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Sunoasis X 2006 V3 Issue 8
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David Eide
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Aug 31, 2006 22:07 PDT
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S U N O A S I S X 2 0 0 6
Volume 3 Issue 8
August 2006
"I have always loved the idea of those pious Jews who
envisaged the world to come: as an immense library,
where all the truly good books written by man would
be available to the righteous dead."
- Leo Rosten
_____________________T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1) [Editor Notes- We Live In the Momentum of An Anonymous
River...]
2) [Resources]
3) [Job Lead - Markets: Medical publications]
4) [C/Oasis - Three stories, book reviews]
5) [Community - Writer Conferences]
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
__________________E D I T O R N O T E S
We swim along in an era of trends broken into millions of
little tributaries, all bleeding out into the dark, new
century.
It's important to grab hold of the tree poking up through
the surging tide and spot a few things that could enlighten
a writer on his way to fame, fortune, or simple respect.
The word "trend" was used to describe the way a river
or stream ran in physical space. Now we use it to describe
events running through time. From the writer's point of
view the best tool is simple observation, intuition, and
reading in the right places.
One thing that characterizes a trend is that it has, like a
river, momentum.
S o m e T r e n d s G o i n g D o w n
1- Ad dollars are flowing from print into the Net.
2- More print publications are developing original, stand-
alone digital enterprises, expanding the market.
3- Eventually the writing marketplace will resemble what
is happening in the production of news. A ravenous reading
world will get it anyway it can.
4- The developing world is producing millions and millions
of new readers. They are supporting newspapers and will soon
turn to novels to satisfy that quintessential need of newly
literate people: "Make my world pass through your words."
5- Print is wheezing and looking in the rear-view mirror but
has a few spurts of adrenaline left in it.
http://www.journalism.co.uk/news/story1986.shtml
Another prediction of death of the newspaper. "The next few
years are going to be very expensive," says Alan Rusbridger,
editor of the U.K.'s Guardian
There is a wonderful difference between change and gloom/
doom. Change stimulates growth and a search for new
opportunities. Gloom and doom results in stasis, further
erosion of confidence, and then the coup de grace.
I like to say that as a reader my loyalty is with print.
But as a writer my loyalty is to my writing and the best
way for that writing to get around and developed.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< W e A r e A g h a s t <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Young people aren't reading teen-mags, they are writing
books: From the Miami Herald of March 26, 2005:
* A 13 year-old girl gets bored and writes a novel,
publishes it through POD.
* A nine year-old girl publishes a collection of her
bilingual poems the same way.
* An 18 year old, home-schooled boy writes a fantasy, it's
read by the stepson of a newspaper columnist who gives it
to his editor at Knopf who gives 18 year-old a $500,000
advance for the book.
* A teen poet sells 1.5 million copies of his poetry book
then dies of muscular dystrophy.
http://tinyurl.com/qgjb3
The atrocious beast is devouring the teen-age magazine.
We said it in the past, there is no more powerful cohort
than teen-age girls. According to one magazine observer,
the teen category "is the first group of magazines that the
Internet put out of business."
<<<<<L A R G E D I S T R I B U T I O N T R E N D S<<<<<
I came across a comprehensive article on new business models
for books. It was by Paula Bernstein, writing in the Searcher
a few months ago.
The interesting trend is the transformation of full-text
databases to provide direct connection between writers and
readers. These databases have been around for researchers
quite awhile. I use HighBeam and LexisNexis, as well as my
effective local library. Now the technology is being
harnessed to directly transmit books and text to readers
using the search function we are familiar with from Google,
Yahoo and so on.
In other words it is becoming a new publishing model.
Consider some of these programs:
http://books.google.com/
Google Book Search
Even though this has been sued by the Author's Guild, I
think it helps writers get linked globally through stores
and libraries.
MSN Book Search is motivated by Microsoft's stated fact
that "over 50% of people's online queries go unanswered
today on search engines." This is, no doubt, a dig at Google
which commands most of the search queries today. Their
effort is coupled to this:
http://www.opencontentalliance.org/
Open Content Alliance
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6289968.html
Amazon Pages:
This is a more controlled model for published authors.
Amazon gets exclusive rights to the material for six months
but the author retains all the rights.
Amazon also has instituted its Connect program. This allows
authors selling on Amazon to develop a blog and then have
that blog centralized so customers can find it. This appears
to be a valuable model that will be used in the future by
niche sites.
http://safari.oreilly.com/
O'Reilly Network Safari Bookshelf
As with most things on the Net, the techies are the first
adapters and lead the way for less technical types like the
writing crowd. The Network has a powerful system in place.
I've bought a lot of O'Reilly books in the past decade so I
like this idea. They have a library of more than 3,000
technical books and a variety of subscription options allow
the viewer to download them.
http://www.books24x7.com/login.asp?ic=0
Books 24X7
The search engine and its tools may be the coup de grace for
the publishing system as we know it. The publishing system
will face the same dilemma as the newspaper. It will have
to adapt or die. And the question is, "will this
transformation help writers and editors?" It will help them
as much as writers and editors understand what is going on.
"Elsevier now offers online access to some of its science and
business reference works, handbooks, and book series through
Web-based ScienceDirect."
Well, you get the idea. Random House and HarperCollins also
are starting to digitize their books.
Obviously some questions arise. For these efforts to work
both writers and readers have to change habits. The reader
will have to adjust to the fact that he or she will get
exactly what they are looking for from the computer screen.
The writer has to get used to the fact that her words will
exist in bytes as much as print.
It leaves a kind of global problem out on the table. With so
much to choose from, with smaller bits of time to choose,
how will writing change? Both the art of writing and
publishing will change under the pressure of these models
but how? Maybe the flash fiction I get at C/Oasis is a
response to this!
Writer's Alert: For your content to find its reader your
text will need to be optimized for the search engine. This
will be a key skill to put into your bag of tricks.
Possibility: Individual writers partner with Google and other
companies that are by-passing the traditional publishing
system. Very interesting.
* * * * *
http://blog.myfinebooks.com/
Are you a bibliophile? Go check out MyFineBooks blog and
enjoy.
http://tinyurl.com/ogxpa
(Free registration required)
Another sign of trouble for print is that amateurs like Bono,
Yusef Jackson, and Jared Kushner are buying print properties
with no experience in running them. The only question to be
asked at this stage of the game is: Will the shake-up
in the print world make writing, journalism, and editing any
better? Your guess is as good as mine.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=52&aid=105980
Poynter.org is one of the best visits for a writer. I like
the columns of Chip Scanlon. Here he lists some quotes from
writers that will inspire and zing the writing mind.
http://www.pw.org/mag/0607/newsdavis.htm
The state of poetry in the mind of Americans is not all that
bad.
T R E N D S I N T H E M A R K E T P L A C E
http://tinyurl.com/l8q9b
Do you want to be a gossip reporter? "Start a blog," advises
a British scribe.
http://tinyurl.com/pz47l
A question came into Sunoasis from a young woman who is
about to start her college career and wants to be a "current
events columnist." In answering her question I came across
the above link for anyone who is interested in doing any sort
of column.
http://tinyurl.com/lcel7
Smithsonian Publishing is creating an Online Publishing
Group. This may provide the opening for more writing
markets.
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/15198544.htm
Are you an obit writer? There is a new site called Eons.com
for people over age 50. If you are a freelance obit writer
here is a large market for your wares.
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Librarians are a writer's best friend. Here are four
resourceful, charming librarian sites where you can find
excellent resources.
http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/
Jenny Levine's Shifted Librarian
http://www.librarian.net/
Jessamyn West's Librarian.net
http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html
Marylaine Block's Neat New Stuff I Found on the Net
This Week
http://www.dysartjones.com/
Jane Dysart's InfoBuzzzz
_________________________________R E S O U R C E N O T E S
If you are a beginning writer or thinking you want to get
involved in the writing life please use the articles here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/freelanceresource.html
There are many useful tips, links, and features that can
set you on your way.
There is also a rich array of links for every type of
writing resource here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/newmanna.html
Sunoasis.com was developed with the writer and editor in
mind. Enjoy your stay!
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Click. Work. Collect.
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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
******** advertisement********
Complement your Entertainment Pages with Vançon
International Press. A sneak preview at the
V.I.P. Agency Fall Film Collection:
http://www.sunoasis.com/vancon.html
******** advertisement********
The Right Words Can Speak Volumes About Your Image.
Choose the Copywriter That Can Say It Best. Call me
for Concise, Creative Copywriting That Captivates,
and Motivates!
http://www.sunoasis.com/valeriead.html
_________________B U S I N E S S O F W R I T I N G
http://tinyurl.com/m65nb
This link contains insightful new ways writers are marketing
online.
http://www.infotoday.com/pressreleases/pr030813-1.shtml
Did you know you can now subscribe to Literarmarketplace.com
for a week at $19.95?
http://www.pw.org/mag/0607/bowness.htm
Some sound advice to writers about making writing web sites.
_________________B U S I N E S S O F P U B L I S H I N G
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/13/business/pix.php
Are you passing near any celebrities? Bild, a magazine in
Germany, will pay you for photo's taken with cellphone
cameras.
http://tinyurl.com/n7wnm
This guy says that the New York Times might have to fold
into it's About.com property which the writer calls, "a low-end
information producer, harnessing amateurs willing to produce
any amount of schlock to feed the page-view numbers."
Actually, if you put the talent of the NY Times in a format
like About.com it may prove to be an interesting entity, if
you took off the obnoxious ads and made a more intelligent
interface.
http://tinyurl.com/qroxu
Magazines encounter two stress points. On the one hand
a continual saturation of the market and on the other
competing with the digital universe. Declining numbers
for magazines include Time, Newsweek, O, The Oprah Magazine.
http://www.mrmagazine.com/news-views/index.html#
Mr Magazine chimes in with his prediction that magazines
should worry more about daily newspapers becoming like
"magazines" than they should worry about the internet.
______________W R I T I N G O R G A N I Z A T I O N S
http://www.literarytranslators.org
American Literary Translators Association
http://www.personalhistorians.org
Association of Personal Historians
http://www.asmp.org
American Society of Media Photographers
http://www.the-efa.org
Editorial Freelancers Association
http://www.washwriter.org
Washington Independent Writers
There are many more links to writing organizations here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/newmanna.html
____________________J O B L E A D S A N D M A R K E T S
Copywriter/Editor
Location: Paris, France
Present in more than 150 countries, Carlson Wagonlit
Travel (CWT) is a world leader in business travel management.
In order to support the development of its global Corporate
and Marketing Communications Department, CWT is recruiting
a copywriter/editor.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/cwt.html
________________________________________________________
RECREATIONAL BOATING AND FISHING FOUNDATION POSITION
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Senior Business Communicator
Closing Date: September 11, 2006
Location: Alexandria, VA
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
seeks an outstanding marketing and business communicator
with exceptional writing, editing and project management
skills to lead the B2B communications efforts of this
national non-profit organization.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/recboating.html
_________________________________________________________
Financial Services Writer
Jacksonville, FL
Fidelity National Information Services, headquartered
in Jacksonville, Fla. (www.fidelityinfoservices.com)
needs an experienced financial services/business writer
to join its marketing and corporate communications team.
The job requires solid and proven writing, editing,
creative and organization skills. Responsibilities
include writing press releases, employee and client
announcements, employee and client newsletters, Internet
and intranet information, marketing collaterals, and
ad and direct mail copy.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/fidelity1.html
_________________________________________________________
EXP. BUSINESS GHOST WRITER
Location: Telecommute
Immediate Opening! Top Dollar paid.
Author business workbooks on managing---50-75 pages
per workbook--this is multiple workbooks assignment.
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/bizghostwriter.html
_________________________________________________________
Sr. Editor - San Francisco Bay Area, Peninsula
Our client provides marketing content and custom publishing
to hi tech clients such as IBM, Intel and SAP. We are looking
for a Sr. Editor to add to the team that provides quality
assurance for all projects. Editors handle a variety of
marketing content and many types of projects because of
the varied nature of the clients and their products.
Since our clients demand quality, an important skill for
a Senior Editor is the ability to focus on details. Most
senior editors describe themselves as perfectionists. They
spot inconsistencies, typos, and split infinitives at a
glance. And most importantly, senior editors contribute
their editorial knowledge and expertise to help clients
communicate their messages clearly and effectively to the
marketplace. Responsibilities include:
For Full Ad:
http://www.sunoasis.com/custompub.html
____________________________________________________________
http://www.sunoasis.com/morejobs.html
Sunoasis Jobs has a new section called "More Jobs." It
features feeds from Indeed.com of a lot of different job titles
that might be more helpful to people. Some titles are public
relations, indexer, proofreader, associate editor, factchecker,
and more. Over the next several weeks many new titles will be
featured.
GUIDELINE and CONTACT INFORMATION ABOUT:
MEDICAL Publications:
http://www.mamm.com/main.php?optjs=1
Mamm Magazine
Pays $100-$3,000
http://www.memag.com/memag/static/staticHtml.jsp?id=109424
Medical Economics
Pays $1,200-$2,000 for assigned articles
http://www.modernphysician.com/page.cms?pageId=200
Modern Physician
Pays up to $1 a word
http://www.cmeplanner.com/html/cont/cont.asp
Physicians' Travel and Meeting Guide
Pays $150-$1,000 for assigned articles
http://www.podiatrym.com/feedback.cfm
Podiatry Management
Pays $250-$600 per articles
http://www.uoworks.com/writers.html
Unique Opportunities
Pays $750-$2,000 per article
For more guidelines go here:
http://www.sunoasis.com/sunoasismarkets.html
___________________________________________________________
C / O A S I S
http://www.sunoasis.com/ithappenedlondon.html
IT HAPPENED ONE COLD, RAINY DAY IN LONDON by Roy A. Barnes
"Love has many prices. One of them is accepting the
imperfections of the person, place, or thing that has
found its way into your heart. The sum of my love of
the many geographical twists and turns that make
London what it is, is made more complicated by my
uncanny ability to get lost when blazing a new trail
for myself and anyone with me."
___________________________________________________________
http://www.sunoasis.com/diva.html
DIVA by Elizabeth Varadan
"It’ll be nice to see my grandbabies," Renee chattered
nervously. Since they’d left the bus depot the taxi driver
had only made noncommittal grunts to her comments.
"Six months old," said Renee. "Twins. A boy and a girl."
Rose had sent her a picture with the birth announcement.
They both had shocks of dark hair like her daughter’s above
their wrinkled faces.
___________________________________________________________
http://www.sunoasis.com/ontherocksstory.html
On The Rocks by Liam Rands
"Are all bodies this heavy?" Brad asked. He struggled to
maintain his grip around Wayne’s thick legs.
"He’s a dead weight alright." Todd chuckled. He looked
down at the overweight man they carried between them. "It’s
all those chocolate cookies the kids in his class
make for him. They stick like lead to his waist."
_________________________________________C O M M U N I T Y
The international Cat Writers' Association (CWA) will hold
its 13th annual writers' conference in Foster City, CA near
San Francisco on November 17-19, 2006. 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 contracts and copyright, book
promotion, online writing, the human-animal bond and feral
cat issues, and a magazine editor panel.
For More Information:
http://www.sunoasis.com/tips.html
http://writing.shawguides.com/search?t=September
The Shaw Guide to Writer Conferences and Workshops
_______________________________________E T C/ E T C/ E T C
Editor/Publisher: David Eide
E-Mail: <mailto:eide-@earthlink.net>
Sunoasis X 2006 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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