May 18, 2008
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,
www.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_May_No3Week_2008.doc

In the spirit of the advice I give in the Frugal Editor - - that is to use an extra pair of eyes whenever possible - - this newsletter is voluntarily copyedited by Authors' Coalition member, Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mplcreative
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Note from Carolyn:

Dear Subscribers and Authors' Coalition Members:

Two days ago I experienced a first. Two awards in one day. The Next Generation Indie Book Award (for independently - published book and those published by small and university presses) named my marketing campaign for The Frugal Editor a winner. See the article with the winning entry below along with a horrible goof I made. I included the entry so you can learn from what I did with the campaign but also so you could perhaps intuit how one might cull the important little nuggets from a whole lot of extraneous stuff when one has been limited to a specific word count for a contest submission.

In the same notification, I learned that The Frugal Editor was also a finalist for best of how - to books.

These awards come with many perks but the best for me - - by far - - is that The Frugal Editor will be featured in a catalog that will be distributed at Book Expo America at the end of this month. I love and appreciate honors as much as the next person but for me awards are mostly about how they can help an author do what they wrote the book for to begin with. I say that assuming that most of us write because we want to share - to share our story or our expertise or both. We share by getting our books read. Notice I said "read," not necessarily "sold," though that's nice, too.

Although I was all alone sitting in front of my computer, I squealed like a happy piglet being served a great entrée right from the dinner table. And I'm still on a high.

Oh, I mentioned the goof. Well, that's what a high can do for you sometimes! Having said that, read below for the media release and the story and the apology and the . . . well, you get the idea. ( - : Or you will, when you read it.

Happy promoting! And yes, writing and editing, too!

Carolyn Howard - Johnson
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
And now blogging on War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers at http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com.
And now! Squidooing at
http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors
and http://www.squidoo.com/carolynhoward - johnson

PS: Have I told you all lately how much I appreciate your support? I do. And not just a little bit.

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Please pass this letter on to others. Unlike many, 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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Letter - to - the - Editor

Carolyn:

I have LOTS to say on this one [reading fees charged by prospective agents]!

My www.eLitAgent.com does charge a reading fee (the volume of submissions would keep me busy full time if I didn't, and I'd be unable to pay the mortgage) but I don't take the usual agent's percentage. Let me explain:
eLIt is a new approach to agenting in the 21st century environment of everything happening in nanoseconds. We bypass the time consuming steps by creating an online book proposal/presentation, then search our data base to find up to 100 appropriate publishers for each book, then send each of them an invitation to look at the online presentation. Those interested in seeing the full manuscript need only email us and we ship it right out. This means an end to the endless wait of submitting and waiting 6 weeks to 3 months for a response. It also does away with the heartbreak of rejection slips, since authors only hear about the publishers who express interest. Our first client's book was sold in two months, and the rest have sold speedily. And once the book is sold, the author gets all the royalties.

So charging a reading fee is not a universally bad thing. Nowadays, when agents are expected to separate the wheat from the chaff, it can produce sales where other styles of agenting may not, since they often have to limit themselves to a glancing read of an opening or other short segment of a book. And, of course, if a manuscript is not up to publishable standards, ours includes a critique that lets authors know where their writing problems lie, so they have a leg up on fixing them.

I'd appreciate your sharing this with your readers, since so many are under the misconception that any agent reading fee spells shyster. Ours is, in fact, a new innovation that meets the requirements of our changing times.

Thanks, Carolyn.
Patrika Vaughn, www.eLitAgent.com

==================================================== New members will help Authors' Coalition serve all its members better! Ask your writing friends to join at http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/. Paid members get a favorite review posted, consideration for an interview or review in Yarnspinners and Wordweavers, ditto for The Fiction Flyer and Betty Dobson's Inkspotter. 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. www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com.
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
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Professional PR TIP: Recently Jamba Juice got it just right. In the new movie Baby Mama, Greg Kinnear plays an entrepreneur in competition with the chain Jamba Juice. In it he calls the JJ organization "corporate juice pimps." Did Jamba Juice flinch? Nope. No suits. No huffiness. They laughed. "We thought it was funny." When anyone is in a pinch, a sense of humor can help. It is also not good form to get defensive. It only makes you look bad, not the other guy.

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My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag to try to make things better for our troops and maybe for the world. It's only been active a few weeks and is gathering an amazing following. I'd love to have you leave a comment. www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com
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Tip: Here's something that lots of authors swear by. (I haven't tried it but probably should.) It's Book Sense. They have an "Advance Access Program - - 50% discount." Go to www.bookweb.org/booksense/publisher/3311.html.
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Tip: This tip and several others in this letter were gleaned from a PMA newsletter. If your book is printed by Lightning Source you won't need to list with a wholesaler because they automatically list with Ingram, a wholesaler associated with them. If your book isn't printed by Lightning Source (perhaps your book is printed with an offset press?) then you may be interested in PMA's Ingram Wholesale Acceptance Program. www.pma - online.org. Search on the title of the program.
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Tip: Nielsen BookScan offers discounts to PMA members. Contact Susan Pavliscak at spavliscak@nielsenbookscan.com or 914 - 684 - 5536.
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Tip: Check out The Book Standard, tools for the Literary Marketplace, which offers PMA members a discount. Details at www.pma - online.org.
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Tip: Trade Distribution Acceptance Program is one in which PMA runs interference for authors and small presses twice a year. It may be your best bet for getting a distributor. www.pma - online.org.
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Tip: Here's a freight and mailing service: Contact Keith Korhely at 800 - 599 - 2902.
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Tip: What if you want to accept credit cards from your shopping cart? Having that service on your site is suggested for advance marketers. Here's a resource for that: Get a good discount by mentioning your PMA membership when you call First National Merchant Solutions 800 228 2443 ext 6409 or vist www.membersales.com/pms - online.
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Tip: If you're a publisher, are you concerned about liability? Check PMA's Website, www.pma - online.org or call Mike Mansel at 925 682 7001 Ext 119. mikem@publiability.com.

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So you got As in English. You know grammar and spelling. That's great but an editor of you it doth not make. An editor knows formatting, front and back matter, indexing, structure, the elements of fiction and on and on. But mostly she'll see your manuscript in a fresh, new light. Learn how to hire a great editor and learn to be a better partner for any author - - awful to superb - - in The Frugal Editor.
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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 Patricia Kokinos and Michael Mehas for featuring my HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers in their Third Thursdays, a f r ^ ^ seminar for writers at Bank of Books, 748 E. Main St, Ventura, CA 93001, 805 643 3154.
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To Katie Hines, a middle grade urban fantasy writer and a contributor to Oconee Today newspaper and CatholicMom.com, for her review of The Frugal Editor on Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/
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To Holly Jahangiri for putting the new Authors' Coalition slide show and more fun pictures of the goings - on at the AC booth at the LA Times Fair on her blog at http://jahangiri.us/blog/2008/04/30/more - fun - times - la - times - book - festival/ . Others interested in posting the slideshow may e - mail me for instructions and the HTML code. Hojonews@aol.com.

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To Jozette Aaron for including my regular column called "All Things Publishing" in her DeSilva News newsletter. She says, “I am pleased to announce a new addition to the DeSilva's News family. Carolyn Howard - Johnson has graciously accepted my invitation to add her expertise to the newsletter. Her column, All Things Publishing, will be a monthly feature that I am sure you will find very useful." You can subscribe at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/desilvasnews.
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To Frances Lynn (www.franceslynn.org) for writing an article on editing based on The Frugal Editor. It's at http://EzineArticles.com/?id=1175018. Those of you who have read The Frugal Book Promoter know that I recommend judiciously giving away articles to promote your book (how to be judicious is explained in the book). Using article disseminators like Ezine Articles (see above) is one way to do it. Hope this one tip helps you sell more copies of your book.
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To Roger C. Parker for talking up my newest Indie awards on his blog http://blog.publishedandprofitable.com/2008/05/carolyn - howard - johnson - recent - published - profitable - interview - guest - wins - double - book - awards/. Drop by and explore. Roger is a coach extraordinaire and his site if full of resources.
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To Connie Gotsch for having me on her Four - Corners radio show (KSJE) and for blogging about it (http://conniegotsch.blogspot.com/2008/05/carolyn - howard - johnsons - review - blog.html). Connie is the author of Snap Me a Future and other books as well as a well - known radio personality in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado.

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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 at less per year than most sites charge for a single month (see the advertising tab at the top of the page). Authors' Coalition www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com is also accepting ads. So is Yarnspinners and Wordweavers. Contact katieseyes@aol.com.
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Tip: I just added Roger C. Parker's blog to my blog roll at www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com Published & Profitable Blog is a good place to learn more about all things publishing. His daily posts show authors how to plan, write, promote, and profit in short working sessions. He's the $32 million dollar author, whose 38 books have sold 1.6 million copies. http://blog.publishedandprofitable.com/ . While you're there, search out his recent interviews with Yvonne Perry, John Kremer, Rick Frishman, me and lots more!

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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 try to add new articles to it frequently. If you don't see what you need for your blog or newsletter, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
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Some Fun for the Spelling Challenged:

This was contributed by SWW contributor Connie Gotsch.

Typoglycemia

(This may look impossible but don't despair! You can read it easily. That it was part of a study might even be a hoax, but who cares? It works and it's fun!)

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia. Amzanig huh? Yaeh, and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.

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Fun and F r * *: If you purchased the Frugal Book Promoter or the Frugal Editor, 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 a handout from one of my UCLA classes. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com
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On Poetry

This is a new running feature for the poets among us and those who would like to try writing poetry but feel, well . . . inadequate. Please send in your poetry tips and resources for this section.

I like www.thepedestalmagazine.com. It is a paying market that is accessible to new poets. I know because one of my poems was accepted there a couple of years ago. It is also a good place to read poems that set examples for the craftSubscribe to have it sent to your real mailbox at home at www.writersjournal.com.

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Don't suffer with book proposals. You can be a pro with and investment of only 20 minutes and 49 cents with my Great First Impression Book Proposal Short.
http://www.amazon.com/Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal/dp/B000YG6O5U
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Feature

Winning an Award Doing What You Should be Doing Anyway!

As I promised in the opening note of this newsletter, here is the entry that won the Indie Best Book Award for Marketing. Keep in mind that I had a word limit so I couldn't expound (as you've all heard me do before) on "frequency" and "persistence" and how if you expect to trace book sales directly to certain promotions you'll be sorely disappointed. Even without my tendency to nag (the piece may be the better for that! ( - : ), I think you'll see how a promotion campaign is interactive, how it grows and how it expands. And it's nice to be recognized for something you need to do anyway. That includes both marketing and writing, of course!

Dear Best Marketing Campaign Judges:

After careers in journalism, publicity, and retail marketing, I still had to learn book marketing from the ground up. The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success is a second book in HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. This book (and the series) is my effort to share what I know with other writers to help them avoid the potholes I fell into.

One of the most important things I do to market my books (and to spread the work about the necessity for marketing one's book) is teach at UCLA Extension's renowned Writers' Program www.uclaextension.edu. I incorporate my books into what I teach and vice versa.
I write a weekly newsletter. Its motto is "A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs!"

I founded Authors Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). We sponsor book fair booths and encourage authors to join our efforts or go it alone using the value - added promotions to make a booth successful that I developed as the years passed. The next fair is at LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books and that venue reaches out to135,000 visitors. Our last was at Veterans' Week in Branson, MO, that reaches a similar number.

Associated with the fairs are cross - promotion efforts. No single author or small publisher has the time or budget to do what is required to get the word out in a multi - layered media environment. These efforts include CDs given free to readers, a slide show program for authors who speak, and a print catalogue that goes to booksellers and media. These are described on http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/fair_booths.htm.

I also write columns (Myshelf.com) and review movies for the Glendale News - Press (taglines can be wonderful, you know! ( - : ) I give away free articles from my website www.howtodoitfrugally.com and I'm working at making it a portal for writers' resources.

I have appeared on more than 300 TV and radio shows, developed my presentation skills to the point where I have a Time - Life TV commercial to my credit and a print ad for Apple (computers). I have offered my expertise on webinars, teleseminars, and writers all over the nation.

I blog at writer - related blogs;
http://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com ,
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com http://www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com
I Squidoo at http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors and www.sequidoo.com/carolynhoward - johnson and work other social networks.

My books and I (see the footer of this letter for some) have won many awards. I give awards like the Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize an award through the auspices of MyShelf.com and several others.

I also publish with Amazon Shorts as a way to cross - promote. The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less was just released. This may sound more like a publishing thing than a marketing coup but the power of Amazon is immeasurable and they allow related links in their Shorts.

I also cross - promote between the genres I write, including poetry. A loyal reader can be a loyal reader - - no matter what!

Thank you for this opportunity.
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PS: See the big goof I made with my release on this award below.

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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 (because they are products, like it or not!). Let people see that book cover image! To do that, you are invited to advertise as a site sponsor at www.howtodoitfrugally.com for only $25 to $30 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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From Anne Louise Reinhard to You

Humor Hints

Often a humorist wonders, “Whom should I make fun of today?” There are plenty of targets available, but usually, I’m the best one. Of course I don’t pass up golden opportunities like my sons taking 17 golf balls to the mall, but for the most part, it’s funnier when the laughter is at my own expense. I once wrote an article on how completely unqualified I am to shop for video games. I made hilarious sport of myself, but then I also started in on the “power - drunk 17 - yr - old clerks” at the store, and suddenly the article wasn’t funny anymore. It had slipped into a clichéd rant against clichéd know - it - all teenagers. After this was pointed out to me, I was able to get back to making fun of myself - - asking the clerk for “Kirby’s Squeak Squad” by referring to it as the “Noisy Vacuum Cleaner Game”.

May your keyboard never falter!
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Reach Anne Louise at annelouise@annelouise.net.
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Author Successes

(If you read about others' successes you'll not only be inspired, you'll glean resources for future successes of your own. You are invited to send me news about your successes. Please use "AUTHOR SUCCESSES" as a subject lines.)

Mary Anne Raphael's What Mother Teresa Taught Me has was named a finalist in the Biography category of the San Diego Book & Writing Awards. http://www.sdbookawards.org.
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Ken Rand's long - awaited western - dark fantasy Pax Dakota is now available from Five Star. Order from the publisher at www.gale.com/fivestar or from your favorite internet book dealer. Read the first chapte r - - and see the cover and scan the reviews - at www.sfwa.org/members/Rand/.
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Patti Kokinos's novel Angel Park won two awards! The first is the silver seal in the Nautilus Book Awards, a national competition to recognize books that can change the world. Angel Park is a novel about the forces stifling public education.
Angel Park was also named a finalist in the inaugural National Indie Excellence Awards for Best New Fiction. This contest recognizes the contribution of independent presses and self - published books in bringing new ideas to the marketplace, similar to the way that independent filmmakers have reshaped the film industry, according to Ellen Reid, the publisher and book marketing expert who originated the contest. Angel Park was published by iUniverse, where it won Editor’s Choice, Publisher’s Choice, and Reader’s Choice awards. Learn more about Angel Park and Patti at www.changetheschools.com. Nautilus Awards info is at http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/nautilus/2008 - finalists.html . Indie Excellence Awards info is at http://www.indieexcellence.com/indie - results.htm

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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/eAuthor.php?Name=Carolyn%20Howard - Johnson ) including one on "Do It Yourself Indexing." The first audio, "Promoting Easy and Cheap!" is a F R ^ ^ sample you can download. 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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Quote with Comment

On Being Independent

In what seems to me a laudatory tone, the LA Times Guide says, "Robyn, a teen pop star in the 1990s, is taking control over her career by starting her own label to release her records."

Mmmmmm. Everyone loves the independent. From independent movies (Go see The Visitor if you haven't already!) to independent teeny boppy rocky stars. So why not the independent author?
Prejudice against independent authors is rooted in falsely labeled tradition. Going back in history (chapbooks, Walden, Twain, and a list of hundreds) the famous and best were independent or self - publishers. We may take a dose of medicine that's good for us, "as needed." Like medicine, self - or subsidy - publishing may sometimes be good for our career and sometimes not.
The thing is, no one criticized them. Then along came the big, well - named publishers and through marketing they convinced the industry that they were the only ones that could do it right.

In the last decade or so a new movement came along - - digital printing. Many who skirted the agent and big press syndrome did so less than professionally. That hurt authors who followed the same path. The upside was that many authors were back to the roots of publishing, back to taking control of their own careers.

There are many ways to publish. No one way is right for all. Aren't we glad that things are changing? A new professional group of self - and small - publishers is blooming. They do it with professional editing, formatting, interior and exterior design and they're foiling those unwilling to keep an open mind. I daresay every author in today's world of niche publishing and intense marketing will need to utilize digital presses (whether they do it themselves or their publishers do it) at some time in their careers. Hooray for Robyn. Hooray for the indie films. Hooray for us.

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Endorsement:" I am so happy for you to receive a second award [Reader Views Literary Award] for The Frugal Editor. I bought this book a week ago, and I love it. I can already see the improvement in my work. Thank you. You deserve this award."
Katherine Harms, author
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Tip: Get a sample contract for foreign rights licensing agreements on the PMA website. www.pma - online.org.

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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://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/AC_Promotional_Videos,%20Logos%20&%20More .
You know you want it on your website! Be sure to link it to the AC site, too! And there is a cross - promotional slide show there that will add movement and color to your site or blog, even if you aren't featured on it. It's all about Karma. ( - :
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Tip for Publishers Among SWW Subscribers: Qualifying U.S. publishers can get a f r ^ ^ s u b s c r i p t I o n to Book Business Magazine (print or digital version) at http://tinyurl.com/3r633u or www.idealady.tradepub.com/free/bbus/prgm.cgi. If you self - publish, you may still want to try for a
s u b s c r i p t ion.

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Authors' Coalition: No Hum - Drum Book Fair Promotion Allowed is a blog where you can watch how Authors' Coalition members make book fairs successful with cross - promotion, value - added promotions and a good assessment process. Find it at www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com. It's time to sign up for 2008's LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books.
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Two Lessons: One in PR, One in Editing

My Humiliation, Your Benefit

Mea Culpa. I sent out a media release to my full contingent of media contacts and it had a boo - boo in the first line. The lesson here is that everyone (especially me!) should follow the advice I give in The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.

The second lesson is a PR Rule. When you mess up, acknowledge it immediately. Admit your fallibility. Use a little humor to help ameliorate your situation. A grammatical error is not (should not) be huge in some instances, but in others they are. An example of the latter is when authors are trying to get their manuscripts read by agents and publishers. Another is when an author has written a book on editing makes a gaffe in a formal media release!

I hasten to give you a disclaimer here! My newsletter doesn't count. I have a great little (but over - worked editor in Mindy) and my newsletter is not my primary job so this is the warning that should come with all your issues of Sharing with Writers: "You, dear subscriber, must be patient. My intent is to get resources and information out to you! To include YOU in the process. And to continue to do it weekly."

One can't, however, do that with a media release. So here's what I sent to my media list as an apology after I fouled up. You'll see I included the new, edited version of the media release. And you'll see that I didn't tell those on my media list what the goofy mistake I made was. YOU, however, can find out by going to www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com and scrolling to the bottom of the post of the first post. So here is the apology note I sent along with the corrected release (which, I figure, you can use as a template for releases of your own):

For the apology and the release template go to www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com. To see the error I made in the first sentence of the release go to www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

========================================================Learn more about tips booklets and how to make them work for you. Paulette Ensign was one of the first master promoters I came in contact with. She'll teach you to make promotional booklets work for you with a variety of programs. http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=696843
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Tip: Here's a social networking site for bloggers but it's also a great way to research blogs with a particular theme, say for a blog tour or to offer to trade links. Check my blog profile out and sign up to be a friend, too: www.blogcatalog.com.

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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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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 she sometimes throws in a resource for you.)

In the next couple issues, Elizabeth will explain some rights terms:

Reprint Rights or Second Serial Rights: When you offer these rights, you have informed the publication that first rights for your work have been sold, but that the publication can purchase the right from you to reprint the work again, as a reprint. Many publications consider self - published material or material posted to an author's web site, as "previously published." Therefore, first rights to such material CANNOT be sold to those publications. Check with the publication before offering a work that has been posted on your website; reprint rights, as a rule, pay less than first rights.
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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 - - from 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

Fran Silverman's radio show is a great place to learn more about promoting with radio; it's also a great resource for finding more radio hosts to pitch with ideas for your own book. Here is what is on her schedule:

Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 10 am (ET): Pat Montgomery, host of Parents Rule! on 1620 AM, Sandy Spring, Ga. and archived at http://www.radiosandysprings.com

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 10 am (ET): Maria Bailey, host of Mom Talk Radio on WJBW 1000 AM, South Florida http://www.momtalkradio.com/shows

The number to call for both guests and call - ins is 646 - 378 - 1865 during the live half - hour segment. The shows are archived about 15 minutes after they end.

To access the archives, scroll down at the site and at the bottom right where it says "Archives" click the date.
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Jerry D. Simmons, the author of What Writers Need To Know About Publishing, is coming to Writers in the Sky podcast on June 6, 2008 to share his experience and help authors understand what goes on inside major publishers. Jerry has worked for 25 years for Random House and Time Warner Book Group—both major New York publishing houses. His new site, NothingBinding, is an online social networking outlet where authors may sell their books and readers can find the books they are looking for. Join Nothing Binding and submit your book now: http://www.nothingbinding.com/. Find out more about what Jerry has to offer authors on his Website www.WritersReaders.com. The show will be archived on Yvonne Perry’s blog: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com along with other guest authors who have been on the show.

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I use Vista Print for lots of my promotional materials. Be aware that shipping prices may fluctuate, depending on the deal of the moment. Please use this link:
http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=815651421184
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Q&A a la Ann Landers

How About Promoting with Postcards?

Question: Do you have any insights into the effectiveness of postcards to bookstores?

I just mailed couple hundred plus to bookstores that specialize in "moider mysteries" in US and Canada.

I know those things are hard to quantify, but do you have anything anecdotal or otherwise on the
effectiveness?

The postcard has the cover with blurbs on one side. On the other is the address with a very favorable quote from a review in Crime Spree magazine.

Virgil Jose, author: The Examined Life a
murder mystery.

Answer: I have heard nothing about postcards within the publishing industry. Catalogs (the ones from publishers, distributors and professional organizations) are supposed to be the best approach to mail within our industry and that's why Authors' Coalition chooses to do one every year for member authors. See http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/featured_promotions.htm

Having said that, marketing studies in general have shown postcards to be very effective when mailed:

1. to your own contact list and
2. to the end - consumers (in our case, our targeted readers).

The return rate on postcards used this way is much, much higher (when measurable through the return of coupons or whatever) than both editorial and paid advertising. Plus USPS gives us the added benefit of returning our cards which helps us keep our lists updated. Walter Brasch had me help him with a postcard campaign using our Authors' Coalition PO Box (doing a promotion under the auspice of a professional organization always adds credibility to the project). It was a small service that will pay for itself when he sends out his next list for a large percent of his cards were returned.

Virgil, I think the favorable quotation from a reputable magazine that you included would help!

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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.
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Into Words

An Itty - Bitty Column on Writing

I shared an article I saw on the Internet with one of my clients, the most sophisticated, intelligent person I can think of. The article talked about literary agency being a lot like acting as a pimp for someone’s books. Did my client get upset when I sent that article to him? Not at all. He told me to “pimp away.” And what did I do? I reached back in the depths of my closet and pulled out my stiletto heels and red dress. In other words, I got busy.

Pimping many be a strong term with a bad connotation, but writing is hard work. Finding someone to encourage you through that process is heavenly. That’s where a really good agent comes in.

If you plan to act as your own agent, there are several books on the market that will tell you the process. One is How to Be Your Own Literary Agent by Richard Curtis. However, only a good agent knows how to go to bat for you when contract time rolls around. Better set aside time to learn the rudiments of law associated with publication if you plan on representing yourself.

A good blog to read on the subject belongs to literary agent, Kristin Nelson. PubRant.Com covers a great deal of information on contracts – enough that you see that you’ll need professional help.

Or – if you’re brave – find a former student to help you like my client did. I’m finally learning how to balance in my 6 - inch heels.

Hey You! That’s MY streetlight!
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Mindy Phillips Lawrence www.freewebs.com/mplcreative is publicist and literary agent for Dr. Dan Skelton and representative for the fiction work of Bev Walton - Porter. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin.

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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, 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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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching:

Nancy Mills, founder of Spirited Woman, will be interviewing Carolyn Howard - Johnson in her 2008 Spirited Woman tele - chat series. Sign up now to be part of this exciting series, whether you want to listen to Carolyn or to the likes of Jacqueline Mitchard, author of the Deep End of the Ocean and Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay It Forward. To listen live to Carolyn, circle Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 10 am (PST), 1pm (EST) on your calendar. Find the entire series at: www.thespiritedwoman.com/ spirited_woman_circle. Advance registration needed.
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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be guest speaker for Pamela Kelly's UCLA Extension course, "Public Speaking for Professionals" on Monday, May 19th at the Public Affairs Bldg, Room 2238, 7 - 10pm. Pam Kelly is the author of Speak with Passion, Speak with Power!, a book on speaking that I strongly recommend for authors who want their books to succeed.
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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be one of the featured winners of the USA Book News' booth at BEA on Friday, May 29, at the nation's premier book event, Book Expo America. She will sign her USA Book News Award - Winning book, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success in the USA Book News booths, #835 & #837 in the PMA Pavilion at 11 to 11:30 am. Make BEA reservations and get info about the event here: www.bookexpoamerica.com .
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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will read from her chapbook of poetry, Tracings, Monday evening, Aug. 11, at 7:30 pm at the Village Bookstore 1049 Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, CA. Poets Alice Pero and Lois P. Jones sponsor ongoing featured readings called Moonday. Learn more at www.home.earthlink.net/ ~pero/moonday.html.
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The f r e ^ Muse Online Writers' Conference, sponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard - Johnson, is accepting early registration. Nearly 2,000 attended last year and openings are limited. Learn more about this year's conference, October 13 to 19th, and how you can assure your spot in 2008. We will present an all - new program soon. Carolyn will do a seminar on "Query Letters! Editing them perfectly for a great first impression." Go to: For more information click here:
http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com
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 Carolyn Howard - Johnson will speak to the California Writers Club of San Fernando Valley at 1 pm on December 13, 2008. It's at the Encino Community Center, 4939 Balboa Blvd (just north of Ventura Blvd.), Encino, CA 91316. Learn more about the year's programs www.calwriterssfv.com and sign up to join. It's a dynamic group. E - mail is cwcsfv@gmail.com.
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Using Mind Maps for Inspiration and Organization

Before my recent guest interview with Roger C. Parker, the 32 Million Dollar author, book coach, and membership site resource for writers and publishers, he sent me a mind map of our topics we wanted to cover during the call. His map provided us with a framework for our call that helped us cover all the bases.

Roger later told me he uses similar mind maps for all aspects of his business, and for everything associated with helping his clients write, plan, promote, and profit from a published books. When I asked him how it operated, he sent me a 4 - page report that helped me instantly grasp the importance of mind mapping to anyone who spends their days dealing with ideas, words, clients, and deadlines.

I asked Roger if he would be willing to share it with my friends and contact sphere, and he kindly agreed.
Roger posted his Mind Mapping for Writers and Marketers report in the Sample Content area of his Published & Profitable website (www.publishedandprofitable.com). This is a gift from Roger - - no registration is required, although Roger always enjoys hearing mind mapping comments and questions. While you're at Published & Profitable, you may also want to download his Write Your Way to Success 16 - page report that describes the planning, writing, promoting, and profiting sequence he teaches.

Why the 32 - Million Dollar Author" reference above? Roger's 38 books have sold over 1.6 million copies in 38 languages around the world, which is where the $32 million dollar figure came from, at an average price of $20 per copy.

During Step 1, Planning, Roger encourages authors to use mind maps to analyze existing books, plan their book's table of contents and identify future profit opportunities based on their book.

In Step 2, Writing, Roger recommends using mind maps as a framework for creating a glossary of terms that might be new to readers, as well as using a map to visually track their progress writing their book.

Roger recommends authors use mind maps during Step 3, Promotion, for tasks like creating a marketing plan, a newsletter, editorial calendar, and to create a blogging content plan. "Promotion is easy, when you plan ahead," as Roger is fond of saying.

Finally, in Step 4, Profit, authors can use mind maps to plan and implement a long - term program of back - end profits. Maps can help authors leverage their books into follow - up products coaching, consulting, certification programs, presentations and workshops.

Roger says, "Mind maps not only enhance creativity, but they also ensure that the details needed for success are consistently implemented."

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Sign up to receive a copy of my Sharing with Writers blog in your e - mail box. It is a focused blog on all things related to writing and publishing. 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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Wordstuff ™

Something to Make Writers Smile

(Definitions in the next few newsletters are from www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/definitions.htm.You might have some favorite neologisms, metaphors or similes that make you smile. If so, please contribute.)

"BOSS: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early."

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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 this link to Amazon:
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.
http://www.amazon.com/Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal/dp/B000YG6O5U/