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WPNews, July 2023
The Sum-Sum-Summertime Issue
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From Kathleen Kaiser, President
My column last month delivered the most responses ever. I'm proud that so many of you are against book bans. It's the first step to dictators and against a basic American policy of freedom of speech. Thank you for all of the lovely comments.
I'm working on a case study for IBPA's magazine about ripoff hybrid publishers and have decided to turn it into a webinar. I have a client who went with a company in Florida that abused his trust and is a total con-job organization. I think it's just one person since their office is a Post Office address. They refused to pay any royalties for the first two books they published. I got involved late in the third book, and the owner did everything to try and make the author think I was lying or tried to dazzle them with technobabble.
The webinar, "How to Spot a Ripoff Hybrid Publisher," will be on October 19. You will receive emails with more details, but if you are considering going with one of these companies, investigate as much as possible. Or email me, and I'll see what I can learn. They are popping up all over the place, so please beware.
I'm taking an extended July 4 weekend and restarting my second novel. Very excited to be writing again. I hope you are working away on your projects!Kathleen
Kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
Even thought the rule is to never start a story with the weather, it’s the end of June as I write this and already St. Louis temperatures have reached 97 degrees, which is too hot for me. Of course, it’s better than the three times it rained so hard that every highway around was closed due to flooding. Here’s hoping for cooler days and dry basements.
My rule for writing is to learn the rules, use the rules, and when you understand the rules, break the rules.
Whether you’re sitting by the pool with a cool beverage and SPF50 sunscreen slathered on or running through the sprinkler with the kids, chill, have fun, and get in some you
time to rest, relax, and write.
After all, it’s sum-sum-summertime and the livin’ is easy.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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Ask the Book Doctor About Capitals and Lowercase by Bobbie Christmas
Q: I want to use TLC in dialogue (“Your sprained ankle could use some TLC.”) What is the proper way to write this? Also, how do I write ASAP? I know there are different rules for different abbreviations, but how do we know when to use hyphens between the initials or, as in NASA, use them as a word? TLC, like so many others, does not seem to fit any category.
A: ASAP, NASA, and TLC do, in fact, fit specific categories. NASA and ASAP are acronyms (words created from the initial letters of its elements) and TLC is an abbreviation (something spoken as letters, not a word). Acronyms often appear in all caps, but some have become so common that they became words. Scuba and snafu come to mind as examples of acronyms that have become words that are set in lower case.
As for abbreviations, CMOS shuns most abbreviations in narrative, with the exception of titles, such as Dr. Dialogue often ignores rules and guidelines, so while I wouldn’t use TLC in narrative, it’s fine in dialogue. We are accustomed to seeing both TLC and ASAP in all caps with no periods, so that’s how I would use it. Your example, “Your sprained ankle could use some TLC” is fine as is.
Read More...
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Send your questions to Bobbie Christmas, book editor, author of Write In Style: Use Your Computer to Improve Your Writing, and owner of Zebra Communications. Bobbie@zebraeditor.com
or BZebra@aol.com. Read Bobbie’s Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.
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Curio Fiction—Say What?
by Sandra Murphy
Just when you think you know what’s going on in writing, up pops another genre, sub-genre, or blended genre. The latest is curio fiction, at least until the next idea comes along. Try it, it can be a lot of fun.
Take a story, any story, then add the twist of one element being off-kilter. The main story is as usual, whether historical, in the future, or the present. Location, setting, characters, can be what you’d usually write. Now take one giant step out of the usual and you have curio fiction.
Read More...
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Sandra Murphy is the editor of the Writers and Publishers Network newsletter. She edited the anthology Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ‘60s. Her collection of short stories is titled From Hay to Eternity: Ten Devilish Tales of Crime and Deception.
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Of Wizards, Witches, and Muggles (when friends and family don’t understand you)
by Eric Schumacher, reprinted with permission, first published at FlapperPress.com
He shuffled upon the stage, nervous, looked at a crowd of diverse and eclectically dressed people who looked back with sympathy. He wondered if this was a place where he could finally, truly, relax and rely upon a calmness that comes from the elusive acceptance of others he’d rarely known in his life. He leaned into the microphone.
“My name is Eric. I am an actor and a filmmaker,” he said.
“Hello, Eric,” roared the crowd in sympathetic semi-unison.
He knew he’d found his pack.
If you’re in the artistic fields, you may have experienced a feeling of being a little, or perhaps a lot, out of place in the general public. Worse, you may have experienced feelings of judgement or a lack of acceptance from friends, acquaintances, close family members, or even your own spouse.
Read More...
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Eric Schumacher is a critically acclaimed multi-award winning film, TV, and multimedia actor/director/producer and the current president of niche entertainment and marketing company Seelie Studios, LLC.
Eric is best known as one of the few performers to have played both Doc Holliday (Tombstone Rashomon) and Wyatt Earp (Legends and Lies) in nationally publicized productions. He currently stars in the Revenge of Zoe nerd comedy film trilogy.
www.seeliestudios.com www.ericschumacherfilm.com
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The Publisher’s Perspective by Jay Hartman
A response to Amazon’s decision to discontinue its digital magazine subscription program
Q: With the advent of ebooks and ebook readers, is there really any reason to make my book available in large print?
A: Oh heck, yeah.
One of the common misunderstandings about ebooks is they’re ideal for everyone who can’t see well enough to read traditional print books. I’d have to argue that’s not true.
For example, the Kobo Reading app for tablets and other devices limits how large you can make the font. I love Kobo compared to Kindle, but not being able to get the font large enough for my use is a deal-breaker. The Libby app for Overdrive library checkouts does an exceptional job at font size but is limited by the font the publisher chose. If the publisher didn’t anticipate readers need to adjust font size, style, and create a locked EPUB, the experience will disappoint.
Read More...
Have a question for The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@thejayhartmanagency.com
with TPP in your subject line.
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Support the Freedom to Read from the Authors Guild
The Authors Guild and the American Booksellers Association have joined the American Library Association and the Association of American Publishers to recognize the 70th anniversary of their Freedom to Read statement by reaffirming the statement’s timeless message that the freedom to read is essential to our democracy and the birthright of all persons regardless of their beliefs or political persuasion.
Seventy years after it was written, a resurgence of attacks on the freedom to read again threatens our democracy. Calls for book bans, the adoption of unconstitutional legislation, and campaigns to criminalize the work of librarians, teachers, booksellers, and other individuals for distributing materials protected by the First Amendment threaten our fundamental liberties.
You can read the statement, then scroll down and submit the form to add your name. WPN is a supporting partner on this program
Read More...
https://authorsguild.org/app/uploads/2023/06/ALA-Freedom-to-Read-Statement.pdf
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Bits and Pieces – News You Might Have Missed |
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All the Ways We Have to Reach You by Janet Hutchings re: Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
The article includes the interesting history of its publishing.
Posted on March 30, 2023 by somethingisgoingtohappen
https://tinyurl.com/3mknprdf
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Even books have a carbon footprint. How can you help neutralize it? The Society of Authors is pushing toward a carbon-neutral future. From The Optimist Daily:
https://tinyurl.com/pr7huthb
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Orbit Launches New Imprint, Orbit Works
Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, has launched a new imprint, Orbit Works for sci-fi and fantasy but published exclusively in digital form. https://tinyurl.com/mrynant5
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London Book Fair 2023: Talk of AI and Other Tech Fills the Halls
https://tinyurl.com/mvubt7af
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Award-winning writer Lydia Davis is boycotting Amazon with her new collection of short stories
Her new book will be sold only in bookstores and selected online retailers to protest the company's business model. www.qz.com
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Marketing Your Work by Tooting Someone Else’s Horn
Help yourself by helping someone else with these tips from author Julie Lavender on marketing your work by tooting someone else's horn.
https://tinyurl.com/rw4a5vku
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Starting Salaries at Big Publishers Grow by 23%
https://tinyurl.com/35ctcn8w
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Ramona (right) with her academic editor mom (left)
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Apple is now using AI to increase the number of audio books it can release. To begin, they are using two male voices and two female voices. Authors receive royalties as usual. The popularity of audio books surged in 2021.
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Applications for the 2023 Pride Award are open June 1 to July 31 for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
The Pride Award is an annual grant of $2,000 for an emerging writer in the LGBTQIA+ community.
https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Pride
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https://insights.bookbub.com/authors-running-fantastic-book-promotions-on-instagram/
Although this article is from 2021, you can still pick up good tips for book promotion.
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The Writer magazine’s article, “The Fine Print,” shares what to look for in a small publisher. The pluses are personalized service, many don’t require authors to have an agent, shorter timelines to publish dates, and often more input on cover art and other aspects of the book and its promotion. POD, or print-on-demand, produces a copy when it’s ordered. There’s no print run with hundreds of books in a warehouse. Quality remains the same. Bookstores won’t carry POD books, but the upside is that authors won’t have to worry about returns. POD is better for the environment too.
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Publisher Drops Author After TikTok Backlash and GoodReads Review Bombing
Meant as a sarcastic joke that fell flat, the results were far-reaching.
https://tinyurl.com/39kshmc2
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Why Boston is turning bus stops into digital pop-up libraries
Twenty bus stops were set up with QR codes so riders can access audio books, newspapers, magazines, and ebooks without a library card. The effort’s pilot program is called Browse, Borrow, Board and runs through August.
https://tinyurl.com/tnb6pe67
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Do you collect pretty pictures on Pinterest and that’s as far as your knowledge goes? Here’s an article about ways to utilize it to sell books.
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Reading And Writing Podcast - Michael Bracken, interviewed by Jeff Rutherford
Michael Bracken, a prolific writer of short stories, explains his process for writing and how he chooses stories for the anthologies he edits. (from December 2022)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNOHpRV9uTU
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From Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast—A mystery podcast produced by Kings River Life Magazine
A podcst with short stories & first chapters read by local actors. The Rabbi’s Wife Stayed Home was published in Mysterical-E – Mystericale.com in April 2014.
(kingsriverlife.com)
Judge Debra H. Goldstein writes Kensington's Sarah Blair cozy mystery series (One Taste Too Many, Two Bites Too Many, Three Treats Too Many, Four Cuts Too Many, Five Belles Too Many). She also is the author of Should Have Played Poker: a Carrie Martin and the Mah Jongg Players Mystery. Her award-winning Maze in Blue, is a mystery set on the University of Michigan’s campus.
https://tinyurl.com/6m33k2wp
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Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize
https://gutsygreatnovelist.com/page-one-prize/
$20 ENTRY FEE. Submissions open June 14–July 14. The Gutsy Great Novelist Page One Prize is awarded for an outstanding opening page of an unpublished novel. First prize is $1,000; 2nd is $500; and 3rd is $250. The prize is open internationally to anyone over 18 writing a novel in English in any genre for adult or YA readers.
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The Chilling Pen Award
https://chillingpen.org/
Deadline October 1, 2023. Unveil the complexities of betrayal in this
year’s Chilling Pen award, the theme of the award. We invite writers
from around the globe to submit their original unpublished works of
fiction or non-fiction that explore the theme of betrayal in all its
forms: personal, political, or societal. Limit 1,000 words. All genres
and styles are welcome. First-, second-, and third-place entries will be
published on the website and social media. First place $500. Second
place $300. Third place $100.
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The 60th Cape Cod Writers Center Conference
Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis/Emerald Resort, Massachusetts | August 3-6
The conference is open to writers of all ages and genders from beginners to published authors and features twenty-eight courses in mystery writing, marketing and promotion, nonfiction, memoir writing, fiction, writing for children, poetry, the art of storytelling, screenwriting, queries that kill, boosting your creativity, writing for young adults, an agents’ panel, and more. In addition, participants may sign up for manuscript-mentoring sessions, attend the keynote luncheon, and participate in student readings.
Registration for members is free and $80 for nonmembers. Three-session courses cost $170; two-session courses are $130, and a one-time course is $75. Manuscript-mentoring sessions are available with faculty members at $150 for an hour consultation.
https://capecodwriterscenter.org/conference-2/
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New England Crime Bake November 10–12 In Person
Boston, Massachusetts, Dedham Hilton
Agents and editors, craft, workshops, conference, a community of crime-loving authors and fans.
More details to follow www.crimebake.org
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