For Halloween: Charlotte Isn’t the Only Writing Spider

Courtesy LA Times, Descanso Gardens and Carolyn’s Aging Files

Halloween Is the Time for Celebrating Writers—Spiders Included

 

Charlotte Isn’t the Only Writing Spider

 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, writer of fiction, poetry, and

the HowToDoItFrugally Series of Books Writers Depend On

 

 

A few years ago, administrators and docents of the lovely Descanso Gardens in the foothills of the San Gabriel where I live shared the story of writing spiders everywhere including the colorful orb weaver (you might know her from her bright yellow spots, her eight graceful legs, and her beautifully constructed notebook which she often constructs in gardens big—like our famous Descanso—and our own backyards. Today her job (and she is ashe/her/them/they if she is dressed in yellow) is to remind literature lovers and authors that the author of Charlotte’s Web might have been writing a story of fiction for writers but he was probably inspired by real writing spiders. Perhaps one he knew personally. Perhaps one he had read about. It’s hard to know because spiders (and other inspirational beings) are seldom credited.

And I want to remind readers and writers that the quality that makes great literature of any kind is how it reflects real life. Nature. Including human nature. What makes it great is that magical quality that attracts and—dare I use the the word ensnares?—so completely it becomes known as a “classic.”

Our orb weaver is a welcome guest in our yard. Even though she is about an inch long, she helps us keep harmful insects away. Her notebook is very tidy; hers is the one most artists emulate when they reproduce the delicate, magical web used for most everything a spider does. It’s her bedroom, kitchen, the nursery for her cocoons, her home. It is as intricate as longhand so museum curators, scientists and…mmm…writers call her and her relatives “writing spiders.”

 

Note: This article might be re-inspired. I found a column titled “California Classroom” in the Los Angeles Times—all nicely yellowed by time. It was inspired by spiders in their lovely public gardens and found its way to the clipping notebook (real paper!) I keep of articles about my fellow writers.

 

More About the Author 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson read E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web to her children when they were very small; it never occurred to her that one day she would appreciate that book on many levels beyond a lovely story with lessons to teach. She is now the author of a Modern History Press Series that began in 2004 with The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, now published in its 3^rd edition as a hardcover, paperback, and…an e-book! One of the books in that series is even available as Audio! Author White would never have believed in possibilities like that for his lovely characters, his lovely story. Find Carolyn’s series on Amazon’s newly offered pages for series at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T. That Amazon feature is one of the #TheFrugalBookPromoterTips she shares with writers so they’ll know that Amazon offers a similar page to any e-book series that appears on their website. Happy Halloween to all.

 A Little About this Blogger’s Publishing Journey: 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. 

 Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It 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" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). 

In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.

J. K. Rowling, the LA Times and the Deadly but Hallowed Profit Lament

I don't know who I want to scream at.

The booksellers who are bewailing that they won't make a profit on Harry Potter or the La Times (July 16, Page A1) who planted a Poor, Poor Booksellers article on their front page and didn't address any of the benefits of selling hundreds (maybe thousands!) of copies in any given store of the new Harry Potter—however discounted—until, oh, I don't know . . . maybe a thousand or two words into the copy runover on page eleven.

Later in the article we do see that there are some benefits to booksellers even if they don't make much on each copy of any specific book they sell.

As a retailer-turned-writer, here's how the benefits stack up, even if booksellers lose money on this next J. K. Rowling Book:

1. A hot item, deeply discounted, is called a loss leader. That's what Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is working itself up to be a loss leader. That means it will draw tons of traffic (you and me) to bookstores both virtual and those in our hometown whether they're made of stucco, brick or a stack of cards.

2. Loss leaders can result in tons of publicity (read that FREE) about their dear-me-plight (read that PROFITABILITY). The LA Times article is but one example. We'll talk about how readers can help fix that proceeds conundrum later for we all want bookstores to continue to be there for us.

3. Loss leaders build loyalty. Customers are grateful to businesses that offer something meaningful at a very low price now and then
4. Loss leaders offer big, . . .no, HUGE, opportunities* for promotion. Especially this loss leader. Think events. Think enticing floor displays. Think purchase with purchase or gift with purchase specials.

5. Bookstore principals who still believe they are victims should stop to consider that their own industry is responsible for the downward spiral of retail prices on Harry Potter and therefore are at least partially responsible for their own losses.

6. Competition is the brick pillar on which capitalism is based. We're stuck with it for good or bad, so let's look at #4 and figure out how to stir up a batch of lemonade from the lemons (see #5) booksellers and publishers have made for themselves.

7. It's possible that some retailers will participate in a program called ad allowances. That means that Rowlings' publisher actually may pay for or contribute to ads the stores run on TV or in the press. That doesn't just sell the HP books, it helps brand and drive traffic to the store that runs the ad. (Disclaimer: I don't know that Rowling's publisher, Scholastic, Inc., is offering this kind of program but it's often done.)

In the Times' article, Jeff Bezos is said to have warned his employees that even his Amazon might make no money on Deathly Hallows. C'mon. Amazon has no reason to sing a sad song. For ages they've been good capitalists evidenced by their offering free shipping to those who buy a second (or third) book on many purchases over $25. In that respect, Amazon is no different from the other bookstores. Even if they lose money on HP, they'll do very well, thank you.

So, let's not boo-hoo too much for booksstores on this one. Yes, we as readers and as people in the publishing industry will want to support them all by buying an item other than HP (see #2) when we're after our copy at 50% off. But mostly let's watch to see how the industry, the author, and the bookstores benefit from all this publicity and how some turn it to their advantage. We can follow their leads and utilize their cleverness in whatever business we're running whether it's ownership of a corner store in Anywhere USA or promoting the book(s) we have written.

*Book Soup, a bookstore in the LA area, offers a free copy of the new Harry Potter to those who purchase a $100. gift card. Publishers (like many vendors) do not encourage (some flat out disapprove) of such consumer-friendly and profit-friendly promotions. Sometimes I put my head in my hands and wonder . . . just wonder, you know?


RESOURCES
Don’t bother with the front page of the LA Times. Cut right to the information box on Page 11 of Monday's (July 16) edition. Oh, by the way! The Times may have grossly overestimated J.K. Rowlings' royalty at a whopping $5.25 per book. If that figure is anywhere near being true, other authors can only hope that someday they might cut such a deal.
---------
Carolyn Howard-Johnson founded and owned a small chain of retail stories in an earlier life. Her award-winning FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER includes hundreds of ways authors can get free publicity including a chapter on utilizing the free perks at Amazon.

On Imus, Intolerance, Iraq and I

Writers and serious readers should be interested in all the political aspects of free speech because they affect us so vitally.

Two stories on the front page of the LA Times Calendar section seemed calculated to consider this most precious of rights--however inadvertently their juxtaposition may have been. One story was on Imus's firing, the other on PBS's inclination to edit (censor!) the words of our US Soldiers in the documentary "Operation Homecoming." Let's take them one at a time.

I believe in free speech. I hate intolerance. I have been writing about both for the better part of my writing career. So, though I hate to see anything done that tends to strangle an individual's right to say what he or she thinks, I couldn't help but root for the corporate giants who finally seemed to get it right by firing Imus. It seems that if people--and, yes, that includes corporate types with a bottom line to consider--don't stand up to invective then how can we expect the person-in-the-street to act when a leader starts name-calling (and, yes, killing) gypsies, homosexuals, the insane and people with genetic and religious histories different from their own?

On the other hand, if we gag the right of individuals to say what they think because they fear recrimination, how can we maintain our free speech, the thing that sets America above so many other nations?

An example of how that was exemplified in the second story headlined "Soldiers seen, but not heard, on PBS." Here we have a station founded to give our nation alternative programming. Thus we have them offering a series called "America at a Crossroads." Hooray for them.

But then we learn that they have censored the very troops they interviewed for this segment because they are "fearful of triggering scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission." They bleep profanities and smudge graphic images. As in all good literature, the writer may find profanity may essential for an audience to fully understand the character, feel the full range of emotion.

And violence? We get so much that panders to humankind's tendency to enjoy retching during any B-rated movie, but when we get an opportunity to see it where it can help understanding how vile it is in real-life situations like the war in Iraq--the situations we get to vote for or against-- we are told "No, no, no!" As if we are babies, unable to be trusted to make our own decisions.

This has come about because the fines are so stiff that a noncommercial entity like PBS couldn't afford them. So the very public domain that could be trusted to tell it like it is, must withhold and the ones making the big bucks get to calculate say, a $15,000 fine against the huge fees they get for commercials and run whatever they darned (get that darned?) well want as long as the profit margin is great enough.

Is there something wrong with this picture? How do we balance this nation's need for free speech--our individual need for free speech--against an equally important need to stand up against intolerance. I'll tell you how. Personal integrity. Personal interest in trying our best not to use our free speech rights to malign others on the basis of anything other than their deeds.

Does that mean Imus should have been fired? I don't think so. Does that mean we should all quit listening? Absolutely. And that goes for many other crabby radio hosts who have no analytical skills and no ethics. Let's all find something better to do with our time than let a blow-hard incite our least appealing, most undesirable human instincts.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author THIS IS THE PLACE; HARKENING: A COLLECTION OF STORIES REMEMBERED; TRACINGS, a chapbook of poetry; and two how-to books, 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.