To read this letter as a pdf go to

http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/SharingwithWriters_June_15_2009.pdf

June 15, 2009

Sharing with Writers

A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs! Associated with the multi award - winning series of HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, www.howtodoitfrugally.com


From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard - Johnson
and Sharing with Writers Subscribers

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 Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com ~ www.freewebs.com/mplcreative. I also tell writers to be patient with other writers when they make editing boo - boos. We're all human. This letter comes out weekly and it's long!
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Contents
This Issue
~Note from Carolyn
~Letters - to - the - Editor
~Thank Yous (where you also find leads and great resources!)
~Tips and News Galore! (They're scattered, you'll just have to find them!)
~Opportunities
~On Poetry
~Author Successes
~Mindy Lawrence's Itty Bitty Column
~Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
~Wordstuff ™

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Note from Carolyn

Dear Subscribers:

I am always excited when I have a poem published in an anthology, especially one in a literary journal associated with a university. Yeah. it's the prestige. But it's more important that these journals help creative writers and poets get read and that the editing, publishing and writing of them is a training ground for the future of creative writing.

My pleasure is doubled with this particular publishing because the poem is based on memories of my father, an avid and thoroughly addicted smoker who loved jazz. His time was a different time and "Long Before They Shut the Napster Down" evokes those times, the music of his time . . . and him. My father has been deceased for nearly 20 years and so it seems also to affirm that those we love never really die as long as they are remembered. The publisher is Dash Literary Journal, sponsored by California State University, Fullerton Creative Writing Club and the Department of English, Comparative Literature and Linguistics.

One more thing. Dash is a new journal! That may be evidence that fine writing and poetry are thriving, don't you think!?

Happy writing, promoting and editing, too!
Carolyn Howard - Johnson

PS: If you'd like a report of how my book launch in New York went - - what I learned from the successes and challenges - - go to Marv Wilson's blog at http://inspiritandtruths.blogspot.com/2009/05/hojo - report - on - book - launching.html.
PPS:


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Please note the new Resource for Writers page on Contests at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/contests.htm Follow the “Click Heres” to other valuable lists on my site. =====================================================

Letters to the Editor

Carolyn, Oh, I've been "quiet" for a few months now, but the Memoirs threads hit a nerve. Knowingly "making up" or "embellising" a memoir is plain and simple fiction. Now, I lie on the stated weight on my driver's license, and I lie to get out of some social obligations, but that's a different kind of "white lie."

I have spent nine years researching the stories, oral histories, histories, and memoirs of Women of World War II in Hawaii. I have taken courses on how to take an oral history, and have read the history of that period extensively. When I spot a glaring error, I gently rephrase my question to the story teller. If that doesn't work, I might say, "Hmm. I read that ........... Do you remember anything like that?"

My personal take on what to do with information I know is inaccurate....and I don't say untruthful because to that subject, their story IS their truth...I put a note at the end of the piece with simply stated historical facts with no comment by me. It's a fine line to walk. Oral history is a personal truth, and I always preface these stories with a note saying something like, "Please note that these memories are those of a child who was senven - years old on December 7, 1941."

But embellishing....oh, just don't do it. The story stands on its own. If its a memoir for the family, just keep it as is. If it's a story for public publication and it's not that interesting, I guess you should step back and ask yourself if it's that interesting in the whole. The question to ask is, "Is it interesting enough for a stranger to pick up and read?'

I'm off my soap box. Now I'll admit I am a librarian and a researcher so accuracy is important to me. I also have taken several Creative Non - fiction classes, and the arguments about "what is truth" seem to always consume at least one class. It's a philosophical problem, but I ask you this: If you had a nineteen - year old come home at 3 a.m. with a smashed up car, would you want any embellishments?

Aloha,
Dee Buckingham
Dee is writing a series for the Hawaii Reporter on Sister Gertrude Maria Schroeder who was interned in Hawaii during World War II. She was a 19 year - old University of Hawaii student at the time. It's not a memoir, but an oral history. It's at www.HawaiiReporter.com Look on the left column for Special Columns and Women of WWII is there.


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Please pass this letter on to others. Unlike many other editors, 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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Tip: Sassy Brit says the model she is using for a viral blog game has helped her blog traffic. See how it works and play the game for fun. http://tjbook - list.blogspot.com/2009/06/sassys - book - blog - meme - whats - on - your.html


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The Green New Media Life Expos (http://www.greennewmedialifeexpo.com/content/green - book - pavilion - featuring - carolyn - howard - johnson?destination=node%2F10 ) offer Green Book Pavilions this fall at expos at the Ontario Convention Center, Ontario, CA; Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento; and the Pomona Fairgrounds, Pomona, CA. An author's package for each expo is available to help authors promote themselves and their books. Contact Gerry Fisher at GeFisher39@aol.com or at 702 467 9411. =====================================================

Q&A a la Ann Landers

On Multiple Freelance Submissions
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Question:

I have contacted you before and think [The Frugal Book Promoter] is great. I may have missed this in your book, but I wanted to know if you send articles to magazines, is there anything wrong with sending the same one's to different magazines at the same time?

Thank you so much,
Diana Dodson

Answer:

There isn't anything really wrong with sending the same article to several different magazines at once as long as you let the magazines you contacted know when one of the others accepts your idea. The trouble really is that when writers do this they sometimes forget to tailor each of the query letters. Each magazine will have a different style and will have published different articles in the past (maybe one similar to your idea), etc. So, unless you've done the research, the scatter - gun technique usually doesn't work very well and your query letter will appeal more if the editor can tell that it is to directed solely to her and her magazine.

The accepted approach to most cold freelance work is to send a query first to ascertain if the magazine has an interest rather than writing your whole article first. You might, of course, want to write a couple lead paragraphs so that an editor can get a feel for your voice, but beyond that, you'll save yourself lots of time by waiting to do the rest. When an editor accepts, she may even suggest you take a whole neck tack to the one you suggested.

As you know, you'll find a general template or two for query letters in The Frugal Editor along with information on how to avoid certain query letter booboos. ( - : as well as the ones you found in The Frugal Book Promoter.

Hope that helps, Diana
CHJ


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Please paste this little blurb - - perhaps with a little endorsement - - in your newsletter or Web site: To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com or go to www.howtodoitfrugally.com for an auto subscribe box. Ask for a f r ^ ^ classified ad on my Web site in return. Let me know you did it. I will be able to do something similar for you on my Resources for Readers page at www.howtodoitfrugally.com.
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In the News: Dan Evans, new editor of my hometown newspaper, the Glendale News - Press, says "Journalism cannot be a once - a - day information vitamin." He's started tweeting. How do you give and get your information? I get lots of mine from Twitter where I can ask questions and get answers from experts and people I trust. My address is www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo and hope to be there until the Twitter craze goes away. I don't think that will be any time soon.


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My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag and try to make things better for our troops and maybe for the world. It includes a segment of frugal ways to help our troops and veterans. I'd love to have you leave a comment. www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com
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In the News: The LA Times headline touting their new Pulitzer Prize (for a series on the "futility of government efforts to quell the growing thread of wildfires") said "Pulitzer recognizes the public watchdogs." It reminded me that the public may be too critical of the press. We desperately need them to keep government as honest as possible. Right now, realtime news media need our support. Buy a newspaper. Read it. Quote it. Praise it. Heck, subscribe even! I shudder to think what the US would be like without the American press's phalanx of reporters to investigate and castigate. I think newspapers and Time magazine are the best way to get in - depth information on issues.



=================================================== Book Proposal Help: Phyllis Zimbler Miller and I ran a fun Tweetchat on book proposals. She edited it for easier reading and posted it for those who missed it. There is lots of info in it on shopping your book to agents, too. Remember, you read tweet chats like you follow blogs. From the bottom up. http://budurl.com/bookprotweetchat Another book proposal help is "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less" for 49 cents at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/ =====================================================



Editing Tip: You will save yourself tons of time if you wait until you book as finished its final edit before using the tips on indexing that you'll find in The Frugal Editor to begin formulating your index. I repeat "final." And don't do it in your master copy. Start a new file. Use the Word techniques I describe in TFE and, when the index is done, paste it into your master copy.



===================================================== So you got As in English. You know grammar and spelling. That's great but an editor of you those skills alone 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. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/
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TIP: New subscriber Yvonne Richards says, "A new Web site opened today apparently called www.scribd.com. You can upload to share or sell (but only for those of you in the US at the moment.) You have inspired me to market Dark Secrets again, thanks."



===================================================== Recently Yvonne Perry, owner of WritersintheSky Creative Services, and I chatted about editing, everything from em dashes to why what works on the Web doesn't work for you book's manuscript. Yvonne offers you the f r ^ ^ podcast on her blog: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/2008/12/do - you - have - questions - about - editing.html. You'll find other f r ^^ podcasts on writing on her blog, too.
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Opportunities

Group for Children's Writers ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ If writing for children is one of your priorities, the Yahoo critique group, Intense Writing, may be just right for you. Our members include published and unpublished writers.To learn more please contact Karen at: karenrcfv@yahoo.com.


Review Site Looking for a Columnist ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I write a column for MyShelf.com and editor Brenda Weeaks is looking for another columnist to talk about nonfiction. http://www.myshelf.com/aboutus/want_columnist.htm


Yvonne Perry Offers F r ^ ^ E - Book ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Yvonne Perry’s e - book Tips for Freelance Writing available at no c ^ st to anyone who subscribes to Writers in the Sky Newsletter (http://writersinthesky.com/writing - newsletter.html), Yvonne’s f r ^^ monthly e - zine about the craft and business of writing. Yvonne also has e - books on her Web site http://writersinthesky.com/books - by - yvonne.html. Some are for sale, but some are f r ^ ^. You're welcome to browse.



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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 http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/advertising.htm at less per year than most sites charge for a single month. Find classified there, too.
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Tip: Robert Nagle, http://www.imaginaryplanet.net/weblogs/idiotprogrammer/ says, "Smashwords is an e - book sales site that lets authors upload Word files and output in various e - book formats for sale. (Here's a sample book sale page https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1839 ). Authors get 85% royalties from and retain copyright control. Here's an interview that TeleRead did with the Smashwords founder http://www.teleread.org/2009/02/26/the - digitizers - how - smashwords - helps - indie - writers - bypass - a - broken - system/



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Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested
in the F r ^^ Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/free_content.htm 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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In the News: Evidence of recession abounded at BEA. Some big publishers like Random House cut way back on their booth space and two of my favorites, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt didn't show up at all. That the show was 21% smaller is disturbing, of course, but worse is that those publishers who did show up appeared to be cutting back on marketing funds even for blockbuster authors (evidenced by fewer signs and even fewer of the usual giveaways). Even reader copies were hard to come by.

Of course, publishers who buy/rent booths have been saying for a long time that there are few book buyers on the floor and fewer librarians, who historically are the people publishers want to reach.

So, the good news? In the interest of saving space (that helps get more of my letters through more of your spam filters!) go to: http://sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com/2009/06/state - of - industry - as - evidenced - by - book.htm and leave a comment please! ( - :



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

"Storoem", a New Form of Poetry
As Explained by Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.

(Note: Harry is a well - known, award - winning poet who has published three
books of poetry to date. See http://www.lulu.com/harry .)

My love for poetry sprang from my reading the poetry of Poe, Tennyson,
and Frost, all of which are noted for rhyming poetry. Therefore, when I started writing poetry, I wrote rhyming verse, not getting into writing free - verse until later. (One valuable website for writing
rhyming poetry that I discovered early - on is RhymeZone,
http://www.rhymezone.com/, where you can get suggestions for rhyming words to complete your endrhymes.)

Some poetry critics strongly believe all poetry should be short and concise, usually concentrating on one specific item. I have never thought this. Sometimes I like for my poems to tell a complete story.
From when I initially started writing poetry, I would tell a more complete story, but in doing so I used various poetic techniques, such as stanzas (usually quatrains), end - rhymed lines, enjambment,
alliteration, imagery, extended metaphor, etc. not usually found in prose. My lines tended to be longer than most poems typically have, and I did not usually employ a set syllable count. The end result was
that my poems resembled prose or narrative poems, but mine had more poetic techniques applied than a typical prose poem and longer, less purely poetic lines than a typical narrative poem. Readers would ask me what did I call my poetry. I started out calling my style a story - poem, and eventually I coined a new term “storoem” (stor - plus - oem).

Some readers immediately liked my storoem format, while others initially resisted it. Today most readers accept the format with little difficulty. In fact, one of my early storoems, “The Old Salty Poems”, (see http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/2008/tp08_gilleland.php), recently won second place (and a $1,000 prize) in the 2008 Tom Howard Poetry Contest, a prestigious international contest.

Contest judge John H. Reid said, "Harry Gilleland's 'The Old Salty Poems' belongs to a tradition that has almost died out—the character/narrative poem. Although easily the most popular genre of poetry in the 19th century,
it was supplanted by Eliot, Spender, Pound and a whole host of their 20th century disciples. It has often been suggested that poetry would still be as popular and best - selling with the masses today, if mainstream verse had continued in the character/narrative vein.

Certainly such a delightful, vastly entertaining throwback as 'The Old Salty Poems' lends a great deal of credence to this idea. I picture
copies for sale at my local Borders and see crowds of customers picking up the book and marveling at the free - flowing skill and expertise with which Gilleland has brought such a charming tale to vibrant, poetic life." (see
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/2008/tp08_pastwinners.php)

Since my storoems tend to have more lines and longer lines than many poems do, I have found that the use of enjambment aids the flow or the smooth reading of the storoem. (For an explanation of enjambment and
its effect, see http://www.poeticbyway.com/gl - e.html .) I never have understood why some readers believe every line should be end - stopped. Once a new reader of my storoems reads a few examples, he/she usually
grows to enjoy the storoem format.

To summarize the storoem format:

1) Tells a more complete story than the typical poem.

2) Has stanzas, usually quatrains, throughout.

3) Lines are end - rhymed, making a storoem a rhymed poem. Rhyming
pattern may vary but typically is abab.

4) Line lengths and word count or syllable count are variable, with no
set pattern or rhythm. Lines tend to be longer than in a typical
narrative poem.

5) Various poetic techniques are employed, including but not limited to alliteration, assonance, enjambment, repetition, imagery, metaphor, rhyme, etc so that lines are more poetic than found in a typical prose
poem.
- - - - -
Harry E. Gilleland, Jr. is the author of Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man (2008 Reader Views
Literary Award winner - Honorable Mention in Fiction, Poetry category.) See: http://www.amazon.com/Poetic - Musings - Old - Fat - Man/dp/1435712420/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210286150&sr=1 - 4
He blogs at http://harrygillelandwrites.blogspot.com/



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Endorsement: I wanted to tell you how your workshops, reading your newsletter, and just chatting with you has been a great help to me. I have a background in marketing from the fashion world and even though it has helped me get my foot in the door, I honestly have to say that after getting to know you, reading your books, and everything else I just said has truly helped me put Stories for Children Magazine on the map. ~ VS Grenier, Founder and Editor - in - Chief Stories for Children Magazine. http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org.
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Tip: Create free online book widgets and more with http://www.ipublishcentral.com .


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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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Author Successes

Speaking Success and Media Release Sample ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As most of you know, editors aren't required to publish a full media release when they receive one. Media releases are meant as prompts for news stories, feature stories and the like. Editors may borrow from them, delete from them, quote form them or generally do whatever they want with them. The publicist or author who sent media release doesn't (shouldn't) really care as long as the release gets some attention.

So, though this is an author success, it may not be the kind of success I'd usually publish. The thing is, this release is a good example of what a release should be and it is also an example of how an author can take something that isn't earth - shattering news (in the sense of having developed a new vaccine) and turning it into something that might interest an editor.
So here it is in its complete and unabridged form. You will find other examples aimed at different audiences in your copies of The Frugal Editor and The Frugal Book Promoter:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Geoff Habiger
12101 Palomas Ave, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87122
505 - 286 - 0892
g.habiger@artemesiapublishing.com

Artemesia Publishing's Authors Honored

(Albuquerque, NM, May 22, 2009).

Beverly Eschberger and Connie Gotsch have been selected to speak at the second annual New Mexico Women Authors’ Book Festival in September, 2009.

They join 64 other women authors from New Mexico who will speak and read at the event. The festival celebrates the joy of reading and the creative
power of women writers in New Mexico.

Beverly Eschberger is the author of The Elephants Tour England, the second book in the Elephant Family Adventure series. This series features the
adventures of the Elephant Family as they travel the globe. The series teaches children that travel to new places can be fun and exciting, while exposing them to new cultures.

Beverly Eschberger enjoys writing books she would have liked to read as a child. She first met the Elephant family on her second trip to England at a pub in Bath, and has made a lasting friendship with the entire Elephant family. She enjoys sharing sweets with Harold and Penelope, admiring art with Mrs. Elephant, and talking politics with Mr. Elephant. Her first
Elephant Family Adventure book – The Elephants Visit London was a 2008 New Mexico Book Awards finalist for juvenile fiction and was a Mom’s Choice Awards Silver Award winner. Ms. Eschberger lives in Tijeras, New Mexico, with her husband and son.

Connie Gotsch is the author of Belle’s Star, a novel for young adults that empowers young people who have escaped abuse and bullying to build new lives. The book features Belle, a young healer mix and is written in the
first person from Belle’s point of view. Belle thinks no human is worth trusting, but a young girl named Darcy and her family and their pets, including a cat, try to show Belle otherwise.

Connie Gotsch has published two other award - winning adult novels. In 2007 she received the New Mexico Press Women's Communicator of Achievement Award. She holds an Ed.D in Leadership and Policy Studies with an emphasis on educational media from Northern Illinois University, and works in public radio. She lives in Farmington, New Mexico.

About the Publisher: Artemesia Publishing is a small publishing company located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Currently with 7 titles in print, including The Elephants Tour England and Belle’s Star, Artemesia
Publishing works to publish high quality books from select authors that will educate, inform, and entertain the reader. The Elephants Tour England and Belle’s Star are the latest titles to be published under the Kinkajou
Press imprint of Artemesia Publishing. For more information about the company or our other titles please contact Mr. Habiger at the address above.

# # #

Review copies of these books are available upon request. Ms. Eschberger and Ms. Gotsch are also available for interviews and to talk about their
books. Please contact Geoff at the above address or by email to request a copy of The Elephants Tour England or Belle’s Star or to contact the authors.



Mary Jean Kelso Released Children's Book About Horses
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Guardian Angel Publishing Inc. announces the release of Andy and Spirit in the Big Rescue. This is the 3rd in Mary Jean Kelso's series about a little disabled boy and a therapy horse that have become heroes to each other. Kelso's children's picture books, illustrated by K.C. Snider, have teacher's aides in the back for homeschoolers and other educators. Available through Guardianangelpublishing.com and Amazon.com, Andy and Spirit in the Big Rescue is $10.95. ISBN #:978 - 1 - 935137 - 67 - 2



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Audio divas brings you audios on many aspects of building a writing career: http://www.tri - studio.com/writers.html. Titles include Contest Facts: How to Add “Award - winning” to Your Name, Do It Yourself Indexing: The Way to Sell Your Book to Libraries, Schools and Anyone Else That Buys Nonfiction, Fury and Destruction: How to Use Violence Effectively in Your Writing, and more.
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Patrika Vaughn Sharing
Encouragement for Writers ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You have a better chance of writing a New York Times bestseller (1 in 220) than of winning the lottery (1 in 18 million). In fact, you're more likely to be struck by lightning (2,650,000 to 1) than to win the lottery. Keep writing!

Publishing houses today pulp up to an average of 40% of the books they print - partly due to poor marketing. Publishers are primarily responsible for who survives in the market and who doesn't. The lack of marketing they offer most first - time authors practically guarantees failure. This makes self - publishing a better and better option for new authors, who can't look to major publishers to help establish them with the book - buying public. As with so many other aspects of life, we're better off when we take charge. For self - publishing help, see www.acappella.com/ah.htm



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Yes, I do consult. I tailor my fees to your needs - - everything from coaching to full edits (sorry no partial edits) to hour consultations to help you with your marketing campaign or your path to publishing. http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/consulting.htm
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Tip When I was speaking and launching A Retailer's Guide To Frugal In - Sore Promotion at the National Stationery Show I met the owner of a stationery vendor/manufacturer called Letters from Lilly and it occurred to me that her line would be a good resource for personalized stationery for authors to use for their thanks yous and for gifts to feature editors, etc. Especially children's authors. If you tell her I sent you (and order enough to keep you for awhile - - most manufacturers have minimum orders) she is willing to send you some freeby to go with your order. Go to www.lettersfromlilly.com. If you follow her on Twitter, she runs Tweetdeals now and then. That address is www.twitter.com/lettersfrmlilly



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Thank Yous


Thanks to Mary Rosenblum of Longridge Writers . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
. . . for including my review of a new book by Oxford Press titled Slang in her online newsletter called "Writing Craft." I strongly recommend both the book and Mary's Longridge Writers Group and their classes. It's worth clicking on the link and exploring a bit. http://www.thelongridgewritersgroup.com/T6020/rx/wc13/index.shtml



Thanks to Jeff Keene of USA Book News . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . for featuring A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques on his Web site. The ad is part of getting a f r ^ ^ listing when one enters one's book is the USA News Book Awards . Find mine on this page. http://www.usabooknews.com/business/marketingadvertising.html



Thanks to Billie A Williams . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ for linking to my HowToDoItFrugally.com resources for writers at her Word Mage For Writers and Readers website. It, too, has resources: http://www.wordmage.net Check it out. Billie is the author of Accidental Sleuths, Incidental Romance, and The Capricorn Goat.


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If you're starting your own blog or want to market the one you have or focus it better here’s a f r ^^ chapter from Phyllis Zimbler Miller’s and my coming book. Download it now at http://budurl.com/bloggingchapter. =====================================================



Tips: Here's a new approach to an old social networking group from Gene Cartwright I've long supported Learn more by reading his new media release:
http://www.prlog.org/10247081 - ifogocom - reinvents - the - way - authors - and - books - are - marketed.html



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I now have a social media page on my Website. I’m including the link for you to see so you can use it as a sample if you don’t have a similar page on your own Web site. And yes, this can work even if you only network on one site. Just use more space giving your visitors an idea of how they will benefit if they join you. http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/new_page_4.htm =====================================================


Feature

On Book Review Etiquette ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ From Jim Cox, Editor of the Midwest Review

I'm sorry to say that a great many review publications and book reviewers do indeed neglect to notify the authors and/or publishers who have submitted complimentary copies of their books for review with any kind of tear sheet (copy of the review), or to send out publisher notification letters identifying where the review has been published and/or posted.

To me this neglect is a breach of the traditional publishing industry standard that it is the mutual obligation of reviewers and publishers that in exchange for a free copy of the book, assuming it makes the reviewer's final cut and is in fact reviewed, to provide the publisher with a copy of the review (be it negative or positive) which publisher is then at full and complete liberty to utilize in the promotion of the book in any manner the publisher deems useful. This liberty also includes not using the review at all if it is felt to be of no assistance in the publishers publicity/marketing campaign.

Reviews range from a one or two sentence 'blurb' pieces to a full - length literary analysis that can run any number of pages. I've got one reviewer on our roster who basically uses his review of a book as a kind of launching pad for an essay.

For a reviewer or a review publication to fail to provide the publisher with feedback in the form of a copy of the review and some kind of notification when the book has made the 'final cut' and been reviewed, is to breach that 'contractual' publishing industry standard.

A corollary of sorts to those publishing industry standards as applied to book reviews is that once the publisher is furnished with a copy of the review and a notification letter, it is then the publisher's incumbent responsibility to notify their authors, editors, illustrators, publicists, and anyone else they deem appropriate.

All too often (especially with POD publishers, but even with some of the big New York publishing houses!) the first time an author becomes aware that the Midwest Book Review has reviewed their book is when they check their book's web - page on the Amazon.com website and discover it there. When a publisher fails to pass along a review to the author, that is also a breach of the traditional and 'contractual' publishing industry standard.

All this being said, I have on my desk at this very moment, four author/publisher notification letters send out in May but stamped and returned by the U.S. Post Office as being undeliverable.

In other words, the mailing address supplied along with the review copy is non - functional. This is not only a problem for me as a reviewer in trying to fulfill my 'contractual' responsibilities to the publisher, it is also a breach of the publisher's contractual responsibility to notify the author. Of course, with self - published books, the author and the publisher are the same person. So I guess that means they are breaching that contract with themselves.

Incidentally, our practice of trying to be religiously faithful in sending out those reviews and notification letters is not just good publishing industry etiquette, it's also very good business. It's how the Midwest Book Review has established and maintains its credibility within the publishing industry as a good place to send review books. It's what helps us keep in business and prosper these past 36 years. - - It's also why I haven't had to buy a postage stamp for the last decade!

(Note: Authors and others in the publishing industry often donate a few stamps to Jim's Midwest Review effort. After all, he is one of the few respected review journals that in not way discriminates based on a book's cover or the press it's printed on. ( - : Find him at www.midwestbookreview.com.)



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This is an example of one of my Twitters: "FrugalBookPromo New trend? Borders to buy nonreturnable books from HarperStudio in return for a deeper discount." My tweets cover everything from news to more tips and resources all in 140 characters or less. If you don’t want to Tweet, at least follow me. Make a profile page and invite me at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo. =====================================================


In the News: Those of you have read this newsletter for some time know that I think Chris Anderson's Long Tail theory has much to inform the world of publishing. Now he's at it again. Read his new book Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Time magazine gives us a hint as to what it's about: "Just because newspapers, e - mail, music and software are all free online doesn't mean those businesses are dying." We all need to know why and how this free business model affects us and applies to us.



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The New Book Review is a service of this newsletter. 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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An Itty - Bitty Column on Writing


Starving Writer
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By Mindy Phillips Lawrence

It's frustrating. You work hard to get your writing accepted, find markets and get published. Then the economy goes south. Companies lay off and people
draw unemployment. The arts, as well as corporate writers, become targets for budget cutting.

Corporations still have work to get out yet cut their workforce to cut expenses,especially benefits for their workers. If you learn how to fill the holes left by
outgoing writing staff, without the benefit packages, you just might find a niche for your work.

The links I provide for you in this column tell how to become a freelance commercial writer and how to think of writing in different ways. Peter Bowerman, author extraordinaire on the topic, is coming out soon with an
update on his successful book, The Well - Fed Writer. His book, information on his Web site and, of course, on the Frugal Writer Web site, give you tons of
information on how to make writing a paying venture.

Let's hope you aren’t actually starving. Let’s hope you have a little in your bank account and something in the fridge for a late - night snack. But in this
economical environment, you have to work harder. Notice the word WORK. It's a four - letter word and completely necessary.

LINKS

The Well - Fed Writer
http://www.wellfedwriter.com/

How to do it Frugally
http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/

Starving Writer
http://www.starvingwriter.com/

Starving Writer Syndrome
http://www.buzzle.com/boards.asp?board=226&message=126448

Writing as a Business
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/business.html

A Way Out for Starving Writers?
http://ezinearticles.com/?A - Way - Out - For - Starving - Writers? - Target - Desperate - Buyers -
Only!&id=445816&opt=print

~ Mindy Phillips Lawrence www.freewebs.com/mplcreative is the author of the poetry collections One Blue Star and Above and Below. She is co - author of The Complete
Writer and a publicist and literary agent. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin. Blogging at: http://mplcreative.blogspot.com/.


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Tip: Create f r ^ ^ online book widgets and more with http://www.ipublishcentral.com and let us know what you think on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ipublishcentral.


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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
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Watch for a new podcast on writing The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/ ) at Authors Access’s great, f r ^ ^ service for writers in June. In the meantime, find an old one on book promotion we did on book promotions at http://authorsaccess.com/archives/90. It was their most listened - to podcast last year.

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will talk to a group of Creative Memories saleswomen at a meeting on June 23. She'll introduce her new book A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques and will discuss how the "in - store events" part of the book applies to those in home sales industry like Amway, Avon, and, yep, Creative Memories. If your in - home sales business would like a similar educational meeting for sales people, contact me at hojonews@aol.com.

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will teach “Creating a Promotion Campaign for Your Fiction or Nonfiction Book.” A one - day seminar, it will meet on the UCLA campus’ School of Public Affairs Building (Room 2317) Saturday, August 1, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Reg# U9836B Request a UCLA Extension catalog at www.uclaextension.edu.

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New! Carolyn Howard - Johnson will co - sponsor the Green Book Pavilion with The Green New Media Life Expo http://www.greennewmedialifeexpo.com/content/green - book - pavilion - featuring - carolyn - howard - johnson?destination=node%2F109 held at the Ontario Convention Center, Saturday Sept 12 from 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday Sept. 13 from 10 am to 5 pm. The expo offers a $290 expo package to help authors promote themselves and their books. It includes
~An onsite Internet radio interview
~A personalized video that the participating authors themselves can use on their own social networks and Web sites
~A Web site presence for the participating authors, including blog presence and pictures, etc on the expo site
~A table where each author can talk up his or her book (and sell it, too!) on the Pavilion itself.
Interested authors may contact Gerry Fisher at GeFisher39@aol.com or at 702 467 9411 or 760 961 2728. Future expos are at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento on Oct 24 & 25, and Pomona Fairgrounds on November 6 and 8.

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Mark October 12 to 18 on your calendar for The Muse Online Writers Conference cosponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard - Johnson: We are now taking reservations for the conference. More to come on my presentations there at http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/. This year we’ve added pitch sessions: http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/2009workshops.htm

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will speak on writing picture - perfect query letters at the November session of Scribblers' Retreat Writers' Conference, www.scribblersretreatwritersconference.com at Sea Palms Resort, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Scribblers Retreat Writers’ Conference offers four conferences of specifically chosen genres throughout the year. It is brand new and one of the few chances I will speak on the East Coast in 2009.


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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
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(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.)

HEARSAY: What toddlers do when anyone mutters a dirty word.



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Essential Book and Record Keeping:

Sharing with Writers is edited and distributed by Carolyn Howard - Johnson,http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com. and proofread by Mindy Phillips Lawrence.

This is a place to share with others and learn from others.

Although 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 to friends or e - groups. It needn't be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Ordering Information:
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 or at Amazon where it is discounted:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/qid=1149015406/sr=2 - 1/ Order it as an e - book at http://starpublishllc.com/id43.html

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
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/

A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1441467246/

To learn more about This Is the Place,
Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and She Wore Emerald Then: www.carolynhoward - johnson.com.

She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood is available on Amazon. It is coauthored by Magdalena Ball. http://www.amazon.com/She - Wore - Emerald - Then - Reflections/dp/1438263791/

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/

Contact Information
Websites: http://carolynhoward - Johnson.com (literary)
http://HowToDoItFrugally.com (all things about writing)

For the Frugal Editor, Amazon - direct: www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870

Blogs:

http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing

http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, all things grammatical and ungrammatical

http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews

http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, a blog focused on editing, formatting and craft

http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers.

And now! Tweeting at: www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo and Squidooing at http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors and at http://www.squidoo.com/carolynhoward - johnson