July 26, 2005
A WriterOnLine Publication

My dearest readers,

Publishing: that is the focus of this issue of WriterOnline. How many of you out there are at some stage with your fiction or non-fiction book and are either attempting, or thinking about how to get your book published?

Let's get straight to it. Publishing is a tough business, a dog eat dog business. An interesting article by William Petrocelli takes an in-depth look at the situation in publishing today, but the basics are this: today, fewer books are sold to adult readers (could the Internet have something to do with this?), mid-lists (where the quality stuff is) are shrinking, and the growth of chain book stores has doubled the space available for book sales.

And the chain stores want to make every inch of that space profitable, so if a mid lister comes in and doesn't make it off the shelves in the prescribed numbers, it's out we go and into the trash.

In addition, the hundreds of book publishers of earlier days have succumbed to the pressures of buy-outs, mergers, and acquisition, putting the power of publishing in the hands of 6 major players today. What do these players want? Big names, big games, and big bucks.

Petrocelli believes that diversity is the key to settling the market into a more equitable equilibrium. And by diversity he means independent bookstores and smaller publishers. Although I admit to being a regular at my local B&N and Borders, I got goose pimples of passion when I walked into this cozy, wooden floored (wide plank, no less!), fireplaced (working!!), book-filled, and ink-smelling Mecca otherwise known as the WOL official bookstore: Write Book and Gifts.

Another document presents a bit more optimistic view about prospects in the book publishing industry. Published by the Graphic Arts Marketing Information Service, this report also notes the major publisher merger activity, but predicts growth in the number of books sold to an aging population that enjoys reading.

Positive or negative, the fact remains, for us writers, it's still a competitive market out there. And if you have the money, an option might be to publish your book yourself. When I published Retraining the Harness Racehorse 7 years ago, I used Dan Poynter's The Self Publishing Manual to guide me through the process, and it was truly a wonderful, step-by-step guide. After sending the manuscript to all the standard equine publishers, I received rave reviews, but the standard line "the market is too narrow for us." Not to be thwarted, I happened upon one of the first on-demand printers around as a result of a news story I was working on. With that publisher, and Poynter's book in hand, the book was published, and remains the only one of its kind out there. Find out more about self-publishing.

The good news is that today we writers have options. So keep writing and take advantage of them.

LEARNING CENTER SUMMER SESSION

Remember – we are offering some great savings on our Learning Center courses for the months of June, July, and August. Sign up for any one course and save 10%, two courses – 15%, and three courses – 20%! What a way to spend the summer, brushing up on your writing skills or learning to do a kind of writing you've never done before. Go for it!

Read on, my friends, enjoy, and until next issue, keep that ink flowing and those keyboards a'clacking

My warm regards,
Mary Anne Donovan

P. S. Have you seen Writer Online Learning Center lately? Just like here at WOL, the Learning Center has a whole new look, not to mention a new name. We have 25 courses, covering a broad range of interests and subject matter. New to the line up is Fiction Know-How, taught by Deborah Sutton. Check out the course description. Another cool course is Writing Poetry Inspired by Landscape or Place, taught by Jodi Rowland. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, check out Digital Communication Methods and Introduction to Technical Writing taught by yours truly.

IN THIS ISSUE

By Jodi Rowland

What to choose? Many authors face varying choices and decisions when it comes to publishing their works. Judith Shenouda points us in the right direction in “Publishing – Many Options, Many Decisions.”

Ever wonder how many others slack off at work too? Or maybe you ladies would like to know how your man compares to trout? Or, better yet, maybe you’re competing in this year’s Redneck Games? Not sure what we’re talking about? Make sure to read News by Shelley Bueche to find out.

Let the colors of David Cazden’s poems, “Small Hours,” “Melanoma,” and “Calling the Minnows,” pull you into his world of words and graceful images.

Regina Allen offers some useful advice for those coming off of a conference in “The Day After: Reviewing the Conference.” Also, she provides a list of some upcoming conferences and events.

Here’s your chance to split some sides with laugh-out-loud writing. Grace Tierney offers information on humor writing contests in “Make ‘em Laugh – Humor Writing Contests.”

Jump into your swimsuit and expand your mind as your read Pamela Beers “The Curmudgeon Speaks: Hot Weather: Keeping It All Together.”

Show of your computational and cinematic skills in this issue’s puzzle By the Numbers. Have you recently or previously explored a new place, met new people, and experienced a new culture firsthand? Or is there someplace you’re dying to visit? Then we want to hear about it. This issue’s contest, Magellan or Dickinson? offers you the chance to share your adventures of discovering different cultures with WOL.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Exciting Markets News from Justmarkets

JustMarkets, our sister site for writers and the best daily digest of markets for writers around, announces a new program where you can access all listings for the one month prior to your request, for just $8.95. In other words, you will have more than 500 of the most recent, hand-picked JustMarkets listings at your fingertips – for just $8.95. In fact, if you place your order today, you'll have the log in information you need tomorrow to get started sorting through these lucrative, paying markets. Let JustMarkets do the work so you can do the writing!

In addition, JustMarkets announces another feature so that those of you who are not getting your daily digest because of spam filters can access the JM site and log in to see the digest online.

Join JustMarkets - the best daily digest of paying markets for writers!

 

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SAVINGS: LEARNING CENTER SUMMER SESSION

They're back! Those infamous lazy, hazy days when many of us writers tend to languish on our front porches sipping mint juleps and scratching at mosquito bites. Instead, this summer, swat those mosquitoes, switch to iced tea, and hone your writing skills with a course (or two, or three) from the WriterOnline Learning Center. And take advantage of our special Summer Session pricing:

• Take 1 course, save 10%

• Take 2 courses, save 15%

• Take 3 courses save 20%

Decide which courses you want to take, and we'll be back with sign up details in our next issue!

 

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CWA SCHEDULES 2005 CONFERENCE

The international Cat Writers' Association (CWA) will hold its 12th annual writers' conference in Foster City, CA near San Francisco on November 18-20, 2005. The conference is open to anyone interested in pet writing and will feature two days of professional seminars with nationally known speakers on topics including screenwriting, how to sell children's books, online writing, humane shelter issues and a magazine editor panel.

In addition, the CWA conference includes social gatherings where attendees can network with authors, editors and agents. The annual CWA Awards Banquet, sponsored by Nestle Purina PetCare Co., features more than 40 MUSE Medallion and 20 corporate-funded writing awards. CWA events are in conjunction with the Cat Fanciers' Association International Cat Show, the largest cat show held in the Western Hemisphere, scheduled at the nearby San Mateo Expo Center.

Full registration for the writing conference is $100 for non-members prior to August 31, and $125 prior to October 31. Information and registration options will be posted on the CWA web site at http://www.catwriters.org after May 10.

CWA, founded in 1992, is dedicated to providing news, information, and education on all aspects of cat care and welfare, as well as improving the quality of writing about cats and other companion animals. Its 200 members include published writers, photographers, illustrators, novelists, editors and broadcasters.
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Contest

 

Magellan or Dickinson?

After having a conversation with my eleven-year-old sister the other day about other cultures and religion, I came to the realization that although I’ve seen many movies, television shows, and heard of others’ tales, I have not actually been to another country (other than Canada, which is similar to the U.S.) to experience these places and people firsthand. This realization shocked me, for I generally consider myself to be open-minded toward others and extremely interested and intrigued to learn about other cultures.Read more

 

Puzzle

 

By the Numbers

Literacy: "an individual's ability to read, write and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential."Read more

News

By Shelley Bueche

Not Your Grandfather’s Olympics!

Take the Trouser Trout Quiz

For the Time Crunched—

“Hello Laziness: The Guide to Slacking Off at Work”