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Sunoasis X 2005 V2 Issue 10
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David Eide
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Oct 31, 2005 20:56 PST
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S U N O A S I S X 2 0 0 5
Volume 2 Issue 10
October 2005
"Why I write...sheer egotism. Desire to seem clever,
to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to
get your own back on grown-ups who snubbed you in
childhood."
-- George Orwell
_____________________T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1) [Professional Notes- It's All Happening Online]
2) [Resource Notes]
3) [C/Oasis- New stories and poems]
4) [New Forms of Publishing]
5) [Community]
6) [Etc/Etc/Etc]
http://www.sunoasis.com/sunoasisblog.html
Switch to the online version right now!
http://www.sunoasis.com/honor.html
I'm not charging for subscriptions but if the spirit
moves you please use the Amazon Honor System. Thanks.
Enjoy this issue! Forward any comments to:
eide-@earthlink.net
===========================================================
Can You Write A Simple Letter?
If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money,
writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world
you choose to be. Here's how you can learn the secrets of
this little-known, lucrative business
Learn more: www.thewriterslife.com/ph/soc62
__________________P R O F E S S I O N A L N O T E S
When I first got online there wasn't much of a writing
market. Salon, Feed, Suck, Urban Desires, Word and
a few others made a gallant effort to sustain themselves.
Salon, surprisingly, is still with us.
Most have disappeared but many excellent publications have
opened up the net writing market.
The net has gone from a nice, interesting toy to an
absolute necessity. It has grown into a fascinating,
exacting kind of necessity. You still have to walk through
the bear and bull baiting rings, prostitutes and legless
war veterans selling tulips on the corner to get to the
playhouse but there it is.
The dynamics are simple: everyone is on the beast. Every
publisher is on it, almost all the readers are on it, the
agents, booksellers, reviewers are all on it.
Instead of a nice, rational marketplace and literary system
there is a massive mosh-pit of types bumping and
grinding at the center of some green universe. It can
be overwhelming and very intimidating. It makes, at times,
the print publishing system appear genteel and simple.
Yes, the favorite mantra around here is, "the computer is
the publisher." Leaving aside the difficulty achieving that
goal one can say that the internet is a profound conduit
to the publisher.
I get alerted to these things because of the correspondence
I receive as part of Questions and Answers. Mehfooz, for
instance, is a journalist and subeditor at the Daily Mashriq
Peshawar and wants to sell to foreign markets.
The internet has allowed him to see beyond his locality, out
into the huge, awful world.
It's not simply the Mehfooz's of the world but all of the
"web site writer/editor" jobs I come across running Sunoasis
Jobs. Writing for content on the web is becoming a
mainstream occupation.
* * * * *
The online market is as robust as it has ever been. And
this time around, unlike the late 90's, companies are
actually putting money in their web sites.
The writing market is learned through osmosis. You can't
master it all at once.
Any decent library will have these resources and more:
Bacon’s Newspaper Directory
Bacon’s Magazine Directory
Editor and Publisher International Yearbook
Inland Press Association Membership Directory
Directory of International Internships
SRDS Business Publication Advertising Source
SRDS Consumer Magazine Advertising Source.
SRDS Print Media Production Source
O’Dwyer’s Directory of Corporate Communications
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Gebbie Press All-In-One Directory
Marketer's Guide to Media
Literary Market Place
Magazines for Libraries
Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory
http://tinyurl.com/dubdr
The blogosphere is proving to be a place for writers of all
types. Pick out a product or service, research it, and then
offer an interesting package to the webmaster. Try it and
see what happens.
http://tinyurl.com/deql7
Or learn the intricacies of a high-traffic blog. Here is
where the professional writer has a great advantage. Any
subject you are resourceful about can be turned into a blog.
* * * * *
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,68934,00.html
The market is crowded with opinion of every sort. To write
opinion effectively don't simply write off the top of your
head as most of the amateurs do. Do an excellent search,
read a lot of different opinion, and continually revise what
you write; blog or no blog.
H o w T o R e a c h B u s i n e s s W e b s i t e s
http://tinyurl.com/bwfsr
The need for writing in the business world is generally
under-appreciated. Even at this late date there are plenty
of small businesses that can be helped getting an online
presence with compelling written copy.
* * * * *
I always read the "web content writer/editor" ads that come
into Sunoasis or are posted on other sites. They are almost
always technical positions with a smattering of writing and
editing. The company is looking for that magical person who
combines web knowledge and savviness with writing and
editing talent. They are hungry for new and exciting content.
http://www.fictionfactor.com/articles/portfolio.html
It's crucial to market and to prepare a portfolio you can
send through email that shows a web editor your prowess
in making good copy and meeting deadlines. You might throw in
a little working knowledge of SEO copywriting as well.
There are plenty of advertisements for "content providers"
on Sunoasis Jobs, Craigslist, Monster, MediaBistro, and
others. But a writer can always do a Google or Yahoo search
with a key word or phrase that encapsulates the writer's
expertise and see what companies are open to a writer's
talent.
Emphasize the benefit you'll bring to that specific company.
* * * * *
Get fifteen to twenty core markets you feel confident you
can sell to. Get all the contact information, study them,
prepare ideas and try to develop a decent relationship with
the web editor.
Peel back any organization that has written material to
find out how you can be of service to them. Every association
or group has a newsletter of one kind or the other.
Another good source to use are the "yellow pages."
* * * * *
Almost every company has a media kit. These are prepared for
possible advertisers who come looking for space to place
their ads. In the media kit is a summation of the
demographics for the business entity. That is a very useful
piece of information that can tell you the slant, tone, and
possible ideas to bring to an audience of a business
website. Remember, the more you know about the people the
website targets the greater chance you have of penetrating
the needs of that website.
* * * * *
http://tinyurl.com/awlku
The three articles of faith in writing for the web are, "be
concise, be scannable, be objective." In other words, study
copywriting and poetry.
Scannable simply means that people go to the net looking for
information useful to them. Most people pick out key words
and phrases, tracking down the piece of information they
really need. I admit I'm in the minority of those who go to
the web for reading pleasure. The facts favor the majority.
http://www.compar.com/infopool/articles/news2vs18.html
It makes sense to follow the advice of usability experts and
learn the writing techniques that seem to work.
http://members.aol.com/intwg/guide.htm
Try this ten-minute Internet Writing Guide if you are new to
the net.
* * * * *
We look in the marvelous Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus
and see that some of the terms connected with information
are: instruction, advice, guidance, direction, counsel, even
enlightenment.
The Oxford American Dictionary says, "1. facts told or heard
or discovered..."
Information is the gold people are hunting for. More
times than not it's fool's gold but we aren't here to judge.
* * * * *
Try to discover the structure of organization and what the
relation is between the web master and the web editor. Many
times, as we alluded to, they are the same person. But one
of them is responsible for buying new content. And they are
experimenting with content to figure out what works.
The goal isn't to attract readers to read ads so much as
it is to keep readers in the site, clicking all around.
* * * * *
Writer Krista McGruder has an excellent idea: Connect with
web design companies in your area and give them your package.
The web design companies are many times called in by
businesses to do the technical end of a commercial website.
We talked about "networking" last issue: This is a perfect
example of a node in the network good to cultivate.
The important thing is to study a website as you would a
magazine. What is the purpose of the website? How do they
make revenue? What content is already on there?
O B S E R V A T I O N S:
1-Advertising, the driving engine of publishing, is moving
online. As one executive put it, "the kids aren't reading
newspapers or watching TV; they are online." And we say,
good for you kids because this is one monstrous resource
if you do it right.
2-Corporations are spending billions of dollars trying to
upgrade the writing skills of their employees. Why? Business
lives and dies through communication. Writing either provides
a business with credibility or destroys the credibility. And
since business is using the internet more and more there are
plenty of opportunities to help businesses develop a
credible interface with the public.
3-The blogosphere is rapidly turning into a commercial
enterprise for information and marketing purposes. They are,
apparently, perfectly adaptable to the daily, rapid-fire,
and linked platform of the internet.
4-New and odd sorts of writing appear such as "SEO article
writing," or syndicated articles about your subject of
expertise that links back to your website and give you more
traffic.
http://www.searchenginewriting.com/chapter_one.html
5-Major print publishers are now rallying the troops to go
integrate with the internet with full speed ahead. Whether
they do it right or not is anyone's guess but by doing so
they double the space for written material. And shrewd
writers know that writing for the net and print are
different animals.
6-Self-publishing has grown dramatically as writers learn
the sophistication of making and marketing their own books
through print-on-demand or old fashioned, do-it-yourself-ism.
7-A real effort is underway to start using the aggregator
technology to create a more efficient, less chaotic internet
through which people will routinely customize their news and
information.
8-Many, many learning curves await the world for good or ill.
But it means that there will have to be a lot of written
communication explaining these things to a fascinated but
befuddled world.
9-I do see more and more advertisements for freelance writers
posted around the net. I still think the free-agent needs to
find the market and then reach out to it with a compelling
package. But maybe I'm old-fashioned.
Funny Stories About Writers Trying to Market Their Wares:
---- Agatha Christie disappeared one day, her car was found
abandoned and thousands of people got in on the hunt for her,
including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. She emerged eleven days
later in a motel claiming she had temporary amnesia. They
are still trying to figure out why she checked into the
motel under the name of her husband's mistress.
---- When I was a teen-ager I read a book "Report From Iron
Mountain" that supposedly was a high-level discussion on the
absolute probability of nuclear war and how the elite's
could survive it. It created a firestorm but was eventually
outed as a hoax devised by two political satirists.
---- Baby-boomers on the list remember the Clifford Irving
hoax. He claimed to have written an autobiography of Howard
Hughes and it generated tremendous interest. Later it was
discovered as a hoax and Irving had to give back the money
he made from it and was sent to prison.
---- How about Harlan Ellison who used to write in store
windows and then go on TV talk shows to be interviewed about
what he had written?
---- How about the self-publishing author whose book didn't
sell anything so he opened The One Book Bookstore in Bisbee,
Arizona? He self-published another book and opened another
bookstore, named, The Other Book Bookstore that carried only
copies of the second book. He sold 30,000 copies from this
stunt.
And who can ignore that wild and crazy guy who wears a
yellow suit of clothes with question marks all over them,
selling his government information books?
______________________________R E S O U R C E N O T E S
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=========================
For Freelancers Only:
=========================
http://www.freelancefactor.com/articles/lines.html
Writer Jenna Glazner offers her tips on "tightening the
line" when fishing for assignments.
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Writers_Resources/Markets/
Writing markets list from the Open Directory.
http://www.writermag.com/wrt/default.aspx?c=wm&id=109
From Writer Magazine.
******** advertisement********
PUT YOUR BEST PHRASE FORWARD!
All writers need a third eye before submitting a
manuscript for consideration and I happen to have TWO
eagle eyes, ready to go to work for you, 24/7.
I have honed my craft for over 20 years, have sold two
novels and many shorter pieces, have edited and proofed
countless articles and book-length mss (non-fiction, light
technical, manuals, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, adventure,
children's, anything in English), have ghostwritten novels
of 320+ pages and in record time. For more information:
http://www.sunoasis.com/jerinew.html
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_________________B U S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
http://tinyurl.com/dqe9j
Planning a book signing tour from The Writer's Life.
http://www.sfwa.org/contracts/
This site has model contracts for all types of writing.
http://www.cherryh.com/www/writing_business.htm
The authoress has insight into why books go out of print.
http://tinyurl.com/cc84d
Getting down to the business of writing.
http://www.forwriters.com/taxes.html
Taxes for Writers.
______________W R I T I N G O R G A N I Z A T I O N S
http://www.horror.org/
Horror Writers Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslindex.htm
American Association of School Librarians
http://www.abfc.com/
Association of Booksellers for Children
http://www.bookweb.org/
American Booksellers Association
http://www.reading.org/
International Reading Association
http://www.scbwi.org/
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
http://www.justthink.org/
Just Think Organization
http://www.rcfp.org/
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
______________________________P U B L I S H I N G
http://tinyurl.com/8z66b
Another prediction of the "end of print," at least as a
medium supported by advertising.
http://tinyurl.com/9h3b9
What happens if you are a first-time published author and
want the exposure Google's scan of library books could bring
but your publisher says no? In fact, it sues Google over
the fact.
http://tinyurl.com/aguj6
What makes book publishers become book sellers?
_________________________M A R K E T S A N D L E A D S
Writer - Human Resource Communications
Location: Valley Forge, PA
Vanguard, one of the world's leading investment management
companies, needs a creative, talented writer to research and
write human resource communications. Your work should be
engaging and accurate, educate your readers, meet business
objectives, and be delivered on time. This position is
available part-time (25 hours per week) or full-time.
You'll regularly brainstorm with clients, colleagues, and
senior management to develop creative concepts for Web,
e-mail, and print delivery.
For Full Ad go here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/vanguard6.html
____________________________________________________________
Director of Publications/Editor in Chief
Location: Dallas, Texas
Established in 1972, Meeting Professionals International
(MPI) is the leading global community committed to shaping
and defining the future of the meeting and event industry.
MPI has an immediate opening for a Director of Publications.
This position will be responsible for overseeing the
strategic planning and direction of The Meeting Professional
and ancillary publications products; introducing magazine
best practices for design, readability and content; ensuring
editorial content meets segmentation and market needs of
MPI s membership; weaving business language, practices and
experts into publication content delivery...
For Full Ad go here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/mpi.html
___________________________________________________________
MARKETS:
POLITICAL MAGAZINES: Make sure you locate the
editor of a magazine, contact her and request a sample copy
and writer guidelines. If you think you have a story for
her, send an excellent query. Search back issues and try
to understand the type of articles the editor looks for.
We provide the guidelines or mail addresses and phone
number of the publications when available.
Church and State
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=cs_2005_10
Pays $150-$300 for articles
Empire State Report
http://www.empirestatereport.com/contact.cfm
Pays $100-$700 for articles
The Nation
http://www.thenation.com/about/guidelines.mhtml
Pays $225-$300 for articles
The Progressive
http://progressive.org/?q=mag_guidelines
Pays $250-$500 for articles
Reason
http://www.reason.com/writerguide.shtml
Pays $300-$3000 for articles
Don't hesitate to tell us what you are looking for:
http://www.sunoasis.com/oasisfeedback.html
There is an index of writer guidelines here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/sunoasismarkets.html
___________________________________________C / O A S I S
http://www.sunoasis.com/sheeanstory.html
The Young Man Who Said He Wouldn’t Eat Chocolate Again
by Tom Sheehan
"Today it all came back. Once again, on another brilliant
dawning, the Western Yetness still calling me, I woke with
a toothache. A stupendous one! In half an hour, despite quick
brushing, the stimulator poked here and there, gargling, all
proving useless, the ache remained in force. It was, without
a doubt, the chocolate again, or the mere thought of
chocolate. I knew I was weak to most any candy, and to
chocolate in particular, right from the beginning."
http://www.sunoasis.com/aidanpoems.html
Two Poems by Aidan Andrew Dun
Black Passing
April Time
http://www.sunoasis.com/ivanpoems.html
Two Poems by Ivan Silverberg
The Day Nicky Lived Forever
The Draining
| | | | | | | | | | | | >N e w f o r m s o f p u b l i s h i n g<<<<<<
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http://www.minonline.com/topstory.htm
Here's a recap of the 2005 American Magazine Conference.
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69366,00.html
Finally, some criticism of the amateur goings-on in the
world of the internet.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/17/084932.php
Last month we ran an article on LuLu and self-publishing.
Here's an interview with a novelist who is using LuLu with
some success. He gives some tips on what to do.
http://www.thescoop.org/thefix/
Derick Willis is the Research Database Editor of the
Washington Post and has a great site. One section is a must
read for all those who care about journalism. "Fixing
Journalism."
http://tinyurl.com/azop4
An excellent analysis of the plight of newspapers. The
author points out that newspapers gained ascendency
primarily because of the improvement of print technology in
the late 19th century. The irony is not lost here. He
recommends that newspapers plunge directly into the new
technology. After all, it is not about the delivery system
but the talent that is bringing the news and other services
to the people. They have the talent.
_______________________________________C O M M U N I T Y
See the Tips Page for more information:
http://www.sunoasis.com/tips.html
Thanks to Steven Evans for his generous contribution.
Thanks Steven! He is an editor and has a splendid
website here:
http://www.the-freelance-editor.com
OCTOBER 29- NOVEMBER 13, 2005
Chicago Humanities Festival in various Chicago area
locations. Panel discussions and readings by Ed Hirsch,
Margaret Atwood, Annie Proulx, Salman Rushdie, Scott
Turow, Joan Didion and others.
Details: http://www.chfestival.org
NOVEMBER 18,20, 2005
The international Cat Writers' Association (CWA) will hold
its 12th annual writers' conference in Foster City, CA near
San Francisco on November 18-20, 2005. The conference is
open to anyone interested in pet writing and will feature
two days of professional seminars with nationally known
speakers on topics including screenwriting, how to sell
children's online writing, humane shelter issues and a
magazine editor panel.
For more information:
http://www.sunoasis.com/tips.html
http://writing.shawguides.com/search?t=October
Shaw Guide for Writing Conferences
_______________________________________E T C/ E T C/ E T C
Editor/Publisher: David Eide
E-Mail: <mailto:eide-@earthlink.net>
Sunoasis X 2005 is fully protected by copyright.
Please ask permission if you are going to use any or
all of this publication.
Reprint rights belong to the authors.
Contact them if you wish to use their material.
Unauthorized use of any material is strictly
forbidden.
Our hope is that we can help and enhance the world
of writing, publishing, and editing.
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