May 19, 2007
Sharing with Writers
A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs!
From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Authors' Coalition Friends
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"Sharing with Writers" is the official newsletter of Authors' Coalition,

http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

an organization of writers who help writers.

To read this letter in plain vanilla text, just scroll down. To read this newsletter with a bit more pizzazz (not much, though!) at Authors Den go to:

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/Sharingwithwriters_May_No2Week2007.doc

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Note from Carolyn:

My fellow AC Members and SWW Subscribers:

Today I spent several hours breaking bread (a kind of focaccia strewn with bits of rosemary, onions, garlic and oregano and, probably, drenched with olive oil -- to which I add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dip) with my very longtime critique group.

It is not a large group. It started when four of us. We were among about 20 enrolled in a four-day writers' conference (they now call if a Studio) at UCLA. Our teacher, Phyllis Gebauer, suggested we would be perfect critique partners. We worked together for a year and then one of our number, Iris, dwindled away to Washington D.C. I still keep in touch with her, but not as avidly as I should. Three little piggies (remember the bread?) left of the original four.

Then Phyllis, after watching us grow and publish, asked if she might join us. We were floating on air. This was a kind of personal affirmation, as exquisite in its way as getting an agent or a publisher. Our former teacher thinking we had something to offer her in terms of critique.

Today we discussed websites, a new program I found on the Science channel moderated by the tech columnist at the New York Times (In California it runs on Friday nights at 8 pm.). I read a poem (did you know that flowers are all about sex?), Leora Krygier (author of When She Sleeps) read the beginning of a proposal for a book of nonfiction (something quite new for her) and Phyllis gave us some good news about her coming book called Hot Widow. JayCe Crawford, our Cup of Comfort contributor was attending to a sick friend and we missed her. She is the fastidious one who keeps our t's crossed.

So, aside from this ramble from a writer who loves to write, what's this all about? I want you to take a class and hand-select some critique partners from the group. The group you assemble may be better than any other because you will find people who write in your genre, who know more about writing than the average bear because they care enough to take a class, and who live near enough to you to make getting together feasible.

And, though online is good, in-person is better!

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

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Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested in the Free Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. I add new articles to it each week. If you don't see what you need, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
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Letters-to-the-Editor

Dear Carolyn,

. . .I happened to speak to an alumni group at USC on Saturday about "How to Reignite the Dream," (meaning how to get back to writing again if life has kept you away). I brought both your books and your postcards, and I recommended both in my 25-minute speech. [A video was made of the class and your subscribers can access it at] http://capture.usc.edu/college/viewer/?peid=4258854d-5070-47f1-8a66-c8256871787a .

My portion of the presentation starts about sixteen minutes into the video, so just move the bar to about sixteen. Then again, you know all this stuff, so you may want to just get a glimpse. I'll have you know people were taking notes when I spoke about your books, and several people came and took the cards.

Chris Meeks, www.chrismeeks.com
Author The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea
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Dear Carolyn:

I read your promotion book a couple of years ago. It was great. My neighbor borrowed it and doesn't want to give it back! She's an author as well.

Mayra Calvani
http://www.mayracalvani.com
http://www.thedarkphantom.wordpress.com
http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com
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Dear Carolyn,

Thank you for including me in your "branding" note. Contrary to popular belief, I knew about branding way back when Proctor and Gamble was thought to be Communist because of the images they used in their ads. And I did not really think you were putting me out to pasture while I waited for somebody to show up with a hot branding iron to stamp on my rear end.

However, you did get me to thinking about how to brand myself. You see, I had a dilemma, because I write in so many different genres. I can't be like Tom Clancy, with his thrillers, or John Grisham with his legal thrillers, nor Nora Roberts with her romances. As I sat and pondered this, I thought, I take so many roads, how can I get them all to the same destination--that of reading my books. That's when it hit me. I take a lot of different roads. So, I now use "Explore Roads Less Traveled in a Janet Elaine Smith Novel." It has caught on so well that I now even put it on the back cover of my books. So thanks for your nudges. They worked. And VistaPrint has WONDERFUL images of all sorts of country roads, mountain roads, lakeshore drives! You can see the banner on the top of my website at http://www.janetelainesmith.com

Join Janet Elaine Smith in House Call to the Past and Mary Higgins Clark in Ghost Ship as they both travel to the 1700s on Cape Cod where they meet up with the Hallett family. www.janetelainesmith.com

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Dear Carolyn:

[In regard to The Frugal Editor] my other "Frugal..." is so dog-eared and highlighted and bent (not broke--just badly bent LOL). If this [new Editor book] is any where near as good, I'm sure you'll get plenty of rave reviews . . . .
Send me details - who, how, when, where = )
Best,
Billie A Williams
billie@billiewilliams.com

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More About Those Libraries: Three of Them!

Cheryl Wright's Own Little Rant

Hi Carolyn,

I’m going to go into my own little rant here.

More than a year ago I donated two brand new copies of my (then) latest book to the local library. For over six months, neither book was listed in the library catalogue, then just one was listed. Finally I asked the staff.

Firstly I was told they ‘probably put it on the throw-away table’, which is the table used to sell books that are falling to bits and no longer good enough for library use. They’re usually sold for between fifty cents and a dollar.

Then they decided they probably GAVE AWAY one of the copies to a local charity, because it was ‘excess’. As I explained to the staff member, they had no right to give it away to anyone when I donated it for the people of the area to read. I also explained that my publisher doesn’t supply copies, the money comes out of my pocket.

The staff member I was speaking to just laughed. (Great customer service!)

In the end I was so upset, more about the treatment by the staff than what had happened to my book, that I left. I wrote to the local mayor, without result, and then to my local councillor, who was as upset as I was.

It took several months to find out what happened, and frankly, I still don’t have a ‘real’ explanation. It seems that ‘someone’ decided one copy was enough and got rid of the other one. No one knows where it ended up.

The terms I set down when I donated was that both copies had to be put on the shelves. In any case, if they decide they can’t use books donated, they are meant to contact the author/donator and ask what they want to do. This didn’t happen in my case.

Over the years I’ve done presentations for the library – at no cost to them – and helped them with publicity. I’ve also advised them on various aspects of workshops etc, so this became very personal.

I did have about 70 copies of my book earmarked for other libraries; all to be donated. They’re currently sitting in a box while I decide what to do with them. I doubt I’ll donate them now, unless they agree to sign a contract stating they won’t give away copies, that they’ll all end up on the shelves.

I still feel sick when I think about what my local library did to me. It’s certainly made me rethink my strategies. If they feel entitled to ‘give away’ the work of others, especially local authors, they don’t deserve donations. I have several other books that I was going to donate to my local library. It won’t happen now, and frankly, they don’t deserve it.

I’m still considering sending them an invoice for the book they gave away.

So Carolyn, look at both sides of the coin. I never once imagined my local library (or the staff I considered friends) would do such a despicable thing to me, but they did.
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Cheryl Wright, award-winning Australian author
http://www.cheryl-wright.com
http://www.resources4writers.com
www.write-essentials.com - for all your writing needs
http://www.writer2writer.com
http://www.romancewriter2writer.com
http://www.aussieauthors.com
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Bev-Walton Porter's, Library Experience

Carolyn:

I found your rant about authors and libraries quite interesting. Like you, I firmly believe it's important for authors to partner with libraries, not rally against them as if libraries are their adversaries looking to snatch away book buyers.

Libraries offer GREAT opportunities for author and book exposure. Libraries often host local author appreciation events that, in turn, allow authors to display/sell their books and greet readers in person. Had I not allied myself with our local Pikes Peak Library District here in Colorado Springs, I may have not received a personal invitation to participate in their recent Mountain of Authors event. As a result of that library event, I gained many new readers, networked with other local authors and sold books as well! The library was my partner, NOT my adversary!

After my book, Sun Signs for Writers (Writer's Digest Books) was published last fall, I wondered why *wouldn't* an author want to contact libraries and ASK for their books to be included on their shelves all across the country - and beyond! As you mentioned in your article, people TALK about books they like (or don't like) and any publicity is better than NO publicity.

With that in mind, I launched a campaign and contacted as many libraries as I could, state by state, across the U.S. and ask them if they would carry my book. In my letter, I not only told them about my book from Writer's Digest Books, but also about who I was as a person/author and what other books I'd written, including one under a pen name titled Mending Fences (Whiskey Creek Press) and a co-authored book, The Complete Writer: A Guide to Tapping Your Full Potential (Red Engine Press). In addition, if I had ties to a certain locale (i.e. - growing up a military dependent, I lived in many communities/states) I made sure to mention that as well.

Would I love to sell each and every copy of my books? Certainly. But gaining new readers is of utmost importance. Library readers may either buy my book themselves or tell others about it, some of whom will also purchase my books. Each time a book is checked out, read, displayed or otherwise seen in a library, that's much-needed promotion for my work. More importantly, however, it builds a potential bridge between authors and current and/or potential readers.

Please let your readers know that if they would like to track their books to find out which libraries already carry them, they can go to http://worldcat.org/ and search by author, title or ISBN number. In addition, if authors want to expand the number of libraries that carry their books, they should search for libraries according to location, find out the contact information and send a letter to each library system requesting that they carry the author's book. In some cases, library websites have suggestion forms for books; in many cases, you must be a card-carrying member of the particular library system in order to access such areas.

As an alternative, search on the library's website for the appropriate contact/collections person and e-mail a request to that person. In my experience, most letters to library systems receive a personal e-mail response. In other cases, authors will not receive any response, yet they will find updated information in WorldCat (see above) indicating that their book has been ordered and/or stocked at a new library system.

Having your book show up as a new addition to library systems across the country is like a present of sorts; it's exciting to know that new readers are discovering your work. In addition, you can bet if those readers enjoy your book and your writing, they will tell other friends about it and, perhaps, they'll purchase their own copy of your book for their shelves at home! :)

As a final thought, each library that decided to stock my book after receiving a request from me has purchased my book directly from the publisher. None have requested that I supply them with a free copy. Consider this: if your library system has five or six branches (or more!), if they decide to carry your book you'll have at least one sale and possibly more if they purchase additional copies for EACH of their branches. My local library system purchased not one, but several copies for various branches. It's a win-win situation all around, for authors, readers and libraries!

Kindest regards,

Bev Walton-Porter
Author/Editor/Associate Astrologer
sunsignsforwriters@gmail.com
Author, Sun Signs for Writers (Writer's Digest Books)
http://www.astrologyforwriters.com

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More Library Input from Jerry Pinault

Dear Carolyn,
Regarding libraries you and your readers should know that the Federal government subsidizes the public library system today with grants to buy books! I have formed an LLC and we have a wonderful web site (www.poemsonlifeandlove.com).
We have hired reps all across North America to promote our three new poetry books from the, "Poems on life, Love & Their Consequences, Written in South Beach," series! My book is being well-received. Of course the smaller towns cannot always buy copies but the bigger ones are buying multiple copies of each of our three books! And there are Library Systems with many libraries under one Executive Director!
In the fall we will publish two more of our books with Xlibris of Philadelphia . . . . I do all of my own marketing and promoting, I recruit investors for our LLC and we are doing pretty well today! Our Reps get exclusive territories and they work on commissions. Libraries are hot!! And they order directly from Xlibris! . . . .
We promote through Google and Yahoo! Search and other search engines. And we invest in Xlibris Publisher Promotions and Press Releases as they are mailing out copies of our books to the media...
Regards,
Gerald John Pinault, President
GJP Productions, LLC

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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!
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Thank Yous

(There are leads here, just as you'll find in all the most innocent-looking areas of this newsletter. You never know when you'll find a name or a site that will help you network or write better!)

To Janet Elaine Smith, (www.janetelainesmith.com) for making this banner for me as a thank you. (You know that I talk about the importance of thank yous in The Frugal Book Promoter (-: ).

(pix here in the edition available using the link in the header)

Isn't it just too cute? Now a contest. Something I've never done before. Anyone who can find this banner on my website, send me the URL in an e-mail that says "Janet Elaine Smith --Thoughtful Author" in the subject line. Include the found URL(s) and you will receive a handout on editing that I used for one of my UCLA classes. (-: Yes! In celebration of Janet's gift and also in celebration of the Oct 1 release of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.
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To Frances Lynn, author of
Crushed for adding links to both of my blogs (www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com and www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com) to her blogs including her "Crushed Diaries" blog http://crusheddiaries.blogspot.com/. Frances is a Brit who got hold of my Frugal Promoter on Amazon UK and has not stopped promoting since. She's a heart-warmer.

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No part of this newsletter is paid advertising. If you would like to advertise to subscribers, display ads are available at www.howtodoitfrugally.com (see the advertising tab at the top of the page) or at www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com.
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Tip: Janet Elaine Smith (www.janetelainesmith) sends SWW subscribers this website that can help you find online (and print!) media interested in reviews! www.bookconnector.com.

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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."
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Opportunity

"Be the Star You Are! was contacted by the publishers, Better World Together and offered a donation of 40,000 books of "The Catholic Challenge, A Question Of Conscience" by Thomas W. Rezanka. The publishers want to donate all 40,000 to any group or organization
who could utilize the book in any way. If you are part of a group that is interested in accepting the donation, please contact Cynthia Brian
at cynthia@star-style.com. Be the Star You Are! will facilitate the donation and the publisher will pay for shipping as long as all 40,000
books are accepted by one group. The paperback books come 50 to a box
and will fill a 10 ft by 10ft room."

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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 and ditto for The Fiction Flyer. Membership is reasonable, too.
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
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Feature

What's This Got to Do With Books?

Einstein, Gladwell and the Niche Market

Let me introduce you to Chris Anderson, if you don't already know him. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and Tipping Point calls him the man of "Big Ideas." Gladwell says he does not the big idea guy in the same sense of Einstein, though our lovable physicist (in my opinion and maybe Gladwell's too) had a knack for Big Marketing. Everyone knew Einstein's images--both his face and his formula. Trouble is, according to Gladwell, most people found his Big Idea well, not easy to follow.

Gladwell's Big Idea definition applies to ideas that are "transparent." That's where Chris Anderson comes in. I mentioned the term Long Tail "in "Sharing with Writers" recently. Long Tail refers to the concept that we tend to read the same books, magazines or whatever because only so many can be published. Gladwell says, "...there is not enough space to give us exactly what we want. So we all agree on something we kind of want."

So here's what Chris's Long Tail theory does for you, the reader. And you, the author. . . . Read the rest of this article at www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.
Be sure to leave a comment.
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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.)

Linore Rose Burkard's inspirational regency romance, Before the Season Ends, just placed as a finalist in the Indie Excellence Awards. Readers interested in learning more about her genre-stretching book, go to:
http://www.LinoreRoseBurkard.com/Home_BeforeTSE.html The book blends Regency romance with Christian inspiration and comes up a winner!
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Cynthia Brian: On Mother's Day, ABC channel 7 in San Francisco named Cynthia Brian "Mother of the Month" and broadcast a special salute to her and her work
with Be the Star You Are! charity for making a difference in the lives of women, families and youth. EMindful.com has hired Cynthia to teach a summer course entitled "Dream it! Do it!" beginning July 26th at 5:00 p.m. PDT (8:00 p.m. EDT, More information at www.eMindful.com.
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In the News:

This news was sent by Hugh Rosen, author of Silent Battlefields (www.hughrosen.com):

Simon & Schuster is, indeed, in the news! The megapublisher has changed its contracts to retain exclusive control of books even after they have gone out of print. Until now, Simon & Schuster, followed the traditional practice in which rights to a work revert to the author if the book falls out of print or if its sales are low. Now it will no longer include minimum sales requirements for a work to be considered in print. They appear to be seeking an exclusive grant of rights in perpetuity. If you are unfamiliar with this new contract that might set an example for the entire industry, Google it. Authors everywhere are howling!

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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
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Tip: Learn something about writing by reading my review of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan at MyShelf.com. I have a series of reviews called Reviews for Riters™. For it I choose books that writers can learn something from -- usually fairly advanced concepts -- and examine them as a way to better writing. Many of these reviews will be available as free content on my www.hotodoitfrugally.com site). I chose to publish this one in my "Back to Literature" column on http://myshelf.com/backtoliterature/column.htm

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Learn How-To write, promote, tech--all especially for writers--while you're driving in your car or working at your desk. The Audio Divas bring you a whole series of them. Check them out at www.Tri-Studio.com. Click on the first link on the right of the home page.
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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching:

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.
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Free Frugal Editor for Publishing Professionals a BEA! Carolyn will be at the Biblio Booth at Javits Center in New York City, Booth 3702, at 1 pm Friday, June 1. She'll sign her new The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.
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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.
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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.
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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/ .
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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
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Carolyn will moderate a panel titled
Reach for Your Dream: Prepare for Publication the Professional Way
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
Learn more at http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/
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Carolyn will speak at the fourth Annual Pen to Paper Literary Symposium October 6, 2007, Dayton Marriott, 1414 S. Patterson Blvd Dayton, Ohio, 45409. The conference, spearheaded by Valerie Coleman, 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).
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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
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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 spring of 2008 at Dayton University's Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. I'll speak twice at the Kennedy Union on campus.

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Available: Audios from Audio Divas on many aspects of building a writing career are published by Double Dragon Press. Here is the page where you'll find the full list (http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/glist.php?imprint=AUDIO) including one on Do It Yourself Indexing. The first one, "Promoting Easy and Cheap!" is a
F R ^ ^ sample. Each comes with a resource guide. Here is an example of a guide for the audio-lesson Your Divas did on Contests: http://www.derondouglas.com/audiosample/AwardResourceGuideContests.pdf
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Advocacy:

This advocacy section is in regard to an issue that should be important to all "Sharing with Writers" subscribers. I may be in an especially good position to know that every single independent book store counts. The reason? Authors' Coalition, the organization I founded, just mailed out a catalog just before the LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books. I received dozens of returns marked "undeliverable." These were bookstores from all over the nation, bookstores that could have been supporting authors published every which way. If everyone pitched in, we might find that the strength of what happens in one city could affect what happens in others. Can you find a moment to help the bookstore drain? Won't you write a letter to ask what you can do to help?
From: "Dutton's Books"
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:19:12 -0700
To: "ed conklin"
Subject: Dutton's and the Barry Building

Dear concerned Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore customers:

Shortly after The Los Angeles Times ran their front page piece on the store, an Op-Ed piece written by Dr. Diane Caughey appeared in their pages.

Diane Caughey is the daughter of the late Milton Caughey, the architect who designed the Barry Building, the home of Dutton’s Brentwood. Dr. Caughey, herself a trained architect, has been working on a project to have the building designated as a historic-cultural landmark by the city of Los Angeles.

If you wish to find out more about Dr. Caughey’s efforts, I encourage you to email her at the following address: diane.caughey@gmail.com.

Dr. Caughey will also be at the store on Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m. for a tour of the building.

Attached is a document further explaining the efforts of the Friends of the Barry Building.

Thank you for all our continuing interest and support.

Doug Dutton
Dutton's Brentwood Bookstore

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Coming Soon! Booth opportunities at the West Hollywood Book Fair.
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Feature

CREATING NO COST BANNERS
Finding What You Want in a World That Has Everything
By Billie A Williams © 2007

The internet is a fascinating place. You can find out everything and anything you want to know about practically anything. Want to write a book? Bingo classes, groups, web sites, online Universities about teaming with information to do just that and everything.
Want to create your own video? With just photos from your picture folder, movie maker software, a freebie from MSN Office and a song or two from your MP3 or music file (no copy righted music or pictures without permission of course)

Go to it. Put the finished product on YouTube or Yahoo or any of the other free sites and share it with the world. So simply done anyone can do it.

But, what if you need banners to get in on the viral marketing and promotion so easily implemented with them? Again, good, reliable, easy-to-make and use banners are available at no cost to you except the time to create. Use your creative genius to play with the templates until you have something you are pleased with.

My favorite place for animated banners is Ad Designer (www.addesigner.com). The variety of templates and the ease of customizing designs using their templates and your ideas, this site is hard to beat.

Some sites won’t allow animated banners, so what do you do then? You need static banners. Go to www.Txt2pic.com . On this site you will find opportunities to create everything from billboards to marquees, to banners. Scroll down and find the banners. Put them to work for you. All for only the cost of your time to work with the easy tools provided.

Try them, you’ll be surprised how easy, free can be. As a friend says so often, “if it ain’t free, it ain’t for me.” And when you can do it for free why pay, unless of course you want to or you want more bells and whistles thank these two sites provide.

Billie A Williams' accidental sleuths solve crimes
with wit, wisdom and chutzpah. Escape with a good book.
www.billiewilliams.com
http://printedwords.blogspot.com

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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!
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Tip: Read a review and some grumpy editor's tips from this grumpy editor at http://themusemarquee.tripod.com/. (Check out the links on the left side of the home page for each one.). While you're there, you'll want to subscribe to the Muse Marquee. Lea Schizas and several other editors work very hard on it and there is good stuff in it every month.

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

From Marshall Turner

The Invisible Website
Last year a successful author asked me why his website did not come up in Google when he searched for his name. Other hits, from interviews and reviews came up, but not his website. I looked at his site and discovered it had been built using Flash and he had no metadata (keywords or descriptions). Flash is cool, but his entire site was Flash and Flash is invisible to search engines. That’s right, search engines just read the text on your webpage and ignore pictures and graphics (like Flash). So for anything you want a search engine to see, it needs to be in text. Rather than redoing his site I recommend adding metadata and shortly afterwards his site appeared in Google.
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Marshall's website is http://www.webforauthors.com/ or contact him for information on producing a site for you at mturner@webforauthors.com.

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Endorsement:
"www.HowToDoItFrugally.com , by Carolyn Howard--Johnson [is] a top website for writers . . . I'd say my ROI is over 1,000%. The advice is particularly strong in addressing the new author where they are in learning the publishing/selling process. Very practical. The site is excellent." ~ Hill Kemp, author of Capitol Offense, http://www.capitoloffense.com/, and contributor to Secrets, Fact or Fiction? I, ISBN 0-9737282-5-6 and Secrets, Fact or Fiction? II, ISBN 1-59594-062-6, LOC 2006904627, http://www.secretsfactorfiction.com
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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--and sometimes throws in a resource for you.)

SILVER SAGE WRITING COMPETITION 2007 - contest categories include historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and children’s novels. All genres within these categories are welcome with the exception of futuristic and erotica. No short stories, poetry, or nonfiction will be accepted. Enter by submitting the first twenty pages and a one-page synopsis of your original, unpublished novel by the June 1, 2007 deadline. $15 fee per entry. Rules & Guidelines: http://www.trfw.net/

NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC TV SEEKS STORIES - UNC-TV is collecting stories from World War II veterans and those who remained at home in North Carolina. Stories are already being collected on UNC-TV's Website.
http://www.military.com/veterans-report/north-carolina-public-television-seeks-stories?ESRC=vr.nl
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Find Elizabeth at http://www.authorsden.com/elucastaylor or her new blog at http://www.elucas-taylor.blogspot.com/

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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 any of my books -- the HowToDoItFrugally Series to my chapbook of poetry -- for a place on my Resources for Writers or Resources for Readers pages on www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.
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Opportunity:

Send me interesting and unusual boo-boos you've found in published books or ones you've made yourself. I'm putting together an e-chapbook to promote the release of my The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success and your submission, name and URL may be selected to go in it. Can't promise for these must be beyond the usual warning about their and there and I'm printing no duplicates. In any case, I'd love to hear your ideas. Send an e-mail with "Carolyn's Editing Chapbook" in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com.

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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.
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E-Tips for E-Promotion:

More on Amazon, today. You can add to your plog (or AuthorConnect ©) by giving Amazon the URL to your blog. That way your blog will do double duty! (-: Just go to your Author Profile page and search around for links that say "RSSFeeds."
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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.)

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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.)

"Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms."

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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