WPNews for December 2021 The Spreading Holiday Cheer (and Promotion) Issue
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From Kathleen Kaiser, President
The end of the year is upon us. Have you achieved any of your writing goals? Writing is a forever process, no matter if you are writing a book or blogs or articles. It's a skill you need to work on daily to keep up your chops.
Taking the November Novel Writing Challenge put my head back into my favorite space, being creative. Midway through the month, a few events changed my direction, and I'm now committed to my memoir on my sixteen years in rock and roll. Digging up old memories and checking dates and sources is work, but it is a thrill to get it down on paper finally. After thirty years of friends pleading with me to write this, I'm excited, energized, and writing every night.
What project will make your heart sing? Is there a story you've kept buried that needs to see the light of day? Make 2022 the year you pour those stories, dreams, and fantasies onto paper! So, join me on this journey, and let's see what we can accomplish.
Enjoy the holidays!
Kathleen
Kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
As we go into another holiday season, uncertain of what’s to come in the new year, the most important rule is Stay Safe. This year (and last) have caused us to adapt more than we thought possible, to adjust our thinking about childcare, remote schooling, work from home, when is too much togetherness too much, missing a social life, and when does stockpiling toilet paper turn into hoarding. If nothing else, it’s proven how resilient people can be. When your writing is uncooperative, remind yourself just how flexible you’ve been and can be again.
People are resistant to change, even when it’s a good change. We take an attitude of I can do that tomorrow, I’m busy right now. We put it off for too many tomorrows. The pandemic has shaken us to the core and we are building back. Many people took the opportunity to embrace the chance for a different future, some wish for the past, and others just want to get through the whole thing. Most of us go through all three of those feelings, often on a daily basis. Do what you can, when you can, how you can.
In the meantime, make a batch of cookies, a favorite dish, wrap a gift in newsprint or the brown paper that came in a package, get creative in all areas of your life. Your writing life will benefit and so will you.
Happy holidays, stay safe, be kind, help others, write again.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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MEMBERS - IT'S TIME TO RENEWAL FOR 2022!
Or JOIN WPN and take advantage of our many member benefits.
Enjoy a full year of discounts, monthly marketing update tips, Chicago Manual of Style, and begin part of an very active writing and publishing community.
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Ask the Book Doctor: About Dangling Participles, Dangling Modifiers, and Missing Modifiers by Bobbie Christmas
Q: What does my editor mean when she says my manuscript has danglers?
A: She means that some sentences are missing important words. Without
seeing the manuscript, I don’t know whether the sentences have dangling
participles, dangling modifiers, or missing modifiers, but let me
explain.
All dangling (or missing) modifiers can make readers misinterpret a
sentence. A dangling modifier is missing a subject and is usually a
participle. READ MORE…
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Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, author of Write In Style: How to
Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra
Communications. She will answer your questions too. Send them to
Bobbie@zebraeditor.com or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/bl....
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The Publisher’s Perspective by Jay Hartman
Q: With the holiday season here, I want to make sure I’m promoting all of my books to get the most sales possible. What’s the most effective way to do that? – S.L, Syracuse, NY
A: What’s the most effective way of promoting all of your titles to get the highest return in a three-week period?
Simple answer: you don’t. What should you do? Read on.
Back in the earlier days of the ebook industry, it was pretty easy to get your titles noticed by readers because there weren’t a whole lot of titles out there. Then came the advent of things like KDP, and suddenly the market was flooded with thousands upon thousands of titles in a relatively short period of time. Unless you were paying for traditional advertising (which, I should add, is what you should be doing), your title was going to be lost. READ MORE…
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Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@untreedreads.com with TPP in your subject line. If your question is used, we’ll send you a free ebook from Untreed Reads.
Jay A. Hartman, editor-in-chief at Untreed Reads Publishing, founded Untreed Reads to promote ebooks with an emphasis on independent authors and publishers. He’s written about the ebook industry for fifteen years and previously served as content editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing.
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The Social-Media Mistake That Can Damage Your Author Platform by Penny C. Sansevieri
Your author platform relies heavily on a social media presence. There, I said it. So, if you hate social media, you’re going to have a harder time hitting your stride as a successful author with a dedicated following. When it comes to online book-marketing strategies, your social media can both contribute to and deter from your author platform if you’re not careful.
Is there one single thing you can do to really harm your author platform? The answer is yes, and this article will explore that. READ MORE…
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Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an adjunct professor teaching self-publishing for NYU. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.
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Book Promotion Now and Then: Connections Matter by Lorie Lewis Ham
My first mystery novel, Murder in Four Part Harmony, came out in
2000. It was published by a small press—one of the first to do print on
demand. Learning how to promote a book was an adventure. I published
four more books over the next 10 years, and I never stopped learning.
My first books came out before social media was a thing, though an
online presence was still important. One of the first things I did was
get a website—back then I had a friend who was able to set it up for me.
I started networking before the first book was finished, and that was
invaluable. READ MORE…
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Lorie Lewis Ham lives in Reedley, California, and has been writing
ever since she was a child and publishing since she was 13. For the past
11 years, Lorie has been the editor-in-chief and publisher of Kings
River Life Magazine, and she produces Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast
(www.mysteryratsmaze.podbean.com). You can now hear an excerpt of her
new book One of Us. www.facebook.com/lorie.ham.
Check the Member Success section for details on the podcast that
features Sandra Murphy’s short story about a disastrous meal, just in
time for the holidays.
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From the newsletter editor–two success stories from your editor
Happiness Is Listening to Your Dog Snore
Out just in time for holiday giving, a collection of 300 quotes about dogs. There are old standards, inspirational, sentimental, humorous quotes plus a number from favorite authors whose names you’ll recognize, seen only here. Available in both ebook and print form. Perfect for the dog lovers on your holiday gift list and 25% off with free shipping over a $25.00 total purchase.
This link will take you to my author page and ordering information:
www.untreedreads.com/author/sa.../ COVER ART PIC
One of my short stories has been made into a podcast. The Chicken Pot Pie Fiasco is a holiday story with a twist. It can be heard here: https://mysteryratsmaze.podbea...
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Kathleen's guests for November and December are legal thriller author H. Mitchel Caldwell, award-winning author of the Do It Frugally series for writers, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, and, Joseph B. Wallenstein speaking on his historical novel on the Miranda Rights.
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Bits and Pieces News You Might Have Missed |
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Writer Beware!
Novel Cat has clauses in its contract that can tie authors up for twenty to forty years with no way to cancel unless Novel Cat agrees to the cancellation. If they don’t, you’re stuck. Beware of solicitations from new platforms based in Singapore and Hong Kong. Always read the fine print, especially those concerning your rights. https://tinyurl.com/t9cm6j32
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Justice Department Sues to Block Penguin Random House Merger With Simon & Schuster
The Justice Department sued to block Penguin Random House’s proposed merger with Simon & Schuster, arguing that the transaction would create a behemoth publisher likely to drive down payments to authors and likely to “reduce quality, service, choice, and innovation.”
“The merger would give Penguin Random House outsized influence over who and what is published, and how much authors are paid for their work,” the DOJ said in its complaint.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “If the world’s largest book publisher is permitted to acquire one of its biggest rivals, it will have unprecedented control over this important industry. American authors and consumers will pay the price of this anticompetitive merger–lower advances for authors and ultimately fewer books and less variety for consumers.”
https://tinyurl.com/8kz5tj6p
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Lawmakers Expand Inquiry into Library E-book Market by Andrew Albanese | Nov 19, 2021
https://tinyurl.com/3ywn5977
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Librarians, Educators Warn of 'Organized' Book Banning Efforts by Andrew Albanese | Nov 18, 2021
https://tinyurl.com/5pjr7mym
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AAP (Association of American Publishers) to Amp Up Sustainability, Diversity Efforts by Ed Nawotka Nov 18, 2021
https://tinyurl.com/hxw9y5e2
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Print book sales rose 11.7% for the week ending November 14, 2021, the second week in a row for double-digit sales increases over the same time period in 2020.
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Spotify Expands in the Audiobook Business by Jim Milliot | Nov 12, 2021
Spotify has made its move into the American audiobook market acquiring Ohio-based digital audiobook distributor Findaway.
https://tinyurl.com/2nepsnk4
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Saturday Sold Out! |
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Only three spaces left for Sunday!
Be part of the return of the best outdoor book festival in America. Register now.
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St. Martin’s Minotaur/ Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition
This is an international contest for crime novel manuscripts, for writers who have never been the author of any published novel in any genre. The writing should be no less than 220 pages, or approximately 60,000 words. Minotaur is an imprint of St Martin’s Press, which is part of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance against royalties
Deadline: 17 December 2021
Open for: Unpublished writers (see guidelines)
Details https://mysterywriters.org/abo...
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Minotaur Books: The Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest
This is for US and Canadian writers, for a first novel (manuscript) of mystery – in which a serious crime or crimes is at the heart of the story, and the emphasis is on the solution rather than the details of the crime – of approximately 60,000 words. The story’s primary setting must be one or more of the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and/or Utah. Each manuscript will be assessed based on the following criteria, weighted as indicated: publishable quality of manuscript (60%); creativity (20%); and originality (20%). In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken based on the higher score in the “publishable quality of manuscript” category. Minotaur is an imprint of St Martin’s Press, which is part of Macmillan.
Value: $10,000 advance against royalties
Deadline: 1 January 2022
Open for: US and Canadian writers
Details https://us.macmillan.com/minot...
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Helpful Courses
Want to give a TED Talk?
Deborah Siegel-Acevedo is an author, thought leader, and coach who specializes in supporting writers and authors to land TEDx talks. Join her in this two-part series hosted by She Writes University this December 7 and 14. Deborah will focus on demystifying the TEDx talk, and will also speak to keynotes and plenaries, the kinds of talks that build author platforms and solidify you as a thought leader and go-to person on the topics and messages you most care about. The goal of this course is to help you identify your one big idea—and give you the tools you need to land the talk that will help you soar to the next level as a writer or author.
Between sessions, you’ll be invited to submit a 50-word description of the talk you seek to give and why you’re theone to give it.
December 7 & 14
4pm PT | 7pm ET
Classes are on Zoom. Each class is 90 minutes. Classes are recorded. Each She Writes University webinar comes with a recording that you can access at any time after the live event. There are no cancellations and no refunds. If you can’t attend the live event, you will have access to the recorded event for at least 60 days
https://shewritesuniversity.co...
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