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WPNews, October 2022
The Holidays and Beyond Issue
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From Sandra Murphy, Editor
Cooler temperatures, the leaf:grass ratio is shifting in the yard, and pumpkin spice everything is in the air. Fall is here, at least for this week in St. Louis, and it’s my favorite time of the year.
Even though we’re weeks away from the holidays, it’s time to be prepared for early holiday shoppers. Post holidays, there will be a lull as credit card statements arrive in January. Plan ahead for the spring holidays and tie those themes into your promotions. Read Jay Hartman’s column for suggestions. Penny Sansevieri talks about why your ads may not work.
Check out the news below about Amazon’s change of policy regarding returns on ebooks. Look at ways to fight against book bans.
Shake things up. Search for national holidays for inspiration. Try something new and even out of character to sell your work. There’s a lot to look forward to this holiday season and beyond. Be creative and surprise those around you. Surprise yourself. Welcome the challenge.
It’s said the wiring in our brain changes if we do just one thing differently each day. When walking the dog, instead of turning left, turn right. The view changes for both you and the dog. Take an alternate route to work. Eat breakfast for dinner. Always put your right shoe one first? Go left. It’s that simple.
One thing a day is all it takes to awaken creativity.
Sandy, Editor, editor@writersandpublishersnetwork.com
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Ask the Book Doctor: About Gerunds and Participles by Bobbie Christmas
Q: One of my critique partners said I use too many gerunds and participles and said I have several dangling participles. I thought I knew the parts of speech, but I’m not sure what the person is talking about.
A: In simple terms, a participle is a form of a verb (often ending in “ing”) that is used as a modifier, as in the following: the dancing bear.
A gerund is a present participle used as a noun, as in the following: Sleeping nightly is essential.
The use of too many words that end in “ing” can slow the pace, weaken writing, and become repetitive. They often turn potentially strong verbs into weaker forms: nouns or adjectives. 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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Three Do’s and Don’ts for October Sales by Jay Hartman
Happy October to everyone! Here in Las Vegas it’s difficult to tell that it’s fall with pumpkin season arriving, since we still have daily temperatures in the mid-90s. Other parts of the country are finally seeing cooler weather and fall colors, and that’s certainly going to put readers into a curl-up-with-a-good-book kind of mood.
October is one of those months that can be really hit-or-miss for sales. On the one hand, people may have some extra time on their hands as kids are back in school, and cooler temps means more inside activities. On the other hand, many people are thinking about their holiday shopping and want to hold onto funds for presents. Add on the issues with rising inflation and potentially higher unemployment numbers and you can see where things might not go as well as expected. Read more…
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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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Better Book Promotion on Amazon: 5 Simple Reasons Your Ads Aren’t Working by Penny Sansevieri
Book promotion on Amazon is important, but it’s more important to do things right; otherwise you’re just losing money and getting discouraged. Since Amazon opened up its ads to everyone, we’ve seen a flood of authors start up ad campaigns; sadly, most of them fail.
There are many reasons Amazon ads don’t do well, not the least of which is that Amazon ads aren’t easy. They take a lot of effort to set up and manage, and there’s also the ever-changing Amazon landscape. And with books being added to that site daily, the metrics are constantly changing.
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 and social media/internet book-marketing campaigns. She is the author of 18 books, including How to Sell Books by the Truckload on Amazon: 2021 Amazon Ads Powerhouse Edition, Revise and Re-Release Your Book, 5-Minute Book Marketing, and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the "leading guide to everything internet.”
To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.
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Seven Questions for Finding the Right Hybrid Publisher by Gabi Coatsworth
https://booklife.com/authors/09/09/2022/-seven-questions-for-finding-the-right-hybrid-publisher.html
first published here, reprinted with permission
Most writers dream of being published by a major traditional
publisher and becoming a bestselling author. It can take a while to
realize that the number of writers with that kind of luck is vanishingly
small. A small traditional publisher could be a possibility, but they
may not have space on their list, even if they love the book.
Self-publishing has gained in respectability in recent years, but
doing everything on their own requires many new skills that a writer
might not have time to learn. Cover design, interior formatting,
distribution, and promotion are just the tip of the iceberg.
That leaves the option of a hybrid press. Hybrid publishing sometimes
gets a bad rap because people think it’s just another word for vanity
publishing, and there are some less-than-stellar companies out there. So
it’s up to the author to do their research to find a hybrid that works
for them. (At a minimum, check Writer Beware’s Thumbs Down Publishers
List and the advisory ratings put out by the Alliance of Independent
Authors’ Watchdog Desk.)
Reputable hybrids don’t publish everything that is submitted to them. Read more…
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Gabi Coatsworth is a British-born writer, blogger, and author of the memoir Love’s Journey Home.
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For October, we have three outstanding guests, one with two books out, one a debut author receiving great advance reviews, and the author of over 40 bestsellers.
October 6 will be Mark H. Parsons, YA author, and speaker at the upcoming 805 Writers Conference on why he loves to write. His next book, The 9:09 Project, comes out in November.
October 13's guest is Julie D. Summers, author of Off My Knees, from Skid Row to Sunset Blvd. The book is released that day.
October 20 is NYTimes bestselling author, William Bernhardt, speaking on the craft of writing and why attending writer conferences is so important. He is the founder of the Red Sneakers Writing Group and Writer.con.
If you are curious about what you might learn at the 805 Writers Conference, listen to the various podcasts as many speakers have been guests. Check them out at TalkingBookPublishing.Today.
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Happiness Is Listening to Your Cat Purr, a collection of
300ish quotations about cats, is available for pre-order, expected to
ship (ebook and print) by October 15. It joins Happiness Is Listening to Your Dog Snore in the Happiness Is…series by Sandra Murphy.
The quotations are humorous, inspirational, sentimental, and the cats
have puns as well. The book’s compact size makes it a perfect stocking
stuffer, gift for a cat lover, or a quick laugh between chores or
episodes of your favorite shows.
To order copies, go to Https://Www.Untreedreads.Com/URP/1/
and search Happiness Is (this is an affiliate link). Published by Untreed Reads Publishing.
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Exciting news for WPN member Robert Kowalski. |
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This billboard (pictured above) will be featured in Times Square, New York City, above the Disney Store on October 29. Right now, two of his children’s books are in the top five on BookTok. Titles are Jaycee: A Heroine’s Journey and Busco. We are just mutts after all. www.meetjaycee.com / www.meetbusco.com.
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Jane Howatt
WPN member Jane Howatt, pictured inking her contract, has signed with Water Street Press to release Jigsaw and Jane: Thirteen years of murder and mayhem with Badge #1. In the mid-80s, Jane began writing the memoir of John St. John, LAPD’s most decorated detective who solved more murders during his career. At the time, it was to be his memoir. However, over the years and John’s passing, the real story of a doctor’s wife who rides along and helps solve murders with Badge #1 evolved. The book is set for a Spring 2023 release.
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Bits and Pieces – News You Might Have Missed |
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Speedreaders Lose, Authors Win in New Amazon Ebook Policy Change
Amazon will accept your ebook return, but only if you haven't read more than 10% of the book.
“The Authors Guild is proud to report that our discussions with Amazon’s senior executive team concerning the platform’s policy that allows readers to return ebooks online within seven days of purchase, regardless of the amount read, have resulted in a major breakthrough,” the guild said in a press release. “This process will create a strong deterrent against buying, reading, and returning ebooks within seven days, and readers who attempt to abuse the return policy will be penalized under Amazon’s policies.”
For customers who’ve read more than 10% and want to return, a specific request to customer service is required. Amazon will research the request to see if the customer has done this multiple times. If so, the customer will be penalized. Refunds will not be issued quickly, also in order to discourage frivolous returns.
Not everything an author could wish for, but a big improvement over what we had.
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Banned Books?
Efforts to ban books are occurring in unprecedented numbers across
the country. The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual
Freedom reports that between January 1 and August 31, 2022, there were
681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources, and 1,651 unique
titles were targeted. In 2021, ALA reported 729 attempts to censor
library resources, targeting 1,597 books, which represented the highest
number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling these lists more
than 20 years ago.
Book banning not only takes away individuals’ rights to read freely
and leaves a void on bookshelves on controversial topics, but it also
hurts writers and publishers. IBPA is a partner in the American Library
Association’s Unite Against Book Bans initiative for all stakeholders to stand together in the fight against censorship.
How to Start a Banned-Book Club
For high school students, by high school students
https://tinyurl.com/yc5ejuw5
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Book Publishing
After an accidental career as a novelist, author Sally Koslow reflects on 15 things she wishes she’d known that nobody told her about book publishing. From Writer’s Digest.
https://tinyurl.com/38m5s6nv
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Todos Santos Writers Workshop 10th Anniversary
The Todos Santos Writers Workshop is thrilled to announce their 10th anniversary session, January 28 - February 5, 2023. Join them for a week of workshops, craft talks, fiestas, and camaraderie in a pueblo magico by the sea. Faculty: Christopher Merrill, Leigh Newman, Jeanne McCulloch, Karen Karbo, and Rex Weiner. Open to writers in all genres and at all levels. For more information and to register, please go to https://tinyurl.com/mpjtu6ts.
Register for an early-bird discount before October 15.
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Fifteenth Annual Tartt First Fiction Award
Deadline: December 31, 2022
The Tartt First Fiction Award from Livingston Press at the University of West Alabama is given annually to a collection of short stories written in English by an American citizen. Writers cannot have already published or be under contract to publish a fiction collection. Winner will receive $1,000 plus standard royalty contract, which includes 60 copies of the book. Visit the Livingston Press website https://tinyurl.com/43m3tvcx.
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Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award Now Accepting Submissions
Deadline: December 31, 2022
The Florida Review is now accepting submissions for its 2022-2023 Jeanne Leiby Memorial Chapbook Award. All entries considered for excerpt publication in the journal. Winner receives $1,000 & publication. For more information, visit The Florida Review website at https://tinyurl.com/4j4vvydt.
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Self-Published E-book Awards Deadline: October 10.
Writer’s Digest’s Self-Published E-book Awards is now accepting entries. This is the only Writer’s Digest competition exclusively for self-published e-books.
https://tinyurl.com/bp7fecv8
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Want to meet other writers and build your support community of like-minded people?
Attend the 805 Writers Conference, mingle with the speakers, and meet other writers who are just like you, trying to write and publish a book. It's not a competition, it's a community that supports each other.
MEET YOUR PEEPS! LEARN MORE...
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