December 25, 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, 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_DEC_Christmas_2007.doc

I am sending you this letter on the fly. My editor, Mindy Phillips Lawrence has not cast her eye on it. I hope you can't tell! ( - :
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Note from Carolyn:

Dear Subscribers and Authors' Coalition Members:

I want to talk to you about only two things on this day before Christmas. Yes, only two, I promise. One is practical, the other heartfelt - - well, actually everything I send you all year long is a labor of love, but let's not even go there! ( - ; The first is holiday wishes, the second is a great way to send a truly last - minute holiday gift.

Here is the first item of business: Happy holidays. Feliz Navidad. Happy Hanukah. Happy Kwanzaa. Merry Christmas.

I'm sending you a Christmas prose poem, which means that even those of you who may not be much for poetry should find it accessible. It is my imagined story of what would happen if the crèche placed every year on the bluff overlooking the Pacific by the city fathers and mothers of Malibu, California, came to life one day. You willl find it and more about what a prose poem is at www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com. I believe you'll enjoy its message of peace even if you don't celebrate Christmas. I know you are busy, but I hope you'll pause a moment to read it . . .

Now, the second thing I wanted to tell you. It is not too late to do your Christmas shopping. E - books (see a variety at www.StarPublish.com) can be in a friend's mailbox faster than Santa can slip down a chimney.

At Star you will find an assortment of books from books on religion to spicy - hot ones to books for your writing friends including The Frugal Book Promoter and Janet Elaine Smith's PromoPaks.

And then there are Amazon Shorts. For only 49 cents (that's a few more pennies than the postage you'd use for a holiday card!) you can send The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less to a writing friend tonight. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/ref=cm_arms_pdp_dp. Now, that is a gift that keeps on giving!

While I was snoofing around the Amazon Short section, I found another one that might interest you. It's Why Writers Are Cranky and Five Emergency Tools for Writing a Short Story, http://www.amazon.com/Writers - Cranky - Emergency - Tools - Writing/dp/B000A0F6FO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198516549&sr=1 - 1 It's by an old writing friend Bruce Holland Rogers.

Here's what Amazon says about Amazon Shorts:

 "Amazon Shorts are available exclusively at Amazon.com; you will not find them anywhere else.
 "Amazon Shorts are delivered electronically; there are no printed editions.
 "Amazon Shorts are yours forever - after purchase, you can read them anytime at Amazon.com. (They'll be stored forever in Your Media Library in PDF, HTML and text e - mail formats.)
 "You are free to print Amazon Shorts to read in hard copy form at your convenience."
Now how can you beat that for a Christmas gift? It's fast, frugal and a gift that keeps giving. Whether you give one or more. ( - :

Happy proposal writing and, yes, editing, too!

Carolyn Howard - Johnson, HoJoNews@aol.com
Websites: http://carolynhoward - Johnson.com (literary)
http://HowToDoItFrugally.com (all things about writing)
Authors' Coalition: http://www.AuthorsCoalitionandRedEnginepress.com
For the Frugal Editor, Amazon - direct: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/
Blogs: http://AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog focused on book fairs
http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, a blog focused on editing, formatting and craft.

P.S. Oh, one more thing. (Well, you know I can't stop talking!) Cynthia Brian has asked me to be a guest on her widely broadcast show Be The Star You Are. You can listen live between 3 and 4 pm Pacific time at www.modavox.com/WTRStudioA/HostModaviewforWTR2.aspx?Hostld=289&Channelld=14&Flag=1 . One more way to get your writing year off to a great start with great new information, great new inspiration.

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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 How To Do It Frugally series of books for writers,

www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

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/

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 newsletter, send an e - mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with "Unsubscribe” in the subject line, but please, please don't tell me you've given up writing or promoting!

To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: 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/

The second in the How To Do It Frugally series of books, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, is available at Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/


The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less, is available on Amazon as a Short for 49 cents.