tweetersCarolyn Howard Johnson's News letter is up. She's a Write On Four Corners Alum and will probably be on again before she's done. she wrote the award winning novel This is the Place. she's also got the how to do it frugally series out, which helps editors and marketers emensely.

May 9, 2009
Sharing with Writers

A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs! Associated with the multi award - winning series of HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers, www.howtodoitfrugally.com


From the Desks of
Carolyn Howard - Johnson
and Sharing with Writers Subscribers

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 Mindy Phillips Lawrence ~ mplcreative1@aol.com ~ www.freewebs.com/mplcreative. I also tell writers to be patient with other writers when they make editing boo - boos. We're all human. This letter comes out weekly and it's long!
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Contents
This Issue
~Note from Carolyn
~Letters - to - the - Editor
~Thank Yous (where you also find leads and great resources!) ~Tips and News Galore! (They're scattered, you'll just have to find
them!)
~Opportunities
~On Poetry
~Author Successes
~Mindy Lawrence's Itty Bitty Column
~Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
~Wordstuff ™

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Note from Carolyn

Next week I leave to launch my new book A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center in New York. Yep, I'm pretty jazzed. But it's good news for you, too, because next week I'll send out the AllTips edition of Sharing with Writers that I've been working on.

I try to do this AllTips thing twice a year. Judging from the letters I get it is a subscriber favorite. Until then, I'm hoping you will tell your writing friends about it, ask them to subscribe before Saturday.

The following week, there will be no letter. But the week after that you may get a report about the excitement of a book signing on a tradeshow floor, perhaps a first in the retailing industry.
Happy Writing, Promoting and, Yes, Editing, Too!
Carolyn Howard - Johnson

PS: I was surprised last week at the number of my subscribers who have or have had something to do with retailing industry and volunteered to help me with reviews. Thank you so much!



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Please note the new Resource for Writers page on Contests at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/contests.htm Follow the “Click Heres” to other valuable lists on my site.
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Tip: Subscribers who are just getting started writing - - no matter what their goal - - may want to pick up the 2nd edition of The Write Life by Sylvia McClain. It is a perfect overview of writing as a career. It doesn't clutter with tons of details, just give the essentials you'll need to know. Order it at www.scribalpress.com/Books.htm


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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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Feature

Even More ways for Writers to be Fantastically Green ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ By VH Melville

I am the author of the soon to be released Ecotastic, the Fabulously Free Green Guide. Here are even more ways writers can be green.

1. Send free virtual cards instead of postcards to publishers and other
contacts.

2. Some people like to pay money to ease their eco sins. You can
purchase offsets from wind farms or charity organizations like www.carbonfund.org. You cannot get tax write offs for offsets though.
www.therainforestsite.com is just one of many clickable charities you can find on the web. Some of these sites are one time only and some are ongoing

3. Use charity search engines like Goodsearch.com and choose a green
charity for them to donate to when you use their engine for research.

4. Using recycled paper save landfill space.

5. Other ways to save landfill space are use cloth napkins. Line or
indoor dry them. Cloth napkins give a romantic atmosphere, which is especially good inspiration for literature, romance and green writers.
- - - - -
VH Melville is the author of Death Toys for Quasar, http://diskuspublishing.com/vhmelville.html



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Please paste this little blurb - - perhaps with a little endorsement - - in your newsletter or website: To subscribe to Sharing with Writers send an e - mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to HoJoNews@aol.com or go to www.howtodoitfrugally.com for an auto subscribe box. Ask for a f r ^ ^ classified ad on my Web site in return.
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Tip for Beginning Tweeters: Go to Katie Hines's blog to get some help with a smile to getting started on Twitter:
http://katiehines.blogspot.com/2009/05/first - tweets - 140 - characters - to - twitter.html


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My blog, War, Peace, Tolerance and Our Soldiers is where I get to nag and rag and 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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Feature

The Power of Poetry ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ By Samanthi Fernando

I thought this the perfect piece of inspiration at this time of year when we honor mothers. Though not specifically for this holiday, it seems that art (writing, poetry and all the others!) and mothers should be linked because the contribution mothers make to each human being is the most artistic and inspired kind of art in the universe.

Have you ever moved a long lost friend to tears and helped heal a hurting heart from thousands of miles away? Have you ever told a family member how proud you are on their biggest day, without being present to witness their achievements? Have you ever shown just how much you love someone without having to speak a word? Have you ever said your piece and made your peace all through the power of poetry? Well I know all this is possible because I have seen it happen. So I keep on writing.

My first impressions of poetry started when I was about six years old, when I listened to my older sister practicing “The Snare by Walter de la Mare” for a poetry recital completion. I recall my mother telling her to recite it with feeling, which my sister learned to do so beautifully and went on to win the competition. It was around this time that I wrote my very first poem, “The Lake,” which was published in the school magazine. A fiery passion had begun in my soul that would compel me to write words that celebrate the essence of life and have the power to touch hearts all over the world.

Poetry for me has bridged the distances that I cannot cross, to give someone a hug on their birthday. It has brought to life friends who have passed in a way that they will never be forgotten. With my decision to make my poems available online on my website, I have had the pleasure of getting to know the wonderful Carolyn Howard Johnson who has taken the time to read and comment on some of my poems.

Most importantly, I have been able to uplift my readers with a different perspective on pain and joy, hope and despair and the unlimited scope of friendship. I have empowered my readers with vehicles to express and share their own feelings with others. A reader recently asked me if she could share my online chapter “Lost” with her friends. She said, “Every single poem just has some connection or relates to us at some given point.” This to me was the validation of the power I knew existed.

What I hope to do next is a poetry reading of my work. Would I reach an even wider audience when they hear the words read out loud with feeling? I am yet to find out. What I do know is that the sincerity of inspiration will prevail...transcending time and space and circumstances to bring the writer, the reader and the listener together through the power of poetry.
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Samanthi Fernando is a poet. Learn more about her at http://www.starsafire.starrayz.com/

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Boohoo. My Facebook account was disabled. All I did was message several people who had asked me to be friends at one time. I was only thanking them, but the almighty robots interpreted these messages as SPAM, so there you are. Their word against mine. To protect yourself from this kind of ridiculous (but upsetting) problem, read this article:

http://getsatisfaction.com/facebook/topics/13_reasons_your_facebook_account_will_be_disabled
And thank you to author Nadine Laman for bringing the article to my attention. BTW, anyone who needs e - mail addresses to complain to Facebook about a similar problem need only e - mail me. I used them and my Facebook page is back up. Just search on Carolyn Howard - Johnson.


=================================================== Book Proposal Help:
Phyllis Zimbler Miller and I ran a fun Tweetchat on book proposals. She edited it for easier reading and posted it for those who missed it. There is lots of info in it on shopping your book to agents, too. Remember, you read tweet chats like you follow blogs. From the bottom up.
http://budurl.com/bookprotweetchat Another book proposal help is The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less for 49 cents at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/
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Editing Tip: Til is a word. ‘Till isn’t. Nor is ‘til. Many of us incorrectly assume that the apostrophe takes the place of “un” in “until”
but it doesn’t. I don’t know of single dictionary or style book that doesn ’t agree with this spelling so that makes it pretty much a RULE you don’t want to break.


===================================================== So you got As in English. You know grammar and spelling. That's great but an editor of you those skills alone 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.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870/
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Cheryl Answering: YOU Asking

Sorting It All Out ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ By Cheryl Pickett

Question:

I'm trying to figure out if I should stick with trying to get a traditional publisher or go another route. Everyone seems to give me a different answer. How do I know who to listen to?

Cheryl’s Answer:

Unlike some decisions in life, choosing a publishing option is not a time to decide based on a group consensus. Other people's opinion can't be the only thing you rely on because no two authors are exactly the same and every book project is different as well. This means that a choice that worked wonderfully for one person, or even several people, may be a complete nightmare for you.

So how do you sort through the advice you get? Consider how each bit fits within the scope of your overall publishing plan. When you do that, most of the time it will be clear as to whether the advice will be useful to you or not.

Don't have a publishing plan? Then in all reality, you probably aren't ready to ask for much advice yet on any other part of the process. If you have no framework to fit answers into, you can get advice all day long.
Some will be good, some won't, but you won't know which is which, or how any of it relates to the rest without a frame of reference.

Think about it another way; if you have no clue as to where you're headed, how helpful is it to stop and ask for directions? You can't just go up to someone and ask, "How do I get there?" The most you could expect would be a funny look and questions like, where's there? How fast do you need to go, etc.?

The same goes for choosing the best publishing options. Know where you're headed, ask specific questions, then you'll get the most helpful information.
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Cheryl Pickett has been a freelance writer for almost a decade. Her new book, Publishing Possibilities: 8 Steps to Understanding Your Options & Choosing the Best Path for Your Book, demystifies the publishing process.
Find out more or get your copy today at http://www.publishinganswers.com


===================================================== Recently Yvonne Perry, owner of WritersintheSky Creative Services, and I chatted about editing, everything from em dashes to why what works on the Web doesn't work for you book's manuscript. Yvonne offers you the f r ^ ^ podcast on her blog: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com/2008/12/do - you - have - questions - about - editing.html. You'll find other f r ^^ podcasts on writing on her blog, too.
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Opportunities

If Your Book Fits, It May Qualify for a Review ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On June 1st LuluBook Review will offer reviews not only to books published by Lulu but also by other books published by digital presses like CreateSpace and Wordclay .They welcome queries! Authors should post a query on our Pick Me! tab at http://lulubookreview.com/pick - me/.

These are genres they don't review:
Christian
How - to Books
Business
Horror
Screenplays
Self - Help
Codependency and Grief
Romance
Poetry
Cartoons
Textbooks

However, we will consider poetry.


Conference for Teens ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Janet Kay Jensen, author of Don't You Marry the Mormon Boys (Bonneville Books, Cedar Fort, Inc) and SWW subscriber sends this information on a writers' conference for young people: The Teen Writers Conference for ages
13 - 19. It is Saturday, June 6, 2009, at Weber State University.
Presenters include award - winning authors and editors. There is a $39 sign - up fee and lunch is included. www.teenwritersconference.com.
Registration closes May 25th!


Learn Everything There Is To Know about Getting on Radio! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Talk Radio Wants You - - An Intimate Guide to 700 Shows and How to Get Invited has just been published by McFarland & Co. The book provides an intimate view into the hosts' heads - - his or her wants, desires and needs regarding guests. You'll never have to search for a radio show again.

"Talk Radio Advocate" Francine Silverman, an author, online publicist and radio show host, is offering the $75 book at a 10% discount to subscribers of this newsletter. Payment can be made by check payable to Francine Silverman and mailed to P.O. Box 1333, Riverdale, NY 10471 or through Paypal to franalive@optonline.net

Anyone interested should e - mail franalive@optonline.net with their name, mailing address and how they plan to pay. More information about the book is available at http://www.talkradioadvocate.com


Short Fiction Contest with a Low F ^ ^ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Curtiswood Farm Writing Retreat Contest:
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/Kentucky_Retreat.htm

$5 Entry Fee/ No Entry Fee for Attendees. Blind judging. Submit your fiction and creative nonfiction into this first time contest, judged by C.
Hope Clark. Awards handed out at the Curtiswood Farm Writing Retreat.
Fiction First Prize $125
Fiction Second Prize $75
Creative Nonfiction First Prize $125
Creative Nonfiction Second Prize $75
Fiction or nonfiction accepted. First and second prizes awarded in each category. Comments made on the five finalists in each category. Single or double - space accepted. Maximum 750 words. Any topic accepted.



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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 http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/advertising.htm at less per year than most sites charge for a single month. Find classified there, too.
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Tip: You can make any book into a special edition by tying it with a ribbon book mark, adding a gold "Special Edition" sticker and signing with a special edition notation. Think about how you might use this idea for a book launch or other promotion.


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Subscribers who have websites or newsletters of their own may be interested in the F r ^^ Articles 4 Readers and Writers on my site, http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/free_content.htm 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: Have you thought of including ads in the back of your book? It has been tried by even big New York publishing houses and then dropped. The recession and ongoing problems of the publishing industry may point to a return of this idea. I used the idea for my how - to book for retailers.
It seems especially appropriate for books aimed at commercial entities.


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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 =====================================================


On Poetry
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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

You will be seeing more how - to articles on using poetry in the broad context of applying it to other genres on my Sharing with Writers blog (www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com). I am open to submissions. Do notice that I'm looking for broad poetic appeal to writers of all kinds.



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Endorsement: I wanted to tell you how your workshops, reading your newsletter, and just chatting with you has been a great help to me. I have a background in marketing from the fashion world and even though it has helped me get my foot in the door, I honestly have to say that after getting to know you, reading your books, and everything else I just said has truly helped me put Stories for Children Magazine on the map. ~ VS Grenier, Founder and Editor - in - Chief Stories for Children Magazine.
http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org.
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Tip: Save the lists of editors' names and the phone numbers and e - mail addresses from the mastheads of throw - away newspapers you find on stands outside of restaurants - - and of magazines and newspapers of every kind.
Record the details in an Excel file or just keep them in a scrapbook. At some point, you'll be glad you have 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

SWW Subscriber Nominated for Prize ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Walter Brasch, professor of journalism at Bloomsburg University and author of 17 books, was recently honored by the Pennsylvania Press Club (PPC) and by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) for writings during 2008.

His weekly column, "Wanderings," was named the best commentary in the SPJ Spotlight Awards competition, and was second in PPC competition. His 2,500 word feature, "Murder in an Alaskan Forest," was first in environmental reporting in SPJ's competition. Brasch also took first in PPC's personality profile category for "A Swamp Yankee in the Last Frontier," a 2,500 word study of Geo Beach, host of the History Channel's "Tougher in Alaska" series; first for government/political reporting for a series of articles about Pennsylvania legislation, including, "Pennsylvania
Politics: Resolved to Continue Bigotry" and "Squabbling Over the Pigeon
Bill: Pennsylvania Legislature Won't Be Able to Soar Like Eagles Until It Shoots Down Animal Cruelty." He also took a first place award in the Social Issues category for "Mining Racism in a Pennsylvania Coal Town."

At BU, Brasch is editor - in - chief of the award - winning Spectrum Magazine, produced by students in the Program in Journalism of the Department of Mass Communications.


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Available: http://www.tri - studio.com/audiodivas.html from Audio Divas on many aspects of building a writing career. Here is the page where you'll find the full list of the writer - related ones at http://www.tri - studio.com/writers.html. Titles include Contest Facts: How to Add “Award - winning” to Your Name, Do It Yourself Indexing: The Way to Sell Your Book to Libraries, Schools and Anyone Else That Buys Nonfiction, Fury and
Destruction: How to Use Violence Effectively in Your Writing, and more.
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Editing Tip: It is the Elements of Style's 50th anniversary. Here's the thing. People use this book as a rule book. It is not. Note the title. It calls itself a style book; it was originally written by a college professor to help his students write. That was a century ago. Styles and rules have changed. Yes, the book is updated. Yes, I think it does lots of good. Even if you love it, try to think differently about it. As an example, this book is probably where the idea that "hopefully" shouldn't be used as an adverb as in "Hopefully my writing friends will read this language book with open eyes and some skepticism - - and with a knowledge of the difference between 'rules,' 'style' and 'opinion.'" As you can see, "hopefully" can be used that way. I just did and it isn't "wrong." Just don't do it in a query letter. Because some agent, publisher, or editor out there will have read Strunk's book and taken every idea in it as a language commandment.



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Yes, I do consult. I tailor my fees to your needs - - everything from coaching to full edits (sorry no partial edits) to hour consultation so help you with your marketing campaign or your path to publishing.
http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/consulting.htm
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In the News: Seems Abercrombie and Fitch mmmm . . . borrowed the name "Hollister" from a California town for one of its lines of clothing. Seems after they did, they wouldn't even put an outlet in the town to help the Hollister folk with their economy (the economy being another story entirely!). Seems a local woman decided to use her own town's name on a small line of her own jeans. Seems A&F didn't like that. Now it seems that the whole town is up in arms. They want to reclaim their name and they're publicizing the injustice done them everywhere! Seems to me that A&F made a whole string of public relations booboos here. Seems to me that A&F should backtrack. Say, "I'm sorry." Hire the Hollister woman to design jeans for them. When the economy does an upturn, put in an outlet and use that magnanimous gesture to glean all kinds of counter publicity. Ahem!
- - - - - Information on this PR snafu came from the LA Times, an article written for the business section by Hugo Martin. CHJ



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Thank Yous


Thanks to Dana Lynn Smith . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . for including my endorsement of her e - book Successful Social Marketing on her Web site:
http://bookmarketingmaven.typepad.com/savvy_book_marketer/successful - social - marketing.html I've gotten so many new tips from it!


Thanks to J. R. Turner . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . for the blog entry on her Books by
J.R. Turner blog at MySpace. You might enjoy learning my take on why editing is your first line of marketing defense! Find it at:
http://blogs.myspace.com/booksbyjrturner.


Thanks to Tony Eldridge . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . for including my article on five
things to do to create pristine query letters on his blog at http://blog.marketingtipsforauthors.com/2009/05/editing - is - marketing - boning - up - on - first.html He is the author of The Samson Effect, soon to be made into a movie.


Thanks to Helena Harper . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . for her lovely review of She Wore
Emerald Then - - just in time for Mother's Day giving. Find it at http://helenaharpersblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/she - wore - emerald - then - cosmic - imagery.html. While you're there, learn more about Helena's poetry.


Thanks to Francine Silverman . . .
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . for including my "Six Things I Learned
from Reading an Inflight Magazine" in her newsletter. To subscribe to her Book Promotion Newsletter go to:
http://www.mailermailer.com/x?oid=12216r



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If you're starting your own blog or want to market the one you have or focus it better here’s a f r ^^ chapter from Phyllis Zimbler Miller’s and my coming book. Download it now at http://budurl.com/bloggingchapter.
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Q&A a la Ann Landers

Practicing The Secret on Promotion ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Question:

The Secret [by Rhonda Byrne] says that one reason people's dreams don't come true is that they give up just before they are about to succeed. I am ready to give up. Just call me Peggy, WannaBeWriter

Answer:

I believe that people do give up too soon, especially when it comes to promotion. It's one reason I talk about persistence so much. And The Secret also talks about positive energy. That's what promotion is. It's your best shot being put out into the universe and that sometimes (not
always) takes time.

That's not to say that at times it's not natural to feel like giving up.
Putting aside having a well - written book that hits the market at the right time, the speed of an author's success is usually strongly influenced by its genre. That's one of the reasons I shared all the stuff I learned when I was promoting my first novel, This Is the Place, by writing my first how - to book, The Frugal Book Promoter. Fiction - - especially nonspeculative fiction - - is one of the hardest genres of all to promote and I wanted others to know it could be done.

This Is the Place won its publisher's Mille Award for marketing and sales the first year it was published but only after it almost failed for lack of promotion by the publisher and by me! And not until after I lost a really big wad of money hiring a publicist who didn't understand using the themes and other elements in a novel to promote it!

This Is the Place is a literary novel published in 2001 (though it's still available in the new and used book section on Amazon for about $1). I think I sold about 2,000 and even that relatively small number was sold because - - at it was set in Salt Lake City and was released just before the Winter Olympics in that city. But that timing wouldn't have helped had I not figured out that I needed to promote it and that I was the only one with the passion to do it right. The Secret also talks about passion - - only they call it bliss or joy. Once I got started I even got my novel into a couple of airport book stores.

In fact, one of the reasons that The Frugal Book Promoter sells well is that it isn't general. It's personal and passionate. It's full of ideas based on my personal experience selling the hardest of all genres - - poetry, short story collections, and literary fiction. I could add memoir (my next book) to that list.
The point here is that none of the three was a huge success by publishing standards. But they were by my standards. They sold well enough, I learned from writing them and promoting them, and I really relished the little successes when they came. When I couldn't trace great results from the promotion I was doing, I kept doing it and kept adding more ways to do it.
What if I'd given up on one of those dark days when nothing seemed to be working? My world - - not just my writing world but my entire world - - would be a different place. Am I bragging? Damn tootin’. I knew The Secret long before it was written. And I'm still practicing it.

I hope you will, too.
CHJ

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I now have a social media page on my Website. I’m including the link for you to see so you can use it as a sample if you don’t have a similar page on your own Web site. And yes, this can work even if you only network on one site. Just use more space giving your visitors an idea of how they will benefit if they join you.
http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/new_page_4.htm
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Tip: Betty Dobson is back with her Inkspotters newsletter. You will want to see the first edition after her hiatus. After that, you'll want to subscribe for sure because of the great information you'll get but also because Betty is an editor who is receptive to your participation (you'll see what I mean!). So look, learn, subscribe and then share:
http://inkspotter.com/publications/newsletters/inkspotternews/InkSpotter%20News%206.01.pdf


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The semi - annual AllTips edition is now in the works. Please send me your best tip for writing or promotion AND please let your fellow writers know now is the time to subscribe to Sharing with Writers - - so they don’t miss it. Send an e - mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to hojonews@aol.com.
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Feature

How Many Are Visiting Your Blog and Web Site ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some people are infatuated with figures.

I'm really not. I'm a big - picture girl. I don't believe that if a blog draws "only" 50 or 500 it's of no value. Where is the cutoff number anyway? Ask instead, how does that blog work with the other promotions you're doing? It's how things work together - - mostly - - that makes a difference.

Still, it's sometimes nice to measure what we're doing—especially if we remember not to let low numbers (or what we perceive as low numbers) discourage us but instead use them as prompts to do something to get them up there. So, here's how I set up and use Google Analytics the super - fast and super - easy way.

1. You probably already have a Google account. If not, get one. Go to Google.com to do it. They may ask you to set up a Google gmail account.
Don't worry. You can use it or ignore it.

2. Set up your profile. Find the "Add New Profile" and click. It works about like profiles everywhere - - from Amazon to Facebook. You'll be lead through the steps. And having it will make it easy to comment on blogger or blogspot blogs.

3. Find your "Google Analytics" link. Click. There you will get some code that you copy and paste (the fancy name is HTML code) at the end of the Web pages you'd like to track. You can also add some code to your blogs.
You'll want separate code for each place you want to track.

4. Add the analytics codes to places you want to track at your leisure.
This is not a marathon. Give some thought to what figures will be most indicative of your success and add them one at a time.

5. Go back to your Google Analytics every so often. Not every day. Not every 10 minutes! You want to have time to write, not analyze numbers!
Nose around the links you find there. One gives you a pie chart of where your visitors are coming from (direct, links or whatever). Another tells you what country your visitors are coming from. It's like a mini geography lesson!

Happy tracking!
CHJ


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This is an example of one of my Twitters: "FrugalBookPromo New trend?
Borders to buy nonreturnable books from HarperStudio in return for a deeper discount." They cover everything from news to more tips and resources all in 140 characters or less. If you don’t want to Tweet, at least follow me. Make a profile page and invite www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo.
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Tip: This is one of the most unique ideas - - innovative and interactive - - I've seen in a long time. It's from Nadine Laman, author of Kathryn's Beach and it's about letting readers write their own endorsement of your book and putting it on the back of their own copy with a pen you supply when you ship your book. As far as I know it is Nadine's original idea and she's sharing it with you. Check it out. You'll think of some fun applications for your own book.
http://nadinelaman.blogspot.com/2009/01/write - your - own - review - campaign.html


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The New Book Review is a service of this newsletter. 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

LIVE READING
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I had come from an event in Conway, Arkansas where my former professor, now client, Dan Skelton had read from his poetry collection, LIGHT AND
SHADOW. There’s a poem in it called “God’s Dog.” When I first read it
silently, I read it as a more serious comment on his spiritual thoughts.
When he read it in Conway, he read it with a relaxed, humorous flavor that I’d not considered. It totally changed the piece for me. I began to think about how live performance enhances and defines what we write and how it can change the meaning of a piece.

I realized that some of the work I had written seemed more negative than I had intended it to be – just as Skelton’s poem, although serious, was more playful when HE read it as HE intended it to sound. I thought about the voice, inflection and live presentation, how speaking the words out loud changed everything.

I began reading my poems out loud, reading Skelton’s verse out loud as well as some of his stories and mine. They started taking on a different flavor and edge. I read part of a novel I was reading to myself to see how the sentences resonated. What a revelation!

So, read your work aloud to yourself or to friends. Learn to read it with enthusiasm and passion. Before long, you’ll learn how the words and their meaning fit together. It will make you a much better writer.


LINKS

Reading a Poem Out Loud
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/p180 - howtoread.html

National Poetry - Out - Loud Contest
http://www.nbcwashington.com/around_town/the_scene/Reading - Out - Loud.html

Read it Out Loud
http://www.poewar.com/john - hewitt%E2%80%99s - writing - tips - read - it - out - loud/

LIGHT AND SHADOW – Dan Skelton
http://www.freewebs.com/drdanskelton/



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Carolyn's Appearances and Teaching
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Watch for a new podcast on writing The Great First Impression Book
Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YG6O5U/ ) at Authors Access’s great, f r ^ ^ service for writers in June. In the meantime, find an old one on book promotion we did on book promotions at http://authorsaccess.com/archives/90. It was their most listened - to podcast last year.

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be presenting two seminars at the National Stationery Show, one on Monday, May 18, called "Move Upward in a Down Market with Free Publicity Exposure and Money - Making In - Store Promotions" and the other, "Grow Your Business Online for No $$$," on Tuesday, May 19. This is a huge show a la Book Expo America! for stationery retailers and will be at Javits Center in Manhattan. She'll also be publishing a new book for her HowToDoItFrugally series, this time for retailers. Many of the marketing principles are the same, though. ( -
:

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Book Launch: Carolyn Howard - Johnson will launch Monday, May 18, at 9:30 AM at the National Stationery Show at Javits Center, NY, NY. Carolyn will present to the retail trade and sign A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. One of Carolyn’s HowToDoItFrugally books, this retail - focused how - to book will be the first in a Survive and Thrive series utilizing Carolyn’s nearly three decades experience as founder and operator of a chain of gift and home décor stores. Learn more at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/frugal_in - store_promotions.htm

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be reading poetry on the theme Celebrating the Female; Spirit, Mind and Body at Avenue 50 Studio, 131 N. Ave 50, Highland Park, CA 90042 (www.avenue50studio.com) on May 30th, from 7 - 9 p.m.. Hosting this presentation will be her critique partner and mentor, Lois P. Jones, guest host of Poet's Café that airs at the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at noon on Pacifica Radio, KPFK 90.7 fm.
The poetry reading is held in conjunction with an exhibit of "empathic images wherein the revealed body discloses the essence within" by artist - photographer J. Michael Walker (www.allthesaints.com). His exhibit runs through to June 7.

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For the first time, Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles and Mystery Writers of America/SoCal are joining forces to present a new venture, the California Crime Writers Conference, to be held June 13 - 14 at the Pasadena Hilton, Pasadena, CA. The conference is titled “Breaking In & Breaking Out:
Plotting the Write Course,” and is the next incarnation of the successful No Crime Unpublished conference held biannually by Sisters in Crime/LA.
Carolyn Howard - Johnson will be presenting a class on “Marketing Your Book Online” on Saturday June 13 at 9 am. The time is to be announced. The public is welcome. Learn more at http://www.sistersincrimela.com/ccwc.htm.

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will talk to a group of Creative Memories saleswomen at a meeting on June 23. She'll introduce her new book A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques and will discuss how the "in - store events" part of the book applies to those in home sales industry like Amway, Avon, and, yep, Creative Memories. If your in - home sales business would like a similar educational meeting for sales people, contact me at hojonews@aol.com.
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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will teach “Creating a Promotion Campaign for Your Fiction or Nonfiction Book.” A one - day seminar, it will meet on the UCLA campus’ School of Public Affairs Building (Room 2317) Saturday, August 1, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Reg# U9836B Request a UCLA Extension catalog at www.uclaextension.edu.
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Mark October 12 to 18 on your calendar for The Muse Online Writers Conference cosponsored by Lea Schizas and Carolyn Howard - Johnson:

We are now taking reservations for the conference. More to come on my presentations there at http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/. This year we’ve added pitch sessions:
http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/2009workshops.htm

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Carolyn Howard - Johnson will speak on writing picture - perfect query letters at the November session of Scribblers' Retreat Writers'
Conference, www.scribblersretreatwritersconference.com at Sea Palms Resort, St. Simons Island, Georgia. Scribblers Retreat Writers’ Conference offers four conferences of specifically chosen genres throughout the year.
It is brand new and one of the few chances I will speak on the East Coast in 2009.


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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
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(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.)

HAIR DRESSER: Someone who is able to create a style you will never be able to duplicate again. See "Magician."


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Essential Book and Record Keeping:

Sharing with Writers is edited and distributed by Carolyn Howard - Johnson,http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com. and proofread by Mindy Phillips Lawrence.

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

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

Ordering Information:
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 or at Amazon where it is discounted:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/193299310X/qid=1149015406/sr=2 - 1/ Order it as an e - book at http://starpublishllc.com/id43.html

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 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/

A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In - Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques is available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1441467246/

To learn more about This Is the Place,
Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, Tracings, and She Wore Emerald Then: www.carolynhoward - johnson.com.

She Wore Emerald Then: Reflections on Motherhood is available on Amazon.
It is coauthored by Magdalena Ball. http://www.amazon.com/She - Wore - Emerald - Then - Reflections/dp/1438263791/

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/

Contact Information
Websites: http://carolynhoward - Johnson.com (literary) http://HowToDoItFrugally.com (all things about writing)

For the Frugal Editor, Amazon - direct:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870

Blogs:

http://www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com, a blog on all things publishing

http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, all things grammatical and ungrammatical

http://www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog focused on YOUR reviews

http://www.TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com, a blog focused on editing, formatting and craft

http://www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com War. Peace. Tolerance. And Our Soldiers.

And now! Tweeting at: www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo and Squidooing at http://www.squidoo.com/HowToDoItFrugallyforAuthors and at http://www.squidoo.com/carolynhoward - johnson





Visit Carolyn HowardJohnson at:
http://www.authorsden.com/carolynhowardjohnson


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Connie Gotsch www.conniegotsch.com Host Write On Four Corners KSJE FM, Farmington NM www.ksje.com Author two award winning novels Snap Me a Future and A Mouthful of Shell available www.dlsijpress.com

Always in Print ‘Cuz They’re Print on Demand!

Coming in 2009, Belle’s Star,’ a youth novel from Artemesia Press at http://www.apbooks.net