Volume IV
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Newsletter Editor:
Sherry Gibson
Novel-Only a Game-published by Publish America
Poetry-www.authorsden.com/sherrygibson
Featured Poet for Authors Den
www.sherrygibson.com

Assistant Editor:
Sharon Sanders
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Success - by Sherry Gibosn


How To Achieve Success

During a phone conversation, Matt, co-founder of Authors Den, asked me a question. He wanted to know how I found success with my writing. His question caught me off guard because I had never thought of myself in terms of being successful. I really didn’t know how to answer his question, because I had not thought of myself in terms of being a successful writer.. He said I was definitely successful because I was chosen featured poet on Authors Den and that meant that my poetry writing was the most successful they had on their site. After talking with Matt, I did some deep thinking about success because he asked me to write and let others know the key to my success.

First and foremost in achieving success is to have fun with what you are doing. You really have to enjoy what you are doing to find true success. Yet I have found that you can write, love doing it and still not be successful. In thinking about this, I see there must be more to it!

I don’t have the key to success hidden away in my brain. What I do have are some ideas on how I have achieved my little bit of success in the writing world and want to share that with you. I feel that if success is found in writing, it can be found in any other area of life by using the same formula.

I have been a writer for the past thirty years. I did not find much success in the world of writing until this year! Why? If I am talented now, I must have had some natural talent years ago. True. I had the talent, but I lacked the confidence in my self.

I did what many authors do. I set myself up to be a failure. I went out of my way to be sure that I failed at becoming a successful author. The fear I had of rejection and failure were so real to me, so much a part of myself that I made sure I met my own expectations!

After thirty years of making excuses of why I could not get a book published and why I wasn’t a poet, I decided to break the mold. I wanted to be successful. I wanted to see a novel with my name on it as the author. I did not want to fail. I might fail, yes, but if I did it would be because of some outside force, not from my own doing this time.

I joined a writers group on the internet, called Stories.com There are lots of them, Authors Den being my favorite! I wrote a few chapters of a novel and posted them for reviews. Each time I would post something, people would come in and rate and review it for me. Their high praise gave me self confidence in my own work.. I continued writing.

After deciding that I could actually write this novel and polish it up from beginning to end, sending out the manuscript was more difficult. My husband constantly encouraged me to give it a try. I told him all the reasons that it would be a waste of time. No book publishing company will look at a manuscript from an unknown author without an agent. (Wrong) I had a list of excuses that went on and on. I soon realized that the only way I would ever know the real truth about my talent was to put it before the editors. I did some very detailed research on the internet to make sure I chose a publishing company that was accepting manuscripts from unknown authors without an agent. Then I took time to read through their list of requirements for submissions. I can’t stress this point enough for authors.

In short order, two publishing companies asked to see the manuscript and told me exactly how they wanted it presented. Once again I followed their directions and sent in the manuscript. It was only a short time when I was made an offer by Publish America to sign a contract with them for my novel, Only a Game.

If you believe in yourself, then you will believe in yourself enough to sell yourself and your writing to others. You will never get inside the door if your cover letter makes a statement such as “I don’t know if this story is any good or what you are looking for, but here it is.” Negative thinking brings negative results. First you aren’t going to submit a cover letter to any editor until you are positive they are interested in your type of book ! If you are not sure your manuscript is good enough, then work on it until you are positive it is ready for the market ! Think positive about yourself and your work and let that come through loud and clear in your cover letter. Remember, positive, not egotistical and obnoxious.

More helpful hints to come in following issues of this newsletter

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Featured Author of the week:

Name: April Van Hoose

I am a 27 year old female and I am also a person who
has been living with lupus since I was 19. I enjoy
reading Science Fiction / Fantasy Novels. And a good
mystery is great too. I love to listen to Alternative
music some of my faveorite groups include The Cure,
Pink Floyd and Depeche Mode to name a few. I also love
cats and all critters that are cute and cuddly. I have
four cats and a chinchilla at the moment and they are
all my kids. I am currently the book-keeper for my
husbands business and that keeps me rather busy. In my
free time i also enjoy painting and of course writing
poetry. I am also working on a Fantasy Novel that i
hope to publish one day. I live on five acres out in
the country and don't miss the city one bit!


Emptiness........
that deep sense of loneliness,
I feel at times that this,
Is the way that life always gets...
When you think you feel happiness,
Be prepared for the helplessness,
Of Emptiness..........

April,
Received: Nov 4, 2002
© Copyright 2002 April Van Hoose. All rights reserved.

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Remeber that each week we are going to be featuring an aurthor. Please submit your poetry or articlles to me as quickly as possible. I have a few submissions lined up now and look forward to many more!

If you have any comments or encouragement to offer April on her poem, please email them to me at Sherry@sherrygibson.com and I will see that they are forwarded on to her immediately.

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Assistant Editor, Sharon Sanders has been suffering through a Lupus flare in recent weeks, but she has came through with some wonderful writing sites to share with you this week. A very special thank you goes out to Sharon! Her time and research is a big help to me each week.

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Following are two very interesting writing sites for you to view:


http://www.nwu.org/links/linkepub.htm

Site explains electronic publishing. Comapres Ebooks vs.POD (Print on Demand). Exclusive vs. Nonexclusive.
Very interesting site for writers.




http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/NCW/litag.htm

Excellent site for links to articles on agents, agencies, and links to directories of agents.

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This is an interactive newsletter and comments or ideas from the readers are always welcome here and if suitable will be published in the next issue.