Author's Corner January 2009

Happy New Year, everyone! We have some exciting things in store for you in 2009.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson and I will be facilitating a one-time pre-recorded audio class to air on Tuesday, January 13, 2009. It will be called "Conversation with Editors" and we will cover some of the common mistakes writers make and how to correct them. We will also give some helpful tips for impressing a publisher with your query letter. Ask your editing and querying questions in the comments feature at this WITS blog post now to be sure your question is answered during the class. You may contact me to get the link to the recorded class. Carolyn is an editor and author of The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward To Avoid Humiliation And Ensure Success (How to Do It Frugally).

I have three grandbabies on the way! Baby blessings to my three girls: step-daughter-in-law, Katie; my daughter, Sareya; and my daughter-in-law, Amanda, who are all expecting in 2009! Katie’s boy (her third child) is due in April, Sareya and Scott’s baby (their first child) is due in June, and Amanda and Zeb’s baby (their second child) is due in July.

WITS is considering making our newsletter a full-blown online e-zine. I realize this would take even more time and money to produce, so to offset the cost, we may offer ad space. Please take our survey to let us know if you would/would not be willing to pay for ad space if we were to create an online magazine. We would still have our regular features: The Writing Life, informative articles, Network with Us, Book with a View, and Poetry Corner, but we might expand it to include more feature columns. Let us know what your favorite features are by taking a survey to help us improve what we are doing.

Recently, I proofread a series of e-books called Just the FAQs authored by technical expert, MaAnna Stephenson. I cannot say enough of good things about them! Just the FAQs gives authors, writers, or anyone who has little experience with online technology, the essentials for setting up a blog, adding RSS Feed, creating a Web site, and book promotion through article marketing. See how valuable and easy these non-geeky e-books are when you visit http://www.justthefaqs.net/ . Oh, and there are free online marketing resources and downloads on the JTF blog http://justthefaqsblog.blogspot.com/ . Check that out, too.

My 92-year-old grandmother (we call her Nanny) is still unable to walk after falling and breaking her hip and arm in November, but we have a contraption, which reminds me of an engine hoist or an amusement park ride, to get her in and out of bed. She does several hours of “chair time” each day. Her arm is healing well, but the osteoporosis in her hip is too advanced for the bone to mend well enough to regain weight bearing condition. My mom is a saint and should win the galactic lottery if good works and patience had anything to do with. She cares for Nanny around the clock in her home.

There are only a few seats left in my mentoring program for freelance writers that begins January 14. I look forward to facilitating a weekly 1-hour tele-seminar on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 Central Time. In these writing classes, students will build a real-world portfolio while learning the craft and business of freelance writing. Weekly assignments will be given to the group and graded individually. This is a great way to get encouragement and help in specific areas of need. Learn more about WITS mentoring program at http://writersinthesky.com/mentoring.html. These classes are filling up fast, so contact us to be placed on the January 2009 newbie class roster. An entry essay will be required before admission is confirmed.

Be sure to see the WITS resources page for some great recommendations on books to improve writing, technical expertise, newsletters and web sites, internet radio shows and podcasts, book publishers and literary agents, book marketing sites, book printers, and online promotion books and e-books.

Here’s to your writing success and the best WITS year ever!