Great Timing! Getting And Giving A Second Chance
Your article on selling coursework absolutely fit in with conversation I had one weekend when my English teacher grandson visited me with his wife and my second great grandchild…
Nautical Notes: Boating Magazines That Welcome Freelancers Aboard By Cyndi Perkins
Story opportunities are as densely packed as the crab traps that blanket Florida Bay. For the nautically minded writer, opportunities abound wherever mariners are enjoying their boats – or not enjoying their boats, i.e.: treating stinky waste-holding tanks, fixing balky engines or extricating the entangled lines of those pesky crab traps from propellers…
Matt And Sarah Were Here!!
Many of you remember Matt, our (unofficially) adopted son who came to live with us many years ago. He worked for BookLocker and WritersWeekly for years and he still does ebook conversion work for us on the side. After college, he moved to New York to attend Columbia for his Master’s. He then landed a super job in Boston doing actuarial work, which has always been his dream (yes, we don’t understand that level of attraction to math, either, but he’s happy!).
Matt and his fiance, Sarah, who we also adore, were here over the weekend and we all had a blast…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Spring, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest! By Angela Hoy
For the past six weeks, we’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Spring, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest…
Top 10 Mistakes New Authors Make When Contacting Libraries
I just finished reading your article on the mistakes authors make trying to get their books into libraries. I thought all of the points were spot on. I would like to add that many libraries are always interested in hearing from local authors. In fact, my hometown library has a special collection devoted to this very thing. They try to make an effort to purchase titles by local authors or, in some cases, the authors themselves donate copies. Either way, authors should try to reach out to their local library (if they haven’t already), or even libraries in their region or home state.
Another idea is to perhaps offer to do a book talk at the library. In this case, you may be able to sell your book on site (depending on the library policy) or the library may wish to purchase copies in order to support your presentation.
I think the opportunities are there for authors, especially since more and more authors are going the self-publishing route. The relationship does not necessarily have to be antagonistic on either end.
-a librarian
RELATED:
Top 10 Mistakes New Authors Make When Contacting Libraries
How to Market Your Book to Libraries
What Has Your Library Done for You Lately?
Library “Gifts” And Copyright Harvesting – AUTHOR BEWARE
Whoo-Whee! Now, That’s One Snotty Librarian!
WritersWeekly Has Blacklisted Another Publication That Charges Reading Fees
Could you be a bit too hasty to blacklist small publishers over fees?
That most recent one was being overwhelmed by online submissions. The only work an ‘author’ had to do was hit send. The receiver had a lot of work to do to separate out the sewerage and sludge to even reach the slush. Couldn’t the authors still send it in by snail mail the old fashioned way and NOT pay a fee?
Additionally, university presses traditionally charge fees due to the low demand academic oriented work they publish.
This cooperative/subsidy publishing is a long established norm in the university world and the only way such work would get published.
It is not the traditional vanity press as the work is vetted. But you recently blacklisted a university publication for the fee issue.
Now you are certainly free to blacklist anyone you want, I wonder if you are really doing it to help people more than you enjoy doing it…
From Giving Free Advice To Leading A Successful Workshop By Ann Goldberg
As an active member of several writers’ forums, I often answer questions from new writers. I know how lonely the life of a freelance writer can be, and how much difference getting some advice, a helping hand, and sympathetic ear can make.
However, when people started contacting me off the forum, asking longer questions, wanting marketing advice, and asking me to critique their work, I realized that this had gone beyond a helping hand and I was in danger of spending half my working time writing for no pay…
Letters To The Editor For June 4th
Letters will return next week.
Getting and Giving a Second Chance By Christine Laws
A friend had recommended me to a curriculum publisher. Could I revise workbooks for fifth-grade science? I said that I would give it a try, and soon a big box appeared on my porch.
I eagerly delved into the materials: course samples, manuals on how to design curriculum, workbooks to revise, and the fifth-grade science textbook. The cover art featured a wise-looking owl. Was I wise enough to rewrite ten science workbooks?
Can I Publish My Dead Friend’s Manuscript? No!
I have a manuscript, but am not the author. The author gave me the manuscript personally many years ago but without any written permission. His wish was just to somehow get it published. To make the matter worse, he was a resident of a foreign country and it was there he handed me the manuscript. He is now already deceased for several years. In this case, what should I do in order to prove that I am the rightful holder of the publishing rights, or at least some sort of representative? I do not expect to make any money off the book for myself. If there will be any income from it, it will be spent on worthy causes that the work’s topic is closely related to. I would really appreciate your suggestions and/or recommendations.