Publishing: 2011

domingo, 27 de febrero de 2011

miércoles, 23 de febrero de 2011

A Newsletter Publisher's Main Task: Packaging Value Content

by: Alwyn Botha

The main task of a newsletter publisher is to select and package quality content of direct, practical relevance to its specific readership audience.

This might sound quick and easy, but it is not.

Publishing a quality newsletter is more than just cutting and pasting quality content into your newsletter. A quality newsletter is more than just the sum of its parts. The more the different sections in a newsletter support each other, the more benefits subscribers can get from it.

A quality newsletter makes sense out of the Internet chaos. A good newsletter editor understands the Internet big picture and is able to pick out relevant information which is packaged into one newsletter issue in a way that makes sense for its readers.

A poor quality newsletter is easily produced in less than 15 minutes of cutting and pasting quality content text. One issue of a good quality newsletter takes one day to produce - it might also select from the same content pool as the poor quality newsletter - but it takes more time in selecting the right combination of available free content for each issue.

Extremely high quality content, randomly aggregated into a newsletter makes a poor quality newsletter. Somewhat lower quality content, expertly packaged and organized make a high quality newsletter. Your editorial note (that introduces each newsletter issue), shows how much understanding and effort you put into this critically important step.

Publishing a quality newsletter is a creative process. It does not involve following three easy steps. Good editors will find this article packed with value, others will consider this article as utterly useless.

Quality newsletters gets edited by the most senior, experienced people in an organization, not on a rotational basis by anyone with some free time on their hands.

The following are some concepts that help a good newsletter editor in his or her task:

Integration: combine the value content of several experts in their fields into one newsletter issue. Each of these experts can only contribute expertise on their topics. However, when these standalone expert contributions are combined into one newsletter issue, all their contributions grow in value because it is part of a larger solution. Your newsletter subscribers can possibly get all your newsletter content easily elsewhere, but come to you because of the way you package and present it to them.

Position: by publishing a newsletter, you position yourself as the central point where they go to get quality Internet content, nicely packaged to address their exact needs.

Team: your newsletter will be more valuable if its content is produced by a team of people. This team of people consists of: guest article authors, contributors of tips, subscribers that provide questions and software products authors that ask you to review their software.

Benefits: your newsletter is only about providing benefits to its subscribers. The more value content you have the more benefits your subscribers get from you. Value content like: feature articles, guest articles, questions and answers, link to value resources, product reviews, your editorial comments, tips.

To summarize: you, as newsletter editor and publisher, use your newsletter to combine the content of your team of contributors into a logically-arranged, benefit-rich newsletter for your subscribers.

Your newsletter is benefit-rich when it is packed with useful, practical content that is directly relevant to the needs of your readers.

A newsletter is not benefit-rich only if it contains detailed, step-by-step articles.

A newsletter that helps its readers understand the bigger-picture meanings and implications of the Internet on a more philosophical level also has benefits. Such a newsletter should focus on educating its readership on how to apply their insight practically and on a daily basis to their business.

A newsletter that focus exclusively on step-by-step articles makes its readers work harder.

A newsletter that focus exclusively on philosophical, Internet bigger-picture visions make its readers think harder.

In my opinion, a combination of these approaches is best. Such a combination will make your readers work hard - smarter.

There are two main (opposite) approaches to packaging a quality content newsletter:

Your write all the content yourself ... very time-consuming.

You select and package content created by others ... the more practical and realistic approach.

Most editors choose a middle road where they contribute some original content and get the remainder of their content from other contributors.

If a good newsletter editor's main task is packaging value content, a good newsletter subscriber's task is to read, understand and ACT based on the insight the gain from this content. A good newsletter is your personalized to-do list for the week.

About The Author

Alwyn Botha, the author of this article, is also the author of a free, 10-day autoresponder course ... Your Beginner's Guide to Maximum Internet Success, available fromhttp://www.leveragedsuccess.com

An Appeal To The Bloggers!

by: Srinivasa Moorthy

Blogging is smart an art. Blog sites are the nicest portals which do aid people to unfurl their inundating mind streams, in umpteen aspects and share their ideas and experiences. It satiates several yearning hearts by being a platform for unleashing the artistic potencies from within, in writing reviews, articles, poems, stories, etc.

Personally, I've been craving for such a thing for a substantially long period, until my student and above that my friend, Mr. K. Rakesh, kraki@rediffmail.com, to whom I am grateful, came to my rescue by acquainting me with one blog site. (Visit - http://srinispree.blogspot.com) There is ample scope for registering our stuff, which might be of mammoth use to many others. To publish and later tweak it to the anticipated levels of perfection and subsequently seeing the transition for ourselves is an ethereal experience! I hope many of you know this better than me.

My humble plea is only this - please don't use blogs for perverted purposes or illegal intentions. There are lot more areas for such things. Spare blogs!

Certainly blogs are also for fun and frolic, but within the bounds of acceptability.

May it be a perpetual source of inspiration, nurturing sensational writings that vibrantly serve humanity, yielding reciprocal harmony and international integrity in a broader sense, in near future. In the present context... at least self-improvement.

About The Author

Srinivasa Moorthy
I've a innate craving to write and register many of my thoughts/values...I would like to start with reviewing PC games, movies and stories, writing articles of general/social values and publishing interesting snippets, poems, etc., in English!

srinivasa_moorthy@yahoo.co.in

Writer’s Web Resources

by: Janet K. Ilacqua

The Internet has truly revolutionized the careers of writers worldwide. Now you can work for publishers, corporations and a whole range of other clients on a truly global scale. Whether you are in the heart of a big city, or in a remote mountain village, all you need is an Internet connection to run your writing business.

The opportunity is fantastic, and so is the writer's life that you could enjoy. But where can you find the jobs you need to establish a full-time writing career?

One way to start is through working the Internet job boards. Here aAlso included and listed separately are resources for business and technical writers, editors, journalists, and translators.

Writers’ Resources--General

Absolute Write - freelance writing, screenwriting, playwriting, writing novels, nonfiction, comic book writing, greeting cards, poetry, songwriting. One stop shop

Emily's Writing for the Web Emily A. Vander Veer gives professional writers the tools needed to promote, publish, and sell work to the largest and fastest-growing market in the world: the Web.

e-Writer's Place For writing inspirations, motivations and prescriptions.

Freelance Writers is a searchable database of writers from all around the world.

Freelance Writing This is the ultimate job board for freelance writers.

Freelance Writing Organization - Int'l This site hosts one of the largest free writing resource links databases in the world! It offers education, daily news, a writer's store, creativity advice and forums, to name a few of the resources. Over 2,000 free writing resources in 40+ categories of writing

FundsForWriters - A plethora of sources where freelance writers can find paying jobs

Momwriters A community of professional and new writers ... who face the unique challenges of writing with children underfoot.

National Writer's Union 'The only U.S. trade union for freelance and contract writers.' We offer contract advice, grievance resolution, health & dental plans, member education, Job Hotline, and networking. See also: Writers Union Job Hotline

Published! Articles and resources...from Marcia Yudkin, author of eleven books and hundreds of magazine articles, syndicated columnist, public radio commentator, writing coach

Published - The Directory of Independent Writers & Artists. searchable directory of independent Writers & Artists

SharpWriter Grammar. Complete writing resources. Lot of good stuff here but not geared expressly for freelancers

Suite101 This is an online community for writers. Not only is this a great site for work-at-home resources. You can apply to become an editor for them and get paid for your work.

Sunoasis Jobs for Writers, Editors, and Copywriters Employment opportunities for writers, journalists, new-media types on-line off-line in reporting feature writing reviewing editing free-lancing editorial content providing etc. ... Recently submitted job offers: Copywriter, Freelance. Monarch Design, a design and advertising agency,

The Burry Man Writers Center freelance job links, resources for fiction and nonfiction writers, working professionals and beginners

with particular support for writing about Scotland

The New Writer - the monthly magazine with the best in fact, fiction and poetry. aimed at all writers: the short story writer, the novelist, the poet, feature writer, anyone with a serious intent to develop their writing to meet the expectations of today's editors.

The Writers Home A Web Site For Writers, Editors And Lovers Of The Written Word.

TrAce Online Writing Community trAce connects writers and readers around the world ... with the focus on creativity, collaboration and training. New media writing, web development

Worldwide Freelance Writer How to sell your writing overseas. Find out where to sell your freelance work. Detailed guidelines for paying writing markets all over the world.

WriteCraft Writers Resource Center Companion to the WriteCraft Critique Group - where writers learn the trade.

writejobs Job Title. Company. Location. Proofreader/editor. Bioedit Ltd. Freelance. Digital Photography Writers ...

Writers Unbound Writing resources, Internet resources related to writing, writers, publishing, epublishing, authors and more. Articles and resources related to creative writing.

Writer’s Software SuperCenter Writer's Software SuperCenter has software for writing books, articles, novels, and screenplays, including Writer's Blocks software, StyleWriter editing software, StoryCraft, and more!

Writing World - Moira Allen provides writing tips, markets, news, contests and more.

The Writer’s Gazette Writing resource site for writers on freelance and publishing, including articles, job board, contests . Nice, comprehensive list of writers’ job boards.

Business and Technical

Copywriter world Freelance writers bid for writing projects such as resume writing, documents in APA style or MLA style writing, poems, sonnets, research papers, business plans, your biography, free e-books, your business proposal, essays, marketing plans, web content, ghost writing, ad copy, catalogs... virtually any form of writing.

Freelance Online - a professional online service for freelancers in the publishing and advertising fields. Free for employers; freelancers pay $15.00/year for membership.

Freelance Success Freelance Success is a community of professional, nonfiction writers who subscribe to a newsletter that guides them toward well-paying markets and editors. There is not a job board located on this site.

Techwriters Employs technical writers on and off site. The pay is excellent, but you must have a lot of experience with the topics

writingassist.com Provides local freelance technical writers for projects such as manuals, policies, software documentation, and work flow integration.

Children’s Literature

Institute of Children's Literature offered the premiere writing course, books, and a newsletter to adults interested in learning how to write and be published for children and teens.

Editing

Manuscript Editing Fiction and Non-fiction; Serving writers, literary agents, and publishers since 1976.

Fiction

Fiction Factor - The Online Magazine for Fiction Writers. NEW!

International markets

Australian Writer's Marketplace The essential resource for getting published in Australia and New Zealand.

Author Network - resources for writers including links, articles, monthly columns and ePublishing services.

Canadian Writer's Journal Canada's Independent Writer's Magazine.

Freelance Spain - the online Spanish resource for editors and journalists.

FreelanceJournalist.co.uk Helping journalists build a presence on the web. The web directory for UK freelance journalists.

Freelancers.co.uk offers you the complete guide to freelancing for publishers as a copyeditor or proofreader.

New Zealand Writers Website Writing Resources for New Zealand writers

writelinkpro.co.uk WritelinkPRO is the content provider for top UK monthly newsletter and website. We pay on acceptance for writing articles, fiction, poetry, reviews. We offer free e-book workshops, free e-book on travel writing, exclusive Members Area.

Journalism

International Federation of Journalists - The world's largest organization of journalists, representing around 450,000 members in more than 100 countries.

News Jobs Network Journalisms resources and News jobs in US, Canada and Utah.

UK Links 4 Journalists the most useful sites on the web. This is the journalist's section.

Translation

ProZ: Freelance translators, translation services, agencies, jobs and directory ...

Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia Fostering creative writing and the profession of writing in Nova Scotia.

Writerfind New Zealand Linking New Zealand writers with local and global markets.

Playwriters

writernetwork. We provide dramatic writers with the tools they need to build better careers and redefine the

About The Author

Janet K. Ilacqua is a freelance writer based in Tracy, California. She specializes in academic writing and ghostwriting of books and manuals for individuals and small businesses. For more information about her services, check her website athttp://www.writeupondemand.com.
jilacqua@aol.com

Art Needs Time to Flower - Even in Cyberspace

by: Seth Mullins

The speed of the internet has profoundly changed many (or most) people's perceptions of writing and publishing. It has affected our sense of TIME.

Everything is accelerated. If we can copy and paste a story or article and submit it via e-mail within a matter of minutes then is seems strange to still have to wait a few months for response. We've come to expect quick results in cyberspace.

It's easy to forget, as we're staring at computer-generated characters and interacting with an animated screen, that we're still sending our work out to another human being. That person has their own schedule, their own set of opinions and values when it comes to stories, articles, and poems...to sum it up, they have a life away from the computer. The internet is the medium, not the message.

Microsoft word has helped foster the illusion that anyone can be a writer. Who needs to learn spelling and grammar when the program can find and fix such errors? Again we have a distortion of our sense of time. Instead of building up our talent, and nurturing our ability over a long period of trial and error, we want to plow right in to that bestseller.

The reality is that creativity follows its own rhythms, a natural ebb and flow. The process by which a writer's life experience percolates inside and then bursts forth in a new form is something that can be forced only at great cost to the work.

Consider "The Lord of the Rings", the most influencial fantasy of the last century. J.R.R. Tolkien labored over that novel for twelve years. Readers nowadays might cry: "What a waste! Imagine what he could have done with modern technology!" when they hear that he spent an entire year simply hammering out a final typescript.

What is seldom pointed out, though, is that this more painstaking process allowed him to carefully consider EVERY WORD that he set down in type. And fifty years after their publication, those words still ring with power and wonder.

Perhaps its a blessing that he didn't have spell-check.

The bottom line for writers is this: technology in many ways HAS made our work easier. It's done away with some of the grind, so we can more fully devote our energy to the creative process. Now if we can only keep in mind that that process works according to its own timetable. Lets not try to force it to keep up with the speed of our machines.

Seth Mullins is the author of "Song of an Untamed Land", a novel of speculative fantasy in lawless frontier territory. Visit Seth at http://authorsden.com/sethtmullins

This article is free for republishing

Seth Mullins is the author of "Song of an Untamed Land", a novel of speculative fantasy in lawless frontier territory. His nonfiction includes dissertations on the craft of writing, as well as the inner meanings of mythic and fantasy stories.

A Quick Guide to ISBNs for Self-Publishers

by: Jennifer Tribe

A Quick Guide to ISBNs for Self-Publishers

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a code assigned to every published book that uniquely identifies it in the marketplace. ISBNs make it easier and more efficient for libraries, booksellers and others in the publishing industry to order, distribute and catalog books.

When To Use an ISBN

You need to assign an ISBN to any content you intend to distribute through outside channels such as bookstores, catalogues or libraries. ISBNs should be placed on

-- print books

-- electronic books

-- videos

-- audio cassettes and CDs

-- CD-ROMs, and

-- other items as detailed by the International ISBN Agency.

You need to issue a separate ISBN for each edition of your book and for every format. For example, if you issued the same book as a print book, e-book, audio book and Braille book, you would require a separate identifier for each. If one year later, you updated the manuscript and re-issued the book, you would assign new ISBNs to this second edition in each of its different formats.

Deciphering the Numbering System

All ISBNs are currently 10 digits. (The industry will slowly be transitioning to a 13-digit system starting in 2005. See http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/transition.asp for more information on the change.)

The digits identify

-- the group (country, area or language area of the publisher)

-- the publisher, and

-- the title of the item.

The last digit is a check digit.

The group number is comprised of one to three digits. Zero is the number for the English language group that includes the United States, English-speaking Canada, the U.K., Australia and other countries.

The publisher number is comprised of two to seven digits. The more ISBNs a publisher uses, the small their publisher number.

Publishers that use more than 100,000 ISBNs are given a publisher number of only two digits. If you apply for 10 or fewer ISBNs, you will be assigned a publisher number with seven digits. Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle.

Thus anyone in the book trade can look at an ISBN and know roughly how big you are as a publisher by the number of ISBNs you have applied to use. This is why self-publishing gurus like Dan Poynter recommend acquiring your ISBNs in blocks of 100 to avoid being labeled “small potatoes.”

Poynter further recommends that you use an ISBN from the middle of your list of 100 for your first book, since a 0 or 1 as your title number will reveal you as a first-timer.

The check digits range from one to 10. Since there is space for only one check digit, the number 10 is represented by an X.

How To Acquire ISBNs

ISBNs in the United States are administered by R.R. Bowker. Bowker charges a fee to process your application. Ten ISBNs cost $225; 100 ISBNs cost $800. Visit www.bowker.com for more information, or to complete an application.

ISBNs in Canada are administered by the National Public Library as a free service. Visithttp://www.nlc-bnc.ca/isbn/index-e.html for more information or to apply on-line.

For more information on the ISBN system and how it works, visit www.isbn.org.

About The Author

Juiced Consulting helps business owners package what they know into information products –- such as books, audiotapes and teleclasses –- that they can sell to generate new business revenue. For a free newsletter and other resources, visitwww.juicedconsulting.com.
jtribe@juicedconsulting.com

Don't Rely on your Spellchecker - or - The Importance of Good Proof Reading

by: Tony Murtagh

Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter to a customer, or submitting an article for publication, it is extremely important to demonstrate how professional you are. Not only does a series of spelling and grammatical errors show a discourtesy to your readers, it makes you look amateurish. Potential customers will lose any trust they may have had in your business. Only a week or so ago, I read a classified ad asking me to visit their "sight" - needless to say I did not bother. If someone does not take care over their advertising, how reliable is the rest of their business?

Perhaps you are not very good at spelling - or typing - and your articles and letters are riddled with mistakes (probably when you were working for an employer you had a secretary to type your male) so, what are you going to do?

The first thing, but NOT the only thing, is to use your spellchecker. This is fine to get rid of the typos and obvious spelling mistakes, but does not correct any instances of you typing in the wrong word e.g. there (denoting a place) or their (belonging to them).

So, read your work back after you have written it. Many people find that actually reading out loud is a great way of spotting errors. If it is an important item, print it off and read it a little while after you have typed it. Ideally, get someone else to reed it and mark off any errors. When I was involved in publishing, it was always a strict rule, even with the most experienced writers, to get someone else to check their work. It is surprising how often one is unable to spot one's own mistakes.

So to summarise, use your spellchecker, re-read the item yourself, print out and proof read and ideally get someone else to do the proof reading.

One last point, make allowances for the fact that some articles are written in "British" English, as opposed to "American" English. So if you see colour spelled color, or centre spelled center, the author has not misspelled the word, he is just likely to be American (or at least has the American version of English on his spellchecker.)

And finally, there are three deliberate mistakes in this article where I have intentionally used the wrong word (at least I HOPE there are only three!!) in order to demonstrate the point I am making. The first three readers to email me detailing the errors will each be given a FREE ad in my newsletter and in the classified sevtion of my Web Site. murtagh@bigfoot.com?subject=TAD

About The Author

Tony Murtagh has spent all his career involved in sales, sales management, marketing and PR. He was a UK National Sales Manger (Major Accounts) for a mobile communications company, had his own publishing company producing a monthly Business to Business magazine and has acted as a PR consultant for a number of small businesses. He is now sharing his wide experience of sales, marketing and promotion in his new web site: - http://DevelopYourWebSiteAndYourself.com and in a weekly e-ezine Aardvark Marketing, which you can subscribe to from the site.

Take My Publisher, Please!

by: Ed Williams

An actual phone conversation I had earlier today....

“Hello, is this Ed?”

“Uh, yes it is.”

“Ed Williams, the writer guy?”

“Uh, yeah, Ed Williams the writer guy.”

“How are you? My name is Sam Filbert, and I’m a big fan.”

“Hey Sam, it’s nice to meet you, what can I do for you?”

“It’s really you, isn’t it?”

“Yeah Sam, last time me and my mirror met, it was me.”

“What? Oh, okay! I see what you’re meaning. That could even be funny, you know. Did you mean for it to be?”

“Just horsin‘ around. What can I do for you?”

“I was given your name and number by your dad, Fred Williams, Jr. He seems like a really nice guy. We talked for a long time, and then he gave me your phone number so that I could call you. What a great guy!”

“Great isn‘t even close to how I‘d describe him right now, Sam. Old Fred is quite a guy, and then some. Now look, I have some work I have to get done, and I know you didn’t call just to tell me just how much you like sweet old Fred. What can I do for you?”

“Ed, I wanted to know if you’d like to help America’s next humor writing superstar!”

“Well, tell me the name of the person and what they’ve done, and then we can talk more.”

“Ed, with all due respect, I’m talkin’ about myself!”

“Sam, you write?”

“I sure do, Ed. Let me tell you a little about what I’ve written. For the last six months I’ve written something every day, in fact, I write at least two pages each day no matter what!”

“Sam, that’s very impressive. What kind of stuff do you write?”

“Well, I love to write stories about growing up in a small Southern town. I grew up in Shady Dale, Georgia, so my manuscript is a bunch of funny stories about all the crazy things we did when I was growing up there.”

“That’s great, Sam, I give you a lot of credit for being persistent enough to complete an entire manuscript. That’s quite an accomplishment. What’s next for you?”

“That’s where you come in, Ed.”

“That’s where I come in? What’re you talking about?”

“Ed, look. I know getting a book published is hard. Real hard. And I’m sitting here with all these great stories about growing up in Shady Dale - I have no doubt that they’ll be popular and sell tons of books. That’s where you come in, and that’s where you can help me. You can get me in front of a publisher in no time, and then I’ll convince them that they need to publish my book!”

“I can do that? How?”

“Just introduce me to the people over at River City Publishing, your publisher. I’ll take it from there. Once they see my stories, I guarantee you they’ll want to do a book.”

“Ummmmm, Sam, I don’t quite know quite how to say this, but my own stuff happens to be “growing up in the country” stories set in Juliette. If I bring River City your stories, which also seem to be “growing up in the country” stories set in Shady Dale, then I’m competing with myself. And that’s a not a very smart thing for me to do.”

“Ed, you’re being a little selfish here, aren’t you? I know my stories are better, but I’ll bet you could still find someone to continue publishing yours. River City is just one publisher, I’ll sure you could find another one.”

“Exactly, Sam, which is why you should take the initiative and go out and find your own publisher. I wish you the best in your search.”

“You’re not gonna help me? Don’t you think you’re being a little selfish here, Ed?”

“No, Sam, I don‘t. I wish you the best of luck.”

“Man, this isn’t how your dad Fred said it would go. I trusted him, especially after reading so much about him. Mr. Fred said you like helping new writers, and here I am asking you for help, and you don’t wanna help me.”

“Sam, tell you what, I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll help you out with River City if you’ll go out first and find me another publisher. Then we’d be even, you’ll have a publisher and I’ll have a publisher. Whatcha think?”

“I gotta run, Ed. The wife is hollering for me. Tell Fred hello!”

*click*........................

About The Author

Ed’s latest book, “Rough As A Cob,“ can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. He’s also a popular after dinner speaker, and his column runs in a number of Southeastern publications. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: www.ed-williams.com.

The Biggest Challenge Facing A Poet, Getting Published

by: Rose DesRochers

The best advice that I can give any child or adult who wants to be a poet is to read lots of poetry. Get a feel for poetry. Look at different styles of poetry. I have grown so much in my own writing by reading the work of other poets. Don’t be afraid to accept constructive criticism. Part of being a writer is being able to accept criticism. Everyone who writes poetry is eager to publish a book but why not start out small. Before you send off your poetry for publication ask yourself if you are ready. It might be wise to Join an online poetry community and share your poetry with other poets who will be honest with you and offer some constructive criticism.

Once you are ready to take that plunge the best place to start is poetry magazines and ezines . You might also want to check some publishers that accept poetry for anthologies. You are going to want to purchase a copy of Poet’s Market that is published annually. This is an essential book for poets who are interested in publishing their work. For younger poets some places you might want to check out are Poetry for Kids , Teen Ink and About.com's Creative Writing for Teens.

You are also going to want to reach your market. You are going to want to see just what kind of poetry the magazine publishes as often time’s magazines will receive poetry that is just not right for their magazine. Submission guidelines are on most sites and many magazines will post a sample of poems that can be found in their magazine.

When submitting your poetry to magazines. Always present it in typescript, using a simple 10 or 12 point font like Arial or Times New Roman. Present a cover letter that is professional addressing the magazine editor by their name. Offer the poems for publication in their magazines, be sure to list your other publications if any and thank the editor for considering your work for possible publication. Send them about five of your poems and always include a S.A.E. (Self Addressed Envelope) with your submission. Editors most times do not return your poems but without submitting a S.A.E. your poems won’t even be looked at. Also make sure that you have included enough return postage in your S.A.E.

Example of a cover letter:

Dear (name),

Please consider the enclosed poems for publication in (name of magazine). I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for your reply. Thank you for your consideration of my work for possible publication. Your very brief bio here and other publications here.)

If you are submitting by email make sure that you follow the guidelines on the website. Most publishers prefer the poem to be submitted as an attachment in word document. If you are unsure of the guidelines it never hurts to email the editor and ask them. You should never submit a poem that has already been published or that you have sent to another magazine to be published. This includes if you have published them on your own homepage. In most cases magazines will consider a poem posted on your website or an open poetry community to be already published. Therefore you will not be able to claim first rights to it and most magazines; newspapers etc will not accept it as submission.

Sandra Soli of byline magazine says if a poem appears on a web page, it is published. If a poem can be accessed via the general internet user, it is published. On the other hand, if the forum is closed to a limited membership and your poem is not available for general viewing, then she would consider that a workshopped item just as in a private critique group. This concerns how easily the piece can be accessed by readers. Most web appearances are open to all and byline magazines considers that to be a publication.

The Pedestal Magazine quotes “The Pedestal Magazine would consider such a piece previously published, in that it has been inserted into the public domain

If you are submitting work that has already appeared in the web for publication, mention in the cover letter the forum(s) where the poems have been posted and let the editor make an informed decision. You really do not want to do anything that jeopardizes your chances of seeing your poem published. Also be sure to keep track of all your submissions. Then prepare yourself also for a long wait. Chicken Soup for the soul states that they receive 100 stories per day and it takes up to three years to develop a book.

Poets should not be discouraged by rejections. Part of being a poet or any kind of writer is preparing yourself for rejection. Trust me I’m an over sensitive person and when I got my first rejection letter I thought it was the end of the world. But I later learned that a rejection letter does not mean that you are by any means a bad poet. A rejection letter should never discourage you from pursuing your craft. Not all poetry will be published but find comfort in knowing that someday somewhere your poem will find its rightful reader. By all means consider me and every other writer who has been rejected on your side. Having your poetry published is only one part of writing. Until it happens and you have that first publication enjoy your writing and join a community and find a few good readers and supporters of your work and be proud that you took the step and sent your poetry off to be considered for publication.

I have a confession of my own I have only had my poetry published in a few newspapers, ezines, and my own book that was published by one of the worse publishers out there but that has not discourage me one bit from working towards fulfilling my dreams or wishing my fellow poets great success. I have had my accomplishments and one of the greatest is seeing that an article such as this one I have just written might help just one of you. Many poets end up self-publishing their own writing and that isn’t a bad rout to go either. To find out about self publishing and pod publishing be sure to read my article Publishing and Promoting of Poetry Anthologies and Chapbooks

Goodluck and have fun writing.

Resource links

http://www.todays-woman.net/link-23.html
http://www.todays-woman.net/link-11.html
http://www.poetry4kids.com/
http://www.teenink.com/
http://kidswriting.about.com/teens/kidswriting/

About The Author

Rose is a published author from Canada Ontario and is also the founder ofhttp://www.todays-woman.net a community for men and women over 18, where writers/poets/columnists meet and exchange ideas, contest, rate and review and help each other succeed in the writing industry. Check out Rose's first poetry book "She is like the wind" and purchase poetry that is sure to be a world of emotion on a canvas that is her soul.

admin@todays-woman.net

I'm A Romance Novel Hero!

by: Ed Williams

Before we get started here, let me tell y’all that what you’re about to read is the absolute truth. The absolute, unvarnished truth. I swear it on every one of my Elvis and BTO CDs. Now, let’s get right down to it, y’all just focus your eyes on the following sentence:

I was the inspiration for the male lead in a published romance novel.

Okay, okay, scoff all y’all want. I’m not shooting the bull here, I’m shooting just as straight as Annie Oakley. And before I give out the name of this book, I need to tell y’all a little about its author and how it all came about.

Trish Jensen is the author of the book in question. Those of you who read romantic fiction might know her name, as she’s the author of several highly popular romance novels, her two latest being “Stuck With You,” and “Against His Will.” Let me also add that Trish (www.trishjensen.com) publishes with Leisure Books, a large New York based publishing house. So Trish is a major league romance author, she’s the real deal, a veritable BTO of publishing acumen, and she also happens to be a wonderful judge of character, if I do say so myself.

Trish and I met out in cyberspace several years ago because we both frequented a popular writer’s online group at that time. She writes humor, and I try to, so we became friends. I give Trish a whole lot of credit, she gave me lots of encouragement when I first began writing, and I credit a lot of whatever has happened since directly to her. Friends like her don’t just come along everyday, and I’m very proud of her and her accomplishments.

Now, in order to fully disclose, I feel that I need to tell y’all something else about Trish - she’s a yankee. Yep, I know some of y’all may be in shock over this, and I fully understand, but she’s still a good person. The best thing about Trish is that she realizes that the true utopia of the United States is right here in the South, and on account of that just about all of her books are set here. She’s so good at writing about us that I sometimes wonder if she’s being totally truthful about never having lived here. There’s some Southern blood somewhere in this girl, for sure.

Now, about the book. A few years ago, when Trish was just starting out, she wrote a romance novel called “Send Me No Flowers.” She even had to use her maiden name, Trish Graves, on the book’s cover because of some kind of contractual thing regarding her name with another publisher. Anyway, Trish starts writing this book, and the lead male character happens to be a South Carolina sheriff who’s honest, good looking, and who has women falling all over him. She named this character Rob Townsend. And when Trish considered all of his qualities, she felt that there was only one true role model for Rob, only one living person out there who could fully capture his essence, and that was moi. Me. So the book got written, and you can get on the internet and probably find a copy out there somewhere if you look really, really hard. And if y’all still don’t want to believe me, just take a gander at the dedication to the book after you get your hands on one. Read it closely. Ahem. Case closed.

Y’all might wonder why I’m finally “outing” myself as the male lead of a romance novel after this much time. Well, I’m doing it cause Trish has been a little under the weather here lately, and sometimes I think you need to acknowledge dear friends who’ve been kind to you. And in this case one who’s always been kind to me. Odds are that she’ll probably get a look at this article, and I sincerely hope that she realizes just how special she is, and why I’ll always think so fondly of her. She’s a great writer, and an even classier person. I could go on and write even more about her, but I‘m scheduled for some plastic surgery in just a couple of days, so I’ve gotta start packing - after all, one never knows when they might meet the editor of Playgirl Magazine somewhere out there in the literary world...

About The Author

The Three Cs of Writing an Excellent all Purpose Headline

by: Steven Boaze

Since the headline is the first contact your readers have with your message, it must reach out to them. Promise them a benefit. Tell them how they will be better off if they read the rest of the ad. Use action verbs. Save ten dollars is a stronger heading than Savings of ten dollars because of the verb.

Headlines can be classified into the following five basic types; effective headlines frequently combine two or more of these kinds.

News Headlines

This form tells the reader something he or she did not know before. Using the word news does not make it a news headline. "Now - a copy machine that copies in color" is an example of this type headline.

Advice and Promise Headline

Here you are promising something if the reader follows the advice in your ad. "Switch to Amoco premium, no-lead gasoline, and your car will stop pinging."

Selective Headline

This headline limits the audience to a specific group. For example: "To all gray-haired men over forty." Caution! Be absolutely sure you do not eliminate potential customers with this type of headline.

Curiosity Headline

The intent here is to arouse the reader's interest enough to make him or her read the ad. The danger is that this headline often appears "cute" or "clever" and fails in its mission. An example: "Do you have trouble going to sleep at night?"

Command or Demand Headline

Watch out for this one as most people resist pushiness, especially in advertising. "Do it now!" or "Buy this today!" This headline generally can be improved by changing to less obtrusive wording such as: "Call for your key to success!"

One common misconception about headlines is that they must be short and easy to understand. This is not always true. Here is a headline that was used extensively in print ads by Ogilvy and Mather for one of their clients: At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.

Illustrations

There are three primary reasons for using illustrations in an advertisement.

To attract attention to the ad.
To illustrate the item being featured.
To create a mood in the mind of the reader.

Everyone has heard, A picture is worth a thousand words; in advertising, the illustration frequently helps the reader visualize the benefits promised. You can almost feel the warmth of the tropical sun when you see the photos in January travel ads. Cost and practicality may dictate whether your ad uses photographs, artists' drawings or merely canned artwork. Any of these can make the ad more appealing to the reader's eye.

Copy

If you follow the three principles of good copy, your ads will be effective:

Good copy should be clear.
Good copy should be crisp.
Good copy should be concise.

Clear, crisp and concise . . . the three Cs of copy writing suggest that the words in your advertising message merely do a good job of communicating. Do not use big words when small words can make your meaning clear. Use colorful, descriptive terms. Use the number of words necessary to make your meaning clear and no more-but also no less! Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the ads. Recent research conducted at Yale University found that the following 12 words are the most personal and persuasive words in our language.

You     Discovery   Safety Money   Proven      Results Love    Guarantee   Save New     Easy        Health

Notice the overused word free is not on the list.

REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS PRINTED IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS INSTEAD OF UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERS, IT IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE READER TO FOLLOW AND REMAIN INTERESTED. EVEN IN HEADLINES ALL CAPITAL LETTERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

About The Author

Steven Boaze (Chairman) is The Owner of The Corporate Headquarters Boaze.comWhich houses and controls 5 websites including Web Development services. Steven is also the author of "Hidden Secrets To Business Marketing" and "12 Step Remedy To A Successful Ezine" along with numerous articles on Marketing and Advertising published by Boaze Publishing. http://www.boazepublishing.biz

About Writing

by: Michael LaRocca

In this free email course, I'll tell you everything I know about improving your writing, publishing it electronically and in print, and promoting it after the sale.

Two questions you should ask:

(1) What will it cost me?

(2) What does this Michael LaRocca guy know about it?

Answer #1 -- It won't cost you a thing. The single most important bit of advice I can give you, and I say it often, is don't pay for publication.

My successes have come from investing time. Some of it was well spent, but most of it was wasted. It costs me nothing to share what I've learned. It costs you nothing to read it except some of your time.

Answer #2 -- "Michael LaRocca has been researching the publishing field for over ten years."

This quote, from an ezine (electronic newsletter) called Authors Wordsmith, was a kind way of saying I've received a lot of rejections. Also, my "research" required 20 years.

But in my "breakout" year (2000), I finished writing four books and scheduled them all for publication in 2001. Then I spent almost a year as an editor and Author Development Specialist for one of my publishers.

After my first book was published, both my publishers closed. Two weeks and three publishers later, I was back on track. All four books were republished, and a fifth will be released in 2004. Written in 2003, no rejections.

See how much faster it was the second time around? That's because I learned a lot.

2004 EPPIE Award finalist. 2002 EPPIE Award finalist. Listed by Writers Digest as one of The Best 101 Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. Sime-Gen Readers Choice Awards for Favorite Author (Nonfiction & Writing) and Favorite Book (Nonfiction & Writing). 1982 Who's Who In American Writing.

Excuse me for bragging, but it beats having you think I'm unqualified.

Also, I found more editing jobs. That's what I do when I'm not writing, doing legal transcription, or teaching English in China (my new home). But the thing is, if I'd become an editor before learning how to write, I'd have stunk.

I'll tell you what's missing from this course. What to write about, where I get my ideas from, stuff like that. Maybe I don't answer this question because I think you should do it your way, not mine. Or maybe because I don't know how I do it. Or maybe both.

Once you've done your writing bit, this course will help you with all the other stuff involved in being a writer. Writing involves wearing at least four different hats. Writer, editor, publication seeker, post-sale self-promoter.

Here's what I can tell you about my writing.

Sometimes a story idea just comes to me out of nowhere and refuses to leave me alone until I write it. So, I do.

And, whenever I read a book that really fires me up, I find myself thinking, "I wish I could write like that." So, I just keep trying. I'll never write the best, but I'll always write my best. And get better every time. That's the "secret" of the writing "business," same as any other business. Always deliver the goods.

I read voraciously, a habit I recommend to any author who doesn't already have it. You'll subconsciously pick up on what does and doesn't work. Characterization, dialogue, pacing, plot, story, setting, description, etc. But more importantly, someone who doesn't enjoy reading will never write something that someone else will enjoy reading.

I don't write "for the market." I know I can't, so I just write for me and then try to find readers who like what I like. I'm not trying to whip up the next bestseller and get rich. Not that I'd complain. Nope, I have to write what's in my heart, then go find a market later. It makes marketing a challenge at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

When you write, be a dreamer. Go nuts. Know that you're writing pure gold. That fire is why we write.

An author who I truly admire, Kurt Vonnegut, sweats out each individual sentence. He writes it, rewrites it, and doesn't leave it alone until it's perfect. Then when he's done, he's done.

I doubt most of write like that. I don't. I let it fly as fast as my fingers can move across the paper or keyboard, rushing to capture my ideas before they get away. Later, I change and shuffle and slice.

James Michener claims that he writes the last sentence first, then has his goal before him as he writes his way to it.

Then there's me. No outline whatsoever. I create characters and conflict, spending days and weeks on that task, until the first chapter really leaves me wondering "How will this end?" Then my characters take over, and I'm as surprised as the reader when I finish my story.

Some authors set aside a certain number of hours every day for writing, or a certain number of words. In short, a writing schedule.

Then there's me. No writing for three or six months, then a flurry of activity where I forget to eat, sleep, bathe, change the cat's litter... I'm a walking stereotype. To assuage the guilt, I tell myself that my unconscious is hard at work. As Hemingway would say, long periods of thinking and short periods of writing.

I've shown you the extremes in writing styles. I think most authors fall in the middle somewhere. But my point is, find out what works for you. You can read about how other writers do it, and if that works for you, great. But in the end, find your own way. That's what writers do.

Just don't do it halfway.

If you're doing what I do, writing a story that entertains and moves you, then you will find readers who share your tastes. For some of us that means a niche market and for others it means regular appearances on the bestseller list.

Writing is a calling, but publishing is a business. Remember that AFTER you've written your manuscript. Not during.

I've told you how I write. For me.

The next step is self-editing. Fixing all the mistakes I made, that I can identify, in my rush to write it before my Muse took a holiday. Several rewrites. Running through it repeatedly with a fine-toothed comb.

Then what?

There are stories that get rejected because the potential publisher hates them, but far more are shot down for other reasons. Stilted dialogue. Boring descriptions. Weak characters. Underdeveloped story. Unbelievable or inconsistent plot. Sloppy writing.

That's what you have to fix.

After my fifteen-year hiatus from writing, I started by using Free Online Creative Writing Workshops. What I needed most was input from strangers. After all, once you're published, your readers will be strangers. Every publisher you submit to will be a stranger. What will they think? I was far too close to my writing to answer that.

Whenever I got some advice, I considered it. Some I just threw out as wrong, or because I couldn't make the changes without abandoning part of what made the story special to me. Some I embraced. But the point is, I decided. It was my writing.

After a time, I didn't feel the need for the workshops anymore. I'm fortunate enough to have a wife whose advice I will always treasure, and after a while that was all I needed. But early on, it would've been unfair to ask her to read my drivel. (Not that I didn't anyway.)

I don't know how far along you are in your writing, but if you've never used a workshop, I keep a list of them at http://freereads.topcities.com/creativewritingonline.html.

Your goal when you self-edit is to get your book as close to "ready to read" as you possibly can. You want your editor to find what you overlooked, not what you didn't know about.

To that end, I offer two resources.

http://freereads.topcities.com/usefullinksforauthors.html contains links to online quotations, grammar and style guides, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, scam warnings, writer groups, copyright stuff, etc.

http://freereads.topcities.com/commonwritingmistakes.html contains a list of the most common mistakes I've seen in my years as an editor. I still reread it from time to time just so I don't forget.

Your story is your story. You write it from your heart, and when it looks like something you'd enjoy reading, you set out to find a publisher who shares your tastes. What you don't want is for that first reader to lose sight of what makes your story special because you've bogged it down with silly mistakes.

Authors don't pay to be published. They are paid for publication. Always. It's just that simple. And later, I'll tell you where to get some free editing.

But there's a limit to how much editing you can get without paying for it. Do you need more than that? I don't know because I've never seen your writing. But if you evaluate it honestly, I Think you'll know the answer.

As an editor, I've worked with some authors who simply couldn't self-edit. A non-native English speaker, a guy who slept through English class, whatever. To them, maybe paying for editing was an option. This isn't paying for publication. This is paying for a service, training. Just like paying to take a Creative Writing class at the local community college.

By the way, I don't believe creativity can be taught. Writing, certainly. I took my Creative Writing class in high school, free, and treasure it. But I already had the creativity, or else it would've been a waste of the teacher's time and mine.

If you hire an editor worthy of the name, you should learn from that editor how to self-edit in the future. In my case it took two tries, because the first editor was a rip-off artist charging over ten times market value for incomplete advice.

That editor, incidentally, is named Edit Ink, and they're listed on many of the "scam warning" sites mentioned at Useful Links For Authors. They took kickbacks from every fake agent who sent them a client. (I'll talk about fake agents later.)

If you choose to hire an editor, check price and reputation. And consider that you might never make enough selling your books to get back what you pay that editor. Do you care? That's your decision.

The first, most important step on the road to publication is to make your writing the best it can be.

** PUBLICATION **

My goal is to be published in both mediums, ebook and print. There are some readers who prefer ebooks, and some who prefer print books. The latter group is much larger, but those publishers are harder to sell your writing to. I want both, because I want all the readers I can get.

Thus, I advocate something of a stepping-stone approach. Publish electronically with a quality place, enjoy the benefits of free editing and almost instant gratification regarding publishing time.

Later, if you think you can sell your book to a traditional print publisher, you have a professionally edited manuscript to submit.

Before you epublish, check the contract to be sure you can publish the edited work in print later.

If you know your book just plain won't ever make it into traditional print, print-on-demand (POD) is an option. Some of my books fall into this category. The best epublishers will simultaneously publish your work electronically and in POD format, at no cost to you.

A lot of authors swear by self-publication, but the prospect just plain scares me. All that promo, all that self-editing, maybe driving around the countryside with a back seat full of books. I'm a writer, not a salesman. But, maybe you're different.

I self-published once, in the pre-POD days. Mom handled the sales. I had fun and broke even. With POD, at least it's cheaper to self-publish than it was in 1989.

If you're flying solo, POD can range anywhere from US$99 to over $1000. Don't pay the higher price! Price shop. Also, remember that POD places publish any author who pays, and do no marketing.

Print Publishing vs Electronic Publishing
http://freereads.topcities.com/printpublishing_electronicpublishing.html
This site provides a comparison of the two mediums. Each has plusses and minuses. Even if you already know what epublishing is, take a look.

Electronic Publishers
http://freereads.topcities.com/onlinefictionbooks.html
A list of the ones I believe are reputable and my criteria for selecting them. Plus, a link to award-winning author Piers Anthony's totally excellent in-depth analysis of many more epublishers than I'll ever list.

How To Break Into Print Publishing
http://freereads.topcities.com/printpublishing.html
If you're at the beginning of my stepping-stone approach, seeking an epublisher, you'll probably just want to bookmark this one for a year or two. That's fine, because it's not going anywhere. I plan to use it myself in a year or two. If, on the other hand, you're ready for traditional print, use it now and I wish you success!

Print-On-Demand Publishing
http://freereads.topcities.com/printondemand.html
What is it? Should you use it? If so, how? What to beware of if you do.

** PROMOTING YOUR PUBLISHED WRITING **

It doesn't matter how you publish your book. Self-published, epublished, POD, or traditional print publishing from an absolute powerhouse. Marketing falls largely on you, and the same things always work. Book signings, interviews in the local newspapers and on radio.

Start with http://www.kidon.com/media-link/index.shtml. It will allow you to look up all the local media outlets in your area that have websites.

If you write to them all, you're a spammer. Plus, it'll take ages. Look for the ones with a legitimate interest and fire away.

If you find a stale URL, and I think you will, look for the name of that media outlet at some place like Google. Spend some time looking for the right press contacts, spend some time writing your press release, and do what you can.

Most of these sites list email, snail mail, and phone calls. Since I live in China, I've only used email.

Book reviews, author interviews, book listing sites, and book contests are something we can all do, regardless of where we live. Again, I'm going to give you some web pages to visit. Pages where I keep my resources, so I don't lose them. Some of the sites I mention do ebooks, and some do not. The POD option can help e-authors here, but balance cost vs. likelihood of gaining enough readers to offset that.

Some are ezines and some are websites. Some are printed newsletters, some are printed magazines, and some are newspapers. This is just a starting point. If you visit them all, and you have time for more promotion, you can find many more.

Book Reviewers, Author Interviews, Book Listing Siteshttp://freereads.topcities.com/bookreview.html

Book Contests http://freereads.topcities.com/bookcontests.html

Okay, let's get back to my overseas angle. Aside from two radio interviews and a seminar in Hong Kong, and some emailed press releases to the LOCAL media back in the US which may or may not have succeeded in anything, my marketing has come from the Internet.

I have a website. I have a newsletter. I'm giving away a free ebook, the essence of which you're reading now. You found me somehow, right?

Here's the type of message I receive often in email. To be more precise, in spam.

If a million people see your ad, and you get 1% of them, that's 10,000 readers and therefore $15,000 profit and you only paid $1000 for those million addresses.

NO!! It doesn't work that way. Need I use the words dot-com bust?

My website is free. My newsletter is free. I don't buy mailing lists, I don't harvest email addresses, and I don't spam. I want interested traffic, not just sheer numbers.

Do you think the Phoenicians tried to sell sails to people a thousand miles from the water?

Internet marketing isn't a replacement for the methods mentioned above, but a complement to them. And by using it, I got you here.

Your goal in marketing is this. There are certainly people in the world who like what you like. And since you like your book, they probably will too.

But you have to find those readers and make them interested, without spamming them and without just "playing the numbers game."

If you're an e-author, let me state the obvious. Nobody buys ebooks who doesn't have Internet access. Do they? So you definitely need a website.

Traditional print authors need websites too. Even blockbuster authors like J.R. Rowling and Stephen King, who I doubt could garner any more name recognition, have websites. So does every long-established inescapable monstro-business like McDonalds and Coke.

Okay, those folks pay web designers. I'm not doing that. I can't generate those kinds of sales figures. And yes, I've formerly been employed as an HTML programmer. But you can write your own website without even learning HTML if you want. It's no harder than writing a manuscript with a word processor.

It won't be super-flashy like the big boys, but it'll communicate the information. Remember, you can communicate. You're an author! And that's what keeps people coming back to a website after the thrill of the flash wears off. Information. Content. Your specialty.

I consider my website and my newsletter to be successful, and I've created a free email course to analyze how they got that way. Yes, there are legitimate ways to bring traffic to your website and your newsletter. Not massive numbers overnight, but slow steady growth over the long term.

** CLOSING THOUGHTS **

We've been talking about soft sell.

Now, at the end of my free workshop, I'll tell you about 2 URLs that I think will help you and one that won't. You can decide if any are worth a visit.

After that, I'll get back to the lesson.

Books OnLine Directory
http://freereads.topcities.com/
You've been to parts of it already and seen that it delivers something you're looking for. (I hope.) Don't forget to go back from time to time.

Mad About Books
http://freereads.topcities.com/archive.html
My free weekly email newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest info as I find it. Plus, it has a certain goofy charm that the website lacks.

Both URLs mention my books, but in the background. I hope you'll look one day out of curiosity or because you really like my generous nature, but it's not mandatory. Soft sell.

From Watha, NC, USA to Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China
http://michaeljan.topcities.com
This site doesn't mention writing at all. I wrote it for my students. I teach English in China, and this is where I tell all about it. Along with a hefty helping of personal history and photos. How I got here, how I quit a job via email to marry a lovely Australian, dog and cat photos, stuff like that. Just for fun. It won't help you a bit.

Now let's get back to your writing. That's why you're here.

Here's something you've heard before. When your manuscript is rejected -- and it will be -- remember that you aren't being rejected. Your manuscript is.

One reader took me to task for that statement, claiming he'd never been rejected in his life. I'm very happy for him. But why, if I may be so bold as to ask, would he need advice on How To Get Published? I'd rather he write some advice so I can hang up my "helper guy" hat and learn from a master.

But I digress. You aren't being rejected, I was saying. Your manuscript is.

Did you ever hang up the phone on a telemarketer, delete spam, or close the door in the face of a salesman? Of course, and yet that salesman just moves on to the next potential customer. He knows you're rejecting his product, not him.

Okay, in my case I'm rejecting both, but I'd never do that to an author. Neither will a publisher or an agent. All authors tell other authors not to take rejection personally, and yet we all do. Consider it a target to shoot for, then. Just keep submitting, and just keep writing.

The best way to cope with waiting times is to "submit and forget," writing or editing other stuff while the time passes.

And finally, feel free to send an e-mail to me anytime. michaellarocca@yawweb.org. I'll gladly share what I know with you, and it won't cost you a cent.

I would wish you luck in your publishing endeavors, but I know there's no luck involved. It's all skill and diligence.

Congratulations on completing the course! No ceremonies, no degrees, and no diplomas. But on the bright side, no student loan to repay.

Best regards,

Michael LaRocca http://freereads.topcities.com/archive.html

About The Author

Michael was born in North Carolina, USA. He teaches English at a university in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China. Five of his books were published in 2002, and another is scheduled for publication in 2004. One of his novels is an EPPIE 2004 finalist in the Mainstream category. One of his novels was an EPPIE 2002 finalist in the Thriller category. He’s also won two Sime~Gen Readers Choice Awards for nonfiction. He’s proud of the fact that he rarely writes in the same genre twice. He’s listed in the 1982 Who’s Who In American Writing, but that impresses him even less than it impresses you. Michael has worked as an editor for the past thirteen years. For ten years he was responsible for all the tech manuals and sales literature produced by an R&D firm. He also wrote their website. Then he moved to China in 1999 and began editing and reviewing fiction for several U.S. publishers via the Internet. He has been involved with the publication of almost 200 novels. He also works as a legal transcriptionist for a Hong Kong firm. When he should be squeezing writing into his schedule, he is usually enjoying the company of his wife and their cat instead, or sweating through Chinese lessons. In July he finished obtaining his TEFL qualification, so maybe now he’ll find time to write. For more information about Michael and his books, visit his website athttp://freereads.topcities.com which was listed in Writers Digest’s The 101 Best Websites For Writers in 2001 and 2002. His email address is michaellarocca@yawweb.org

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