Literary Luau - Central Coast Writers

Scribbles
California Writers Club • Central Coast Writers Branch
www.centralcoastwriters.org • August 2010
Aloha
Playwright Lee Brady: Add Drama to Your Fiction!
L
Lee--continued on page 10
MEETINGS
W
e meet on the third Tuesday of the month at the
Casa Munras Hotel, 700 Munras Avenue, Monterey. We open the doors at 5:30 p.m. for optional dinner; the program starts at 6:30 p.m. with the speaker
beginning at 7:00 p.m. For last-minute changes, check
the Web site: www.centralcoastwriters.org
CENTRAL COAST WRITERS’
Annual Summer Potluck Picnic & Open Mic
Photo by Ken Jones
ee Brady, our featured presenter on Tuesday, July 20, is
a recognized local playwright who spoke about simple
dramatic techniques that could possibly enhance our work
in whatever genre we choose. She is a playwright, actor,
director, producer, and theatre critic, and teaches Creative
Writing at Monterey Peninsula College.
Lee spoke of her first love: writing plays and sharing
them with others. “Playwriting is so social! It’s dialogue,
dialogue. After you write your play,
get your friends together. Invite them
into your living room, and you read
it. Then pretty soon you write and
rewrite. Then you get a better play.”
We can heat up our short stories,
novels and poems with dramatic
techniques.
Literary Luau
Sun., August 8, 2010
Noon – 3 p.m.
Appetite mandatory--Island outfit optional—Prizes will be given for
best-dressed guests (wearing a muumuu/caftan, grass skirt, woven
palm/straw hat and/or aloha shirt)
at the home of David Rasch and Ixchel Leigh
27100
27200 Prado Del Sol, Carmel Valley
The picnic replaces our regular monthly meeting.
Wine, a gift from CCW’s own vintner Harold E. Grice, will
be Red Merlot and White Chardonnay. Cristy Shauck’s
secret scrumptious garlic bread, beef, chicken, beer,
bottled water and soft drinks will be provided by CCW.
Please bring a side dish to share (casserole, salad,
chips/dip, veggies and/or fruit, dessert).
Open mic readings of no more than 5 minutes maximum
time per reader are planned, so 18 readers may sign up on
a first-come/first-served basis. Bring yourself and a guest.
Please RSVP before 8/3/10 to register to read, and let chef
Sam Grice know how much meat—and/or vegetarian
burgers--to plan on preparing.
Contact David by e-mail at davidarnotrasch@gmail.com.
WHAT’S INSIDE
July and August meetings....................................... 1
The Prez Sez........................................................... 2
The Electronic Inkpot & Letters............................... 3
Earrings for a Black Day.......................................... 4
Member Profile: Patrick W. Flanigan....................... 5
Poet’s Corner, Bragging Rights............................... 6
Spotlight Page, Self-Publishing............................... 7
Market of the Month................................................ 8
East of Eden, Local Authors.................................... 9
Inbox Inklings........................................................ 10
Info Exchange,”In Pursuit of the Dream”................11
“If the Shoe Fits”.................................................... 12
The Prez Sez...
by David Rasch
Night of the Living Deadline
Scribbles Editor Wanda Sue Parrot kindly
reminded me this week about the deadline for
my column. Twice. Well, maybe three times.
I don’t fault her for this one bit. Without this
small flame singeing my hindquarters, my “column consciousness” would have remained interred in some dank netherworld of
my distracted psyche. So now, finally, the night before the deadline, I write.
“Deadline” is an interesting word. The Online Etymology
Dictionary traces its use back to the Civil War era, when guards
would establish a line on the ground around prisoners, with orders
“. . . to fire upon and kill any of the prisoners aforesaid who might
touch, fall upon, pass over or under [or] across the said ‘dead
line’. . . .” [“Trial of Henry Wirz,” Report of the Secretary of War,
Oct. 31, 1865]
This term was later adopted by American newspaper journalists in the 1920s to mean “time limit.” Why did these journalists
have to pick such a spooky term when they could have used something kinder and gentler like “lifeline?” There must have been a
good reason.
I am glad Wanda does not have a gun. For me, and for most
of us, less coercive means than a death threat are adequate to bring
us to the task. It’s ironic that any kind of deadline pressure was
necessary for me, because I am enjoying writing this column. For
myself, and for many writers I know in CCW, writing is one of the
more rewarding and meaningful enterprises we undertake. And
even though I just mentioned “undertaking,” I’m trying to say
that writing, even writing under a deadline, is very life-affirming.
Writing is a “lifeline” for many of us, but “deadline” works
better for making us do it. Some aspects of the writing process are
truly mysterious, and I must learn to accept them.Contact David
at davidarnotrasch@gmail.com
!!CONGRATULATIONS!!
to Newlyweds
David and Ixchel Leigh Rasch
who were literally literarily
linked on June 26, 2010
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!
Change of Day & Time
for September Meeting
Date: Sat., 9/11/10
Time: 9:30--11:30 a.m.
Casa Munras
700 Munras Ave., Monterey
Speaker: Peter Funt
(son of Candid Camera’s Alan Funt)
Scribbles August 2010
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President – David Rasch
Vice President Pro Tempore– Harold E. Grice
Secretary/Treasurer – Deanne Gwinn
Programs –Patrick Flanigan, Pam Gallaway, Judy Zhu
Membership – Ludmila Austin
Public Relations – Joyce Krieg
Hospitality – Judy Marquardt, Chair; Fawn Mackey, Cochair
Newsletter – David Rasch, Editor-in-Chief
Patricia Hamilton, Publisher
Wanda Sue Parrott, Editor
Cristy Shauck, Production/Distribution
Photographer and Web Master – Ken Jones
Kemberlee Shortland, Assistant Web
Master
Contest Committee – Cristy Shauck, Chair
Central Board Representative – Joyce Krieg
Scribbles is the official monthly publication for members
of Central Coast Writers, a branch of California Writers
Club, a registered non-profit corporation. All material is
copyrighted © 2010 by California Writers Club and may
not be reproduced without permission. Opinions expressed under individual bylines do not necessarily represent an official position of, or endorsement by, Central
Coast Writers or California Writers Club.
Scribbles is published by:
Central Coast Writers
Post Office Box 997
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Scribbles electronic addresses:
Editorial Department: ccwscribbles@sbcglobal.net
Web site: www.centralcoastwriters.org
Scribbles Editorial staff and contributors:
Editor-in-Chief: David Rasch
Publisher: Patricia Hamilton
Editor: Wanda Sue Parrott
Proofreader: Cheri Love
Columnists, Features & Events Editors:
Nancy Jacobs: “Poet’s Corner”
Lori Kearney: “Pizza and Prose”
C. Jonathan Shoemaker: “If the Shoe Fits”
Michelle Smith: “Member Profiles”
G. M. Weger: “Still in Pursuit of the Dream”
Contests: Cristy Shauck
Events: Harold E. Grice
Reviews: C. Jonathan Shoemaker
Correspondents: Donna Marbach, New York; Kemberlee Shortland, Ireland
The Electronic Inkpot
Self-Publishing: What exactly does it mean?
by Wanda Sue Parrott, Editor
Mike’s subject line shouted: RUTH SOLD HER
BOOK! I should have cooled it. Instead, I forwarded Mike’s
announcement.
Orders for the tale about a shapeshifting male angel
poured in. Best-sellerdom loomed. Ruth ordered boxes of
books, devising a marketing plan before ever seeing a copy
of the novel her husband claimed she’d “sold to a major
American publisher.”
Truth, as I learned later, was that PublishAmerica paid
Ruth a $1 advance, offered editorial services for a fee (which
she rejected), and promoted it by mailing pre-publication
order forms to family and friends.
The deal was sweetened by Ruth’s ability to buy her
books wholesale, on a Print-on-Demand (POD) basis, and
sell at a profit, for which she would receive periodic royalties.
Did Ruth fool herself into believing she’d “sold” her
manuscript, after years of fruitless attempts to find a publisher? Without even reading the book after she got her first
copy, Ruth teamed up with an auto dealer, and a dazzling
champagne reception was staged in the showroom.
While Ruth read excerpts, salesmen in tuxedos served
Letter to the Editor
Scribbles is an online publication. Readers may submit e-mail
letters with “ Scribbles Mail” in the subject line. To request
Scribbles by U. S. mail, use “Snail Mail” as your subject.
Send to: ccwscribbles@sbcglobal.net
Assistant Web Master’s response: I can tell you a word or
two about PublishAmerica! Rip and off come to mind. Scam
is another one. Kemberlee Shortland, via e-mail from Ireland
Editor’s reply: Kemberlee, thanks for helping Ken Jones
with the web site, sharing your romance-writer’s expertise,
and giving us literary sexplanations in “Blowing the Curtains” in July. Glitches caused links to your web site and
blog to malfunction, so we are reprinting them. See page 6.
champagne to guests who nibbled on hors d’oeuvres. The
men sold cars while Mike sold out Ruth’s autographed copies. It was her only literary win-win situation.
I didn’t attend the glitzy, glamorous gala affair. By then,
I’d read my attractively packaged copy, but wouldn’t have
had the nerve to even give it to anyone if it were my work.
I stopped counting typos, misspellings and grammatical errors at 1000.
When Ruth asked my opinion, I said diplomatically:
“I’m disappointed in PublishAmerica for allowing so many
mistakes to be printed.”
Ruth stopped speaking to me!
Is PublishAmerica an e-age vanity press, new age publisher, or POD combo? Was Ruth self-published or not?
What does self-published mean? Read this newsletter!
Wanda Sue Parrott self-published The Last Indian on
the Trail of Tears for Local Authors Live! in July and CCW’s
Booktoberfest in October. The saddle-stitched (stapled) 68page chapbook introduces seven Native
American spirit guides who helped her
get $91,000 in her long one-person fight
against city hall in Missouri, which she
publicized by reading the controversial
poem in public. Wanda belongs to the Trail of Tears Association and is Honorary Chief of the White Buffalo Tribe.
Patricia Hamilton, Scribbles publisher and owner of
Park Place Publications, has been helping writers selfpublish books since 1982. Her free consult takes you
from manuscript to printed book, advice on book development, help to identify your audience and how to
reach them, plus details on who does what, how long
it takes, and how much it costs to self-publish. While
more costly than on-line services, clients say she’s worth
it for her thoroughness, creativity and
knowledge of what it takes to become
a successful author, plus she makes
the entire process enjoyable and
worry-free. For her latest book, California Healthy, Hamilton won two
national book awards and the 2008
Irwin Award (BPSC) Best Creative
Marketing Campaign for getting the
books into the Marriott Hotel chain
as the first ever in-room green guide.
www.parkplacepublications.com and
e-mail: publishingbiz@sbcglobal.net
At Local Authors Live! 2010. Photo by Joyce Krieg.
Scribbles August 2010
Earrings for a Black Day
by Mila Austin
Self-published Fiction; Print On Demand; iUniverse; 2010
Available from Googlebooks.com, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, Books-a-Million.com
Mila Austin was born in Russia and lived in the Soviet Union over 40 years. She loves
both countries—her motherland and USA. “We don’t get to choose the place we are born, and
can’t be judged by our origin,” she says. “American people asked me many questions about
life in Russia. They wanted to know the inside story so they could compare it to what they’ve
seen on TV. That’s why I’ve written this book.”
Ludmilla Austin at Local Authors Live! Photo by Joyce Krieg.
Excerpt – Scene from Lena’s Graduation-Day Gift
Varya turned to the table, took a little jewelry box, . . .
and said, “I have a present for you, Lena! . . . . This is for
you, Lenochka, at this special time of your graduation, and
your entering into adult life.”
Lena . . . took out a pair of beautiful gold earrings … the
shape of a crown with tiny tear-like drops dangling down.
… “Ah! Serezki!”
“Yes. These are your great-grandmother’s precious earrings, serezki given to her on her wedding day. Now, it is
your time to have them.”
Lena kissed her mother and said, “They are so beautiful,
Mother! And so delicate!”
“You deserve that gift, my child. Please, be careful with
them. It is your heritage. I wish you a very happy life. But,
if a black day ever comes, use them as you need.”
“May I wear them now, Mother?”
“These serezki are too expensive for everyday use,
daughter. It would be better to keep them away from people’s eyes.”
“Oho!” Volodya exclaimed, puzzled. “Where did you
get such a treasure, Varvara Petrovna?” By habit, Volodya
continued calling his first teacher by her first and patronymic, or father’s, name as they did in school.
“It is a long and sad story,” Varya answered. . . . “My
grandmother was from a very rich, noble family. They lived
in Saint Petersburg. In 1918, after the October revolution,
the Bolsheviks were taking over the homes of the bourgeoisie. They came into my grandmother’s house and took everything . . . they found that was valuable, even the wedding
ring from her hand. It was so cold in the unheated house,
and my grandma was wearing a warm scarf on her head, so
the soldiers didn’t notice these earrings. . . .They are all our
family had left. Factories, and homes, all the money in the
banks—everything was gone. We became poor, as everyone
Scribbles August 2010
else was.”
“You never told me about this, Lena!” Volodya replied.
“It is because my mother told me we should forget who
we are,” Lena answered. . . . “But why did you say about
the ‘black day’, Mother? We’re building communism, our
bright future, where every person will be a happy member
of the society. Isn’t that what you taught us in class?”
“I teach the way I am supposed to,” Varya answered,
setting down on the table a teapot with freshly brewed tea.
“But I also know our history. And I do know that bad things
happen,” she added.
“Nothing bad can happen,” Volodya said resolutely.
“The Soviet Union is the largest and strongest country in the
world. We were first in space, we have nuclear weapons, we
have the best army in the world—no one can put us down.
And your Lena—she’s so smart and beautiful!”
“Volodya,” Varya interrupted. “Do you know the old
proverb ‘Don’t be born beautiful, but be born fortunate’?”
“Who cares what the old folks say?” Volodya disagreed,
wrinkling his face.
“This is the wisdom of our people who believe that Fate
does exist,” Varya argued.
Ludmila Austin is membership chair of Central Coast
Writers branch of the California Writers Club. This is her
first book.
CCW’s 2011 CREATIVE WRITING CONTEST
Rules are now online at
www.centralcoastwriters.org
Or, to request a copy, send a #10 SASE to:
CCW Contest, P. O. Box 997,
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
MEMBER PROFILE:
Patrick Flanigan
Poetry: Good Medicine
for the Soul
P
atrick Flanigan recently retired after thirty-three years of practice as a Hematologist/Medical Oncologist. But for nearly twenty years, Dr.
Flanigan has been cultivating another passion spurred on by
his wife’s invitation to participate in a writers’ group.
The attraction of this writers’ group was its focus on
“sharing ideas and fun, and NOT on criticizing each other’s
work,” Patrick says.
A CCW member since 2009, Patrick has written a few
short stories, but his emphasis is poetry.
“A common thread running through many of my poems
is an effort to … describe what we see, smell and touch with
a sense of the Mystery that lies within all things.”
Surviving the Storm, Milk and Coffee, and When Sunflowers Speak are books of poetry that speak to his “effort to
connect the superficial and the sublime.”
Dr. Flanigan’s medical credentials include a B.S. in
“arts/med” from Ohio State University, an internship and
residency in Internal Medicine at UCLA, and a post-doctoral fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at OSU; however,
formal literature courses were omitted after his undergraduate years. Nevertheless, he draws parallels from his medical practice and his writing, attempting to unify observation
and deductive reasoning with self-expression.
As a physician, Patrick “used the patient’s history, physical exam, symptoms and signs to come to a diagnosis and
treatment plan.” But as an author, he aspires to “keep making observations and expressing them in ways that speak to
[him] and those who might encounter [his] words…using,
as a poet, questions, observations and words to try to connect the superficial and the sublime.”
When asked for his best advice for other writers, Patrick
emphasizes that one must “read a lot, look and listen a lot,
and put ink on paper.”
The good doctor will be the first to admit, however,
that discipline is in short supply when it comes to putting
pen to paper. Preferring to write at home, or in inspirational
settings such as the Big Sur coast, Patrick says his writing
schedule is pretty irregular.
One might expect this of a practicing physician but not
from a retiree with all the time in the world to write. Well. .
. not quite, says Dr. Flanigan who stays busy by tending to
his yard, pets and family,
with a little time thrown
in for tennis.
“[Former U.S. Poet
Laureate] Billy Collins
once said the problem
facing the poet is what
do you do with the other
twenty-three-and-a-half
hours in the day? I suppose a lack of discipline
is part of my problem.”
Patrick’s books are
self-published.
“The advantage of
self-publishing is that
you can have significant
control over the look and
content of the book,” he
at Local Authors Live!
says. “The biggest disad- Patrick
Photo by Joyce Krieg.
vantage is distribution and
marketing.”
Patrick developed a folio of nine poems titled Freestanding Verse. A DVD version of When Sunflowers Speak
was released last year. He presented his work at the first
Carmel Authors and Ideas Festival and is slated for this
year’s Festival in September.
Michelle Smith is a semi-retired physician and freelance writer whose articles have been
published in a variety of magazines. A
member of The Authors Guild, the National Writers Union and The National
League of American Pen Women, Michelle is completing the final revision
of her first novel , Hide and Seek. Her
website is http://www.theebonyquill.
com
NEW MEMBERS IN THE NEWS. . .
We warmly welcome new CCW members:
Leslie Geiger Epps, Carmel Valley
Susan Horcajo, Salinas
Kedron Bryson, Monterey
Soon-to-be member Cheri Love is seeking
“Examiners.” See Info Exchange on Page 11.
Scribbles August 2010
BRAGGING RIGHTS
POET’S CORNER
Poetry by CCW members may
be submitted to ccwscribbles@
sbcglobal.net.
August features selfpublished poets
Scribbles editor Wanda Sue Parrott is a skilled, accomplished, poet who just released
the 3rd Edition of her self-published autobiographical
chapbook The Last Indian on the Trail of Tears. Wanda
recommends this self-published spiral-bound how-to
book by award-winning poet Lee Ann Russell because
“buyers like me always win their money back.”
How to Write Poetry, Ballad to Villanelle by Lee
Ann Russell (182 pages, 441 definitions, 205 poetic forms, 100 examples and 187 famous poets’ life
spans), $20 incl. postage, from poet Lee Ann Russell,
1004 N. Rogers Ave., Springfield, MO 65802 or e-mail
lar1111@sbcglobal.net .
Your Poetry Editor, Nancy Jacobs
Summer Signatures
Writing is for man
what sunlit silver slime is
for snails and slugs
in the garden of life;
Writing is for man
what the web is for silk spinners
supping on fly-flesh fruit
from the fields of life;
Writing is for man
what musk of tom spray is,
to fellow felines,
on stalks of green-gold grass;
Writing is for man
what rank runnels of urine are,
to dogs, on red and yellow hydrants
and gnarled gray tree trunks,
and old truck tires:
Summer Signatures proclaiming:
“I am here,
this is my mark,
and I am wonderful!”
by Wanda Sue Parrott
Scribbles August 2010
Please share news about your writing-related achievements – appearances, awards and publications – with other
members of CCW by e-mail sent to “Bragging Rights” at
ccwscribbles@sbcglobal.net. Only active members of the
CCW branch of California Writers Club are eligible.
BLOG LOG: Kemberlee Shortland, www.kemberlee.com,
native Carmelite now living in Ireland, can be reached by
e-mail at kals@kemberlee.com and her blog posts, including “Blowing the Curtains” from our July edition and news
about her new romance novel A Piece of My Heart, are online at http://bit.ly/camVoX
MUSE NEWS: Cristy Shauck’s multi-flavored jelly beans
poem recently published in Foolish Times will tease palates
as September poem of the month in Poet’s Corner.
Profiles of Members’ Independently Produced
Books:
AROMATIC ALCHEMY, RECIPES FOR TRANSFORMATION by Ixchel Susan Leigh. (Mansion Publishing,
Boston, 2001) – Ixchel, a healer, visionary, author and teacher, contracted to have her book published through Mansion
Publishing by striking a deal with them. She says, “They
facilitated the process. I created the cover concept and their
designer executed it. They worked with the printers and sent
me galleys. The entire process took about three months after
the final editing.” The book was on the presses when 9-1101 happened, which set the process back about three weeks.
Ixchel owns all rights to her book. Details at
www.IxchelLeigh.com or e-mail ixchelleigh@gmail.com THE BLOCKED WRITER’S BOOK OF THE DEAD by
David Rasch, Ph.D. (Scribd; 2010)--This book, introduced
in this column last month, helps writers overcome problems
with writer’s block and procrastination. David, a psychologist who has specialized in work with blocked writers for
over twenty years, offers a fresh perspective on these complex difficulties, and provides numerous practical tips, assessments and exercises that have been shown to increase
the flow of writing. He utilized the Scribd approach to free
e-publishing which Kemble Scott introduced at the CCW
meeting in May.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31441606/The-BlockedWriter-s-Book-of-the-Dead
and/or the short version
http://scr.bi/djjbpQ
LOCAL AUTHORS LIVE!
More than 61 local authors, mostly self-published,
greeted the public, sold and signed books, and generally
proclaimed to the organizers “Bravo!” “Great Event!”
“Thanks-a-Million!,” and “Looking forward to next year!”
during this debut event at The Barnyard Shopping Village on
July 24. CCW Vice President Pro Tempore Harold E. Grice
donated three bottles of his wine and a CCW totebag for
the raffle, securing CCW’s sponsorship listing. Joyce Krieg
generously contributes these photos – and others throughout this issue – that she took
of CCW members.
SCRIBBLES
SPOTLIGHT SHOWCASE
This new feature shines light on short original works,
preferably in 100 words or less. This month’s column spotlights
David Rasch
Excerpt from The Blocked Writer’s Book of the Dead by David Rasch,
Ph.D., published byScribd, May 2010.
Peter Hoss
Organizer Patricia Hamilton with
the CCW contribution and raffle
co-ordinator Donna Jett.
Howard Rowland
Marija Miletic Dail
Organizer Dick Burns
Kerry Wood
Walter Gourlay
Laurie Gibson
Howard Birnbaum
Anne Jones, Ixchel Leigh, Ken Jones
Dan Linehan
Wanda Sue Parrott
“Humanity has been graced with an exquisite brain,
frequently touted as the crowning achievement of evolution. Because of this biological marvel, our species has
distinguished itself among living organisms by developing,
among other things, the complex skills of reading and writing.
“In fact, in the rather brief period that humankind has
been able to read and write, astounding and vast literary
traditions have been established on our once-illiterate
planet.
“The thinking brain has truly been a blessing to our
species, but it comes with a dark side. We have a mind with
a depth and complexity so magnificent that it is also capable of thoroughly undermining our attempts to engage in
the wonderful enterprise of writing.”
David Rasch, new president of Central Coast Writers,
has been a member about three years. Facts about David’s
e-book, which cost nothing to publish, include: a reader can
view portions of the book online for free, or pay $5 for options: read the entire book online; download it as a PDF,
DOC, TXT; print it out; or send it to a mobile reading device. It is listed under Books, Non-Fiction, Self-Help.
Its online publication date was 5/16/10; as of 7/23/10
its hit list showed 397 reads and several five-star reviews.
Details about David’s book at http://scr.bi/djj6pQ
For info about publishing opportunities contact
http://www.scribd.com/about
Scribbles August 2010
MARKET OF THE MONTH
Submission Guidelines
Basic highlights about this top-rated self-publishing firm in the rapidly changing marketplace of Print-on-Demand
titles follow. We tested the e-address in July, but won’t vouch for it in August. Like the DOW, the POD market is
highly volatile.
FEATURED PUBLISHER FOR AUGUST
createspace
www.createspace.com
Publicized as “a one-stop shop for book publishing success,” its members sell through Amazon.com and e-stores. There
are no membership or set-up fees. Authors must be able to create interiors of their books as PDFs. CreateSpace is the result
of the merger of BookSurge and CustomFlix, which resulted in CreateSpace in October 2009 as a brand of On-Demand
Publishing, LLC, a subsidiary of Seattle-based Amazon.com, Inc. It is both free and fee-based. It provides inventory-free
physical distribution of On Demand books, CDs and DVDs by providing the most comprehensive solution for content
owners who want to distribute their books, CDs and DVDs without inventory. A perk of CreateSpace is its flexible royalty
options and low wholesale book pricing. Warning: Costly editorial and book-design services are offered as extras, with fees
reaching $100 per hour when freebies included in the contract are used up.
Who Pays What for POD?
by Wanda Sue Parrott
The only payment most POD publishers make is royal- up the free fixes in your contract and then choose to pay
ties paid periodically. Royalties range from 10 to 80 percent dearly to finish the book, or abandon self-publishing and
of a book’s price. Some publishers pay royalties four times lose your investment.
a year; others, just twice. Read the fine print before assumPOD books are paperbacks with covers that often curl
ing you will get a percentage of the retail price, because up. If you’ve already paid $30 per copy to publish a book
some publishers only pay royalties on wholesale prices, you can’t even sell for $16.95, welcome to the POD Book
and some do not pay any royalties on a title purchased by Club where everyone’s testing the milieu. In May 2010,
its principal purchaser, the author.
newcomer CreateSpace passed its 2 million mark with
The profit an author makes is the net amount left af- book, CD and DVD titles.
ter she/he buys a book at the discount price and sells it at
POD publishing is one way to self-publish, Another is
whatever higher price she/he charges. Factored in is cost the saddle-stitched chapbook like my poetry volume The
for advertising and mailing the book before arriving at net Last Indian on the Trail of Tears that costs $2.91 and sells
profit. All POD publishers based in America offer the same for $7 at book signings and $10 when shipped. There’s also
basic services, including iUniverse, PublishAmerica, XLi- do-it-yourself desktop publishing. POD is the surest way
bris and Tate Publishing (Christian books).
to get big books published fast--and inexpensively if you
If the firm offers to publish your book for free, or as lit- carefully edit your own work before uploading a single
tle as $1, believe it. Why? Because the publisher makes its page to the e-publisher. Once published, your book’s shelf
money from copies it sells, not from the quality of content, life will be forever, even though there’s not a single hard
unless it jealously safeguards its reputation to avoid being copy stored on the non-existent bookshelf.
called a vanity press (publisher that will publish anything
for money). That’s where the rub comes in. Once you start
POD = Posterity, and that’s priceless!
to find errors and glitches that must be changed, you’ll eat
Scribbles August 2010
Ready to publish? Just starting to write?
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www.SouthBayWriters.com
2010 East of Eden Writers Conference
September 24 - 26, 2010
Salinas Community Center
Registration Fees
Improve your writing
Learn from the pros in 48 workshops in 5 tracks: General fiction,
Mystery, Nonfiction, Poetry, Publishing/Business.
Andrei Aleinikov
Lisa Alpine
Nina Amir
Kevin Arnold
Sally Ashton
Bill Belew
Kendra Bonnett
Robert Gregory Browne
Robin Burcell
Matilda Bulter
Sue Campbell
David Corbett
Selden Edwards
Martha Engber
Tanya Egan Gibson
Leslie Hoffman
Carla King
Joyce Krieg
Salinas, California
Craig Lancaster
Becky Levine
Antoinette May
Jana McBurney Lin
Indigo Moor
Linda Joy Myers
Nils Peterson
Diane Lindsey Reeves
Thomas B. Sawyer
Linda Kay Silva
Geri Spieler
David Henry Sterry
Terri Thayer
Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
Carolyn Hayes Uber
Luis Valdez
Penny Warner
Maralys Wills
Includes all conference events, workshops,
pitch sessions, and meals
Full Conference: $435
(Friday, Saturday, & Sunday)
Saturday Only: $239
Students, anytime (under 24 yrs, present valid ID at check-in):
Full conference $275, Saturday Only $151
Group rate: Save $60 (pay by check only)
Full Conference $375 per person for groups of 4 or more.
Discounts for larger groups available. Contact the conference director,
Dave LaRoche at eastofeden@southbaywriters.com
Enter the Writing Contest
Deadline August 14, 2010 - EXTENDED!
$1000 Grand Prize!
$200 1st place / $100 2nd place each category
4 categories:
Short Fiction, Novel, Poetry, Nonfiction
Entry fee $20
Get your manuscript critiqued
Pitch your work
Pitch your book-length project to literary agents and publishers.
Sign up for as many appointments as you like at the conference,
as available. No extra charge!
Andrea Brown
Amy Burkhardt
Michael Larsen
Laurie McLean
Elizabeth Pomada
Alan Rinzler
Andy Ross
Gordon Warnock
Pro editors critique your work
8 pages for only $35
Fee includes a 15-minute review session
with the editor at the conference.
Deadline August 15, 2010
Be Inspired by these speakers:
Selden Edwards, David Corbett, Nils Peterson, David Henry Sterry, Andrei Aleinikov, Linda Kay Silva, Wendy Nelson Tokunaga,
and Saturday evening keynote address by Luis Valdez
For registration and details go to www.southbaywriters.com
The East of Eden Writers Conference is presented by South Bay Writers, the Santa Clara Valley branch of California Writers Club.
CWC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. For sponsorship opportunities contact eastofeden@southbaywriters.com.
Scribbles August 2010
INBOX INKLINGS
Potable quotables excerpted from Scribbles editorial e-mail inbox.
He’s Looking to Lessen
Long Links that Lose
Lookers
(from Scribbles correspondent
Kemberlee Shortland)
I tried to find Kemberlee
Shortland’s novel online, but the long link in July’s Scribbles
failed. I might self-publish, but won’t pay for web publicity if
potential buyers can’t link to my title. Long links lose lookers.
Is this flaw fatal or is there a cure? Wondering in Watsonville,
via e-mail
There’s a free service at www.bit.ly where you put in longer site addresses and it spits out a much condensed version.
For example, my previous article “Blowing the Curtains” link
looks like this:
http://kemberleeshortland.blogspot.com/2010/07/
importance-of-senses.html
Using bit.ly, the link then becomes this: http://bit.ly/camVoX
When a reader clicks on that address, they’re automatically sent to my site with the longer address. I think this would
be an excellent cure for the long site address problem with the
newsletter. It’s one extra step, but it works on all fronts.
I have three blogs. The abbreviated link I sent you was for
an example. You can use the original links to my blog(s), as I
think they’re short enough:
http://www.kemberlee.com (my author site)
http://www.kemberleeshortland.blogspot.com (my articles
site)
http://www.heartshapedstones.blogspot.com (my personal
site)
Self-Published Poetry:
Doctor off duty, poet on call
Miracles
Never be without a pen and paper
on a day as beautiful as this
or as painful as yesterday
for you might see God
among the golden wildflowers
or recall a moment of peace
amidst the pain.
in either case, you will want
to use words
to help you carry the joy
and sorrow with you
to savor when you are lonely
or to fuel the fire
that tempers your soul.
Miracles are seldom scheduled
or massive.
They often occur in silence
or are hidden among the notes
coming from a piano
you have never heard played before
although it is in a room
you have visited many times.
Patrick W. Flanigan
Retired Hematologist/Oncologist Patrick W. Flanigan, whose
profile is featured on page 5, participated in Local Authors
Live! on July 24 and will appear in Sept. at the Carmel Authors and Ideas Festival. This is a new poem, published here
for the first time. Contact: pflanigan@redshift.com
10
Scribbles August 2010
Lee – continued from page 1
“In playwriting we jump to the chase–go to the high
point of the action. There is nothing more exciting than
having five hundred people and bringing them together
breathing the same breath. Have them right there with you.
Dialogue makes it. We’re dealing with people here. See
how they deal with stuff, and then make the action bigger
and bigger. See how they deal with life. . . .
“One thing leads to another. You have created these
two characters, and it makes a great scene. My point is, see
where it goes. Explore what they say. Keep going. Listen to
the voice that’s inside you.”
Participants had an opportunity to see how these techniques work by doing a writing exercise. Lee handed out
three-by-five cards and had us briefly describe two characters. We then exchanged cards with two other people and
created a short conversation between characters that were
created by our partners. As we read these conversations to
the entire group, it was apparent how easily action and plot
developed naturally between the contrasting personalities
in dialogue.
It was fun.
Be well.
By C. Jonathan Shoemaker
INFO EXCHANGE
For CCW members only. Submit items to ccwscribbles@sbcglobal.net
by the 23rd of the month preceding month of publication.
NOTICES
toryhartmann@hotmail.com
Central Coast Writers meeting is Sun., 8/8/10. Details on
page 1. Web site update and changes will be announced soon.
Central Coast Writers 2011 Creative Writing Contest--See
web site at www.centralcoastwriters.org
Search is on for “Examiners”--Cheri Love, member-in-progress of CCW, is Monterey Good Life Examiner (blogger) for
the old San Francisco Examiner’s new entirely online, national presence written by citizen journalists known as “Examiners.” Contact Cheri at cherilove@pacbell.net or 831-375-6186
or Google “Cheri Love Examiner”.
Palettes & Quills 2nd Biennial Poetry Chapbook --Deadline 9/1/10. See web site at www.pallettesnquills.com
Anthology, Anyone?--California Writers Club plans to publish a short-story anthology commemorating our centennial.
It will be the fifth edition of West Winds anthology since the
early years of CWC. The stories have already been selected.
Estimated cost is $10. To purchase, contact Central Board representative, Joyce Krieg, at joycek@redshift.com
CONFERENCES & CONTESTS
East of Eden Conference, Salinas, 9/24-25--See page 9 and
www.centralcoastwriters.org
Redwood Writers Conference, Santa Rosa, 10/29--Details
at http://redwoodwriters.org
Fault Zone: Words from the Edge anthology/short story
contest--SF Peninsula branch CWC. Deadline 9/30/10 Prizes
$300/$100/$50 & publication. Request the rules from
CRITIQUE, OPEN MIC & BOOK SIGNINGS
CCW Critique Group--Interested in joining a CCW critique
group? Send name, e-address and phone to
ccwscribbles@sbcglobal.net or “CCW Critique”, P. O. Box
997, Pacific Grove, CA 93950.
“SatChat” Critique--Sat., Aug. 21, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Juice
& Java, 599 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Contact Harold
Grice, oookaayy@sbcglobal.net
Local Writers Open Mic & Happy Hour--Thurs., Aug. 12,
5:30–7 p.m., Baum & Blume Carriage House, 4 El Caminito
Road, Carmel Valley Village. Featured writer: Jennifer Allen,
author of Bone Knowing. www.invisiblegrandparent.com. Pat
Hanson: 831-601-9195. phanson@csumb.edu
Pizza and Prose, Capitola: Summer schedule at
www.pizzaandprose.weebly.com
Booktoberfest: CCW authors sell/read their works: Tues., Oct.
19. See web site at www.centralcoastwriters.org
S t i l l i n P u r s u i t of the Dream
SELF-PUBLISHING SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
by Gwyn Weger
Word count won’t allow much here; however, the following are important things to consider before taking the plunge.
Remember: Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware!
1. Use local resources. There’s no need to go out of town
(or state) to publish your book. You’d be better off using your
dollars close to home. Your money will go further and results
will be better accomplished through community contacts. Talk
to Patricia Hamilton first.
2. Start saving your pennies. Be prepared for hidden expenses. Everything costs money. Whether it’s making flyers
to pass out, advertising, website design/hosting, traveling out
of town to give a talk or book signing, it’ll involve spending
money.
3. Does your family support you? Expect to be putting
LOTS more time and energy than you think promoting your
work to keep the ball rolling, in the public eye, and be successful. This equals time away from significant others and will be
outside your working “job” too. What will happen when you
can’t make the annual family picnic?
4. Do your own research before
making decisions. Don’t take anyone’s
word as gospel for anything. Check
references and sleep on big decisions.
Don’t let ANYONE RUSH YOU. If
you’re having a hard time deciding, the At Local Authors Live!
Photo by Joyce Krieg.
answer should probably be “no.”
5. What is your definition of success? Like everything in
life, but especially when self publishing, your success (or failure) is proportional to how much time (and money) you spend
on it. To quote a cliché, you have to practice to get to Carnegie
Hall. Ultimately, you’re on your own when you self publish.
You only have yourself to blame or congratulate, depending.
Fellow writers, be sure you accept all of the above before
using this route to publication. Remember: if it were easy to be
successful, everyone would self publish.
Scribbles August 2010
11
CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB
CENTRAL COAST WRITERS BRANCH
P.O. BOX 997
PACIFIC GROVE, CA 93950
August 8, 2010
Noon – 3 p.m.
Literary Luau Picnic/Potluck
Hosted by David Rasch and Ixchel Leigh
27200 Prado Del Sol
Carmel Valley
(details on page 1)
If the Shoe Fits . . .
So the Little Red Hen did it Herself.
O
by C. Jonathan Shoemaker
nce there was a little book entitled
Juggling for the Complete Klutz. It
was given to me as a joke, but I did follow
the instructions and practiced a little every
day. As I learned to juggle, I realized some similarities between juggling and the sport of golf, and I jotted down ideas
as they occurred to me.
One day I mentioned to teaching pro Fred Shoemaker
that I was considering writing a book on the subject. He
said, “Do it!” When I showed a copy of the newly finished
typewritten manuscript of Juggling Golf to Tom Kite, he
said, “Good ideas! Get it published.”
I went for advice to Patricia Hamilton: “It’s ready right
now. Get it printed.” Aye, there’s the rub! That takes cash.
My cousin said, “No problem! Get $100 from fifteen
friends.” Of course, he made no offer of his own money. I
shared that conversation with my son. No way was I about
to go begging my friends for cash. We had a good laugh
that day, but soon afterward, my son presented me with the
needed funds out of his savings from working as a greenskeeper.
Books should to one of these four ends conduce:
for wisdom, piety, delight, or use.
Sir John Denham (English Poet, 1615-1659)
Copies in hand, I made the rounds to our local independent bookstores. Most of them took a few on consignment.
Some even paid me sixty percent right then and there! I
went to the golf courses. The pros read the book first, then
decided to sell them at 50/50 percent. Not much profit for
me, but my book was out there and selling.
The biggest problem is that I find myself with a product
to sell. Marketing and making callbacks are not part of my
lifestyle. Maybe my next step is to try to sell it on the internet.
Be well and do good work.
Jonathan
Self-Publishing in a Nutshell
“Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher.
“It is generally done at the expense of the author. . . .
“Vanity presses cater exclusively to this market niche,
but authors may prefer to hire a printer directly, or use an
e-book format.”
Wikipedia ( excerpt from “Self-publishing”)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-publishing