Oct. 2004 Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop newsletter

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ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER

University of Dayton

October 2004

mailto:erma@udayton.edu

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One of the greatest joys of my job is seeing past attendees of the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop succeed. And, I've been getting a lot of good news lately.

Patti Lawson told me she signed with literary agent Barbara Ellis from the Scribes Literary Agency. Ellis is trying to sell Patti's book, "The Dog Diet." See http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/cgi-bin/displayRights.pl?rights_no=2558

Marybeth Hicks recently landed a weekly column with the Washington Times, one of the most prestigious newspapers in the country. See http://www.marybethhicks.com

And many past attendees keep in contact with each other. Suzy Wurtz has a great story about a group of writers she met last March who have become close friends. See http://www.humorwriters.org/WurtzNetworking.html

Speaking of friends, If you're going to be in Dayton, Ohio, this Saturday (Oct. 2), stop by Books & Company at 7 pm to see Bruce Cameron do his "How to Remodel a Man" show. I hope to see you there.

Keep writing!

Tim Bete

Humor columnist (http://www.TimBete.com) and director, Erma

Bombeck Writers' Workshop (http://www.HumorWriters.org)

P.S. Feel free to forward this newsletter to all your

writer friends.

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BECOMING THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Publishers want to minimize their risks, so they don't haphazardly award big book contracts to unknown writers. Unless, that is, the writer is the total package. Here's how to package yourself.

See http://www.humorwriters.org/GlatzerTotalPackage.html

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KIRKUS TO SELL BOOK REVIEWS

Kirkus Discoveries will allow self-published authors to buy a Kirkus review for $350.

See http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0927/p12s01-bogn.html

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HOW TO QUERY YOUR SITCOM

Brad Manzo provides the details of successfully pitching your script over the phone.

See http://www.writersweekly.com/print/this_weeks_article/002004_09152004.html

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DON'T BLAME PUBLISHERS FOR REJECTION

Why do so many books get their start being self-published? Rejection! But don't blame publishers for failing to recognize good writing.

See http://www.humorwriters.org/PoynterSelfPub.html

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SELLING TO BOOK CLUBS

The chances of having your book selected by a book club are roughly one in ten. Here are some tips to improve your odds.

See http://www.humorwriters.org/InkTreeBookClubs.html

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HOW TO BE AN EDITOR'S FIRST CHOICE

Mridu Khullar shares the eight qualities that will endear you to an editor.

See http://www.writerscrossing.com/articles/08152004-favorite-freelancer.html

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10 THINGS NOT TO SAY IN YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL

Angela Hoy reads a lot of book proposals and shares the most-common mistakes she sees time and time again.

See http://www.writersweekly.com/the_latest_from_angelahoycom/001948_08252004.html

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THIS PARROT'S DEAD

Information on every TV comedy shown in the UK -- from 1936 to today -- including Monty Python's Flying Circus.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/

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WHO'S PUBLISHING WHAT?

RAISING COURAGEOUS KIDS: University of Dayton graduate Chuck Smith's book was recently reviewed in Family Circle magazine. See http://www.familycircle.com/book/book2.jsp

KACHUBA VISITS OLD HAUNTS: Writers' workshop faculty member, John Kachuba, is on tour with his new book, "Ghosthunting Ohio." Kachuba is also the author of "How to Write Funny." See http://www.shopcdsbooks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1578601819&Store_Code=EMM

LAZY PERSON'S GUIDE: Bernie Cullen has penned "The Lazy Person's Guide to Life." See http://www.lazypersons.com

WOLFSIE AND BARNEY: Author and TV reporter, Dick Wolfsie, has published "Barney: The Stray Beagle Who Became a TV Star and Stole Our Hearts." See http://www.shopcdsbooks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1578601673&Store_Code=EMM

SULTZBAUGH PUBLISHES WITH ANDREWS MCMEEL: Kathryn Sultzbaugh is author of "The M Club: Manual, Missions, Memos, Mandates, Mottos and More." See http://themclubonline.com

HOHLBAUM IN PREGNANCY MAGAZINE: Christine Louise Hohlbaum was quoted in the Oct. 2004 issue of Pregnancy Magazine. See http://www.pregnancyhhc.com/baby.html

BEYOND TIME AND PLACE: One of Norma Sundberg's children's stories was published in a book by Linden Hill Books. See http://www.lindenhill.net/#beyond

GOYER'S NIGHT SONG: Tricia Goyer has published "Night Song: A Story of Sacrifice." See http://www.christianbookpreviews.com/christian-book-excerpt.php?isbn=0802415555

O'DONNELL HAS NEW SITE: Newspaper columnist, Sharon O'Donnell, has a new Web site. See http://www.sharonodonnell.com

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HUMOR WRITER OF THE MONTH: LISA FRIEDMAN

Humorist Lisa Friedman has written for San Francisco Magazine, the San Jose Mercury News and Washington Parent. She is the author of three books, has stepped on Walter Mondale’s foot and can parallel park in New York City.

See http://www.lkfriedman.com

If you'd like to be considered as our featured writer, send an e-mail with a link to one of your columns to: mailto:bete@udayton.edu

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WRITER'S DIGEST BOOK GIVEAWAY

Each month we give away a book on writing to a few subscribers to this newsletter. If you're subscribed, you're entered to win! This issue's winners are:

* Ruth McNally Barshaw from Lansing, MI

* Mary Kay Moreland from Deming, NM

Each has won a copy of "How to Write Funny," edited by John Kachuba.

Thanks to Writer's Digest for providing the books for our giveaway. To learn more about the book we gave away this month, see http://www.writersdigest.com/store/booksdisplay.asp?id=10728 Stay tuned! You could be one of next issue's winners!

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MARKETS, CONTESTS AND MORE

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BEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS: Writer's Digest is holding its 12th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards. See http://www.writersdigest.com/contests/self_published.asp

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WANT TO REVIEW BOOKS? Quick e-Books seeks volunteer book reviewers. See http://www.quickebooks.com

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HOW I SURVIVED.COM: Share your advice, tips and wisdom with others. See http://www.howisurvived.com

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ROCKETPACK MAGAZINE: Non-paying market about humor and creative writing. See http://www.rocketpack.org/submissionguide.shtml

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CALENDAR LOOKING FOR WRITERS: Bylines 2006 Writers Desk Calendar is accepting submissions. See

http://www.bylinescalendar.com/guidelines.php

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HAVE A GREAT FISH STORY? Hunting story? Funny camping story that included wildlife? Paw Publishing is seeking submissions. See http://www.pawpublishing.com/Book_op.asp

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TRUE STORIES ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL: Do you have an inspiring story about high school graduation? See

http://www.onmyown.com/gradstories.htm

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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. To join, visit the Yahoo! Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humor_writers

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SUGGEST A RESOURCE: If you have a favorite book or Web site, let me know at bete@udayton.edu. mailto:bete@udayton.edu

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2004 WORKSHOP SPONSORS

University of Dayton National Alumni Association: http://alumni.udayton.edu

Ohio Humanities Council: http://www.ohiohumanities.org

AuthorHouse: http://www.authorhouse.com

National Society of Newspaper Columnists: http://www.columnists.com

Andrews McMeel Publishing: http://www.amuniversal.com/amp

Dayton Daily News: http://www.daytondailynews.com

Books & Company: http://www.booksandco.com/events/dayton04.html

ThinkTV: http://www.thinktv.org

Washington-Centerville Public Library: http://www.wcpl.lib.oh.us

WHIO-TV: http://www.whiotv.com

WYSO public radio: http://www.wyso.org

Dayton Marriott: http://marriott.com/property/propertyPage/DAYOH

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OTHER ERMA BOMBECK WRITERS' WORKSHOP LINKS

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WORKSHOP FACULTY: http://www.humorwriters.org/Speakerbios.html

ERMA MUSEUM: http://www.ErmaMuseum.org

FREE SCREEN SAVER: http://www.humorwriters.org/Screensaver.html

FREE NEWSLETTER: http://www.humorwriters.org/Newsletter.html

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