Hard
to believe it's been a year since the first issue of InkSpotter
News.
Plenty
has happened since last July--some good, some bad--but life has
never been boring. There were times when I would have welcomed a
little boredom!
Then
again, what would I write about if nothing ever happened to me?
To be honest, I haven't been a very disciplined writer of late.
The new house has eaten up countless hours since the first of
June. Packing, moving and unpacking. Hooking up new utility
accounts and disconnecting old ones. Dealing with the mortgage
broker, the mortgage company, the financial advisor, the
realtor, the lawyer, the former landlord, the insurance company,
and so many more I'm sure I've forgotten.
In the course of packing and unpacking, I've had to make
numerous decisions about what to keep, what to throw away, and
what to donate to charity. I'd toyed with the notion of a yard
sale for a while but soon gave up on the idea in deference to my
sanity.
But I wouldn't trade one stressful moment! I've waited most of
my life to buy a house, and the experience is every bit as
wonderful as I'd always imagined.
So what has all this taught me as a writer?
Mostly that I have to get back to the business of writing. I've
got a mortgage to pay off, after all. Time to scour the markets,
submit everything I have, and write some more.
Selling my writing has got to be more fun than trying to sell
personal belongings in the driveway!
Betty
Dobson, Publisher/Editor
Looking
for a little writing inspiration and camaraderie? Join
the Literary
Lapse mailing list.
The erotic short story
"No One Said Anything" won 2nd prize in Katy Terrega's Spring
(Flash) Fling Contest. MATURE CONTENT WARNING -
Portions of the site may be offensive to some readers.
Signed on as the new host of BellaOnline:
Canadian Culture. Articles to date include "BookExpo Canada 2004,"
"Kelly McEntegart-Sheppard - Painting Life," "Jenni
Blackmore's Counting Crows,"
"Atlantic Writing Awards 2004," "Joe Clark: The Last Progressive Conservative?"
and "Election
Canada 2004."
My First Day
Cover was released by Canada
Post Corporation as part of the 25th Anniversary of the Halifax Metro Processing
Plant, and I received an employee-recognition Bravo Award for the design.
Linear
Reflections
Within
our virtual pages you will find comprehensive reviews of as many of the
world's art forms as possible. Our staff works hard to bring you a
mixture of reviews - on music, literature, art, movies, stage, concerts
and even video games. Our reviews are not only for adults, but also for
the kid in everyone. Come visit us at: http://www.linearreflections.com
and sign up for our FREE newsletter. If you have something you'd like to
submit, or are interested in reviewing, please contact us.
Writing articles is one
of the best and most effective ways of promoting your business
because it does three things:
*Brands you as an expert. *Makes your
marketing efforts viral. *Gives you content to attract potential
buyers.
There are several things you can do to make
sure that your articles get read.
1. Write an article potential buyers will find
interesting. Even if you know your topic very well, it pays to
do research. Find out what changes are occurring in your field
and include that material in your articles. No one wants to read
something that is outdated or inaccurate. Readers will find your
material far more interesting if you tell them something they
don't already know, and you present it from your own unique
perspective.
2. Submit your article to the right places.
Article directories are a great place to submit articles because
they are high traffic sites. Many offer a wide variety of
categories so you can submit just about any kind of article. It
will also increase your ranking in the search engines because
you are linked to high traffic sites.
There are also other options for submitting
your articles. You can use lists that accept articles, as well
as submit to sites that accept articles on your topic.
The way to find sites that accept articles on
your topic is to do a search in the search engines. Search on
your topic plus the key words "article submission".
Then when you find sites in your topic, read the guidelines
carefully. You want your article to have a higher chance of
getting accepted. The way to do this is to follow the
guidelines.
Here are several places you can submit your
articles:
3. Write regularly. Most sites, and especially
lists, will only accept article submissions on a weekly basis,
so to write more often than that, is a waste of time. However,
when you submit your articles on a regular basis, it establishes
a relationship with the reader. The reader will begin to trust
you, giving you credibility.
Credibility is one of the hardest things to
establish online. By writing articles that readers will read,
you are building a relationship with readers. Building a
relationship with the reader will get them to trust you. Once
they trust you, they will buy from you.
Write articles on a regular basis and you can
establish a reputation for credibility online. Write about
things that people want to read about, and you will be well on
your way.
# # #
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jinger Jarrett is a former newspaper reporter
and military journalist. Her latest ebook, the Killer Marketing
Arsenal Ebook, will show you 100+ high traffic sites where you
can market your business for maximum traffic and sales. You can
get a copy of her free report, "7 Free Traffic Generators
for Maximum Traffic and Sales" when you subscribe to her
newsletter. http://marketingplan.killermarketingarsenal.com
Brady Magazine
is an online writer's trade magazine, dedicated to putting writers on the map. Not only do we publish a bi-monthly ezine packaged with industry information, we also provide many services to personally help writers succeed. Visit our
website for more details.
There
are various opinions regarding the value of submitting to
anthologies. Let's assume that the editor(s) will pay for every
accepted story. If writers accept one-time fees, they forego any
future earnings in the form of royalties. On the other hand, if
the book doesn't sell well, the writers still get paid. In other
words, it's a crap shoot either way. Only you can decide if you
feel lucky!
Chicken
Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul - For cat fans
everywhere! Share your heartfelt stories about your favourite
friend. Chicken Soup stories may be uplifting, inspiring,
humorous and/or tearful. Also provides information on Chicken
Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul.
Submit
to:
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul
Story Submissions
P.O. Box 1262
Fairfield, IA 52556
Online submissions preferred
Deadline
Rights: One-time
rights
Pays: $200
per original story for one-time rights; $50 to the first
contributor of a previously published item
Circlet
Press - Publishes anthologies of erotic science
fiction and fantasy. Does not consider single-author anthologies
from "non-Circlet" writers. Submit only short stories
until you've developed a relationship with the publisher.
Pays: $30-$75
per story, depending on rights purchased
Workers
Write! - Looking for stories about corporate life.
Claims to give extra points for stories written on company time
and printed on the office printer.
Submit
to:
Blue Cubicle Press
Attn: Workers Write!
P.O. Box 250382
Plano, TX 75025-0382
Writers
draw inspiration from many sources, including words, phrases and
pictures--and the following contests require you to do just
that! Writing about the same "theme" as other
writers can be challenging but can also push you to greater
levels of creativity in search of the unexpected angle.
Finding
the Right Words Flash Fiction Contest -
Our first contest is drawing to a close in less than two weeks!
Write a self-contained short story that conveys the
theme--"The First Time"--in 500 words or less. The
first time may refer to many things in life--besides the
obvious--but try to avoid a teenage romp or any other form of
gratuitous sex. And stay away from mindless violence.
Deadline: July 21, 2004
Entry Fee: $1
Prize: $50
Writer2Writer
Contest - Use the photo on the contest page as the basis for
a short-short story or the opening paragraph of a longer
tale.
Next Deadline: August 15, 2004
Entry Fee: None (but must subscribe to site's newsletter)
First Prize: $25 gift certificate from CoolStuff4Writers.com
(and publication)
Gratitude
Essay Contest - What does gratitude mean to you? Small
Town Life Magazine wants you to sum up your feelings in a
250-500 word essay.
Deadline: September 1, 2004
Entry Fee: None
Grand Prize: $100 U.S. Savings Bond (and publication)
This
is the space where subscribers get to do a little bragging about
their own writing successes. Don't be shy. We want to hear from
you.
Chautauqua,
here I come!
Hi Betty, thanks for giving me a chance to brag!
Every year, Highlights
Foundation selects a promising author
from India for a scholarship. Some time back I had entered
a story of mine titled "For the Love of His Teacher" in
the scholarship contest and it has won the Highlights Fellowship
Award USA.
Since I'm an Award Fellow of the Highlights
Foundation, I'm representing India at the Annual Children's Writer's
conference and workshop held in Chautauqua, New York from July
17-24, 2004. I'll be landing in Honesdale (PA) on July 14 for the
orientation and my stay, food and transportation charges will be
sponsored by Highlights – wow wow WOW!
Needless to say, I'm SO thrilled to attend the
Workshop this year. This is the 1st time I'll be going anywhere
outside India, and I can't wait for July to come :)
Jacqueline Seewald's
new young adult novel Claire's
Curse is ready for ordering from American Book Publishing.
Early response is highly positive.
G. Geoffrey Conwill
has finished the first draft of a novel, is working on the second,
and is fishing around for publishers for his three children's
books--one a coloring book, some pages of which can be found online.
Lea Schizas will
have one of her flash fiction stories published with Purple
Pen, printed by AuthorHouse,
this year. The anthology will be called The Other Side of the
Door Bell, and the story is titled "Cassiopeia."
This
is your chance to provide feedback on the newsletter. Tell us
what you did and didn't like. Make suggestions for future
issues.
We
want to hear from you.
InkSpotter
News
subscriber list
covers
more than
160
writers in
Canada
United
States
United
Kingdom
France
Australia
Good
morning Betty,
I must say great work and where do you get the
time?? I spent some time going through your web page and it is
great.
Take care,
Gail Ellsworth
Halifax Military Family Community Centre
Marketing
for Writers
Marketing
For Writers ecourse will show
you how to make more money from your writing, no matter what you write.
10 marketing lessons written specifically for writers. Sign up today and
make more money from your writing.
