Life and Writers Motto: We’re All in This Together

I’ve said “we’re all in this together” when I’’m speaking to writers about marketing their work--supporting one another.  Over the last decade,  time has changed the way many of us live drastically--for writers and for the support group or groups they are members of.  Today’s post illustrates how some groups in a large metropolitan area have joined their talent, their efforts.  In this post-covid  era (dare I say troubled era), this might be something many groups across the country might consider.  All these groups are strong. Together they are stronger still.  And with this new move, double the events, double the support, double the resources for their members. And maybe not double the writing friends, but certainly a way to come closer to  some than before.

As a longtime supporter and occasional speaker at both groups as well as an instructor for UCLA’s Writer’s Depratment for nearly a decade, I congratulate them. I’m eagerly watching to see more follow their example. Keep reading for  ideas on  how you might apply their ideas to your when-and-if mergers.

Best,

Carolyn

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Dear IWOSC/PALA members and friends: With great delight, we announce the merger of IWOSC/PALA with WPN, the Writers and Publishers Network, beginning March 15, 2024, and administered under the WPN banner. This joining of three literary nonprofits will benefit all the groups by offering more seminars, webinars, book fair participation, and meetings to an expanded national audience of WPN members. Kathleen Kaiser, President of the Writers and Publishers Network, will head the board of the newly merged organization. Gary Young and Steven Sanchez are excited about Kathleen’s experience and leadership. They will be stepping down as President and Vice President but will remain on the Advisory Board. They will also continue as hosts for the Green Room and be involved in other activities. A special Green Room meeting will be held on Monday, March 18. Kathleen Kaiser will join us and answer your questions. What does this mean for IWOSC/PALA? All IWOSC/PALA programs will continue, including monthly meetings, Green Room, Brainstorming, Satellites, IWOSC Reads Its Own, etc., as well as all WPN programs.  Membership prices will remain the same, with the option of changing as economic realities dictate. Monthly meeting prices will remain the same, again with the option of changing as economic realities dictate. Current Lifetime Members will continue as Lifetime Members with the same considerations as before. All Lifetime Memberships paid for before March 15, 2024, will be honored. No new Lifetime Memberships will be offered after that date. WPN and IWOSC/PALA members and friends will share all events and programs originated by each entity. Our associations with UCLA Extension and IWOC Chicago will continue, unchanged, sharing all benefits of IWOSC/PALA and WPN. Members will all benefit from an enhanced ability to expand and update our programs. FAQs How do I pay for my membership and meetings?  For now, we will accept payments to IWOSC/PALA or WPN, but ultimately WPN will be processing membership and meeting fees as the new governing entity. How will I find out about meetings and other events?  If you are on our email list, you will receive announcements regularly, as you have in the past. The IWOSC/PALA website will also showcase the meetings on our home page at www.iwosc.org. Will there be as many events as in the past?  There will be the traditional IWOSC/PALA events, plus the WPN events, which will result in more events for all three organizations. Writers & Publishers Network 1129 Maricopa Hwy, #142 Ojai, CA  93023 United States of America You received this email because you signed up on our website or made a purchase from us. Unsubscribe

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 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.

Inspiration for Career Building in a Video

Dear Sharing with Writers Subscribers and Visitors:

I am including this video because it is inspirational and because I believe in UCLA's Extension program, particularly its Writers' Program where I learned to polish my fiction skills after a career as a journalist. (Many of us writers don't realize that each new genre we try requires a whole new skill set.)

I have been teaching at UCLA Extension for several years now. It's a way to pass on the joy that writing has brought to me. If you are interested in my next one-day seminar on August 7th, please let me know at HoJoNews@aol.com. Or just go to UCLA Extension and sign up for the class.

Here is a video that came to me by e-mail. I love the little anecdotes about how furthering our educations can make such a difference in our lives:




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

A Rant: Everybody Loses to Preditors

Unfortunately, we authors all look as if we just feel off the tail end of a donkey cart. Once an American merchant in Acapulco told me I had "creampuff" written on my forehead so, obviously -- though I've been around the publishing track a few times --I can be as gullible as you, the reader who believes a review, or that new author who is offered what they most want but for a price. Those few treks around the track put me in a position to warn you and I'm not feeling like mincing words.

Because I'm so ticked off, I'm going to leave out the name of an offending bookstore because I don’t much are for slash and burn tactics. I suspect their heart is in what they are doing. Still, when I see an ethical lapse--intentional or not--no more creampuff. Here comes Napoleon.

At first I was pleased that there was going to be a new bookstore out there that welcomed all authors. You know, someone who judges a book by its contents, not its cover or the press it's printed on. The concept was so novel it got a write up in the LA Times even though the bookstore is in New York.

The story noted that this bookstore even had a patio at the back where they would welcome new self- and subsidy-published authors. OK. In New York that patio is going to be used (comfortably) possibly 30 days out of the year but that's another story.

I'm going to be in New York for Book Expo America so I asked Star Publishing's marketer extraordinaire to set something up for me. You may know Janet Elaine Smith, the author of Promo Paks. She places books in bookstores and arranges for events for Star authors who pay an additional fee for the service. So, this new bookstore was a new opportunity, right? This is what she found out:

This bookstore is sooooo author-friendly they are perfectly happy to charge authors $300 to put their books on their shelves. I guess you could call it turnkey money (or a bribe). Then the author supplies the books and the bookstore takes approximately the same percent to sell them as most bookstores do. And then those authors who have obligingly forked over their money will be considered for an event, but--of course--not at BEA time because this bookstore has so many takers ("takers" can be read as "a sucker is born every minute") that their spots are used up for the entire time the tradeshow is in town. Oh, so when would they offer their hard-working, hard-paying client-authors a spot? Perhaps in August when a half-block walk requires flat shoes and no-shrink cotton garments to acoomodate the . . . .ummm, moisture?

Another bookstore in the LA area wants a mere $25 to join the ranks of their authors who they then allow to sign books on the sidewalk in front of their store and take a table at some communicty book fairs. Yep. Lucky to sell, two books but at least there will be an evening breeze in this part of the country. (Yes, I know my prejudices are showing.)

This tendency to stalk the innocent is everywhere. In the old days, radio stations sold ads. With the proceeds from those ads they paid their hosts and some of their guests. So, Okay, If they didn't always pay their guests. At least they didn't charge them to appear. It was sort of a trade. Author comes to provide newsworthy and smart content for free and they get exposure in return. That was not such a bad trade. That kind of trade still being made. But there are those who also charge the host rather than pay him or her. Then the host charges the guest (that's you, dear writer!) And then you get to promote the show for them as well. If an author wants to do this under these circumstances (either become a or appear as a guest) it's their own decision, but they should at least know there are other, more journalistically acceptable and... ahem, cheaper ways for it to be done.

In the old days (back in the days when journalism was journalism) critics reviewed books and were honest about what they thought because they got paid by the journal they were reviewing for. Oh, yeah, they also got a free book. Now reviewers are expected to review with no pay and authors try to get them to take an electronic copy to save money. I understand, but, hey! Reviewers are writers, too. Everyone needs a paycheck of some kind!

Then along comes reviewers who decide they're tired of writing free and start offering to review books as if it's a service. That even includes the venerable review journal, Kirkus. So the poor author--probably a newbie -- gets taken again. He pays a reviewer to give him a review he hopes (but isn't promised) will be favorable. Everyone loses here. The reviewer has no credibility (even if he gives a bad review). The journal comes off looking like a panderer. The reader loses because she doesn't know who to believe. And the author has paid for something with no value at all for all of the above reasons.

And then there are the agents with no Rolodex. They have begun to swarm around unsuspecting authors. They'll represent your book though they have no contacts in the publishing industry. They'll represent your book if you pay them up front. They'll represent your book if you'll let them (or someone who gives them a kickback) edit it and that person is likely to be no more than a typo hunter. Whew!

Is everybody out there -- readers, writers, and publishers -- just bloody tired of all this?(Apologies to you Brits. We Americans think bloody sounds jolly angry but no more!)

I'm damn tired of this and won't take it anymore. No!! I won't pay you to stock my books or be my agent (unless you follow the age-old 15% of sales rule) or will--well . . . .you get the idea. Or, at least I hope you do.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson comes from the old schools of journalism and public relations. She studies both subjects (University of Utah, University of Southern California) in the days when ethics courses were required. In this case, being hoplessly old-fashioned made her into THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER. She teaches courses in editing and marketing for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.