Money The Write Way a free eMagazine for writers of integrity *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ August 6, 2003 Volume 1 Number 14 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ To join our more than 4000 subscribers, and receive the FREE eBook, "So You Want to be a Travel Writer," click on: http://www.moneythewriteway.com It's FREE! *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ In this issue: 1.) Letter From The Publisher---On The Home Front 2.) Ask an Expert/Questions and Answers 3.)COMP-ortunity of the month 4.) The Business of Writing by Duane Newcomb 5.) Editor's Pick/Reviews by Victoria Beninga 6.) Special Guest Article: The Difference Between Copyright Registration and Library of Congress Cataloging by Gregory Ryhal 7.) The Boast Post---Bragging Board of Writers Triumphs and Victories *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Money The Write Way eMagazine ISSN pending. Copyright 2003 Write Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Start Comping today by purchasing our best selling eBook: "BEEN THERE---COMPED THAT!" Free Travel, Dining, and Entertainment, All for the Cost of Some Ink Available at: http://www.moneythewriteway.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ On The Home Front Carmel L. Mooney Hardly anyone dies wishing that they hadn't published so many articles, published so many eBooks, or traveled so much. Procrastination is probably your single biggest enemy as a writer. Habit is your friend. Procrastination can take many different forms. I've seen this in many of my students and seminar attendees. We're all guilty of procrastinating occasionally. I do too. Often people put off writing until just the perfect time comes. They expect to have life perfect so that the creative juices can flow freely. While it's true that small children, a full-time job, or demands of marriage and home can leave anyone sapped of energy and creativity, the perfect world does not exist. Don't wait for more time or better circumstances; make them now. I recommend limiting the unnecessary time wasters in your life if writing is really important. Learn to say no. Limit your involvement in organizations, committees, clubs, and get-togethers that don't directly help you springboard your writing career. It may sound crazy but I haven't watched TV in three years except as a guest at someone else's house. I figure I've saved about 10 hours a week or more and I don't even miss it! Since I gave up TV, which I never watched a lot anyway, I've published several books, and written seven columns. I can't even count how many articles I've published and how many seminars I've taught. What can you give up to allow more time for your writing? Having a real place to write whether it's a separate room, or a screened off area in your bedroom is very helpful also. Try to set and stick with a reasonable schedule. This nurtures habit, your best defense against procrastination. Even if your schedule must be occasionally reshaped, rethought or juggled in order to meet with your life's demands, at least you will be creating a habit of writing. And even though I am an advocate of professional writers groups, continuing education, and seminars, don't enroll in too many of these as an excuse to procrastinate. Although very valuable, they can sometimes be used as excuses for avoiding your writing, which is the main point to begin with. I hope my suggestions and insight encourage you to pick up that pen or turn on that computer---today! May your ink flow freely this summer and always, Carmel *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ This week's newest COMP-ortunity Paramount's Great America Website:http:// www.pgathrills.com Address: Great America Pkwy between Hwy 101 and Hwy 237, Santa Clara, CA Phone: 408-988-1776 Contact: PR Team 408-986-5986 Description: A universe of new Nickelodeon fun, friends, and adventures bursts into Paramount's Great America in 2003. The stars of Nickelodeon's top-rated TV programs step off-screen and come to life to interact with their No. 1 fans in 10 new exciting Nickelodeon rides and attractions. Paramount's Great America has the most rides in Northern California: the most kids' rides, the most coasters, and the most water rides. And, it's the only place in the Bay Area where kids can meet and play with their favorite Nickelodeon friends. The Santa Clara park is open March through October. Call 408-988-1776 or visit www.ParamountsGreatAmerica.com. Coverage desired: FAMILY-FRIENDLY ATTRACTIONS, FAMILY VALUE, NEW NICKELODEON ATTRACTIONS FOR KIDS Prefers writers with any of the following: letter of assignment, press credentials, book in progress, writing samples/clips for review Possible comp: park admission/SEE MEDIA COMP POLICY AT http://www.pgathrills.com/corpinfo_press_media.jsp *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ "Ask a Pro" Publishing/Comping/Writing Q&A "Your Questions---You Always Wanted To Ask," answered by professional writing consultant/coach/author/instructor, Carmel L. Mooney To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com. Questions may be edited for length or content if necessary. Question: I'm calling a resort to ask for a comped trip next week. What are my odds of them saying yes? J. Tasner, Mt. Home, ID Answer: Generally, most writers get a favorable response 8 or 9 out of 10 times. But as I suggest in my book, if you are really chicken about rejection you can email them on their website to request your media comp. My book, Been There Comped That, gives more suggestions on this. It is available at http://www.moneythewriteway.com Question: I just got my first article published and I have not gotten paid yet nor gotten a copy of the magazine; what should I do? A. O'Neal, Fenton, MO Answer: First you must determine whether the publication pays on acceptance or on publication and if you need to invoice them or not. Every publication has different terms for payment. As for the copies of your clip, you should request a few copies whenever you publish a manuscript. Generally, a publisher is glad to give a few free copies and additional copies are offered for a discount off the cover price. Question: Is Print on Demand publishing a sort of Vanity Press and is it really a viable option to get a manuscript published? I've tried dozens of New York publishers and my book keeps getting rejected. K. Kafurke, Salt Lake City, UT Answer: No, POD is not a Vanity Press option! Print on Demand is a legitimate and exciting new way to publish your own book and not be at the mercy of a large publishing house's approval. You may find the number of POD choices overwhelming. Some companies print outstanding bookstore quality books. Some do not. Some offer great prices and some don't. I've learned much of this from my own experiences and that of my seminar students and clients. I highly recommend www.ebookstand.com for both their quality and their price. In fact when you sell the first small lot of books they print for you, you recover your initial investment. What a deal! To ask Carmel a writing, publishing, or comping question, email her at: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com. Carmel Mooney is also available by phone and/or email for private consultation, editing, and coaching. Carmel has helped hundreds of writers achieve writing and publishing success. Email her at: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com or call her at: 916-205-4763 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Business Side of Writing Duane Newcomb Don't Sign an All-Rights Contract To a beginning writer getting an all-rights contract in the mail is a sign that he or she has come of age, to an advanced article writer it is a rights grab by a publisher that is going to cost him or her money. Yet we are seeing more and more of this today with the demand that the writer sign the contract if they want to be published. Why? Because many publishers including the New York Times insist on acquiring all-rights contracts as a means of limiting expenses, yet in many cases, they will use the material over and over. If publishers want additional rights beyond first print, they need to pay for it. Unfortunately this rights grab can sometimes cost you, the writer, a thousand dollars or more. Here are the rights to consider when you get a contract. FIRST NORTH AMERICAN SERIAL RIGHTS Until about ten years ago, most magazine and newspaper publishers asked only for "first North American serial rights." Under this contract, the publisher licenses a one-time right to publish the article first in the North American market. The author retains all other rights to his work, including the right to re-license its use as a reprint ("second serial rights"), to publish it in foreign markets, to license a movie or product spin-off, or anything else. In most cases I go far beyond this and mark all material one-time rights only. Some times in the past I have sold the same article 50 times or more. Recently, however, publishers have begun asking for all rights (usually for the same amount of money). "ALL RIGHTS" CONTRACTS When a writer signs over "all rights" to his literary work he is giving up the right to re-license his work to a reprint magazine, foreign periodical, electronic database, anthology, or business publication, or to re-use the work in a future book. In the past, these rights have given me a good income since I always sell the same material over and over. All rights contracts also hand over the electronic rights on the Internet to the publisher. This has been the subject of several lawsuits "NON-EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS" Granting "non-exclusive rights" to a publisher may sound harmless to a writer, but these non-exclusive rights clauses may allow publishers to profit from your work through their own network of sister publications, syndication contacts, and resale markets without sharing that income with you. A Word of Caution: Examine every contract you get carefully. If it seems unacceptable to you, then try to negotiate. If the publisher won't budge (any many won't today) you will have to make a decision. Today many writers, who have been long standing contributors, simply won't work for these publications. You will have to make your own decision. Next month, join me for information on work for hire contracts... Duane Newcomb is a literary consultant with 36 non-fiction books to his credit, over 5000 articles and more than 150 client books in print. He has taught article and non-fiction book courses at numerous colleges, universities and writer's conferences across the United States. Visit Duane Newcomb's website: The Booksite at www.bookforce.bizland.com offers a cornucopia of information on writing, publishing and promoting your nonfiction book. Need a Book Website that you can build yourself? I can help. Visit our build-a -Website Page at: www.bookforce.bizland.com/id41.html *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ Editor's Pick Book, Magazine, Website, and e-Book Review Victoria Beninga, Editor This Month's Review: PollingReport.com Putting the results of a poll in an article can increase your credibility, help make your point, and make your article more professional. We all hear results of polls, but where do we find them? There is a web site where you can get results of polls as they are released. Some topics are about timely controversial subjects. For example, 1,005 people were asked whether they personally believe that abortion is morally acceptable, morally wrong, depends on the situation, or is not a moral issue. Care to guess the results? According to this Gallup Poll, 37% answered morally acceptable, 53% answered morally wrong, 9% said it depends on the situation, 0% said it was not a moral issue, and 1% had no opinion. Here is another example. What would you guess would be 1,003 people's opinions on whether teenagers or people over 65 are the more dangerous drivers? According to the Gallup Poll, 71% answered teenagers, 25% answered people over 65, and 4% had no opinion. Some topics are just plain fun. What do you think 1,022 people answered when asked what state other than their own they would choose to live in? What would you choose? The Harris Poll found that the number one state was California, followed by Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee, New York, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Virginia, Alaska, Texas, and Georgia. If you would like to include the results of a poll in your next project or just look at them for fun to see how your opinions compare to those listed, you can find the poll results at http://www.pollingreport.com/index.html. Victoria Beninga **Travel Columnist/Editor/Publisher, GOLD COUNTRY FAMILIES, a FREE eMagazine and FREE e-mail newsletter of child-friendly local activities and getaways for Sierra Nevada Gold Country Families, http://www.goldcountryfamilies.com **Columnist/Associate Editor, MONEY THE WRITE WAY, http://www.moneythewriteway.com **RV eBooks available at http://www.ebookstand.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Special Guest Article: The Difference Between Copyright Registration and Library of Congress Cataloging By Gregory Ryhal Many people believe that registering a creative work for copyright protection via the U.S. Copyright Office will automatically make it available through the Library of Congress catalogue. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and it is important to distinguish the differences between the two and wholly separate them from one another. Registering your work with the U.S. Copyright Office is the most important step you can take to protect your work from those that would infringe upon it, either through plagiarism or by illegally reproducing your work. It is literally the only type of copyright protection that will hold up in a court of law. When you submit your book to the U.S. Copyright Office it is considered for addition to the Library of Congress catalog by a selection officer. However, you cannot ensure that your book will be selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress's collection through this method. On the other hand, the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN), while certainly an honorable addition to any creative work, is not a necessity and it will not initiate any type of copyright protection for your work. Fundamentally, the two are unrelated. Basically, the LCCN serves only as a unique identification number, which enables librarians to link to the specific bibliographic information associated with a specific title. Once a book is assigned an LCCN, the publisher prints the LCCN on the copyright page of the book and thereby facilitates cataloging and other book processing activities for libraries and booksellers who obtain copies of the book. Therefore, while the copyright registration number protects the work from infringement, the Library of Congress, general libraries and booksellers use the LCCN only as an inventory cataloging number. It is important for artists and writers to understand these basic fundamental differences between the two very distinct systems. Further information on registering your work for copyright protection can be found online at http://www.loc.gov/copyright/ while information regarding the LCCN can be found online at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/catdir.html#programs. Bookman Marketing can submit your work to the U.S. Copyright Office for copyright protection regardless of whether you publish with us. To inquire about this service or our other unique marketing services, contact us via email at information@bookmanmarketing.com or by telephone at 1-800-342-6068. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~ The Boast Post Don't be modest-we applaud you! Whether it's an assignment victory, a publishing accomplishment, comp, or a writing goal achieved, we'd love to hear it. Please include your full name or initials, and your city and state. Send your boast in 75 words or less to: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com (may be edited for length or content) Boast: I publish a free e-mail newsletter and eMagazine at http://www.goldcountryfamilies.com. In order to keep it free to subscribers, I'm going to include advertising. I just sold my first advertising space to two clients. Victoria Beninga, Meadow Vista, CA Inspirational Mystery/Suspense Romance Novel coming soon by Barbara J. Robinson: http://pages.prodigy.net/bud25 Buy Barbara's books at www.amazon.com As steamy as the hot, thick, sticky heat of Louisiana, this page-turner will keep you in suspense, and readers will find themselves all steamed up, wondering what happens next, with a tale of love, loss, superstition, pain, heartache, and faith in God in the hot, sticky, Southern heat, with this Southern mystery/suspense/romance novel. Barbara J. Robinson is the author of Magnolia: A Wilting Flower and The Lord had Something Better in Mind, and "My Special Mother". Her testimonial appears in Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul. Robinson her husband, Scott, her German Shepherd, Dakota, and Siamese cats Star and Princess happily make their home in Florida. Magnolia: A Wilting Flower by Barbara J. Robinson took home a trophy from the Florida Writers Association (FWA) Convention last October when the creative nonfiction Southern memoir won a Royal Palm Award. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Coming Soon/Around the Corner: Great writing courses by nationally acclaimed writing instructors! Take them from the privacy of your home and have email access to your questions from the instructor. COMING SOON! Email for more information; there's no obligation. Carmel@moneythewriteway.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Websites for Writers! ---Hazel Nieves, expert on Internet Marketing and Online business success, is owner of Web Development Company, Sierra Technology Solutions, Inc. She has 20 years experience in sales, marketing, and technology and is a committed crusader in helping take the confusion out of taking your business online. You can contact Hazel at 530-367-2915 or Customerservice@sierratechnologysolutions.com Special Offer! Writers Special E-biz Website Package Turn-key Package Includes: *5 Custom Pages *Shopping Cart (up to 10 products) *Secure Server *One year hosting service *Uses your own domain *Up to 15 Email accounts *Attractive Professional designs to choose from *Copyright Statement page Special Price: $ 600.00 complete Get started today with your Affordable Professional E-business website here: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com /writers/writers_special.htm Learn more from Hazel at: http://www.sierratechnologysolutions.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ It's FREE---List your inn, resort, restaurant, entertainment venue, business, or destination seeking written coverage---contact the publisher: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Money The Write Way eMagazine TO SUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "subscribe" as the subject to: subscribe@moneythewriteway.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" as the subject to: unsubscribe@moneythewriteway.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Have something you'd like to offer more than 4000 writers and authors? Place and ad in Money the Write Way today! It's affordable and effective. Email for rates and details: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Write Spirit Publishing P.O. Box 3405 Auburn, CA 95604 Contact us at: Carmel@moneythewriteway.com We welcome your comments/suggestions/requests/contributions Carmel L. Mooney, Publisher Victoria Beninga, Associate Editor http://www.moneythewriteway.com Should the links we provide not work, this may mean your E-mail program doesn't like our code. If this occurs, please go directly to our current online archived issue at: http://www.moneythewriteway.com You may freely distribute this eMag to friends, discussion lists, and writing groups as long as the issue is included in its entirety. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~