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Authors
Marketing Group Newsletter
Volume
2, Issue 3
September
2006
Lillian
D. Bjorseth, editor
lillianspeaks@duoforce.com
I
would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people
who
think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.
--- Anna
Quindlen
Welcome to another issue of our periodic newsletter.
Its lack of regularity is in no way indicative of the valuable
information it contains!
Changes
The Authors Marketing Group (AMG) has had a summer
of changes, changes and more changes … all for the good! One of them is our-ever expanding website filled with more
valuable information and more marketing opportunities for members!
Thanks to Josslyn Christmas ((Love
Owns Victory
Everytime:
LOVE) and
Rosemarie Piemonte (Falling
Roses) for their continuing professional efforts.
Be sure to check out the rest of the website after you finish reading the
newsletter.
Another
change is that AMG
has grown to the stage where it has begun to charge dues.
Check out the membership tab at www.authorsmarketinggroup.org.
Here you will find the membership application that needs to accompany your $30
annual dues that run from Oct. 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2007.
Send both (ASAP!) to James T. Durkin, Authors Marketing Group, PO
Box 6136, Woodridge, IL 60517.
Among the benefits membership brings are:
·
Attendance at all six of the 2006-2007 evening meetings (guests
may attend one meeting for free) where we feature publishers, authors and
marketing experts
·
24-7 exposure on the authors page on our website (that alone is
worth hundreds of dollars … at least!)
·
Information about author fests and myriad other exhibition
opportunities
·
Newsletter which shares local and national marketing ideas …
must be a member to contribute to/be featured in the newsletter
·
Opportunity to build relationships with other authors with whom
you can brainstorm, seek and offer advice and grow together
·
Ability to attend Woodridge Chamber of Commerce events at member
prices
In
the Media
AMG is being featured in an ad in the September/October
2006 DuPage Woman. The ad, a
$1,300 value, was donated by Josslyn.
She had won it at Lillian Bjorseth’s (Breakthrough
Networking: Building Relationships That Last, 52 Ways to Break the Ice &
Target Your Market, Nothing Happens Until We Communicate and contributing
author to Masters of Networking)
Great Chicago Networking Extravaganza in April 2006.
It’s another great example of Josslyn’s dedication to AMG!
Rosemarie Piemonte and Sharon Shea Bossard (Finding
My Irish) were interviewed on www.worldradio.com.
To check out the interviews, visit the website, click on “show
search” and type in their names. If
you are interested in appearing on the show, click on http://www.worldtalkradio.com/show.asp?sid=118.
There is a fee that goes to charity.
Jim Durkin (In My Dreams) and Rosemarie
are spreading the word about AMG at 9 pm Tuesdays in September on “Mike Kara
Presents” on Comcast Cable public access television Channel 19.
Their appearance was also featured in Suburban Life’s Aug. 27,
2006 “Lifestyle” section.
Serena Polheber from Fallen Angel Reviews asked that
we share this information with AMG members:
“While we predominately review romance titles, we also review other
types. Reviews are never negative.
If the angel cannot say something nice about the book, the book will go back
into the database to be assigned to another angel … We also host chats,
contests, new release announcements on both the website and in the newsletter
for no charge.”
Check out www.fallenangelreviews.com
for more information or contact Rosemarie at rosemariepiemonte@yahoo.com
since she has been through the process and received a 5-angel review and a
recommended read from the site.
Awards/Reviews
The
Triology Poetic Team made up of Joseph
Spence, Sr., Sheila Parrish-Spence, and their son Jonathan
Clarence Parrish Spence (A Trilogy of Poetry, Prose And Thoughts For The
Mind, Body & Soul) received the 2006 Commemorative Poetry
Ambassador Medal from the International Library of Poetry.
They were honored for their poetry performance and public service that
included appearances at community service agencies, nursing homes, adult day
care and independent living centers as well as weddings, retirements and
birthday parties.
Events
Numerous
AMGers participated in the Silent
Auction at the Relay for Life Cancer Walk at Downers Grove North High School in
June 2006. Members’ books were sold with the fee being shared between
the Cancer Society and AMG. Also in
June, AMGers participated in
the 2nd annual Author Fest
at Schaumburg Township District Library. In
addition to appearing on various panels, members were able to display and sell
their products. We’ll be highlighting more events in months to come and
welcome your input as well. E-mail Lillian
with details.
Writing
Tips
Joan Upton Hall has given us permission to share these
writing tips.
Demystifying
Writers’ Demons©
by Joan Upton Hall
Passive
voice and using Be verbs
Passive voice
means that the subject of the sentence receives the action. Passive
voice sets you up for using weak be verbs. Here are the eight be verbs
to watch for:
be, been, being, am,
are, is, was, were.
“My
manuscript was rejected by
ninety-nine editors.”
“One of Beowulf’s men was devoured.”
Active voice
means the subject does the action (stronger).
“Ninety-nine editors rejected my manuscript.”
“Grendel devoured one of
Beowulf’s men.”
• When to avoid passive voice
(active produces stronger, tighter writing):
1. You want the subject to control the action.
2. You know who did the action and want the reader to know too.
• When to keep passive voice
(impersonal; often chosen by journalists):
1. You don’t want the subject to control the action (a matter of
emphasis).
2. You don’t know who did the action, or you want to withhold it from
the reader.
Do demons bedevil
your writing? Similar, confusing words? Grammar, punctuation, or capitalization
rules? “The Demystifier” will clear up the mystery (primary reference unless
otherwise noted: Garner, Bryan A. Dictionary
of Modern American Usage. N.Y.: Oxford
University Press). Address questions and comments to freelance editor, Joan
Upton Hall, PO Box 179, Hutto, TX 78634, or email:
jmuHall@aol.com. More problems like the one above are demystified in the
booklet, 50
Writers’ Tips. Find a few of
them at “books, etc.” on website: www.JoanUptonHall.com.
September
Meeting
Sharon Woodhouse, owner of Lake Claremont Press, will be the
guest speaker at the Sept. 26 meeting at Shanahan’s (formerly Corner
Clubhouse), 1999 W. 75th St., Woodridge. Networking begins at 6:45 pm with the meeting at 7 pm.
E-mail info@authorsmarketinggroup.org
for more information.
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