Windshift for Writers & Windshift Press

April

Spring has really taken hold here on the west coast. My garden is showing many new green shoots and seasonal flowers. Fresh chives and parsley have made a wonderful addition to salads recently.
I have a great urge to spring clean and to begin new writing projects. Writing can be such a solitary exercise that it can be hard to get a sense of community. Fortunately, Spring presents many opportunities to get out and about. The season brings writing events in most cities and towns worldwide. Check your local listings for inspiration.

Writing Tip: - Writing a synopsis seems to cause most writers many problems. Most publishers/agents want no more than a couple of pages. The aim of a synopsis is to persuade the publisher that they must consider the book for their list. A synopsis should always be written in the present tense. A simple but effective method is to 'describe' each chapter in a couple of lines thus easily showing the progression of your story.

Markets
Futurismic a monthly on-line science fiction magazine is seeking stories of 2,000 - 8,000 words for which they will pay a flat fee of $100.00 US. Contact fiction editor Christopher East. Website: http://futurismic.com/about/guidelines.html

Zoetrope: All Story, a quarterly San Francisco based magazine launched in 1997 by director Francis Ford Coppola is now open to unsolicited submissions of short stories and one-act plays no longer than 7,000 words. Contact: Zoetrope: All-Story, 916 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94133, USA; Website: http://www.zoetrope.com

First Look Independent Productions (FLIP) is looking for well written original scripts for theatre, film and radio. Competition details and terms and conditions of entry from Studio 767, 2 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3DQ, England; Website: http://www.f-l-i-p.com

Winnow Press Open Book Award in Poetry offers a prize of $1,000.00 US, publication by Winnow Press and 25 author copies. Submit two copies of your manuscript of 50 - 80 pages with a $20.00 fee by April 26, 2004. Visit website for complete details. Website: http://www.winnowpress.com

Chicken Soup for the Dog or Cat Lover's Soul [two books] is seeking stories. Details on website: http://www.YourPetStory.com

Mocha Sofa a Canadian on-line magazine might be the place to start if you want to sell articles to Canadian Living or Style at Home. As part of Transcontinental Publication's stable of women's magazines, Mocha Sofa will take unsolicited submissions. Contact: Mocha Sofa, Transcontinental Publications Inc., 25 Sheppard Avenue West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, M2N 6S7, Canada; Website: http://www.mochasofa.ca

The Bridport Prize offers £10,000 in prizes for poetry and short story submissions. Stories should be 5,000 words or less, poetry up to 42 lines should be accompanied by a £6.00 before June 30,2004. Details from website: http://www.bridportprize.org.uk

Witchworld Publishing is looking for poetry and short stories up to 3,000 words on any subject for Westwords, a new anthology. Payment for published work is one copy. Details from and submissions to: Westwords, Witchworld Publishing, 6 Forest Avenue, Peverell, Plymouth, England, PL2 3QD.

Cue Time - Every month we include a couple of writing ideas to help you kick start your writing sessions.

1. Spring is a time of poetry. Read some Wordsworth, Shelley or Keats and immortalize another daffodil.
2. Pick three words at random from your dictionary. Find ways to use these words in a poem or a piece of prose writing. Look for unusual combinations.

Industry News: To date Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has sold 3,354,220 copies in just over six months. These are unbelievable results, never before achieved except perhaps by Chairman Mao's Little Red Book. So, besides those books what is selling these days? Fifteen per cent of all paperback fiction sales consist of mystery and crime novels.

Reading an a array of international book trade journals full of statistics can cause me to nod off on occasion but here is a recent item from a UK journal that caused a full range of emotions. The new toll section of the M6 motorway in the UK is paved with romance. Two and one half million old Mills & Boon [like Harlequin Romances] were pulped and mixed in with the tarmac at a rate of 92,000 books per mile to prevent it from cracking. Are you laughing or crying?

The answers offered in this column are the personal opinions of the staff at Windshift for Writers. They are in no way meant to take the place of the professional advice you may need to seek for your specific query.

Questions and Answers

Q. I've been asked to ghost write someone's life story but I don't know how much to charge or if I should ask for a split in royalties. Can you offer any advice? - Audrey M. -

A. If the book is going to be self-published then it is up to you to figure out how long it will take you to listen to the story and then write it up accordingly. I always allow a 20% time/money margin in my quote to take into account changes and edits. If the author hopes to interest a traditional publisher, it would be normal to expect 50% of any advance and 50% of subsequent royalties. It would be wise before embarking on such a project to arrange a legally binding contract so that both sides know what is expected.

Win a FREE place at one of our Workshops - Writers who wish to host a workshop can do so by inviting interested friends and acquaintances to a venue (It could be your dining-room table.) and providing the coffee. If you host a workshop, your participation is free. Check the Workshops page for further details.

Home News:
Congratulations to newsletter subscriber, Isabel Currier. Her book, Beyond Life's Storms, is scheduled to be published in May or June 2004.

If you live on Vancouver Island or the Lower Mainland of BC, attending Island Writes is a must. Organized by the Federation of BC Writers this event filled weekend is scheduled for Nanaimo on April 16, 17, 2004. There are writing and social events for writers and a workshop for budding child authors. Contact: magpye@shaw.ca. Blue Pencil submissions are due now.

In May, there are many opportunities to check out writing opportunities at the Literary Info Fair in Victoria. Come to the First Metropolitan United Church on Quadra Street on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at 11:00 and browse the booths.

Windshift for Writers/Windshift Press will be at both events.