"Dreams don't have an expiration date. - David Niven, author, 100 Simple Secrets of the Best Half of Life

Hello Authors and Readers,

There are months in a year and years in a life when change is the dominant theme. This has been so this month, hence the lateness of the newsletter. Windshift Press and Windshift for Writers has moved to spacious new premises in Qualicum Beach. This opportunity appeared rather suddenly in late October so chaos has reigned for the last month. We are now settled and the flu that plagued me during that time has thankfully gone.

Can you believe that Christmas will soon be upon us?

Keep writing,

Sandra

Markets:

The Florida Review seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.flreview.com/

The Phoebe Winter Fiction Contest seeks submissions for their forthcoming competition. Submission guidelines:http://www.gmu.edu/pubs/phoebe/fiction_contest.htm

The 2009 Third Coast Fiction & Poetry Contest seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.thirdcoastmagazine.com/contests/

Many Mountains Moving Poetry and Flash Fiction Contest seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.mmminc.org/html/contests2008_mmm.htm

Blue Earth Review’s Sixth Annual Flash Fiction Contest seeks submissions. Deadline: December 01, 2008. Submission guidelines:http://www.english2.mnsu.edu/ber/contests.html

Columbia is now accepting submissions for their 2009 Contests in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction. Submission guidelines:http://www.columbiajournal.org/contests.htm

Cream City Review seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/English/ccr/index2.html

The Fiddlehead seeks submissions for their forthcoming contest. Submission guidelines:http://www.lib.unb.ca/Texts/Fiddlehead/contest.html

Keyhole Magazine seeks submissions. Submission guidelines: http://www.keyholemagazine.com/contest

Willow Books Poetry competition seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.aquariuspressbookseller.net/callformanuscripts.html

American Short Fiction seeks submissions for their short story contest. Submission guidelines:http://www.americanshortfiction.org/contest_rules08.htm

Hunger Mountain is accepting entries for the 2009 Ruth Stone Prize in Poetry. Submission guidelines:http://www.hungermtn.org/

The Adirondack Review Photography Contest seeks submissions. Submission guidelines:http://www.theadirondackreview.com/PhotoContest.html

November discount of 25% to all newsletter subscribers

Manuscript Evaluation -Treat yourself or a writing friend/relative to a manuscript evaluation from a publishing professional. This could include advice on a short story before submitting it to publishers or an evaluation of your novel or non-fiction book. Ask for details by e-mailing Windshift. Please put 'manuscript critique' in the subject line.

Publishing News:

What Were They Thinking?

In the grand tradition of the recent Best of the Bookers award, the Bookseller [organ of the British Publishing industry]will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year with the "Diagram of Diagrams--a public vote to find the oddest book title of the past 30 years."

Among the contenders are previous winners: Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice (1978), How to Avoid Huge Ships (1992), Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers (1996) and The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification (2006).

I don't know about you but I'm voting for the shopping carts. If you have come across similar unusual titles in your reading please forward them so that we can share these oddities

How Are We Doing?

The trend toward lower prices on books imported into Canada from the U.S. because of the weak U.S. dollar is dragging down prices on Canadian titles and reverberating through the Canadian book industry, the Globe and Mail reported. A case in point: Raincoast Books's decision to suspend its Canadian publishing program, close its Ontario warehouse and let 20 employees go.

Noting that companies like his--branches of international publishers--are "better able to withstand the coming storm" than independent Canadian publishers, Brad Martin, president and CEO of Random House Canada, told the paper: "Clearly Raincoast looked at the situation and decided it was time to batten down the hatches because it's going to be a gutted-out year." He predicted difficulty for most publishers, distributors and booksellers, particularly independents, in Canada in 2008.

He continued: "Pricing has come down 25 to 30 per cent minimum on books [imported from the U.S.], not necessarily on all formats, but certainly across the board. . . . If you're a bookstore that did $100,000 in U.S.-distributed books . . . in 2006, that's going to be $75,000 in '08; it may be less, it may be $60,000."

In addition, many Canadian titles are being priced $2-$4 less than they would otherwise.

    Home News:

Our autumn/winter publishing schedule is in full swing. The next two months also bring a myriad of Christmas themed fairs that we will be attending with individual authors.

We appreciate hearing your news especially when you have won a contest that was included in one of our newsletters.

Note: While every effort is made to check the markets suggested in this newsletter, writers must use their own judgment when submitting their work.

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