July 12, 2008

Sharing with Writers
A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs!

From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard - Johnson
And Authors' Coalition Friends
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Sharing with Writers is the official newsletter of Authors' Coalition,
www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
an organization of writers who help writers.

To read this letter in plain vanilla text, scroll down. To read this newsletter with a bit more pizzazz (not much, though!) at Authors Den go to:
http://www.AuthorsDen.com/adstorage/1713/SharingwithWriters_June_No4Week_2008.doc

In the spirit of the advice I give in the Frugal Editor - - that is to use an extra pair of eyes whenever possible - - this newsletter is voluntarily copyedited by Authors' Coalition member, Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mplcreative
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Note from Carolyn:

Dear Subscribers and Authors' Coalition Members:

I received a letter with from a Sharing with Writers subscriber who felt that it was hard to follow. He was also concerned with what he called "information dumping." This is a term that is being bandied about on the web and I do think some of us are on information overload for sure.

In any case, it seems to me that it is time I explained my concept for this newsletter.

First of all, I want it to be interactive. Not many newsletters are. When you send me tips and successes and articles it becomes a training ground for promotion for the ultra - shy and those without experience in marketing and publicity. It gives more experienced writers and promoters a chance to share with the community and, yes, get your name out there a bit. Helping you make your book a success is a primary goal for me.

To meet these goals, the letter has to be long.

That said, if it gets too long, some servers will bounce the newsletter. How I hate that to happen. One of the reasons I started blogging was that I wanted a place where I could send you for more extended information than the servers would allow.

Of course, not everything in any given letter will be pertinent for everyone. I do try to include links and resources that will help you, even in my Thank You and the Author Successes columns. If you read the letter and pay attention, you might find useable information in features that at first seem to be fluff.

About that information dumping. Yep. It exists. But I see a greater problem and that is that we don't get enough information. Authors who don't keep up on what is going on in the publishing industry have many more problems than those who do

In spite of the fact that many articles on producing newsletters recommend recycling material from past editions, I use all new tips and new articles. In other words, as much as I believe in recycling, I try not to get repetitive.

That doesn't mean there won't be some repetition, though. Occasionally I'm forgetful. How can anyone remember what subjects were covered in a letter that was issued three years ago! Occasionally you might see information here that you've seen before
or information that is too basic for you or even, occasionally, too advanced. I hope you'll let me know when something isn't clear.

And now what this is all leading to. Help! If you see a specific way this letter can be improved (especially if it fits in with the goals I have set for it), please let me know. Do I forget and use initialism and/or acronyms too often? Is there a way that I divide the different features - - one from another - - that will improve the format? Do I forget to explain computer terms? We're all in this together and this is your newsletter, too.

So, thank you to the author who sent me the letter. I hope he will make his suggestions specific. I can't please everyone but I sure do want to improve.

And, in the meantime, I hope you'll all pick and choose from any given issue what is meaningful for you.

Happy promoting! And yes, writing and editing, too!

Carolyn Howard - Johnson
Websites: http://carolynhoward - Johnson.com (literary)
http://HowToDoItFrugally.com (all things about writing)
Authors' Coalition: http://www.AuthorsCoalitionandRedEnginepress.com
For the Frugal Editor, Amazon - direct: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/
Blogs: http://AuthorsCoalition.blogspot.com, a blog focused on book fairs
http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing
http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews
http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, a blog focused on editing, formatting and craft
And now blogging on War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers at http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com.
And now! Squidooing at
http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors
and http://www.squidoo.com/carolynhoward - johnson

PS: I should remind you that there is at least one tip on every page of my www.howtodoitfrugally.com website and one on every page of the Authors' Coalition site, too. www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com. I don't consider that information dumping. I consider it offering you something you may be able to use. In fact, I consider it added value rather than the other way around. I hope you'll read them when you go to either site.

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Please pass this letter on to others. Unlike many, I do not mind if you use only portions of it as long as you credit the writers and include this subscribe information. "To subscribe to 'Sharing with Writers' send an e - mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with 'Subscribe' in the subject line."
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Tip: SWW subscriber Susan Stephenson thought you short story writers might be interested in this blog and the competition run by Jason Sanford. Link here to see the list of his recent winners and learn more about him: www.jasonsanford.com/jason/2008/06/million - writers - award - top - ten - stories - of - 2007.html

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New members will help Authors' Coalition serve all its members better! Ask your writing friends to join at http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/. Paid members get a favorite review posted, consideration for an interview or review in Yarn spinners and Wordweavers, ditto for The Fiction Flyer and Betty Dobson's Inkspotter. Membership is reasonable, too.
Tell friends to visit our blog. There they'll learn how to spark generally insipid book fairs by using value - added promotions. www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com.
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
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New Media in a Nutshell: New media simply means all the media now found outside traditional radio, TV, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. - - i.e. stuff on the Net. Rey Ybarra, new media guru, offers subscribers a video that explains how the new media works. He says, "You can explain why new media is so powerful and it will take forever and it may never make sense. You see this video and voilá! You've got it in two and a half minutes!" Find it at my blog, www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. Scroll to the bottom of the blog where it is permanently installed for author/visitors to peruse. Rey blogs at: www.recessionproofmarketing.blogspot.com


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My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag to try to make things better for our troops and maybe for the world. I'd love to have you leave a comment. www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com
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Opportunities:

Listen to podcasts of experts in the industry on www.AuthorAccess.com. Coming July 14 are Graham Van Dixhorn and Susan Kendrick on creating powerful book covers and on July 21 Pam Perry on becoming successful in the Christian literature genre. Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman are hosts.
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Essay Contest: FundsforWriters and its annual sponsor IdeaWeaver, creator of writing and creativity software, announce the 7th Annual FundsforWriters Essay Contest. THEME: "The Best Advice I Ever Had." As is the FundsforWriters trademark, applicants enter with or without an entry fee, their choice. Prize monies range from $10 to $200. Limit 750 words. Deadline October 31, 2008. www.fundsforwriters.com/annualcontest.htm Direct questions to Hope Clark at hope@fundsforwriters.com


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So you got As in English. You know grammar and spelling. That's great but an editor of you it doth not make. An editor knows formatting, front and back matter, indexing, structure, the elements of fiction and on and on. But mostly she'll see your manuscript in a fresh, new light. Learn how to hire a great editor and learn to be a better partner for any author - - awful to superb - - in The Frugal Editor.
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Thank Yous

(There are leads here, just as you'll find in all the most innocent - looking areas of this newsletter. You never know when you'll find a name or a site that will help you network or write better!)

Thank You to Roger C. Parker, guru behind Published&Profitable!, for letting his readers know that Writer's Digest named my blog (www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com) Best 101 of 2008. http://blog.publishedandprofitable.com/2008/07/carolyn - howard - johnson - previous - published - profitable - interview - guest - praised - in - writers - digest - competition/#comment - 2948. You'll want to check out his site for helpful articles and services.
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Thank You to Lisa Osborne, national radio host and star of www.Lisa.fm. As part of the promotional packages she offers to authors and experts, the stories she writes about her guests are published online and in print. You will find one of those articles at Divine Caroline (http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/49804/52038 - publish - promote - own - book. The interview she did with me on publishing and promoting frugally is at http://www.lisa.fm/podcasts/index.html. Contact Lisa at InfoRadio@aol.com.
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Thank you to Ginger Truitt, columnist for the Boone Sun. I met her at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop and she wrote to inform me that she wrote about me (anonymously) in her column. Great fun. She is one good humour writer. In addition to that, the column is about slang. I think any writer will enjoy reading it. http://www.theboonesun.com/tbs/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1137&Itemid=42


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No part of this newsletter is paid advertising. If you would like to advertise to subscribers, display ads are available at www.howtodoitfrugally.com at less per year than most sites charge for a single month (see the advertising tab at the top of the page). Authors' Coalition www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com is also accepting ads. So is Yarnspinners and Wordweavers. Contact katieseyes@aol.com.
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Feature

Getting Traffic to Blogs and Websites

Allyn Evans, author of Grab the Queen Power: Live Your Best Life, suggested I give you a tip on how to use Google Alerts to get backlinks for your blog. I hate terms like "backlinks" don't you? To make sense of this, you may need a couple definitions.

Google Alerts is a function that lets you know when people mention something you want to know about anywhere on the web. You sign up for Google Alerts on your Google Accounts page. You let Alerts know what it is you want to be alerted to. I have it alert me to my name and the titles of my books. But Allyn wanted you to know how to get this nifty tool to alert you to your subject matter so you can go to the links it tells you about and leave comments. Those comments will, of course, include your blog or website address in the body of the comment or in your signature.

The idea is that you offer good ideas (content) on those blogs (remember these will be blogs that are somehow related to what you write about!), and the blogger will start to take notice. He or she may just backlink (hey! there's that word!) to your blog. Maybe he'll do it on his blogroll or some other kind of a list. If he doesn't, maybe after a bit you could e - mail him, tell him that you added his blog to one of your rolls, that you've been a frequent commenter, and ask him if he'll return the favor. If you can get some bloggers with heavily trafficked blogs to backlink to you, you may see a huge jump in your readership.

If you need help figuring out what you would have Google alert you to, think keywords. I might use "book promotion" to try to get more backlinks for my blog, sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. I might use "finding typos" to try to get more for thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com. Even though editing is a lot more extensive than finding a few typos, those words would still probably lead me to the right places.

I might just use the words "tolerance" or "intolerance" to find blogs related to my novel This Is the Place. If your first choice of keywords doesn't work as well as you'd hoped, try another one. It's generally better if you use more than one word surrounded by quotation marks so that Google doesn't flood your e - mail box with suggestions.
CHJ


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Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested in the Free Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, www.howtodoitfrugally.com. I try to add new articles to it frequently. If you don't see what you need for your blog or newsletter, just ask. HoJoNews@aol.com.
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TIP from Patrika Vaughn at www.acapella.com: Find your publisher before you write a nonfiction article. That's right. Writing an article and then trying to find someone to publish it is not an efficient way to get published. In fact there may be NO publication anywhere that can use an article with exactly that focus, length, kinds of sources of information, etc. You have a much better chance of success if you send off queries before you write your article, and then tailor it to the preferences of an editor who has expressed interest in seeing it or buying it. On the Internet your chances of getting an article published are higher due to the insatiable appetite for information online. There are many sites dedicated to writers' markets. Start with the link http://www.getpub.com/pubopps.htm.
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Note: You will find help on writing and editing great query letters in Carolyn's The Frugal Editor.

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Fun and F r * *: If you purchased the Frugal Book Promoter or the Frugal Editor, I'd love for you to review it on Amazon or BN.com. Make it simple; just tell what part of it you found most valuable. If you do, send me the review link (URL) and I will send you a handout from one of my UCLA classes. As a thank you, of course. HoJoNews@aol.com
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On Poetry

This is a new running feature for the poets among us and those who would like to try writing poetry but feel, well . . . inadequate. Please send in your poetry tips and resources for this section.

My poetry friend and teacher, Suzanne Lummis, says that some new poets get infatuated with the ease of alliteration and overdo it. You know the phrase, "You may want to rethink this?" When you find alliteration in your poem, look again to see if it is too, mmmm, flamboyant, convenient, clichéd or repetitive.

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Don't suffer with book proposals. You can be a pro with and investment of only 20 minutes and 49 cents with my Great First Impression Book Proposal Short.
http://www.amazon.com/Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal/dp/B000YG6O5U
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Tip: Are you networking on Facebook? It has a feature called a Fun Wall. No you're not supposed to beat your head on it; you're supposed to write something on it, preferably something more than graffiti. MySpace has something similar called, more mundanely, "Comments." You can use these features to let people know what you're doing but please! If you're there for more than just fun, try put information on them that will benefit your friends, not annoy them.


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A general marketing rule is that a product must be seen seven times before it is purchased. That is just as true for books (because they are products, like it or not!). Let people see that book cover image! To do that, you are invited to advertise as a site sponsor at www.howtodoitfrugally.com for only $25 to $30 a year. Yep, the frugal way! Click on the Advertising tab at the top of the page or contact me personally at hojonews@aol.com.
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Author Successes

(If you read about others' successes you'll not only be inspired, you'll glean resources for future successes of your own. You are invited to send me news about your successes. Please use "AUTHOR SUCCESSES" as a subject lines.)

None to report.


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Available: Audios from Audio Divas on many aspects of building a writing career are published by Double Dragon Press. Here is the page where you'll find the full list (http://www.double - dragon - ebooks.com/eAuthor.php?Name=Carolyn%20Howard - Johnson ) including one on "Do It Yourself Indexing." The first audio, "Promoting Easy and Cheap!" is a F R ^ ^ sample you can download. Each comes with a resource guide. Here is an example of a guide for the audio - lesson Your Divas did on "Contests": http://www.derondouglas.com/audiosample/AwardResourceGuideContests.pdf
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From Anne Louise Reinhard to You

Humor Hints

I'd like to be a humorist, or maybe a comedian, but I'm not sure I'd like to be a clown. In a thesaurus, those three words might be considered synonyms, but in practice, they are not interchangeable. Words are wonderful and magical; they paint pictures. More often than not, it is the connotation rather than the denotation that does the painting. In an article about teenagers and cell phones, I wasn't sure how to describe the practice of sending text messages. Is it "newfangled", or is it "innovative"? Well, it's both, because they're really the same thing - but which one is funnier? Well, the one that paints the picture of a curmudgeon is funnier, and that picture, coincidentally, looks just like me.

May your keyboard never falter!
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Reach Anne Louise at annelouise@annelouise.net. Read more of her humor at www.annelouise.net.

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Endorsement:" I am so happy for you to receive a second award [Reader Views Literary Award] for The Frugal Editor. I bought this book a week ago, and I love it. I can already see the improvement in my work. Thank you. You deserve this award." ~Katherine Harms, author
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Feature

Everything I Know About Blog Promotion, I Learned from the Blogging Community
By Nicole J. Williams who blogs The Journey Begins with One Step (http://stepofaith.blogspot.com)
I write a personal blog because I like to entertain myself and others. Only recently have I decided that I'd like "others" to include people who aren't on the list of people I email each time I post. In other words: "strangers." The great thing about blogging with the intent of being read by a wider audience is finding that there are far fewer strangers in the world! I've met lots of awesome folks and made a few friends just since this year began.

Here are a couple of invaluable tips for writers who want to get people to read their blog (at least their personal blog, although I'm sure there are similar communities for other types of blogs and that the basic principles will still apply):

1. Do Unto Others: Start "Blog Surfing"!

Let's face it, if you want someone to take the time to read your blog, and you aren't famous yet, then you're going to have to start reading some yourself. And then be sure to leave the kinds of comments you'd love to see after your own entries. The blogosphere is largely community - oriented, so you have to find a way into the community that you'd like to be part of. And how do you discover that? Well, if you don't have friends who read blogs to start you off, let Google do the searching. Do a search for your interests (one or more at a time) and the word "blog." See what happens! You can find one blog you like, and if it's well - read, you can click on the links of the commenters to see what they write about. Be sure to save the links of the ones you like, though, because your surfing may get so webbed that you'd never find your way back any other way.

2. Do Unto Others, part two: Try Out a Theme!

It's all the rage these days to participate in blog "memes," which are basically weekly blog postings that have a catchy name and focus related to the days the posts go up; such as Wordless Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday, Friday Fill - ins, or Scrumptious Sunday. What happens is, you pick the one(s) you like, follow the daily format and/or theme, post, and then go read other bloggers' posts. Usually, there's a "homepage" for the meme where everyone can publish their link for all to see so that the visiting can begin! Don't know where to start? Try this page: http://thedailymeme.com/ Oh, and this is great for procrastinators, such as myself, who like to feel like there is a deadline and even a hint of pressure to participate...a little friendly competition perhaps to get your post up by midnight?

3. Do Unto Others, part three: Roll the Credits! (Are we sensing a pattern here?)

So now you know that you have to be a blog surfer, finding people out there who think and write about things that interest you; and you have started being a more regular blog poster, joining in the community and putting your name/link out there; there's still one more friendly thing you can do to increase your blog "cred," and that's the "blogroll." When you find bloggers you admire enough to visit regularly, leave a comment asking if they would mind you putting their link on your own blog. Most won't mind and some might decide to return the favor! Then you just set up a nice list on the sidebar of your blog and display your favorites. I scratch your back - - you scratch mine, right? Plus, it always makes bloggers feel special to see that another blogger respects their work. (This is on my list of things to do that never gets done, but I've seen it in action and I kick myself for not having made the time to do this yet!)

When I'm not "blog surfing," I read about five or six blogs regularly. Some make me laugh. Some tell me more about a subject of interest (like raw food recipes!). Some give me tips on style and decorating. And some are like eating dessert, without the calories. Since I've started reading and commenting and meme - ing, I get a lot of new visitors at my humble spot in the blogosphere.

Back when I first started posting my thoughts about my life, the idea of blogging to the sea of anonymity seemed cathartic. But then it got lonely. Being part of an online community is much more fun. So, if seeing "0 Comments" is getting you down, you might try out my suggestions. You could start by coming to visit me! I promise I'll come visit you if you leave me a nice comment!

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Authors' Coalition members! For credibility, use the AC logo on your promotional materials. Ask for it by sending an e - mail to HoJoNews@aol.com or download it with a click from the AC site: http://www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/AC_Promotional_Videos,%20Logos%20&%20More .
You know you want it on your website! Be sure to link it to the AC site, too! And there is a cross - promotional slide show there that will add movement and color to your site or blog, even if you aren't featured on it. It's all about Karma. ( - :
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Tip: Choose a social network that allows you to contact your associates in groups. All will allow single e - mail messages and some will allow "up to 20." If you've amassed a large group of friends, this limitation can be a bloody nuisance. Try to actively work the sites that aren't so restrictive.


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Authors' Coalition: No Hum - Drum Book Fair Promotion Allowed is a blog where you can watch how Authors' Coalition members make book fairs successful with cross - promotion, value - added promotions and a good assessment process. Find it at www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com. It's time to sign up for 2009's LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books with Christine Alexanians, tinooshik@yahoo.com ==================================================

Tip There is a new service that offers to save you work by getting blurbs (endorsements) for you! Mmmm. Does an endorsement that you paid to get have any credibility? Is paying for a blurb ethical? Learn what I and those who have commented on it on my blog have to say. Go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com.


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"AC is the current that powers your writing career." http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com
Carolyn Howard - Johnson, Authors' Coalition Founder
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From Elizabeth Lucas - Taylor

(Elizabeth contributes at least one valuable paying resource per SWW issue - - either a great place to sell material or find writing craft or promotional idea - - and she sometimes throws in a resource for you.)

In the next couple issues, Elizabeth will explain some rights terms.

MERCHANDISING RIGHTS
Merchandising Rights is the right to license characters from a book or film, or other discernible aspects of a work, for use on or with other products. Most common in the world of children's books.
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Find Elizabeth at http://www.authorsden.com/elucastaylor or her new blog at http://www.elucas - taylor.blogspot.com/ or at MySpace http://www.myspace.com/elucastaylor
where you will find a writers' community.

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Reciprocal Links: Many subscribers are in a position to cross - promote. Let me know if you would like to trade some recommendation or promotion for any of my books - - from the HowToDoItFrugally series to my chapbook of poetry - - for a place on my Resources for Writers or Resources for Readers pages on www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.
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Editing TIP: Search for the word "up" in your copy. In a regular desk size dictionary, that word can take up to 1/4 to 1/2 page all by itself because it has so many uses. All of the entries are perfectly correct in spoken language but in written language some of them are, well . . . a bit wordy. When you're editing your job is to find:

1. The ones that are merely colloquial. Remove these. Or not. It depends on the voice you are trying to achieve.
2. The ones that are essential to your meaning. Leave them the way they are, of course.
3. The ones that are perfectly grammatical but not necessary (and therefore redundant). Remove these unless, of course, they are part of dialogue. For dialogue you want your "ups" to sound like the spoken language.

If you would like to see some samples of "up" sentences that you can also use as a little quiz, go to www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com.

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I use Vista Print for lots of my promotional materials. Be aware that shipping prices may fluctuate, depending on the deal of the moment. Please use this link:
http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=815651421184
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Tip: Connie Gotsch, author of Snap Me a Future, wants to save your computer. She says, "Please read this warning on Snopes: Don't open greeting cards or postcards that claim to be from family/friends.
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

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The New Book Review is a service of this newsletter and Authors' Coalition. It allows authors to get more exposure from their favorite review and reviewers a chance to have more readers see their reviews - - with links, of course. Please check the guidelines on the blog site at www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com.
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An Itty - Bitty Column on Writing

“I Submit!”

Almost every major magazine has submission guidelines. You can search in places like Writers’ Market, or you can go to the Internet sites of each magazine and search there. Several websites give you that information, too. I’ve listed some of them below.
Locate the editorial calendar for each periodical for which you wish to write. That information is usually found either online or by means of searching an issue of the magazine. If you can’t find the calendar, request it. Once written you can save it as a template and use it as needed.

The best thing I can tell you about writing is to WRITE! No amount of begging other writers to find out how THEY do it will make you a success. No matter how many writers groups you belong to or books on writing you buy will do it. Both can be helpful, especially for publicity, but ONLY your bottom in a chair in front of your computer or notepad with work.

So, check out some markets, get some silly putty and sit in it until you develop your writer’s voice and SUBMIT!

FreelanceWriting.Com
http://www.freelancewriting.com/guidelines/pages/

EMagazine.Com
http://www.emagazine.com/view/?1512

WritersWeekly.com
http://www.writersweekly.com/markets_and_jobs.php
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Mindy Phillips Lawrence www.freewebs.com/mplcreative is the author of One Blue Star and co - author of The Complete Writer. She is also the publicist and literary agent for Dr. Dan Skelton and representative for the fiction work of Bev Walton - Porter. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin. Blogging at: www.mplcreative.blogspot.com/


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Endorsement:
"www.HowToDoItFrugally.com , by Carolyn Howard - Johnson [is] a top website for writers . . . I'd say my ROI is over 1,000%. The advice is particularly strong in addressing the new author where they are in learning the publishing/selling process. Very practical. The site is excellent."
~ Hill Kemp, author of Capitol Offense, and contributor to Secrets, Fact or Fiction? I, ISBN 0 - 9737282 - 5 - 6 and Secrets, Fact or Fiction? II, ISBN 1 - 59594 - 062 - 6, LOC 2006904627, http://www.secretsfactorfiction.com
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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching:

(I'm taking the months of June, July and August off to write, so my schedule is limited. It doesn't mean I don't love you all!)

Evie Ybarra will interview Carolyn Howard - Johnson on her Ventura evening drive talk show, "Talk with Evie" on Wednesday, July 17 at 6 pm. Listen in on live radio in Ventura area or on the website at www.1400kkzz.com. We'll be talking self - publishing, awards and what they can do for you.
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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will read from her chapbook of poetry, Tracings, Monday evening, Aug. 11, at 7:30 pm at the Village Bookstore 1049 Swarthmore Ave, Pacific Palisades, CA. Poets Alice Pero and Lois P. Jones sponsor ongoing featured readings called Moonday. Learn more at www.home.earthlink.net/ ~pero/moonday.html.

Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be the featured interview October 10, 2008 on Novel Journey, recently named one of Writer's Digest's top websites for writers. The site is known for its author interviews, commentary on the writing life and book giveaways, and appears on My Space News. Novel Journey has become a "must visit" blog that is frequented by publicists, editors, publishers and multi - published authors. The Novel Journey contributors have crafted questions designed to guarantee that each post will offer something valuable to our growing readership.
http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com/
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The f r e ^ Muse Online Writers' Conference, sponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard - Johnson, is accepting early registration. Nearly 2,000 attended last year and openings are limited. Learn more about this year's conference, October 13 to 19th, and how you can assure your spot in 2008. We will present an all - new program soon. Carolyn will do a seminar on "Query Letters! Editing them perfectly for a great first impression." Go to: For more information click here:
http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com
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 Carolyn Howard - Johnson will speak to the California Writers Club of San Fernando Valley at 1 pm on December 13, 2008. It's at the Encino Community Center, 4939 Balboa Blvd (just north of Ventura Blvd.), Encino, CA 91316. Learn more about the year's programs www.calwriterssfv.com and sign up to join. It's a dynamic group. E - mail is cwcsfv@gmail.com.

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Sign up to receive a copy of my Sharing with Writers blog in your e - mail box. It is a focused blog on all things related to writing and publishing. Go to www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. Sign up in the left hand column. Find related resources by scrolling to the bottom of the blog.
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Wordstuff ™

Something to Make Writers Smile

(Definitions in the next few newsletters are from www.butlerwebs.com/jokes/definitions.htm.You might have some favorite neologisms, metaphors or similes that make you smile. If so, please contribute.)

"DUMBWAITER: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert."

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Essential Book and Record Keeping:

This letter is an entity of Authors' Coalition http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com

Edited and distributed by Carolyn Howard - Johnson,

http://carolynhoward - johnson.com

Author of This Is the Place, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and the How To Do It Frugally series of books for writers,
www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

Tracings, a chapbook of poetry, published by Finishing Line Press may be ordered at
www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/qid=1139084827/sr=1 - 1/

This is a place to share with others and learn from others.

Though I do attempt to verify information used within this newsletter's pages, Sharing with Writers does not guarantee entities or information. Subscribers should research resources.

To submit information articles, tips or other information, e - mail Carolyn at HoJoNews@aol.com. Please put "Submission: Sharing with Writers" in the subject line.

If you do not care to receive this newsletter, send an e - mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with "Unsubscribe” in the subject line, but please, please don't tell me you've given up writing or promoting!

To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with "Subscribe" in the subject line to: HoJoNews@aol.com.

Please pass this newsletter on to friends or e - groups. It needn't be pasted in its complete form, but please credit this newsletter, Authors' Coalition and the individual contributors with anything you snip and paste.

Order the Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't at stores like UCLA, Dayton University and San Diego State University's bookstores. Order it as an e - book at http://starpublish.com/carolyn_howard - johnson.htm

or paperback at Amazon where it is discounted:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/qid=1149015406/sr=2 - 1/

The second in the How To Do It Frugally series of books, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success, is available at this link to Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/

The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know About Selling Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less, is available on Amazon as a Short for 49 cents.
http://www.amazon.com/Great - First - Impression - Book - Proposal/dp/B000YG6O5U/