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WPNews, August 2023
The Stand Up, Speak Out, Just Say No Issue
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
Stand with Writers
How to Support the WGA https://tinyurl.com/5ctsexmc
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More than 10,000 Authors Sign Authors Guild Letter Calling on AI Industry Leaders to Protect Writers https://tinyurl.com/2p89jch7
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United Against Book Bans https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/
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More than ever, writers and creatives are under attack.
Writers went on strike to demand to be paid for streaming, to fight the option of AI, and more.
Corporations have decided artificial intelligence can take the place of a live writer.
Actors joined the picket lines and are in jeopardy as well. Most actors don’t earn enough money to qualify for health insurance, yet studios want to hire a human for one day, own their likeness to use again and again without further pay.
All it takes is for one person to decide a book is inappropriate, whether they’ve read it or not, and it can be pulled from the shelf.
As a Facebook meme says, it doesn’t matter if a human or a robot steals your livelihood, it’s still plagiarism. It still says you aren’t worth more because you’re an artist, because you can be replaced, because profits come before people.
Bestselling romance novelist Nora Roberts expressed her support for the letter by stating, “If creators aren’t compensated fairly, they can’t afford to create. If writers aren’t paid to write, they can’t afford to write. Human beings create and write stories human beings read. We’re not robots to be programmed, and AI can’t create human stories without taking from human stories already written.” (from the AG letter)
If we don’t stand up and say no, loudly, clearly, and show we mean it, creativity as we know it will disappear. This is the beginning. This is when and where to say no. This is where we draw our line in the sand.
Fight where you are, with what you have, make your voice heard. It’s our future that’s at stake.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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If you've been sitting on the fence, this is an excellent opportunity to join us and benefit from the many resources we offer our members. From the seminars we hold to writing workshops and a slew of organizations that offer discounts, you can take advantage of them all as a member. The summer New Member pricing will more than pay for itself.
You can check out the many member benefits here https://tinyurl.com/2p3yd4nf
WPN is in the business of helping writers and small publishers navigate both the craft of writing and the business side of selling your book, taking the guesswork out of how to tap into the industry and market your masterpiece.
With a WPN membership, you get invaluable resources from industry experts who share tips and tricks. All of us at WPN work to ensure our members get the latest industry information.
If you want a taste of our insider world, check out the Talking Book Publishing Podcast at www.talkingbookpublishing.today. Three seasons chock-full of free information on the publishing world.
Please visit our membership page to join us. You will more than recover the small membership cost with discounts and savings from publishing mistakes, which WPN can help you avoid.
If you have any questions, please email me at abmoriarty@gmail.com
Write On!
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Margaret Mizushima on Settling In
Published June 19, 2023 on BlackBirdWriters.com Reprinted with permission.
Creativity is an innate trait in all human beings. While some people create stories with words, others might use paint, glass, fabric, stone, or other media to produce their works of art. Some might design recipes to create delicious new foods or to structure fabulous meals. Some might create business plans or new ways to track data. Some create new machines or technological advancements. The list is endless.
But after my past year filled with the chaos and stress of uprooting and moving across country, I’ve realized that getting my creative edge back to write the ninth episode in the Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries hasn’t been easy. I’ve needed a period of settling in to once again find my mojo.
Read More...
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Margaret Mizushima is the author of the award-winning Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries, police procedurals featuring a deputy, her K-9 partner, and a veterinarian who live in the Colorado Rockies. You can find out more about her on her website, www.margaretmizushima.com
or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
To see the books in order with links to buy, go to: https://tinyurl.com/6cd6ms53.
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Ask the Book Doctor: About Dialogue by Bobbie Christmas
Q: Which of the sentences below sounds best?
John's mother told him,
A. "I'm beginning to regret giving birth to you."
B. "I regret giving birth to you."
C. "I wish I never gave birth to you."
A: I assume you are striving for the most realistic dialogue possible, rather than what sounds the best, so I will give you a fourth choice. It is the most realistic because I actually overheard it in person. Yes, I witnessed a mother saying to her fortyish son (whom I was dating at the time), "I wish I'd never given birth to you." This quote is the most realistic, but it is devastating for a child to hear. It could end a relationship between parent and child. Don't use it unless you intend for it to have dire consequences, as it did in real life.
Q: I am about to start writing a book, but I can’t decide on the title so I can name the file. May I send you the outline so you can help me pick a title?
A: In a word, no. Don’t send me an outline before you’ve written the book. Don’t worry about the title before you start writing. You can label the computer file “Book 2023” or anything like that. Once you’re written most or all of the book, the title will probably occur to you. As an example, years ago I edited a book with a one-word title that I found dull and unalluring. While editing the manuscript, though, I noted a piece of enticing dialogue in the middle of the book that made a great title. When I suggested the new title to the author, he fully agreed.
Read More...
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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The Publisher’s Perspective by Jay Hartman
Q: I’ve been seeing references lately to “slim volume books.” What are these? Is it something I should be looking at?
A: You know the old adage “everything that’s old is new again?” That’s the easy definition of slim volume books.
You see, once upon a time, publishers used to make a lot of money selling short stories. I know, crazy, amiright? The ebook space was ripe for this kind of material. Online retailers such as Fictionwise sold thousands of short stories every month and readers grabbed them up. It didn’t hurt that Kindle didn’t exist and no other type of reader out there could hold that many books. I still have my original Rocket eBook device, and I remember being thrilled when I got twenty books on that thing. Most of those were short stories.
Then, KDP came along. The ensuing chaos had publishers saying, “where are we going, and why are we in this handbasket?” Self-published authors decided ninety-nine cents was a logical price to charge for a full-length work they spent months of their lives writing. Needless to say, this was the death knell for short stories and novellas. After all, why pay ninety-nine cents for a ten-page story when you can get a full-length novel for the same price?
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Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@thejayhartmanagency.com
with TPP in your subject line.
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Ten Things to Put on Your Author Page
1. If you have previously published books, list them and show the covers. Readers might not remember a title but will recognize a cover.
2. Make your next book or book cover reveal front and center to get it into a reader’s mind.
3. Be sure the link for email updates is easy to find and use.
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4. Have a Contact Me link or a submit a question page so readers can comment or ask questions.
5. Use social media links to get more followers to share your news.
6. Have in-person appearances coming up? Make a list of where and when.
7. Blog regularly, even if it’s once a week, to give readers a peek inside the life of an author, but don’t get too personal. Many authors use DH (dear hubby) Child #1, to keep family details private.
8. Running a contest or giveaway? Put it on your home page and keep it up to date.
9. Be sure your website is easy to navigate. If each page opens a tab or a page can’t be found, you’ve lost a reader.
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10. Avoid clutter, flashing photos, and music—your reader might be sneaking a peek at work and wouldn’t want to get caught!
Photos courtesy of Pexels.com
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Thousands of authors demand payment from AI companies for use of copyrighted works
Story by Brian Fung for CNN July 20
Thousands of published authors have requested payment from tech companies for using their copyrighted works to train AI tools. The Authors Guild posted a letter signed by over 8,000 authors saying AI companies unfairly profit from their work.
Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/yck89mwj
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Amazon has simplified the process of selecting store categories for books.
https://tinyurl.com/2pwbe6s8
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Draft2Digital Acquires SelfPubBookCovers.com,
World’s Leading Premade Covers Marketplace
260,000 Draft2Digital Authors and Publishers Gain Convenient
Access to Thousands of Original and Affordable Premade Cover Designs
July 24, 2023—OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.—Draft2Digital (D2D), LLC, which
powers the publishing businesses of 260,000 indie authors and small
presses, today announced the acquisition of SelfPubBookCovers.com
(SPBC). For the last decade, SPBC has operated a pioneering marketplace
for premade book covers at selfpubbookcovers.com where indie authors
have purchased thousands of original, one-of-a-kind cover designs from
thousands of professional cover designers.
“Conventional cover design procurement is unnecessarily difficult and
time-consuming for authors and artists alike,” said Kris Austin,
co-founder and CEO of D2D. “With the acquisition of SPBC, we’re excited
to introduce a better way for authors and artists to collaborate on the
perfect cover design.”
SPBC will operate within a newly formed D2D division, Author Success, headed by Nick Thacker.
“Our mission at Author Success, as it is with SPBC, is to help
authors efficiently procure the highest-quality essential publishing
services for the least cost and effort,” said Nick Thacker, vice
president of Author Success at D2D. “Just as authors have always been a
key constituency of D2D, with the SPBC acquisition, cover artists are
also now a key constituency we seek to serve at D2D. We want to help
every professional cover designer in the world to participate in, and
profit from, SPBC’s unique premade covers marketplace.”
The acquisition of SPBC follows D2D’s March 2022 acquisition of
Smashwords. SPBC joins D2D’s growing suite of tools and services that
help reduce the cost and complexity of essential publishing functions
for book production, distribution, marketing, and business management.
Read More...
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The Logistics of Touring aka Part I – Planning the Tour
by Mark Parsons
We’ve gone on three different book tours within the past year. First for my wife’s newest book, The Peach Rebellion, last May, then for my latest, The 9:09 Project, in November/December. Since both books were published within six months of each other—different imprints of the same umbrella house—we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go on a He Said/She Said—Part II* joint book tour. We returned a week ago as I write this.
*To recap, the original He Said/She Said tour was a four-month national book tour covering more than100 venues. Probably the biggest U.S. book tour of that year.
The original post covered the why of touring from a philosophical viewpoint, but I’ve gotten questions about the logistics, aka the who, what, when, where, and how of setting up and executing a book tour. When I was younger, I spent a fair amount of time on the road in different bands, and many of those logistical lessons certainly came in handy when booking that big, crazy tour half a dozen years ago. So let’s dive in…
Read More...
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Mark Parsons is a frequent presenter at conferences, festivals, and schools, speaking on the craft and business of writing. He is a critically acclaimed YA author—his newest novel is The 9:09 Project, out now from Delacorte/Random House. He has written extensively in the nonfiction arena, authoring over two-hundred articles for national publications as well as a pair of nonfiction books. You can contact him at markhparsons.com.
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Speaking of schools…
If you write YA and are making a presentation at a school, bookstore, or library, consider making a puzzle for the kids to take home with them. Create your own puzzle for free at https://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/. They have word search, crisscross, double puzzles, fallen phrases, math squares, mazes, letter tiles, cryptograms, number blocks, and hidden messages.
An excellent resource for teachers, parents, or puzzle lovers.
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Polar explorer, scientist, and author Bruce Luyendyk’s new memoir, MIGHT BAD LAND, was a #1 Amazon bestseller in multiple categories the week of its release. The book recounts his first expedition to Antarctica at age 50, his trepidations and fears, and the extraordinary discovery of an eighth continent of Zealandia, the name he gave it. In his honor, the mountain where they camped 800 miles from the next living person was named Mount Luyendyk in 2016. He made six more trips to Antarctica and has completed nine submersible dives in a three-person vessel to as deep as 9,000 feet in the Atlantic and Pacific.
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Bits and Pieces – News You Might Have Missed |
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Want to be a mentor? Check this out.
WriteGirl is committed to our focus on diversifying our mentor population in terms of ethnicity, culture and gender identity in order to more closely reflect our mentee community.
Apply at https://www.writegirl.org/join... by August 13
WriteGirl is Seeking Writing Mentors and Support Volunteers
WriteGirl, now in its 23rd season, is a creative writing and mentoring organization that empowers teen girls/gender-expansive youth in Los Angeles and around the world through mentoring relationships with women/gender-expansive writers. You may have seen us in the news as the mentoring organization where Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman got her start! Mentors work with teens one-on-one (online and sometimes in-person), and participate in group writing workshops online. While most programming takes place online, WriteGirl does present several in-person events in Los Angeles and other cities. WriteGirl is particularly seeking mentors throughout the U.S. and abroad who can mentor teens virtually. WriteGirl is based in Los Angeles, but volunteers can join from anywhere. (Get a sneak peek of WriteGirl here!)
WriteGirl is seeking women/gender-expansive writers in all genres including fiction, poetry, journalism, screenwriting, songwriting, copywriting, business writing and more to help mentor teens (girls/gender-expansive youth), inspire them to express their creative ideas, guide them to higher education and careers and be a kind and compassionate role model. Notable WriteGirl alums include Inaugural Poet Amanda Gorman, who credits WriteGirl for giving her the confidence to share her creative voice on a national stage. Applicants should have empathy, listening skills, kindness and a passion for helping to inspire young voices. While WriteGirl does not require mentors to be published writers, applicants should have strong creative writing and communication skills. Weekly, monthly and periodic mentoring opportunities available.
Support Volunteers:
Help WriteGirl with events, public relations, fundraising and partnerships. Support Volunteers do not work directly with teens, but help support programming in a variety of ways.
Screening and Training: All volunteers are required to complete two half-day online orientations/trainings, an intake interview and a criminal background check.
Apply online:
www.writegirl.org/join-us ;
Application Deadline: August 13, 2023
Questions? Contact WriteGirl at membership@writegirl.org or call 213-253-2655.
Katie Geyer
WriteGirl Managing Director (213) 253-2655
1330 Factory Place, Building F Unit 104
Los Angeles, CA 90013 <a href="https://click.mailerlite.com/link/c/YT0yMjcyMDI1MzUwNTg4MzM5OTE3JmM9cTZtNSZiPTExODI5MDI1MDcmZD1uMnEyZzRp.XH-YksRPW2Xy_MgtQUiFQyqKAR0zCIYQ9x0fsSy2_uM" data-link-id="1182902507"http://www.writegirl.org" style="word-break: break-word; font-family: 'Poppins', sans-serif; color: #0c8226; text-decoration: underline;">http://www.writegirl.org
" class="redactor-autoparser-object">www.writegirl.org
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Self-Published E-book Awards
Deadline: 8/15/23.
Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published E-book Awards is currently accepting entries. This is the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for self-published e-books.
https://tinyurl.com/2p982c67
Writer’s Digest’s 11th Annual Self-Published E-book Awards honors the best self-published e-book(s) in eight of the most popular categories with $5,000 in cash, a featured interview in Writer’s Digest magazine, and a paid trip to the ever-popular Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in New York City.
In addition to $13,000 in total cash prizes, all entrants will receive a brief review of their book from one of Writer’s Digest’s competition readers.
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Conferences, book fairs, festivals, workshops, and retreats |
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Inkers Con Author Conference for fiction writers who want to self-publish. Already in progress but you can get recordings of the sessions. You'll also gain access to 27 brand new classes for indie fiction authors. $249 https://www.inkerscon.com/?ck_subscriber_id=1957815135
Children's Book Mastery Conference, also already in progress a free 5-Day summit
25 strategy-filled sessions to unleash your potential as a children’s book author. These sessions will show you actionable steps and strategies that multiple bestselling and award-winning authors, and publishing and book marketing experts in the industry, use and recommend. Recordings available. https://tinyurl.com/msfz9yrc
Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Middlebury, Vermont, August 16-26, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, magazine editors, agents, offer feedback. blwc@middlebury.edu
www.middlebury.edu/bread-loaf-conferences/bl_writers
Southern California Writers Conference, Los Angeles Irvine, September 15 – 17, writers of all levels, interactive troubleshooting, read and critique workshops. Has facilitated $4 million in first-time author’s books and screen deals since 1986. www.writersconference.com/la
Litfuse, Tieton, Washington, September 22 – 24, a poet’s workshop that is a combination of writing, improv, meditation, and readings. All ages and styles. Email from the website www.litfuse.us
Write on the Sound Writers’ Conference (virtual) Edmonds, Washington, October 6 – 8, Zoom breakout rooms also available. wots@edmondswa.gov www.writeonthesound.com
Green River Writers Memoir Writing Workshop, Las Vegas, Nevada, for experienced and beginning writers, focus is on craft and storytelling, evolving world of publishing. Alice Carney, director, carney.aw@gmail.com www.greenriverwritersworkshop.com
Monterey Writer Retreat, Monterey, California, October 25 – 29, agent one-on-one sessions, includes line edits, mentorship of short stories or novel manuscripts. www.Montereywritersretreat.com
Hampton Roads Writers 14th Annual Writers Conference,
Virginia Beach, Virginia, November 9 – 11, keynote speakers, first ten lines critique, agent pitches, workshops. Open mic and writing contests. Email from the website, www.Hampton-roadwriters.org/2023-conference
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Writers Digest University courses |
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