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October 27, 2012
Sharing with Writers
A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs! Associated with the multi award - winning series of HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. www.howtodoitfrugally.com


From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard - Johnson
and Sharing with Writers Subscribers

In the spirit of the advice I give in the Frugal Editor - - to use an extra pair of eyes whenever possible - - this newsletter is voluntarily copyedited by Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com ~ http://mplcreative.webs.com/. I also tell writers to be patient with other writers when they make editing booboos. We're all human. This letter comes out weekly (except when I'm traveling or on deadline) and it's long!
This newsletter is powered by AuthorsDen.com.
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Contents
Regular Features
~Note from Carolyn: Barnes & Noble, Vroman's and Publishing Trend
~Letters - to - the - Editor
~Thank Yous (where you also find leads and great resources!)
~Tips and News Galore! (They're scattered, you'll just have to find
them!)
~Opportunities (You’ll find them in several places.)
~Accessible Contests
~On Poetry
~Author Successes
~Mindy Lawrence's Itty Bitty Column: Using YOUR Voice
~Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
~Wordstuff ™

This Issue
~Feature: Should we or should we not use emoticons?
~Opinion: On Bestseller Lists, Book Ratings, and Ethics
~Feature: What Your Publisher May Not Know About Book Covers

Join me
For more writers’ resources on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/FrugalBkProm
For resources and more personal fun on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson
For special help for fiction writers:
www.fictionmarketing.com
For writers’ resources of all kinds:
www.HowToDoItFrugally.com
For a fun way to get our cover images on Pinterest, trade pins with me: www.Pinterest.com/chowardjohnson


Note: You may have better luck with the URLs in this newsletter if you copy and paste them into your browser window. I leave the links long rather than use hyperlinks because your SharingwithWriters is available in plain text in your e - mail window as well as in a .pdf format.

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Note from Carolyn

Dear Subscribers:

I feel compelled to share with you (again) my feelings about Wikipedia. This time my little rant includes Wikipedia, the Beatles, editing, and your book. My inspiration is an article from The Wall Street Journal. On Oct. 16, it ran a full - page feature story on the—in my opinion—idiocy - factor of Wikipedia.
But let me back up. In the first edition of The Frugal Book Promoter I suggested that authors might install themselves on Wikipedia. Sometimes we need a dose of good marketing fun. Imagine feeling as if our author selves had made it sufficiently to be listed in an encyclopedia! I also thought it might give our self images a boost. And, of course, our credibility. I listed myself right after my first novel was published and it was a ball. I have a journalism background, so I was very careful to use strict journalis ethics, avoid adjectives and adverbs, etc. To make a long story short, it didn't work out so well. You can read the sordid details in the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) where I revised my recommendation.

These days I suggest that writers only attempt using Wikipedia as part of their branding campaign if they have a bona fide publisher (by Wikipedia standards and it's anyone's guess what those might be!) who will do it for them and if they are not sensitive writerly types. In other words, you might enjoy it more if you have a really thick skin.

Then along comes The Journal article that tells about the very long running disagreement between Wikipedia "editors" on whether or not The Beatles should be "the Beatles" or "The Beatles." They have apparently been disputing this monumental punctuation and marketing choice issue, a debate "playing out behind the scenes" where apparently most of their debates are carried out which says something about their editorial transparency.

The Journal notes that Wikipedia has some 85,000 active editors "defined as those who record at least five edits per month." And they talk (and argue!) using a little edit link at the top of each page. According to The Journal, one editor claims it is getting worse because of "an overabundance of testosterone running around the pages." (About 90% of Wikipedia's editors are male and a huge percentage—more than half—of those editors say they've been in an argument with other editors in the last few months on monumental issues like whether or not an image of cow tipping portrays this activity of rural youth appropriately. And, of course, on the Beatles issue).
I'm open to the idea that disagreement may in the long run lead to the accuracy of entries. In fact, that's the whole idea behind Wikipedia—that the truth (and full story) of any issue will eventually filter to the top and the dregs will filter away.

But that testosterone thing? Let's—to avoid argument over terms—call it authoritarianism or cases of terminal self - righteousness. It keeps those very things from happening, to say nothing of wasting time that would be unacceptable if the market place if those "editors" were being paid a salary or by the hour—or if they had been selected on the basis of expertise rather than frequency.

What the Beatles issue boils down to branding and style choice. To learn more about style choices you may want to refer to my blog on editing at http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com or to The Frugal Editor at http://budurl.com/thefrugaleditor or Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies by June Casagrande at http://budurl/grammarsnobs.

If The Beatles wanted to use a capital "T" as they did on Ringo's drum and other advertising, then that branding should be honored when their name is used. That is their name. We all get to choose the names of our businesses, books, or bands and we get to choose how to capitalize them. The New York Times uses the "The" as part of their name and it's capped to indicate that. So does The Wall Street Journal. But that's rare. Most newspapers don't.
Perhaps Wikipedia needs firmer guidelines for their "editors." Perhaps those guidelines should include choosing a reliable style manual like Chicago Manual of Style (http://budurl.com/ChicMan) for their editors to follow.

Perhaps Wikipedia should have some guidelines on who they accept as editors apart from how often they contribute. Or maybe they should separate out those who line edit from those who contribute content, requiring some editing experience. I mean, it wouldn't hurt this site to pay some writers or editors for their expertise.

These guys, including the 10% of them who are women, need some reigning in when they hold power over which authors are accepted for their online encyclopedia—or which editors get to hold sway over the Beatles' brand. Of course, because of the disagreement, Wikipedia could just ban The Beatles from their book! They've been known to do that to authors.

Note: Sometimes you see "The Beatles" in this little rant. Sometimes you don't. That's because in my personal style book, I cap the "The" when I'm referring to the actual titles of the band and don't when I'm referring to something that belongs to The Beatles like their brand. Sometimes the choice is hard to make. I don't think it's worth getting into a frenzy over.

So now you know all about the relationship between Wikipedia, The Beatles, Marketing, Branding, and Punctuation. You know why it might be best for you to avoid such Wikipedia altogether.

Joy, Happy Writing, Editing, and Promoting
Carolyn

PS: I'm proud that two of my books were honored by the Military Writers' Society of America. Deeper Into the Pond, a chapbook celebrating femininity by Magdalena Ball and me, and The Frugal Book Promoter were on their list for 2012: http://www.mwsadispatches.com/node/1211

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Needing something more meaningful for the celebrations in your life? Something that stays within your budget? Check out Cherished Pulse (www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse) ($6.95) for someone you love. Try Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions for the men in your life. Sure, they like fusses made over them, too! (www.budurl.com/Imagining) ($6.95). She Wore Emerald Then (www.budurl.com/MotherChapbook) ($12.95), for mothers and other women, Deeper in the Pond, for the feminists in your life—both men and women (www.budurl.com/DeeperPond) ($6.95) and Blooming Red (www.budurl.com/BloomingRed), to use as Christmas cards or incidental holiday gifts. Plan next Christmas early. And ask about my special price on chapbook/cards purchased in bulk! All these chapbooks are from the Celebration Series of poetry from Magdalena Ball and me.
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Letters to the Editor
No letters this week. Why not chime in on conversations? Every little time your name, title, or link to your site is mentioned, it adds to your overall exposure.

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Endorsement: “Your book is a tremendous help to me as a first time published author, and the discount for Display Stands 4 You in the back of the new edition was very nice too.” ~Ginger K. King, cookbook author, blogs at https://corkandforkblog.wordpress.com/
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Quote: "A craftsman knows what he's going to make, and an artist doesn't know what he's going to make." ~ Ken Price, artist who used tools of craft (ceramics).


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My review blog is my gift to authors. It’s a place for you to honor authors and books you’ve loved with a review. It’s a place to recycle the review of your own book, the one you love most. It’s f r ~ ~ . Submission guidelines are in the left column at www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. =============================================

Tip: Oh, here's a story you just can't miss about a slightly misdirected author. Misdirected because using good sense is always better than risking one's reputation for a book sale or two. It's also an example of what is happening to bookstore employees when pushed to the brink by pushy authors…though that is no excuse for bad behavior. The story might also illustrate how bigotry toward the self - published has not diminished as much as it should!
http://www.the - digital - reader.com/2012/09/12/authors - behaving - badly - booksellers - behaving - worse/#comment - 72349


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Please paste this little blurb—perhaps with a little endorsement—in your newsletter or Web site: To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com or go to www.howtodoitfrugally.com for an auto subscribe box. Let me know you did it so I can do something similar for you on my Resources for Readers page at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.
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Mini Feature

Emoticons Getting a Bad Name. And It's Their Birthday!
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Just in case the word emoticons never wormed its way into your vocabulary bank or in case you simply choose to use the more amusing term happy face, here is what they are. They're little faces that we can use as a kind of punctuation, sort of a roadmap to emotions rather than a map to alert us to pauses and full stops. Emoticons may be full color cartoons of faces or nothing more than a few typewritten squiggles like this: ( - :
These days there is a whole range of emoticons, one for every emotion. My AOL e - mail program lets me add one wearing sunglasses with a click of my mouse. (Thanks to longtime SharingwithWriters subscriber Laura Hinds for making me aware that AOL has such a nifty feature!). And now I find that if I type an emoticon a certain way, Word will autocorrect it to a face that looks like a real, colorless emoticon.

You may wonder why I'm bothering to talk about emoticons in this newsletter. Well, they've gotten a bad rap of late. No, they aren't suitable for real business letters and that includes real business e - letters. But there is business and then there is business. When we're writing formal business letters they rarely contain humor and often don't even contain straight - up, honest - to - goodness English words. Instead, they lean toward the Latinate and boring. So, no. Emoticons aren't suitable or needed when we write such letters even though lightening them up a bit might be a good idea.

When we're using e - mail—even some e - mail for semi - business needs—we may use a more colloquial voice. When we're tweeting, we don't have many characters to explain our meaning or intent and we may need a little three - character happy face help. When we're Facebooking, emoticons can keep our readers from misunderstanding us.

In other words, I think emoticons—used judiciously—can help us achieve a light voice that helps our marketing feel more casual, warmer, more fun.

This is the 30 - year anniversary of the first smiley face. Scott Fahlman, a computer - science professor at Carnegie Mellon, first suggested using ( - : He could probably see that people writing quick messages on a computer might misunderstand one another. That was 1982.

I personally took up the smiley face in about 1971 when Frank Loufrani created the one in yellow we all know. I just drew one in when I sent notes to folks. And yes, I remember the brouhaha when they became so popular so fast that Loufrani was receiving no credit or royalties for his artistic "invention." Later (1997) his son did a whole dictionary of smileys. I don't recall if he managed to get his royalties. And in 2008 iPhone keyboards began using emojis that included the dancing cat, an affectation that, lacking an iPhone, I completely missed.

So that's the story—even the history—in a nutshell. So what do you think? Do you really want to purge your entire life and correspondence of the fun and advantages that emoticons offer?

I don't. If you're reading this newsletter in .pdf, here is the range of emoticons offered by AOL:

Now, don't you think that is lots more entertaining than an "LOL?"

PS: Thanks to Time magazine, I had to do very little research for this article. ( - :


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This is the only site I know that can help novelists, screenwriters, and playwrights get noticed by directors and producers. It’s BooksToFilm and it’s run by iFOGO’s Gene Cartwright. It isn’t as frugal as I’d like, but there are times it pays to spend a little to give our work a chance at the bigtime. http://www.ifogo.com/buy/order_chj.html .
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In the News: The London Times extensively reports (a whole page worth of articles!) that England's own Hilary Mantel won the Booker Prize again for Bring Up The Bodies based on the story of Anne Boleyn. One columnist raved that it's the first time an author has won for two novels in a row (and for two novels in the same series—the first in the series won, too!), and the first time a woman has won twice. Commentator Erica Wagner could hardly draw her breath for the raves about the book itself! She says the book refuses to draw a line between the lessons of the past for the present, a trait she considers refreshing. I, for one, have always just assumed it was up to the reader to do the drawing.


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My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag and try to make things better for our troops and maybe for the world. It includes a segment of frugal ways to help our troops and veterans. I'd love to have you leave a comment or send me a guest post. www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com
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Author Successes

Only subscribers’ successes are listed in this section. Thus, I do not pick up news from general media releases for there is usually no way for me to know those releases come from subscribers. If you have an Author Success, please identify yourself as a subscriber in the subject line of your e - mail. Something like: “MEDIA RELEASE: Subscriber’s Success.”

Patricia Fry Shares Marketing Expertise with Fellow Authors
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Pat says, " I’d like to introduce my latest book, Talk Up Your Book, How to Sell Your Book Through Public Speaking, Interviews, Signings, Festivals, Conferences and More. This one - of - a - kind book is designed to help you get more of the exposure you need in order to sell more copies of your book.
She says, "Personality sells books! There is no doubt about it. This means that you should be out among your potential readers often—giving presentations and interviews, doing signings, speaking as an authority at appropriate conferences and on Internet and network radio, developing workshops, exhibiting and talking about your book at book festivals and so forth.
"Few authors are trained as public speakers. Some aren’t at all comfortable pitching their books to prospective readers even one - on - one. With the assistance of two dozen experts and professionals in the publishing and media industries, I have created this amazing confidence - building book for authors of both fiction and nonfiction. Talk Up Your Book is designed to teach you how to:

~hone your public speaking skills
~communicate more effectively
~create presentation topics based on your fiction or nonfiction book
~locate and design speaking opportunities
~land radio and blog radio gigs
~establish greater rapport with your audiences
~more successfully rehearse your speeches
~more creatively publicize your events
and much, much more.

"Among the two dozen professionals and experts contributing tips and perspective to this book are Margaret Brownley, New York Times bestselling author; Brian Jud, author of several marketing books, media trainer and television host; C. Hope Clark, author and founder of Funds for Writers; Kim Dower, literary publicist and media coach; Sandra Beckwith, former publicist, author and teacher; Peter Bowerman, writing/publishing coach and veteran commercial freelance writer; Stacy Harp, online radio show host and Internet marketing professional and others.
"Order your copy of Talk Up Your Book at Amazon.com. At the Amazon prompt, type in the title using quotation marks around it “Talk Up Your Book,” or use my name along with the title. Talk Up Your Book, Patricia Fry."

Patricia Fry is a freelance writer, author and editorial consultant.
www.patriciafry.com
Books by Patricia Fry
www.matilijapress.com
Executive Director of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)
www.spawn.org


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It's book fair and trade show season: Here are a bakers' dozen of ideas to make BEA (Book Expo America) and other book shows easier and more productive: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2007/03/bakers - dozen - work - bea - frugal - way.html Please leave comments with ideas of your own - - and links to your book's sales page.
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Accessible Contests for You to Build Your Platform

Publisher Offers F r ~ ~ Speculative Fiction Contest
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StoneTread Publishing's first contest and the resulting anthology was such a huge success that they’ve decided to do it again! They’re seeking speculative fiction short stories. StoneThread defines speculative fiction as any story in any genre that responds to the question “What if?” in a way that depends on science or on any fantastic elements. The genres might include science fiction (hard or sociological), fantasy, magic realism, psychological horror or suspense (no slash and gash please), ghost stories, urban fantasy, paranormal romance (no erotica please), etc. Stories may be based in the past, present, or future. With that in mind, send them your best effort.

Contest Rules

There is no reading fee or entry fee for this contest.
Entry deadline, 30 November 2012 (may be extended if we do not receive enough entries).
Previously unpublished speculative fiction only please.
1,000 to 10,000 words.
Email submission as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf attachment to contest@stonethreadpublishing.com.
Enter as many stories as you like, one story per email.
Name and email address must appear in upper left corner of the first page of the story.
Past tense is the natural voice of narrative; please, no present tense.
Winners will be announced by e - mail approximately one month after the contest closes.

Note: The editors and judges will endeavor to correct any inadvertent errors in a submission (e.g., email address missing from the manuscript) but we will not read entries that are under or over the word - count limits or that are presented in present tense.

Prizes
All winning entries including all honorable mentions will be included in an anthology to be published as an e - book by StoneThread Publishing. We reserve the right to publish the anthology in paperback as well.

First Place: $50 plus one copy of the anthology
Second through Sixth: $20 plus one copy of the anthology
Honorable Mentions: $5 plus one copy of the anthology
To get on our mailing list for releases and other contests, please visit http://stonethreadpublishing.com/contests and sign up.
Our first contest resulted in an anthology, Body - Smith 401 and Twenty Other Stories, dedicated to the memory of Ray Bradbury. You can purchase it at Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/234378) in any e - book format. During checkout use the coupon code CH76A (not case sensitive) to get 25% off your order. You can also purchase it at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009991BZQ) but there's no coupon for it there.


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Book Proposal Help: The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything
You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 30 Minutes or Less is now an
e - booklet ($2.99) or paperback booklet (only $6.95). The perfect giftlet for nonfiction writers. Find it at http://budurl.com/BookProposals =============================================

Tech News: Coming from Google: Google Glass is an eyeglass frames product that includes a tiny screen for the Web near one's temple. Google's also working on other wearable computers like watches or screens that can be built into walls or table tops. Soon you can stay tuned to your book's sales all the time.

Equal time here for Microsoft. The big M is expected to announce Xbox Music that offers some 30,000 songs that you can listen to free while you're running its new Windows8 software. If you do buy Windows8, Xbox Music will be packaged with it.



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Social networking is one of the best ways to make valuable contacts and build a list of readers. Join me on Pinterest. You pin one of my book covers on one of your bulletin boards and I’ll pin yours on one of mine. http://Pinterest.com/chowardjohnson ==============================================


Facebook News: I haven't tried advertising on Facebook because, for the most part, I believe free publicity works as well or better than paid ads, but Facebook has always had a way to target your specific reader, regardless of who that reader might be. Now they are increasing that ability with a partnership with Datalogix, what The New York Times calls a data - mining company. Datalogix "gleans what individual shoppers buy at offline stores" which Datalogix says it "gets from loyalty card data and other sources." So, if you are going to spend dollars on advertising, this might be the best way to go.


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I keep adding new resources for authors on my Web site. Please use the huge Resources for Writers section http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/links_for_writers.htm. And please let me know if you find broken links. I need your help! =============================================

Tip: You've probably heard about the OHIO principle for streamlining your workload. This acronym stands for Only Handle It Once. Especially e - mail. I like to answer most all e - mails I get but I figure the round robin should stop somewhere and maybe that would be after a "thank you." You don't need to thank or acknowledge most thank yous. If you feel compelled, a happy face emoticon will usually do the trick and signal that you don't expect a return e - mail.


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Here is the link for the page on my Web Site that lists some of my favorite accessible contests, an article on using contests, and more. http://howtodoitfrugally.com/contests.htm. ==============================================

Opportunities

Info - Loaded Blog…
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…from Karen Cioffi Ventrice will give your writing and marketing efforts a boost. It is The Writing World Newsletter (http://thewritingworld.com). You'll get useable information, plus updates on free webinars and workshops. You’ll also get two FREE e - books: Book Promotion - The Bare Basics AND Article Content Properly Formatted and Optimized to Increase Search Engine Ranking and Website Traffic.


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Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested
in the F r ~ ~ Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, http://howtodoitfrugally.com/free_content.htm . I try to add new articles to it frequently. If you don't see what you need for your blog or newsletter, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
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On Poetry
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This is a running feature for the poets among us and those who would like to try writing poetry but feel . . . well, inadequate about the writing or the promotion. Please send in your poetry tips and resources for this section to HoJoNews@aol.com.

Poetry Marketing
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You should have a flier or brochure that lists your poetry books, chapbooks, or links to your poetry to give away at any event or poetry reading you appear at or attend. Poetry can be marketed. Don't let anyone tell you it can't. Spreading the word increases your credibility, even if it doesn't result in big poetry book sales. If you would like a copy of my poetry brochure to use as a model, I'd be happy to send it to you as an attachment. It would also give you the setup for formatting a four - pager. Send your request to HoJoNews (at) AOL (dot) com.

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Endorsement: “I started on FRUGAL and I went, ‘Whoa....damn good book!’ It is
so PROFESSIONAL!” ~ Dorothy Thompson, editor of The Writers Life
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Tip: You can now upload a header photo for your Twitter account similar to the banner that Facebook uses. It can help you tell your story. It must be 1252 x 626 and 5 MBs or less. It will appear above your list of tweets.


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A general marketing rule is that a product must be seen seven times before it is purchased. That is just as true for books (because they are products, like it or not!). Let people see that book cover image! To do that, you are invited to advertise as a site sponsor at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/advertising.htm for only $35 a year. Yep, the frugal way! Click on the Advertising tab at the top of the page or contact me personally at hojonews@aol.com.
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In the News: If you're in the market for backup storage, Pure Storage Inc. (Mountain View, Ca) won a silver award for a system that uses flash technology (like the little flash sticks people carry around with them) instead of disk drives. The advantage? Flash technology is less expensive than using disks. It's also speedier. This may be more than you as an author needs right now, but it's sure to soon be made available for even individual users.


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Ta Da! E - books are great tools for promotion
http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/book - marketing/ta - da - e - books - are - great - tools - for - promotion/
The Anatomy of a Free (Read that Promotional!) E - Book
http://www.bookbuzzr.com/blog/book - marketing/the - anatomy - of - a - free - read - that - promotional - e - book/
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Tip: Using current events to tie into our book promotion helps us tap into things that are on the minds of our potential readers. Holidays are a great way to do this. Halloween is a holiday children and adults love – adults can dress up, act like a kid, and act out fantasies. Take a look at this e - book (http://www.amazon.com/Halloween - Recipes - Costume - Suggestions - ebook/dp/B005VIR4O6) which focuses on costumes, parties, decorating, food and crafts for Halloween. This book sells every month of the year and has been an Amazon best seller in the decorating category many times. You can tie into current events for more timely sales and sometimes enjoy year round sales with the same books. ~Submitted by Nikki Leigh – Award Winning and Best Selling Author, http://www.bookpromotionservices.com


==============================================Are you confused about how to credit facts or quotes when you write articles or nonfiction? Check out my Frugal, Smart and Tuned - In Editor blog: http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/2010/10/q - la - ann - landers - academic - accreditation.html or the new edition of The Frugal Book Promoter, www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ============================================

Tip: If you leave your bookmarks uncoated, you'll save money and you can autograph them or dedicated them to lookyloos who gather around your bookfair booths. Don't laugh. Crowds draw more crowds. Some of them might be buyers, either now or later.

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Yes, I do consult. I tailor my fees to your needs—everything from coaching to full edits (sorry no partial edits) to hourly consultations to help you with your marketing campaign or your path to publishing. http://budurl.com/carolynsconsulting
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Tip: Pinterest works for books, too. You could have an individual site for your book and use different bulletin boards about different aspects of that title. Pictures of the place it is set for one. Recipes from kitchen scene in the book for another. Other books that would extend reading possibilities for those who like the subject of your book. Fashions loved by a historical character. You can see it could word for both fiction and nonfiction.


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I need editing questions and tips for my The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned - In Editor blog, www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com. Articles, too! You ask and I'll provide ample credits and links to whatever site you choose. HoJoNews@aol.com. =============================================


Tip: Procrastination doesn't work. As you are opening your e - mails, add the e - mail addresses of your contacts to the appropriate file you're making of contacts for future promotion. You needn't even double check to be sure you aren't adding a duplicate. Your "sort" and "delete duplicates" feature in Excel will take care of that for you.


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You'll find a myriad of writer helps at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/links_for_writers.htm. It includes a list of small presses of various kinds that I am familiar with. =============================================


Thank Yous

These are, indeed, thank yous but it occurs to me that many Sharing with Writers readers are not using them as resources. Often the blogs, newsletters, Web sites, and other entities mentioned are perfect vehicles for exposing your books to new readers. It is up to you to click or copy and paste to see which might be suitable—and for inspiration on how to make what you do a match for them.


Thanks to Harvey Stanbrough ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I love it when social networking works! I renewed a contact with Harvey Standbrough at LinkedIn and he came up with this on his own: http://www.harveystanbrough.com/2012/10/19/announcing - a - new - writers - resource/


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Fun and F r ~ ~: If you purchased the Frugal Book Promoter or the Frugal Editor, I'd love you to review it on Amazon or BN.com. Make it simple; just tell what part of it you found most valuable. If you do, send me the review link (URL) and I will send you a 35 - page handout from one of my UCLA classes. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com
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Opinion:

On Ethics, Bestseller Lists, and Book Ratings
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A few years ago, author David A. Vise riled industry insiders when he bought thousands of his own book from Barnes&Noble.com to sign and resell on his own Web site. He said he was simply promoting the book. I was a new author and could see how he might have not understood the ethical ramifications.

David Vise didn't do anything that hasn't been done since Joseph P. Kennedy "bought" John F. Kennedy's Profiles in Courage a top place on The New York Times Best Sellers List. Vise didn't do anything that many authors haven't done; writers often buy their books from one of the online bookstores because they get service faster from the web booksellers than from their own publishers.

Some may say "two wrongs don't make a right."

And I'd agree.

Trouble is, what is "right?" Is The New York Times list always "fair," anyway? I've heard people (indeed, experts!) say the data - gathering for that list is skewed by the accuracy of reporting stores, the frequency of an author's events, the idea that publisher reports don't consider the number of books returned and a whole lot more.

We all know that the entire publishing industry system is one based on favoritism. It ignores books because they are published on a particular kind of press The very process that publishers use for selecting titles panders to sales rather than literary quality. I think it's wonderful that under such a system so many really good books do get the attention they deserve and saddened that so many deserve better than they get. It just doesn't seem fair.

What about book clubs that only consider books published by big publishers? Is that fair?

What about online book launches that encourage people to buy books within a certain time period to see if they can make a book a #1 bestseller?

What is fair in the book industry these days?

I am not defending David Vise's actions. But as a novelist and poet who is just trying to see that her book gets exposure and that she is paid royalties on books that are sold to those who read them, I constantly see ideas and offers that reek of "unethical" to me—or border on it. After some years at looking at so many manipulating the already corrupt system any way they can, here's where I've decided I must ethically draw the line:

I've decided that I can legitimately buy the books I send to reviewers and to the media directly from Amazon.com (their prices are generally lower than B&N's). This process does a couple of things for me. Amazon ships my orders faster than some of my publishers. It keeps an online record of the addresses of these important media folks for future reference. It's almost as cheap as ordering from my publisher, especially when I factor in freight. And yes, it edges Amazon's ratings in my favor, though ever so slightly. But it sure won't rig those ratings enough to shoot my books to bestsellerdom—on Amazon's list or any other.

I also often buy my own books from online bookstores when I send them as gifts. Again, it's thrifty and convenient not to have to pay shipping twice on the same book. And the numbers are small. The intent isn't to rig the system.

If Vise bought 17,000 books and put a match to them, he was probably trying to tamper with the Best Seller list. That he bought 17,000 and resold them becomes problematic. So many things that have to do with ethics boil down to motivation and maybe quantity. I can see why he was tempted. All of us should give our great promotion ideas a quick once over to see if they pass the ethics test. Only we can truly judge our own motives.

If Vise had bought 17,000 books that were then donated to libraries, the homeless, etc., would that have worked for some ethicists? Doing what he did doesn't seem fair to those authors who haven't the means to play the same game, but then - - as I said before - - what is fair?

By now, most authors have gotten used to a whole lot of things that are unfair.


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Chaz DeSimone has a new f r ~ ~ way to get a great poster for your office or a gift. You subscribe to his fr^^ poster offer and newsletter on design (including book cover design) and a different poster will come to your e - mail box about every other week. Each is entirely different, all the highest quality in design and all associated with the ampersand and, by extension, our love of writing. Each also comes with directions for printing, framing, making this into a f r ~ ~ bie that lasts. To subscribe and see images go to: http://forms.aweber.com/form/91/119176491.htm
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Feature

What You Should Know About Book Covers That Your Publisher May Not Know
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If you have a traditional publisher, or a publisher who does your book cover for you, do you really need to read this article on what makes a great book cover and the booboos too many authors and publishers make with their covers? All I can tell you is, I wish I had seen it before my first book was released!

These are your basic tenets for a book cover that SELLS:

1. Use a subtitle. It is your second chance to publicize your book right up front. Even books of fiction can benefit from a subtitle.
2. Use another subtitle on the back - - not the same one as on the front. How many times in life do you get a third chance? This one will help sell your book to browsers who turn it over in bookstores to read the endorsements.
3. Use enticing blurbs on the back, with lots of space between and around them. Use bold typeface, a frame or some other graphic trick to make them stand out.
4. Don't use borders on the books covers. Sometimes the spine doesn't align well in production and it will look like Mondrian gone awry.
5. Having said that, use a bright color or one dark enough for your cover to stand out online. White gets lost or looks ghostly on a B&N.com sales page.
6. Use big letters on the spine. Make them read up and down if the title isn't too long, instead of making the reader twist his/her head to see it on the shelf.
7. Author bios needn't go on the back cover of your book. They do equally well in the back matter and you'll have more space to convince readers of your expertise or credibility as a writer.
8. An author's picture that tells more of a story than just a head shot is desirable. (If you would like to see an example of this, my picture is with my Great Dane, e - mail me at HoJoNews@aol.com and I'll send it to you. She is spotted and looks like an overgrown Dalmation so she catches everyone's eye!) It should be taken by a professional. There are little things about shadows and the position of your head that an amateur photographer won't get right.
9. Make the title big. And your name. Look at the covers in bookstores. The real standouts are the ones that aren' t squeamish about shouting out these most important marketing tools. The title is at the top. The authors' name at bottom. Nora Roberts wouldn't put up with puny lettering, so why should you?
10. Discourage your publisher from using a template. Some subsidy, partner, or independent publishers make their covers as similar as seeds from a thistle.
11. If you are independently published, consider using a real pro for you cover, not your uncle who happens to be a graphic designer but knows nothing about book covers per se. To get an idea of what great covers look like, visit http://chazdesimone.com or check out the cover on the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo. And don't look at my novel. I'll do a better job with it when I republish it on my own.


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Aggie Villaneuva is a resource you need to know. So, go to my article on how to format your book for Kindle in just a few easy steps and while you're there, poke around for Aggie’s assortment of marketing aids including her app service. http://www.promotionalacarteblog.com/2012/02/kindle - formatting - made - easy - by - carolyn - howard - johnson/
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Editing Tip: It seems like a small thing, but small things count in editing. I'm talking about em dashes. You'll find a whole discussion on them including how to make them come up automatically in your Word program or how to make them using keyboard shortcuts. Oh, yes, and when to use them. But here's the tip. Don't use spaces on either side of them. Look in a book published by one of the New York biggies. They don't do it!


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The Publishing Insiders (Paula Krapf and Penny Sansevieri) and I talk about book promotion on their BookTalkRadio program. I know you’ll pick up some new tips or encouragement. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thepublishinginsiders/2012/05/29/no - money - out - of - pocket - shooting - your - book - to - stardom
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An Itty - Bitty Column on Writing

Using YOUR Voice
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By Mindy Phillips Lawrence

A friend wanted to know about getting involved in voice - over work. She has a unique voice that would be great for reading children's books and other similar works. My search for her brought up some interesting information about this type work, how to get involved and where to go if you need a reader.

Those who are blind benefit greatly from audio tapes, as well as those who travel and want to listen to books as they drive.

Most of the information I found suggested studying with a voice coach to develop your skills but volunteer work reading for a charity might get you started and give you some experience.

Like writers, most voice - over artists seek an agent that will take them on and find work for them.

If you are not interested in doing this work yourself but want to find someone to turn your book into an audio edition, it might be helpful to Google for voice agents and see if you can find a match for your work.

Good luck on your endeavors. Let me know how it comes out.
LINKS
Librivox
http://librivox.org/volunteer - for - librivox/

Voice - Over Work
http://www.voices.com/

How to Become a Reader of Books on Tape
http://www.ehow.com/how_4922558_become - reader - books - tape.html

Featured Readers
http://www.booksontape.com/reader.cfm

How do I get a job doing voice - over work
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/1933437


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I believe in social networks. Big and small. Sometimes the smaller ones are easier to form more lasting and productive contacts. I recommend iFOGO (http://www.ifogo.com/buy/order_chj.html) in part because there is only a small membership fee. And, of course, my usual. No membership is good unless it's an active membership.
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Tip: When you submit a manuscript to a publisher or a contest, you'll want to follow their specifications. If none are given, be a pro. Double space. Use Times New Roman font. Indent your paragraphs. Number your pages in the upper right header and put your name and the title of the piece in the upper left.


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I have a series of retail books that authors could benefit from. The reason? Authors are retailers, too. They must sell their books. But A Retailer’s Guide to In - Store Promotion will be especially valuable because it will give authors insight on how to convince retail outlets that a partnership (like a book signing, workshop or seminar) with them will benefit their bottom line. Find this book at www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide or more about the whole series at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/retailers_books.htm
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Tip: Increase Your Media Exposure by first considering the formula of the person you're contacting. Every decision maker has a formula, whether they realize it or not. Media people want certain kinds of guests and show ideas that fit their format. But it's not just media who have a formula. Meeting planners are looking for specific kinds of speakers for their events. Publishers are looking for specific kinds of books to publish. Celebrities aim to support specific causes. So before you approach a decision maker, be sure you have asked yourself, "What is their formula?" ~ Submitted by Patrika Vaughn, your Author's Advocate and owmer of A Cappela Publishing. www.acappela.com).


Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~I will be speaking on several panels at the Book ‘Em Book Fair in North Carolina Feb. 23, 2013. Go to http://www.bookemnc.org/. Panel #1: Getting Published: What Do Publishers Want? 10:00 am in the Lewis Auditorium at Robeson Community College with Jason Huddle, publisher Comfort Publishing, Andrew Rickis, Terrie Wolfe, AKA Literary, and Barbara Casey, Barbara Casey Literary.
Panel #2: Book Promotion: The Name of the Game
2:00 pm in the Blue Room at Robeson Community College with Susan Sloate and Linda Morelli, authors.
Panel #3. Publishing Superpower: The Team 12:00 noon in the Lewis Auditorium at Robeson Community College with Kristi Huddle, publisher, Susan Sloate and Chris Roerden, authors; Terrie Wolf, and Barbara Casey, agents.

And they're all free.

It is headed by mystery writer p.m. Terrell. The purpose of The Book 'Em Foundation and this event is to raise public awareness of the link between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. Proceeds from the Book 'Em North Carolina book fairs go directly to increasing literacy in Robeson County, North Carolina, and to reducing crime in the area.


~Make plans for the online 2013 Catholic Writers’ Conference now. I know many are disappointed when they can’t sign up for my chat after the registration deadline. If they knew what else they’d missed, they’d really be sad. So mark it on your calendar—maybe to register in December of 2012. The Conference is March 4 - 15, with chats March 4 - 10 and forums March 8 - 15. I’ll be conducting a couple of chats on Secrets of Pinterest for Authors and One on To Italicize or Not to Italicize and Other Professional Editing Secrets. http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/


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Sign up to receive a copy of my Sharing with Writers blog in your e - mail box. It is a focused blog on all things related to writing and publishing. Go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. Sign up in the left - hand column. Find related resources by scrolling to the bottom of the blog.
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Wordstuff ™

Something to Make Writers Smile
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(Fun with language from The Washington Post and other publications.)

PUDDLE: A small body of water that draws other small bodies wearing dry shoes into it.



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Essential Book and Record Keeping:

This is the place to share with others and learn from others.

Although I do attempt to verify information used within this newsletter's pages, Sharing with Writers does not guarantee entities or information. Subscribers should research resources.

To submit information articles, tips or other information, e - mail Carolyn at CarolynHowardJ (at) aol (dot) com. Please put "Submission: Sharing with Writers" in the subject line.

If you do not care to receive this newsletter, send an e - mail to CarolynHowardJ (at) aol (dot) com with "Unsubscribe” in the subject line, but please, please don't tell me you've given up writing or promoting!

To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to CarolynHowardJ (at) aol (dot) com.

Please pass this newsletter to friends or e - groups. It needn't be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Ordering Information

The HowToDoItFrugally Series for Writers

Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
The e - book at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkProKindle

The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success
E - book: http://budurl.com/FrugalEditorKindle
Paperback: http://budurl.com/TheFrugalEditor

The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less
Paperback: http://budurl.com/BookProposals
E - book: http://budurl.com/bookproposalskindle

Great Little Last - Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper - Perfect Copy
Paperback: http://budurl.com/WordtrippersPB
E - book: http://budurl.com/WordtrippersKindle


The Survive and Thrive Series for Retailers (Authors need to know about retailing, too!)

A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques
Paperback: http://budurl.com/RetailersGuide
For Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H1TACC
Frugal and Focused Tweeting for Retailers: Tweaking Your Tweets and Other Tips for Integrating Your Social Media
Order in paperback direct from Amazon: http://budurl.com/Tweeting4Retailers
Order for Kindle Reader: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H4XCCS
Order an e - book from the publisher: http://www.createspace.com/3439623.

Your Blog, Your Business: A Retailer’s Frugal Guide to Getting Customer Loyalty and Sales—Both In - Store and Online
Sponsored by Gift Shop Magazine
To Order: http://budurl.com/Blogging4Retailers
To Order for Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H1TACC
Carolyn’s Fiction and Creative Nonfiction

This Is the Place: http://budurl.com/ThisIsthePlace

Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered: http://budurl.com/TrueShortStories

Carolyn’s Poetry

Cherished Pulse: Unconventional Love Poetry. Coauthored with Magdalena Ball
For Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GXB4AW
In print to be used as a greeting card or booklet: www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse
For Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imagining - the - future - magdalena - ball/1021152596?ean=2940000904893&itm=4&usri=magdalena+ball

She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood, a chapbook of poetry. Coauthored with Magdalena Ball.
Paperback and Kindle: http://budurl.com/MotherChapbook
For Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/she - wore - emerald - then - magdalena - ball/1020032782?ean=2940000807408&itm=5&usri=magdalena+ball
For Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GXB4AW

Imagining the Future: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions. Coauthored with Magdalena Ball
To order as an e - book: https://www.createspace.com/3419505
For Nook:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/imagining - the - future - magdalena - ball/1021152596?ean=2940000904893&itm=4&usri=magdalena+ball
To order as a paperback or for Kindle: www.budurl.com/Imagining
Deeper into the Pond: A Celebration of Femininity, Co - Authored with Magdalena Ball. Artwork by Jacquie Schmall
To order as an e - book: https://www.createspace.com/3608866
To order as a paperback: http://budurl.com/DeeperPond
Tracings, a chapbook of poetry (Finishing Line Press)
http://budurl.com/CarolynsTracings

Contact Information

Websites
http://HowToDoItFrugally.com
For special help for fiction writers
http://www.fictionmarketing.com


Blogs:
http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, all things grammatical and ungrammatical. On editing, formatting, and craft.
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews
http://www.WarPeaceTolerance.blogspot.com War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers.
http://www.sizzlingbookfairbooths.blogspot.com, a blog where you can learn to get some mojo behind your own booth by learning from the successes and mistakes of others. It is no longer active but there are lots of ideas you can use here, just the same.

Pinterest: Repin one of my book covers, I’ll pin yours to one of my boards. http://pinterest.com/chowardjohnson

Tweeting at:
www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo
www.twitter.com/frugalretailing