Publishing Forms
By Mary Embree
Planning to self-publish? These are the forms you will need to complete before you send your manuscript off to the printer.
Copyright registration - $30
Form TX and Short Form TX. You may use Short Form TX if you are the only author, the work was not made for hire, and the work is completely new. Otherwise use Form TX. To get the forms, call 202/707-9100 or download them from the Internet at www.loc.gov/copyright. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view and print the forms. Send the application form, your manuscript, and the filing fee of $30 to Library of Congress Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20559-6000.
ISBN Publisher Prefix - $225
International Standard Book Number, a U.S. Agency. To get forms write to ISBN, 121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ 07974, call 877/310-7333, or download them from their Web site. You will receive 10 numbers for a fee of $225 (as of April 2001); add $50 for priority processing. You can apply online if you charge it to a credit card. To apply online or download forms, go to www.bowker.com/standards/home/ISBN.
You must have your ISBN before you complete the following forms.
Advance Book Information – No charge
Fill this out to be listed in the databases, Forthcoming Books and Books in Print, that are used by libraries and bookstores. You can get this form from R. R. Bowker Data Collection Center, P.O. Box 6000, Oldsmar, FL 34677-6800.
Bar Code - $15 to $30
Check with your printer. They usually handle this at the time of printing your book. If not, you can order one from Bar Code Graphics and their e-mail is sales@barcode-us.com.
Library of Congress Card Number (LCCN) - No charge.
Write to Library of Congress, Cataloging in Publication Division, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20540-4320 and ask for a form called “Request for Preassignment of Library of Congress Catalog Card Number.” Contact http://lcweb.loc.gov/faq/catfaq.html for more information.
Publisher’s Cataloging in Publication (PCIP) - $150
Small publishers can get this from Quality Books. Call or write to them for the form at 1003 W. Pines Road, Oregon, IL 61061-9680, phone 815/732-4450; fax 815/732-4499. Librarians need this information to process your book. Fee: Regular service $40 for 60 days turnaround; Priority service $50 for 30 days turnaround; Express service $75 for 10 days turnaround.
The book title, LCCN, PCIP, ISBN, and copyright symbol, name (author) and date all go on the copyright page in your book. The copyright page is on the reverse side of your title page.
CONTESTS
Writers of Westerns, Young Adult novels, and religious fiction are invited to enter a competition celebrating all three categories. Prizes totaling $24,000 are offered, $8,000 in each category. Deadline for the 250-word submissions is August 1, 2001. Entries are limited to 500 in each section, so contestants are advised to enter early before contests are filled. Rules, entry fees, and topics are available at http://www.novel.to; or send a legal-size SASE to: Showcase Rules, 652 Treece Gulch, Stevensville, MT 59870. This contest is sponsored by A Rocky Mountain Fiction Showcase, a project of Collaborations Press, Stevensville, Montana.
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The Writers Network is hosting its 8th Annual Screenplay and Fiction Competition, with prizes that include up to $2,000 cash and literary representation. Applications must be received by May 15 via U.S. mail only. A nonrefundable $35 processing fee must accompany each application. For more information, email writersnet@aol.com.
Be sure to attend the Central Coast Book & Author Festival, Saturday, June 9 at the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo. For a schedule of events, check out http://www.ccbookfest.org
SPRING CLEANING FOR WRITERS
By Patricia L. Fry
Most of us know that fresh feeling that comes from spring cleaning. It's like experiencing the rebirth of our home and furnishings.
“Do you fear your favorite cat is missing in your office rubble?”
Wouldn't it be great if you could experience the same sense of renewal in your writing career? You can.
Here are some ideas to help you clear the cobwebs from your mental and physical space and refurbish your creativity. Clear the clutter.
Do you have folders stacked on top of the filing cabinet waiting to be filed? Is your desktop buried under paperwork? Are your in/out baskets full? Do you have to step over books and other research material to go get a cup of coffee? Do you fear that your favorite cat is missing in your office rubble? It's time to clean the office.
Review your goals and set new ones. Now that your writing space is organized, it's time to clear the clutter from your head. Perhaps you've been working on several projects at once and you're feeling overwhelmed.
Maybe you've been working on the same project for months and feel burned out. Cleaning up your space will help lift your spirits, but it's also necessary to eliminate and consolidate the rubble in your mind.
Start by listing current projects and setting deadlines. Then outline future projects. A timeline often helps to keep us on track.
Educate yourself. Learn about writing and marketing works in your genre.
Subscribe to a writing-oriented magazine or e-zine.
Join a writing/publishing-related organization or trade club.
Try something new. Explore a new genre or shift from writing articles to writing books. Remember that a writer who doesn't stretch, doesn't grow.
Expand your writing into other fields. Make your writing experiences work for you by becoming a teacher, consultant or web presence, for example.
Find new ways to market your work. Recycle your magazine articles through reprints. Come up with new ideas for promoting your book (radio talk shows or through related organizations, for example). Update your resume, brochure and other promotional material.
—Patricia Fry is the author of A Writer's Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit and Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com
tips on getting more comfortable talking about your book
By Carra Robertson
In this business, talking about our books with a sense of ease is not only a skill, but a necessity.
Instead of looking at public speaking as a daunting event, let's try to view it as an exciting challenge that can lead to a successful experience and increased sales.
In my book, "Meditations For Actors: For the Actor Within Us All", I offer over two dozen positive tools to help ground ourselves and achieve goals with greater ease.
For my fellow authors, I'd like to share a few key tips I believe can aid us in becoming more comfortable with public speaking.
- Remember to breathe. One or two deep breaths can literally thaw you from frozen stage fright.
- Make eye contact. Whether you are addressing one person or a crowd of a thousand, try to direct your energy, through your eyes, to whomever you can. It's the unspoken way of conveying, "I am here for you."
- Prepare. Remember what it is about your book that made you write it in the first place. Read it again. Know everything about it and own being the expert that you are.
- Speak up. Why not make sure that you are heard correctly? Be proud of your words.
- Keep your materials organized. If you plan to read aloud, earmark the pages in advance. Once prepared, you no longer need to worry that a small distraction may throw you off your agenda.
- Find a common denominator. Parallels can be drawn between your audience and your book in theme (emotional or moral), locale, profession, etc. Designing your presentation with the intent to engage your audience will add to your comfort.
Ultimately, the most important thing when it comes to speaking publicly is to relax and be yourself. The truth is, the more your audience is interested in you, the more apt they are to read your book into the world.
Carra Robertson coaches on a regular basis and is the author of Meditations for Actors: For the Actor Within Us All. Contact her at Carra@Dablond.com
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According to an email received from MediaMap, reporters, columnists, editors, bookers and producers are invited to use SourceNet to post a query to find quotes, opinions, product news or general information on broad or niche topics quickly and anonymously. Visit MediaMap's Tools for Journalists at http://www.MediaMap.com/Media.
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Free Seminar
SPAWN Board Member Richard F.X. O'Connor will be giving his semi-annual seminar on Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Santa Barbara City College, Schott Center, Room 14. The seminar title is "Make The Leap From Writer To Published Author.”
The price is right: FREE!
O'Connor is a small publisher as well as executive editor, acquisitions for Renaissance Books. He has authored seven books and self-published "How To Market You and Your Book."
This publishing industry veteran of more than 30 years shares the secrets marketing pros use to turn books into best sellers, from picking a winning title to getting a powerful agent to sparking an editor's interest and jump-starting the marketing process.
Find out what publishing insiders know that can help you successfully sell your book to a publisher.
From rights royalties, and contracts to using the Internet for sales and promotion, this course emphasizes marketing you and your book for profit.
The seminar always includes two guest speakers, to be announced.
For driving directions and other information contact Richard O’Connor at fx@worldnet.att.net.
2001 PMA/BEA
Publishing University
Manhattan Beach, California-based Publishers Marketing Association is hosting its annual seminar, “Publishing University,” in Chicago, Illinois on May 29-31. For more information, contact PMA at 310-372-2732 or register online at http://www.pma-online.org.
Online Marketing for Book and Publishing Web Sites:
Copyright Protection for the New World of the Internet
By Virginia Lawrence
Do we need copyright protection for our text on the Internet? Yes, we do. Many of us have placed our content online, and we will be placing more online.
At the Seybold Seminars in Boston during April, 2001, Thad McIlroy discussed the technological and societal factors affecting publishing. McIlroy suggests that, over the next 20 years, paper publishing will decline drastically. Then we will see a huge increase in publishing through digital media.
Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Executive Vice President, said that we can expect a future in which we are permitted to publish "anytime, anywhere, and on any device."
Now there's a daunting prospect. Protecting a copyright on printed material is one matter. How do we protect our copyright on online material and confirm that no one else is publishing our content?
BayTSP Offers BaySpider Technology
BayTSP is an Internet security firm specializing in tracking and reporting stolen content on the Internet. Here's how the process works for a BayTSP client:
- After receiving a CD or a floppy from the client, Bay TSP takes a "fingerprint" of the client's file, whether a Word document, an HTML file, a graphic, or a music file. That is, rather than adding a watermark which could be removed, the technicians record the "digital DNA" of the file.
- BayTSP spiders the Internet, sending out software sleuths to find any unauthorized copies of the registered content. The software tracks files based on their inherent uniqueness, their "digital DNA."
- When an infringement is found, Bay TSP takes a snapshot of the location of the file.
- The client views the results of the searches carried out for his content. If he sees an infringement, he decides whether he wants to take the next step.
- At the client's request, Bay TSP sends out an infringement notice to the violator and to the violator's Web host. These notices tell the violator that the material must be removed from the site, while informing the Web host that the violator must comply. This action applies pressure from two sides, because the Web host will close down any site displaying content illegally. (Only Web hosts in Russia and Denmark do not comply.)
- Finally, BayTSP provides the client with a Complaint-Ready CD containing everything necessary to start legal action against the copyright infringer. This CD costs an additional $150.
BayTSP will carry out the first four steps for up to 100 files for only $12 per month. There is a setup fee of $25 for 100 images, and setup fees for other file types are similar. Given that it is so easy for anyone to copy online content and place it on his own site, there is a great need for BayTSP services, yet the prices are quite low.
BayTSP claims a 99% compliance rate. Given that one of my clients found his business logo in use on a foreign site, it appears to me that using the BaySpider service is inexpensive protection for copyrightable material. You can see the general information at http://www.baytsp.com. Call 1-877-922-9877 or write to sales@baystp.com to start the process for your files. —©2000 Virginia Lawrence, Ph.D. Virginia Lawrence, SPAWNews columnist, is a professional Web Designer and Online Marketing Consultant. virginia@cognitext.com, or http://www.cognitext.com.
SPAWN is a nonprofit corporation. Donations are tax deductible.
Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
P.O. Box 2653
Ventura, CA 93002-2653
Website: http://www.spawn.org
Telephone & Fax: 805-646-3045
Wendy Dager
Senior Editor, SPAWNews
e-mail: Wendy@spawn.org
Hal Ranzenhofer
Managing Editor, SPAWNews
Telephone: 805/984-3216
e-mail: hal@spawn.org
Virginia Lawrence
SPAWN Webmaster
e-mail: virginia@spawn.org
Patricia Fry
Acting President
e-mail: pat@spawn.org
Ruth Hibbard
Treasurer
e-mail: ruth@spawn.org
Advisory Council
Patricia Fry
Author, Publisher
Carol Doering
Dallas Glenn
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
Jean Wade
Author
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 promote the literary arts and provide education, information, resources and a supportive networking environment for artists, writers, and other creative people interested in the publishing process.
Submission Guidelines
Members and Nonmembers: Please send your press releases, seminar information, and books for review to Wendy Dager, Senior Editor, SPAWNews, 3039 Country Lane, Simi Valley, CA 93063 or email Wendy@spawn.org.
SPAWN membership dues are $45 per year; spouses, half-price.
Subscriptions to SPAWNews are $15 per year for nonmembers. Make your check payable to SPAWN and mail to P.O. Box 2653, Ventura, CA 93002-2653.
SPAWNews, Member Directory and Web site listings, and discounts for SPAWN events are included in membership.
SPAWN is a nonprofit corporation. Donations are tax deductible.
Small Publishers, Artists & Writers Network
P. O. Box 2653
Ventura, CA 93002-2653 |
