February 3, 2007 Sharing with Writers:
From the Desks
Of Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Authors' Coalition Friends
~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sharing with Writers" is the official newsletter of Authors' Coalition,

http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

an organization of writers who help writers.

To read this newsletter at Authors Den go to:

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/Sharingwithwriters_Feb_ThirdWeek_2007.doc

Learn about an opportunity to participate in the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books -- whether you live in LA or not -- by going to my blog at http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson

The LA fair is one of the nation's biggest and most prestigious with more than 130,000 visitors and the power of the LA Times behind it.

Find pictures of last year's booth at http://tri-studio.com/kathegogolewskiPHOTOSfair06.html

~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.:~~~.:~~~:.~~~.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note from Carolyn:

My fellow AC Members and SWW Subscribers:

I am consulting with a young poet who writes innocent, sweet, poignant poetry. She is putting her first chapbook of poetry together and she sent me something to see. I thought. it would be inspirational for all of us. Copyright prevents me from printing The Invitation in full but you can read it all by going here: http://www.cdra.org.za/creativity/Oriah,%20Mountain%20Dreamer%20-%20The%20Invitation.htm
Trust me; you'll be glad you did. It is by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

By the way, this young poet (not Oriah) will be giving her debut poetry reading at the seminar I will be presenting at the Glendale Central Library on Saturday, April 21. Please circle your calendars if you live in the Southern California area (see below under my appearances).

Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HoJoNews@aol.com
http://carolynhoward-johnson.com
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepess.com and a blog focused on book fairs at
http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson and another blog that is just about writing and reading at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.
__________________________________________-

Letters-to-the-Editor

(I am publishing this personal letter as a reminder to write your one small letter of thanks or love each day. The letter I sent to Cindy couldn't have warmed her day as much as this one warmed mine.)

Hi Carolyn,

Many months ago when I retired from writing to take care of an ill relative you sent me lovely note to me through Bev Walton-Porter who was editing Scribe & Quill at the time. You mentioned that you hadn't known of me very long, but that you now saw me everywhere. I always meant to write you back, but the intention got lost in the daily [care].I wanted to tell you that the reason you were seeing me everywhere was
because I was following the advice in your book! I recommend it to every
writer I know. I just met a woman who self-published a diet book and was
marketing it herself. I told her not to do another thing until she had ordered a copy of your book. So . . . a very belated thank you for all the wonderful info in your book. It was a tremendous help.

Best of luck with all your projects. I had wanted to attend your lecture
when you were here in San Diego, but had a prior commitment. Maybe next
time!

Cindy VanRooy
_______________________________________________________

Mini-Feature

Valentines to Bloggers All Year

So, what do you do when you see a fellow author's blog address in their signature or a notice somewhere telling you they've posted a new blog! I hope rigor mortis doesn't set in. A blog is an opportunity.

1. You'll make a friend if you manage to take from two minutes to five to click, add a comment and leave.
2. You can leave your imprint for your Google footprint by simply adding your website address after you type in your name.
3. You can make this part of your virtual tour. You do that by adding a positive comment about the blog. Throw in a tip of idea or something helpful of your own. Tie the whole thing in some way--any way!--to your book or the project you are promoting.
4. Back to making friends. Friends are love. Friends are Karma. Friends are two-way streets. That means that someone you get to know this way may some day vote for a poem in a contest for you, give you a blurb for your next book or merely visit your site and raise your stats a bit.
CHJ
====================================================
No part of this newsletter is paid advertising.
=====================================================

TIP: I haven't tested this newsletter but you know what a blog kick I'm on these days. One reason for that is they are pretty user-friendly for authors who are not super familiar with the net. They can actually work as a substitute for a website. Anyway, here's a place to get tips for building traffic to your blog:
http://www.blogtrafficking.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."
====================================================

Opportunities
Exposure for your romance or Valentine-themed book!

Because the chat mentioned below is aimed at readers who want to meet authors, it is a good, targeted opportunity for anyone who writes love poetry, romance, or anything else that ties into this February season of love. Here is a partial announcement from the home page of Alternative-Read.com.

February 11th, 2007
Valentines Day Themed Book Group CHAT Day

For BOOK LOVERS everywhere! Can't get enough books to read? Fancy some freebies? Then join this British Review Site's Yahoo group for our second "Book Promotions and CHAT Day". Here you can discover what fresh and exciting stories our talented authors are writing about now. Worldwide. Who knows, you may even win a few free books. You've got to be in it to win it!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/An_Alternative_Read/

If you are a book lover, please come and join us. This Sunday is a free for all Prize Giveaway Day, with a HOT Valentine's Day theme.
-----
Call for Submissions from Valerie Coleman:
Whether restricted by prison walls, the influence of others or held hostage by self-inflicted limitations, captivity starts in the mind. We allow our thoughts to create virtual restrainers that stifle our dreams and hinder our purpose. Based on I Corinthians 13:12, Tainted Mirror An Anthology will offer stories of hope and healing to overcome the mental, physical, and emotional strongholds that keep us from fulfilling our destiny.
We will accept unpublished nonfiction original stories under 3000 words from anyone who has broken free from addiction, low self-esteem, the opinion of others, depression or stinking thinking. Stories from inmates and outmates, family and friends affected by incarceration, prison ministries and prison officials are encouraged. Contact Valerie L. Coleman at info@penofthewriter.com (POWER Anthology in the subject line) or visit www.penofthewriter.com/tainted for complete details. The deadline is April 30, 2007.
------
Valerie L. Coleman, author of Blended Families An Anthology (Available at http://www.amazon.com/ ISBN-10: 0-9786066-0-4) - a real-life account of the dynamics of stepfamilies because we are not the Brady Bunch! There's a blessing in the blending!
www.PenOfTheWriter.com/anthology
PMB 175 - 5523 Salem Avenue
Dayton, Ohio 45426

______________________________________________________

TIP: I loved John Kremer's comparison of what I'd call reasonably good book covers (though he didn't) and great book covers designed by George Foster. I liked it because the before and after visuals will help you assess your own cover when you get it back from your book cover designer. Here's the link: http://openhorizons.blogspot.com
_______________________________________________________

Feature:

Amazon Connect and You and Me

One of my most recent AmazonConnect ™ or Plog (or Blog) is about generations and genealogy and writing. I am as hesitant to tell you for sure that AmazonConnect works to sell books as I am most kinds of promotion. The fact is there is always way too little proof of results. One thing I do know! Taken all together, promotion works. And what better way to promote than by writing? And what better way to promote than to target people who read and particularly the people who read your kind of books.

This plog starts:

"Fascination with generations is like tulips. It flares up periodically, dies back and flourishes again. Whether or not generations is a topic of current interest with us, our ancestry is always with us -- with some of us more than others, it is true . . . .."

You can finish the article at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1588513521/ref=cm_arms_pdp_dp/002-3692730-7456014 and you can sign up to receive all my plogs by clicking on the little oval button on the left side of the page. It says, "Add to Your Plog." Heck, you can always delete it when I give you a recipe for my polygamist great grandmother's mustard pickles, but I bet you'll be glad you've got it when I give you tips on promotion (scroll down the AuthorConnect section page for a review of those!)

And what about your plog? Know that the longer you wait to start one, the sorrier you'll be. Amazon's plog is a way to reach people who want to know about you.
 This is a way to try stuff out to see if it works.
 This is a way to fill out your book's page on Amazon. You know, make you look like an active writer.
 This is a way to build loyalty.
 This is a way to recycle other articles you've written.
 This is a way to help out fellow authors (authors who plog together, promote together--or something like that!).
 It may even be a way to sell books!
And it doesn't cost a cent. A very FRUGAL way to go.
CHJ

Oh, PS. Please leave a comment when you go to my plog or any blog. It benefits your book if you mention it, too, and if you leave your URL, it may even sell a book. I know, hope springs eternal but it's frequency, and determination as well as quality that counts.
______________________________________________________

Tip: Here is a new resource being built by librarians. It cites websites that are useful for research and more, but not purely commercial. If your website fits that description, you might want to suggest it to the library panel:
http://www.lii.org/cs/lii/create/todo

=====================================================
Perks for participants Authors' Coalition's booth in the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books:

 Yarnspinners and Wordweavers will feature an ad for your book.
 You will qualify for an interview or a review in Yarnspinners and Wordweavers.
 Authors' Coalition will run a year-long ad on their site.
 You automatically become a paid member to Authors' Coalition entitling you all the members' perks including a review on the AC site, participation in the AC bookstore, and more.

You can participate in some way whether you can be in Los Angeles for the fair or not. When you do you will get exposure at the fair to more than 130,000 visitors. If you participate in the catalog more than 500 or more booksellers and press will see your book

To subscribe to Y&W, send an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line to nate@redenginepress.com. To learn more about the LA Times Fair program go to http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson.
====================================================

Tip: Cheryl Wright of Writer2Writer.com reminds you all that she has a reference page on her site that lists the tools she uses. Some are free, other paid. She says, "I put up the page because everyone kept asking where I get my resources." Here’s the link: http://www.writer2writer.com/businesstools.htm - She says Bravenet is an especially good resource. You can get a free website counter, guestbooks, create polls, forums, tell-a-friend scripts, and much more.
______________________________________________________

Learning About Liu

The 2007 Spirited Woman Circle launches March 6 at 10 am PST.-It is an up close and personal monthly 1-hr. phone conversation series with famous women authors and more. Premiere guest is renowned author Aimee Liu. Her new book Gaining: The Truth About Eating Disorders recently debuted on The Today Show. She'll talk about writing about one's personal experiences (the good, the bad, and the ugly), the difference between writing fiction and non-fiction, growing up with a mixed-race identity, how she became an eating disorder advocate, and more. To save, check out the series' special. http://www.TheSpiritedWoman.com/spirited_woman_circle/

_______________________________________________________

Tip: If you misplace a URL from this newsletter you might find it on the Links for Writers or Links for Readers pages of www.HowToDoItFrugally.com. I am pleased to trade links and take suggestions for links. I also am accepting very low-cost sponsoring ads for the site.

_______________________________________________________

In the News

From Linda Morelli: A new company, Booksfree.com, had a listing for my first release, FIERY SURRENDER, for rent. I checked out the site and they have lots of books in various genres that they rent, for a fee, in a manner similar to Netflix. I was rather surprised at this, so I called my attorney and was told that, provided they obtained my book legally (i.e., purchased it), this is the same thing as a lending library and is legal. She also pointed out two additional items: 1) if a reader likes the book, they may buy it or check out any other releases and, 2) it probably wouldn't hurt to place a note on an author's site indicating that rentals take away from author sales.

Just thought I'd let you know, since companies renting out our books may concern us all. Linda Morelli
http://www.lindamorelli.us/
________________________________________________________

Tip: I loved a book I just reviewed. Don't groan! It's on diagramming. Yep! Grammar. It's also a kind of memoir. I think all who love writing will love Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog. See my review and leave a note in the MyShelf.com guestbook! (-: http://myshelf.com/writing/07/sisterbernadettesbarkingdog.htm
______________________________________________________
In The News

We all probably know by now that Sidney
Sheldon died at 89. But did you know that his novels, including Are You Afraid of the Dark? was published when he was 87. And that another published late in life, The Other Side of Midnight, sold 300 MILLION copies in 180 countries. So, it is never too late. Keep that gray matter working! (-:

______________________________________________________

Sharing with Fellow Subscribers

(Building lists to use for promotion is sooo important that I devote a couple of sections to it in The Frugal Book Promoter. Here, Linda Morelli shares with you how she built her lists including one of some 3,000 or more for her newsletter that appeals to both her reading and writing friends.)

Develop a List of Friends

By Linda Morelli

If you have a web site, I have several suggestions for developing a Friends list (for use when mailing out book release announcements and, of course, newsletters):

Start off with names in alphabetical order, including street and email addresses that which lists your friends and relatives.

Make sure you have your name and contact information; i.e., email address and a Post Office Box.

When people contact you, be sure to save their names, home addresses and e-mail addresses to your "Friends" list.

Publish an e-mail newsletter. Make it helpful in addition to promoting your work; i.e., include tidbits of info on writing or articles and information for readers that appear on a regular basis. One of my favorite things to include in my newsletters is recipes.

Glean names for your newsletter and your friends list by Inviting people who visit your site to receive future issues of your newsletter.

By the way, you don't need to publish a newsletter monthly -- you can do it quarterly or when you have a new release -- although the more often you publish a newsletter, the more your name gets before readers.

To get more people interested in your site and newsletter, consider holding contests. I hold these in conjunction with my quarterly newsletters. Some pointers:
1. Don't offer one of your books as a prize; you're trying to get people to BUY your books.
2. If you're a member of online groups, be sure to announce your contest to them early enough so that they can get it in their newsletters and/or put it on their sites in plenty of time to get responses before your deadline.
3. Any entries from your contest should be added to your Friends list.

I also hold contests when I participate in any form of book signing. You can use any small gift as an enticement to get people to your table, to enter your contest AND to purchase your book. Because I am also a professional artist and paint/design my own book covers, I hold the rights to them and can thus offer an 8" x 10" copy of my book covers. (I use FIERY SURRENDER, since that was my first book -- an historical romance -- because it is more appealing to a larger number of prospective readers.)

These are just a few ideas for garnishing that all-important contact listing. Oh, one other thing: If you mail out your newsletter via e-mail, be sure to send it to your friends via blind copy, with the original copy to your email. That way, the recipient sees only his/her name and not a list of hundreds or thousands.

I also suggest renting a post office box because you don't want readers to know your personal address. PO lock boxes can be had for as little as $25/year.
-----
Linda Morelli, author romance, mystery, crime.www.lindamorelli.com

=================================================
New members will help Authors' Coalition serve all its members better! Ask your writing friends to join at http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com. Paid members get a favorite review posted, consideration for an interview or review in Yarnspinners and Wordweavers. Membership is reasonable, too. We're even planning a speakers' bureau.

Tell friends to visit our blog. There they'll learn how to spark generally insipid book fairs by using value-added promotions: http://redenginepress.com/chjohnson .


http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
=======================================================


Eight Ways to Avoid Paying for a Publicist to Get on the Radio

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

1. Google to find radio programs that fit the subject matter of your book.
2. Google to find radio programs that fit your personality and background. Sometimes you are bigger news or more interesting than your book to producers. Example: If you're a senior who has written a book, that's a better angle than just that you've written one.
3. Use the index of the Frugal Book Promoter to find the sections on radio and TV. There you'll see leads to specific radio programs, but you'll also get information on how to make radio work well for you once you land the gig. If you don't have a copy, get a discounted one at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/ref=cm_arms_pdp_dp/002-3692730-7456014. It's available as an e-book for even less. (www.starpublish.com).
4. Join SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America) and attend their college in the fall. You'll also find radio leads in most issues of their hardcopy newsletter.
5. Register for the F R ^ ^ Muse Online Writers Conference cosponsored by Lea Schizas and me. We don't have the seminar lineup finalized, but we hope to include one on radio for you. Go to: http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/presentersregistration.htm.
6. Learn what you need to write a damn good query letter. There is a sample in the Frugal Book Promoter by Christine Hohlbaum. It actually landed her a spot on NPR.
7. Learn to edit out all the little stuff in your query letters, media releases, cover letters etc that will tip off a producer that you are an amateur (even if you aren't). You'll find that in the Frugal Editor to be released this spring.
8. For a list of personally recommended radio shows go to www.HowToDoItFrugally.com. Click on the Links for Writers tab at the top of the page and then scroll down.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of USA Book News' Best Professional Book and Irwin Award winner, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't. The second in the HowToDoItFrugally series, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, will be released this spring. She was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature.
_______________________________________________________

Tip: Speaking of promotion! This from Christine Hohlbaum (www.diaryofamother.com): "Greetings, Folks! . . . .Have you heard of Presskit247? It’s another way to build your platform without (or with, if you wish) a publicist. http://www.PressKit247.com.

I just uploaded some audios to my online press kit, and when I have a moment,
I will upload some film clips, too.

Presskit247 landed one of our clients an entire show on Oprah (tune in Feb 8th to see!). See example: http://www.christine.presskit247.com

Media members love it. Clients do, too. If you're interested in it for yourself, or for generating a steady stream of income, let's chat!
Best regards,
Christine Louise Hohlbaum
Writer/Author, Speaker, PR Consultant
______________________________________________________

Author Successes

(You are invited to send me news about your successes. New books, awards and more. If you read about others' successes you'll not only be inspired, you'll glean resources for future successes of your own. Please get in the habit of using subject lines, though, that will not be interpreted as spam.)

Dorota Silaj just published Sara. It's a heart - warming story for all young adults who love nature, suspense, sadness and joy. Set in the 1800's at the land called Green Gables, it is about children adopted by a stern, plain and hard working unmarried older woman who isn't used to having kids around let alone one as spirited and talkative as Sara. It's available on Amazon.com.
ISBN: 0-9779494-3-5

-----
Yvonne Eve Walus recently published Murder @ A Little Bead Shop (Echelon Press http://www.echelonpress.com/). It's an e-novella written to order; the publisher gave the author a real-life character (a lady at a bead shop in London, Canada) and told to write a murder mystery.

=======================================================
Fun and F r * *: If you purchased Promoter in the past, I'd love for 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 an excerpt from my soon-to-be-released The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success that includes some sidebars from the book that will help you with some tricky grammar. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com, the Frugal Book
======================================================

Tip: Here's a list of excellent books on Book Promotion from Brian Hill and Dee Power. http://www.brianhillanddeepower.com/marketingseminar.html. If you have mine, add another to your library. If you have another, add the Frugal Book Promoter to your library. There is no way one book can cover every promotion idea and even reviewing an old idea can inspire you.

=======================================================
Iraq, My Grandson, and Troop Support: Read what you can do to help out (besides pass around tender photos of our soldiers in sand-colored camouflage khakis) at my blog Sharing with Writers and Readers, www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. While you're there you can subscribe to get my blogposts in your e-mail box--they are infrequent, only about one a month.
=======================================================

Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's new course at UCLA is Creating a Promotion Package for Your Fiction or Nonfiction Book (Engl. 735.1, Reg. #S9465). It is scheduled for April 14, 2007, one day only. On the UCLA campus, Public Policy Building, Room 1278, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
-----
Carolyn will workshop with members of the California Writers Club and nonmembers alike on Saturday, March 3, 11 am, at the Valley Center Jewish Community Center, 13164 Burbank Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA. Learn more at http://www.calwriterssfv.com. After learning how to build credentials by building a media kit, she will critique kits for audience members. The cost is $10 for nonmembers, $5 for members. The fee includes lunch.
----
Coming Saturday April 21, 2007 at 10 am. Led by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Poetry! Don't Let It Molder in a Drawer, Publish It! A seminar and poetry reading at the Glendale City Central Library (California) in the auditorium.
-----
Mark April 28th and 29, 2007, for the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. Go to www.redenginepress.com/chjonson for the fair-focused blog with details on how even out-of-towners can participate.
-----
& Carolyn will train American Business Women of America's (ABWA) newsletter editors publish prize-winning, professional periodicals June 9th at their regional convention in Downey, CA.
-----
Romance Writers Everywhere! Come to the meeting I'll be speaking at on Saturday, June 16th, in San Diego to meet me and the National President of Romance Writers of America (Jill Limber) who will speak on writing a great synopsis--something most of us aren't that adept at (for lack of practice if nothing else). I'll speak at 10 am, she'll speak after lunch. Lunch and meetings at the Mission Valley Handley Hotel is $25 for members, $30. for nonmembers.
For reservations contact hospitality chairwoman Mary Galusha at: marydave66@yahoo.com . Please copy Linda Sundstrom, lsundstrom@ucsd.edu if you want to arrange seating at my table. The group's website is www.rwasd.com.
----
Carolyn will be interviewed by popular author and marketer Janet Elaine Smith hosts an online radio program, "Marketing for Fun and Profit," every Monday evening at July 9 p.m. ET on http://internetvoicesradio.com/ .

-----
Carolyn will speak on "Your Media Release: You Write So You Can Do It! September 8, 2007 at the Valley Cities Jewish
Community Center in Sherman Oaks, CA www.CalWritersSFV.com
-----
Carolyn will moderate a panel on publishing at the West Hollywood Book Fair on September 30. Circle your calendars. It's f r ^ ^ Even those who are old hands at publishing will learn something new, I promise!
West Hollywood Park
647 N San Vicente Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069 - Details Here
Learn more at http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/Mambo/
-----
Carolyn will speak at the fourth Annual Pen to Paper Literary Symposium October 6, 2007, Dayton, Ohio. The conference will include tracks for music and screenwriting, in addition to writing and publishing books. Start planning now to attend this elite event and take advantage of the early bird special (www.penofthewriter.com/pentopaper).
------
The f r ^ ^ Muse Online Writers' Conference, sponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard-Johnson, is accepting early registration. More than 1,000 attended last year and openings are limited. Learn more about this year's conference, October 8 to 14, and how you can assure your spot 2007. We will present an all-new program soon. Go to:
http://www.freewebs.com/themuseonlinewritersconference/presentersregistration.htm
-----
Carolyn will be speaking to PEN USA's Emerging Voices fellows in May at Antioch University. This is a closed event but you can learn more about the program for yourself or to help other talented writers by going to www.penusa.com.
----
New for 2008! & As you can see 2008 is already beginning to fill. I will be sharing with the nation's humor writers again in the fall of 2008 at Dayton University's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop.

=======================================================
Authors' Coalition members! For credibility, use the AC logo on your promotional materials. Ask for it by sending an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com or download it with a click from the AC site http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
Be sure to link it to the AC site, too!
======================================================

Thank Yous:

(Note: Each thank you may be set with a jewel of a resource for you to plumb for your book. Watch for them! Adapt them to your own publishing and promotion needs!)

To Kathleen Walls for recommending Harkening, a nonfiction account of one quirky family's travels through the far West on her travel site, American Roads. http://www.americanroads.net/Friends.html
----
To Jennifer Akers for her column on neat Valentine gifts that she posted on Squidoo. This is the kind of networking/promotion you might try, either as a writer (click on her link Jenart on the page I'm about to give you to know more about her) or as a contributor of the content that bloggers need. Check it out at http://www.squidoo.com/valentinesgifts.
While you're there, leave Jen a note and click on the Cherished Pulse link to buy a unique Valentine for your valentine!
------
To Wayne Crawford editor of Lunarosity for publishing a short-short story of mine, "Trying to Love Artemis." It's sort of a nod to Valentine's Day. Make of it what you will, but please leave a note for this kind editor and consider submitting yourself. Go to http://www.zianet.com/lunarosity/hjohnsonf.html.
-----
To Glenda Ivey of Jada Press for recommending The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't to her authors and for gifting them with the book when they sign on with her, smart little publisher that she is. Learn more about her press at http://www.jadapress.com/index.html.
-----
To Lucille Robinson for the interview on the Alternative-Read blogspot. It's fun having a book that fits with a holiday theme! Bloggers and commercial florist companies and website editors and more seem to be loving it! What seasonal promotion do you have planned for 2007? Here's the link to the blog. http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/2007/02/interview-with-carolyn-howard-johnson.html

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 place on my Links for Writers or Links for Readers pages on www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Plogging at Amazon

There may be two plogs there you haven't read there. One is a
f r ^ ^ valentine from me and Lunarosity editor Wayne Crawford. It's a short short story. The other is a book of love poetry that costs less than that Hallmark card you were going to buy--you know, the one that will impress no one with true romance in their blood. Trust me, a book of poetry for mature lovers is more romantic--and honest! http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3JH18T58CY65P/002-3692730-7456014

________________________________________________________


Resources
From Elizabeth Lucas-Taylor

(Elizabeth contributes at least one valuable paying resource per SWW issue--either a great place to sell material or find writing craft or promotional idea.)

WRITING for DOLLARS - Free e-zine for writers featuring tips, tricks and ideas for selling what you write. Receive the FREE e-book, 83 WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WRITING when you subscribe to newsletter. http://www.writingfordollars.com/

WRITER’S ENCYCLOPEDIA - http://www.writersmarket.com/Ency
------
Find Elizabeth at http://www.authorsden.com/elucastaylor or her new blog at http://www.elucas-taylor.blogspot.com/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When was the last time you bought a book from an author you know? Tracings, my new chapbook of poetry is available for that honor at 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 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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tip from Subscriber Linda Morelli (www.lindamorelli.com): A new company, Booksfree.com, had a listing for my first release, FIERY SURRENDER, for rent. I checked out the site and they have lots of books in various genres that they rent, for a fee, in a manner similar to Netflix. I was rather surprised at this, so I called my attorney and was told that, provided they obtained my book legally (i.e., purchased it), this is the same thing as a lending library and is legal. She also pointed out two additional items: 1) if a reader likes the book, they may buy it or check out any other releases and, 2) it probably wouldn't hurt to place a note on an author's site indicating that rentals take away from author sales.

Just thought I'd let you know, since companies "renting" out our books may concern us all.
-----
Sign up for her newsletter by sending her an e-mail to RomRiter@aol.com and put newsletter in the subject line.


=======================================================
Notice: The resources sections of this newsletter have been removed. The ones I included in my newsletter are now permanent links of my new website (though the website is still emerging). I've added lots more links, too, making it a wonderful page for you to go for services and ideas you might need. http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/links_for_writers.htm or go directly to the homepage (www.HowToDoItFrugally.com) and click on "Links for Writers." If you don't see your link there, check the "Links for Readers" page. And while you're checking, please check to be sure that one or more of my books is included on your website or in your newsletter.(-: No, I won't take down your link if you don't reciprocate; my links are service to writers. I don't put it up if I don't think someone will benefit. At the same time, it is nice for others to reciprocate when they can. (-:
======================================================

Tip and Thank You Combined: I received noticed that a link to my book of creative nonfiction book Harkening was posted by Carol White and her webmaster, Mary Killelea (http://www.workingwebsolutions.com/), on her Road Trip Dream site: http://www.roadtripdream.com/resources.html. That's the thank you. Here's the tip. Go to see how I suggested an angle for her that would fit with the travel theme of her site. One of the things that authors forget to do is see the angles (or possibilities) within their book for broader exposure.

=======================================================
"AC is the current that powers your writing career." http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Authors' Coalition Founder
========================================================

TIP: Want to brush up on some old "Sharing with Writers?" You'll find a few at Apollos Lyre edited by Brett Wright and Lea Schizas. You may also want to submit stories, poem, articles and more to them. Go to: www.apollos-lyre.com.

________________________________________________________

Feature

E-Tips for E-Promotion: As the editor of a newsletter and because I was once a staff writer for a newspaper, I know that too many authors (and professional PR people) forget that their job is to make it as easy as possible for their contacts to find good, easily used news, not to advertise what they want to sell. One of the ways you can make yourself look like a pro is to give these overworked professionals quick access to information by providing website addresses of anything you mention in your copy, by giving them complete contact information in an autosignature and by offering up names of other experts besides yourself on any given subject.
-------
This is a regular Sharing with Writers feature by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of USA Book News' Best Professional Book THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T and the soon-to-be released THE FRUGAL EDITOR: PUT YOUR BEST BOOK FORWARD TO AVOID HUMILIATION AND ENSURE SUCCESS. (E-tips for E-promotion was originally a regular feature of SellWritingOnline.com.)

========================================================If you enjoy "Sharing with Writers" please nominate it for Writer's Digest's 101 Best Newsletters for Writers. We aren't big, we aren't old. So it would take a huge outpouring from subscribers to make a dent. Send an e-mail to writersdig@fwpubs.com with subject line, "101 Best Newsletters for Authors" and let them know what this newsletter does for you!
========================================================

Wordstuff ™
Something to Make Writers Smile:
(Every year the Washington Post conducts a neologism contest. These are the winners, one at a time. You might have some favorite neologisms metaphors or similes that make you smile. If so, please contribute.)

"Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent " (Think about this one for a minute. It gets funnier.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Essential Book and Record Keeping:

This letter is an entity of Authors' Coalition http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

Edited and distributed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson,

http://carolynhoward-johnson.com

author of This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, this is a place to share with others and learn from others.

Though 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 HoJoNews@aol.com . Please put "Submission: Sharing with Writers" in the subject line.

If you do not care to receive this letter, unsubscribe at HoJoNews@aol.com

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

Please 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 at http://starpublish.com/carolyn_howard-johnson.htm

or paperback at Amazon where it is discounted:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/qid=1149015406/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-4692447-2218401?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

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