,
and original writing over the past few decades can be categorized
as nonfiction. Submissions might span memoir, biography, or
history -- but it's essential that they be finished books. No
miscellaneous essay collections, sample chapters, or proposals."
PRIZE: $12,000 advance and publication by Graywolf in 2007
ELECTRONIC ENTRY: No
ADDRESS: Graywolf Press, ATTN: Nonfiction Prize, 2402 University
Avenue, Suite 203, St. Paul, MN 55114
URL: http://snipurl.com/h8zs
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
2005 Lee & Low Books New Voices Award
DEADLINE: October 31, 2005
GENRE: Fiction or nonfiction for children ages 2-10
OPEN TO: Writers of color who are residents of the US and who
have not previously published a children's picture book.
LENGTH: 1,500 words or less
THEME: Manuscripts should address the needs of children of color
by providing stories with which they can identify and relate, and
which promote a greater understanding of one another. Folklore
and animal stories will not be considered.
PRIZES: Grand Prize: $1,000, and our standard publication
contract, including our standard advance and royalties; Honor
Award: $500
ELECTRONIC ENTRY: No
ADDRESS: Lee & Low Books, 95 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016,
ATTN: NEW VOICES AWARD
URL: http://leeandlow.com/editorial/voices.html
>>-----------------------------------------------------<<
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
DEADLINE: October 31, 2005
GENRE: Fiction
OPEN TO: American citizens
LENGTH: Book length
THEME: This annual prize honors the best published works of
fiction by American citizens in the immediately preceding the
calendar year of the award ceremony. The award will be given on
May 6, 2006, for books published during 2004. Anyone may submit
a book for consideration, including publishers (trade, university,
or small presses, but not vanity presses), agents, and authors.
We do not accept self-published books or ebooks.
PRIZES: First among Equals prize: $15,000; Finalists: $5000
ELECTRONIC ENTRY: No.
SUBMISSIONS: Send four copies of each book to the PEN/Faulkner
office. You may send four bound galleys for books which will be
published in November and December.
ADDRESS: 201 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003
URL: http://www.penfaulkner.org/submit.htm
*****************************************************************
New Listings on THE AUTHOR'S BOOKSHELF:
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in the Writing Life, by Dara Girard
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Zephyr Unfolding, by Nicole Givens Kurtz
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SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) is
launching local networking Chapters. Check with us to find a
Chapter near you. Contact us if you'd like to start one.
Patricia"at"spawn.org. Subscribe to newsletter http://www.spawn.org
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Managing Editor (Newsletter): PEGGY TIBBETTS (peggyt"at"siltnet.net)
Copyright 2005 Moira Allen
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