================================================================ This is a monthly e-mail update for subscribers only, sent from U-Publish.com, the web site named for the revolutionary guide to new methods for publishing and promoting books by Dan Poynter and Danny O. Snow. Get the paperback, now available to order from all major bookstores and online booksellers. Or order direct from us at http://www.u-publish.com/order.htm at a discount. ================================================================ *** Books Just Books Seeks Horror Stories Veteran print broker Ron Pramschufer is writing a book about publishing scams. He writes: "Please send me details on any publishing scam that you would like to have incorporated in the book including stories on vanity presses, publicists, writing contests, distribution companies or any other facet of self-publishing where you felt scammed." Thanks ron@rjcom.com ================================================================ *** Federal Anti-Spam Law Enacted The United States House of Representatives and Senate have agreed on a new federal "anti-spam" law and the President signed it in December: http://www.ivanhoffman.com/federalspam.html Co-author Dan Snow quips: "According to NPR, the new law requires businesses to 'obtain permission from consumers before sending unsolicited commercial e-mail.' What I want to know is: if they have permission, how can it be unsolicited? And how do they obtain permission -- by carrier pigeon?" But seriously: if you use e-mail to promote books, be sure to comply with all applicable laws, which are growing more strict. ================================================================ *** Live Interview January 20 Co-author Dan Snow will be interviewed by "On the Same Page" host Maxine Thompson on January 20 at 9 AM eastern in a live webcast covering e-books, POD and advice for authors: http://www.voiceamerica.com Please tune in! If you miss the program, please check next month's newsletter for excerpts, sound bytes, etc. ================================================================ Please feel free to forward copies of this bulletin to your fellow authors and publishers. This is a free service that is available to anyone in the book world upon request. We don't endorse specific products or services, and we do not accept advertising. You may subscribe or un-subscribe at any time. ================================================================ *** Writing Contests In her highly recommended newsletter, Rita Mills of The Book Connection (http://www.thebookconnection.com) writes: *** FICTION CONTEST HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN - All entries must be postmarked between Jan. 1 and Feb. 29, 2004. 803 - Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431. No entry form or fee required. Category: Stories that begin with the words "I have a problem." Prizes: Three prizes of $1,000 each. Stories may be any length up to 800 words. Stories for beginning readers should not exceed 500 words. Indicate the word count in the upper right- hand corner of the first page of your manuscript. No crime, violence, or derogatory humor. Manuscripts or envelopes should be clearly marked: FICTION CONTEST. Those not marked in this way will be considered as regular submissions to Highlights. Enclose a SASE. *** THE 2004 WILLA AWARDS - Women Writing the West underwrites and presents this nationally recognized award annually. Deadline: February 1, 2004. Award for works published and copyrighted during 2003 that represent the best in literature for women’s stories set in the West. The submission fee is $50 per book. Information on past winners and finalists, as well as the application and guidelines, can be obtained from the web site: http://www.womenwritingthewest.org. ================================================================ *** Numbers Don't Lie -- Again! In previous newsletters, we've shown how reading the fine print can cut through marketing hype and demonstrate how poor sales of vanity press books can be. See the following article from Books Just Books for yet another example why numbers don't lie: http://www.publishingbasics.com/newsletter/dec2003/askron.html ================================================================ *** Reminder: Possible NPR Interviews Co-author Dan Poynter writes: RELATIONSHIPS AUTHORS WANTED FOR INTERVIEW. Syndicated columnist Dr. Barton Goldsmith is looking for authors to interview on his NPR radio show. If you have a book with a personal relationship or emotional/psychological slant please send a copy and press kit to him to be considered for the show: P.O. Box 4502, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 ================================================================ *** Reminder: IPPY Awards for 2003 Now Open The eighth annual "IPPY" Awards, conducted annually to honor the year's best independently published titles, are now accepting entries for books with 2003 copyrights or that were released in 2003: http://www.independentpublisher.com/ipaward.lasso ================================================================ Inside tip from Poynter & Snow: ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT! Here's ours: This is a free e-mail bulletin from U-Publish.com, the web site named for the book by Dan Poynter and Danny O. Snow. Bulletins are sent by subscription only. You may subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. Simply contact us by e-mail at: newsdesk@u-publish.com We do not endorse specific products or services, and we do not accept advertising. We will not sell your name, address or other personal information to others for any reason at any time. Our goal is to serve as advocates for the self-publisher or independent publisher, large or small. We welcome your participation, feedback, criticism, and suggestions. We learn from our readers, and value your input. Please visit http://www.u-publish.com at least once each month, for periodic updates of interest to writers and publishers. Please feel free to forward copies of this message to fellow writers and publishers. This is a free service, available to to anyone in the book world upon request. ================================================================..please check your e-mail settings and consider changing them from "HTML" output to "Text Only" settings instead. Some e-mail software such as Microsoft Outlook may send e-mail messages in the same format (HTML) as a web page, which can cause problems for recipients who use other software. File attachments (especially large ones) also cause problems for some recipients and should be avoided unless they are specifically requested by the recipient. Put pictures on your Web site and include the location (but NOT the picture) in your e-mail messages. For example, if you want to see a photo of Poynter and Snow, click the link below: http://www.u-publish.com/images/poynter4.jpg Finally, when you type messages, we *strongly* suggest ending each line by pressing the Enter key after typing about 60-80 characters, as we are doing here. This allows recipients to forward your e-mail to others without formatting problems. If you are sending e-mail to the public, you want all of your messages to arrive simple and problem-free. The suggestions above will help you reach more people by e-mail, with fewer problems. ================================================================
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