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• Letter From the Editor
• Thou Shalt Steal
• Class Act
• The Path to Publication
• Writing Prompt
• Buddy Up
• Oprah Alternative

This week in the newsletter we’re focusing on using the writing community to help your career. In “Thou Shalt Steal,” we share tips on how you can put a fresh spin on other writers’ ideas to create your own articles (without actually ripping them off). Also, check out “Buddy Up” for information on the newest section of the Writer’s Digest Forum where you can connect with other writers for some one-on-one motivation. Ah, isn’t the Internet great? Lots of camaraderie without every leaving the house.

Keep writing,
—Robin M. Hampton, newsletter editor

Talk to us! Send an e-mail to writersdig@fwpubs.com with "Newsletter Comments" in the subject line. Keep in mind that your comments—in whole or in part—may appear in upcoming editions of the newsletter. If you are interested in having your comments included in the newsletter, please include your phone number so we can confirm your responses.

In the April issue of Writer’s Digest, contributing editor Linda Formichelli encourages freelancers to filch ideas for pitches from existing articles. A word of caution when you mooch from magazines:

“You wouldn't want to take an article idea in its entirety and pitch it to the magazine's competitor—that's just bad form. But no one says you can't slant an idea you found and sell it to a magazine in a different market.

“Here's how to do it: Go to the bookstore and make a beeline for parts of the newsstand you rarely browse—perhaps the pet or sports section. Gather up a big armload of magazines and head to the café. Buy a cappuccino and start flipping through the magazines, looking for ideas that you can retool for your target markets.

“Try turning a profile into a roundup where you interview a bunch of people; or take a national idea and give it a local spin for a regional publication. Play the contrarian with an idea by pitching the exact opposite (for example, ‘How to Drop 10 Pounds Fast’ can spawn ‘Why Diets Don't Work’).”

For more resources to raid for ideas, read the entire article online:
writersdigest.com/articles/formichelli_steal.asp

• Much has been made of the fact that this book is semi-autobiographical. Where should an author draw the line when using her own life as the basis for a novel?
  
• Do the characters seem realistic and fleshed-out, or do they come across as stereotypes?
  
• Is there a clear sense of the time period in which this book is set?
  
• Is Lee Fiora a reliable narrator? Why or why not?
  
• Do you feel that Lee Fiora experienced a transformation by the end?

Read the entire Book Buzz article online:
writersdigest.com/bookbuzz/0604_prep.asp

Then jump on the WD Forum (writersdigest.com/mbbs/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=1830&posts=2) to discuss these points and any others the book elicits.

“Traditional: A publicity staff will help you set up reviews, interviews, booksignings and other appearances. They have media and bookstore connections, and experience writing press releases and media kits to gain attention. The publisher bears the cost of printing and sending review copies (generally hundreds of them) and other material, and may also take your book to conventions. Authors are expected to contribute to publicity work, but publishers share responsibility and provide ‘muscle’ for the author’s efforts.

“Self-publishing: Getting media mentions for self-published books is more difficult. Many publications have policies against reviewing self-published books. Although there’s no guarantee that a traditionally published book will be good, there’s a higher probability of it because an editor liked the book enough to champion it, it’s been through the editorial process, and a publisher invested money to produce it. Therefore, these people have become the author’s ‘references.’ Considering the tens of thousands of books traditionally published every year, few media outlets take time to search through self-published books to find those worthy of publication.”

The article also covers titles and covers, editorial control, distribution, credibility, and timelines. For more tips and articles for beginners, pick up Writing Basics, available at the WD Bookstore:
writersdigest.com/store/magdisplay.asp?id=WY0506

You can also post your response (500 words or fewer) in the Writers Forum:
writersdigest.com/mbbs/forum

“Richard & Judy” choices for 2006:

Julian Barnes’ Arthur & George
Richard Benson’s The Farm
Geraldine Brooks’ March
Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer
Martin Davies’ The Conjuror's Bird
Nicole Krauss’ The History of Love
Anchee Min’s Empress Orchid
Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth
Eva Rice’s The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets
Andrew Smith’s Moondust

If you’d like to read more about the woman behind the book club, you can read the article online:
living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=476932006

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Mountainland Award - Monthly awards for Short Fiction and Creative Non-fiction.  Quarterly awards for Full-length Fiction.  See website for details.  http://www.godot-enterprises.com/contest.html

CHILDREN'S WRITERS.  12-page monthly newsletter of editors' listings for "manuscripts wanted"-the competitive edge you need to sell more now.  Free issue.  http://www.thechildrenswriter.com/N5127

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Chicken Soup for the Soul  
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