The anthology was to be organized and publicized via the micro-blogging service Twitter (hence the name, of course). It was to be self-published on Lulu.com, with all profits going to the British charity Comic Relief.
Well, I'm delighted to say that the project was a big success, with over 70 stories, poems, blog posts and more submitted for consideration. In an amazingly short time the entries were whittled down to the 13 chosen. The book was designed, edited and published, and beside me I have my very own copy, which I bought from the Lulu sales page just three days ago.
So what are my impressions? First off, I was a bit surprised by the size of the printed version (you can also order it as an e-book if you like). It's actually A4 size, so don't expect to carry it about easily in your pocket or handbag. The typeface is large and well spaced out. I quite like this, actually, as it means it's easy to read in dim light or when drunk ;-)
Of course, the main thing is the quality of the writing, and that's one thing that really has impressed me. I've not read all of TwitterTitters yet - I only got my copy yesterday - but I've very much enjoyed all the pieces I've read so far. There was an upper limit of 1400 words, which means that they can all be read in ten minutes or less - perfect for a short bus ride or whatever.
One contribution I particularly enjoyed from those I've read so far is The Creature Between Us by Cally Taylor. This story - about Gordon and Mary, and a frog who is actually Gordon's mid-life crisis - made me laugh out loud, and I loved the clever twist at the end.
Considering the breakneck speed with which TwitterTitters has been produced - to be ready for Red Nose Day on 13th March 2009 - the production quality is excellent, and the very occasional typo doesn't in the least detract from the pleasure of reading it.
I heard recently from my friends at WEbook.com, the collaborative writing website, that they are planning a new, printed book about Barack Obama's Inauguration as US President on January 20th (next Tuesday).
They are invitinImage by jmtimages via Flickrg anyone interested to contribute an article for possible inclusion in the book. All profits from sales will go to a nonprofit educational and publishing organisation, 826 National. I've reproduced below the information sheet they sent me, including where to submit your work.
Make History on Jan 20 2009: True Stories, Real People, One Day
On January 20, 2009, the United States will inaugurate Barack Obama as its forty-fourth president. Millions will flock to Washington, and countless more will mark the event in their hometowns. WEbook.com, the home of community-sourced books, will publish a collection of inauguration stories, told by real people in their own words.
Jan 20 2009: True Stories, Real People, One Day represents a new approach to documenting history, made possible by WEbook.com's innovative online writing and social media platform. Never before has a publisher had access to so many voices so quickly around such a noteworthy event. This is Community-Sourced History: by the people, for the people.
Will this be a printed book?
Yes!
Leveraging the speed and agility of the internet and digital printing by CreateSpace (an Amazon company), the printed book will be available within two weeks of the inauguration. Books will be sold on WEbook.com and Amazon.com for $9.99. WEbook will donate all profits from the project - and ask its authors to donate their royalties - to 826 National (www.826National.org), a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations in seven cities across the country. Their goal is to assist students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to help teachers get their classes excited about writing
Get Involved
You can add your voice to Jan 20 2009: True Stories, Real People, One Day by sharing your story of your anticipation of, participation in, and reflection on inauguration day. The deadline for short (500 word max) submissions is midnight EST, January 21. Submit online at www.webook.com/jan20.
If you know other writers who might be interested in being part of this community-sourced history, spread the word or email jan20-at-WEbook.com.
About WEbook
WEbook.com is an online community where writers, readers, and 'feedbackers' create great books and cast their votes to make their favorite undiscovered writers the next published authors. WEbook is an innovative avenue for new and established writers to find an audience, tapping the wisdom of the crowd to create a unique new form of creative work: community-sourced books.
In early February 2009, WEbook will release its first published community-sourced guide, 101 Things Every Man Should Know How to Do. This 'manthology' - comprising valuable lessons like 'How to Fight a Bear' and 'How to Sneak into Cuba' - was written by 28 authors working on WEbook.com, with help from hundreds of others who shared their insights along the way. What's next? Thrillers, fantasy novels, mysteries, children's books, and more - all written, refined, read, and rated by WEbook users.
You might also like to read this guest post on my blog last year by Melissa Jones, Content Manager of WEbook.com, which explains in more detail how this innovative site works. One of these days I shall definitely get around to joining myself!
As some of you will know, Jayne and I spent Christmas on the island of Madeira. I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about it, and share a few pictures I took.
For those who don't know, Madeira is in the north Atlantic, about 360 miles from the coast of North Africa. The island is an autonomous region of Portugal. It's become very popular with holidaymakers due to its pleasant all-year-round climate and verdant landscape, though there are no beaches to speak of.
We stayed in the island capital, Funchal, at the Hotel Porto Mare. The hotel was great, and if anyone is considering going there, I strongly recommend spending a few extra pounds (or euro/dollars) for a 'superior room'. That's what we did, and we ended up in a suite bigger than the ground floor of our home, complete with His and Hers bathrooms. We felt like rock stars!
Although we had a good time, the weather wasn't that wonderful. It started raining on the second day, and continued almost without interruption till we left. Still, at least it was warmer than Britain, which was shivering with sub-zero temperatures. Here's Jayne walking along the promenade during one of the rare sunny intervals...
Here's a view of Funchal from a viewpoint high above the city. Note the red hot pokers in the foreground.
Father Christmas paid a visit on Christmas morning. Here he is handing out gifts to the children at breakfast.
This is one of the many chestnut sellers along the seafront in Funchal. All the steam comes from the cooking. It started raining again soon after this!
The hotel had some beautiful gardens. Here's a lovely Hibiscus flower...
And here's a view through the gardens to the back of the hotel itself.
Finally, the hotel put on some great entertainment in the evenings. We went every night, and enjoyed a magic show as well as traditional and modern music and dance. The video below shows a number performed by one of our favourites, a group called Sweet Dancers. As ever, you will need to visit my blog to see the video.
Incidentally, I hope Sweet Dancers don't mind me posting this video here for others to enjoy. Of course, if I receive any objections, I'll take it straight down.
Economic conditions are undoubtedly tough right now, but such times bring opportunities as well as threats.
So in this post I thought I'd set out a few reasons for optimism where freelance writers are concerned. And there are actually more of these than you might think...
1. With companies laying off permanent staff to save money, I fully expect more work to be outsourced to freelances in the months ahead.
2. In tough times, businesses have to do more to promote themselves and keep sales ticking over. This will create more opportunities for business writers (and copywriters in particular).
3. And likewise, in these harshly competitive times, I expect more businesses to come to appreciate the value of good-quality writing, both on- and off-line. This should create more, better paid opportunities for writers who can deliver the goods.
4. I also expect that the flexibility and low overheads offered by freelances will be increasingly appreciated by cash-strapped companies.
5. The accelerating trend away from buying on the high street and toward buying online can only benefit freelances and other small businesses as long as they are 'web wise'.
6. The latest software and Internet services make it easier than ever for freelances to operate successfully via the net, set up professional-looking websites, use social networking to find new clients and collaborators, bid for commissions, and so on.
7. And freelances are typically far quicker to adapt to changing circumstances than large companies, who become set in their ways and vulnerable to changes in the market that make their products and services suddenly less desirable.
I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
Don't get me wrong - I have a lot of sympathy for people who are in conventional employment and don't know from one day to the next whether they will still have a job to go to tomorrow. But for a growing number of people, I'm convinced that the answer lies in self-employment. And unlike traditional jobs, I expect that opportunities for freelances will actually increase in the months - and years - ahead.
Just wanted to wish every reader of my blog a happy, creative and (Credit Crunch notwithstanding) prosperous 2009!
I hope this is the year when you fulfill, or at least start to fulfill, all of your writing ambitions.
I'm looking forward to sharing my writing tips, advice, online "discoveries" and more with you on my blog in 2009. So if you haven't already done so, be sure to subscribe via email or RSS to ensure you never miss a post!
Don't forget, also, to sign up to follow me on the micro-blogging service Twitter. I regularly use this to share details of resources, contests, writers' markets and more that I don't always have time to post on my blog.
Good luck to all of you, and I very much look forward to hearing about your writing successes in the months ahead.
In just a couple of days - even less in some parts of the world - it will be 2009. It's the ideal time to plan ahead and set yourself writing goals and targets for the new year.
One thing about goals is that, to be of any practical use, they need to be specific. 'Make more money' from writing, while it sounds attractive, is too vague to be much help in motivating you.
A better goal might be 'to boost my writing income by 30 per cent this year'. Or, if you want something even more specific, 'complete my first book by the end of 2009'. Goals like these are much better because they give you a clear target to aim at and a yardstick to measure your progress.
I have a number of goals I want to achieve in 2009. Here are some of them...
* Create my first podcast.
* Start at least one new blog using the popular WordPress blogging system.
* Develop a new and radically different writing course idea I have been mulling over for some time now.
* Complete the writing course I am working on currently for a client.
* Write at least three more non-fiction books by the end of the year.
Those are just some of my writing goals for 2009. But I'd love to know, what are YOURS?
Please feel free to add them as comments to this blog post. Having your goals on display here permanently will give you an added incentive to achieve them. And naturally, at the end of the year I'll want to see evidence that you have done so!
At the end of May Jayne and I enjoyed a week's holiday on the Greek island of Lesvos (also known as Lesbos). I thought I'd tell you a little bit about it, and also share a few photographs.
It was the first time we had ever been to Lesvos, although regular readers will know that Jayne and I love Greece and go there as often as we can.
Lesvos is the third largest of the Greek islands, after Crete and Evia. It's in the north-eastern Aegean, very close to Turkey. We stayed in Anaxos, a quiet resort on the north of the island, at a place called the Anaxos Hotel (which I highly recommend, by the way). The nearest town to Anaxos is Petra, which we went to on the local bus one day.
It was sunny every day during our holiday, and it got steadily hotter. Consequently we didn't do anything too strenuous, though we did spend plenty of time swimming in the sea and in the hotel pool. The picture below was taken from the balcony of our room and shows the pool and the hotel entrance.
We spent a lot of time on the beach, making good use of the free sunbeds at a beach bar called Hippocampus ('Seahorse'), which quickly became our favourite. Here's Jayne taking it easy with a new friend...
As mentioned, one day we went to Petra on the local bus and enjoyed lunch at the Women's Co-operative, which we'd seen recommended on the Internet. Here's a photo of the outdoor dining terrace. As you'll see, we had the place pretty much to ourselves...
And here's the delicious mixed plate we shared that day. I can almost taste it now!
The sunsets at Anaxos were all beautiful, but the one on the last day was particularly stunning. Here's a photo I'm currently using as the desktop on my PC!
You can see more photographs I took, including some of the impressively preserved interior of an 18th century merchant's house in Petra, on this Picasaweb page.
We definitely plan to return to Anaxos before too long!
A few weeks ago in this post I talked about the 50th birthday party of my old friend, the poet and performer Simon Pitt.
Simon threw a great party for friends and family in a Birmingham pub. And as part of this he organised a night of cabaret-style entertainment, headlined by himself and guitarist Tony Wille, in their long-standing partnership Redman Greenman.
I was there with my video camera and recorded the whole of Simon and Tony's set. It's taken me a while (I'm new to this video lark), but I finally got the footage I shot uploaded to YouTube. So here - as promised back in January - is a taste of the entertainment we enjoyed that night. This is Redman Greenman's opening number. I thought it was a good one to post for an audience of writers, as it's called Cliches...
If you are receiving this post by email, you will need to visit my blog to watch the video.
Sorry the video is a bit dark, by the way. The pub was chock-a-block with guitars, amplifiers and who knows what, but nobody thought to bring any extra lighting...
Also, in case you're wondering, I couldn't just post the whole set on YouTube, as it was half an hour long, and the maximum duration for a YouTube video is 10 minutes. So I ended up chopping the set into eight short videos, one for each of the numbers Simon and Tony performed. If you'd like to see them all, I've created a special Redman Greenman page on my website and put them there.
And finally, just in case you're interested in booking Redman Greenman or want to offer them a multi-million dollar recording contract, you can contact them via the web page of Tony Wille (Redman). Or, of course, I'll be more than happy to pass any messages on.
At the end of March, Jayne and I enjoyed a short break in Guernsey. I thought perhaps you might like to hear a little bit about it, and see some of the photos I took.
For those who don't know, Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands, a small group of islands between Britain and France. Guernsey (like the other Channel Islands) is a British Crown dependency, though it's not part of the United Kingdom. Guernsey is the second largest Channel Island after Jersey, which we visited a couple of years ago (see this post).
We stayed at a hotel called the Bon Port, which is in the parish of St Martins, in the south-east of the island. Being so early in the season, it was very quiet. Indeed, on our first night we were the only guests in the hotel! It was a good break, though, and great to be out and about breathing the sea air rather than sitting in front of my computer as usual.
Although the weather could fairly be described as mixed (at one point we were caught in a hailstorm!), we didn't let it stop us seeing what the island had to offer. We had a day in St Peterport, the capital, where we spent some time exploring the historic Castle Cornet and its museums.
On another day, when the weather was bad, we took the rep's advice and hopped on a number 7 bus, which took us all around the island for just 60p (about $1). This was a great way of seeing the whole of the island's coastline. It illustrates how small Guernsey is that, even with regular stops and starts, the entire circuit took little over an hour.
Photos, then. Here's a picture of the two of us enjoying breakfast at the hotel. Note the freesias, for which Guernsey is famous.
Here's one of several tableaux in the museum at Castle Cornet, showing how the castle barracks might have looked in the 18th century (I think). And yes, we did ask if it was OK to take photos!
This is a tea-room which we discovered while walking along the cliff path from the hotel. Those mugs of hot chocolate were very welcome!
You can see more of the photos I took in Guernsey on my Picasa album page.
Finally, here's a video clip of the view from the balcony of our hotel room. It's not the most exciting video you'll ever see, and the quality isn't great, but it may give you some idea why we thought it was well worth paying the extra for a sea view!
If you are receiving this post by email, you will need to visit my blog to watch the video.
Incidentally, if anyone else is thinking of visiting Guernsey, I do recommend the Bon Port. Not only does it have a great location with spectacular views, the food is also first rate. It is a little bit remote, however, so if you're not keen on walking I'd recommend hiring a car, or else booking somewhere a little closer to the main bus routes!
* I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen * Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues * Cheese Problems Solved * If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs * People who Mattered in Southend and Beyond: From King Canute to Dr Feelgood * How to Write a How to Write Book
Of course, I wrote the last one - no, only kidding! It was actually a guy called Brian Piddock. His publisher says: 'It's the book that will tell all you less-than-successful authors where you went wrong. No longer must you try and sell your novel or play or memoir and be rejected again and again. Now you can write your own How to Write book, and at last success will be yours.'
I'm saying nothing ;-)
Other books that, according to The Bookseller, narrowly missed out on a shortlist place this year included:
* Drawing and Painting the Undead * Stafford Pageant: The Exciting Innovative Years 1901-1952 * Tiles of the Unexpected: A Study of Six Miles of Geometric Tile Patterns on the London Underground.
They all sound fascinating reading. The winner will be chosen by a website poll that is open to anyone. So why not visit The Bookseller site and cast your vote? The poll is on the right-hand side of the homepage - you may just have to scroll down a little to see it. The winner will be announced on 28 March.
If you're a UK author with at least one published book and you're registered for PLR, you should have received your annual statement by now, with payment due in the first week of February. If you have an account at the UK PLR website, you can also view your statement there in electronic form.
For those who don't know, PLR stands for Public Lending Right. It is a payment made to UK authors out of government funding to compensate them every time one of their books is borrowed from a public library. Authors are paid about 6p (approximately 10c) per library loan, and the most any author is allowed to receive is 6,600 pounds (about $12,000 US). Most authors, naturally, get far less than this.
Even so, if you're a UK author with at least one full-length book to your name (even if it's self published or you were paid a fixed fee), you should definitely register with the PLR office to claim what's due to you. Nowadays you can apply online if you wish.
While you're about it, too, don't forget to register with ALCS (the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society). ALCS pays money to UK authors for a range of things, most notably when their books are photocopied. They also distribute fees paid by other countries in respect of library lending, photocopying and so on in the countries concerned.
I always find it fascinating to study my PLR statement. A number of my books are out of print these days, but that doesn't stop people borrowing them from libraries. One of my 'star performers' is Start Your Own Home-based Business, which was published back in 2001 and is definitely a bit out of date now. However, my PLR statement shows that last year it was borrowed from libraries 1678 times, earning me a fraction over 100 pounds. Since it was published, I have earned almost a thousand pounds in PLR fees for this book alone.
This example is an interesting one, since with this book (and several others I have written) I was paid a fixed fee by the publishers. In effect, then, my PLR payments are simply an added bonus for me. In fact, because I get paid for library loans but don't receive any royalties on sales, it is more beneficial to me when people borrow my book from a library rather than buying it outright! For this reason, I've also been known to turn down opportunities to talk on TV or radio about this and other books where I was paid a fixed fee, as the main benefit of any publicity would go to my publishers rather than myself. This is possibly an example of the Law of Unintended Consequences...
Incidentally, non-UK nationals cannot claim PLR payments (or payments from ALCS), but many other countries - though not the USA as far as I know - have similar schemes in place to compensate writers for library lending, photocopying, and so on.
I thought for a change I'd share with you what I was doing at the weekend. On Saturday night Jayne and I went to the 50th birthday celebration of my old friend, the poet and performer Simon Pitt.
Simon and I go back many years. We've collaborated on several books - click here for one example - and also shared a stage in years gone by. But basically, and most importantly, he's one of my closest friends.
Anyway, for his 50th, Simon decided he wanted to do something special, so he hired the large upstairs room at the Old Royal pub in Birmingham (England). He invited all his friends, and arranged a night of cabaret-style entertainment.
All the acts were friends of Simon and gave their services free. And naturally, Simon himself was top of the bill, performing with ace guitarist Tony Wille in their long-standing words-and-music partnership, Redman, Greenman.
Everyone had a great time, and it was wonderful to meet so many old friends we hadn't seen for a long time. Jayne and I got a table near the front. We took quite a few photos, so I've copied some of the better ones below.
The show was launched in good style by blues duo Kirsty and Kenny...
Here's Arts Council West Midlands' Literature Officer Adrian Johnson, reading from his novel. Adrian also stepped in at the last moment as compere for the evening, which he did with his customary aplomb.
I hadn't seen Sally Lavender before, but she blew everyone away with her rendition of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, accompanying herself on the recorder. You really had to be there!
Here's the birthday boy, Simon Pitt, in full flow. Sorry the picture is a little dark.
And here are Tony and Simon performing their encore, The Monster Mash/Unchained Melody (again, you really had to be there...).
Finally, who's that idiot with a new video camera getting in everyone's way?
Well, yes, it's me, I'm afraid. I videoed the whole of Simon and Tony's set, and I'll try to put at least some of it on my blog in due course, so you can get a flavour of their unique style. But first, I have to work out how to transfer the video to my PC, how to edit it, how to upload it, and so on. Watch this space, I guess!
P.S. If you'd like to see any more still photos from the event, you can do so by clicking here. I'll try to put some captions up soon.
As some of you will already know, this year Jayne and I spent Christmas week in Cyprus. It was our first visit to the island, which for those who don't know is in the eastern Mediterranean. We stayed in Paphos, which is a quiet but popular resort. It's also a World Heritage Site because of the amazing Roman ruins and mosaics that are still being discovered there.
We had a great week, and I thought you might like to see a few of the photos I took. The first one is a view of our hotel - The Pioneer Beach - by evening.
Although the hotel we stayed at was for adults only, we had a visit from Father Christmas on Christmas morning. Here's Jayne standing beside him. I think he was the smallest Santa I'd ever seen!
The Roman mosaics at Paphos were truly astonishing. I thought there might be half a dozen or so, but there are literally hundreds, many of them incredibly well preserved considering their age. The photos I took don't really do them justice, but here's one showing close-up details, which reveals just how intricate they are.
We were lucky with the weather during our stay. Here's a typical sunset...
And here's one of the beautiful tapestries at the Kykkos Monastery, which we visited on a coach trip. Yes, that really is gold leaf!
I hope you like the photos. If you wish, you can see a lot more I took on this Picasa web page.
I'd definitely like to visit Cyprus again before too long!
Just wanted to wish all readers of my blog a very happy Christmas and a successful and creative new year. I'm taking a break from blogging for the next week or so, so after this post the next time you'll hear from me will be in 2008!
I shan't be online much over the festive period, so please be patient if you need to contact me about anything. Remember, if you have any queries about any of my writing courses, you can always raise a ticket at www.myhelphub.com. WCCL's support team never sleep, and there will usually be someone around, even on Christmas Day!
I know many of you will have a little more time than usual available over the next few days, so do remember that my forum is always open, and is a great place for getting feedback on your work, tackling a writing challenge or two, or just shooting the breeze in the Coffee Shop. And, of course, if Santa has brought you a few extra pounds/dollars/euro, there are some great resources for writers (including my courses) available via WCCL's WriteStreet website.
Finally, a couple of quick personal messages. First, I'd like to send my support and best wishes to my friend and fellow writer Dr Suzanne (Suzie) Harris, who is going through a rough patch at the moment. I'm not allowed to set out all the circumstances here, but basically she has found herself on the wrong side of the authorities through no fault of her own, and the full weight of the bureaucratic system here in the UK has descended on her. I hope Suzie and her family have as good a Christmas as they can in the circumstances, and that 2008 is a happier year for them.
And - on a brighter note - I'd like to offer my congratulations to my old friend Clare Girvan, who I've just heard has won the 1500 euro first prize in the prestigious 2007 Fish Historical Short Story Competition, having been a runner-up in previous Fish contests. The winners' details aren't yet showing on the website, but should be there soon. Clare is a highly talented short story writer, and it's great to see her work finally getting the recognition it deserves. Way to go, Clare!
Many readers of this blog also belong to my forum at www.mywriterscircle.com, or at least visit it occasionally. So I thought I should bring you up to date with a few developments there.
First of all, we have a "changing of the guard" among the moderators. Our longest-standing mod, Lin, has decided to resign as a moderator in order to have more time for her own writing and her voluntary work on behalf of the BOS Foundation UK (BOS stands for Borneo Orangutan Survival).
I should like to express again here my gratitude to Lin for her hard work on behalf of MWC, and wish her every success in all her future endeavours. Lin assures me that she will remain a regular visitor to the forum as an ordinary member, and indeed has started a special thread in the Coffee Shop to keep members informed about her work on behalf of orangutans.
In Lin's place we have a new moderator, PaulW. Paul lives in Dundee, Scotland, and has been an active and well-respected member of MWC since September 2006. Again, I wish him every success and satisfaction in his new role. If you are a member of Mywriterscircle and wish to add your good wishes to Paul and/or Lin, you can do so in this forum topic.
Incidentally, for those who don't know, the moderators are all unpaid volunteers. They have agreed in a public-spirited way to take on this extra responsibility, to help keep the forum tidy and ensure it remains a safe and welcoming place for all its members. The moderators have certain extra powers compared with ordinary members, including the ability to edit, move and delete posts. The other moderators on Mywriterscircle are Cathy C, Saturnine, Symphony, Nadine L and Carrie.
On a more technical note, some of you might be interested to know that, thanks to the hard work of forum administrator Karl Moore, Mywriterscircle can now be viewed in all its glory on any mobile (cell) phone with Internet access. No special URL is required - just enter www.mywriterscircle.com as usual. Many thanks to Karl for making this possible.
Karl has also changed the settings on the forum so that members' email addresses can only be viewed by logged-in members, and not by casual visitors. This should reduce the risk of members' email addresses being "harvested" from the forum and used by spammers. Of course, you can reduce the risk still further by opting to make your e-mail address invisible, as I explained in this recent forum post. Other members will still be able to contact you using the forum's PM (personal messaging) facility.
It's also worth mentioning that in the last few days several more very interesting-looking opportunities have been posted on the Writers Wanted board by my colleague Linda Jones (though admittedly they are mainly relevant to UK writers). Thanks again, Linda!
Finally, on a lighter note, you might just like to visit Mywriterscircle to check out our new, festive-themed header. I particularly like the iPod with a Santa hat!
Just wanted to wish all my American readers, and especially the growing number who subscribe to this blog, a VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Enjoy the holiday, don't eat too much turkey, and spare a thought for us poor Brits who don't celebrate this particular holiday and are simply working as normal!
To win this prize, you have to write a short verse about Mywriterscircle.com and post it in this topic. Any verse-form may be used, with an upper limit of 14 lines (so sonnets are eligible!). Use of humour is not only acceptable, it is positively encouraged. The judges will be me and Karl Moore of WCCL, and we will each pick our favourite of all the entries submitted. Each winner will then receive a prize (we have two to give away in total).
Forum members can post their entries as a reply in this forum topic, which also includes the full rules. Please do NOT post comments or queries there, though, as we want to keep it for contest entries only. Any comments or questions about the contest can be posted in this other topic.
The closing date is Friday 30 November at 12 noon GMT - so have fun, and get writing!
The main substance of Rob's complaint concerned the testimonials used in The Writers Bureau's ads in newspapers and magazines. Rob believed that these exaggerated how successful the books and authors in question had actually been, and for the most part his complaints were upheld. You can read the full story in Rob's blog post, and also in the full ASA judgement, which was posted online earlier this week.
As a former Writers Bureau tutor, author of some of their course material, and creator of one of their regular ads (though not the testimonials!), I must admit to a particular interest in this matter.
In my long experience The Writers Bureau is a reputable organisation which in general offers a good service to its students, so I take no pleasure in seeing this judgement made against them by the ASA. However, I had been aware for some time that their newspaper ads always used the same testimonials, which I would have thought counter-productive anyway.
It seems to me that The Writers Bureau has been lazy in not updating its advertising. The testimonials also seem to have been misleading in other ways, for which I suppose the charitable explanation is that somebody at their advertising agency got a bit carried away. I know from my own experience as a WB tutor that many of their students did indeed go on to achieve publishing success, so I'm sure they could have found plenty of genuine, non-misleading testimonials if they had bothered to look. As I say, it looks like laziness to me, rather than anything more sinister in the organisation as a whole.
When this topic was discussed on my forum, one member commented that every company invents testimonials to try to make their product sound better. I absolutely disagree with this, however. I've worked for a wide range of mail-order and web-based publishers and, while they may indulge in some creative copywriting at times, testimonials are one thing they will never make up. With a good product, anyway, you don't need to. In the case of my writing courses such as Quick Cash Writing and Write Any Book in Under 28 Days, my publishers and I have received hundreds of unsolicited testimonials, and the only difficult thing is knowing which to feature in our advertising.
So my view is that The Writers Bureau have shot themselves in the foot on this issue. Rather than complaining about the ASA judgement, I think they should take a long, hard look at their advertising strategy, and in particular the testimonials they use. They should ensure that these are genuine and regularly updated. Even if they may not always sound quite as impressive as the discredited quotes described in the ASA judgement, they will be more realistic and believable, and may actually be more effective in persuading people to sign up with them. And, of course, The Writers Bureau will not risk having its reputation tarnished any further if someone such as Rob Spence decides to look into them in more detail!
PLEASE NOTE: This archived post is still attracting a lot of search engine traffic, so I'd ask readers to bear in mind that the ASA judgement is old news now. I suggest reading my more recent post, An Interview With Diana Nadin of The Writers Bureau, for a more up-to-date perspective on The Writers Bureau and its courses. Thank You!
OK, so it's not exactly New England, but Burntwood (where I live) is looking quite picturesque at the moment. Here are a few pictures I took yesterday, when I sneaked out of my office for a few minutes...
If you are receiving this post by email, depending on your settings, you may need to visit my blog to see the pictures. You can also see a few more pictures I took by clicking here.
Today it is cloudy, and gale-force winds are forecast for tomorrow. So I suspect that by the end of this week, most of the remaining leaves in the trees will have gone!
Many thanks to everyone who voted for my forum in this poll. Thanks also to the nice people at Writer's Digest, who gave the forum the following write-up on their site:
Apart from review boards for prose, poetry and scriptwriting, there are general advice boards, writers resources, a chat room and even a coffee shop (for off-topic conversation). It supports writers of all levels in a friendly, informal way.
Couldn't agree more, guys!
Nominations are already being accepted for next year's Top 100 list, and you can e-mail them in with your comments to writersdig-at-fwpubs.com, with "101 Websites" as the subject (change the -at- in the e-mail address to the usual @ sign). Obviously, if you'd like to vote again for my forum to keep it in the top 100, that will be much appreciated. And if you want to vote for my blog or WritersFM as well, feel free to do so!
Finally, it's well worth visiting the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers page anyway, to check out the other 100 sites listed. There are some great resources for writers here, including a surprising (to me) number that I was previously unaware of. Some of these I will no doubt be highlighting on this blog in the coming months.
Yes, I've been on my travels again. Last week Jayne and I spent a few days in the beautiful Italian city of Venice. If you click on the link below, it will take you to an album of photos I took while I was there.
We stayed at the Hotel Scandinavia, which for those of you who know Venice is about half-way between St Mark's and the Rialto Bridge. It proved to be a great location for exploring the city, about as central as you could wish. It was quiet and peaceful, however, helped considerably by the fact that no cars are allowed in the main part of the city.
We had a great few days exploring the narrow lanes and (of course) the many canals. According to Wikipedia, Venice consists of 118 islands formed by about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon. The islands are connected by about 400 bridges, and by the end of our break it felt as though we had crossed most of them!
I recommend Venice as a beautiful and fascinating place to visit. I would offer two pieces of advice to anyone thinking of going, however. First, get yourself a good, large-scale map: with the narrow streets and tall buildings, it's very easy to get lost. And second, pack some warm clothes. At the advice of a friend who had been before at this time of year I packed two woolly jumpers, and was very glad I had done so!
Incidentally, my online photo album was created using Picasa, the free photo organising (and editing) service from Google. Picasa automatically finds all the photos on your PC and lets you organise them into albums. And - as you can see - it also allows you to publish your albums to the Web for others to enjoy, again free of charge. If you'd like more info about Picasa, just click here and click on the banner that appears.
Yes, the contest to post message number 101,000 on my forum has been won.
The lucky (skilful?) winner is Bonsibabe (real name Di), who was convinced she had no chance at all. On the forum last night she wrote, "I'm not generally a lucky person with these kind of things, I always just miss out! So I'm not really on to win..."
Well, guess what, Di, your luck has changed! For those who like to know these things, here's a link to the winning post (no pun intended).
Thanks to everyone who took part in the posting frenzy last night, which meant we reached post 101,000 much sooner than I anticipated. Indeed, it happened while I was having my tea (I do have to leave my computer occasionally!), so I had to do some frantic counting back to work out the winner.
Many thanks, also, to our friends at WhiteSmoke, who kindly donated the software prize. If you would like more information about their popular program, which not only checks your writing for mistakes but suggests ways of "enriching" it, please click on the banner below.
And watch out for more prize contests on my blog and forum soon!
Here's a special contest for members of my forum only! As you'll know from my last post, we just clocked up 100,000 posts. Well, we've now arranged with our friends at WhiteSmoke to give away a copy of their popular writing software to whoever creates post number 101,000!
For those who don't know, WhiteSmoke is a program that aims to help users produce better-written documents. It does this by analyzing the spelling, punctuation and grammar in any document, then suggesting corrections and possible improvements. If you missed it, you can read my full review of WhiteSmoke's software here (though note that this does not mention some of the new features added recently, such as the built-in dictionary).
This contest is already generating lots of interest on the forum, and there are now only a few hundred posts to go until the magic 101,000 is reached. See this topic where the contest is being discussed!
Finally, I should mention that WhiteSmoke currently have a special 'Birthday Offer' running. As it's the company's birthday, they are offering everyone who buys their standard software the opportunity to buy any two of the 'pro' versions as well for just $1 each. The pro versions are designed to apply a particular style, and among the choices you can get a creative writing version and a business version. This offer represents a saving of over $100 on the full price. For more info, see my review or click on the banner below to go straight to the WhiteSmoke site.
As you'll know if you read this blog carefully, last month I enjoyed a fortnight's holiday on the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia. It's one of my and Jayne's favourite holiday destinations, as demonstrated by the fact that this was actually our seventh visit there.
We stayed in the coastal village of Lourdas (named after the English lords who frequented it at one time), and would recommend this to anyone seeking a relaxing, get-away-from-it-all sort of holiday. If you click on the image below, you can see some of the photos I took while I was there...
If you are receiving this post by email, depending on your settings, you may need to visit my blog to see this.
As I've noted on the photo page, we stayed at a place called the Ionian Sun complex, which is a collection of around two dozen self-catering studios and apartments at three linked locations in Lourdas. You can see some pictures of their swimming pool and bar area on my photos page. In my view Ionian Sun offers the best accommodation in Lourdas - for example, you actually get a bath as well as a shower (almost unheard of in Greece!). You can book a holiday at Ionian Sun via their sole agents Manos.
Incidentally, this display was created using Picasa, the free photo organising (and editing) service from Google. Picasa automatically finds all the photographs on your PC and organises them into albums for you. And - as you can see - it also allows you to publish your albums to the Web for others to enjoy, again totally free of charge. If you'd like more info about Picasa, just click here and click on the banner that appears.
I just wanted to remind you that the WCCL Flash Fiction Contest closes in two days time, on 31 August 2007 at 12 noon GMT.
The contest is to write a short story in exactly 100 words - no more, no less - which includes the following six words: mirror, subliminal, genius, white, cliff, clepsydra. In addition, you will need to provide a title of up to 15 words (this does not count towards the 100 words for the story).
Entry is free, and the best three stories submitted will win prizes of the popular WriteItNow novel-writing software from Ravenshead Services. This is the full version, which normally sells for $39.62 (US Dollars) or 19.95 UK Pounds. The winning stories will also be published on my blog and forum.
For full details of the contest, and how to enter, please click on this link. The results will be announced by the end of September. I don't think I'm giving away too much by saying that so far we have only received about 40 entries, so if you can come up with a compelling 100-word story that meets all the requirements set out above, you really do have every chance of scooping a prize.
If you don't live in England you may not know this, but large swathes of the country are under water right now. It's been the wettest summer in living memory, and over the last month or so it seems to have rained almost every day.
The worst affected areas right now are in the South Midlands - Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. That's about sixty miles south of where I live (Staffordshire), though we've certainly had our fair share of rain as well.
Here's a report from an ITV early morning news programme yesterday which shows graphically how people in the affected areas are suffering. If you are receiving this post by email, you may need to visit my blog to watch this...
The damage and inconvenience caused directly by the water are only part of the story. Much of Gloucestershire is without tap water after a water treatment plant there was flooded. And many of the people affected are also without electricity, with no immediate prospect (for safety reasons) of it being restored.
Touch wood, Jayne and I haven't suffered anything worse than a waterlogged garden from the rains, but I'd like to express my sympathy to any readers of this blog who have suffered (and continue to suffer) from the floods. At least today across most of Britain the sun is shining, and though more rain is forecast for later this week, hopefully the very worst has now passed.
Well, I've ordered my copy from Amazon - have you ordered yours?!
The final volume in J.K. Rowling's phenomenally successful Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, goes on sale this weekend, and pundits are confidently predicting that it will be the fastest-selling book ever. The publishers announced a record-breaking 12 million copies for the first print run in the United States alone.
The massive sales, along with associated merchandising and film rights, will add to Rowling's already substantial personal fortune. In February 2004, Forbes magazine estimated this as 576 million UK pounds, making her the first person to become a billionaire (in US dollar terms) by writing books. By now, she must be well on the way to being a billionaire in UK Sterling terms as well.
When Rowling wrote her first book - only around ten years ago - she was a single mother living on welfare in a mouse-infested flat in Edinburgh. She was so poor she couldn't afford to heat her flat in the winter, so by day she sat in a local coffee shop with her baby daughter, nursing an espresso for hours as she worked on her manuscript. Rowling achieved her huge success despite these obstacles. It's one of the (many) great things about writing that there is no reason why anyone with hard work (and a little luck and talent) could not be as successful as she is.
And yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan, like most of the population. OK, she may not be the world's greatest literary stylist (though in my view she is still a very good writer). And many of the ideas in her books may not be entirely original. But her great talent is to write brilliantly constructed stories that grip the imaginations of readers of all ages. She has been widely credited with restoring the interest of children (and boys in particular) in reading, and that alone is a considerable accomplishment.
J.K. Rowling has said that she won't be writing any more Harry Potter novels, so I will be waiting with interest to see what she does next. With her great talent for storytelling, however, I'd expect to see her turn at some point to movie and TV scriptwriting. One thing is certain, whatever she does next, a little of the Harry Potter magic is certain to rub off on it!
If play-writing is your thing, here's an interesting opportunity for you. Submissions of one-minute plays are currently being sought for an International Festival titled 'Gone in 60 Secs'. Here's what they say on their website at www.screamingmediaproductions.com.
Now in its third international year, Screaming Media Productions have once again teamed up with Harrogate Theatre, Harrogate College and Brooklyn College New York to present 'GI60', the world's only 'International Interactive Theatre Festival'. In May and June of this year both Harrogate Theatre and Brooklyn College will host an evening of new theatre. Each venue will premiere fifty new plays, each lasting no more than sixty seconds in length. Actors at Brooklyn College and Harrogate Theatre will perform the plays, which will be recorded and then made available for viewing or download via the screaming media website for a period of up to one year. 'GI60' celebrates new writing by providing a creative platform to a diverse range of people of all ages from around the world. If you have an idea, why not write a play? It's open to anybody and it couldn't be easier...
Full details can be viewed on the Screaming Media site, but briefly the main rules are (1) plays must last no longer than 60 seconds, (2) all plays must be totally original and the author's own work, and (3) the cast size may not exceed 12 actors. All entries must be submitted by email, and the deadline is Saturday 14 April.
The downside is that there are no prizes on offer apart from having your work performed, but then again these are only one-minute plays we're talking about. It's an interesting challenge and a chance to get a bit of free publicity if you're a winner, not to mention an eye-catching addition to your writing CV/resume. So if you agree with the Bard that "the play's the thing", why not give it a try?!
...That's "in real life" for those of you who may not be familiar with chat room jargon!
Yes, this Thursday evening (15 March) I'm giving a talk to the Lichfield & District Writers titled "Pushing the Envelope - Unusual Markets for Writers".
I realise most readers of this blog won't live in the Lichfield area, so apologies to them. But if by chance you do, it would be great to see you there. Non-members are welcome, though there is a small charge for attendance (two pounds, I believe).
The meeting will be held at Cruck House, Stowe Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, starting at 7.45 pm and going through till 10. I'll be talking about some of the unusual writing jobs I've had in the last year or two, and giving those present the chance to try their hand at one or two of these odd assignments themselves. I expect it to be a light-hearted, but hopefully informative, evening.
If you've not been to a meeting of Lichfield & District Writers before, I recommend sending their publicity secretary, Jane Rogers, an email beforehand, to let her know you'll be coming. Her address is jmr-at-bunwd.demon.co.uk (change the -at- to the usual @ sign). Jane will also be able to answer any queries you may have about the meeting and the group generally.
Just wanted to wish all my readers a very happy Chinese New Year.
Jayne and I went to a special event at our local Chinese restaurant The Ruby last night (see pictures). As well as a delicious meal, we were entertained by the traditional dragon dance, which you can just about see going on in the second picture.
One thing we learned was that not only is the new year that began yesterday (lunar year 4705) the Year of the Pig, it is the Year of the Golden Pig - a very lucky year indeed!
Golden Pig years only happen once in six decades, and Chinese people believe it is a particularly auspicious year for a child to be born - so in Chinese communities across the world, a boom in marriages and births is expected in the coming months!
Whether or not you take such things seriously, I hope this year brings you everything you hope for, in your life and in your writing. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Here in Burntwood in the English Midlands we've had a blast of winter over the last few days. Here's a picture from my office window this afternoon...
At times like these I'm grateful I work from home and don't have to battle across icy, treacherous roads and pavements to get to work.
My partner, Jayne, isn't as lucky in that respect. As an IT teacher working at two local colleges she normally has to drive to work whatever the weather. However, in the last couple of days her classes have been cancelled, so she's had a bit of spare time for other things.
I thought I'd let you in on what she's been doing. For starters, she's updated her writers' website with a few more useful resources. Also, she's given it a whole new Valentine's Day look. I'm not kidding, there are even links to romantic books you can buy on eBay! Do check it out - it's at www.writing-resources.info.
The other thing Jayne has been doing is working her way through the fiendishly difficult online quiz game called Qwyzzle. This free, interactive quiz involves solving a series of puzzles, many of which require lateral thinking skills and/or research on the net.
If you enjoyed reading the Da Vinci Code, you're likely to love Qwyzzle. I've had a little go at it myself, but I'm not usually as quick at solving the problems as Jayne (who is currently up to level 84). Do be warned if you try it, however - Qwyzzle is highly addictive!
Yes, I know that title sounds like a cure for insomnia. However, a major change to the ISBN system was implemented on 1 January, and it's important for all writers to be aware about it, especially if they have at least one full-length book published.
As you may know, every published book is allocated an ISBN number. This is used by bookshops, libraries and wholesalers to refer to the book and place orders for it, so it's a very important figure!
Anyway, as from January 2007, the big news is that all ISBNs will have 13 digits instead of the 10 digits used before. The purpose of the change is two-fold. Partly it's to make more ISBN numbers available, and partly to make the system fully compatible with the barcode system widely used in product packaging. The new 13-digit ISBNs are identical to the 13-digit barcode number that is normally printed on the back of a book.
All new ISBNs issued from now on will begin with the number 978 (the product number currently allocated to books), and when 978 ISBNs are exhausted, the 979 prefix will be introduced. Older books will have a new 13-digit ISBN applied to them, and this is where writers need to be clued up.
Basically, your book's new-style ISBN will be its old 10-digit number prefixed by '978' and with a recalculated check digit at the end. As an example, the first edition of my book 'Living and Working in Germany' has the ISBN 1901130355. Its new 13-digit ISBN will be as follows: 9781901130355. Note that in this case the final check digit stays the same, but in many cases it will change.
The check digit is derived from a mathematical formula that includes all the preceding digits. The idea is to provide an internal audit of the ISBN's consistency. If performing the calculation results in a different check digit from the one in the ISBN, that means someone, somewhere has made a mistake (probably by copying a digit of the ISBN wrongly). You can read about the maths behind this in this Wikipedia article if you are so inclined. However, if you don't want to get your calculator out (and who could blame you?) the following website will automatically convert any old 10-digit ISBN to the new 13-digit version: http://www.isbn.org/converterpub.asp.
Although during the transitional period bookshops and libraries will still recognise 10-digit ISBNs, if you're sending out publicity for any of your books from now on, I highly recommend switching to the new 13-digit ISBNs straight away.
If you're an aspiring short story writer, you may be interested in this. Brian Richmond, a long-time subscriber to my newsletter and blog, has asked me to pass on some information about a short story writing weekend he is running from Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March 2007 in beautiful County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Brian says:
It will be held in the Malin Hotel, situated in a pretty village on the way to Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland. The scenery around here is beautiful. We have long, deserted beaches; hills that are perfect for walking; standing stones; ruined castles and, of course, friendly pubs. It's easily accessible by air; if you fly to City of Derry airport you can be in Malin in less than an hour.
The course will cost EUR 260.00. That includes 2 nights B&B, supper on Friday night; lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday Lunch on the last day. Further info and bookings are at www.malinhotel.ie
Brian also sent me the following Course Information Sheet:
After years of saying he'd be a writer someday, Brian Richmond wrote and submitted his first short story to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2004. It sold. So did his next one. Since that time, his short fiction has appeared in everything from 'Bullet, the magazine of rock'n'roll noir,' to 'My Weekly.' Next year, he has 2 stories appearing in the anthologies 'Next Stop Hollywood: 15 stories that ought to be movies' in the US and in 'Read by Dawn' in the UK.
The course: Writing Stories That Sell.
This residential course is aimed at the aspiring professional, the person who wants to place their work in paying markets. Using 3 of Brian's stories in different genres that have sold to different publications, it will help give writers practical advice on preparing their work for print. It will comprise 4 sessions: Friday evening: informal get together; course outline. Saturday morning: 'The Good Kid.' Anatomy of a sale; choosing markets; what editors want; extending the life of a story. Saturday afternoon: 'Like Snow.' Placing more experimental fiction; matching the material to the market; one voice or many? Sunday morning: 'Worried about Marge.' Writing to order; what do women want?; literary ventriloquism versus the individual voice.
Additionally, the course will allow time to meet your fellow writers, compare experiences and make contacts, all in the relaxing surroundings of scenic and inspirational County Donegal.
If you can find the time (and the money), it sounds like an idyllic opportunity to immerse yourself in short-story writing, and make some new friends (and useful contacts) as well. If you have any further queries, you can email Brian at brian-richmond-at-utvinternet.com (change the -at- for the usual @ symbol).
Last month in this blog post I mentioned a new anthology called TwitterTitters that was being compiled by my near-neighbour Linda Jones and her fellow journalist Louise Bolotin.
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, which was published back in 2001 and is definitely a bit out of date now. However, my PLR statement shows that last year it was borrowed from libraries 1678 times, earning me a fraction over 100 pounds. Since it was published, I have earned almost a thousand pounds in PLR fees for this book alone.
