Making $$$ The Write Way A free eMagazine for writers of integrity *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ November 13, 2002 Volume 1 Number 3 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ To subscribe, and receive the FREE eBook, "So You Want to be a Travel Writer," surf here: http://www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In this issue: 1.) Letter From The Publisher---On The Home Front 2.) Ask an Expert/Questions and Answers 3.) COMP-ortunity of the week 4.) Online Success-Internet Boot camp (Part 3) 5.) The Business of Writing by Duane Newcomb 6.) Editor's Pick/Reviews 7.) The Boast Post---Bragging Board of Writers Triumphs and Victories *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Making $$$ The Write Way eMagazine is a division of The Magnum Group ISSN pending. Copyright 2002 Write Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Start Comping today by purchasing our best selling eBook: "BEEN THERE---COMPED THAT!" Free Travel, Dining, and Entertainment, All for the Cost of Some Ink Available at: http://www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ On The Home Front Carmel L. Mooney News from the "Home Front" As the holidays are quickly approaching, is seems that a blink of an eye separates the pumpkin patches from the turkeys in the frozen food section. Then another blink of the eye and the Christmas tree lots spring up everywhere, and I have to choose whether to splurge on calories or exercise self-control every time the eggnog beckons me from the dairy section. It's not hard to get so caught up in the season that writing goals go on the back burner. But it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe we won't find time to send out 5 queries a week, or attend a writers conference, but there is a lot to take advantage of this time of the year that will only help our writing and publishing ventures after the hustle and bustle subsides. Winter travel destinations, town holiday celebrations, festively decorated historic buildings, and holiday memoirs can all be turned into future writing and publishing projects AFTER the holidays are over. So take advantage now. While you are out shopping, gazing at lights, and strolling in charming Victorian towns, ask questions, talk to people, take photos, mingle, tape stories, and think like a writer. Remember some of our best writing is done when we don't actually have a pen wrapped in our fingers, or our finger tips on a keyboard. Best wishes and COMP-liments to all, Carmel *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ This week's newest COMP-ortunity Downieville River Inn and Resort Website: www.downievilleriverinn.com Address: PO Box 412, 121 River Street Downieville, CA Phone: 530-289-3308 or 800-696-3308 Contact: Jamie Alichwer Location: Downieville, CA Description: Nestled in the historic town of Downieville, the Downieville River Inn and Resort is located on the North Yuba River, surrounded by Tahoe National Forest. Enjoy comfortable guest rooms with private baths, TV, coffee service, porches or balconies. Kitchen units, 1,2 3 bedroom cottages also available. Open year round, heated pool, sauna. Coverage desired: Family friendly/weekend getaway/great winter activities Prefers writers with: clips and/or letter of assignment Possible comp: Decided case by case/ possible accommodations *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ "Ask a Pro" Publishing/Comping/Writing Q&A "Your Questions---You Always Wanted To Ask," answered by professional writing consultant/coach/instructor, Carmel L. Mooney To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@ebookstand.com. Questions may be edited for length or content if necessary. Question: I'd like to explore travel writing and was wondering if proficiency at photography is important; I'm not good at taking pictures. A.R., St. George, UT Answer: While taking photographs and selling them with your travel writing can substantially fatten the wallet, this is not necessary to sell your travel articles. Most publications have staff photographers, stock photos, or access to them. Often an editor will acquire photos to accompany your article, from numerous other sources including PR or marketing departments. I encourage you to break into the exciting area of travel writing without photos and if down the road, you feel the desire, then take a photography class and add that aspect to your specialty. Question: There are so many Print On Demand companies popping up, how does one know which one to go with, when shopping around? M.S., North San Juan, CA Answer: You really need to request samples of their finished products and look for bookstore quality. The first POD publisher I went through did not provide me with a high quality product and I ended up shopping around and going elsewhere. Had I known what I know now, I would have been choosier in the beginning. I now recommend: http://www.ebookstand.com To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@ebookstand.com. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ Internet Marketing Tips and Strategies For Writers How to sell your publications online by Hazel Nieves, Our E-business Marketing Expert and Consultant Internet Boot camp Basics, PART 3. By: Hazel Nieves, Internet Marketing Expert Electronic Commerce (also known as e-commerce) Quite simply it means conducting business online! The definition: of e-commerce includes business activity that is business-to-business (b2b), business-to-consumer (b2c). E-commerce is a major factor in the U.S. economy because the technology assists us in many levels of current business transactions and it creates new online business opportunities that are global by nature. It is possible to do this electronically because of certain software programs (called SHOPPING CARTS) that run the main functions of an e-commerce Web site, such as product display, online ordering, and inventory management automatic email responders, etc. The software CAN work in conjunction with online payment systems to process payments and resides on a SECURE server. Since these servers and data lines make up the backbone of the Internet, e-commerce means doing business over interconnected networks. Electronic Mail (known as E-mail) E-mail is quite simply, electronically transmitted mail on your computer. As opposed to "snail mail," (US Postal) e-mail sends your messages instantaneously anywhere in the world. It is the most popular aspect of the Internet because of the capability to send messages at anytime, to anyone for less money than it would cost to mail a letter or call someone on the telephone. Some of the more popular e-mail programs are Outlook Express or Outlook, Eudora and Hotmail, as well as those provided with your ISP. All you need is an e-mail account a computer, and a program to get started. SSL secured sockets layer Definition: A protocol that delivers server authentication, data encryption, and message integrity. To put it simply...With SSL implemented on both the client and server side, your Internet communications are transmitted in encrypted form. Information you send can be trusted to arrive privately and unaltered to the server you specify (and no other). If you are having trouble with Internet lingo and terminology… Go to NetLingo.com, an online dictionary about the Internet. It contains thousands of words and definitions that describe the technology and community of the World Wide Web. Well, that wraps it up today---our three part Internet Boot camp series on understanding Internet basics! I hope this has helped take some of the confusion out of taking your business online! ---Hazel Nieves, expert on Internet Marketing and Online business success is owner of Web Development Company, Sierra Technology Solutions. Inc. She has 20 years experience in sales, marketing, and technology and is a committed crusader in helping take the confusion out of taking your business online. You can Contact Hazel at 530-367- 2915 or customerservice@sierratechnologysolutions.com Special Offer! Writers Special E-biz Website Package Turn-key Package Includes: *5 Custom Pages *Shopping Cart (up to 10 products) *Secure Server *One year hosting service *Uses your own domain *Up to 15 Email accounts *Attractive Professional designs to choose from *Copyright Statement page Special Price: $ 600.00 complete Get started today with your Affordable Professional E-business website here: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com/writers/writers_special.htm Learn more from Hazel at: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Business of Writing by Duane Newcomb Creating a Core Income After you have written and sold a few articles the next thing you need to do, as an article writer is to create a core income that will come in month after month and increase each and every month. How do you do this? You start immediately to establish yourself with one magazine. I have had students who will sell a railroad article to a magazine, then an article on butterflies to another, then next an article on raising children. In short they are all over the place. That will build your credits, but not your income. The trick is to pick one magazine that you like, then begin to make yourself indispensable to that editor. Once you sell him or her one article, offer another, when you sell that one offer another until you are selling on a regular basis. Often, within a few months you will be working with that magazine almost like staff. To give you an example. I started years ago by selling Trailer Life one article. Then I begin to study the magazine carefully to see just what they were publishing. I noticed the editor and publisher, Art Rouse liked articles on things RVers could do while traveling. So I offered an article on gold panning--that sold, then one on visiting caves all across the United States--that sold, then another on stopping at rodeos--that sold. At that point I was off and running and besides my own suggestions, I began to get direct assignments from the magazine. The second step after cultivating one magazine is to cultivate a second. Continue until you have six or seven publications accepting your material every month or every few months. At this point you have created what I call your "core income." This gives you a base income each month with which to pay the bills. After that, if you have the time you can work on columns, try to hit the bigger magazines, explore a pet writing project you have put off or even write a book. A writer's biggest problem is often having a spotty income and never knowing when that check is coming in. This method smoothes out the checks and creates a working relationship with magazine after magazine. Try this; it really works. Duane Newcomb is a literary consultant with 36 non-fiction books to his credit, over 5000 articles and more than 150 client books in print. He has taught articles and non- fiction book courses at numerous colleges, universities and writer's conferences across the United States. Duane's The Professional Author Newsletter is a free monthly newsletter that is full of tips and techniques for writing, finding a publisher and publicizing your book. Subscribe at dnew@thegrid.net and visit his Writing the Non- fiction Book web site a www.bookforce.bizland.com. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ Editor's Pick Book, Magazine, Website, and e-Book Review by Victoria Beninga, Editor This week's review: Book Review Writing Fiction Step By Step By Josip Novakovich If you have pleasant dreams of being the famous author of a best-selling fiction novel, this book review is just for you. Whether you have the perfect novel idea in your head and nothing on paper, or a rough draft that needs sprucing up, WRITING FICTION STEP BY STEP is a great resource. Josip Novakovich, author and winner of the prestigious Whiting Award, will help you start or improve your novel in a unique way -- by providing you with more than 200 challenging mind exercises. Each chapter in the book includes exercises with a description, purpose, tip, and check. If you want to practice a certain type of mind exercise, you can look in the handy guide at the end of the book for the exercises that are of the most interest to you. Mr. Novakovich organized his book into the following chapters. Ideas for Fiction; Character; Plot; Point of View; Setting I: Landscape & Cityscape; Setting II: Interior Design; Beginning and Developing; Scene; Dialogue; Voice; Description; Image and Metaphor; Style; and Putting it all Together. In other words, everything you need to know to create that masterpiece. Give WRITING FICTION STEP BY STEP a try and you may be pleasantly surprised at the results. Victoria Beninga, Travel author/columnist/Associate Editor Travel column at: http://plum.he.net/~mountan/destinationsforfamilies.htm eBook, RV PACKING SIMPLIFIED, available at: http://www.ebookstand.com/m/victoria *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Boast Post Don't be modest—we applaud you! Whether it's an assignment victory, a publishing accomplishment, or a writing goal achieved, we'd love to hear it. Send your boast in 50 words or less to: Carmel@ebookstand.com (may be edited for length or content) Thanks for the opportunity to beat upon my chest. Mama always said to be meek and humble of heart. Daddy said if you don't say it, who will? In this instance, Daddy wins. Living a rich, rewarding life is a myth if you don't enjoy your work or can't find a job. That's why I am so enthused with our just released Breakthrough Job Search Cure (www.JobSearchCure.com), new self-marketing strategies that work in today's market. It should help loads of people who are having trouble finding a job. Tom Welch, Stuart, FL "America's Career Coach"TM www.workhappy.com www.JobSearchCure.com I've had more than ninety stories published on the web; some are still available so put my name, RD Larson, in your search box. My suspense thriller will be out in a week or so from the Bookshop at www.BeWrite.net as are other works to read. Sign up now to order your copy. RD Larson, Penn Valley. CA *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Coming Soon: -Guidelines, rules, topic, and prize listings for the upcoming autumn writing contest *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It's FREE---List your inn, resort, restaurant, entertainment venue, business, or destination seeking written coverage---contact the publisher at: Carmel@ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Making $$$ The Write Way eMagazine TO SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "subscribe" as the subject to: subscribe@ebookstand.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" as the subject to: unsubscribe@ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Write Spirit Publishing P.O. Box 3405 Auburn, CA 95604 Contact us at: Carmel@ebookstand.com We welcome your comments/suggestions/requests/contributions Carmel L. Mooney, Publisher Victoria Beninga, Associate Editor http://www.ebookstand.com If our links don't work for you this may mean your E-mail program doesn't like our code. If so, please click directly from our online issue at: http://www.ebookstand.com/newsletter_archive.htm This eMagazine may be FREELY distributed to friends, discussion lists, and writing groups as long as the entire issue is included. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~