Saturday, September 23, 2006
Industry Information
Life magazine losing $35M a year
With the two-year anniversary of Life as a newspaper insert approaching, NYpost.com speculates about how much life is left in Life. The magazine is believed to be losing at least $35 million a year. Time Inc. had initially promised the big newspaper chains that the insert magazine would be published for at least two years.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Next Meeting
Next Meeting
Monday, 9/25/06
We may be having a guest speaker for Monday. I still have to confirm her ability to teach but it looks like Chris Sagona may be able to talk to us about getting started as a Journalist in the newspaper business. Please lift a prayer that she'll be able to make this meeting.
New Mag - Digital Living
Digital Living: electronics title launches
Emap will be launching a new quarterly magazine called Digital Living, aimed at "30 plus men who buy consumer electronics." From Rob Croxall, General Manager: "We want to produce a magazine that will demystify the digital world and give it's readers reassurance and confidence. Although the men's market as a whole is having a tough time, specialist titles like our own Digital Photo go from strength to strength, and that gives us a great deal of confidence in the concept of Digital Living." Editor: Bruce Black. Source: Press Gazette
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Attitude is Everything
Your attitude toward others is 99% of the game in the writing world. If you are an author who thinks that they already know what I'm about to say, please bear with me and read this message anyway.
I recently received a request from a webmaster. They wanted me to write free copy for their writers website. This website eventually will offer new writers the opportunity to 'pay' for a spot on their website in the hopes that publishers and editors will read the work and then ask the author to write for them. (sigh) Now I know that this has been tried numerous times before and it just doesn't work. Editors have no problem getting quality writing and authors should never pay to have their work put on a website. I politely sent an email to the webmaster that requested him to take my name off his email list. In return, I got a really rude and sarcastic email telling me that if I wasn't interesting in participating in their project I shouldn't put my name and contact information on my own website. Interesting. I wrote a polite reply back but the whole thing left a really bad taste in my mouth. I will never write for this site and I certainly will warn others against it if someone asks me specifically about them by name. (No, I won't use the name of the group here - sufficient it say that an author should NOT ever pay someone in the hope of being published. That is one of the oldest scams in the book.)
Just remember this -- how you approach an other author, publisher or editor will flavor that person's reaction to your words for a long time to come. As Christians we should take the high road and attempt to be kind to those who might not know better. In any case, a kind word goes a long way to build a bridge -- and you just might need that bridge later in your career.
I'm Back!
Hello to the NJCWG and my other writing friends
When I returned from a wonderful vacation (visiting my son and a number of great historic sites in Virginia) I found a wealth of writing related events and opportunities in my email inbox. I'll share some of them with you over the next few days.
Hope you've all had a great summer and I pray that as the crip fall weather decends on us, you will be invigorated and inspired your writing.
Louise Bergmann DuMont
Facilitator of the North Jersey Christian Writers Group (NJCWG)
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Comfort Cafe just posted my most recent column. You can access it through the attached link (http://comfortcafe.net/?p=359) OR by reading the Cafe Moch Light blog (http://cafemochalight.blogspot.com/).
Louise Bergmann DuMont
Author & Speaker
Monday, September 04, 2006
Getting Ideas
From Terri Main, Speach Communication Instructor, Reedley Colleg,e Reedley, CA
Here is a URL for a lesson I have about getting ideas.
http://www.thewritingschool.net/getting_ideas.htm It includes general tips on getting article ideas along with 9 specific idea generators complete with forms to use.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Contest - Short Story
April Boyer
If you wish to enter the contest on my website, at the Kitchen page - please send your short, short story involving a recipe. Did your attempt at a new recipe have an unexpected humorous end? Was there a humorous mishap? Was their a heart warming visit, or conversation with a loved one or child? Did a child add his own funny wit?
Your winning entry will be posted after Sept. 27, and your choice of a devotional book awarded.
http://aprilboyer.com
Write Now! Conference (PA) - 10-28-06
Write Now!
One-Day Conference
Ten Workshops for Experienced & Beginning Writers
Keynote Address by Marsha Hubler,
$50 Adult $30 Student
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Faith United Methodist Church
700 Fairview Drive
Montoursville, Pennsylvania
Sponsored by
West Branch Christian Writers
For more information please contact: Roberta Brosius (570) 713-1756 brosius@ptd.net or Barbara Sutryn (570) 322-1984 bars@uplink.net
Workshops & Faculty
* Write for Children with Marsha Hubler, educator and author of Zondervan’s Keystone Stables Series.
* Write for Young Adults with Marsha Hubler.
*Take the Mystery out of Mystery Writing with Evelyn Minshull, educator, poet, and author of 26 books, including Guideposts’ Church Choir Mysteries
*Interview Like a Pro with Kathy Scott, journalist with over 600 articles in over 65 publications
*Render Unto Caesar with Judy Flook, who will help you understand tax issues for writers
*Poetry with Shirley Stevens, Teacher-in-residence and mentor at The Writing Academy in Minnesota, and award-winning poet
*Writing With Your Funny Bone with Jerry Westbrook, humor columnist for the Sunbury Daily Item
*Hands-on Devotional Writing with Roberta Brosius, Bible teacher and contributor to The Secret Place
*Just for Beginners with Eileen Berger, author of 15 novels and hundreds of short stories and articles
*Personal Experience Writing for Beginners with Bobbi Updegraff, author of 6 novels and dozens of articles, writer for Presbyterian
Disaster Assistance*And that’s not all…
Editors—Matt Holliday, Pennsylvania Magazine
Bookstore—Buy books to boost your writing, and books by our faculty and West Branch authors.
Freebie Table—Pick up free sample copies of publications and writers’ guidelines.
ICRS News
Here is some news about editors/publishers in the Christian markeplace.
Chip MacGregor has left Faith Words (Warner Faith).
Terry Behimer, Nicci Hubert and Jeff Gerke have left NavPress.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Book Expo
Strang Communications is hold a Book Expo next month in Atlanta. The trade show will be open to the public. www.charismabookexpo.com has more info.
Monday, August 28, 2006
NJCWG Meeting
Monday, August 28, 2006
6:15-7:00 - Chat Time
7:00-8:00 - Poetry Workshop conducted by noted NJ poet, Maude Carolan
8:00-9:00 - Critiques
REMINDER - NO Meeting 9/11/06
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Writing Op - Woman's Day Children's Books
Woman's Day and Scholastic have paired up again this year to bring WD readers our second annual "I Want to be a Children's Book Writer" contest, and there's still time to write the Great American Children's Book and make the deadline. (Entries must be received by September 6.) The winning entry will be published and distributed by Scholastic Book Clubs, the nation's largest school book club.
For rules and how to enter go to womansday.com/scholastic, where you'll also find the manuscripts of last year's 10 runners-up along with a video of our panel discussion about how to write a successful children's book.
We hope you'll enter and wish you the best of luck!
Warmest regards,
Woman's Day and Scholastic
Woman's Day
Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.
1633 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Writing Op - CBN.com
Call for submissions:
I'd like to invite you to participate in our upcoming special section on CBN.com upcoming special section on the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terrorism attacks. We are gathering material to add to this special section, which will be promoted by The 700 Club. We are looking for people who would be interested in writing an article or a series of articles for this special section. Another possibility would be for us to use excerpts of books or reprints of articles that you have written dealing with the 9/11 attack. We will provide links back to your Web site and to our shopping channel for folks to purchase the referenced books.
Here are some examples of similar sections we have created in the past with
the help of the Regent faculty and staff:
http://www.cbn.com/special/DaVinciCode/
http://www.cbn.com/special/supremecourt/
http://www.cbn.com/special/Narnia/
http://www.cbn.com/special/blackhistory/
Please let me know if you have anything that might be helpful to our audience. All correspondence can be sent to Chris Carpenter, the CBN.com Program Director, at chris.carpenter@cbn.org or by phone at 757-226-3559.
Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
In Christ,
Craig
craig von buseck
director of ministries
977 centerville turnpike, virginia beach, va 23463
tel: (757) 226-3557 fax: (757) 226-3575
email: craig.vonbuseck@cbn.org
www.cbn.com
After the Proposal
I've been neglectful of updating the NJCWG blog this week -- but for good reason. Timothy Robert DuMont and Amanda Joan Lillis got engaged this week (yeah!!!) and I was blessed to be a small part of the process (I got to be the go-fer who ran his errands to prepare for the big event - grin).
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Next Mtg NJCWG
Next Meeting of the NJCWG
Monay, August 14, 2006
NOTE: The Ringwood Christian School is redoing their floors before the school year starts o we may be meeitng in a different room. Please follow the signs on the door. They will direct you to the room where we are meeting.
Ringwood Baptist Church
30 Carletondale Rd
Ringwood, NJ 07456
6:15-7:00 - Chat Time
7:00-8:00 - Lesson
8:00-9:00 - Critiques
LESSON TIME: We will continue working on how to get F-R-E-S-H ideas and how to work a stories in a way that takes a N-E-W approach.
BRING: One a list of at least three ideas that you might like to work on for publication.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Writing Op - Anthology
Here is a message from a fellow author. This is an EXCELLENT opportunity for publication!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please, please, please! Those of you out there with a story for Trusting Him for Life After Divorce or Trusting Him with Your Addicted Child, get them to me. I need more stories. The deadline is set for August 15 - just a few days away. For questions or guidelines, please email me.
Charlotte Holt
cjholt@kingwoodcable.net
www.publishedauthors.net/charlotteholt
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Writing Op - Travel Newsletter
A travel newsletter I subscribe to has requested regular submissions from writers who live in several locations as well as those who travel frequently. Here's the link:
http://www.logueit.com/writers.html
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Conference - Glorieta
(Near Santa Fe, NM)
A Special Note From Louise: The Glorieta Christian Writers Conference has the best line-up I've seen in a long time. This event will be the highlight of 2006 for its attendees. I am pleased to announce that I will be on staff at Glorieta this year. There was a "glitch" in the system and it seems that my bio and class description got deleted from the website - but it should be back up within a few days.
For those of you who want to get serious about writing and getting published - THIS is the conference for you. If there is any question in your mind about the level of your skills, check out the Comprehensive Class called Get Published Now! This is something new that CLASS staffers are trying out. I can't imagine a better way to get expert mentoring and teaching from some of the best in the business.
If you feel God is calling you to do this - please check it out before all of the slots are filled. Many churches support their aspiring writers with scholarships (but you must ask for the help) and I know that Glorieta offers a number of scholarships to those who've proven their dedication.
If God is calling, dare you hold back ?