Larry Brooks Fighting the Publishing Odds for Fiction Writers

By Larry Brooks


In some polite company it’s not kosher to speak the truth about publishing your fiction. It’s like walking into a cancer ward and announcing to all those folks hooked up to tubes that only one out of ten of you is going to survive.

Not good. Haven’t tried that one, but I have spoken at writing conferences where the mere allusion to the truth, as it applies to writers, nearly got me lynched.

Even though the odds aren’t even one out of ten. They are much more daunting than that.

But I continue to speak this truth, not to discourage, but to motivate. Because the bar is very high, the competition very focused and talented, and the folks who say yes or no to your work really – truly – don’t know any more about it than you do.

You want rah-rah, go see Tony Robbins. You want the truth, keep reading.

So here’s the truth.

What you are about to read is a clarifying tool, a light at the end of your tunnel, a destination, an agenda, a truth. I like to think of it as a gift, one that, when it was presented to me, changed my writing life.

Understand these things, and chances are – nothing is definite when it comes to publishing – you will sell your novel or screenplay.

There are six separate things you need to understand and master to write a publishable story. I say separate, but then, when you finally master them, you need to combine them in a way that elevates the combined parts to something in excess of their sum.

Which is the very essence of art.

Here they are.

You need a killer concept. A fresh and compelling idea. Something that will make Spielberg invite you to lunch to kick it around.

You need to craft deep and resonant characters. Heroes that align us with their quest. Villains that titillate and terrify. Bit-players that represent the plethora of choices people make in their lives.

You need thematic power. Something that makes folks feel as if they are experiencing life itself in your story. Something that hits them where they live and endures long after they’ve forgotten your name. Which they will.

You need to understand how to craft effective and efficient narrative scenes. You can wax eloquent about the first three essentials on this list all day, but if you can’t put it on paper in a way that makes sense you’re not in the game yet. Nor will you be until you can.

You need a writing voice, a narrative style, that delivers your story without distraction, and perhaps with an artful nuance. You don’t need to write like Updike – in fact, that will get you rejected quicker than trying to sing like Whitney Houston will get you booted from American Idol.

I’ve saved the best for last.

Because this is the one core competency where the vast majority of unpublished manuscripts slide under the bus.

You need your story to unfold within the parameters of accepted dramatic structure. There are certain things that need to appear in your story at certain places.

You can’t just make it up as you go along.

Even if you do make up the content of your story as you go – not recommended, but if you must, you must – at the end of the writing day you can’t mess with the form and function of accepted story structure.

Don’t believe this? Ask a published writer.

They may describe it differently – there are many ways to skin this literary cat, and some still cling to the illusion of free-form storytelling – but in essence they’ll all tell you the same thing.

Story structure is the magic bullet of story telling. Ask yourself this question: do you even know what it is?

If you didn’t respond with a quick affirmative, or if you did and secretly aren’t so sure, then this might be the moment where your writing career spins in a new direction.

Because that information is out there.

And you get to choose – will you seek it out? Will you master it? Or will you, perhaps in the name of art, continue to believe that you can write whatever you want, in whatever order and form you want, and continue to harbor the hope that someone will buy it?

That’s like someone insisting they can make the PGA tour by hitting the ball with kitchen utensils instead of the accepted elements of the game. Creative, yes. Perhaps even artfully so. But realistic? Not remotely.

It’s your call. Everyone who has ever published a novel or sold a screenplay made that choice. Whatever their process, they’ve landed in the same place – a story that lines up with the accepted parameters of structure.

Bottom line:

You need all six of these core competencies – concept, character, theme, structure, scene construction and voice – to succeed as a writer of fiction. Weakness in any one of them will get you rejected.

But within those six agendas, one stands out as the bedrock, the foundation, for all the others – story structure.

Because if it isn’t there, it’ll sink like a ship without a hull. You can’t build a palace on a platform of woven thread. You need a solid, architecturally sound vessel for your story before it can set sail.
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Larry Brooks is the creator of Storyfix.com, an instructional writing resource for novelists and screenwriters. He’s also a bestselling novelist and the author of Story Structure – Demystified, available through his site.

Note: I love this book. I've read Joseph Campbell and probably dozens of other books on structure, myth, theme and more. Story Structure demystifies but it also inspires by knocking a writer on the noggin with the truth.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it:

Reaching Your Demographic On Facebook

I recently read a study that showed that Facebook is by far and away populated by the young. It made me worry that if other authors read this study, it might discourage them from utilizng Facebook as a social network (unless they are writing for the young themselves, of course.) That's when I thought it might be best to issue a warning to my Sharing with Writers visitors and subscribers.

Look at your own friends at Facebook. They will be comprised of people of whatever age you want to appeal to because you invited them or they found you. Further, Facebook is sooooo huge there will be plenty of people in any demographic you need for your book. You'll never exhaust the possibilities. Further, age is certainly not the only way to look at a reading demographic. No single age groups has dibs on a particular genre. There may be women in their 80s who enjoy a good soience fiction story. If you write science fiction, why would you care how old she is!

I wouldn't care if the 90% of Facebook users were nonreaders under the age of five; if there were 6,000 over the age of five who might be interested in reading my book, those would be the ones I'd go after. Only 6,000? Well, by the time I exhausted that supply, more would have joined up.

And BTW, Facebook limits your friends to 5,000 anyway. There are surely 5,000 among the millions who will want to know what you have to say.

And while we're on the subject of that 5,000 limit...well, that limit is one reason many authors are turning to Fan Pages on Facebook. That's a different subject for a different day. Or for the comment section of this blog. Anyone care to share on that? Just search out the little orangey comments link below.


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

An Important Book for Freelancers (and Other Writers Too!) in This Recession

I usually post book reviews at The New Book Review but this one! Well this one is such an important book. In this economy it may even be important to writers of fiction because it will help them make a living by writing! A caveat here. The author, Peter Bowerman, has been a friend of mine for some years--since I met him when we both spoke at a Small Publishers of North America College back in about 2001. But I became a fan because of his expertise and I wouldn't tell you this is an important book if it weren't. So, here is The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less!


PREMISE:

In the course of communicating with customers and employees, companies of all sizes generate an enormous volume of writing. Yet, in today’s downsized business world, outsourcing is king. Many companies are asking: “Why pay salaries and benefits when freelancers – offering a wide range of talent and fresh “outsider” perspectives – give us only what we need, and only when we need it?”

BACKGROUND:

In 1993, in less than four months, Peter Bowerman built a lucrative “paying-all-the-bills” commercial writing practice: writing for businesses, large and small and for hourly rates of $50-125+ (and did so with NO industry contacts, previous paid writing experience or writing training).

In 2000, he released The Well-Fed Writer, a detailed blueprint to help others do the same. The book became an award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection. In 2004, he released a companion volume (95% new content), TWFW: Back For Seconds (triple-award finalist), to fill in the gaps left by the original title.

The new title includes the heavily updated content of BOTH original titles.

EXPLODING MYTHS:

In its 368 pages, this new edition demolishes the stereotype of the “starving writer,” and with the same level of exhaustive how-to detail that earned the original titles high marks from readers. Indeed, the book assumes nothing on the part of readers other than decent writing ability and a desire to turn it into a handsome living.

Drawing from the author’s own experiences and those of dozens of commercial writers worldwide, TWFW shows why it’s a promising field for good writers, what qualities you need to succeed, where the projects are, how to land them, what to charge, how to get paid, and how to get hired again and again – even with less-than-brilliant writing ability.

EASING FEARS:

While marketing strategies fill the book, TWFW acknowledges the deathly fear of Sales and Marketing harbored by most “creatives,” and devotes an entire early chapter to demystifying the “Panic Pair” and helping readers develop a “marketing mindset” – minus the pulse-pounding anxiety.

In addition, the book speaks to writers with unusual writing niches as well as those building the business part-time or in smaller markets. Marketing by phone, email, direct mail, web sites and networking are all covered.

AUDIENCES:

While the WFW titles have always appealed to writers (seasoned and aspiring), at-home Moms, ex-journalists and PR people, home-based business-seekers, 55+ career-changers, and others, the economic times have made the book attractive to another group: the many long-unemployed job seekers seeking to leverage past career experience into a flexible lucrative profession offering strong income potential along with enviable quality of life. All will find TWFW a useful tool to start, build and manage an unusually profitable writing business.

Please take a minute to let Peter and me know what you think of exploding that myth that the adjective "starving" must accompany the noun "writer." The comment link is sort of orangish. Find it below. (-:

Technorati Tags:
peter bowerman, freelance writing, making a living by writing, writing in the recesssion, the well-fed writer,
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

7 Ways To Open Marketing Doors By Being A Virtual Social Butterfly

In my absence, Tony Eldridge has agreed to provide a guest blog. He and I are the perfect example of what "social butterflying" can do. We met on Twitter (find him @TonyEldridge) and have been cross promoting and marketing ever since. After you read it, you'll want to drop him a note and begin to work with him, too!Yes, and go comment on his blog!

By Tony Eldridge, author of The Samson Effect

There are some people who make it a point to be at every conference, every cocktail party, every local charity event and every corporate sponsored event. In fact, they make it a point to be where ever people are. Why? Not because they like to party or drink, but because half their marketing work can be done at social events like these.

Maybe you don't live in a large city where these opportunities are available, or maybe you don't belong to the "in" crowd where some of the most exclusive (and in many respects, most profitable) "networking" cocktail party happen. But there are things you can to do stretch your social butterfly wings, flit around to meet people, and thus, open your own doors of opportunities. Consider these social mingling techniques:

Tweet and DM your followers- Engage not only people on your follower list, but those who follow your followers. Is there someone whose ear you wish you had? Follow them and engage them in conversations. Who knows where it could lead?

Comment on blogs- Read blog posts and then take the time to comment on them. I know it's easy to digest great content and adapt it to your needs, but taking that little extra moment to drop off a comment can be a powerful way to strengthen your networking ties.

Use the About Me/Contact Me page- For a more private way to rub elbows with people you wish were in your marketing circle, look up their contact info on their web site and drop them a line. Plan out your message. You wouldn't walk up to someone at a cocktail party and say, "Looks like rain, doesn't it?" Make a quick intro, highlight your common ties, let them know you appreciate their blog (site, product, book, etc.. Just be truthful), and plant the seed for future conversations.

Show up at scheduled gatherings- Is someone hosting a podcast, webinar or other event? Sign up and participate. Mutual support can go a long way in the marketing business.

Groups, Groups, Groups!- Facebook, Yahoo, Google, MSN Linked-In and a plethora of online niche groups exist to provide ample opportunities for you to hobnob with others. If you don't see any you like (unlikely), you can even start your own.

(Wo)Man of the "week"- Look for ways to honor someone for their contributions. You can do this by doing a quick blog post, ask them to be a guest blogger, sent out a Tweet (similar to the concept behind FollowFriday), or a whole host of other creative ways. As the sponsoring individual, you should have some great access to the guest of honor.

Ask for introductions- Hey, you have cultivated some great networking relationships, right? Reach out to them and ask for introductions. You've done it many times at offline social events, haven't you? "Mr. Jones, I'd like you to meet a colleague of mine..."

Stretch your wings, flit around, and develop those virtual social butterfly skills. Before you know it, your Rolodex will be full and your name will be known in many circles. If you're like me, this is a fun way to build your network. However, keep in mind my parting advice: Just like offline gatherings, you will make a much more memorable impression by making the initial meeting more about them than about you.
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Tony Eldridge is the author of the award winning action/adventure novel, The Samson Effect, which Clive Cussler calls a "first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure." He is also the creator of Marketing Tips for Authors, a site the publishes free tips and videos to help authors learn marketing techniques for their books. You can read the serial release of The Samson Effect at http://samsoneffect.marketingtipsforauthors.com/

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Marvin Wilson Talks Public Speaking

I am on vacation and good friend, author and blogger Marvin Wilson has agreed to expound on one of my favorite topics, public speaking, in my absence. I often say that speaking (and teaching) the number one ways to promote one's book and one's writing career. Here is Marv's expert take:

On Becoming a Public Speaker
It’s All About Faith, Belief, and Works

By Marvin Wilson

Today we are talking about public speaking. While becoming a public speaker is not absolutely necessary, many authors have gone on to fame and fortune while remaining reclusive hermits, it is one of the most effective ways of making large advances in self promotion and marketing in your writing career. So. Let’s assume you have already decided, you’re going to do it. You’re going to book TV and radio talk shows and interviews, get booths at markets and fairs to sell your stuff, do book signings, give talks at libraries, church socials and other social groups and clubs, teach a class, give a speech at someone else’s class on your subject of expertise, you’re going to line up a whole roster of events and appearances. But for some there is still one problem.

You are scared (bleep)less!

Have no fear, your edifying friend Marvin is here! What was it Winston Churchill said? “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. Oh, I know, I know, easier said than done. Nice rhetoric, but how am I supposed to overcome my fear of public speaking by quoting some famous deceased statesman? I break out in hives at the mere thought of being in front of a room full of people. Been that way all my life.

Well, waa, waa, waa … get over it. Look, you have to do this. And, you can do it. I believe in you. You’ve written a book. That means you’re a talented person. It means you are intelligent. You can reason, reflect, speculate, consider, calculate, work your craft, and make informed choices. It’s time to choose to get over your fear of public speaking. Right now.

Now, if you’ve never so much as introduced yourself in front of a Sunday school class before, I’m not proposing you start off with a keynote address to a national convention of thousands of people. That would be psychological and emotional suicide. No, I’m suggesting you set yourself up to succeed. Start small. Baby steps. There’s a personal development technique I learned years ago called “stepping outside your comfort zone.”

We all have a comfort zone (let’s acronym it for brevity here – CZ). We have a CZ for noise, for proximity of strangers, for habitat, for temperature, for love and intimacy, for financial security - for every aspect of our lives, we establish CZ’s and love to stay within them, hanging onto our security blankets, contained within our little circles, our bubbles of coziness, as if we’ll get eaten alive by rabies-infested hobgoblins if we dare to step outside our warm and fuzzy CZ’s.

Well, you know what? Your CZ’s are exactly what is holding you back from busting loose, from getting free, from becoming all that you can be. That entire whole being that God and the universe intends and wants you to be. So, start moving (carefully at first) out of your CZ. You don’t want to leap way out of your CZ intitally, because you will probably get burned and your resulting gun-shyness will cause your CZ to shrink as a result. Diminishing returns. Trust me, I know, that’s what happens in most cases. (Been there) There are rare exceptions, people who are natural born quantum leapers. Only you can know if that cosmic shoe fits. I recommend for most of us, that we take baby steps. Here are some ideas.

Join your local Toastmasters. This is excellent training with people exactly where you are at. Take a class at your local junior college or university on public speaking. Stand up in front of your family gatherings, get everyone’s attention, and pronounce to them all that you have just published a book and then tell them why it is so great and why they should not only support a family member with their purchase, but also talk you and your profferings up to their friends and co-workers and encourage them to do themselves a favor by obtaining some of your books also. Do some networking and form a local social group of people just like you who want to overcome their fears and get out of their CZ on speaking. Meet weekly and give presentations to each other and give constructive critiques of each other’s performances. Invite a professional speaker you know to come to your meeting, give a talk, and then listen to yours and share his or her knowledge with you and critique your speeches. This is all safe stuff! Nobody gets hurt … well not too much – a little pain is going to be necessary. As the old Zen saying goes, ‘No pain, no gain.’ But it’s worth it. You will grow and gain in confidence as a result of making yourself vulnerable to the candid and honest opinions of those who care about you.

An interjection is apropos here.

Those jitters? The stage fright? That queasiness in your stomach? It never goes away. For some more than others it will to some degree, but for all performers worth their salt, there is always an element of nervousness before a performance. It means you care. Get used to it and get over it. It’s actually good for you. Adrenalin rushes through your body – it peaks your attention, your awareness. Your nerve endings are tingling – great. You are sooooo alive! Barbara Streisand, arguably one of the greatest singers of all time, used to literally throw up before every performance. She would puke. Then she’d collect herself, go out and mesmerize her audience with her dazzle, her maxi, her fabulous talent. The moral of this interjection? Your fears are your best friend. Embrace them. Thank them, and use them to your advantage. Do you know what the difference between a coward and a hero is? A coward is afraid and runs away. A hero is also afraid, but pushes on anyway. Okay, let’s move on.

Next step? All right, your precious little circle of comfort, your CZ has been “stretched” – it’s bigger now. Now stretch it out some more. You follow my drift? Whenever you’ve achieved a larger CZ, push it out a little further. From toastmaster and freshman class courses and speaking to friends, family and church/social club/class members, you go on to requesting to speak to a local meeting of the AARP or the AA, or the MAD, or the (fill in the blank with whatever fits your genre/demographic and area of expertise) – step out and start speaking to people who don’t know you. Big step. But not so big you can’t handle it after all the preparation you’ve done.

Get comfortable with that CZ, then stretch your CZ some more. Repeat the cycle, over and over, until you are no longer comfortable being comfortable.

Repeat those last seven words to yourself. Absorb them.

Repeat them again. Absorb them some more. Meditate more on them. Now personalize it.

I am no longer comfortable being comfortable.

There is no growth in comfort, do you understand? If you are not moving forward, you are falling back. Stagnation is regression, because your competition is always moving forward. The world stops for no one.

Eventually, if you commit to this regimen of personal growth, you will be confident enough to appear on live TV and be interviewed on live radio, to speak with authority in front of hundreds. But keep pushing, keep stretching. Never let your CZ hold you back from the next stage of growth. Set your goal right now to one day be the keynote speaker at that national convention in front of thousands that we talked about (in fear) earlier. Picture it. Visualize it. You are there. You deliver your speech; you receive a standing ovation, sign three hundred fifty hundred copies of your purchased books afterwards, and have invitations to speak all across the nation (and around the world) from thenceforth. Can you believe it? If you can believe it, if you really own it and are willing to do whatever it takes, stepping out of your comfort zone every time it gets too “comfortable,” it will happen.

It’s all about faith, belief, and works.
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Contact Information:
E-mail: marvwilson2020@gmail.com
Blog: http://theoldsilly.comTwitter page: http://twitter.com/Paize_FiddlerFacebook page: http://tinyurl.com/mfvzm7

Marvin’s books can be purchased at:
I Romanced the Stone - http://tinyurl.com/laxbre
Owen Fiddler - http://tinyurl.com/n7azh8
Between the Storm and the Rainbow - https://www.createspace.com/3372206

Read reviews of Marvin’s books at: http://theoldsilly.com/book-reviews/

And watch the Owen Fiddler book trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVRkDSmwSjE&feature=player_embedded
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Joint Venture Marketer Shares Online Secrets with Clients and We're Peeking!

While I am on vacation I am running guest blogs from some of the savviest book marketers and writers I know. Denise Cassino is one of those. I am working with her on a Christmas Gift Ideas Catalog this season and a book launch this spring. She is the force behind Long Story Short and you can find her at www.wizardlywebdesigns.com. This is from an e-mail (with permission of course) that she sent out to those of us participating in the catalog. How nice of her to let all of us peek! She is ever one to give more than her clients expect:


Dear Catalog Promoters,

Many of you are far more savvy than I when it comes to Internet marketing and social networking, but for those of you who have not yet discovered some of the very cool tools out there, I want to share some with you and ask that you set these up so you can easily promote our launches and the catalog as well as your own books, products and services. As you all know, the success of this catalog depends upon how many people we reach through our collective internet marketing efforts. Now is the time to work on building up your social media contacts so you’ll all have a wide audience in December.

I discovered www.ping.fm – this is an awesome tool that allows you to post to all your social networks with a single click. It offers about 50 networks in its system so you can easily join those you don’t already belong to.

When you join this, you see on the lower right side of your dashboard, www.hootsuite.com – this is an amazing Twitter tool. I haven’t been a huge fan of Twitter because I think it not very user friendly but this puts all of your own tweets and those of others in categorized columns with profiles of the senders at the click of a button. It also provides a quick retweet button so we can all retweet each others’ tweets which then add credibility to what we’re promoting. You’ll love it!

If you want to really grow your twitter following, www.twitterspinner.com is an amazing tool, but does cost about $19/mo. I’m going to do it because it clears out people you’re following who aren’t following you, it invites followers, it tracks keywords that fit your list and much, much more.

Here's something else of marketing interst. We’re changing the catalog to the Spirit of the Season catalog so if it goes well, we can promote it all year – winter issue, spring issue, etc. Also, some people don’t celebrate Christmas so this is more generic. We’ll provide you with banners and the usual promotional blurbs. Tell you friends to join as the more we have, the bigger the promotion and the sales we can expect.

Those who would like to access the Spirit of the Season catalog to see the festive offerings may do so at www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com.

Guest Blogger Biography

Denise Cassino is a Joint Venture Marketing Specialist doing Amazon book, product and service launches which produce #1 Bestsellers.
www.wizardlywebdesigns.com
E-mail: dencassino@gmail.com
Phone: 303 838 3399
Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DCassino

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Dana Lynn Smith on How to Sell Your Book to Libraries

By Dana Lynn Smith

Libraries are a huge market, with America's 123,000 libraries purchasing nearly $2 billion worth of books annually, according to statistics from the American Library Association and the Book Industry Study Group. Here are some ways to tap into this important market:

• Get your book reviewed in a library journal.
• Solicit testimonials from librarians.
• Make sure your book is available through at least one major book wholesaler, such as Baker & Taylor or Ingram.
• Apply to work with a library distributor such as Quality Books or Unique Books, if you have a nonfiction book.
• Contact libraries in your area to inquire about speaking opportunities and special programs for local authors, and contact libraries in towns you visit.
• Send direct mail to libraries, either on your own or through co-operative mailings. Address mail to the Collection Development Librarian for your subject area, and include a flyer with book details and a list of wholesalers and distributors that carry your book.
• Contact libraries in your area and in cities you visit, to let them know in advance about speaking events and radio or TV shows that will generate local interest in your book.
• Consider donating a sample copy of your book to a few top library systems, to encourage purchases for branch libraries.
• Exhibit at library tradeshows through co-operative exhibit programs such as those offered through the Independent Book Publishers Association and other organizations.

Nonfiction books are especially well suited to library sales. In addition to public libraries, your book may be a good fit for university libraries, or specialized libraries that focus on specific topics such as religion, medicine or history.
Fiction is best suited to public libraries. To sell fiction, it's helpful to have reviews in journals, book awards, or a strong local tie-in, such as a novel being set in the region.

Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and the author of several book marketing resources. Get free book marketing tips at her Book Marketing Maven blog. For more in-depth information about selling to libraries, along with contact information for top library systems and wholesalers, see The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries.

LINKS

http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/book_marketing_maven/library-review-journals.htmlhttp://www.ibpa-online.org/programs/programs.aspx
http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/
http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/savvy_book_marketer/selling-your-book-to-libraries.html

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widge to let them know about it:

I’m a New Author. What is the Best Way to Get Published?

We authors and bloggers often get letters. It's not surprising avid blogger Marvin Wilson does. He is my guest blogger today (and part of a blog tour contest in which you can win e-copies of my how to books for writers so for heaven's sake, leave a comment so you have a chance!). His topic is the answer to a question he often gets, "What is the best way to get published?"



Having gone through the daunting and laborious task of getting that first book published, I thought I’d take some time and write down some things I’ve learned along the way. Maybe some talented new writer can read this and cut down on the amount of frustration, confusion, and anxiety that I went through trying to break through the barrier from “amateur writer” to “published author.” As the published author of just three books so far, with three more scheduled to be published in 201, I am certainly no senior writing sage – don’t profess to be. However, I am a quick learner, and I think that if you are new to this industry, or even started on your way, you will find my observations and recommendations more than sophomoric. Let’s get started.

First, you have to know what you want, and at the same time you must be realistic in your expectations. Unless you are already famous in some other area, in the literary world you are an unknown. If you have never had a magazine or newspaper article published, never hosted a successful blog, never had so much as a poem in print anywhere, no literary resume of any weight, you have to realize that nobody knows you, and nobody cares that you’ve written a book, even though you may believe it’s the next Great American Novel. Your friends and family have read your manuscript. They may have filled your head with affirmations of how wonderful your precious book is, encouraging you to get it published, assuring you that you are at least equal to Stephen King and will most surely be fantastically successful.

Probably not. Not with your first go-around. Maybe not even with your second or third or fourth book. The King himself went through decades of living as a starving artist before his breakthrough novel, “Carrie,” vaulted him into ‘overnight’ success. (Read On Writing by Stephen King. This is mandatory reading for all aspiring authors). Trying to get a major publisher or literary agent to pick you up, as a novice, is about as easy as herding cats, and as much fun as a root canal. If you go about it the wrong way, you may well become despondent, frustrated, and give up. This article is intended to help you find your way with some clear, proven methods of getting your writing career up and running.

So, let’s get started. Here are your down-to-earth choices, Mr. or Mrs. Novice Author. There are four realstic choices available to you.

They are-
1. Self-publish
2. Go with a vanity press
3. Go with a POD
4. Get a contract with a small traditional publishing house

Choice number one: you can self-publish. This is a monumental undertaking. You buy your own ISBN number, you copyright the work yourself, you produce the cover art (or pay an artist for it), you hire a printing press to produce the copies (Amazon.com now has a self-pub option with BookSurge that makes it a little easier, I’ve been told), and then you seek a distributor to distribute your books (which you probably will not be able to get) or you market and sell your books yourself. True self-publishing makes sense only if your work is too controversial for any publisher to print, or if your book relates only to a small geographic area, or perhaps if you just want to produce a textbook for a class you are teaching in some obscure subject that you are an expert at – those types of scenarios. Otherwise, it’s too much work (for this author, at least) to take on.

While the next two options are often (mistakenly) called “self-publishing,” they are actually not. These are publishing houses that do it (all that work we discussed above) for a fee. They are the vanity presses and the POD (print on demand) publishers. Some of the better known vanity presses are iUniverse, XLibris and AuthorHouse. But there are hundreds of them, just do a Google search. They are the easiest way to publish. With many of them, you just pay a fee and they’ll publish your work, even if what you’ve written is the most pathetic drivel ever penned. So if you are with me so far, we are now left with two other choices. Get with a good, reputable POD publisher, or go for a small traditional publisher’s contract. Let’s talk the POD route first.

A good POD publisher will have standards. The more respectable the outfit, the higher the standards. They don’t publish just any rubbish. You will in most cases need to submit a query letter to get their attention. You also need to investigate the company enough to know if they are accepting submissions and/or queries at this time. Remember, they are small; they can only publish so many books in any given year. Nowadays they all have websites, so go there and read up on them. Find out what genres they accept and which they do not. Most do not want a full manuscript submission before reading your query. If they like your query, they will usually ask for a sample first three chapters.

Know this: submission guidelines vary - so do your homework. Your book could miss a chance at being published just because you didn’t take the time to read up on how a particular publishing house wants you to submit your query/sample/manuscript. That nettles veterans in the industry. If you are too unprofessional to read and follow simple submission instructions, or for some reason can’t read, they don’t want anything to do with you. Remember, these are professionals. They’ve been at this a long time, and they can smell an unpromising, slow-learning amateur from a continent away.

After reading your query and sample, if they still like what they are reading, they will likely ask to read the whole manuscript. Then, and only then, (and after an agonizing long wait, most cases – I’m talking months - really) will you find out if you have landed a publisher willing to publish your work. So, first off, you need to learn how to write an effective, attention-getting, professional looking query letter. There are plenty of sources for tutorials on the do’s and don’ts of writing a good query letter. Do a Google search. Two sources I highly recommend from personal experience are Carolyn Howard Johnson’s book, The Frugal Book Promoter, and Janet Elaine Smith's Promo Paks.

Now we come to the fourth viable option, landing a contract with a small traditional publishing house. Here are some of the advantages of going that route:

A) They pay all the expenses to publish your book. You have no out of pocket costs. Unless, that is, they don’t have an in-house editor to your liking and/or standards and you need to hire one. And, a side note here, you must use a good editor. The best authors with dozens of best-sellers already to their credit have an editor. Even editors use another editor for their own books. As the author, you often cannot “see” what is actually on the page. You think it’s there, but it’s not clear or missing altogether – or visa versa. Good editors will spot plot/subplot/timeline inconsistencies, character trait/speech inconsistencies, poor sentence and paragraph structure; I could go on and on. This is mandatory – hire the services of a professional editor, a good one. Back to the advantages.

B) Unlike the Big Houses, small traditional publishers still allow you a large amount of control over your work. You will still most likely have the say in what the cover looks like. A company I worked with recently, (Cambridge Books), even welcomes the author submitting the cover art his or herself if they have it. Also, if they like your manuscript enough to pay to publish it, they probably won’t demand that you rework it in any major way.

Now some disadvantages to consider.

A) As with PODs, small traditional publishing houses do not have staff and budgets to market your book for you. You are just as alone here as with the POD’s. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.

B) When I say “small” traditional publisher, that’s exactly what I mean. You have not hit the big time. Getting your first “real” contract can lull you into a deadly slumber, thinking you’ve “made it” and have no work to do except write for a living from now on. Your book could go nowhere, and probably will, unless you start promoting and marketing the living bejeebers out of it starting months before the expected release date.

C) You make less money on the sale per book. Since the publisher has shelled out the bucks to publish your book, they take a higher cut of the proceeds from sales. Your royalties will be a smaller percentage than with PODs, and your net ROI will be somewhat less on personal sales than with a POD publisher.

There you have it. Four avenues to consider for publishing your book. My best wishes I send to you as your pursue your new career in the wonderful and challenging world of literature.
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Marvin D. Wilson is the author of three published books, I Romanced the Stone (Memoirs of a Recovering Hippie), Owen Fiddler, and Between the Storm and the Rainbow. Owen Fiddler has been awarded the prestigious AVATAR award for excellence in spiritual books. Wilson has had articles published in several Ezines, and has been interviewed on hundreds of blogs, radio and TV shows, both over the internet and on the airwaves. A prolific blogger, his internationally popular blog, The Old Silly’s Free Spirit Blog, was voted first place in the 2008 Book Blogger Appreciation Week award contest, in the Christian/Inspirational Fiction category.

Wilson is a family man, married for thirty three years, with three adult children and six grandchildren. He has been around the block of life several times, through the ups and downs, and has survived in good enough spirits to desire to write about life, to write about living life on purpose. Wilson is a self-described “non-religious, dogma-free, Maverick spiritualist Christian.” He writes books that deliver spiritual and inspirational messages in an engaging, thought provoking, often times humorous, more than often irreverent, sometimes sexy and even ribald way, through the spinning of an entertaining tale.

Marvin D Wilson is an editor with All Things That Matter Press and also does freelance editing.

Contact Information:
E-mail: marvwilson2020@gmail.com
Blog: http://theoldsilly.com
Twitter page: http://twitter.com/Paize_Fiddler

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

November a Writing Month for Nonfiction Writers, Too

Everybody knows about November as a supported writing month for fiction writers but it seems few know about this one for nonfiction writers. If it is too late, maybe you nonfiction writers can put the information on your calendar for next year. And note that Nina keeps the nonfiction blog going all year.

During November nonfiction writers get a chance to hone their skills and complete a nonfiction project during the annual Write Nonfiction in November challenge. Now in it's third year, Write Nonfiction in November (WNFiN) isn't a contest in the traditional sense. It's a personal challenge to nonfiction writers to simply start and finish a book, article, essay, query letter, e-book, booklet, proposal, or any other work or nonfiction in 30 days. And while they do so, a blog provides nonfiction writing, editing, promotion, marketing, and publishing information to help them sell themselves and their writing.

Blog posts, which can be read at www.writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com, initially were written by WNFiN founder Nina Amir, an author, journalist, nonfiction editor/coach/consultant, but last year she brought in expert guest bloggers to provide additional information. Again this year she simply will provide a few posts of her own and introductions to posts written by expert guest bloggers--28 in all! Additionally, via blog comments and a new forum WNFiN provides nonfiction writers with a way to comment on and chat about their writing experiences during November. Post also can be read in Amir's blog at www.redroom.com, where Write Nonfiction in November was featured in RedRoom.com's Best Blog series for 12 days in November 2008.

Although WNFiN is a November event, the blog is kept "alive" all year long with one post per month.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Obama's Half Brother To "Self Publish"

A news story in the LA Times (Page A32, Thursday, Nov 5) caught my attention.

The reclusive half brother of President Obama has written a memoir. I hadn't read much about this man before and I was fascinated by his accomplishments, but the part of the story that caught my eye was this:

Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo published with Aventine Press in San Diego. The Times called it a "self-publishing press" but it is really a subsidy or partner press in the vein of iUniverse (most of these publishers offer a different set of services, different personalities, different prices).

What the Times didn't say is why he chose to publish that way and I was curious because it is obvious his book will sell well and could have made a lot of money for most any traditional publisher. In fact, it would sell well worldwide because Ndesandjo is known here, in China where he lives with his wife, in Africa and, by association with his brother's name, about everywhere else.

Here's the thing. I can't ask him. Or, at the very least, if I were able to it would probably take a long time to get the question to him and to get an answer back. Here's what I think he might have been thinking:

1. In the long run, he can make more money than he might have traditionally published. If this memoir takes off big, his profits per book will be huge compared to his royalties per book. This thinking, of course, will only pay off for him if the book sells like crazy but the possibility for this particular author is certainly out there. (By the way, 15% of his profits will be donated to a charity for children.)

2. He wanted full control over every aspect of the publishing and marketing process for his book.

3. He wanted to get the book out there fast.

4. And this is certainly a possibility, too. Memoirs are hard to sell via the traditional route. Unless you are a celebrity. Maybe the traditional presses were so shortsighted they didn't see him as celebrity material. If that's the case, I think they are wrong. Up to now he has been a quiet type. But the media possibilities are there. The article I read was a page headline, the full width (six columns) wide, filled the upper half of the page, and includes a three-column (colored!) photograph of the author.

The article didn't say whether Ndesandjo's book will be printed on digital press or offset. Aventine may offer both possibilities. I hope it's a large edition printed on an offset press becaue the profits will be greater for him that way and I know this book is going to sell big time so the risk of doing a full run (rather than a few here and there on demand) is not great.


PS: If you should know anyone who is uncertain about their publishing path, please let them know that I consult and can also coach them through the publishing process. I have published almost every possible way--from e-book to POD to traditional. And the word "publishing" is not just the printing process (a concept many publishers seem to be missing these days). True publishing includes marketing and that includes distribution, promotion, and publicity, too.


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Barbara Techel Poses Dilemma We All Wish We Had

In my Sharing with Writers newsletter I sometimes do a question and answer feature. You know, like Dear Abby and Ann Landers. But mine are about writing, of course! Here is a question from a regular reader of this blog, so I thought I'd run it here, too. And if anyone wants to receive my newsletter, just send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews @ AOL. com. And thank you, Barbara!

QUESTION:

Hi Carolyn. I loved your advice about bookstore signings and being prepared with your own set up items. Now I can't remember if I read that in your book or if I read it in your newsletter, but at any rate, it is great advice! I have three book stores in one city who have offered to do a book signing for me, which is perfect timing with my new book coming out soon!! They are all within 5 minutes of each other though. One is a pet store, one is a Christian book store and one is a regular book store (which I did at a signing at last year and did well). Do you have any suggestions of strategizing that ~Barbara Techel, author of the multi-award winning, Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog. (Frankie named Mascot of Disabled Pets Day!! http://www.disabledpetsday.com; learn more about the book at http://www.joyfulpaws.com/store.htm.

ANSWER:

What a great problem to have, Barbara.

Of course, you will want to promote each of the events. That means each retailer will certainly know about the other. I would advise candor in any case. I'd go to your first choice store and ask. But I wouldn't leave my question open ended. Let's say you approach the bookstore first. Keep in mind the needs of each retailer as you frame your question. I'd say something like "I have some other offers for book signings. None of them are in direct competition to you for none are bookstores. You are my first choice and I'm wondering if you'd like me to space the signings by 30 days or so. Keep in mind that I plan to do lots of promotion for you."

Notice that I didn't ask if they wanted an exclusive. I would not give them that much power with my opening pitch. If they should bring up the subject of an exclusive, negotiate. "For how long?" is a fair question. It is patently unfair for them to want an exclusive for a year or forever. Thirty to 60 days should be enough. If they do, however, then you'll want to adjust your plans according to what you think is best for your book and your audience.

Then you repeat this process with your next retailer. You are in a unique position because you book has not yet been published. That gives you plenty of time to play with the dates and still have a signing at all three while your book is still a fresh release.

I'm glad that The Frugal Book Promoter and Sharing with Writers newsletter have been helpful to you. If you don't have The Frugal Editor, you might consider it. The chapters on writing query letters will be uniquely helpful to you as you begin to query for more and more feature stories, signings and radio gigs.

Best, CHJ

PS: Those authors focused on selling books in bookstores might want to read my A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions. It includes lots of author promotions for retailers to consider but more than that, it will give authors a handle on the needs of retailers like independent bookstore owners. In fact, if you read the reviews on Amazon, you'll see that many writers have found it useful. And the basic principles of marketing are pretty much the same for anyone who must sell a product.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.

Blog Tour Sample: Come Play with Us. And Learn!

I am participating in a fun blog tour with a variety of authors--everything from nonfiction writers to poets. I thought that if you followed along it would be fun and you'd see how Karen Cioffi planned this. Not a bad thing for you who have never done a tour using your own blog. Plus, it would give you a chance to win some prizes.

Here is the tour schedule for the month of November. The number before the host's name is the day in November that he/she will post in the tour.

November 1 Dianne Sagan is hosting Heidi Thomas
http://www.diannesagan.wordpress.com


November 2 Harry Gilleland is hosting Karen Cioffi
http://harrygillelandwrites.blogspot.com

November 3 Karen Cioffi is hosting Martha Swirzinki
http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com


November 4 Kathy Stemke is hosting Brigitte Thompson
http://educationtipster.blogspot.com


November 5 Nancy Famolari is hosting Deborah Weed
http://nancygfamolari.blogspot.com

November 6 Margaret Fieland is hosting Elysabeth Eldering
http://www.margaretfieland.com

November 7 Crystalee Calderwood is hosting Harry Gilleland http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com

November 8 Katie Hines is hosting Heather Paye
http://katiehines.blogspot.com

November 9 Helena Harper is hosting Steve Tremp
http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com

November 10 Liana Metal is hosting Crystalee Calderwood
http://lianastories.blogspot.com

November 11 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is hosting Marvin Wilson http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com
Note: You will go to my New Book Review blog to see this. While you're there, you'll want to check the guidelines in the left column to see how your review(s) can be utilized for more exposure.

November 12 Gayle Trent is hosting Dianne Sagan
http://www.gayletrent.com/blog/

November 13 Mayra Calvani is hosting Carolyn Howard-Johnson http://mayrassecretbookcase.blogspot.com


November 14 Marvin Wilson is hosting Gayle Trent
http://theoldsilly.com

November 15 Linda Asato is hosting Mayra Calvani
http://lindaswritingdesk.blogspot.com

November 16 Heather Paye is hosting Katie Hines
http://heatherpaye.blogspot.com

November 17 Steve Tremp is hosting Helena Harper
http://stephentremp.blogspot.com

November 18 Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Linda Asato
http://elysabethsstories.blogspot.com

November 19 Darcia Helle is hosting Liana Metal
http://quietfurybooks.com/blog/


November 20 Deborah Weed is hosting Nancy Famolari
http://deborahweed.ning.com

November 21 Brigitte Thompson is hosting Margaret Fieland http://www.writersinbusiness.blogspot.com

November 22 Martha Swirzinki is hosting Darcia Helle
http://movementplus.com


November 23 Heidi Thomas is hosting Kathy Stemke
http://heidiwriter.wordpress.com

Each day there will be prizes offered. All you have to do is leave a comment on the host's site on the day he/she is posting for their guest and you may a winner! Note, Mayra Calvani, author of a great book on how to review books for fun or for pay, will be hosting me and that's where you can win e-copies of my how-to books for writers.

The Winner will have a choice of ONE of 2 or 3 books of our members or other related gifts, OR a one day guest spot on this blog site!

Prizes being given away evert Day from November 1st through November 23rd!

OH! Wait a minute! That's not all! We will also have a Mystery Site Giveaway and the SUPER-DUPER PRIZE is a $25 (US) GIFT CARD to either Amazon, Target, or an American Express Gift Card.
Winners will be notified the day after each posting. The Mystery Site Winner will be notified Sunday, November 29th.

Come celebrate with us and you may be the winner of a great gift in the process.


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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and two how to books for writers, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't and The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Her FRUGAL book for retailers is 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. She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor blog.