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Volume 3, Issue 5 - 8 March 2006
Brought to you by Aneeta Sundararaj and Eric Okeke
To subscribe to this newsletter, please go to:
http://www.howtotellagreatstory.com/gsn/indextogsn.html
Please forward this whole newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
A WARM WELCOME TO ALL OUR NEW SUBSCRIBERS!
I.
Introduction
Dear ,
I have lots of information to share with you this week.
First, the winner of a copy of Steve Halls's book, the FBI -
Fit Body Initiative is Ken Buckholdt. Ken, I would
appreciate it if you contact Steve Halls at
steveatstevehalls.co.uk. Congratulations, Ken.
If you would like to invest in a copy of Steve's book,
please click on this link:
FBI: The Fit Body Initiative
you'll be taken to Amzon.com where you'll be able to
purchase a copy of his book.
The new contest is for a copy of Lynn Grocott's book, Cut the Strings.
You can enter the contest, by clicking on the link in the box right on
top - where it says Subscriber Contest.
I have uploaded three more new free ebooks which you can download if you
so wish. They are:
-
'How to Become a Syndicated Columnist with
IdeaMarketers' from Idea Marketers
-
'66 Priceless Pieces of Business Advice I
Couldn't Live Without' by Scott Ginsberg
-
'Addiction and Codependency Versus Your Family' by Dr. Neill Neill.
To download them, just click anywhere in the box right on top which says
FREEBIES FOR SUBSCRIBERS
There are two new interviews posted for 'Blow Your Own Trumpet' - the
first one is of Kathy Ide, who is a writer and freelance editor. The
second one is of Scott Ginsberg who has worn his nametag for close to
1500 days non-stop. You can read about them below and follow the links
to read the complete interview.
I've added more articles and you can read the excerpts below. Hope you
find them and also this edition's Tips for Storytellers useful.
Now, Eric faced some potentially difficult issues when he contacted The
New York Literary Agency. I made a request that he should write about
his experience with them and he has done so in this week's StoryAfrica.
I hope that you will learn from his story and realise that when you
contact an agency, you've got to be careful or else you're likely to
lose lots of money ... and even your work.
This edition's listing under 'Paying Markets' is 'Black Gate' - they
publish epic fantasy fiction at all lengths, including novel excerpts,
as well as articles, news and reviews. They're looking for
adventure-oriented fantasy fiction suitable for all ages, as long as it
is well written and original. The links are below.
There are more announcements sent in by our subscribers and if you run a
blog and would like to know how to make money from it, there's a link to
a new resource I've added. It's called "Blogging for Dollars" and you
can read about it under 'Products We Recommend For Those Who Wish To
Start An Online Storytelling Business.'
Lastly, I'm bound to inform you that you'll not be receiving any extra
emails giving you information about products I used to create this
website. The reason is simple. While there were subscribers who
benefited from the information and invested in the products I suggested,
there were an equal number who complained; in one email I received, the
last sentence was this: I don't need your junk. The problems intensified
when someone who merely identified herself as 'mrs' (I'm assuming its a
woman here) complained to AOL and not only was I in trouble, so was the
hosting company. So, to avoid all problems, from now on, no one will
receive such emails from me.
Nevertheless, I would like to end on a positive note. I've listed all
the links to all the resources for storytellers available on this site
in this very newsletter. It's in the box entitled, 'Products We
Recommend For Those Who Wish To Start An Online Storytelling Business.'
Here's to your storytelling success.
Aneeta Sundararaj
editor@howtotellagreatstory.com
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IMPORTANT WARNING FOR STORYTELLERS WORLDWIDE
...
About a
month ago, Eric contacted me to tell me
about the fact that he had sent his story to
an agency in New York. He'd seen their ad on
Google and clicked on it. It's called The
New York Literary Agency and I was curious.
I 'Googled' the name and was alarmed about
what I found out. They're a hoax and in
short, you'll lose your work even before you
start ...
First though, here's their website:
http://www.newyorkliteraryagency.com/
It's an impressive website and looks quite
cool. However, I found out that there's
quite a scam going on and in short, keep
away from all of the following ...
-
Children's Literary Agency
-
Christian Literary Agency
-
New York Literary Agency
-
Poets [sic] Literary Agency
-
The Screenplay Agency
-
Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST
Literary Agency, formerly
Sydra-Techniques)
-
The Writers [sic] Literary & Publishing
Services Company
To read Eric's experience
with them, please proceed to read his account in
STORYAFRICA ... |
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STORYAFRICA
WARNING: My
experience
with New
York
Literary
Agency
How does
a
storyteller
in
Lagos,
Nigeria
feel
when he
has just
concluded
work on
the
manuscript
of his
first
book and
is eager
to
publish
it for
the
global
market?
Tall
ambition
but it
is worth
a try.
Excited,
curious
or
expectant?
Any of
these
feelings
is okay.
It only
shows
the
author
of the
work is
rearing
to fly
and
realise
his
ambition.
Being
his
first
work, he
is eager
to put
it on
print
and in
his
haste
and
excitement,
he can
make
mistakes
especially
if he
does not
seek
advice.
This was
my lot
in
January
2006
when I
finished
work on
my first
book.
Besides
publishing
it in
Nigeria.
I had my
eyes on
the US,
UK and
the
Canadian
market.
I had
read
some
articles
about
how to
contact
publishers
via
agents.
Apparently
I did
not read
enough
to make
me
cautious.
And with
the
excitement
building
up in
me, I
searched
the
internet
via
Goggle.
I have
forgotten
the
keywords
I typed
in. But
practically
every
page I
stumbled
onto,
one
agency
was very
visible---
the New
York
Literary
Agency.
The name
is so
harmless
and
real,
and any
first
timer
will
easily
be taken
in. If
you want
to
publish
your
book
without
hassles,
especially
first
time
authors,
their
promo
said,
contact
them. I
did. And
they
replied.
They went through the whole gamut of who they are, how they work, their location in New York, submission requirements, a long list of questions and answers, reasons why they are not listed in certain publications for publishers and writers and many others. A long list of questions and answers for that matter apparently to impress and the gullible author off guard.
This agency made it clear that they are not in business to rip anybody off. They get paid when you the author gets paid. They want authors whose works they can sell. Then here is the pull: You can send them some chapters of your work or the whole for evaluation.
To read more,
click here
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STORYASIA
Authors and Copyright ...
A few days ago, there was a
very interesting post on
Sharon’s blog about
copyright infringement. I
decided to do a little
research into this and the
following is what I
discovered.
Let’s start right at the
beginning. Intellectual
property protection
comprises of patents,
trademarks, industrial
design, copyrights,
geographical indications and
layout designs of integrated
circuits.
For authors, the one that
will be of most interest
copyright.
On the
MIDA website, it is
stated as follows:
The Copyright Act 1987
provides comprehensive
protection for
copyrightable works. The
Act outlines the nature
of works eligible for
copyright (which
includes computer
software), the scope of
protection, and the
manner in which the
protection is accorded.
There is no registration
of copyright works.
Copyright protection in
literary, musical or
artistic works is for
the duration of the life
of the author and 50
years after his death.
In sound recordings,
broadcasts and films,
copyright protection is
for 50 years after the
works are first
published or made.
The Act also provides
protection for the
performer's rights in a
live performance which
shall continue to
subsist for fifty years
from the beginning of
the calendar year
following the year in
which the live
performance was given.
A unique feature of the
Act is the inclusion of
provisions for its
enforcement. A special
team of officers of the
Ministry of Domestic
Trade and Consumer
Affairs is appointed to
enforce the Act and T is
empowered to enter
premises suspected of
having infringing copies
and to search and seize
infringing copies and
contrivances. They also
have the power of arrest
without warrant.
This seems clear enough. So,
I ventured further and
decided to find out a little
of the elements that have to
be established for someone
to be accused of copyright
infringement in the US. The
first document I came across
was this:
To read more,
click here ... |
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TIPS FOR STORYTELLERS
The
Cost of Self
Publishing
I do not propose
to go into the
merits/demerits
of
self-publishing.
It is, I think,
an argument that
will go on
forever.
What I will do
here is give a
guide [OPERATIVE
WORD] as to how
much it costs to
self publish a
book in
Malaysia. I
think after
self-publishing
two very
different sorts
of books, I have
an idea. I’m not
in any way an
expert and I
think there is
much more that
one can spend
on; or, if you
choose to do so,
scrimp and save
on as well.
As I see it,
there are three
stages to
publishing a
book.
1. Writing
2. Printing
3. Selling
1. Writing
The first part of this is obvious. Quantification of
this depends entirely on how much you think your time is
worth. Once you’ve completed writing, you will have a
manuscript. This does not necessarily mean that you
have, in your hand, something that is ready for
publishing.
The next
process may involve any one of the following steps:
a. Obtaining a Reader’s Report –
-
The
Reader’s Report offers a short, clear and honest
professional assessment of your work. The Reader
will offer informed comment on things like the
content, the storyline (if appropriate), the style
and tone, the likelihood that the manuscript will be
taken on by a commercial publisher, whether the
manuscript will need more work
b. Obtaining
an Editor’s Report
This is similar to a Reader’s Report but far more
detailed report which should provide you with
constructive criticism and specific suggestions, showing
how you can rework your manuscript to improve it and
make it more likely to find a publisher.
I can recommend two companies which I
have used and so have others. As this
essay is concerned with the cost of such
services, I shall just state what is
stated on their websites and it’s up to
you to negotiate with the companies for
a lesser sum: ...
To read more,
click here... |
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WHAT'S YOUR
FASCINATING STORY?
How two boys I never met changed my
life.
I was motorcycling solo in southern Mexico the year I became a
grandfather. I was traveling from town to town, gradually making my way
to Costa Rica.
In one town I visited -- I don't remember the name -- I stopped by a
brick wall about two meters high. The wall surrounded a city block that
housed the local market. It was hot in the mid-afternoon sun, and I was
heading into the market where I could see shade trees.
The sidewalk by the wall was almost deserted. Two 8- or 9-year-old boys
with a shoeshine box were waiting patiently on the sidewalk by the wall.
I wondered why they weren t at school. I assumed they were very poor and
had to work.
About 30
meters further along the sidewalk, a blind man with a tin cup was
leaning against the wall. No one else was in sight.
When I returned from the market some time later, the boys were packing
up their shoeshine box. I assumed they were calling it a day. But before
they headed for home, they walked over to the blind man and put some of
their meager earnings in his cup. Apparently, he was even more in need
than they.
To read more,
click here.
To tell your own Fascinating Story,
please click here... |
BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET!!
Delights and Passions - an interview Kathy Ide
(4
March 2006)
...
Aneeta: I understand you
are a published writer. How did you get started?
Kathy: In 1988, a friend of
mine invited me to attend a writers conference. Prior to that, I
guess I thought authors were people who went to college, got a
degree in Creative Writing, then went to work full time for a
publishing house. At this conference I learned that most authors
have regular day jobs and write in their free time. So I decided to
give it a try.
To read more, please
click here.
The
Power of Approachability - an interview with HELLO, my name is Scott,
'That Guy with the Nametag'.
...
Aneeta: Now, the most striking thing about you is
this: I understand that you’re the only person in the world who wears a
nametag 24-7-365. Although this brings a smile to my face as I read it,
I have to admit, of all the people I’ve met on the net, your name stays
in my mind precisely because of this connection. Is it this kind of
reaction you were trying to get at when you first started in this
business? What were your aims? Why did you do this?
Scott: Thanks! I’m
honoured to be “stuck in your mind.”
My initial goal on November 2nd,
2000 was the same as it is today in 2006: to wear a nametag 24-7 to
encourage friendliness and approachability. Not to get everyone to
wear nametags. Not to become popular. Not to make sure
everyone knew my name. But to increase the probability of more
encounters with new people that would have otherwise not existed;
because people become richer as a result.
I never had any intentions of writing
books, publishing articles and becoming a professional speaker. It
just sort of happened. Or maybe it evolved. Either way,
people first said, “Scott, you should write a book about this.”
Which is interesting because, when I was 7 years old, I actually DID say
I wanted to be an author someday. Kind of cool, huh?
So, when the book came out, I did lots
of interviews on CNN, USA Today, etc., and companies then began to ask
me to speak to at their meetings on my experiences. After I gave
my first speech on March 19th, 2003, some guy in the audience
said, “Scott, you need to quit your day job and become a professional
speaker!”
Wow.
So I made some major life changes,
started my company, and began a journey to combine my experiences,
experiments, research and expertise into valuable information (speeches,
books, cds, articles, etc.) that would help people and companies
MAXIMIZE approachability – one conversation at a time.
To
read more,
please
click here ...
If you'd like to be
interviewed for this column, please contact me at
editor@howtotellagreastory.com |
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ARTICLES
Getting Your Short Fiction Published: The Hard
Truth
The short
story market is one of the hardest to break into.
There are thousands of well-known writers pumping out short fiction,
and thousands more just like you, struggling to get themselves
published for the first time. But there are several things you can
do to set yourself apart from the rest and start working your way to
the head of the pack.
How
To Learn The Art Of Creative Writing
The term creative writing is used to
discern certain types of inventive or artistic writing from other
general types of writing. The field of creative writing is broad and
includes many different formats and genres of writing. The broad and
general description of it is purposeful in its effort not to limit the
imagination of the potential writer, or that of the reader. Creative
writing is totally different from other types of writing, such as
technical writing, scientific writing, or copy-driven journalism. The
discipline of creative writing includes, but should not be limited to,
works of fiction, poetry, personal memoir or autobiography, song lyrics,
plays and screenplays, and any mixture of the above.
To read more,
please click here ...
To Attract Attention,
You have to Show Off
Recently, a client of mine complained, "I'm really good
at what I do. I shouldn't have to market myself." In
fact, he is quite good at his profession, but the
problem is that not enough prospective clients know
about him. Like many professionals, he is reluctant to
talk about his accomplishments. "It feels like
bragging," he says. "Doesn't it make me seem
unprofessional?"
To read more,
please click here ...
Tips To Help You To
Write With Success
Writing is something that everyone can enjoy! Writing is
freeing and fun and exciting, if you really let your
imagination go writing can take you to places that you
have never been before. The world would be a sad and
empty place without good writer to cheer it up!
To read more,
please click here ...
Using Quotations: When You
Need Permission
First of all, here's my disclaimer. I'm not a lawyer.
The following is based on my own research and, as you'll
see, every situation is different. That's why the use of
quotes can be confusing. I do hope, however, that this
can help you to make better decisions when preparing
your own manuscripts or other creative projects.
To read more,
please click here ...
First Words Make (or Break) First Impressions
“Next!”
“Checking in…?”
“Here or To-Go?”
Isn’t it frustrating when those are the first words that
come out of a front line employee’s mouth? As if they
didn’t want to take the time, or couldn’t care less
about offering a friendly, approachable greeting to the
customer. Meanwhile, the next guy waiting in line thinks
to himself, “Gee, thanks for the warm welcome. Nice
first impression.”
SAD BUT TRUE FACT: the first impression window is
narrowing.
To read more,
please click here ...
If you would like to submit your own
article on storytelling,
please click here...
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BOOKCLUB
Review of
The Compassionate Rebel
– Energized by Anger,
Motivated by Love
When I
finished reading this book, I felt deeply honoured to have been given
the chance to review this book and immensely humbled by the stories
therein.
The
immense effort put in by the four people (Berlow, Janke, Penshorn and
Cota) is visible from the word ‘Go’. The book begins with an
Introduction which is a short essay on the concept of the Compassionate
Rebel. Who are they? What do they do? How do they do what they do and
also how to use the book – it clearly sets out the theme for the book
and on the whole, the book has succeeded in keeping to this. And, what
it the theme? Perhaps, it is easiest to reproduce part of the text
here:
Ever day, the media take snapshots of our culture. And, though it is
said that the camera doesn’t lie, what we see is not truth. In fact,
we are being lied to about something very basic: who we are. … In
The Compassionate Rebel, we take the camera, literally and
figuratively, into our own hands and point it at people whose
stories depict the rest of who we are. Through interviews, stories,
and photographs, we share with you a hidden culture, and our hope is
to reveal it in its full power and beauty. ...
Compassionate rebels are role models for the masses and mentors for
activists. The are produces of democracy, rather than embittered
citizens. They teach us how to protest without violence, how to
revel without destroying and how to say no without saying goodbye.
Compassionate rebels bring to our viewfinder people who are
exploring their anger, rage and disappointment and seeking solutions
to oppression, racism, abuse, troubles relationships, and economic
woes.
Next
is an explanation of the four ‘Story-Carriers’. We learn, amongst other
things, that Berlowe is a freelance writer, journalist, educator,
community organizer and activist. Rebecca Janke and Julie Penshorn,
together, have done extensive writing and co-authoring of several books.
Then, there is Todd Cota, the photographer who, I believe, took most of
the pictures in the book. Throughout the book, there are little
vignettes which reveal their lives, personality and no doubt, immense
courage and belief in what they do.
There
are Ten Chapters all together and in each there are on average five
stories. Each story is relatively short, concise and precise. What makes
these stories all the more special is that at the end of each story,
there are two sections: One called Questions for Contemplation and the
other, Resources for Reflection and Action.
To read more, please
click here
If you would like your
book/product to be reviewed, please
click here to send an email with your request.
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PAYING MARKETS FOR STORYTELLERS...
Black Gate
http://www.blackgate.com/bg/guide.htm
[Editor's Note: the following
is just a summary. I would suggest that you go to the website and read
the submission guidelines in detail]
Submission
Guidelines
What We're Looking For
Black Gate publishes epic fantasy fiction at all lengths, including
novel excerpts, as well as articles, news and reviews. We're looking for
adventure-oriented fantasy fiction suitable for all ages, as long as it
is well written and original.
... There are
lots of reasons a submission might not be right for Black Gate.
Here are the most common (and some of the most easily avoidable)
mistakes.
1) An
electronic submission that arrives as an attachment, rather than
straight text in the body of an e-mail.
2) The story
isn't adventure-oriented fantasy.
3) Too
violent/adult for our target market (ages 12 and up).
4) The story
opens too slowly.
5) Not enough
attention paid to character development (or great story, bland/unlikable
characters).
6) Over-used
plot device.
7) Over-use
of magic.
Six Things That Will Cause Us to Stop
Reading
1) Rough prose.
.
2)
Excessive/gratuitous violence in an opening scene.
3) A main
character who is obviously a vampire (we see far too much bad vampire
fiction, and if you think you're going to surprise readers by revealing
your hero is a vampire on the last page, you're dead wrong.)
4) Over-used
settings (this includes hell, Camelot, any movie studio, or the office
of an elf or dwarf Private Investigator).
5) Characters
who are clearly super-human, dealing death two-handed while stifling a
yawn. It's impossible to generate any real dramatic tension with such
characters, no matter how much angst you saddle them with.
6) The
appearance of gods or demi-gods who rescue your heroes (see #5 above).
Rates
We buy first North American serial and electronic publication rights. We
pay 3 - 6 cents/word for fiction up to 6,000 words, $180 - $280 from
6,000 to 14,000 words, and $280 - $400 at greater lengths, on
acceptance. We pay 3 cents/word for all non-fiction.
Submission
Format
Black Gate accepts both electronic and physical submissions. Our
submission address is:
New Epoch Press
Attn: Submissions Dept
815 Oak Street
St. Charles, IL 60174
submissions@blackgate.com
[Eidtor's Note:
for a more comprehensive idea of the submission details, please refer to
their website]
If you have a
resource for a paying market or would like to be featured here, please
contact
editor@howtotellagreatstory.com and let me know about your market.
|
|
RESOURCES FOR STORYTELLERS...
|
|
TELL EVERYONE ABOUT ...
Dear
Aneeta,
Hi! I hope this brief note finds you well.
If you'd like to share your experiences with me, please know
that I'd love to hear from you concerning your thoughts on
financial planning, goal-setting and time management. So, if
you have a few minutes to spare any time in the next day or
two before the next issue of GET BETTER is sent out, most
likely on Thursday, please drop by
here:
http://the-cool-time-and-money-blog.blogspot.com
and read what I've written there recently.
...
Feel fr~ee to
add your own comments. Bye!
Take care.
Warmest regards,
Rajen
Hi aneeta!
Just a quick note to let you know about
a new sister site we've created to showcase our syndicated
columnists:
http://www.syndicatedwriters.com
If you
get a chance, stop by. I'm really excited about how easy it is for web
site owners to carry the syndicated columnists.
Take
care,
Marnie
Pehrson
How are people going to know about your great storytelling
resources [books, websites, newsletters, forums, e-books,
manuals, ideas, thoughts, tapes and so much more] if you
don't tell them? Here's your chance - Send info about your
stuff and we'll post it here for free. Please keep the
number of words to no more than 125. Send an email to
editor@howtotellagreatstory.com with 'Tell Everyone
About ...' in the subject line.
|
WHAT OUR READERS ARE SAYING ...
And we can both be thankful
to Aneeta for providing yet another way of making the world smaller
through networking.
Dr. Neill Neill
Yes, one of the beautiful things about Aneeta's work is that it
brings people together.
Rosemarie Skaine
Hi Aneeta,
Thank you so much for the wonderful lengthy review! I always enjoy
reading reviews because it gives me added insight into the work we
are doing. ...
Rebecca Janke
Dear Aneeta,
...
I meant to tell you earlier that I greatly enjoyed reading your blog. I
especially liked the article on self- publishing. It was very
informative and the feedback from Singapore was good too. Well done!!
Saradha
... I have
started working through your e-book, How to tell a great story, and am
enjoying it.
Gopal Ramasammy-Cook
|
|
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|
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