WPNews May 2021
The Working Together Indie Issue
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From the President, Kathleen Kaiser
I grew up a Hemingway fan. My father admired him and his exploits, and I found his simple yet direct writing very relatable to me. Running through the local library’s selection, I ventured to a larger library to check out his latest book or magazine article. When I discovered that past issues of Colliers were available if I read them in the library, I spent hours devouring all that they had. Those articles opened me to Martha Gellhorn’s journalism. I had no idea she and Hemingway were a couple.
Because Ernest Hemingway is considered the premiere American author of the 20th century, the new Ken Burns documentary for PBS, “Hemingway,” is worth the watch. The documentary illustrates his handwritten first drafts and shows how he edited himself. I streamed it on Prime and was fascinated for six hours while watching his development and then decline.
If you love Hemingway or even just like him, watching this series will inspire you and I hope will point you away from his excesses and to the disciplined path he followed when writing. The show inspired me to get back at it!
Kathleen, kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
During the shutdown, people turned to creative pursuits they’d dreamed about but hadn’t had time for. Animal shelters emptied as adoptions and fostering programs put dogs and cats (and more) into homes, away from the stress of shelter life. Flour and yeast became scarce as interest in baking bread and desserts skyrocketed. Gardens thrived.
And for some, writing the story they’d had in mind for who knows how long became a reality.
Social media became more important as in-person contact grew limited. The more differences were pointed out to us, the more we found we have in common. Connections are important. We also found an increased importance for treating each other well.
I hope what we’ve learned in lockdown will continue as restrictions ease.
In the meantime, if you’d like to take an hour and a half to watch a movie about a writer who needed help, got it, then did his co-writers wrong—and what happened next—watch Revenge of Zoe. Old friends, superheroes, a bowl of popcorn, and an adult beverage make a great movie night. Despite the comic bookstore setting, language isn’t appropriate for children. Here’s where
to see it:
Free at: https://tinyurl.com/t38vzym8
https://tinyurl.com/4tnnwvhu for Amazon Prime
Keep warm, keep safe, keep writing,
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
For contributions to the newsletter and Letters to the Editor, please e-mail
editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com.
If you are not a member, join now at www.writersandpublishers.com.
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The Writers & Publishers Network announces its June and July series of webinars. They are held on alternating Thursdays at 11 am Pacific. The next two months of presenters and topics are:
June 3 — Adanna Moriarty, Website designer and literary publicist – “Your Best Author Website – The elements every website needs to sell your book"
June 17 — Lisa Angle “Social Media Nails for your author platform”
July 8 — Kimberly De Basso, award-winning author goes through the many decisions you must make when self-publishing "But HOW Do I Self Publish?"
July 22 — Flo Selfman on the art of Copy Editing, with illustrations of most common errors she finds when editing manuscripts
The cost is $35 for non-members of WPN. Members receive 30% off. Registration closes 18
hours before each session.
Learn More
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IWOSC/WPN meetings to start again on Zoom Monday, April 26, open to writers, authors, and anyone interested book publishing
The IWOSC/WPN monthly meetings restarted as online Zoom meetings on April 26. The meetings are for writers, authors, small publishers, and any interested parties. Since 2017, the monthly meeting have been held in Thousand Oaks but stopped March 2020 due to the pandemic. The meetings are a joint venture between the Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC) and the Writers & Publishers Network (WPN), a national literary nonprofit based in Ojai, California. At the first meeting a list of topics for speakers was created by the 25 people attending and
include:
- What are the best blogging and social media sites to gain followers
- How to budget for self-publishing
- How to make a live pitch to an agent or publisher
- Choosing an editor
- Childrens agents
- What comprise a media kit or press kit
Speaker information and registration for meetings will be on the website https://www.iwoscwpn.com/ . Please sign in early to set up your microphone and video links if you wish to participate. There is no fee or requirement to attend the meeting, just people who want to know more about the book publishing world and what it takes to succeed.The meetings will be held via Zoom every third Monday of the month at 7 PM Pacific.
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Ask the Book Doctor About Commas by Bobbie Christmas |
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Q: When and when not does one place a comma in front of the word “as?”
A: Sorry, but no absolute rule exists for commas as they relate to the word “as,”
Learn More
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.
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What Is Kindle Vella? by Dave Chesson, Kindlepreneur
As many of you might have heard, Amazon just announced the Kindle Vella system. A quick recap of this:
- New system that sells novellas called episodes
- Episodes are between 600-5,000 words long.
- Will be available to readers in the “next few months.”
- Authors will receive 50% of royalties.
- Readers spend ‘tokens’ to unlock the stories.
- Only available to those in the U.S. at the moment
Learn More
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Indie Bookstores, Indie Books: A Match Made in Heaven by Penny Sansevieri |
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In the spirit of If You Build It, It Will Come, or maybe If You WISH It, It Will Come, I’m going to focus today on the dream many authors have held since they were tiny tots: to have written one of those books customers are holding in the checkout line at a cool/funky/intellectual/[insert your favorite adjective here] independent bookstore.
Learn More...
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“Four stars! Must read!” by Clea Simon
All of us who write dream of the rave review, the headline that celebrates our talent, and the link for readers eager to buy. But with my 28th cozy mystery, A Cat on the Case, which is just out, I know how elusive those can be. The good news is that as a former arts reporter and editor, I’m also aware of an even bigger boost available to authors: off-the-book-page coverage.
Learn More...
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Killing Dreams One Rejection at a Time by Michael Bracken
At the time I wrote “Rejected!” in 2018, I had received 2,552 rejections. I have no idea how many more I’ve added since then, and I don’t feel brave enough to count them. I now edit Black Cat Mystery Magazine for Wildside Press and various anthologies for Down & Out Books, I’ve lately been sending far more rejections than I’ve been receiving. Along the way, my attitude toward rejection has changed. I once viewed rejection as evidence of editors’ inability to recognize genius. Now I realize how small a role one’s writing ability plays in a rejection. Here’s why:
Read more…
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Catherine Klatzker is a memoirist, poet, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, meditator, a retired pediatric ICU RN of 22 years, and a member of the Authors Guild. Her work has appeared in Atticus Review, Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine, Emrys Journal, Lime Hawk Journal, The Examined Life Journal, Tiferet Journal, and in mental health anthologies. Originally from the quad cities of Illinois, she now lives in southern California with her husband, delightedly nearby their children and grandchildren.
Her debut memoir, You Will Never Be Normal from Stillhouse Press is now available. You Will Never Be Normal was longlisted for the 2017 Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Awards Program, and an excerpt, Al Chet, was awarded Tiferet Journal’s 2014 Nonfiction prize. Find it at the usual outlets and at
Learn More...
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Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo
I'm an American textile artist and teacher of the sacred art of silk appliqué thangka. In 1992, after attaining masters degrees in urban planning and management from UCLA, I traveled to the seat of the Tibetan government in exile in India to manage an economic development fund. In a twist of fate, I ended up sewing pictures of buddhas instead. Trained by two of the finest living Tibetan appliqué artists, I'm one of very few non- Tibetans to have mastered the art form. At the end of my apprenticeship, the Dalai Lama encouraged me to carry the transformative power of this artwork to my own culture. My book is one part of fulfilling that sacred assignment. Threads of Awakening: an American Woman's Journey in Tibet's Sacred Textile Art to be published by She Writes Press in 2022
Learn More
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News You Might Have Missed |
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Also from Untreed Reads, a new imprint and call for submissions. Find the guidelines here:
https://www.untreedreads.com/s... Deadline is May 31,
2021 Editor-in-Chief, Jay Hartman, says, “For 11 years, Untreed Reads has operated in the daylight with entertaining mysteries, romance, scifi and fantasy. Heck, we even do nonfiction! We’ve got ourselves a pretty squeaky-clean reputation.” Introducing the first new imprint from Untreed Reads in 11 years: Untreed After Dark. UAD is a new imprint focused on erotica, dark horror, and all manner of things that go bump (and other things) in the night. Our first anthology under the new imprint combines erotica and mystery. (The dark horror portion is not open for submissions but is coming soon. Check the website for updates.)
Title: Sex and Violins
Subtitle: The Music of Murder
Humor is appreciated. Underrepresented voices are welcome and desired. I’ve done it below where they go. Award-winning author Gillian Roberts’s book You Can Write a Mystery is currently available in ebook format at Untreed Reads but will be available in paperback in May.
https://tinyurl.com/2jd452sx
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Call for submissions about baseball. We celebrate the rich history of the game while alsorecognizing its vibrant present through essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and visual art. Reading period is year-round, Fiction, 3,000 words max, personal essays 1,000, five poems; comics and illustrations. Genres: fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, art. Submit as Word document, emailed to Editor-in-Chief Scott Bolohan at thetwinbill@gmail.com. www.twinbill.com
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Looking for calls for submissions? Try this site http://jeannelyetgassman.blogs.... Limited listings compared to some, but not the usual calls.
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Streaming TV, Films Drive Surge In Graphic Novel Sales https://tinyurl.com/z5cjkkzv.
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From the Sidelines to the Spotlight: LGBTQ Books 2021 https://tinyurl.com/3fy7ha6v
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A New Approach to Shameless Shilling with Mystery Author Ellen Byron https://tinyurl.com/uxj6fz93
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Full STEAM Ahead: Activity Books Encourage Hands-On Learning Surge. Activity books are encouraging a hands-on learning surge https://tinyurl.com/3c3yj6f7
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Spring 2021 STEM and STEAM Activity Books for Kids and Teens https://tinyurl.com/ss57bbt5
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Charlesbridge and Chicken Soup for the Soul partner on children's series in two lines—one for children up to three years old and the other for ages four to seven. https://tinyurl.com/cx7p65j8
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Disney Reimagines Its Book Business https://tinyurl.com/yz9d92zz
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S&S will publish former vice president Mike Pence’s book but has said it would not distribute The Fight for Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy by Jonathan Mattingly.
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2021 Book Marketing: How Authors Are Promoting Their Novels https://tinyurl.com/5ydbjwaz
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Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
Deadline May 15. Highly recommended free contest from Sisters in Crime awards $2,000 grant for adult crime fiction, 2,500-5,000 words, by an author of color who has not published more than ten pieces of short fiction or two books. (Preference is given to previously unpublished authors.) Prize must be used for "activities related to crime fiction writing and career development." Winner is required to submit a report about how the prize was spent and serve as a member of next year's award selection committee. Send short story or first chapter(s) of a manuscript in progress, a resume, and a cover letter describing how the applicant is emerging in the genre and how the grant money would be used. Submit application materials via sponsor's online portal. Eleanor Taylor Bland, after whom the prize is named, was a prolific African- American crime fiction writer.
https://www.sistersincrime.org...
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Black Orchid Novella Award
Deadline May 31. Recommended free contest gives $1,000 and publication in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine for the best traditional mystery novella. Entries should be 15,000-20,000 words. See website for thematic and stylistic restrictions. Essentially, they are looking for an old-fashioned story of deduction, with a witty style and an engaging relationship between the characters, and no explicit sex or violence. Contest co-sponsor The Wolfe Pack is the official fan club for Nero Wolfe, a legendary fictional sleuth created by Rex Stout in a series of mystery novels published from 1934 to 1975.
http://www.nerowolfe.org/htm/l....
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Speculative Literature Foundation Older Writers Grant
Deadline May 31 (must be received by this date; don't enter before May 1). Recommended free contest awards one grant of $1,000 for unpublished writing samples (poetry, drama, fiction, or nonfiction) by writers aged 50+ who are just starting to write professionally. Submit a sample of up to 10 pages of poetry or drama, or 5,000 words of fiction or creative nonfiction. Along with your writing sample, send a 500-word personal statement as well as a 1-page bibliography of any previously published work. If sending a segment of a novel or novella, include a 1-page synopsis. See website for other submission requirements. Enter by email.
http://speculativeliterature.o...
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Storytwigs Monthly Micro-Writing Competition
Deadlines at the end of each month (must be received by this date). Neutral free contest gives monthly prizes up to $100 and web publication for flash prose on a selected theme. Send 1-3 stories or essays per competition period, each no more than 100 words.
https://winningwriters.com/tem...
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