CHAPTER NEWS
NOTICE:
There will be no chapter meetings in August. Monthly meetings will resume in September.
Saturday, September 23
As we reported in last month’s newsletter, SPAWN will be participating in the Santa Barbara Book & Author Festival again this year. SPAWN will have at least two 8x10-foot canopied booths with an 8-foot skirted table, ID sign and two chairs in each booth.
If you would like to join us, please let us know as soon as possible. To display your books, send us one copy of each title and a check in the amount of $25 for the first book and $15 each for any additional titles. The deadline for reservations and receipt of your check is September 15. If you’re not attending, send a copy of your book to us by September 20.
We suggest you tape ordering information inside the book. If you wish to provide flyers, they must not be larger than your book. If space becomes tight, they will be placed under your book or bookstand. If you would like to have your book returned, affix the correct postage to a self-addressed package.
We will not be able to make sales for you, but you may bring a dozen of each title into the booth and sell them yourself at no additional charge.
With only two chairs in each booth, seating is first come, first sits¾ but you may bring your own chair if you’d like.
We ask those who are selling to volunteer in the booth. We will set up a schedule so that everyone will have a chance to enjoy the festival.
This is a great opportunity to display, promote, and (if you can attend the festival) to sell your books. Santa Barbara is beautiful, the festival is fun and it’s nice to get to know other SPAWN members.
Make your reservations early.
Another Field Trip!
Print-on-Demand Printer
Thursday, August 24
Last month some of us toured Bertelsmann (see June Wolf’s article on page 2) and saw a traditional printing facility. This month we have arranged to tour Delta Direct Access, a print-on-demand printer also located in Valencia.
This type of printer will be of special interest to those of you who wish to print small quantities of your book (50 to 500). If you would like to see how it’s done and take a look at the quality of the product, this field trip is for you.
The tour will be from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. After our tour, we will have lunch together at a local restaurant.
Let me (Mary) know by August 18 so that we can arrange carpools. Call me at 805/643-6279 or e-mail me at Embreelitservice@aol.com.
¾ M.E.
SPAWN
Poetry Contest III
SPAWN is pleased to announce our third annual poetry contest for both rhyming and non-rhyming poetry. This year we are not separating them so you do not have to identify whether your poem is rhyming or non-rhyming. The cash awards will be higher but instead of six prizes, there will be three.
First prize is $300
2nd - $100 and 3rd - $50
Here are the rules:
- The poem shall be the original work of the entrant and in good taste. Any subject is acceptable.
- Poem shall be on 8½" x 11" paper with title at top of page, typed in a 12-point font; maximum of 36 lines; one entry per page.
- Do not put your name or address on the sheet that contains your poem.
- Enclose a separate sheet of paper with your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and poem title.
- You may enter as many poems as you wish but an entry fee must be paid for each submission.
- Enclose a check in the amount of $5 for SPAWN members or $10 for nonmembers for each submission.
- Make your check payable to SPAWN. Please do not send cash.
- Deadline: postmark no later than December 31, 2000.
- Mail entry and check to SPAWN Poetry Contest III, P.O. Box 2653, Ventura, CA 93002.
Judges’ decisions are final and submission guidelines will be strictly enforced. No phone calls, please.
Winners will be notified by phone, e-mail or regular mail by March 1, 2000.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The SPAWN E-Book Store is Now Open
by Virginia Lawrence
Our SPAWN E-Book Store at http://www.spawn.org/store now features two books:
Our own Executive Director, Mary Embree, is publishing her new The Author's Toolkit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Book as an e-book. As soon as you see the Table of Contents, you can tell that The Author's Toolkit is written by an expert in the field. According to Dan Poynter, "Mary supplies the inside details only a successful author and accomplished editor could know."
Our second inaugural book, Secrets of a Nun: My Own Story, is an autobiography from SPAWN member, Elizabeth Upton Longmire. Including shocking and intimate details of a nun's life, Secrets of a Nun was a best seller when it came out in hardcover, then the book was released again as a paperback. Secrets of a Nun reads like a novel while giving an unprecedented view into the daily life of a nun.
Take a look at the new SPAWN E-Book Store, and read the pages devoted to Secrets of a Nun and The Author's Toolkit. You'll find these high quality books fascinating and informative.
When you are ready to purchase an e-book in our store, click on the Purchase link to place the book in your shopping cart. When you want to check out, the Check Out link will take you to the secure order form. Fill out the order form, and the SPAWN E-Book Store will immediately send you an e-mail containing a link to the hidden directory where you can download your new book.
The e-books are published in Adobe Acrobat files, because Adobe Acrobat lets us publish a book readable by people on either Mac or PC computers. When we use Adobe Acrobat, we know that the reader sees the book pages exactly as we designed them.
Using Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can read the book directly on your monitor or you can print the book on your own printer. Yes, you need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You can get Adobe Acrobat Reader software free from the Adobe site at http://www.adobe.com. A direct link is available in the SPAWN E-Book Store.
Come on down! Download one or both books and start reading these outstanding publications from SPAWN members.
~ Ó 2000 Virginia Lawrence, Ph.D.
Virginia Lawrence, SPAWN's Webmaster, is a professional Web Designer and Online Marketing Consultant. virginia@cognitext.com, or http://www.cognitext.com .
SPAN Publishing College and Trade Show
Small Publishers Association of North America (SPAN) is holding their fifth annual Publishing College and Trade Show in the Los Angeles area from October 20 through 22. The purpose of this event is "to introduce writers to numerous marketing and promotional concepts designed to increase their income." This year’s event is titled, "BookPublish 2000: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
Twenty-six independent publishing experts will speak on various topics including Internet strategies that sell books, generating sales before your book is printed, and how to save money on traditional printing, e-books, PQN, and print-on-demand.
Industry suppliers will also be on hand to answer questions at the Trade Show exhibit.
The event will be held at the Torrance Marriott Hotel. For more details visit their Web site, http://www.SPANnet.org, e-mail MarilynRoss@SPANnet.org, or call 719/395-4790.
SPAWN participates in SPAN’s "Partner Program" and our members may join SPAN for only $60 per year instead of their usual $95. Some of the benefits of belonging to SPAN are that they can save you on freight charges, health insurance, office supplies, magazines, books, and more.
Field Trip: Bertelsman Printing
by June Wolf
Several SPAWN members met in Valencia on July 13th to tour the Bertelsmann Print Facility.
Pat Reed, Operations Manager, walked us through all stages of production from the inception to the binding and shipping of the completed product. Seeing an operation of this magnitude brings an understanding to the vast job of getting our work into print.
Marv Walsh, Inside Sales, was the perfect host and surprised us with a lovely lunch. We hope more of you will join us on future field trips to expand your knowledge.
MEMBER NEWS
Patricia Fry has been notified that her book proposal for Fatherhood and fathering: The Ultimate Guide for Today’s Dad won 4th place in the National Writers Association 1999 nonfiction contest.
Her Web page is now up and running and in the process of being linked to the big browsers. You may visit her Web site at matilijapress.com.
He writes so well he makes me feel like putting my quill back in my goose.
¾ Attributed to Fred Allen
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Writing Contest
Writing entries can include essays, short stories, or poems. They shall be original, nonfiction work that is uplifting, inspiring, and presents a positive viewpoint. It should not exceed 1,200 words. You may choose among a variety of categories.
The winner receives (1) paid entrance to the Maui Writer’s Conference (August 31 through September 3, 2001) plus travel and accommodations, and (2) their story will be published in an upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul book.
You can get more information and an official entry form from their Web site, www.chickensoup.com, by mail at Chicken Soup Writing Contest, P.O. Box 30880, Santa Barbara, CA 93130, or fax your request to 805/563-2945.
Maui Writers Conference
And speaking of the Maui Writers Conference, this year’s event will be held September 1 to 4. The Writers Retreat immediately precedes it on August 26 to 31.
The Conference includes the fields of fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting. The workshops are on children’s books, journalism, food and cookbook writing, poetry, and magazine writing.
The faculty for the workshops and seminars include authors of bestselling books, literary agents, film directors, screenwriters, and television producers.
For more information and an application form, contact the Maui Writers Conference, P.O. Box 1118, Kihei, HI 96753; phone toll-free 888/WRITER3, or 808/879-0061; fax 808/879-6233; e-mail: writers@maui.net.
Travel Writers Conference
For those who are travel writers or would like to be, here is a conference that could be very helpful to your career. It is the 7th Annual Travel Writers Conference at Troutbeck, in the Hudson Valley, New York, November 30 to December 3.
This is an intimate meeting between a small group of writers and top assigning magazine editors. Editors spend the weekend hobnobbing with writers¾ breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cocktail time¾ for three days. They also explain what’s new at their magazines and how writers get assignments.
Editors from New Choices, Islands, Country Living, Victoria, National Geographic, Outside, Modern Maturity, and more will be attending. The Conference is limited to 35 writers, so act quickly if you want to go. For information as to cost, agenda, and accommodations, go to http://www.vintagehudsonvalley.com.
Book Review
Promote Like a Pro
Small Budget, Big Show
by Linda F. Radke
Five Star Publications, Inc.
Paperback, $19.95
It’s no secret that to sell a book¾ or anything for that matter¾ people have to know about it. The author explains the difference between publicity and advertising and the advantages of each one. (Publicity doesn’t cost as much but it is less predictable.)
This is a step-by-step guide for self-publishers on how to get the word out about their books without spending a fortune. (However, she also tells how to spend a fortune.)
The book is divided into two parts. Part one is Radke’s advice based on her own experience; part two features advice from experts in marketing, print media, broadcasting, public relations, the Internet, and public speaking.
Radke covers a lot of aspects of promotion and marketing you may not have thought of. Her book is full of ideas that you can put to use right away.
¾ M.E.
The Psychology of Color
While we’re on the subject of promotion, it might be interesting to know how colors make us feel and how they affect the eye. This may be important in your book cover design and any flyers you do to promote your book.
Your choice of colors should depend on who your target is. Popular colors are red, yellow, and blue, the primary colors¾ but not often in that combination unless it is a children’s book. For an older person, if you want a color that is easy on their eyes, don’t choose purple. That’s a hard color for the eye to discriminate. Use gray; that’s the easiest color for the eye to see.
The following is a list of colors and what they symbolize.
Red Excitement, energy, sensuality
Blue Trust, truth, security, honor
Yellow Optimism, cheer, egotism
Green Hope, renewal, nature, money
Purple Spirituality, magic, passion
Orange Extreme heat, activity, daring
Brown Reliability, comfort, warmth
Black Sophistication, power, mystery
White Purity, innocence, refinement
Gray Modesty, neutrality, dignity
Red makes objects look closer than they are; blue makes them look farther away. Green is a restful color for the eye but be careful of the shade. A lime green is annoying. Yellow is the color the eye processes first. White can produce a glare and be very tiring on the eyes. White on black is harder to read than black on white. Gold, especially a metallic gold, immediately draws the eye to it. It makes the viewer think of money, power, and hope.
Who Needs a Publisher?
Not Stephen King. He is offering the first two installments of his serial novel The Plant on his Web site and readers can pay a dollar (on the honor system) for each copy they download.
His book is about a creeping vampire plant that takes over a publishing company. Hmmmmmmm. . . . .
SPAWN is a nonprofit corporation. Donations are tax deductible.
Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
P.O. Box 2653
Ventura, CA 93002
Website: http://www.spawn.org
Telephone & Fax: 805-646-3045
Mary Embree
Senior Editor
e-mail: embreelitservice@aol.com
Hal Ranzenhofer
Managing Editor
Telephone: 805/984-3216
e-mail: halrider@aol.com
Virginia Lawrence
SPAWN Webmaster
e-mail: virginia@spawn.org
Jean Wade
President, Santa Barbara County Chapter.
e-mail: withoutsugar@hotmail.com
Carol Doering
President, Ventura County Chapter.
e-mail: rdoering@msn.com
Patricia Fry
Vice President
e-mail: PLFry@aol.com
Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer and Membership Chair
e-mail: ruthhi@west.net
Advisory Council
Patricia Fry
Author, Publisher
Rosalie Heacock
Literary Agent
Andora Hodgin
Writer, Editor, Publicist
Irwin Zucker
Book Publicist
Jim Lane
Author
Marcia Grad-Powers
Publisher
Melvin Powers
Publisher
Dan Poynter
Author, Publisher
Mary Embree
Author, Publishing Consultant
Board of Directors
Mary Embree
Author, Editor, Literary Consultant
Founder and President of SPAWN
Patricia Fry
Vice President
Virginia Lawrence, PhD
Writer, Editor, Webmaster
Secretary of SPAWN
Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer
Frances Halpern
Author, Columnist, Talk-show Host
Marsha Karpeles
Executive Director, Manuscript Libraries
Richard F.X. O'Connor
Author, Publisher, Editor, Consultant
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide education, information, resources and a supportive networking environment for artists, writers, and other creative people interested in the publishing process. |
