June 7, 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_June_No2Week2007.doc

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Note from Carolyn:

My fellow AC Members and SWW Subscribers:

This letter is a little early this week. On Saturday I'm driving to San Diego to speak alongside the national president of the Romance Writers of America (scroll down to see the appearances section in this newsletter). That reminded me that I wanted to nag you all a bit about joining with other writers to better your careers.

You can do something informal, like June Casagrande (Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies) did; she just advertised on Craig's list for writers who wanted to connect and asked a few of us personally. We meet once a month in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. (Anyone who would like to come along can e-mail her at june@grammarsnobs.com.

Or you can do something more formal. I've included a resource page for writers on www.howtodoitfrugally.com and you'll find organizations that you might consider in the very first section on that page (find the resource page in the tabs at the top of the home page).

One of my favorite ways to get connected to learn more about the craft of writing is to take a class from a top-notch writing program and watch for people who are serious about writing and know at least as much as you do. Ask them to join you in a critique group. By hand-selecting you get the kind of help you need and can give the kind of help you're qualified to give.

Oh, and one more thing. To join a group or organization and then let it lie fallow is folly. You will get as much as you give, in fact more. But you have to work it. So, join and explore the possibilities. Reach out to make the contacts. Write queries. Volunteer. And that goes for Authors' Coalition, too. www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com. If you don't see a service there that you'd like, we'd love to have you get it started for us.

Yep, we're all in this together.

Happy, happy writing and promoting!
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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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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Letters-to-the-Editor

Hi Carolyn:

As always, I love your newsletter and your dedication to writers and authors. I thought I should give my two cents worth on charging guests for radio interviews.

In principle, I am totally against the idea of fees because as an author I feel that I have put my sweat, blood, tears, and time into crafting my book and feel that by offering my voice to the airwaves I am providing listeners with valuable content, advice, and expertise. With that said, I am also a radio producer. When I started broadcasting on AM radio in 1998 after 25 years in the entertainment industry as an actor, model, coach, and TV host, networks paid me an AFTRA rate to host a show. Over the years the radio business model changed. My radio network was sold three times until finally it was purchased by a Christian choral company. Overnight talk radio was out, hymns were in. scampered to keep promoting authors and experts on a variety of venues and finally ended up on internet radio, where THEY charged me for airtime, instead of PAYING me for my three decades of broadcasting experience.

Since our program, Starstyle®-Be the Star You Are! is an outreach program of Be the Star You Are! charity, a 501 c3 dedicated to empowering women, families, and youth-at-risk through improved literacy and positive media programming (like the radio show), I had to write checks from my personal savings to promote the numerous authors that graced our airwaves. Since my talent is writing, producing, coaching, and promoting others and not securing sponsorships, it was obvious that the choice was to end the radio show or start charging guests to cover the costs. The Board of Directors of the charity opted to try charging guests to see what the response would be. People clamored to be guests, knowing they'd receive a top notch interview. We are now broadcasting on the largest radio network in the world, World Talk Radio/Modavox/Voice America and we are also syndicated to eleven other networks. We are providing an unequaled service to authors, experts, and artists who want to share their creations but may have a difficult time getting airtime on a big network. Publicists are charging anywhere from $3000-10,000 a month to garner radio interviews without any guarantees that the interview will be positive or helpful. Thankfully I have been named one of the top interviewers in the nation and although Be the Star You Are! can not guarantee sales, we will guarantee a first class interview that showcases the author in a positive slant. I personally take great pride in the fact that I read every book cover to cover and only accept authors on our program who I feel have something of value to offer the world. Guests write their checks to Be the Star You Are! charity as a tax deductible donation, and they receive a huge amount of ongoing publicity from the charity. Authors can download an MP3 with permission to use it to garner more publicity. Our program is live, podcast, archived, and syndicated around the world. Take a look at our guest list and you'll see gurus in the industry.

Thankfully, our new paradigm has kept us broadcasting live every Thursday from 3-4pm PST bringing the authors and experts who enhance our lives. This is show business and everything is about the show. We broadcast from a real studio in San Diego with top notch equipment, phone lines, and an engineer. If an author is awful, I don't care how much he/she pays, I wouldn't put him/her on the air. We all wish that radio networks would pick up the costs, but I think that is a thing of the past. Keep in mind that radio hosts are PROMOTING your book. Unless you are a #1 New York Times best selling author, what does the network have to gain by having you on their program? Think about it. Are you willing to spend your own money to promote someone you don't even know or maybe don't even like?

My advice to authors and others who want a quality radio interview is to find out who are the best hosts, what are the best shows dedicated to books and authors, and how much promotion an interview can provide. There are thousands of internet radio shows right now, mostly from people's living rooms, and mostly with non professional hosts with poor interviewing skills.

Thanks for reading my rant. I totally believe in frugal and I also believe in quality. Our radio program is not a scam. It's a professional, top rated program that makes us proud. You can check out over 4 years of shows (200 programs), complete with photos, descriptions, links, and profiles at
http://www.ideocast.com/show.asp?sid=118 . I'd say 4 years of promotion is worth the price to an author! Or tune in live every Thursday from
3-4 pm at http://www.modavox.com/WTRStudioA/HostModaviewForWTR2.aspx?HostId= 289&ChannelId=14&Flag=1 If anyone wants to contact me, they can reach me at cynthia@star-style.com or 925-377-STAR. [I'll provide] a list of comments from guests . . . .

Keep shining and inspiring, Carolyn.
With gratitude,

Cynthia Brian
President
Starstyle® Productions, LLC, and Be the Star You Are! charity
PO Box 422
Moraga, Ca. 94556
www.cynthiabrian.com
www.bethestaryouare.org


Note:
Dear Cynthia:
I am pleased you took the time to write. I hope to run this in the next issue. I am so glad that you made the model you use work for you and for authors. (Of course, I would still rather see a great website for authors, as an example, sponsor you and thereby allow you to offer your interviews to authors at no cost! (-: ). Any takers out there? I also believe that unpaid interview (review, too) have more credibility for an audience than paid ones. I believe that it works for you because you have such a fine job of developing trust--from your audience as well as from the authors you interview. There are exceptions to every rule; you seem to be one of them. It seems that authors get their money's worth from what you do and that, of course, is a service that can't be denied.

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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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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 Charlene Austin, editor of Writers and Readers Network, http://www.writersandreadersnetwork.com/ for not only reviewing my new The Frugal Editor, put publishing book cover art, headshot and more on her home page! This is a site you might keep in your files for review queries and as a good-reading resource as well. She also published the review in her newsletter http://www.longridgewritersgroup.com/rx/wc13/webletter_061107.shtml#mary
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To B. K. Mitchell, author of June of the Corn Huskers Ball, and Michelle Dunn, author of Ultimate Credit and Collections Handbook, for their reviews of This Is the Place. With a Mormon running for President of the United States, This Is the Place is garnering new interest, new readers because it is set in Utah and explores a little-known culture from the point of view of someone who knows that culture from the inside out. Find the review at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/1588513521/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop/102-2415134-9244909?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&n=283155&s=books#R1BH84K29VUWU6

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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: Al Canton, President, Adams-Blake Company, Inc., http://www.jaya123.com, writes a BEA Diary every year. For those interested in attending next year or those who are regular attendees, you'll want to check out his 2007 edition. There is lots of learning to be had in it and it is a good example of how to make more of something of this sort than a place to get free books. Yep. Conviviality. Networking. Enjoying the city. Here's the URL: http://asaturdayrant.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html

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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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Opportunities:

West Hollywood Fair Booth Space
Authors' Coalition is sponsoring a booth at the West Hollywood Fair. The cost is less that the LA Fair because it is a smaller fair. Smaller means fewer attendees but it also means less competition for attention and West Hollywood also means it will be attended by some Hollywood types.(-: I will be moderating a panel there and that should help drive some traffic to our booth, too. So, to learn more, e-mail me with BOOK FAIR in the subject line at hojonews@aol.com or go to the new blog on fairs (got a new one that works!) at www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com. By the way, this is a cross-promotion effort. Participants need to plan to send out media releases (with my guidance) and invitations. (-:
Check out the fair at http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/
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Get You Children's Book Reviewed
The e-zine, Stories for Children Magazine does book reviews on children's books. They also have a need for more featured children's authors. Review spots are only full until September 07. Here is the link: http://storiesforchildren.tripod.com.
It is edited by Virginia S. Grenier.
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New Review Blog
Last week I promised that I'd let you know about a new way to get more mileage out of your favorite book review -- reviews you write for other or reviews of your book by others. It is my new blog at www.TheNewBookReview.com. Go and check out the guidelines for getting your favorite review up (nope, no charge!). I only ask that you let people know it is there and ask them to come by and make comments. You'll find the guidelines for submitting on the left of the blog page. They are simple. You can do it!
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Yvonne Perry and Suzanne Lieurance teach weekly writing teleclasses. Subjects include the publishing industry, book marketing, and writing craft. Find Writers On Call at http://www.yvonneperry.net/Writersoncall.htm. Yvonne is now teaching “Starting a Freelance Writing Business.”
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Boomer Women Speak JUNE-JULY Writing Contest: A Lesson I've Learned
Deadline: July 31, 2007
 Entry Fee: NONE - Great prizes including $50.00 and New Membership or Renewal to NABBW!
PRIZES: The winner's story is placed in the Our Voices section at Boomer Women Speak, and they will receive the following:
 $50.00 CASH!
 FREE membership or renewal for the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, NABBW, the only association devoted to addressing issues concerning 38 million of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated generation of women to ever hit midlife, baby boomer women.
 Baby Boomer's Almanac, by Tim Brolus
 What Happens Next, by Chloe JonPaul
 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Throne, by Georgia Richardson
Guidelines at this link:
http://www.boomerwomenspeak.com/display_news.php?nid=8&PHPSESSID=4cf6b0ceaad4ea980ba616277e68e588

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In the News:

The associated Press reports that, according to Bowker's newest estimates, more than 290,000 books were published in 2006. Yes, that's more than people have been hearing. So what does that mean? Only that you need to redouble your own efforts to let your book be seen, to let yourself be heard. Idea: Go to your copy of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't and check out the chapter on Amazon. The ideas there are free and will give you a start on reaching Amazon's targeted audience.

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Writer's Vocabulary: Imprimatur, the word we use for stamp of authority, comes from the Latin "Let it be printed" in the days when the Catholic Church put its seal of approval on books. Neat little fact, huh


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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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Q&A a la Landers

Carolyn, I'm studying the text [of The Frugal Editor] closely (I feel like I've earned a PhD in publicity!) and I wonder what font/font size you recommend for Puzzle Piece 4 of the Media Release, as well as for the body of the release.

Yocheved Golani
"I Can Help You to Meet Your Deadline!" Writing Services www.ygolani.com
Book, Music Reviews www.yochevedsbookshelf.com
Author, "Legacy," Legacy 2006: Integrity," It's MY Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To"
http://itsmycrisisandillcryifineedto.blogspot.com/

ANSWER
I can't remember precisely what Puzzle Piece #4 is; I use Arial these days for the title of the release and Times New Roman (the traditional font used for books in the past) for the body of the release. Two reasons: TNR is small so you can get a bit more on the page and, because it is tradition and a serifed font, no one can really argue that is inappropriate. The only reason I use Arial anywhere is to give the page a little more variety.

Never use more than two fonts on a page, though. That's true of almost any page--web or whatever. There are no font cops, of course, but graphic designers use this rule of thumb. Also, once you're invested in a font, you can always use different font sizes, bold, italics, etc instead of switching to another type face. Yeah, I know. Type face is an old-fashioned term for font. (-: .
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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.)

Due to the short time between newsletters, there are none to report. I like to hear about book releases, awards, promotion coups that will help others. Please don't send book events, though, unless it can help fellow authors with new resources or especially creative ideas.

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Fun and F r * *: If you purchased The
Frugal Book 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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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching:

Romance Writers Everywhere! Come to the meeting I'll be speaking at on Saturday, June 16th, in San Diego. I'll be sharing the day with 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 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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New! & Carolyn Howard-Johnson will speak at the Southern Festival of Books. (October 12-14) I in Nashville, TN. Details to come.
During the second full weekend of October each year, more than 200 authors converge in Nashville to celebrate books with book-lovers at the Southern Festival of Books. It is held on the Legislative Plaza that surrounds the Capitol building in downtown Nashville. It is like a huge carnival of books. Speakers (including me in 2007) present in meeting rooms at various locations around the plaza. http://tn-humanities.org/festival/
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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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Sign up to receive a copy of my Sharing with Writers blog. It is a focused blog on all things writing and publishing related, from scolding Oprah to free speech. Go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. Sign up in the left hand column. Find related resources by scrolling to the bottom of the blog.
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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching 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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Booth opportunities at the West Hollywood Book Fair in September. See this newsletter for more information.
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TIP: Subscriber and children's writer Jewel Sample sent this URL for a how to article on blogging. http://freelanceswitch.com/blog-writing/bring-your-a-game-to-write-for-blogs/#more-67

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A general marketing rule is that a product must be seen seven times before it is purchased. That is just as true for books. Let people see that book cover image! So, you are invited to advertise as a site sponsor at www.howtodoitfrugally.com. for a year at the same price many sites frequented by readers and writers charge in a year. Yep, the frugal way! Click on the Advertising tab at the top of the page or contact me personally at hojonews@aol.com.
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Quote Worth Considering

In an interview in Time magazine, Ian McEwan took questions on his newest work, On Chesil Beach. When asked what he thought about the great shrinkage of review ink in newspapers and magazines he said that it is part of a larger problem in which publishers seem be embracing the Internet. He notes, "I don't have much time for the kind of site where readers do all the reviewing. Reviewing takes expertise, wisdom and judgment." He then says, "I am not much fond of the notion that anyone's view is as good as anyone else's."

I believe he has a point. That's as true in critique groups, classes, etc.--anywhere where people weigh in on your work. I wonder if McEwan was thinking of Amazon when he made his comment. I think reader reviews are helpful, but only as long as the reader of the review keeps in mind the source of the reviews. This is especially important in considering reviews of anything controversial and/or anything highly literary. Some simply don't have the experience or analytical skills or training to do a great job of anything other than offer opinion. The source of any opinion should be considered.
CHJ

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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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Food for Thought for Writers: Next time you complain about the cost of gas, consider this: Computer printers may be so cheap because they have you hooked for the ink. Someone calculated the cost of the ink at $5,200 a gallon (five thousand two hundred dollars), Forgive me if this isn't accurate, but I'll still bet it's a whole lot more per gallon that the cost of gasoline 'cause I can that see my cartridge at about $90. isn't large enough to hold even a single gallon of ink.
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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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Assessment of the Publishing Industry

The LA Times reports that the publishing industry is a "mature" one and, therefore, little expansion of book sales can be expected. In 2006 it increased only .5% 2006. Here are the bright spots:

 The need for texts for elementary and high schools is expected to grow.
 Mass-market paperbacks published in larger print to accommodate the aging eyes of boomers is growing, too.

Here's why great figures aren't expected for other books:

 Former growth areas like books on religion are peaking.
 Competition from other media is strong and on the upswing.

So how do we, as authors, combat this rather dismal news? Cont'd. Read combat suggestions on my Amazon plog at http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3JH18T58CY65P/002-3692730-7456014 and, while you're there, please leave a comment! Let us all know what you plan for your career in 2006-2007. You can also sign up for regular delivery of my plogs (sometimes known as AmazonConnect ™) straight to your e-mail box.

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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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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.)

Resources:

INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE LIST - http://www.newpages.com/bookstores/default.htm

INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS & UNIVERSITY PRESSES (Some Poetry)- http://www.newpages.com/npguides/bookpubs.htm
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Find Elizabeth at http://www.authorsden.com/elucastaylor or her new blog at http://www.elucas-taylor.blogspot.com/ or at MySpace http://www.myspace.com/elucastaylor
where you will find a writers' community.

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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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More on Contests

Subscriber Responds to Newsletter and Contest Editorial

Last week's editorial I said:

"I have long advised authors to sponsor contests as ways to promote their books. Most use contests in which they give away their books or the books of others along with, perhaps, an associated gift. They offer these competitions on their sites, when they speak and in their newsletters. Some ask entrants to answer questions based on the content of their books--a sort of unveiled attempt to get them to read their books, of course. These contests work with a varying amount of success.

Janet Elaine Smith Responds:

I NEVER give a copy of my books when I run a contest. If it is somebody else's contest and they have asked me to participate, I will sometimes give a book. However, I prefer to give a prize that ties in with the book in some way. I don't want to make it something that is in the book, because then they might not be eligible for the contest, and my purpose in running the contest is to get MORE PEOPLE to buy the book, for whatever reason, not just to get the people who have already read it chip in with an answer.

Let me give you a "for instance." In my time travel, House Call to the Past, the main characters are Maria Hallett, who was accused of witchcraft; Black Sam Bellamy, a pirate and the father of Maria's baby who died right after birth; and Dr. Angul MacPherson, the very modern, very hunky OB/GYN who went back in time. The prize I give is a "Black Sam Bellamy basket." It is a woven basket with an embroidered handkerchief, a pearl necklace and 2 or 3 fish-shaped candles. They can all be purchased at the $ store.

Why those items? Well, you have to read the book to find out!
Incidentally, I do the same thing at booksignings. It's a great way to build up your mailing list!
JES
www.janetelainesmith.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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TIP: Dustbooks, www.dustbooks.com is a place where you can list your books. They welcome listing of small press and whether or not it helps you sell your book is immaterial. It will help with exposure. An old marketing anthem is the song that sings "no one buys anything until they have seen it seven times. Ask your publisher to list yours.
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The New Book Review is a service of this newsletter and Authors' Coalition. It allows authors to get more exposure from their favorite review and reviewers a chance to have more readers see their reviews--with links, of course. Please check the guidelines on the blog site at www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. =====================================================

E-Tips for E-Promotion

Your website should at the minimum work for you like an online media kit. That is it should make it easy for editors and readers to know more about you. However, if at all possible, it should do more than that. It should attract visitors who want to interact with it in some way, or who want information on your area of expertise. Think about it. Something will come to you! Your draw can be something as simple as a recipe of the week or something as erudite as a complete resource for research. Whatever you choose, make it something that contributes to your branding.
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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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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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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.)

"Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period."

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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.

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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