MORE BITS & PIECES FOR Writers/Authors #207

BITS & PIECES WILL RETURN JANUARY 28, 2011.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a prosperous, blessed New Year.

REASON TO KEEP WRITING: DAVID L. WOLPER, age 82, his 1977 miniseries "Roots" engrossed the nation with its saga of an American family descended from an African slave. The series won a slew of honors including nine Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. Wolper was a consummate salesman and advocate for filmmakers. He helped establish a new "school" of West Coast films at a time when New York-based TV networks' news divisions and filmmakers dominated the field. He brought the documentary to Hollywood and became the major force in Hollywood for making documentaries. Before becoming a titan in the miniseries genre, Wolper had a series of highly successful TV documentaries, including "The Making of the President 1960," which received 4 trophies including program of the year. He obtained Soviet space footage for a documentary that was carried by 100-plus stations after networks refused to air an independent production. "The Race for Space" earned a 1960 Academy Award nomination. During his lengthy career, Wolper produced the children's classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and demonstrated his showman instincts with New York's 1986 extravaganza celebrating the Statue of Liberty centennial and the 1984 Olympic Games ceremonies in Los Angeles. He also produced the National Geographic special "The World of Jacques-Yves Cousteau," which opened up the ocean depths for television viewers. Wolper branched out into docudramas such as "The Trial of Lt. Calley," sitcom hits "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Chico and the Man," and films including the Oscar-winning "L.A. Confidential." His opening and closing ceremonies for the 1984 Olympics featured a spaceship floating mysteriously above the Coliseum. In 2002, Wolper produced a 25th-anniversary special on the impact of "Roots," which aired on NBC after ABC turned down the idea. Wolper also produced several other miniseries, including the 1979 sequel "Roots: The Next Generations," "The Thorn Birds" and "North and South." Time magazine crowned him "Mr. Documentary."

IGUANA MAGAZINE - children’s mag, written entirely in Spanish. Guidelines: http://www.nicagal.com/iguana/eng/ig_submission.html

NEO-OPSIS SCIENCE FICTION MAGAZINE - Open for submissions Sept 1–Nov 30, 2011. Guidelines: http://www.neo-opsis.ca/guidelines.htm

ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIDER - looking for positive, human interest stories that appeal to an audience of horsepeople, ranchers, seniors, and folks who live in the West. Pieces may include profiles of unusual people or animals, history, humor, anecdotes, coverage of regional events and new products. Occasionally accepts excerpt from books by regional authors. Guidelines: http://www.rockymountainrider.com/writers.htm

TRAVEL THRU HISTORY - publishes stories featuring the historical, archaeological, and cultural aspects of a destination. We also accept stories about literary journeys and exotic adventures. Stories should convey a strong sense of place so the reader can experience the destination. Guidelines: http://www.travelthruhistory.com/html/submissions.html

AMERICAN STYLE MAGAZINE - consumer mag focused on contemporary craft, craft collectors and the artists who create studio craft art. Explores eclectic lifestyles of artists, elegant homes of craft collectors and features about “the art of creative living.” Guidelines: http://www.americanstyle.com/about

PASSAGE MAKER MAGAZINE - covers all aspects of trawlers and ocean motorboats, welcomes contributions from around the world. Lifestyle focus addresses the realities of cruising under power and passage making. Looking for balanced articles that are creative, constructive, and informational w/depth. The combination of personal experiences with technical or informative aspects is the type of story interested in. Guidelines: http://www.passagemaker.com/TheMagazine/SubmissionGuidelines/tabid/307/Default.aspx

DISCOVERY BOSTON REVIEW 2011 POETRY CONTEST - Deadline: Jan 15, 2011. Open to poets who have not pub’d a book of poems (chapbooks and self-pub’d books included). Those who have a book contract at the time of submission or who are subsequently awarded a book contract are not eligible for the contest if their book is scheduled for publication before Fall 2011. Individual poems that have been or will be published in periodicals or anthologies may be submitted; however, at least two of the submitted poems must be unpublished and under two pages in length. http://bostonreview.net/about/contest/#Thirteenth (scroll down)

2011 JAMES LAUGHLIN AWARD - $25 Entry Fee. Given to recognize and support a poet's second book. It is the only second-book award for poetry in the United States. Submissions are accepted each year from January 1 to May 15. Guidelines: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/109

WRITERS DIGEST CONFERENCE - January 21-23, 2011, in New York City at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers. Pitch 50+ agents as well as attend various panels. Info: https://www.etouches.com/writersdigestconference

29TH KEY WEST LITERARY SEMINAR – Jan 6-9, 2011. The Hungry Muse: An Exploration of Food in Literature will present dozens of today’s most compelling, thought-provoking, and funniest writers–memoirists, novelists, poets, historians, journalists, and all manner of lettered gastronome, gourmand, and epicure. Info: http://www.kwls.org/lit

BOOK COVER DESIGN FOR SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHORS – http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/book-cover-design_b13309

CHECK BEFORE SENDING OFF YOUR NOVEL - http://io9.com/5520058/4-danger-signs-to-search-for-before-sending-off-your-novel

INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE LIST - Stop in &introduce yourself. Leave a stack of your book flyers. Offer to do a signing. http://www.newpages.com/bookstores/default.htm

FROM MY TWITTER THREAD:
ONLINE WORKSHOP: Blurb it - Jan 31-Feb 7, 2011 http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=401

ONLINE WORKSHOP: Career Building - Jan 31-Feb 13, 2011 http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=485

ONLINE WORKSHOP: Podcasting - Jan 31-Feb 27, 2011 http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=664

ONLINE WORKSHOP: Weapons, Violence & Wounds Jan 31-Feb 27, 2011 http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=563

LITERARY SCAMS – Suggest writers bookmark these links & check lists before embarking on any writing venture. A search will give you more links.
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware
http://www.spamlaws.com/literary-scams.html
http://www.bookawards.bizland.com/literary_scams.htm
http://www.authorslawyer.com/litscam.shtml
http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/avoid/av_avoid.php
http://www.writing-world.com/rights/contests.shtml