Larry Brooks Pens Mixed Bag of Wonderful Ideas for Writers

Note: I rarely write or publish reviews on this blog. You'll see why I made an exception for this new e-book. CHJ

101 Slightly Unpredictable Tips for Novelists and Screenwriters
Subtitle: Innovative Ways to Jack Your Creative Productivity and Help you Sell What You Write
By Larry Brooks
StoryFix 2009
ISBN: E-book
Nonfiction/How-To/Writers
Contact Reviewer: hojoreviews@aol.com
Publisher's Site: www.storyfix.com



One thing about an assortment of tips is that a reader won’t get bored reading them. Even 101 of them..

For one thing she doesn’t feel guilty if she skips around. Another is that an experienced writer might get a chance to review something she’s forgotten or get exposed to subjects she might otherwise not choose to read.

Ta da! Enter Larry Brooks’s 101 Slightly Unpredictable Tips for Novelists and Screenwriters. It’s a useful and fully entertaining book for those who write in either genre—or both. Some might think those two genres an odd mix but as a novelist with one intense class in screenwriting and one screenplay tucked away in a drawer, I’ve long advocated novelists learn more about screenplays and have an inkling that works the other way round, too.

That insight hit me once as I sat in on a class for novelists taught by longtime Extension instructor Phyllis GeBauer at UCLA. Observing classes taught by experienced instructors is part of the training UCLA Extension Writers’ Program requires of its newbies. The class was on structure (which screenwriters know a lot about) and one of the students was a screenwriter who had decided an easier path to getting his story optioned was to make it into a novel. He wasn’t understanding the examples of narrative and a few other elements very well. Finally he admitted that he hadn’t read a novel in “probably more than ten years.” Nor had he read any books about the making of one.

Often writers switch genres without thoroughly grounding themselves in the new one. We get comfy and confident in our success with one. But when we switch, we need to take classes, read up on the new craft and—yep, read extensively in the new genre itself.

Another mistake writers who never plan to move from one kind of writing to another make is assuming that knowing something about the other kinds of writing won’t make a difference in their careers.

Enter Larry Brooks who does a lot of mixing it up in one book. Hooray for Larry. And yet there is not a tip in this book—whether it’s about craft or about marketing—that can’t be used by writers of any ilk or at least adapted to benefit their careers.

Some of the tips made me laugh. I mean, you just had to turn to them first. “Watch Dr. Phil” was one of those. “Get Used to Conflicting Advice” was another. So true for those of us taught grammar rules in high school only to learn they had little or nothing to do with real writing or style choices.

Some of Brooks’s tips are similar to the ones I give in my The Frugal Editor (and that made me laugh, too!). Some are darn creative. Some inspirational. Some obvious ones were of the “Why didn’t I think of that variety.” Some are super practical like tip number sixty-nine. I want you to go read it for yourself.

Brooks has a knack for renaming old writing essentials; he calls them “pearls.” They are really more like bb’s shot from a Red Ryder rifle into the part of our anatomy that gets too comfortable. As writers—regardless of what we write—we definitely don’t want to get too comfortable.

Here’s something else I like. He doesn’t miss important marketing tips. As a writing instructor he knows there are probably thousands of great—really great—books and screenplays lying fallow in drawers. Regardless of how many times we hear that a great book will always find its place in the world, here’s some conflicting advice: Most of us in the publishing world know that many great books are still unread or unseen because the writer lacks skills needed to bring them successfully into the light where they can be recognized and enjoyed.

This is an e-book. Buy and download it instantly at http://storyfix.com/101-slightly-unpredictable-tips-for-novelists-and-screenwriters

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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.

James Patterson and Chris Anderson Show Some Ways Bestsellers Are Made

Many aren't aware of this but one of the best things about technology--specifically the Net and the digital press--is that it can keep books from the shredding pile.

That's good for both readers and for authors.

Of course, even the Net and the ditital press can't keep a book alive and kicking unless someone is promoting it. promote it.

My novel This Is the Place is still selling. Usually it’s selling used for about $1.50 on Amazon’s New and Used feature but it can also still be found new on BN.com. New or used, what is important to me is that it’s still being read.

But there’s a couple of other models out there for utilizing older works. I’ve talked about using your blog to serialize an old novel or a novel that can’t seem to get published--maybe a first that is still lying fallow in the bowels of your computer. The idea, of course, is to introduce new readers to your work. Perhaps they will then buy your new novel or recommend your work to others.

That brings me to Chris Anderson. You’ve heard me talk about his Long Tail theory in my newsletter and on this blog. He has a new book out which I’ve also recommended for writers. It is FREE: The Future of a Radical Price. He expounds on a general concept I’ve been touting for a long time. That is: Giving things away free is one way to market and make a profit. I can’t remember who said it but someone did: “Google never met a loss leader it didn’t like.” And no one can argue that Google’s sales model is not successful.

What prodded me to talk about FREE again is a headline in the LA Times Calendar sections (Sat, Aug 8 p. D11): “Free titles top chart of Kindle bestsellers.” James Patterson’s latest bestseller isn’t new. It’s four years old. He says, I like the notion of introducing people to one book, while promoting the sales of another.” BTW, this man is a former principle of one of the nation’s largest advertising agencies.

By giving away The Angel Experiment on Kindle he hopes to gain new readers. And his promotion ploy is working! LA Times did an article on it, didn’t they? LOL. His publisher, Hachette, says, “It’s like priming the pump.” Another publisher notes they are especially interested in giving away books that are first of a series.

The trick here is not to overdo it. If you give away a full book as an e-book or as a serialized book on your blog, don’t repeat the process too soon or at all. That will be a hard temptation to resist--especially if the promotion works. Remember the department stores and their White Sales? Pretty soon people would wait until January to buy their linens and they would only buy their linens on sale.

The reason I do like this model, is that Patterson is offering a book that has mostly run its course. The only danger of doing this with a book that hasn’t been published is that you might not be putting your best work forward. If you should think about doing that ask yourself first: Does this book need editing or rewritten before putting it before the public? AND would this book work better for me published digitally or self published.

Oh, one other consideration. If you’re going to do it, maybe now is the time. If this catches on, a free book may have as much competition at zero dollars as a pay-for book at the going rate for books. The idea will eventually lose its new value, too. It would be fun to have your hometown newspaper cover your freebie offer, wouldn't it?

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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.

Article Service May Not be Right for Authors

Time magazine reports that anyone who can string a sentence together can make extra money at eHow.com.

That may be pushing it in spite of the picture they illustrated the article with-- a typewriter with a dollar bill being ejected from its roller. They say you might make $20 a year or even $1,5000. Since then I’ve heard authors talk about using it to get some passive income and to still get some exposure for your book and I thought it might be useful for those who are tired of giving their articles away and would like to make a little extra money.

It seems eHow does have high standards for its submissions so I (Ha!) decided to give it a try. Mind you, I spent about three hours setting up a profile and filing my first story, "How To Liven Your Online Writing Using Dialogue." I wouldn’t call me an expert on online sites yet but I think I can tell pretty well what is right for writers so here's my report:

1. Adding a profile was user-friendly, but it appears the site is really more like another social network than a place where people go on their own to learn something from the articles posted there.

2. EHow may not enforce it, but it appears they don’t want any recycled materials. Mind you I said "recycled" as in "reused" or even "repurposed." I didn't say plagiarized. That goes without saying. But no recycling makes participation more time consuming than some authors wish to fool with.

3. There may be an easier way for real writers to do it, but eHow is obviously designed to lead nonwriters through a process of making a how-to article understandable. That means that a simple copy and paste is impossible. That means it takes a professional writer a lot longer to post an article than it should.

4. I immediately began to get invitations to be an eHow.com friend. In fact dozens of them--most of whom were not writing articles or--if they did--were not writing articles even vaguely related to my interests or the article I wrote. I was able to turn these off with an "unsubscribe" type link.

5. I got the feeling that the only way to make money at this is if one promotes one's articles like crazy, pretty much acting as a sales person for the articles. But the articles can’t obviously tout your book (rules against that), so why would I want to spend time doing that (both the writing and promoting) rather than spending it promoting (and writing) my book? I see this process as being advantageous only for a hobbyist writer.

6. After my initial experience, I did not fill out the financial information so I could get paid. Therefore I can’t report on actual income--but I am pretty certain it is not all that passive. You'll have to work to get paid, and work hard.

So. eHow for writers who want to build a writing reputation is not recommended. Not by me anyway. And not for writers. If any of you feel differently, I’d be happy to post your positive experience and the results, but I'm sorry I wasted my time except that I am able to report my experience to you.


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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.

Calling on Europeans and South Americans for Help

This blog is called Sharing with Writers and sharing goes both ways. I’m hoping some of you can do my husband a favor. He is rewriting his book What Asians Need to Know About America, From A to Z (published in China in simplified Chinese by Oriental Press) for other markets. He also has an edition coming out for Indians (India).

He needs some celebrities and/or well-known politicians, ambassadors and the like to write endorsements or blurbs for him for the versions he is planning for South Americans and Europeans. If anyone can help or has contacts for him, please let him know at LGJHERE1@aol.com. Here are some samples of endorsements he got for his Chinese edition:

I congratulate you on writing this timely work. The relationship between America and Asia is the most important bilateral relationship of this century. Your book will help Asians to understand America better. This will promote better mutual understanding between America and Asia.
Tommy Koh, former Singapore Ambassador to the U.N. and U.S.
~~~~~~
Your book covers a broad range of topics that I am sure many people in Asia will find very useful. I certainly agree with you on the importance of mutual understanding which your book serves to promote.
Clark T. Brandt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to China
~~~~~
I greatly appreciate your efforts in sharing with other people your opinion and experience on the exchanges between different peoples and cultures. It is so important for us to better understand each other while striving to build a better world for all.
Zhou Wenzhong, China Ambassador to U.S.
~~~
Books of this kind are mostly filled with platitudes about how Asians should adapt themselves to the American way of life, values and thinking. I found this book refreshingly different from the general run of books in this genre because it shows both Americans and Asians warts and all! Therefore, if some Asians fail to make a mark in the USA or in their dealings with Americans, it is entirely for want of trying hard enough. That is my conviction, and convictions are born of experience.
Mohammad Vazeeruddin, India journalist; former Associate Editor, The Tribune, Chandigarh, India; and former Editor, Andhra Pradesh Times, Hyderabad, India.


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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.

Q&A a la Ann Landers: So What's with This Media Alert Thing Anyway?

Question:

Carolyn, I've learned about Media Releases from you, but I don't recall Media Alert lessons. Care to educate the public on that topic? See the sample below. It caught me by surprise.

Yocheved Golani, author Coping with a Medical Crisis? , and self-help coach

ANSWER:

Yocheved, I am publishing the entire alert that you receive below because all of us should know what a media alert looks like and how to write one. Though I did a bit of critique (see below) on this one, it is an excellent example.

Yosheved, I did touch on these shorty releases in The Frugal Book Promoter but what they are called has evolved a little since I wrote it. The alert form is more casual than the media release format, so following it to the Nth degree isn't as important as it is with a regular media release.

Alerts are especially good these days because attention spans seem to be shrinking plus the very name in a subject line imparts a feeling of urgency. They should be used only for time sensitive and really new, new, NEW news. Never try to fool mother nature. Don't pretend that the release of a book deserves an alert; in fact the release of a book often isn't even considered newsworthy enough to require a release unless you can tie to something especially intriguing, new, or something big that is already in the news.

Here is the sample that you sent me. It works like an alert but it is really a too long for an alert. I removed lots of italics and underlining. It's always a good idea to keep the fonts you use in all releases unadorned as you can within the parameters of grammar rules. I probably wouldn't have added the About Groundswell either. That section makes the alert a little long for an alert. (-:
Otherwise it's a great little release. A picture was included.

MEDIA ALERT

Contat info goes here

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY’S
NEW YORK AQUARIUM SUPPORTS COMMUNITY

New Aquarium Mural Transforms Boardwalk at Coney Island Public Dedication Ceremony
Thursday, June 25 at Noon
On the Boardwalk at the New York Aquarium, Coney Island, Brooklyn

WHO:New York Aquarium officials, Members of the Parks Department, Groundswell Community Mural Project, South Brooklyn Youth Consortium, and Coney Island Community Leaders.

WHAT: A public dedication ceremony for a new mural created at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island in Brooklyn. Working in partnership with South Brooklyn Youth Consortium (SBYC) and the New York Aquarium, the mural was created by a group of youth from SBYC who worked with Groundswell artists Candice Sering and Chris Beck. The finished mural transforms the Boardwalk with a vibrant floating collage of aquatic images. From the aquarium staff, the mural team learned about the habitats that sea animals live in. In intensive workshops, they learned how color factors into sea creatures environments and how their shapes are key to their survival. Choosing colors that they actually saw in aquatic life, the team created a progression of imagery that flows across a span of 100 feet along the Boardwalk. Playing with color, repetition and scale, the group developed a scene that shows the movement and intensity of sea life habitats. The New York Aquarium is proud to support this project and the community.

WHERE: On the Boardwalk to the left of the New York Aquarium, Surf Avenue & West 8th Street, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY.

WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 2009 at Noon.
Interviews available by request.

The New York Aquarium opens every day of the year at 10am, and closing times vary seasonally. Admission is $13.00 for adults, $9.00 for children ages 3-12 and $10.00 for senior citizens (65 and older); children under 3 years of age are admitted free. Fridays after 3pm, admission is by suggested donation. The Aquarium is located on Surf Avenue at West 8th Street in Coney Island. For directions, information on public events and programs, and other Aquarium information, call 718-265-FISH or visit our web site at http://www.nyaquarium.com. Now is the perfect time to visit and show support for the New York Aquarium, Brooklyn’s most heavily attended attraction and a beloved part of the City of New York.
The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

About Groundswell
Groundswell is a New York based nonprofit organization dedicated to using art as a tool for social change by bringing together professional artists, community organizations, and youth to collaboratively create over 100 public art projects in communities across NYC. Over the last 12 years Groundswell has developed complex partnerships with community-based and educational institutions, serving thousands of youth and community members with whom we have worked to visually transform New York’s urban landscape. For more information, visit www.groundswellmural.org

# # #


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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.

Tony Eldridge Offers Ultimage Book Marketing Prize

Because of Twitter's hacking problem, Tony Eldridge, master marketer and author, has extended his Twitter contest. Lucky us!

And, yes, my Frugal Editor is one of the prizes. But the really big deal is this contest will introduce those of you who aren't tweeting yet to its magic. (-:

You can win a prize package valued at over $1300 from some of the top names in author book marketing. This is the "Winner-Takes-All Twitter" mega lottery prize for one lucky winner. The package consists of signed books, e-books, mailing lists, online memberships, web courses, Web site makeovers and consulting services. These prizes are from the top names in book marketing. Take a look at this fabulous prize package:

1. Angela Connor , Book: 18 Rules of Community Engagement: A Guide for Building Relationships and Connecting With Customers Online And a Two Hour Consultation from Angela.

2. Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Book: The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success

3. Cathy Stucker, E-Book: Selling Ebooks Online

4. Dana Smith, E-Book: The Savvy Book Marketer's Guide to Selling Your Book to Libraries5. Jennifer Mattern, E-Book: Launching a Successful Freelance Web Writing Career And E-Book: The Web Writer's Guide Marketing Workbook (When released)

6. Joanna Penn, Author 2.0 Program: it contains 8 marketing modules

7. John Kremer, Mail Order Catalogs database And his Specialty Retailers database

8. Kat Smith, Book: The Naked Author: Exposing the Myths of Publishing

9. Penny Sansevieri , Book: Red Hot Internet Publicity: An Insider's Guide to Promoting Your Book on the Internet! And a Mini Website Evaluation

10. Phyllis Miller, 1 Month Membership: Miller Mosaic Internet Marketing Program

11. Sarah Bolme, Book: Your Guide To Marketing Books In The Christian Marketplace, Second Edition

12. Steve Weber, Book: Plug Your Book! Online Book Marketing for Authors, Book Publicity through Social Networking . And Book: ePublish: Self-Publish Fast and Profitably for Kindle, iPhone, CreateSpace and Print on Demand

To enter this contest visit http://marketingtipsforauthors.com/TwitterContest.html. Don't wait. I'm not sure about how long the extension for this contest will last.

In the meantime--because this is a Twitter contest--open your Twitter account and check out Twitter In Plain English (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o ) video to help you learn more about this simple service.
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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.

Barnes and Noble, E-Books, Readers and Making Life Easy on Customers

Promises, promises.

Barnes & Noble said it would have an e-book store in 2006.

Then it backed off from the idea. But it’s b-a-a-a-ck! It’s talking e-books again, probably because it acquired digital-minded Fictionwise for--are you ready for this? $15.7 million. And probably because competitor Amazon is going after e-book sales.

The bad news is that B&N says their downloads won’t be compatible with either Kindle or Sony. In fact, downloads from some devices won’t work with Blackberries and iPhones (though B&N promises theirs will!)

B&N says they are working with another handheld called Plastic Logic. So that’s one more handheld device publishers and self-published authors will have to deal with.

Except for the e-book part, they’re all on the wrong track. Readers are customers. They just want access and they want it easily. They aren’t much interested in the petty competitions between giants. That’s what made the Net great. Access by all. Shouldn’t we be able to count on the smart guys to care about the end customer? Especially with one of the most successful models in all of history as a model?

Go figure.


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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.

Free Bookstore Guidelines for Loving a Newsletter

If you love newsletters like my Sharing with Writers letter and some of my favorites like Penny Sansevieri’s and Joan Stewart’s, this may be sad news for you: Newsletters are losing their popularity. I attribute that to these possibilities:

1. Blogging has supplanted newsletters in many ways.
2. People are sending out fancy HTML newsletters which smack of big business and no personal care and that’s turned people off to them in general.
3. People have less time, or think they do.
4. People are so S P @ M conscious, they are overlooking educational opportunities available on the Web.

You may agree or not. Or you may think of other reasons. If so, I’d like to hear what you think.

To get the conversation started, I want to do two things today. I wanted to let you know why newsletters are still important and what you can do as a reader to utilize them better; thus you’ll find an article later on in this newsletter.

But I also want to increase my newsletter subscription numbers and hope you’ll help with that. Sure you can help! You can send a copy of Sharing with Writers to one or more author friends you think would benefit from more information on the business of writing. This only works, though, if you suggest they subscribe and tell them how to do it. It goes like this: “Carolyn will make it easy on you. Send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews @ AOL.com and she’ll do the work for you.”

Or, if you're not already a subscriber, you can subscribe yourself using the instructions above.

I’m even going to bribe you a bit. I have a .pdf file of the things that Barnes and Noble requires for your book to be listed on its computer. Only books on that list can be ordered by a store manager--or special ordered by a store manager. So, even if you are doing most of your promotion online, you’ll still want this info so you can be sure your book is available to those who still prefer to shop in bookstores.

Yes, I’m using the honor system. You tell me you recommended this newsletter. I’ll believe you. I’ll send you the .pdf file. (-:

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.


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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.

Seven Tips for Writing a Good Bio

Yvonne Perry, a very smart editor and general helpmate to writers everhwhere (one I have used myself, by the way) is guest blogger today. With the importance of social networking on sites like Facebook and Twitter growing with every passing day, her subject--the all important biography--is more vital than it ever was. I can't tell you how many authors twitter and have posted no biography at all!


Seven Tips for Writing a Good Bio
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By Yvonne Perry


Having a good bio is a must for any author. You may use it in your book's front matter in the About the Author section or on your Web site or as a profile on social networking groups or perhaps as part of your marketing packet.

Writing your own bio can be frustrating. You know all about yourself, but you may find it difficult to convey what you have done or achieved that is worth mentioning. Then, there is the organization of your information. Should you list items chronologically starting with your birth and ending at your current career or place of employment? Is there a method or formula to use that will tell your story in an entertaining manner?

Here are a few things to consider in writing your good bio.

1. Length: Consider how much space or time you are given. If there is a word or character limit in the space you are provided, you may have to shorten your bio to one paragraph. If you have more space, you can create a more entertaining bio.

2. Purpose: What will your bio be used for? Are you using this bio to apply for a job? Will it be posted on your Web site for all the world to read? What and how much do you need the reader to know about you? Curtail your personal information and give only pertinent facts that will not embarrass you later.

3. Voice: I always write bios in third person. It's better for someone else to brag on you than for you to brag about yourself. This is one reason that hiring a professional writer is a good idea. He or she can see you from a different vantage point and will know what questions to ask in their information-gathering interview.

4. Be honest. If you don't have experience, don't say that you do. Let's say you're getting started as a writer and your portfolio is small. Maybe your article hasn't been published in Time Magazine; but what about the essay that was published in an online blog or newsletter? If it's relevant, let it help you shine.

5. Where do you belong? Are you affiliated with clubs, volunteer organizations, or other groups? Show your humanitarian or philanthropist side by listing your community work.

6. Write tight. Offer concise information that might include:
* Your full-time job or career, and how many years have you been doing this type of work
* What types of clients you work with
* Your pets or children
* Fluency in other languages
* Your philosophy on life
* Your goals and dreams
* Your favorite books, games, movies, TV shows, etc.

7. Hook your reader or listener. Tell something funny about yourself or tie into a memorable world event or compare yourself to a famous person.

The information you give people about yourself is fundamental to their understanding of you; therefore, you want to establish your credentials and give them something they will remember about you. If you get stuck writing your bio or need someone to give you a fresh perspective on your image to the world and represent you for who you are, give us a call!
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Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS). She and her team of ghostwriters are ready to assist you with writing and editing for books, Web text, business documents, resumes, bios, articles, and media releases.
For more information about writing, publishing, and book promotion, or to sign up for free email delivery of WITS newsletter, please visit http://www.writersinthesky.com. New subscribers receive a free copy of E-Book Tips for Freelance Writing.
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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.

Poetry Form: Examples of Harry Gilliland's Storoem

In the post on August first, poet and author Harry Gilleland explained
what a storoem is. Today I present two examples of storoems from his
newest poetry book, Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man.


Guarded By Lions

From Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, comes this report
of a twelve-year-old girl abducted by seven men.
One man wanted to wed her, but she refused to court.
The men stole her away, determined to beat her then.

For there, young girls are often severely battered
and raped to make them accept an unwanted marriage.
This girl was repeatedly beaten, left blood-splattered
and whimpering in pain…of justice, a true miscarriage.

After a week an unlikely trio of saviors happened by.
Three male lions, their thick, black manes resplendent
in the African sun, chased away the men, who didn’t try
to save the girl but abandoned her to her fate attendant.

She lay before the lions -- a defenseless, easy meal.
But, and many call it a miracle, the lions did her no harm.
Instead they stood guard over her, a happening surreal.
Half a day the lions watched and waited, ready to disarm

any danger that approached her. True guardians they were!
When rescuers arrived, the lions turned and walked away
with no look back. These unlikely saviors became but a blur
as they disappeared, leaving behind wonderment this day.

Authorities explained the girl’s whimpering had possibly
sounded like the mewing of a lion cub, keeping her safe.
Male lions kill cubs they did not sire; her scent would ably
make her human -- all logical explanations merely chafe…

…maybe miracles truly do occur due to the hand of fate.


A Soldier’s Goodbye

It’s a scene oft repeated throughout history,
from Greeks sailing away to faraway Troy,
Romans marching off to lands of mystery,
continuing today whenever troops deploy.

A soldier must say goodbye to his loved ones,
be it his parents, his girlfriend, or his mate.
He’ll soon encounter explosions and guns,
with his destiny placed in the hands of Fate.

His loved one hugs him tightly, with tears
streaming: “I love you. Come back to me.”
The soldier acts brave, camouflaging his fears.
Neither knows what the outcome will be.

He must join his unit; his wife says, “Wait!”
She clings, fearing never again seeing him alive.
Reluctantly, he pulls away: “You’ll make me late.
Don’t worry, dear. I promise you that I’ll survive.”

Now all assembled, the warriors set off to war
with hearts heavy, yet ready to answer the call.
Leaving loved ones is something they abhor…
homecoming will be sweet, if they return after all.

PS: Please find an explanation of storoem on this blog's August 1 post. That post also serves os an example of how poets can contribute to literature and use their contribution to promote poetry and their own art.

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These storoem and others were published March, 2008: "Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man", a new collection of poetry and a 2008 Reader Views Literary Award winner (Honorable Mention in Fiction, Poetry category).


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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.

Poet Harry E. Gilleland Jr. Explains Storoem

In poetry circles Harry Gilleland is best know for pioneering the storoem form and naming it. He once contributed to my Sharing with Writers newsletter and I thought the poets among you might be interested in his work and take note of how he manages to promote his poetry by contributing to the poetry community and poetry in general. Naturally, I had to ask him to be a guest blogger for my Sharing with Writers blog.


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, 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, I used more poetic techniques than one finds in a typical prose poem and they were longer, less purely poetic lines than a typical narrative poem.

Readers would ask me what 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, from “The Old Salty Poems," recently won second place (and a $1,000 prize) in the 2008 Tom Howard Poetry Contest http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/tompoetry/2008/tp08_gilleland.php, 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, character/narrative poems were 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 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 form.

To summarize the storoem form:

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.


PS: Please come back on August 3rd when I'll post a couple of Harry's stoerem as examples...with his permission, of course!-----
Harry Gilleland is a well-known, award-winning poet who has published three
books of poetry to date. They are “Poetic Musings of an Old, Fat Man," a Reader Views Literary Award winner (Honorable Mention in Fiction, Poetry category.) He blogs at http://harrygillelandwrites.blogspot.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.