Chapter News
Ventura County Chapter
Borders Books, Thousand Oaks
Santa Barbara County Chapter
Karpeles Manuscript Library & Museum
iUniverse.com Under Investigation
The National Writers Union (NWU) is investigating iUniverse.com due to a number of complaints about its services and the quality of its work.
Harry Youtt, attorney for the NWU explained that the investigation is not necessarily because of any wrongdoing on the part of iUniverse.com, rather that the company appears to be over-committed. The main complaints have been that they have not been delivering a completed book to their customers and the quality of the books they are producing is suffering.
If you have had any problems in your dealings with iUniverse.com, Harry Youtt would like to hear from you. You may call him at 310/374-0502 or fax him at 786/551-7762.
Every misused word revenges itself forever upon a writer’s reputation.
Agnes Repplier, Points of Friction
Santa Barbara Book & Author Festival
Saturday, September 23
Last Call!
If you would like to participate in the SPAWN booth at the Santa Barbara Book Festival, please let us know as soon as possible. To display your books, send us one copy of each title plus a check in the amount of $25 for the first book and $15 for each additional title by September 15. If you are attending, you may bring your book(s) with you.
We suggest you tape ordering information inside the book. Flyers should not be larger than your book. 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.
Please note that this is for members only. Please print out the application blank.
Security for Computers
with Cable or DSL Online Access
by Virginia Lawrence
Recently this column discussed choices in Internet access, including high-speed DSL and cable access. One important characteristic of these high-speed access choices is their always-on feature. That is, if your computer is on, your access to the Internet is enabled. With no dialup and never a busy signal, you can just sit down at the keyboard, use a browser to view sites, and send and check e-mail immediately.
Simple. Easy. There is, of course, a drawback to the always-on access choices in addition to monthly rates higher than dialup. The drawback is that the always-on computer is extremely attractive and relatively accessible to the hacker community, the people dedicated to going where they don't belong.
Many hackers only want to prove that they can get anywhere, while others are ready to damage files or steal information. Because an always-on Internet connection is open to hacking, we must protect our computers from nosy or malicious intruders.
There are many software solutions, yet most are expensive and require a high level of technical expertise. I recently downloaded and tested Netbuster, a free PC software program developed in Sweden.
NetBuster was developed mainly to counteract a hacker program called NetBus, the program which hands control of the attacked computer to the attacker. Not every visiting hacker uses NetBus, but the NetBuster program catches inappropriate visitors anyway, saves their unique address, logs the time of arrival, and sends them away.
How likely is it that someone will try to get into a computer attached to the Internet by an always-on connection? During the day there isn't much activity, but the last time I left my computer on all night, there were four (!) attempts to get into my computer. The attempts occurred at 10:59:43 PM, 2:16:37 AM, 4:46:41 AM, and 6:30:23 AM.
NetBuster caught them all, turned them away, and recorded the IP address for each one! An IP address is a number, and every computer linked to the Internet with an always-on connection has one of these unique numbers. Thus, when you have a person's IP address, you can find out who they are.
So download NetBuster from http://surf.to/netbuster.
After downloading, run the program file to install it on your computer, and NetBuster will start itself whenever you boot your computer. After NetBuster does a quick initial scan, click on the program's Minimize button to drop the screen out of sight while it protects your computer.
NetBuster will not be the best long-term solution to this problem of hackers roaming through the files of computers using always-on Internet access. The author of NetBuster says that the program will not be rewritten. Since everything changes rapidly online, we will soon need either a NetBuster update or a different, up-to-date program.
While I continue reviewing programs created to protect our computers, I suggest that those with always-on connections install NetBuster as the first step in inexpensive defense for the connected computer.
~ 1998 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.
The 2001 Writer’s Market Internet Edition
This year Writer’s Digest Books is issuing the first Internet edition of their popular annual Writer’s Market. The book contains a CD-ROM that connects you instantly with http://www.WritersMarket.com and starts your one-year subscription to the service. Some of the advantages are that you can enter your personal profile and get updates tailored to your interests, and you can customize search settings so that you can search through thousands of markets in seconds.
They are offering the Internet edition at $39.99 (which is $10 off) if you order by September 30. The regular edition of the book is $24.99 ($5 off). You may call toll free to order: 800/289-0963.
SPAWN Poetry Book
by Patricia Fry
Members of the Poetry Book Committee had the opportunity to see the SPAWN poetry book in progress this month. It was wonderful to hold in our hands the pages that soon will be SPAWN’s first publication.
The poetry book, Electric Rain, is scheduled to debut at the Santa Barbara Book & Author Festival in Santa Barbara September 23. It will be available at the SPAWN booth. You can also purchase copies at SPAWN meetings. The cover price will be $14.
This anthology features 99 poems from SPAWN’s 1998 and 1999 Poetry Contests. Fifty-two poets from all over the United States are represented. The book is illustrated with photos by Tony Satori and Patricia Fry.
Comprising the SPAWN Poetry Book Committee are Roni Tagliaferri, Carol Doering, Frances Riley and Patricia Fry.
Publishers Rosemary Tribulato and John Taylor-Convery offered to publish Electric Rain at no cost to SPAWN. All proceeds collected after costs will go into the SPAWN treasury.
Support SPAWN. Purchase several copies of Electric Rain—one for yourself and some for your friends and family members who appreciate great poetry.
MEMBER NEWS
Patricia Fry announces publication of her latest book, A Writer's Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit, 66 pages, $6.50.
This book is for people who dream of writing for magazines and who are marketing their self-published or traditionally published books. Through magazine articles, you can reach hundreds of thousands of people who are interested in the topic of your book. Fry tells you how.
Dana Cassell, editor of Freelance Writer's Report and writers-editors.com says, “Not only does Patricia Fry give invaluable advice on selling your published books most effectively through related magazine articles, but she also offers a comprehensive plan for successful freelancing.”
For more information, go to http://www.matilijapress.com.
MORE MEMBER NEWS
Nearly a year has passed and Jean C. Wade's book How Sweet It Is...Without The Sugar is having its third printing.
The gourmet store Harry and David just ordered 1800 books to sell in their stores nationwide and offer in their catalog.
On September 16 Jean will be at the L.A. Festival of Health at U.S.C. On the 19th, she will be at Grande Foods, Arroyo Grande and on the 23rd at the S.B. Book Fair.
Jean says that even though it’s been difficult to do her own publicity, it’s finally bringing results. Each day she carries a book and still wears her Support Diabetes button.
SPAWNews Wants Your News
Members, what’s going on with you? Inquiring readers of this newsletter want to know. We’re not prying into your personal life, we just want to hear about your creative successes. Have you received any awards or accolades? Are you having a book signing coming up? Have you received a great review?
If you don’t want to talk about yourself, how about sharing your knowledge or experience on subjects of interest to other members? This newsletter is for you and we’d like more of it to be by you.
Please e-mail your news and articles to Embree@spawn.org.
**
SPAWN is a 501 (C)3 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: Embree@spawn.org
Hal Ranzenhofer
Managing Editor
Telephone: 805/984-3216
e-mail: hal@spawn.org
Virginia Lawrence
SPAWN Webmaster
e-mail: virginia@spawn.org
Jean Wade
President, Santa Barbara County Chapter.
e-mail: jean@spawn.org
Carol Doering
President, Ventura County Chapter.
e-mail: Carol@spawn.org
Patricia Fry
Vice President
e-mail: Pat@spawn.org
Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer and Membership Chair
e-mail: Ruth@spawn.org
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. |
