Archives for June 2012

Writer in Residence – Cascade Ntl. Park

North Cascades Ntl. Park Residency, WA

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The Artist-in-Residence will be a practicing artist with a portfolio of published, performed, or exhibited works. Applications are accepted from visual artists, writers, musicians, and other creative individuals. Residencies can be from 3-6 weeks. Spring and fall options (usually from September 15 to the end of October). Artists only – sorry, no family or pets.

We provide a home in surroundings that will inspire you and space and opportunity for reflection. The artists selected present at least two programs while in residence. Workshops, talks, digital photography classes, plein air painting workshops, musical concerts or other educational presentations. Sent three samples of written work. Storytellers send 5-10 minutes of work on CD or DVD. Deadline for Fall residency is July 1, 2012.

Application Guidelines:
http://www.nps.gov/noca/upload/AIR-Brochure_2011_Stehekin.pdf

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76% of Libraries in the USA Lend eBooks

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The American Library Association has released the results of the ALA annual survey, which is conducted in October of each year (and released more than 6 months later). Budgets being cut while responsibilities are increased, however things are looking good.

More libraries were lending e-books and audiobooks last fall than the year before (76% vs 67%), and a significantly larger number of respondents said they were lending e-readers as well (39% vs 28%). There is also an increase in the number of libraries that offer free Wifi, internet access, and technical training for patrons trying to use all the technology.

E-book stats are up and the same goes for the e-reader lending stats. 2011 was a tumultuous year for libraries, when HarperCollins deciding to limit checkouts to only 26 per copy. However, libraries are going into e-books no matter what the major publishers do.

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Would You Like to Write a Guest Post?

Guest Blog Writing

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For the past year I have written more than 880 blog posts which have been read by over 255.000 people. These posts are submitted several times a day to Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Chime.in, Tumblr, StumpleUpon, Google Communities, Goodreads etc. However, this blog would benefit now from a variety of voices, additional advice and different points of view.

I am now inviting guest posts on this blog.
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Guest posting is a great way for your blog and your book to get some fantastic exposure. You certainly can add links from your guest blog to your website, your own blog or the online retailer where your book is sold. At the same time you’ll be helping readers of this blog by providing them with useful and relevant information. I welcome posts from writers or bloggers and others in the publishing industry, who know from their own experience what they are writing about.
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Here are some guidelines for you:

  • Your Guest Post must be original. It should be a new, original post, written entirely by you. No articles from article directories.
  • Topics: should be relating to writing, publishing and book marketing. It doesn’t have to be specific to e-books.
  • Length: somewhere between 500 words to 750 words. Longer posts if the subject requires it.
  • Exclusivity: for 30 Days. By submitting a guest post to me, you agree not to post it anywhere else online for a period of 30 days after it first appears on this blog.
  • Don’t query. Just send your entire post to 111publishing *at* gmail  . com – directly in the emailbody – NO Word attachments will be opened!!!
  • Subject: Guest Post
  • Please include a short “About the Author” bio of approximately 70 words (not including the link to your Web site. Include your Twitter, Google+ or FB ID with the post.
  • The link back to your blog should be in the Author Bio, not within the article itself. Your bio link must link to your own author site, writing- or publishing-related web site or book. No affiliate links and no links to unrelated sites.
  • Please submit a polished post that you would be proud to have published.

You will be contacted within 3 working days.

Thank you for your interest and I do look forward to hearing from you!

Doris

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Writing Positions in CA, NC, MD and VA

Charleston Street Scene

 

Writer/Editor/Journalist, Hollywood CA
The USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health & Society program seeks an experienced writer/editor/journalist to write and edit all copy for program press releases, pamphlets, presentations, and websites. The position will also maintain the Hollywood, Health & Society website using the Drupal content management system and coordinate the production of all graphic design elements (for the website, printed materials, and presentations?subcontracting out work when beyond the expertise of the writer/editor). This position will also be in charge of updating and maintaining Hollywood, Health & Society’s social media accounts, as well as digitizing and editing video clip reels.
Writes and edits documents for University, school, and/or department, such as advertising copy, articles, books, brochures, bulletins, catalogs, letters, manuals and/or other training materials, newsletters, press releases, programs, proposals, speeches, technical reports, theses, etc. Identifies and determines topics or subjects for various projects.
https://jobs.usc.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1340199617652

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Editor/Writer, Hollywood CA
USC’s Health Sciences Public Relations and Marketing office is seeking a skilled communicator for an exciting opportunity supporting the Keck School of Medicine and the USC Academic Medical Center. The Editor/Writer position is responsible for a broad scope of communications and publications, both print and web, related to the Keck School and affiliated programs within the USC Academic Medical Center.
Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education Bachelor’s degree
Minimum Experience: 3 years  Experience with writing, editing, proofreading, and the preparation of materials for publication. Salary $26-27/hour  *** This is a Fixed-Term position through October 5, 2012 ***
https://jobs.usc.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1340199617652

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Business Writer, Greensboro, NC
Our account list includes some of the North America’s most successful brands – including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Southwest Airlines, USAirways,Verizon Wireless, Wells Fargo and Walmart.This position will oversee day-to-day workflow of editorial process, from assigning copy through editing, copyediting, fact checking, posting in WordPress and QA. Keeps team aware of schedule/schedule changes. Works closely with edit, art, account and development teams to achieve quality products and produce quality projects. Must work in the Greensboro Office.
http://www.pacecommunications.com/careers/

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Policy Writer for Norfolk VA and Columbia MD
Experienced policy writer to edit, write, standardize, research and authenticate policies and procedures in addition to training manuals, handbooks, and supporting documentation for print and online media. Selected candidate will also make editorial and aesthetic improvements to documents and recommend new designs, layouts, and procedures. Working knowledge and understanding of federal, state, and local health care regulations (e.g. HIPPAA), health care compliance policies/practices/systems.
Minimum Job requirements:
· 4 years of exp. technical writing and/or hands-on regulatory or public policy development (including the writing and editing of policies)
· 4 year or clinical degree or equivalent experience, (Bachelor’s in English, Communications, or Journalism and/or certification in technical writing, professional procedure writing preferred)
· Proficient w/MS Office and Adobe Acrobat
https://kellycareernetwork.tms.hrdepartment.com/jobs/133805/Policy-Writer-Norfolk-VA

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Grammar Girl: How to Write Numbers & Rescue Cats

The reason people get confused about how to write numbers is that different style guides make different recommendations, so it’s easy to hear different rules from different people.

In general, the Chicago Manual of Style wants you to write out the words for more numbers than other style guides. For example, the Associated Press and the British newspaper the Guardian both recommend that their writers use the words for numbers less than 10 and the numeral for anything bigger:  Today, firefighters rescued nine cats from trees. Yesterday, firefighters rescued 11 cats from trees.

But the Chicago Manual of Style recommends recommends using the words for all whole numbers 100 and lower, and also for big round numbers such as one thousand and twenty thousand:  Yesterday, local firefighters rescued eleven cats from trees. Last year in the US, firefighters rescued 728 cats from trees.

There are a huge number of exceptions to these rules. If questions about numbers come up a lot for you, you really need to get a style guide and look it up. The Chicago Manual of Style has a whole chapter just on numbers.

These and more useful grammar tips can be found on http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

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More Revenue From e-Books

American publishers are now bringing in more revenue from e-books than hardcover books, according to a report published by the Association of American Publishers (AAP).

Audio-books also keep accelerating vs last year – as some experts have said, tied to ongoing popularity and acquisition of smartphones and mobile devices.

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The figures, which were posted on GalleyCat on Friday, show that net sales revenue from e-books exceeded that of hardcover books in the first quarter of the year: a first. The data was compiled from 1,189 publishers and did not include children’s books.

Collectively, adult e-books brought in $282.3 million in Q1. That’s an impressive 28.4% increase from the same period a year ago. Young adult and children’s e-books performed even better, catapulting 233% to $64.3 million. Sales of adult hardcover books grew too, but more modestly, up 2.7% to $229.6 million in Q1 2012.

What’s driving the growth?  Read the whole story at Mashable

10 Commands to Boost Your YouTube Book Trailer

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A fantastic way to promote your book is with video. These videos are called Book Trailers. Book trailers are very similar to a movie trailer. They serve the same purpose of promoting and peaking interest in your potential audience.

1. Attention span of YouTube users is very low.
1-2 minute videos work best for YouTube. Deliver a short but powerful message. If you have something significant to say, break up the video into 2-5 parts and upload them with unique keyword rich titles.

2. Creating infomovies (videos with slides and voiceover) using PowerPoint:
Make sure that you have a custom unique background for your slides. This custom background can contain your website’s URL on the top or bottom right corner. With this technique you can gain visitors even if your video is embedded on other sites.

3. Screencast videos:
Try to record the screen at 640×360 (16:9) so that the videos do not appear fuzzy. If you can’t do it in 360p, you can make it at 480p (854×480).

4. Use annotations in your video.
Have a specific call to action in the annotation. You can link to subscribe page, channel page, another YouTube video or just ask the visitor to visit your URL for more information.

5. Controversial videos attract a lot of attention on YouTube.
Make sure to provide quality content after you attract the viewers using you controversial title. Visit also: YouTube-trends.Blogspot.com to see the latest trending videos.

6. Leave useful comments in related videos.
If your comments are liked, it will be on top and a lot of visitors will click on your username and land on your channel.

7. Every video you upload is eligible to be a video response to other videos.
Find some related videos in your niche and if appropriate, post a video response using one of your videos.

8. Enter a great title.
By default your channel name is also the title of the channel but you can edit it in “channel settings”.

9. Add link(s) to your website(s).
YouTube allows adding more than one link to your website(s) in your channel’s sidebar.

10. Search for keywords from AdWords Keyword tool.
However, use low competing keywords. You can also enter tags from competing videos so that your videos will appear as related videos when those videos are watched.

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To find free music and images see this former blog: How to Create your Book Trailer?

http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/how-to-create-your-book-trailer/ 

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Watch samples of book trailers:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/29/7-brilliant-book-trailers/

http://www.book-trailers.net/

http://bookscreening.com/

There are plenty of options to get your book trailer out. Amazon’s Author Central profile pages let you put your video on Amazon, including on your author profile and on specific book pages, which helps you reach people who are already interested in your work.  You can upload your video to YouTube and a dozen other sites, promote it via Facebook and Twitter. Book trailers are still sufficiently new to get people interested. And certainly add the trailer to your website or blog

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Excerpt from the brand new e-book: ***** 111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer ***** featuring valuable tips and links to video tutorials, free music downloads and free images, available on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008Y15YYO

 

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Crowdfunding Success with Kickstarter or Indiegogo

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Quite a few authors had a successful campaign, securing funds to self-publish and print their e-books for the paper book market, others to print beautiful “coffee table books” featuring stunning photos. IndieGogo takes 4% of your earnings if you reach your goal and 9% if you don’t. Kickstarter is all or nothing. If you don’t reach your goal no money is exchanged, but if you do reach your goal you get the full amount minus 5%.

There is a lot of competition on these crowdfunding sites, so if you want to stand out, use not only your social media platform, but also your real-life contacts, your own networks and their networks’ networks. If you want people to back your project you have to tell them about it. More than once… Folks have to hear a message about seven! times, before they act.

Answer these questions for yourself:

  • Who is my audience for the whole project?
  • What is the uniqueness of my project?
  • Why should people donate to your project?
  • Do your potential audience/backers know about your exciting new project before you start asking them for money?

Start with your friends and family
A friendly, personal message is the most effective way to let someone know about your project. Send an email to your close friends and family so they can be first to pledge, then use your personal blog or website, your Google+ or your Facebook page, and your Twitter account to get everyone’s attention. Don’t overdo it, but be sure to remind your networks about your projects several times throughout the course of its duration. Take the time to contact people individually. It makes a big difference.

Connect to people
Don’t be afraid to take your Kickstarter project out into the real world. Nothing connects people to an idea like seeing the twinkle in your eye when you talk about it. Host pledge parties and organize meet-ups to educate people about your endeavor. Be creative!

News media
Contact your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations and tell them about your project. Seek out like-minded blogs and online media outlets to request coverage. Writers are always looking for stories to write about, and the media has a big soft spot for DIY success stories.

Don’t spam
Whatever channel you use to tell your project’s story, don’t spam. Over-posting can alienate your friends and fans, and it makes every other Kickstarter project look bad too. Don’t do it!

Say thanks & get even more
Post public thank-yous and updates about the most current donators every other day, always including the link back to your campaign, so people can check out the site and the latest progress and decide for themselves if they want to donate.

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Get tips on blogs from successful Kickstarter project creators:
http://craigmod.com/journal/kickstartup/
http://www.remindblog.com/2010/10/14/grassroots-funding-with-kickstarter-com/
http://olganunes.com/2011/01/on-lamp-kickstarter-and.php
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thelostboy/how-to-fund-a-successful-indiegogo-kickstarter-campaign-in-5-easy-steps
http://www.nathanielhansen.com/film-fundraising/the-ultimate-crowdfunding-to-do-list-before-you-launch/

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Last but not least: carefully study all guidelines of the portal you want to use for your campaign.

http://www.indiegogo.com/
http://www.kickstarter.com/help/guidelines

All the very best and good luck for your campaign!
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Fellowships & Grants for Writers / Artists

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These cash awards will help artists and other arts professionals, such as writers, take advantage of impending, concrete opportunities that will significantly advance their work and careers. The awards are for unique, short-term opportunities that do not constitute routine completion of work in progress. 

Alaska Career Opportunity Grants
For Alaskans (for professional artists, arts educators and professionals) only: Career Opportunity Grants between $300 and $1,000 are providing financial assistance to engaged in arts administration for travel to events, programs or seminars; and for other activities that will contribute to the strength of the applicant’s professional standing or skill.
Quarterly Deadlines: June 1, September 1, December 1, March 1
http://alaska.cgweb.org/page.php?id=16

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Nevada Artist Fellowship
The Artist Fellowship Grant seeks to recognize and reward outstanding individual artists living in Nevada who demonstrate excellence in their work. Grant awards go to individual artists in each category – literary, performing, and visual arts.  All applicants are required to be a practicing professional artist, be a Nevada resident for 12 months prior to application date, have U.S. citizenship or legal resident status and be least 21 years old, and not be a degree-seeking student.
http://nac.nevadaculture.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1043&Itemid=412

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San Francisco Writers Conference Scholarships
1. The Kevin Smokler Scholarship
Write a 250-word article or story telling us why writing is important to you and/or why you want to write. Send submissions to Elizabeth Pomada at sfwriterscon@aol.com . The prize is a registration to the Conference. Deadline for entries is January 12, 2013.

2. The Bharti Kirchner- Ethnic Writing Scholarship
To enter, please send the first 5-8 double spaced pages of a novel-in-progress in which the protagonist is a person of ethnicity, living in either the U.S., or abroad, contemporary or historical. The manuscript must have a title. Also include a one-paragraph description of the work. Submission guidelines: send two email copies with no attachments, one to Bharti Kirchner at bhartik@aol.com and the other to Elizabeth Pomada at sfwriterscon@aol.com . Please include your name, address, phone number, and email address. Deadline January 2, 2013. The prize is a registration to the Conference.
http://sfwriters.org/scholarships/

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Glimpse Correspondents Program
The Glimpse Correspondents Program is currently accepting applications from writers, journalists, photographers and filmmakers who are working, living, studying or volunteering outside of their home countries for a period of at least 10 weeks. If you are abroad and are looking for editorial support for a work-in-progress or a funded opportunity to develop a particular story, we want to hear from you. Each fall and spring, Glimpse accepts 10 correspondents into the program. These correspondents are expected to produce two long-form feature stories and/or photo essays, and in return receive one-on-one support from professional editors, free tuition to MatadorU (worth $350), career training in travel writing and photography, a $600 stipend, and publication on MatadorNetwork.com and Glimpse.org. Applications for the Fall 2012 session are open until July 30, 2012. Application Fee $25
http://www.glimpse.org

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Are you a Writer or Artist Living in New York City?

Low Income Artists – including Writers! Are Eligible for Peer Loan Programs
Access to credit is a key resource for artists. The current global credit crisis strikes hardest at those without current access to credit, those who lack collateral, and those with poor credit records or no credit history – a fair description of many low-income artists.
In peer lending, accountability and program participation replace credit history and collateral to secure loans. Additionally, peer lending and micro-loans can serve as a bridge for un-banked and under-served individuals to move toward more traditional sources of credit.

The goal is to provide these artists with financial training, to broaden their access to existing credit sources, and to create new sources of loan capital to develop arts businesses and increase homeownership. This program is designed to serve the most vulnerable members of New York City’s culture sector, while catalyzing economic development in the City’s most under-served neighborhoods. It is also designed as a flexible support framework which can be applied more broadly to catalyze a wide range of new types of entrepreneurship and next-generation home- and web-based businesses.  Artists have access, among others, to the following Project Enterprise opportunity:

Peer Lending Program – Project Enterprise’s oldest and largest program connects entrepreneurs of all levels with financing and support to build their businesses. Loans start at $1,500 and increase in steps up to $12,000 after successful repayment of previous loans and are approved by an individual’s peer group as well as by Project Enterprise staff.
Fast Track Program – An accelerated version of Project Enterprise’s Peer Lending Program, the Fast Track is designed for more established entrepreneurs in need of capital. Loans start at $3,000 and increase up to $12,000 after successful repayment of previous loans, and are approved by an individual’s peer group as well as by Project Enterprise staff.

This program is funded by The Rockefeller Cultural Innovation Fund
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Writing Contests for Travel Bloggers, Poets and Fiction Authors

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Travelling for Fun Contest
No entry fee! Would you like to share your travel experiences from a fantastic (or not so fantastic) trip or vacation you are currently on or took in the past? Do you live in a popular (or not so popular) travel destination and would like to share what makes your town or city special with other travelers? Contest Winners will be selected in 3 categories. At the end of the contest, Cruise Trust staff will determine the winners of the CruiseTrust Vacations’ Traveling for Fun, Adventure and Relaxation Blogs Contest.
First Place Winner in the category “Best Travel Blog” – $500.
First Place Winner in the category “My Favorite Trip or Vacation” – $250.
First Place Winner in the category “My Hometown / Destination Business is a Great Travel Destination Because…” will receive $250.
Deadline August 31, 2012. Contest is open to any individual age 18 or older as of March 2, 2012 who is a legal resident of the United States or over the age of majority and a legal resident of Canada.
http://trendytraveler.com/travel-planner/traveling-fun-adventure-relaxation-blog-contest-rules

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2012 Anderno Self-published Book Award
Fiction or non-fiction. Win $500 cash, announcement on the Anderbo web site and publication of a book-excerpt on anderbo.com. Initial judging will be based on the first 40 pages (ONLY) of the self-published book. Finalists in this contest will be required to supply the entire book at a later date.
Deadline October 15, 2012. $ 20 Entry Fee.
http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/anderselfpubbookaward2012.html

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The 2012 Hazel Hilles Short Fiction Prize
1st Prize $500
2nd Prize $100
3rd Prize $100
The contest is open to anyone writing in English. Stories can be in any genre and address any theme.Length: No minimum. Maximum 5,000 words. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older, no geographical restrictions. All entries must be previously unpublished. Authors retain all copyright to their work. However, Be-a-Better-Writer.com will have first publication rights to the winning stories, which will be published in Page 47 online anthology. Deadline: September 18, 2012. $6 Entry Fee
http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contest.html

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As always: Read the conditions for every contest carefully before you submit!

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