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WPN, September 2022 The Gear-Up Issue
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From Kathleen Kaiser, President
THIS MONTH, SCAM ARTISTS PREYING ON WRITERS
There are an astonishing number of scam artists out there pretending to be agents, legitimate publishers, and even impersonating book marketers. Penny Sansevieri, a wonder of book marketer, Amazon whiz, and bestselling author, recently learned that someone is pretending to be her company, Author Marketing Experts, and is taking thousands of dollars from new writers, and then disappears. The writers believe it's Penny. IT'S NOT. If you have been scammed, please get in touch with Penny at info@amarketingexpert.com. Put Scammer in the subject line.
Penny and I will discuss this and other scams on the Talking Book Publishing podcast that drops on September 8. Check it out at https://talkingbookpublishing.today.
Next are the people pretending to be publishers who expect you to pay, taking up to 40% of your profits. REAL PUBLISHERS DON'T TAKE YOUR MONEY. Now, some legitimate hybrid publishers share in the costs of releasing your book. Most scammers are just Publishing Service Providers who hang on to your materials and make it impossible to get them back. BEWARE. If they are a responsible company, they are probably members of IBPA. Check with them before signing any agreement, even online forms. If all they do is design the book and upload it to Amazon and a few retailers, they are not publishers.
Pearson Media Group is another scam operation. Here is an excellent ALERT from the Alliance of Independent Authors about them. https://selfpublishingadvice.org/pearson-media-group-a-watchdog-advisory/
Another scam I heard about last week is someone calling or emailing writers or authors with websites, claiming to be agents, and just for $2500, they will get your "wonderful" book to a Big Five publisher. Of course, it's every writer's dream. But the Big Five, who buy self-published works, DON'T CHARGE YOU, and neither do legitimate agents to represent your book. So hang up the phone quickly. These bottom feeders are preying on your dreams. And beware of people claiming to be Netflix producers who want to option your book. All you have to do is pay the $7500. THAT IS NOT AN OPTION. When your work is optioned, you get paid.
The worst of the worst is any company associated with Author Solutions. They were sued some years back and went dark but have returned after buying up other similar scam companies. One even pretends it's part of Simon & Schuster, and for $10,000, they will give your book to an S&S editor. RUN! Here is an excellent article on what their methods https://davidgaughran.com/how-...
Enough for my rant. Beware, and always feel free to contact me with any questions.
Kathleen@kathleenkaiser.com
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
A small businessman I know recently passed away. His illness had been serious and involved several stays in the hospital. You might expect he would have gotten his affairs in order, just in case. That didn’t happen. When it became clear the situation was not going to improve, he told his spouse what he wanted done with the company.
Within weeks, the company folded, employees weren’t paid, orders were left unfulfilled. Nothing was in writing, so the spouse inherited.
How do you avoid a situation like that? When making your will or updating it, make sure your copyrights are included, make a list of your passwords for sites and social media so online friends can be notified. For further ideas, buy Michael La Ronn’s books, The Author Estate Handbook and The Author Heir Handbook, available in ebook, paperback, audiobook, and large print at the usual outlets.
No one likes to think about these things, but being prepared gives you peace of mind and eases all that needs to be done once you’re gone.
This is Punctuation Month, as shown in The Book Doctor’s column. It’s also Read-a-Book Month, and Melissa Hart shares the recent books she’s loved. Brenda Vaca, our new secretary, explains the importance of words and knowing who you are. Jay Hartman suggests using back-to-school time to re-evaluate promotions geared to selling more books for the holidays. Look for six simple book-marketing strategies for your author website shared by Penny Sansevieri. Don’t have an author website? Check out the 9/15 Zoom with Adanna, details below.
We have success stories this month too—Leslie Richen Wongmo’s book, Threads of Awakening, set in Tibet, promises to be a fascinating read. My short story, co-written with Michael Bracken, is featured as a podcast this month, read by me!
With book bans on the rise, stand up to fight censorship and protect our right to choose what books we read. Join with the International Book Publishers Association and the American Library Association to spread the word. Details on how you can help are below.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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September 15, Your Best Author Website 11:00-12:30 PDT via Zoom with Adanna Moriarty,
an author and a web designer specializing in author sites. A website is
the core of your business, where to attract people, the base of all
operations. Learn what makes a successful website.
As an author, your website is the hub of your business. Every piece
of information you put out—book signings, blog posts, release dates, not
to mention reviews, interviews both print and audio/video—all of that
information should live on your website. It’s crucial to the business
side of writing.
This webinar will cover:
Content–What your website needs, from pages to the information they hold
Platforms–The different platforms from budget to custom, what you can do yourself, and when or why you decide to hire a designer
Branding–Why you are your brand, not your books.
Your aesthetic and what you want to convey to the world across
platforms, especially your domain name
Five examples of author websites, what they have gotten right, and what they have gotten wrong
A live Q&A during the live webinar when Adanna will answer your author website questions.
Tickets are $25.00, and a portion of the fee is donated to the 805 Writers Conference Scholarship Fund. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/bdzdyyc2.
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Writers & Publishers Network Launches GoFundMe Campaign to support scholarships for the 805 Writers Conference in Ventura, California
Funds raised are earmarked for scholarships to go to area students and senior community.
After two years of hiatus due to the pandemic, the 805 Writers Conference & Book Expo is returning to Ventura, California on November 5 & 6. The event is presented by Writers & Publishers Network (WPN), a literary nonprofit based in Ojai, California.
WPN launched a GoFundMe Campaign yesterday. SUPPORT THE NEW VOICES IN WRITING SCHOLARSHIP FUND TODAY. We are looking for avid book lovers, writers, and people who believe in the importance of literature to support this $10,000 fundraising campaign.
GoFundMe donations will be used for the New Voices in Writing Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to students ages 16-25 and seniors over 60. Scholarship winners will be selected from submissions to be judged by published authors and professional editors. People wishing to submit their writing for consideration may do so starting August 20, 2022 at 805WC.com.
The link
to this GoFundMe page is https://bit.ly/3dxCqKy.
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Ask the Book Doctor About Punctuation by Bobbie Christmas
With September 24 being Punctuation Day, I’m pulling out some of the questions I’ve been asked about punctuation. All my answers are based on Chicago style, the style that most book publishers follow, and Chicago style often differs from the styles we see in periodicals or on the internet.
Q: I keep hearing about em dashes and en dashes. I’m new to all this. What are they, and how can I find them on my keyboard?
Alas, you won’t find them on your keyboard, but your keyboard can produce them for you, as you’ll see. Here are the rules for en dashes and em dashes and how to create them:
Use em dashes (—) to denote an abrupt change in thought or an emphatic pause. We will fly to Paris in June—if I get a raise. An em dash is longer than an en dash, which is longer than a hyphen. I’ll explain en dashes later.
A hyphen is not an em dash; however, in Word on most computers, if you type two hyphens in a row followed immediately by a letter or whole word, the computer will automatically change the two hyphens into an em dash. You can also use two hyphens to indicate a dash. I would like to tell you--emphatically--you are brilliant. In Microsoft Word, you can also go to Insert , then Symbol, then Special Characters, and choose Em Dash and Insert. Whether using the true em dash or two hyphens, be consistent; don’t use a dash in one place and two hyphens in another. Do not space before or after an en dash. 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 Zebra Communications blog at https://www.zebraeditor.com/blog/.
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The Publisher’s Perspective by Jay Hartman
Happy September, and welcome to that time of year kids hate and
parents love–Back to School! We send the little urchins off
to…err…urchin… in the classroom while we head back to work or find time
to take care of a lot of those projects we couldn’t do with little ones
underfoot. Mind you, my kid is a guinea pig named Gizmo, so any
education happening is actually him teaching me what he wants to eat and
how best to clean up after him.
This is also the time of year that book sales tend to dip. The beach
vacations are over, being trapped inside during thunderstorms is less
common, and in general, free time comes as a bit of a premium as we go
back to sort-of post-summer normalcy. For those of you who follow my
column, you’ll know that in the past I mentioned that there are two
times a year that are best for re-evaluating what you’re currently doing
with your writing and publishing. The first usually happens in January
and the other typically happens in the September/October timeframe as we
gear up for the 4th quarter holiday season ahead. READ MORE…
Have any great hints for your fellow authors for this time of year? Be sure to share them in the comments below on the website. 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.
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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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Get the Most Out of Your Author Website with These Six Simple Book-Marketing Strategies By Penny Sansevieri
It’s simple: if you’re an author, you need a website—period.
An author website is essential to your brand, and when used
correctly, your overall success. But that doesn’t mean your website
needs to be some big, elaborate endeavor; in fact, sometimes the
simplest, most streamlined websites are best. In the end, the look,
feel, and functionality of your website—and the book-marketing
strategies you’ll use—will all depend on your unique goals as an author.
Still, it’s important to remember that presentation is always key.
Websites, like book covers, rely solely on first impressions, and
readers (potential buyers) instantly know a good book cover from a bad
one—or a good website from a bad one. And with all the competition out
there, you won’t get a second chance. So let’s go through a list of
must-haves for maximizing your website’s performance.
Decide What’s Best for Your Brand
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.
Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has
developed some of the most innovative Amazon Optimization programs as
well as social media/internet book-marketing campaigns. To learn more
about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.
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I Am Xicana by Brenda Vaca
Hispanic. Latino. Latina. Latinx. Latine. Mexican. Mexican American. Chicana. Brown. Indigena. Xicana.
In the words of Chicano writer, David Bowles, when it comes to
identifying people he writes: “Basically, be precise. Don’t misuse
labels. Educate yourself.” For me it' a good opportunity to build
relationships. Not bridges but relationships. The last thing racialized
people want is to be categorized and then miscategorized. So in that
spirit, I will share with you precisely who I am.
Over the years, what identifying word to use has been heavily
informed by the company I keep. No more. Now I choose to use the word
that I feel most comfortable with—it is who I am, not as others see me,
but as I see me: Xicana.
When filling out the census, or other optional ethnicity questions on
official forms, it had historically been an existential crisis. Who am
I? What am I? Who gets to name who I am? Hispanic, as you probably know
by now, is an identifier that appeared during the Nixon era. It is an
all-consuming monolith, a valuable piece of demographic information, and
an attempt to target an audience. READ MORE…
•••
Brenda Vaca is a Xicana poet, author, and independent publisher from
Unceded Tongva Territory Sejatnga, today known as South Whittier,
California in Southeast Los Angeles County. She earned her B.A. in
English at U.C. Berkeley with a minor in Creative Writing. Later she
went on to graduate school in Berkeley earning a Master of Divinity She
served as an ordained elder, working primarily in Latinx communities for
10 years until an interfaith pilgrimage to Central America in August
2015 altered the course of her life. Poetry and writing have been
lifelong passions. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Poet Society Press, Sims Library of Poetry, Praxinoscope Vol. 1 & 2, enfleshed, and the Antology, Artivista: El arte como espacio de resistencia. Riot of Roses is her debut collection of poetry. She is the host of the Instagram Live series Friday Fire hosted every Friday at varying times. You can find and follow her @iambrendavaca on Instagram and Brenda Vaca and Riot of Roses on Facebook.
Communications can be sent to: brendasellsbooks@gmail.com and you can order her book directly at: https://linktr.ee/brendavaca or wherever books are sold.
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Windows, Mirrors and Glasses: Grace Lin on Seeing the World Through Diverse Books |
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Why we need to keep pushing and supporting diverse books—why they are so important—especially during these hard times.
https://tinyurl.com/ycksa8my
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It’s Read-a-Book Day! Celebrate with One of these Amazing New Titles by Melissa Hart
As contributing editor at The Writer Magazine, I receive advance review copies of new books regularly. My nightstand is a travesty; despite my respect for Marie Kondo, I can’t bring myself to donate most of the titles spilling over onto the carpet beside my bed because whether they’re kids’ books, adult books, fiction or nonfiction, almost all of them spark joy.
And so I read and re-read and revel in my good fortune at getting a preview of stories destined in some way to change the world for the better. Below, I’ll share a few that have struck me as particularly remarkable, with the hope that you’ll love them, too.
Nonfiction. Dancing with the Muse in Old Age by Priscilla Long (Epicenter/Coffeetown Press, November 15, 2022). The author of The Writer’s Portable Mentor: A Guide to Art, Craft, and the Writing Life has a new title designed to debunk the myth that we reach peak creativity between the ages of 39 and 42. Using examples from well-known creatives, Long shows how octogenarians and nonagenarians produce powerful work. Each chapter ends with questions designed to help readers plan for a vibrant and productive old age. READ MORE…
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Melissa Hart is the author, most recently, of the middle-grade novel Daisy Woodworm Changes the World, about a tween who gets a school assignment to change the world and decides to help her older brother who has Down syndrome to become a YouTube fashion influencer. www.melissahart.com
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What if
you set out to travel the world and got sidetracked in a Himalayan
sewing workshop? What if that sidetrack became your life’s path? Threads of Awakening—the
first book to explore the Tibetan art of silk thangkas—is the inspiring
story of a California woman who found her heart’s home on the other
side of the globe, stitching sacred Buddhist wall hangings next door to
the Dalai Lama. Learn more at threadsofawakening.com/book by Leslie
Rinchen-Wongmo.
After two decades abroad, Leslie returned to southern California
where she now lives with three cats and enough fabric to last several
lifetimes, but never enough for the next project.
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Author Jule Selbo and her book, 10 DAYS, won its fifth award at KILLER NASHVILLE conference where it received the Silver Falchion for Best Investigator. The book previously was a finalist for the Maine Literary Award for Crime Fiction; named by Kirkus Reviews a Top Five Crime mysteries from Indie Publishers; was shortlisted for Clue Book Awards-New Talents; and received an honorable mention from Foreword Review. The book also received a coveted Starred Review from Kirkus. The next book in the Dee Rommel Series, 9 DAYS, comes out next month.
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WE JUST PASSED THE 1,000th DOWNLOAD MARK! |
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HELP US GET TO 2,000 BY DOWNLOADING ANY OF OUR GREAT CONVERSATIONS WITH AUTHORS, BOOK MARKETERS, PUBLISHERS, AND MORE.
On September 8, Penny Sansevieri and Kathleen discuss the many ways grifters and scammers are targeting writers. On September 22, author Jule Selbo discusses the latests installment in her award-winning Dee Rommell Mystery serie, 9 DAYS. Visit TBP at: https://talkingbookpublishing....
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Get to Know Alesha Brown—An interview with new IBPA board of directors Member Spotlight https://tinyurl.com/2exew9zc
From author to publisher, abuse survivor to advocate for the marginalized, and most recently, from DEI Committee volunteer to IBPA board member, Alesha Brown charges forward in life by not allowing fear to get in the way. This July 1 IBPA began its new fiscal year by welcoming six new faces to the IBPA Board of Directors.
WPN is an affiliate of IBPA.
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Bits and Pieces – News You Might Have Missed |
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Ancestry CEO Reveals 10 New Rules for Women at Work on the Small Business Radio Show
Deborah Liu, the president and CEO of Ancestry, the company at the forefront of family history and consumer genomics. To hear more, go to episode #703 at
https://barrymoltz.com/small-business-radio-show/.
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DOJ v PRH: Madeline McIntosh Details PRH's Publishing Process
The defense called PRH US CEO Madeline McIntosh, plus merger and acquisition executives from ViacomCBS and PRH, to the stand to discuss why approval of the deal would benefit all parties. https://tinyurl.com/y6rsmt6x
DOJ v. PRH: Judge Tosses PRH Exec Testimony reported on 8/16
Ruling numbers were not independently verified as required by precedent, the judge was especially critical of the revenue projections, which she said could not be based on models from prior mergers or past experience, in part because the models were from 2020 and had been updated 100 times since then, making it unreliable.
https://tinyurl.com/6p3k54tb
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Mad Cave Acquires Kids' Graphic Novel House Papercutz
Papercutz books are distributed to the book trade by Macmillan, and to the comics shop market by Diamond Books Distributors.
https://tinyurl.com/2pu4m8cb
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Slowing Down and Savoring the Writing Process
Facing a fatal diagnosis, she says, “I’d rather blow off the deadline than arrive at the Pearly Gates with completed work that isn’t my best.” Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/5cmzk9fe
Cai Emmons is a writer living in Eugene, Ore. She has two novels publishing in September: Unleashed (Dutton) and Livid (Red Hen).
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Penguin Acquires Rights to Super Sema
Super Sema, an animated series from licensor Kukua Education Limited that began its second season as a YouTube Original on June 17. https://tinyurl.com/32jyfr8x
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Sports Magazines
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Do you love sports? Want to write about them? There’s probably a magazine out there for whatever sport you love best—swimming, dancing, hiking, chess, golf, race cars, snowmobiles, and dirt bikes. Writer’s Digest suggested these four to start:
Adventure Cyclist,
adventure-cycling.org/adventure-cyclist/ pays 30-60c per word.
Gray’s Sporting Journal, GraysSportingJournal.com pays $600-$1250 for features.
Runner’s World RunnersWorld.com payment varies based on length, turnaround time.
Sailing Magazine, SailingMagazine.net pays $50-$500.
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Southern California Writers Conference September 16-18, Los Angeles Limited to 150 people, the conference features interactive troubleshooting and read-and-critique workshops. Msg@writersconference.com writersconference.com/la
Litquake October 6-22, San Francisco Panel discussions, cross-media events, hundreds of readings, plus the now-famous Lit Crawl through the Mission District. info@litquake.org litquake.org
James River Writers Conference October 7-9, Richmond, Virginia Meetings with agents, panel discussions, lectures, first-page critiques, and a pitchapalooza. Jamesriverwriters.org/conference2022
The Vancouver Writers Fest October 17-23, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Authors, poets, spoken-word performers, graphic novelists, and readers. Writersfest.bc.ca
Women Writing the West October 20-22, Durango, Colorado Three days of telling stories of the women’s West. www2trego@gmail.com womenwritingthewest.org
Las Vegas Book Festival October 22, Las Vegas Share resources, develop audiences, advance the craft of writing, share the joy of reading. Most events are free and open to the public. Vegasvalleybookfestival.org
Sanibel Writers Conference November 3-5, Sanibel Island
Workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, children’s literature, journalism, screenwriting, creative nonfiction, panels on publishing and editing, concerts. Fgcu.edu/siwc
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805 Writers Conference, November 5&6, Ventura, California
– both in-person and available via Zoom. Presented by WPN and six other
sponsoring writer organizations. Full conference of speakers
and panels, including NYT bestselling authors, regional award-winning
authors, book marketers, literary agents, editors and more. Buy both
days or just one. Plus four workshops and a Book Expo with authors
selling their latest works. 805WritersConference.com
La Jolla Writers Conference November 4-6, San Diego, California
Approximately 80 classes led by authors, agents, publishers, and publicists. Lajollawritersconference.com
New England Crime Bake November 11-13, Dedham, Massachusetts
Hosted by the New England Chapters of Sisters in Crime and Mystery
Writers of America. Features manuscript critiques, agent pitches, master
classes, and opportunities to meet with mystery writers and fans.
Contact@crimebake.org crimebake.org
29th
Annual Poetry and Prose Getaway January 13-16, 2023, Seaview Hotel, Atlantic City area, New Jersey Workshops in fiction, memoir, nonfiction, poetry, and songwriting. Stocktonedu.wintergetaway info@wintergetaway.com
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