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WPNews for April 2024
The Welcome to Our New Members Issue
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The new joint logo for WPN |
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
The Writers & Publishers Network (WPN), a national literary nonprofit, is merging the IWOSC Independent Writers of Southern California and the Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA) into its organization. This will almost double WPN’s membership and expand its educational offerings through monthly online meetings, satellite meetings, seminars, and webinars. Learn more at https://writersandpublishersnetwork.com/two-nonprofits-merge-with-writers-publishers-network/
“When I started my adventures in book publishing in 2008,” Kathleen Kaiser, WPN president said, “IWOSC was one of the first groups I joined. Flo Selfman, then the group’s president, introduced me to many people I still work with. Having been on IWOSC’s board for some years, I know all participants’ quality and commitment to providing education and support to writers. The WPN board is excited about the opportunities this will bring to our national membership.”
This joining of three literary nonprofits will benefit the groups by offering more seminars, webinars, book fair participation, and meetings to a national audience of WPN members.
Gary Young, IWOSC President, said, “The brilliant folks on the IWOSC/PALA board of directors work hard to keep current within the rapidly changing writing/publishing scene. We have added UCLA Extension and Chicago’s IWOC as affiliates. The next logical step is to expand our programs exponentially with the merger with WPN, and we are not done yet. I want our members to enjoy the expanded resources and opportunities and take an active part in the collaboration with WPN. The merger has been complicated but exciting and worth every second.”
An expanded board of directors will incorporate members of the IWOSC/PALA board, and new committees will form from members of all three groups to support these efforts. Gary Young, IWOSC president, and Steven Sanchez, IWOSC Vice President, will join WPN’s advisory board along with Flo Selfman, IWOSC’s past president. Sharon Goldinger, PALA president, will join the WPN board, assuming responsibilities for small publishers, replacing Jay Hartman, who has moved to WPN Vice President.
The merger was effective March 15. The websites will be unified soon, but all business will occur through WPN, located in Ojai, California.
An email will be arriving soon for all WPN members explaining all the new benefits.
For more information, please get in touch with Kathleen Kaiser, WPN President, at kathleen@writersandpublishernetwork.com.
Join, renew, subscribe now. Exciting changes are coming!
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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Volunteers are needed for the WPN booth at the LA Times Festival of Books.
Will you be in Los Angeles on the weekend of April 20 and 21? Would you be willing to help at the Writers & Publishers Network booth for a few hours?
We're looking for people to talk about the organization, encourage people to sign up for our newsletter, and generally help the authors in the booth. Then you could wander around the festival and take in a few author talks, poetry readings, or other activities.
If interested, please follow this link (https://tinyurl.com/5n7he32y) and fill out our volunteer form.
I look forward to meeting you at the festival.
Kathleen Kaiser
President, Writers & Publishers Network
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From Kathleen Kaiser, President
Now that Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC), and the
Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA) have joined WPN, we have a much
larger organization. IWOSC has served writers for over 40 years, and PALA has
served publishers for over 20. We are looking forward to offering additional
benefits for all members.
I will be emailing all of you soon about new educational and other resources
now available with membership. Also, if you’d like to be part of this growing,
dynamic group, we have committee positions open for membership, marketing, and as
board secretary. Please consider joining one and being more involved with a
great group whose passion is books!
If you are in Los Angeles on April 20 and 21, please come by the WPN booth
#200 and say hello. Jay Hartman, our new vice president, will join me and members
from all three groups in the booth. This is like our coming out party! Please
drop by.
Kathleen Kaiser,
WPN President, kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
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Kathleen Kaiser joins Desiree Duffy at Bookfest on Sunday, April 7 at 12:45 Pacific. This is a free online conference. |
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Have you been approached
about turning your novel into a movie? Solicited by a literary agent?
Had your Facebook page duplicated? Scammers disguising themselves as
reputable firms and people, taking over pages, and spamming and scamming
authors. You can’t fight it by merely filling out a form. Find out what
dangers lurk out there for authors and how to protect yourself.Haven't
signed up yet? Head to our website www.thebookfest.com to check this out and so much more.
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Ask the Book Doctor: About Formatting a Manuscript by Bobbie Christmas
Q: How important is the format of my manuscript? If I don’t follow standard manuscript format, can my book get rejected?
A: I can’t speak for every agent and publisher in the world. I can, however, address some of the things that are standard in the industry. If you have any hope of landing an agent or selling your book to a traditional publisher, the format of your manuscript could possibly stand in the way if it doesn’t follow standard manuscript format—SMF. It’s hard enough to land an agent or find a publisher willing to buy your manuscript, so it’s important to show your professionalism by following the standards in the book publishing industry.
READ MORE…
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Bobbie Christmas is a book editor, author of Write In Style: 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 Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/bl...;
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The Publishing Game by Jay Hartman
April showers bring May flowers.
What do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims.
That’s a very old (and very bad) dad joke, but timely. As we head into April and spring arrives in many parts of the country, everything starts to look fresh and new. People clean out their closets. Exterior home improvements begin. Spring break vacations get underway.
April tends to be a big month in the publishing world. Many houses will launch tentpole titles during April to capture readers who are ready for vacation or who want to relax on a lounge chair in the garden and soak up the sunshine.
It’s no wonder April hosts literary-themed holidays: April is National Poetry Month, April 2 is International Children’s Book Day, and April 4 brings National School Librarian Day for readers in the United States. My personal favorite is April 23, which is World Book and Copyright Day, a United Nations holiday sponsored by UNESCO. This day is all about instilling the love of reading in both children and adults.
READ MORE…
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Be part of the discussion! Send your questions to jhartman@mistimedia.com with TPG in your subject line.
WPN vice president Jay A. Hartman has worked in the publishing industry for more than 30 years. For 13 years he served as the creator and editor-in-chief of Untreed Reads Publishing before the company was acquired in 2022. In 2023, he created Misti Media, a company dedicated to book publishing and author education.
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ShortCon - The Premier Conference for Short Crime Fiction Writers
Alexandria, Virginia
Saturday, June 22, 2024
Join acclaimed crime fiction professionals for an immersive one-day event and learn how to write short crime fiction, get your stories published, and develop and sustain a long-term career writing short.
Your day will include:
• Three hours of in-depth instruction on how to craft short crime fiction from New York Times bestselling novelist and multiple-award-winning short-fiction author Brendan DuBois.
• Insider look at the world’s leading mystery magazines by Alfred Hitchcock’s and Ellery Queen’s Senior Managing Editor Jackie Sherbow.
• Career lessons from short fiction legend and author of more than twelve-hundred short stories. Michael Bracken.
• Wrap-up discussion led by short crime fiction rising star Stacy Woodson.
• Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments prepared by Elaine’s Restaurant, Northern Virginia’s literary hub in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
• In-person networking opportunities created exclusively for short crime fiction writers.
• Literary connections that will last a lifetime.
Learn more and register: https://www.eastcoastcrime.com/#/
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We all want to thank Vickey for her many years of service to IWOSC |
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A Farewell from Vickey Kalambakal, IWOSC administrator.
Good bye and good luck!
Six months ago, even before the IWOSC – WPN merger, I discussed my
retirement with Gary Young and Steven Sanchez. We decided that April Fool’s Day
would be the ideal date to start my retirement. But I did not want to go
without expressing my support for all of you.
I’ve been honored and excited to share your books and articles on Pinterest,
Facebook, and X. I’ve also enjoyed interacting with you through email and the
phone. And when it came to our parties and in-person events, I loved meeting
and talking with many of you.
I wish you all continued success in your writing and publishing journeys!
Sincerely,
Vickey Kalambakal (aka Vickey Kall)
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ALA's press release, American Library Association Reports Record Number of Unique Book Titles Challenged in 2023, is now available online. As predicted last fall, 2023 saw new records for the number of books targeted for censorship. Last year saw a 92% increase in the number of titles that were challenged or banned in public libraries, and a massive increase in unique titles challenged, going from 2,571 titles in 2022 to a whopping 4,240 in 2023.
Please see this report from the Associated Press and check the updated Unite website for more information including:
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New data on 2023 book bans and censorship
New graphics to share on social media, which include new data highlights (page bottom)
In addition to maximizing this opportunity to expose and condemn organized attempts at book banning and censorship, today is a great day to contact the media https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/toolkit/#media
or https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/take-action/) on behalf of your organization and in response to new data.
When posting to social media, please tag @uabookbans (X/Twitter) or @uniteagainstbookbans (Facebook and Instagram) and use the #uniteagainstbookbans hashtag.
Per Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom: “Each demand to ban a book is a demand to deny each person’s constitutionally protected right to choose and read books that raise important issues and lift up the voices of those who are often silenced.” We are proud and grateful to include your organization among Unite Against Book Bans coalition members and partners, and to stand with you in this ongoing fight for the freedom to read.
Unite Against Book Bans team UniteAgainstBookBans@ala.org
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WPN is a signature sponsor of Unite Against Book Bans and supports the efforts of libraries and librarians across this country.
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Bits and Pieces – News You Might Have Missed |
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https://fb.watch/qLsneMIR2S/
reader-friendly book ban info https://tinyurl.com/5n83kufv
National Education Association
1201 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036-3290
“Every student, no matter what they look like or where they live, should have a great public education that inspires a love of reading and prepares them for the future in our interconnected world.”
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Want the inside scoop on publishing? Here are free newsletters to sign up for, from Publisher’s Weekly. Topics include: PW Daily for deals and more, Children’s Bookshelf for kids and young adults, PW Picks for what’s hot, author interviews, and more, School and Library Spotlight for librarians and teachers of pre-K thru 12, The Fanatic comics, graphic novels, sci fi, fantasy, and pop, Global Rights for the biggest deals of the week, Must Reads news of the week sent every Sunday, The BookLife self-publishing news, Religion BookLine for religion and spirituality, PW Preview for Librarians, and Promotions, Announcements, and Offers.
https://tinyurl.com/4d5upbn8
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From Middle Grade Novel to Graphic Novel
There’s more to adapting a chapter book into a graphic novel than just drawing pictures to go with the words. Adapters often bring a whole new level of nonverbal communication to the page.
https://tinyurl.com/k4nnp5bb
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Check out the WPN webinars! |
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If you miss one, no worries, you can receive a link to hear it at your convenience.
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Offered by The Orchard Street Press, its mission to support and advance poetry as an essential art form in our world.
Prize-winning and other submitted poems will appear in Quiet Diamonds, our annual poetry journal. Select entrants will be invited to submit chapbooks for possible publication.
Up to four poems can be submitted. Deadline for submissions is April 30, 2024.
Contest details: https://orchpress.com/index.php/en/the-latest/214-the-2023-orchard-street-press-poetry-contest
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Zoom on May 2, day-long virtual conference from SLJ (School Library Journal) & LJ (Library Journal) in partnership with NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English).
NCTE’s contribution is a specific strand of content that shines the light on “Heart Hope and Humanity,” their theme for the year, which will culminate with their annual convention in Boston in November.
Expert panels, keynotes, downloadable resources, thought-leadership presentations, product exhibits designed to give the strategies needed to support engaging reader environments. Attendees will gain insight into tools, practices, and initiatives that put books and reading front and center, elevating, and celebrating the value and impact of this important collective work.
Panel and speaker details to come soon! https://tinyurl.com/pfs34ns2
to register
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May 18 Gaithersburg Book Festival, Gaithersburg, Maryland
https://www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org/
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May 28-Jun 1 ThrillerFest, New York, New York Sheraton Times Square https://thrillerfest.com/
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May 31-Jun 2 CrimeCon, Nashville, Tennessee
https://www.crimecon.com/CC24
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The International Women'sWriting Guild Summer Conference in Bristol, Rhode Island, on the campus of Roger Williams University August 1-5. Writing workshops on playwriting, poetry, memoir, fiction and more. At IWWG they are committed to representing the intersectional voices of women, non-binary, two-spirit, and femme-identified individuals across the globe, and championing equity, justice, and inclusion within national and international writing communities. www.iwwg.org/conf24
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DFW writers conference October 5 & 6 Hurst, Texas
“The premier, multi-genre writers conference in the Southwest.”
www.dfwcon.org
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