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Friday Find: Grub Street Daily

by Erika Dreifus on
3

Today, I’m happy to share with you a new blog, Grub Street Daily, brought to us by the fine folks at Grub Street, Inc., which too-modestly describes itself as “a non-profit creative writing center dedicated to nurturing writers and connecting readers with the wealth of writing talent in the Boston area.” But you don’t need to be a Bostonian to benefit from the new blog. I’ve already added Grub Daily to our blogroll (and not just because I’ll be guest-blogging there soon). It is quickly becoming a super-solid resource for writing advice, exercises, and ruminations on the writing life. Take a look.

(This is also a good time to mention that registration is now open for Grub Street’s annual Muse & the Marketplace conference. Yours truly will be among this year’s presenters this year. Hope to see some of you there!)

Have a good weekend. See you back here on Monday!

Thursday’s Post-Publication Post: How to Help An Author Out

by Erika Dreifus on
5

I’m one lucky gal. When my friends and family started hearing that my book of short stories, Quiet Americans, was going to be published, they didn’t only ask me about ebook availability.

They also asked how they could support me.

I had a few ideas–and I was and remain overwhelmed by the generosity others have shown me. But I can’t help wishing that I had known/been able to point them to John Kremer’s list of “30 Ways to Help a Book Author You Love” from the start. (NB: The original link seems to be broken; here’s an updated link, with “51 Ways, which I’ve added in 2020—prompted by the FB “Memories” feature.)

Kremer is a book-marketing guru, and I discovered his list this week (thanks to another marketing maven, Dana Lynn Smith). The best thing about it is that it’s still useful to me: Even if my friends and family were kind enough to offer their assistance pre-publication, most of Kremer’s suggestions can still be used now that the book is out.

For instance:

1) Buy your friend’s book. Encourage other friends to buy the book. Go to your local library or bookstore and encourage them to buy the book. Buy books as gifts.

Or:

16) Suggest catalogs, associations, and other special sales opportunities. If you receive mail order catalogs that feature books like your friend’s book, tell her about the catalog. The same with associations, groups. corporations, etc. that might be interested in buying bulk copies of your friend’s book.

Or:

25) Recommend your friend’s book to your reading group. If you belong to a reading group, suggest your friend’s book as part of your reading program. Or at least tell your reading group about the book.

You get the idea. It’s a terrific list, and I am grateful to have it.

Why don’t you peruse it, too? And then, if you think of any other tips that could be helpful, please share them here!

Monday Morning Markets/Jobs/Opportunities for Writers

by Erika Dreifus on
Disabled
  • Thanks to the team at Fiction Writers Review for the update on the Dzanc Prize’s extended deadline (which is now March 1). Per the Dzanc site, the prize “provides monetary aid in the sum of $5,000, to a writer of literary fiction. All writers applying for the Dzanc Prize must have a work-in-progress they can submit for review, and present the judges with a Community Service Program they can facilitate somewhere in the United States.” No application fee.
  • Attention, citizens of Commonwealth countries! The deadline to submit an entry for the next Commonwealth Short Story Competition is March 1. “Established in 1996, the competition aims to increase understanding and appreciation of Commonwealth cultures and promote rising literary talents. The competition calls for entries that are original, unpublished, in English, no more than 600 words in length and on any subject. The winner receives a prize of £2000 and there are four regional prizes of £500. In 2011 there will also be two special prizes of £500 each; one for the best short story for children and the other for the best short story about this year’s Commonwealth theme, ‘Women as Agents of Change’.” No entry fee.
  • Freelance opportunity: “The Center for Digital Ethics and Policy at Loyola University Chicago is looking for pieces on digital ethics.  The length of the piece should be 1,000-2,000 words.  The material must be original, not published in other forms or in other forums. We will pay $250 for a completed piece. Pieces will be published on the center’s web site, digitalethics.org.”
  • Interested in leading a workshop at The Writer’s Center (Bethesda, Md.)? The deadline to apply to lead a fall workshop is March 15. Note: “We are especially interested in expanding our online workshop offerings at this time. Online workshop leaders should have a strong online presence (blog, website, Facebook, Twitter) and meet our standard workshop leader qualifications as noted.”
  • February is going by in a flash, and by next Monday, subscribers will have received their copies of the March Practicing Writer newsletter, packed (as usual) with more no-cost competition listings and paying submission calls. If you’re not yet a subscriber, join us! It’s free, and we’ll keep your email address to ourselves.
  • Harvard University (Mass.) seeks a Speech Writer, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE, D.C.) is looking for a Magazine Editor, and Fashion Institute of Technology (N.Y.) has announced an open position for a Staff Writer.

    • Friday Find: Miriam Sagan’s 16 Ways to Not Win a Poetry Contest

    by Erika Dreifus on
    Disabled

    I’m setting aside time this holiday weekend for writing–and submitting. I’ll likely confine my submissions to literary journals and magazines, but if I happened to be preparing a packet for a poetry contest, I’d read through Miriam Sagan’s “16 Ways to Not Win a Poetry Contest” for some useful reminders about what not to do.

    Have a great weekend. See you back here on Monday.

    Friday Find: The Literarian

    by Erika Dreifus on
    2

    This week, the Center for Fiction (New York) launched its new website. The entire site is likely to keep you busy for awhile–sections include “for readers,” “for writers,” “audio/video,” and “awards,” among others. But perhaps the pièce de résistance is the Center’s new online magazine: The Literarian.

    Go check it out. And have a great weekend.

    We’ll see you back here on Monday.