Mocha Mind

Keep Our Libraries Open!

Gov. Christie’s budget calls for a 74% decrease in funding for statewide library services.  This cut includes the elimination of all statewide library programs and services.  Once state funding is eliminated, NJ will lose $4.5 million in federal funding.  This will have a devastating impact on New Jersey libraries.

Our libraries are a wonderful, FREE resource for computer access, movies, programs and information. In these economically deprived times, we need our libraries more than ever.

Please visit the NJLA Capwiz site and send a message to the Governor and your State Senate and Assembly representatives asking them to restore library funding and oppose A2555 at this link http://capwiz.com/ala/nj/utr/1/IXPMMGCLZR/BYABMGCMAX/4898317546 and click the TAKE ACTION button.

We need your voices to be heard in Trenton!

Thank you.

PLAN TO ATTEND A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE LIKE NO OTHER!
2010 SPECIAL GUEST: GENE WILDER

DATE: Saturday, April 10, 2010
TIME: 7:30AM – 9:30PM
VENUE: Oronoque Country Club, Stratford, CT
REGISTRATION FEE: $165

Make connections with publishing insiders and get individualized feedback with dozens of networking opportunities, including:

• One-on-one manuscript critiques with editors and agents – Networking breakfast, lunch and dinner – Post-conference networking party
• Perfect your craft with a choice of seven different workshops from over thirty sessions offered in:
• Fiction – Nonfiction – Memoir – Mystery – Poetry – Screenwriting – Children’s literature – Romance – Horror/Sci-fi
• Get the insider’s edge with a vast selection of rare, how-to tutorials from every department within a publishing company, including:
• Marketing/Publicity – Art/Production – Contracts – Special Sales – Media training – Pitching your work – How to appeal to agents and editors – Literary agent and editor discussion panels

And more!

To register or for more information, please visit: www.unicornwritersconference.com

My stories run up and bite me on the leg – I respond by writing down everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.

-Ray Bradbury

What can you learn by walking through a bookstore? Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned writer, an author needs to constantly update his knowledge of the book industry.

I have met authors who had no idea that audio books existed or who didn’t know the best format for their books. The knowledge gleaned from strolling through a bookstore will greatly increase the understanding of your business. After all, writing is a business.

What can you learn?

-See your competition. What unfilled niche can you fill?

-See how books in your genre are formatted (size, inside text, covers, etc.)

-What book covers are eye-catching?

-What ancillary products are offered (journals, writing kits, etc.)?

-In what new formats are books being offered (audio books, playaways, Kindles, etc.)?

After you see what’s on the market, you can decide the best way to present your product so it stands out from the crowd. Remember, we can always learn something about the ever-changing world of literature. Have a great stroll!

-Gioya McRae

©2010 Mocha Mind Communications

You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.

- Octavia Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006)

Writers Conferences & Centers is conducting its annual competition to provide scholarships for writers who wish to attend a writers’conference, center, retreat, or residency. The scholarships will be applied to fees to attend any of the over 100 members of WC&C, an association of outstanding conferences, centers, retreats, and festivals for writers.

Deadline: March 30, 2010.

Prizes: Two scholarships of $500 will be awarded.

For more info, please visit http://www.writersconf.org/scholarship/index.php

America’s premier amateur philosophy contest, The Great American
Think-Off, releases its 2010 essay and debate question: “Do the
wealthy have an obligation to help the poor?” In writing essays
on this question, potential debaters may address individuals,
groups, or nations as the essayist determines. The Great Debate
will be held in New York Mills, Minnesota on Saturday, June 12,
2010 before a live audience.

Entering the competition is easy. Just submit an essay of 750 words or less by April 1, 2010.
The names of the four finalists, who each receive $500 plus
travel, food and lodging expenses, will be announced May 1, 2010.

NO ENTRY FEE
Deadline: April 1, 2010
Prize: The names of the four finalists, who each receive $500 plus
travel, food and lodging expenses, will be announced May 1, 2010.

For more info or to enter online, please visit http://www.think-off.org

Have you set your writing goals for the new year? Often the question is not “What are my goals?” but “How do I determine my goals?” Where do you even begin? Use these guidelines to set up your 2010 goals.

* Set a daily (yes, I said daily) writing goal by number of words, paragraphs or pages.

* Set a number of books, articles, stories or poems you would like to complete by the end of the year and work backwards to schedule your time. For example, if you would like to complete six stories, schedule completion of a story every two months.

* Set weekly goals
- A day to edit
- A day to start a new piece
- A day to work on a piece in progress
- A day to revise
- A day to submit work or queries to markets
- A day to research new markets
- A day to write something outside of your usual genre
You can substitute other goals as they suit you.

* If you blog, set a number of posts you will publish each week.

* If you freelance, set an earning ($) goal for the year or per month.

* If there are areas of writing where you need work, sign up for courses, seminars or workshops for each area. Schedule them throughout the year.

Review your goals periodically. You may want to revise them as circumstances change. Reward yourself throughout the year as you achieve your goals, even the small ones. This keeps you motivated. Above all, keep writing and have a great year!

-Gioya McRae

© Gioya McRae 2010

Recently, Amazon.com and Penguin Group (USA) announced the third annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, an international competition seeking fresh new writing voices. CreateSpace will once again host the submission platform for the contest.

What should I do now?

1. Prepare your entry: Visit www.createspace.com/abna and review the submission guidelines, helpful tutorials, and official contest rules.
2. Sign up to receive contest notifications with helpful tools and tips for preparing your entry.
3. Connect with other authors and discuss the contest.

Prizes: Two Grand Prize winners, one in each of our two categories, will receive a full publishing contract with Penguin including a $15,000 advance

Categories: General Fiction and Young Adult Fiction

What type of works are eligible?
- Unpublished novel manuscripts
- Self-published novels (new this year!)

Submission Period: begins 1/25/10 and ends 2/7/10, or when the first 5,000 entries have been received in each category, whichever comes first