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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
University of Dayton
April 2005
mailto:erma@udayton.edu
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Dear writer:
Every author would like to get mentioned in USA Today or The
New York Times. That type of publicity can really drive book
sales. But sometimes smaller media outlets can be effective, too.
Mike Atkinson's clean humor
e-newsletter has 30,000
subscribers -- not near the
circulation of the top newspapers.
But Mike recently published one of my columns and drove my book, In The Beginning...There Were No Diapers, to no. 6 on Amazon.com's parenting humor best-seller list -- 2,700 overall on Amazon. The kicker is that Mike contacted me about using my column. The New York Times has yet to call me.
So, when you're promoting a book, column or other writing, remember that there are smaller venues that provide great bang for the buck. It may not be like getting in The New York Times but, hitting no. 6 on Amazon still feels pretty good.
Keep writing!
Tim Bete
Latest news...
ERMA ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
More than 1,500 writers from 31 countries and 49 states entered the 2005 Erma Bombeck Writing Competition sponsored by Washington-Centerville Public Library and the University of Dayton. Read the winning entries.
'SNL' CREATOR HONORED WITH MARK TWAIN PRIZE
Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live, won the Kennedy Center’s seventh annual Mark Twain Prize for American humor. Read more.
HUMOR IN BUSINESS AWARDS The New Yorker Magazine's Cartoon Bank, along with charter sponsor The Word of Mouth Marketing Association, have teamed up to organize the first nationwide search for the U.S. businesses that most successfully use humor for fun and profit. The awards program was created to heighten awareness of the role humor can play in increasing productivity, creativity, employee retention and overall success. Read more.
2005 THURBER PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR
The Thurber Prize for American Humor is awarded annually to the most outstanding book of humor writing published in the United States. The award comes with a $5,000 prize for the author. Deadline for submissions is April 1, 2005. Read more
HOW A BOOK BECOMES A BEST SELLER
USA Today examines four ways books become hugely popular. Best-selling authors offer their advice on how to make it happen for you. Read more.
DO-IT-YOURSELF BOOK MARKETING
"Publishers can't afford to support every title they release, and unless you're an author they've invested a lot in, you're on your own," says Jim Milliot, executive editor of Publishers Weekly. "Nearly everyone who publishes a book quickly realizes that if they want to publicize their work, they better take matters into their own hands." Read more.
WRITER TAKES AD OUT TO PITCH SCREENPLAY
A man who thought he had written a script perfect for Josh Hartnett took out a half-page newspaper ad in the actor's hometown to catch his attention. Read more.
EASY WRITER
How often, when you are writing, do you find yourself, “in the flow?” Read more.
RATS IN THE SLUSH PILE
Book-world commentator Michael Allen addresses the many problems involved in writing and publishing in his e-book, “On the Survival of Rats in the Slush Pile.” Now available as a download in PDF format, the essay tackles how randomness and chance are becoming lethal enemies of those hoping for publishing success. Allen offers some practical strategies he hopes “may help players in the book-trade game to survive and prosper in what is increasingly a turbulent environment.” Read more.
THE FUTURE SEES FEWER HEAVYWEIGHTS
According to the chief executive of Hachette Livre UK, the next 10 years will see the number of major players in the book trade dwindle to three or four. Read more.
LIBRARIES TO HOST WRITERS’ WORKSHOPS
Washington-Centerville Public Library in Centerville, Ohio, will be one of 15 libraries across the nation to host “Put it in Writing @ Your Library: How to Get Published in Magazines.” Other cities include Los Angeles; Portland, Ore., Westminster, Colo.; Glen Ellyn, Ill.; Lexington, Mass.; and Charlotte, N.C., among others. Read more.
PUTTING A PRICE ON YOUR CAPABILITIES
Debra Jason, the “how-to writer,” advises how to set your fees as a freelance writer. Read more.
A LITTLE FAITH -- IN THE MIDST OF RELATIONSHIPS
A University of Dayton alumna and trustee has just published her third spiritual book in the "Have a Little Faith" series. Read more.
27 WAYS TO SELL MORE BOOKS
Create a buzz about your book without breaking your budget. Read more.
STATE OF THE NEWS MEDIA 2005
An annual report on American journalism reports on trends in newspapers, the Internet, TV, magazines and radio. Read more.
Humor writer of the month
MANDY FLYNN
Mandy Flynn writes a weekly column for The Albany (Ga.) Herald. Visit her Web site.
Emmis Books giveaway
Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to our newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:
* Mary Lebeau, Woodbury, NJ
* Cathy LaParl, Beavercreek, OH
Thanks to Emmis Books for providing the books for our giveaway!
Who's publishing what?
PAST WORKSHOP FACULTY
HAIR THEATER HAS NEW WEB SITE: Pat Wynn Brown has a fantastic new Web site for her one-woman show.
KIRKLAND ADDED TO ARCHIVES: Gordon Kirkland’s column “All My Life’s a Circle,” based on the Harry Chapin song of the same title, was recently put into the Chapin archives and published in the newsletter “Circle.”
PAST WORKSHOP ATTENDEES
KAMIN-MEYER WRITES COLUMN FOR THE FEMALE SPORT ENTHUSIAST: Tami Kamin-Meyer writes “A Girl with a Pen,” a mesh of humor and commentary on the world of sports, at FemmeFan -- the sports zone for the female sports junkie.
SHORT DELIVERS THIRD BOOK IN SERIES: March 1 marked the official debut of the third book in Sharon Short’s “Stain-Busting” mystery series.
OTHER PUBLISHING NEWS
FARMER CONTRIBUTES TO ANTHOLOGY: Debbie Farmer will have two stories published in Chicken Soup for Every Mom's Soul to be released March 28.
QUEEN JAW JAW LAUNCHES NEW SITE: Georgia Richardson aka “Queen Jaw Jaw” has a Web page up and running.
SULTZBAUGH GOES GLOBAL: Kathryn Sulzbaugh’s first book, The M Club Manual: Missions, Memos, Mandates, Mottos and More is to be released in Australia in April. The humor book for "women of a certain age" was first published by Andrews McMeel Publishing in September 2004 to coincide with Universal Press Syndicate's new humor feature for women, The M Club.
Markets, contests and more
HUMOROUS ANECDOTES SOUGHT: Loriann Wigfall is collecting submissions for her five-book Ghetto Drama Humorous Series. For details on each of the five books, story samples and submission guidelines. Read more.
TOWN NAMES WANTED FOR HUMOR BOOK: St. Martin’s Press is compiling information for a humor book about dreadful town names (as well as some colorful information and quotations in support of each) to be published in 2006. All material will be attributed to their source, making this an opportunity to get some short humor writing published by a major house. Anything from a sentence to a page could work. Read more.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS OF SHORT FICTION: Candace Evans, editor of “There’s Always a Story,” seeks short fiction for use on CDs sent to spas and upscale hotels. It’s like yoga for the mind, if you will. Read more.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE MOTHERS’ OF PRESCHOOLERS SOUL: The popular series is looking for nonfiction stories that refresh the soul and rekindle the spirit of moms with little ones. For details, contact Maria Nickless.
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL HEALTHY LIVING SERIES: The newest Chicken Soup series seeks uplifting stories dealing with arthritis, diabetes, asthma or stress for their latest titles. Read more.
MORE CHICKEN SOUP, PLEASE: Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul Daily Inspirations” is looking for short, inspirational thoughts for their latest anthology. Read more.
DOGHERO.COM’S STORY CONTEST: To celebrate the art of storytelling and the human-dog bond, Doghero.com announces its second annual dog story contest. The contest is open to non-fiction stories of dog heroes, favorite dogs and interesting or funny dog-related stories. Read more.
CRITIQUING SERVICE OFFERED: Newspaper columnist Tracy Jones has created a Yahoo group where humor writers (columnists, novelists, standups) can have their work read and critiqued by peers. Read more.
FREE SCRIPT TEMPLATES: The BBC Writers' Room is now home to Script Smart formatting templates which are free to download and use. Read more.
IT’S A BLOGGER’S WORLD: Writerswrite.com is happy to announce the launch of BloggersBlog.com, the one-stop resource all about blogging. Read more.
GRUMPY OLD BOOKMAN: A great blog about books and publishing, aimed at both readers and writers. Read more.
BOOKANGST 101: "Mad Max" Perkins, a senior executive editor with a major publisher, writes an insightful blog about the publishing industry. Get a peek inside the big bad world of New York publishing. Read more.
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NETWORK WITH OTHER HUMOR WRITERS: Network with other humor writers. Join the e-mail discussion group for past attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers'
Workshop and those who would like to attend in the future.
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SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let us know at bete@udayton.edu.
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Copyright 2005, University of Dayton
