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SPAWNews, May, 2000
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Poetry Judges

In last month’s newsletter we forgot to mention the judges of our poetry contest and to thank them. The judges were:

· Dr. Michael R. Collings, professor of English, the director of Creative Writing and the (first ever) Poet-in-Residence at Seaver College, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, and

· Perie Longo who has published two books of poetry: Milking the Earth (John Daniel, 1986) and The Privacy of Wind (John Daniel, 1997). Her work has also appeared in numerous journals. She teaches privately and with California-Poets-in-the-Schools, and is on the staff of the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

This is the second year they have judged our poetry contest and we are very grateful for their knowledgeable choices and their dedication to excellence.

Genuine poetry is conceived and composed in the soul.
~Matthew Arnold

Dear SPAWN Members,

This month marks the fourth year SPAWN has been in operation, thanks to the dedicated volunteers who run the day-to-day business of the organization. The fact that we’re still here also shows that there are people who want and need this kind of group.

Our first newsletter was sent out in June 1996 and we’ve continued without interruption ever since. More than 200 pages have been published in these 48 issues. That’s the size of a book!

In SPAWNews we have told you about organizations you could join, discounts you can get, contests you can enter, book festivals you could participate in, writers conferences you could go to, and seminars you could attend.

We have told others about your activities, including classes you have taught, books you have written, and where you’ll be signing them.

We’ve had articles on networking, writing, editing, publishing, promoting and marketing. We’ve told you how to protect your computer from viruses and your copyrights online. We’ve given you lists of resources and reviewed books that might interest you.

But that’s not enough. We want to hear from you! We want your pearls of wisdom, your expertise, your news. Please e-mail your articles to me at Mary@spawn.org or send them to me at SPAWN, P.O. Box 2653, Ventura, CA 93002-2653.

~Mary Embree

Publishing Updates

While going through the process of publishing my book, The Author’s Toolkit: a Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Book, I noticed that a few things have changed recently that might be of importance to you as an author and/or publisher. For example:

·The copyright registration fee has gone up from $20 to $30. It’s probably a good idea to throw out your old forms and get new ones. You can get information and the forms (Form TX and Short Form TX) by logging onto the Copyright Office’s Web site: http://www.loc.gov/copyright and downloading them. You will need the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader, but you can get that free of charge and the Web site will tell you how. They also have fill-in forms that allow you to enter information while the form is displayed, and then print out the completed form. See their “Fill-in Forms Instructions” for help doing this. If you’d like to order the forms by mail, write to:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Publications Section LM-455
101 Independence Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20559-6000

·Preassigned Card Numbers (PCN) The Library of Congress Catalog Card Number (LCCCN) is now called the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). There is no fee for this. The form and more information about PCNs are available on their Web site (above). You may also write to them at:

Library of Congress
Cataloging in Publication Division
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20540-4320

·The fees for International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) have also gone up. It is now $205 for a block of 10 ISBNs. You may get your ISBNs online by filling in the application and sending it electronically, charging it to your Visa or MasterCard. Go to their Web site, http://www.bowker.com, and click on “ISBN/SAN.” Or write them at:

R.R. Bowker
121 Chanlon Road
New Providence, NJ 07974

~ME

See Book Signing Tips for Authors for Patricia Fry's informative article.

See E-Books: Call for Titles for an update on the SPAWN E-Book Publishing Center.

CONTESTS & AWARDS

The National League of American Pen Women announces the Dorothy Daniels Annual Honorary Writing Award.

First prize of $100 is awarded in each of the following categories: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction. Entries must be original, unpublished and not submitted elsewhere. Short fiction: 2,000 words maximum; Nonfiction: 1,500 words maximum; Poetry: 50 lines maximum.

Entry fees are $3 per poem and $5 for fiction or nonfiction. The deadline is July 30. For guidelines send SASE to NLAPW-SVB, P.O. Box 1485, Simi Valley, CA 93062.

Icarus Poetry Competition. You may submit from one to three unpublished poems or prose poems, 100 line total limit, on the theme “Flying Machines.”

ICARUS awards $500 to the winning entry and publishes a chapbook which includes this entry and all finalists selected by the competition judge. The chapbook is introduced at December 2000 ICARUS ceremonies. Each entrant will receive a copy of the book.

Send two copies of entries, one with and one without your name and address, together with a brief bio, your SASE, and an entry fee of $10 payable to ICARUS, P.O. Box 1232, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948. Deadline is July 1.

Member News

Jean Wade was invited to give a demonstration as one of the chefs at the Celebrity Chef Theatre held at the Holiday Inn Select in Riverside. At the Orange Blossom Festival on April 15, Jean’s demo for her Shortbread Jam Cookies was a big hit. The Festival Committee sold 68 books that Jean signed.

While staying at the hotel, Jean sold 12 books to employees and one to an antique dealer that she met in his shop. Jean carries a book with her wherever she goes and manages to sell some each day.

Dan Poynter has written yet another book. Is he prolific or what? This one is called Writing Nonfiction: Turning Thoughts into Books.

He explains how to build your book rather than just write it. He suggests spinning off audio- and videotapes, magazine excerpts, foreign language versions and more.

Dan tells how to select a salable subject, gather material and break down the book into easy-to-attack pieces. When you follow his advice your chances of producing a successful book are practically guaranteed. He’s the master at this game.

Dan’s books are available in bookstores or directly from the publisher. For more information see his Web site, http://ParaPublishing.com.

SPAWN is a nonprofit corporation. Donations are tax deductible.

Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
P.O. Box 2653
Ventura, CA 93002

Website: http://www.spawn.org
Telephone & Fax: 818-886-4281

Mary Embree
Senior Editor
e-mail: embreelitservice@aol.com

Hal Ranzenhofer
Managing Editor
Telephone: 805/984-3216
e-mail: halrider@aol.com

Virginia Lawrence
SPAWN Webmaster
e-mail: virginia@spawn.org

Jean Wade
President, Santa Barbara County Chapter.
e-mail: withoutsugar@hotmail.com

Carol Doering
President, Ventura County Chapter.
e-mail: rdoering@msn.com

Patricia Fry
Vice President
e-mail: PLFry@aol.com

Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer and Membership Chair
e-mail: ruthhi@west.net

Advisory Council

Patricia Fry
Author, Publisher

Rosalie Heacock
Literary Agent

Andora Hodgin
Writer, Editor, Publicist

Irwin Zucker
Book Publicist

Jim Lane
Author

Marcia Grad-Powers
Publisher

Melvin Powers
Publisher

Dan Poynter
Author, Publisher

Mary Embree
Author, Publishing Consultant

Board of Directors

Mary Embree
Author, Editor, Literary Consultant
Founder and President of SPAWN

Patricia Fry
Vice President

Virginia Lawrence, PhD
Writer, Editor, Webmaster
Secretary of SPAWN

Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer

Frances Halpern
Author, Columnist, Talk-show Host

Marsha Karpeles
Executive Director, Manuscript Libraries

Richard F.X. O'Connor
Author, Publisher, Editor, Consultant

MISSION STATEMENT

To provide education, information, resources and a supportive networking environment for artists, writers, and other creative people interested in the publishing process.