April 22, 2006: Sharing with Writers:
From the Desks
Of Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Authors* Coalition Friends
~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.
Most recent issues of Sharing with Writers are posted with live links at Fairgo E-Books: http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/fairgoebooks/literary.htm. You will find the *Best of Sharing with Writers* at Apollos Lyre (www.ApollosLyre.com). Sharing with Writers is the official newsletter of Authors* Coalition (http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com) an organization of writers who help writers.

Note: In order to cut down on computerese, I do not use (or I substitute for) many punctuation marks. They seem to disagree with Yahoo and others. I hope it doesn*t drive you crazy.
~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.

Carolyn's Rare Rant:

Time to bombard Amazon with your opinion (or copy and paste!)

You all know what a fan I am of the perks Amazon offers writers to target readers. Well, this week they T'd me off something terrible and I'm asking for your help (see their address and a suggestion for action below).

They have added a percentage scale to the sites of many books with a good Amazon selling record including *The Frugal Book Promoter.* That sounds like a good thing, right? Wrong. Theygive the top five books by percentage and post those figures on the site right above the reviews (where visitors will be sure to see them) The problem is that though 11 or 12 % of books in a category is very, very good, the person considering your book may not realize that. After you've sent him or her to the Amazon site, he may well go for the "bigger" seller with the assumption that more sales automatically translates to a better book. Thus Amazon is pushing the sales of books that are already excellent sellers (usually traditionally published by big presses) at the expense of up and coming books (often published by smaller presses, self-published or subsidy published.) I think you'll be able to see how if this doesn't affect your book sales today it will tomorrow and I'm asking you to drop them this note or one of your own making similar to it:

Dear Amazon People:

I have pasted below what I consider the most self-defeating feature ever introduced on Amazon. My Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and my newsletter have touted Amazon as being author-friendly--not only to those published by the large and traditional, but also to those published alternatively. This feature does exactly what the bookstores and bestseller lists do; it makes sure the big guys and the big sellers are seen as winners and the smaller (but still excellent books) are perceived as losers and therefore never given a chance.

I'm disappointed and I hope you'll consider backing off of this one as fast as it appeared!

By the way, even the wording in the introductory sentence makes it appear as if people who visited to this page didn't buy the book they come for but another (published by a big press, of course!) . Excuuuse me!!! How can this be good for anyone?

Here is the objectionable--more objectionable than it appears at first glance--material:

What do customers ultimately buy after viewing items like this?

22% buy
Publicize your Book!: An Insider's Guide to Getting your Book the Attention it Deserves by Jacqueline Deval $10.37

20% buy
Guerrilla Marketing for Writers : 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work by Jay Conrad Levinson $9.74

15% buy
The Complete Guide to Book Marketing by David Cole $12.97

12% buy the item featured on this page:
The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't by Carolyn Howard-Johnson $11.67

11% buy
Jump Start Your Book Sales: A Money-Making Guide for Authors, Independent Publishers and Small Presses by Marilyn Ross $12.97

Your Signature Goes Here

Send your letter to: Book-Dept@Amazon.com.
________________________________________________

Note from Carolyn:

Dear Authors* Coalition Members and Subscribers:

The LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books is a celebration of the industry we have chosen to associate with. Book fairs--at their best--do that as well as serve as a means for promoting books. At their worst they are a dreadful waste of dollars and time for an author.

Authors' Coalition is a relatively new organization that is seeking to be sure that authors get as much from a book fair as readers. More than 20 of our *Sharing with Writers* subscribers and AC members have come together in a cross-promotional effort this year. In the LAT/UCLA booth, we are utilizing methods found to be useful in previous years and testing new, promising ones.

This is the first year we have had a website of our own, http://authorscoaltionandredeneginepress.com). You know about our newsletter, of course! (-: For fairs we have developed a two-tier system --one for authors who will be at the fair to sign and sell and one for those who can't. Their books--unlike most other booths that "show" books for nonresident writers--are limited in number so they can be highlighted. In fact, these books will actually be spotlighted with real lights--something that works in the retail industry and will work at bookfairs, too!

All of those participating in the booth were featured in a catalog that was sent to nearly 500 bookstore buyers. The names of these stores and buyers were contributed by the participating authors to be sure the list was as targeted as possible.

We are using what is known in the retail trade as a "gift with purchase" to encourage readers to buy the books that are being sold. We also will offer a "discounted purchase with purchase,." That is "The Complete Writer's Journal" will be sold at a special price when the customer buys another book from our booth.

Marilyn and Bill Peake have worked very hard t on an html-style CD for authors who wanted to share the cost of such a promotion. These will be given to the press and fair visitors. There will be a drawing basket (valued over $1,000) and goody bags directing visitors to the booth.

AC also offers ad space, promotional ideas, a free e-book page, and a blog, http://redenginepress/chjohnson that we use to share promotion plans for the booth with others. Our website is an online showcase for authors, a place where paid AC members may have their favorite reviews posted. Authors also may order support materials in small quantities so they can target specific markets more easily than they can when trying to cut costs by ordering more generic materials in large quantities.

So, if you live or work in the entire Southern California area, please plan to come to see us--and support us-- on Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30 from 10 am to 5 pm at booth #610 (a prime position, by the way!) If not, you may want to consider letting Authors' Coalition's expertise work for you on the fair you are promoting. Or plan to be with us in LA (in person or only your book) in 2007.


Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HoJoNews@aol.com
http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

==============================================
No part of this newsletter is paid advertising.
===============================================

Tip: If you have an out-of-print book you may find that some small presses will be willing to breathe life into it again.Check out www.awb.com
www.chicagoreviewpress.com
www.chivalyrbookshelf.com
www.felonyandmayhem.com
www.patriapress.com
www.ruemorguepress.com
www.lcrw.net
www.tachonpublications.com
www.wesleyan.edu/wespress . This is a list of retro-presses who recycle previously published books provided by *American Way." If interested you will need to see if their interests and guidelines are suitable for your out-of-print title.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Authors* Coalition members! Add credibility to your business cards and other promotions by using the logo available to you. Just ask for it by sending an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com. New members will help AC serve all its members better! Ask your writing friends to join at http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
Tell them to visit our blog, too, where they*ll learn how to spark generally insipid book fairs by using value-added promotions: http://redeneginepress.com/chjohnson .


http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank Yous:

To Abel Pena, for his amazing "young guy's take" on my poetry--in particular poetry of well, a woman of a certain age. Check here for quite a discussion on "seductive" and "eros" as it applies to….well. Find out (-:
http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/philodoxer/back20060416.shtml.
-----
To Diane Newton and Bob Clark. She is e-group commander-in-chief and he is Webmaster guru of the Publishing and Promoting group. They have posted the books written by group members of our xxxxx http://pubproauthors.bravehost.com and the page for writers only is: http://pubproauthors.bravehost.com/Writing.htm
Groups like this are a fine way to learn and to brand at the grass roots level and some of these authors are fellow "Sharing with Writers" subscribers. Purchasing a book on writing can only help your career. When we do that we learn for our own success and support other writers.
-----
To Philip F. Harris, co-author of *Waking God," http://www.wakinggod.com for nominating authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com as one of the best sites for new and aspiring authors. He says, *They are active, helpful and very responsive. Tips abound for new and old authors. If you are looking for a group to help in your writing career, this would be high on the list."

Anyone who would like to nominate the AC site or another other site that works hard to make a difference in your writing career may do so at Anyone who would care to do the same may send to writersdig@fwpubs.com.
___________________________

Tip: With all the bad press MySpace.com has been getting from the moms of teenage girls, Abel Pena has found a way to use it to his advantage: He says it *has become an unexpectedly useful tool. It's basically a glorified and unabashed "About Me" page. Here's mine: www.myspace.com/abelgpena. You can dress it up any way you like, and market yourself however suits you best. You can find lots of tutorials that can help you with your page simply by punching "myspace layouts" on google.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When was the last time you bought a book from an author you know? *Tracings* my new chapbook of poetry, www.finishinglinepress.com, is available for that honor at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/qid=1141623936/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-4692447-2218401?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 but any book mentioned in any one of your *Sharing with Writers* newsletters would also be a nice gesture. If all of us directed more of our reading to newer authors who write in genres we love or genres we need to stretch into, we would do ourselves and the publishing industry a great favor.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Opportunities:

Writers @ Work offers a conference for writers from June 1923 at Westminster College in Salt Lake City. For more information go to www.writersatwork.org.
-----
Add-On Sales for Your Next Book Fair: Add-on sales are something additional you offer a customer--usually something they will want or need and sometimes at a special price. When they ask at MacDonald's, "Would you like fries with that?" they are offering an add on sale.

Joyce Faulkner, Pat Avery and I have co-edited a journal, *The Complete Writer*s Journal,* with you that add-on sales in mind. It includes quotes from writers (many of them *Sharing with Writers* subscribers) and book promoters in all stages of their careers -- from novice to seasoned professional.
Special bulk prices for Authors* Coalition members and *Sharing with Writers* subscribers are now available for your book fair add-on sales. Go to: http://www.redenginepress.com/buy_tcw_journal.htm or contact Joyce at katieseyes@aol.com.

_______________________________________________

Reciprocal Links:

The Shy Writer: An Introvert*s Guide to Writing Success - Author C. Hope Clark advises you how to *sell your words, not your soul* when you promote your work. http://www.theshywriter.com/
-----
The Reading Tub is a charity that promotes family and children*s literacy. They read every children*s book that is sent to them for a review. They are then donated to community organizations. Go to www.thereadingtub.com.
-----
Walter Brasch*s America*s Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Government*s Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights. ) is a look at the history and effects of the USA Patriot Act upon the erosion of our civil liberties and violations of at least five of the Bill of Rights. It has been endorsed by liberals and conservatives.
-----
Star Publish offers near self-publish profits on your paperback; it is an alternative to unapproachable publishers. http://starpublish.com.
------
Do you want to hone your skills? Writer to Writer features tips on writing, marketing, submitting, selling and more. Regular no-fee contests.
www.writer2writer.com
-----
Authors* Coalition is for writers. Find support for authors--both emotional and material--at http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
-----
Gather at QueenPower.com where women promote, support and encourage women. Start living your best life now! http://www.queenpower.com/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please pass this letter on to others. Unlike many others, I do not mind if you use only portions of it as long as you credit the writers and include this subscribe information. *To subscribe to *Sharing with Writers* send an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with *subscribe* in the subject line. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(This information comes from *How to Write A book Proposal* by Michael Larson)

Here's Why You may very well need an agent...

...especially if you didn't have a clue that most industries in the US are controlled by fewer than ten corporations and that America's literary businesses include six conglomerates that dominate trade publishing:

1. The French (Lagadere) own Hatchette, Warner Books, Little Brown & Co and the Book-of-the-Month Club

2. The Germans (Bertelsmann AG) own The Literary Guild, Random House and all its imprints (70 of them) including big names like Knopf, Ballantine. Bantam, Dell, Broadway Doubleday, Anchor, Fawcett and more.

3. The American company that was once Aussie (Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.) owns HarperCollins, Avon, William Morrow and more.

4. The Brits (Pearson) own Penguin Putnam which includes imprints like Viking, Signet, Dutton and lots more.

5. The Germans (Holtzbrinck) owns Henry Holt & Co., St. Martin's Press, Farrar, Straus & Gerioux.

6. Viacom owns Simon & Schuster which includes Pocket Books, Free Press, Scribner, Touchstone and Atria.

7. Hyperion is part of Disney.

Agents may not be for everyone but they shouldn't be dismissed out of hand because you've heard so many horror stories. A good one can help you trudge through this mire.
____________________________________

Reciprocal Links:

Need a promotional breakthrough?
Subscribe to the PR Diva Queen*s
Author*s Companion PR Postcard at
http://www.authorscompanion.com/
for snappy marketing tips and a f~r~e report
*How to Obtain Book Reviews*.
------
Spirited Woman, an inspired woman*s empowerment community, launches the Spirited Woman Circle, a new monthly 1-hr. phone conversation series with bestselling authors. Learn more at http://www.TheSpiritedWoman.com/spirited_woman_circle/
-----
Francine Silverman, publisher of Book Promotion Newsletter, serves authors by e-mailing Expert Sheets to the media. This low-cost service has proven results. Contact Fran at franalive@optonline.net for more information. www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com
-----
Read author interviews, market information, and more in WriterAdvice, www.writeradvice.com. To subscribe or to submit material for consideration, E-mail LGood67334@comcast.net . Put subscribe in the subject box.
-----
The Y&W newsletter sponsored by Red Engine Press bring authors, bookstores, publishers and reviewers together. Subscribers can write a short article of interest to this group and we*ll try to publish it. To subscribe send an email to nate@redenginepress.com with *Y&W Newsletter* in the subject line.
-----
Sun Signs for Writers: Learn how astrology can benefit (and entertain!) writers with a new Writers* Digest book: http://www.writersigns.info
-------
Judith Woolcock Colombo: Author of The Fablesinger and Night Crimes: Learn more at: http://odin.prohosting.com/~night01
------
Discover a novel by Cynthianna Appel and receive your choice of another e-book at no cost. Go to http://pages.sbcglobal.net/cynthianna/promo.html today!
------
Read Joyce Faulkner*s Celebrity Cafe.com column to learn about anything from aging feet to her favorite books on writing: http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/Columnists/The_Weekly_Shriek/
------
Fr * * Publicity Resource: Let this site send your media release to book trade professionals including Associated Press, Reuters, and more! http://press.heliographica.com/
------
Has writing lost its spontaneity? Find remedies in Milli Thornton*s online writing course at: http://www.fearofwriting.com/creative-writing-course.htm
-----
Discover a true-life philosophy about making marriages last a lifetime in Choose Love For Life, by Joe and Edwina Roady (http://www.chooseloveforlife.com/.)
------
The AA Independent Press Guide is a f * * *, database which details over 2,000 literary and genre magazines and publishers. Find it on the website of writer and artist, Dee Rimbaud, at http://www.thunderburst.co.uk/
----
The Complete Writer offers advice on writing, editing, proofreading, publishing and design. Published by Red Engine Press, a traditional press. http://www.redenginepress.com/

____________________________________
Kathe*s Korner:
Create a way for visitors to submit articles, short stories, or poems to your site. Submissions are a fantastic ways to keep people interested and coming back.
------
Kathe Gogolewski
http://www.tri-studio.com/
Read my blog: http://www.anndurand.blogsforauthors.com/summary.php
_____________________________

Carolyn*s Appearances and Teaching Gigs:

Order CD*s of Dayton University*s Erma
Bombeck Writers* Workshop presentations,
including mine on Savvy Promotion--It*s Never
Too Late to Hone Your Promotion Skills. What
a way to benefit from a conference without
actually being there! You can purchase an MP3
CD-ROM with 20 of the workshop sessions for
$99 at http://www.fltwood.com/onsite/bombeck/2006-03-23 Recordings of individual seminars are
$15 and there*s a list of the sessions
onsite: http://www.fltwood.com/onsite/bombeck/2006-03-23
------
PENUSA has asked me to teach a class for the Emerging Voices Program they sponsor for writers in underserved Los Angeles area communities in May. If you are interested in joining PEN or contributing to this program, contact Carolyn at HoJoNews@aol.com for a referral or go to www.penusa.com
------
Los Angeles Times/UCLA Festival of Books is April 29 and 30th. If you are in the area visit Authors* Coalition authors, enter our drawing, snag yourself a goody bag and peruse the books displayed there. We are in a prime spot at Booth #610 at this fr^ e fair. Learn more about what our booth authors are doing at http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com. The fair*s official site is: http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/
-----
UCLA Class: Carolyn is teaching a one-day class at UCLA on Saturday, August 5th (summer quarter). Circle it on your calendar! Enroll to learn all you need to know about preparing a professional manuscript for submission to agents, publishers or to ready it for alternative presses. To enroll or to received a free copy of the program*s *Writers* Program Quarterly,* contact Marcus Hennessey at writers@uclaextension.edu or (310) 825-9415.
-----
Audio Classes: Authors* Coalition members, Allyn Evans, Joyce Faulkner, Kathe Gogolewski, Marilyn Peake and I, have produced audio classes covering subjects like writing skills, book promotion, and technology for writers. Access new audio classes regularly in MP3 or CDRom at http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/audio.asp.
Learn more about the instructors and find a list of the coming classes at our Authors* Coalition site at:
http://tri-studio.com/AUDIOCLASSESALL.html
.
To get a fr ^ ^ sample class called *Radio: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Promoting Easy and Cheap!* go to the Double Dragon Publishing (DDP) Website:
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/imprintlist.asp?imprint=PODRADIO

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Reciprocal Links: Many subscribers are in a position to cross-promote. Let me know if you would like to trade some recommendation or promotion for a permanent spot (or as my list grows, semi-permanent) spot in this newsletter. I use only links that benefit writers
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

TIP: All writers need a website, but aren’t they awfully expensive and difficult to maintain? Not if you subscribe to Writers’ Lodge. For just $21.99 per year, you can get a custom website with your photo, bio, list of published work, contact button, hit counter, chat room, blog feed, message board and more. Check out www.alongstoryshort.net/writerslodge.html.

_______________________________

Subscriber News:

Abel Pena, Star Wars aficionado and fan, has a brand new website up and running. It is fine example of how to use subtle humor and simplicity so you'll want to see it: http://www.abelgpena.com/
------
Linda Morelli, http://www.lindamorellie.us, is featured on the cover of the new magazine Lady Ingenuity and inside, a write-up on her, too. http://www.ladyingenuity.com/ A new vehicle like this may be looking for other smart, talented women, no?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Planning to rent a booth at a book fair this spring? Follow my blog on Authors* Coalition*s UCLA Festival of Books booth plans and learn how to make any book fair successful using value-added promotions. http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson. Some of the ideas work for book signings, too.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Reciprocal Links:

One of my favorite groups for meeting "Publishing and Promoting" peers is moderated by award-winning suspense novelist Diane J. Newton, http://dianejnewton.bravehost.com/
To subscribe go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/publishingandpromoting/ .
-----
Dr. Bob Rich, freelance editor, finds the good things in your book and makes suggestions for improving it. His clients include independent publishers, and a long list of writers. Find him at http://bobswriting.com/editing.html
-----
Success Literary Services offers complete book manuscript services. They were honored with twelve awards for their work. They are not associated with, nor do they accept funding from literary agencies or production companies.References. http://www.successliterary.com / suc-srv@pacbell.net
-------
The Compulsive Reader reviews books by some of the hottest writers working today. Find interviews, literary news, criticism, a no - cost e-zine, g I v e a w a y s, and more. http://www.compulsivereader.com/html.
-----
Do bookstores owe you money? Michelle Dunn*s books including Become the Squeaky Wheel, A Credit and Collections Guide for Everyone helps you get your checks in full and on time. http://www.michelledunn.com/
-----
Erica Miner, queenpower.com*s Queen of Journaling, has a monthly e-mail newsletter with an emphasis on journaling. Subscribe at: http://www.ericaminer.com/newsletter.php
-----
Need help with your writing? With getting it published? Contact your Author*s Advocate, Patrika Vaughn, at www.acappela.com for whatever help you need to fulfill your goals.
-----
Dreams of Grandeur, a book of poetry by Amber A. Whitman is available at http://homebody2001-ivil.tripod.com/. A reader says *I*m impressed…a great deal of talent.*

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Essential Book and Record Keeping:
This letter lets authors to share with each other. . It is edited and distributed sporadically by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, http://www.tlt.com/authors/carolynhowardjohnson.htm , author of *This is the Place,* *Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered,* *Tracings,* and *The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What You*re your Publisher Won*t* and is an entity of Authors* Coalition, http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.

To submit information for consideration, e-mail me at HoJoNews@aol.com

If you do not care to receive this letter, unsubscribe by sending e-mail me at HoJoNews@aol.com and include *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: HoJoNews@aol.com .

You are encouraged to pass this newsletter on to friends or e-groups. It needn*t be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, Authors* Coalition and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Order *The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won*t:*
at stores like UCLA, Dayton University and San Diego State University*s bookstores. Order it as an e-book or paperback at Amazon where it is discounted: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-0672916-9668863 .

Tracings, a chapbook of poetry, may be ordered at http://finishinglinepress.com and at,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/qid=1139084827/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-7824821-4156653?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Carolyn*s novel and book of creative nonfiction may be ordered at Amazon.com.