"The fields are harvested and bare,
And Winter whistles through the Square.
October dresses in flame and gold
Like a woman afraid of growing old."

- Anne Mary Lawler -

Hello Writers and Readers,

For me Autumn is a season of memory - of gardens grown, of bonfires lit, of Halloween costumes worn, of cupboards filled with bounty and more. It is a rich season for writing. Now we declare we have time; our memory feeds us many story lines. I have been digging deeper into my 'bottom drawer' and reviewing pieces of writing that have been living there all year. Perhaps now they are ready.

Enjoy this bountiful time,

Sandra

Markets:

Third Coast 2008 Fiction or Drama Contest seeks entries. Submission guidelines: http://www.wmich.edu/thirdcoast/Contests_homepage.htm

Transitions Abroad seeks entries for the 2008 Narrative Travel Writing Contest. Submission guidelines: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/travel_writing_contest.shtml

Washington Square seeks entries for the 2008 Washington Square competition. Submission guidelines: http://cwp.fas.nyu.edu/page/wsr

Barrelhouse is looking for great nonfiction with a pop culture slant. Submission guidelines: http://barrelhousemag.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=2

Press 53 Open Awards Writing Contest seeks short fiction for their October competition. Submission guidelines: http://www.press53.com/Contests.html

Trellis Magazine is challenging poets to enter their Sestina contest. Submission guidelines: http://trellismagazine.com/contest.html

The Briar Cliff Review Twelfth Annual Fiction, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction Contest seeks submissions. Submission guidelines: http://www.briarcliff.edu/campus_info/bcu_review/contest_info.asp

Reed Magazine seeks entries for the John Steinbeck Award for The Short Story. Submission guidelines: http://www.sjsu.edu/reed/steinbeck.htm

Tampa Review seeks entries for the Danahy Fiction Prize. Submission guidelines: http://tampareview.ut.edu/tr_prize.html#danahy

The Formalist seeks entries for the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award. Submission guidelines: http://english.evansville.edu/Nemerov.htm

Georgetown Review seeks entries of short stories, poems, or essays on the subject of redemption for the 2008 writing contest. Submission guidelines: http://georgetownreview.georgetowncollege.edu/grcontest.htm

October 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:

The 2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction Shortlist

The six authors shortlisted for the U.K.'s 2007 Man Booker Prize for Fiction were announced recently by the chair of judges, Howard Davies, at a press conference at the Man Group offices in London. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on October 16.

The six shortlisted books are:
*Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)
*The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
*The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton)
*Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray)
*On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
*Animal's People by Indra Sinha (S&S)

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I recently received the following in one of my U.K. book trade newsletters.

"It's estimated that to make a profit on a book for which £100,000 has been paid, a sale of 25,000 hardback and 25,000 paperback, or 15,000 hardback and 100,000 paperback is required. "On that you would make a profit but not earn out. The vast majority of non-fiction does not earn out."

So if you ever wondered why so few books are contracted by traditional publishers then the note above would confirm that it is usually a matter of money.

Home News:

Books are currently winging their way to the Frankfurt Book Fair. Copies of the WP Autumn/Winter 2007 catalogue are accompanying them. We are in the midst of our really busy season promoting new titles to the booktrade and reminding them of our terrific list of already published books. This month we are featuring Mel McIlveen's second historical fiction, Sinclair's Legacy. Set on the Canadian prairies, India and the UK it traces the life of a Metis military man in a time when acceptance of a person of his background was fraught with many challenges

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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