Friday, March 6, 2009

MORE BITS & PIECES FOR WRITERS/AUTHORS #118

MORE BITS & PIECES FOR Writers/Authors #118
REASONS TO KEEP WRITING – ROBERT GIROUX, age 94, publisher, gold standard of literary taste, who guided and supported dozens of great writers from T.S. Eliot and Jack Kerouac to Bernard Malamud and Susan Sontag, Giroux helped create one of the most notable publishing houses. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. During Giroux's 60-yr career, some of the world's most celebrated writers published works for FSG, including Nobel Prize winners Isaac Bashevis Singer, Derek Walcott, Nadine Gordimer and Seamus Heaney. Giroux was a strong critic of contemporary publishing, which he believed had become too money-minded. "Editors used to be known by their authors," he observed in a 1981 lecture. "Now some of them are known by their restaurants."

myWRITERTOOLS - software for writers, editors and proofreaders. Add-ins to Microsoft Word (Windows) that turn it into a powerful tool for writers, editors and proofreaders. Accomplish tasks that were previously either impossible or incredibly time-consuming. Once installed, these programs are instantly accessible from the myWriterTools toolbar in Word.
URL: http://www.mywritertools.com

PITCHRATE.com - Pitch your book’s subject matter to journalists and list your expertise for journalists to find. URL: http://www.pitchrate.com/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=4597

WINGSPAN, JAPAN - in-flight magazine of All Nippon Airways. Looking for original, entertaining and informative stories from ANA's international destinations, especially those with a strong human element. Sections include: The Occasional Tourist , Japan from A to B, A Family Album, Japanese Things, Fiction. Query: editors@mcedit.com Guidelines: http://www.mcedit.com/?page=guidelines

PEN AMERICAN CENTER WRITER’S GRANTS - an emergency fund for professional, published or produced, writers in acute, emergency financial crisis. Depending on the situation, the Fund gives grants of up to $2,000. The maximum amount is given only under especially dire circumstances and when monies are available. Also see links to the right of the page about other resources. URL: http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/251

WRITERS WEEKLY - seeking articles on ways writers can make money from writing i.e. unique assignments, corporate services, self publishing, marketing and networking advice, alternative products and services that writers can pursue and sell, and seek articles on how authors can successfully market their books to the public. Guidelines: http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/guidelines.html

AMERICAN LAWYER - glossy feature magazine about the business of large American law firms and the leading personalities in that business, lawyers, and because our readers work only at the largest law firms, we don't pay attention to everyday legal news. Long-form narrative features. Query: editorial@amlaw.com All editor contacts are on website's contact page. URLs: http://www.americanlawyer.com or Contact Page: http://www.law.com/jsp/tal/contact_us.jsp

LENORE MARSHALL POETRY PRIZE - Submissions are accepted from April 1 to June 15, any year. Established in 1975, this $25,000 award recognizes the most outstanding book of poetry published in the U.S. in the previous year. Submissions are accepted each year from April 1 to June 15. The Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize honors the memory of Lenore Marshall (1897-1971), a poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist. She was the author of three novels, three books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and selections from her notebooks. Her work appeared in such distinguished literary magazines as The New Yorker, The Saturday Review, and Partisan Review. In 1956 she helped found the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, the citizens organization that lobbied successfully for passage of the 1963 partial nuclear test ban treaty. Entry Form: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/117

NORTHWOODS WRITERS FESTIVAL, Canada - Deadline: April 30, 2009. The Northwoods Writers Festival invites fiction and non-fiction entries for The Great Northern Canada Writing Contest 2009. First prize: 500 +publication in above&beyond magazine; special Emerging Writer prize: $250. Theme: life in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik or Northern Labrador. Guidelines: http://www.northwordsfestival.ca-a.googlepages.com/writingcontest

ASIA PACIFIC TROPICAL HOMES, Thailand - Regional Perspective, Asia-Pacific Personality, Tropical Lifestyle, The Finest Touch. Dept. 50/250/wds include: Life & Style, Hot Hot Property, Buy By Design. Query first by mail or email editor@trophomes.com together with notes on your pub history and samples of published work. US$200/450 for stories 1200/wds+. The Editor, ARTASIA PRESS, 32/11 Ban Prangthong, Moo3,Tambon Vichit, Chao Fa Road, Amphur Muang, Phuket 83000, Thailand. Guidelines: http://www.trophomes.com/about_the_magzine/Contributor_Guidelines.htm

UPDATE ON PUBLISH AMERICA LAWSUIT - Larry Cooperman is collecting names of interested PA authors for a potential class action against PublishAmerica. PA authors who believe they fit a "fraud" situation, i.e. who have signed a contract based on the "traditional publisher" moniker are asked to contact Mr. Cooperman at coop@newmillguitar.com
Better Business Bureau rating for PA: http://greatermd.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=41&bbb=0011&firm=32010985

DUOTROPE’s DIGEST - has listings for short fiction, poetry and novels, response time to submissions. It also lists by genre. Well worth checking out. URL: http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx

A LONG STORY SHORT - online venue publishing a variety of genres and also offers workshops/classes. URL: http://www.alongstoryshort.homestead.com

LAS VEGAS WRITERS CONFERENCE - April 16-18, 2009. Las Vegas, NV.
Info: http://hendersonwriters.com/LVWC.htm

BLACK BELT MAGAZINE - accepts freelance articles on martial arts topics, including style analysis, how-to, interviews, profiles, historical and philosophical manuscripts, training. Articles require supplemental color photos to illustrate segments of the manuscript. Query Robert Young, Editor byoung@sabot.net Guidelines: http://www.blackbeltmag.com/contact

SUPREME COURT & FREELANCERS, PUBLISHERS - The Supreme Court will consider reviving the $18 million settlement involving payment to freelance writers for use of their work online. The case largely applied to articles, photographs, illustrations that were produced 15 or more years ago, before freelance contracts provided for the material's electronic use.The case is Reed Elsevier v. Pogebrin, 08-103.
SOURCE: http://tinyurl.com/bh3uv6