I selected a few examples of book topics from our WPN Member Directory to offer some specific ideas for review possibilities. A book featuring women as flight attendants in the military, for example, might be reviewed in magazines, etc. related to women, the military, aviation, careers, teens, associations (such as VFW Magazine), history, regional (related to that particular region), retirement, humor (you might share a humorous excerpt), ethnic/minority (where appropriate) and even religious (where appropriate).
A children’s book might be reviewed in parenting magazines. I would approach the many regional parenting publications such as “San Diego Family Magazine.” But also seek out other appropriate review opportunities for your particular book: religious, such as “Christian Home and School,” children’s publications and Web sites, rural (if the story features a farm setting), health (if the story relates to kids with diabetes or a disability, for example), finance (if the book relates to teaching kids about investing or handling his allowance), ethnic and minority (for stories relating to culture). You might get a book review for a book on promoting tolerance and understanding between diverse groups of students in “Teaching Tolerance Magazine.” A children’s guide to a specific sport might land a review in “Western Outdoors,” “Canadian Rodeo,” “Tennis Week,” or “Junior Baseball,” for example.
 
Of course, not all publications and Web sites run book reviews, so it will be necessary to do your homework in order to discover which ones do. Those that don’t publish book reviews, might be thrilled to receive an article relating to your book or excerpts from your book.
And, while some editors prefer to review the book themselves, others will publish a review that has been submitted. I’ve had friends write reviews for my books and submit them to editors. They get paid for their review and I get a good promotional opportunity for my book.
Why not spend time each day this winter soliciting book reviews for your latest book. Contact a dozen editors/Webmasters each day and conceivably get as many as 200 reviews set up by the end of the month. How many sales would that generate? If your book is on Amazon, if you have a Web site and if Baker and Taylor or Ingram are wholesaling your title, book sales should increase considerably.
 
Tips for Freelance Writers
Think ahead! This should be the mantra for all freelance writers and authors who wish to promote his/her book through articles. You can’t look at your calendar and say, “Hey, Thanksgiving is almost here. I think I’ll write something about my most memorable thanksgiving for ‘Vermont Life Magazine.’” Oh no!!! While some magazines need only 1 month editorial lead time, others, such as editor, Thomas Slayton at “Vermont Life,” outlined his Fall/Winter edition nearly a year ago. You could possibly send him your idea now for his 2005 edition.
Article-writers must live in the fast-lane—always planning for the future. We must think Christmas in May and Easter in September. We must be aware of the trends and fads before they occur. It’s the nature of writing for magazines. The editorial lead time for “Reunions Magazine” is 6 months. Send queries to “Robb Report” 5 months in advance. “Woman’s World” has just a 4 month editorial lead and “Wired” will accept material 3 months in advance. “Florida Review” needs ideas 9 months ahead and AARP The Magazine, 6 months. “Woman’s Life” plans their editorial line-up a year in advance.
So what should we be thinking about this month? Forget thoughts of pumpkin pie and Christmas trees. Focus, instead, on summer vacation, travel, barbecues, kittens, hot weather, water safety and class reunions. Consider an article on teaching kids during summer months to help them keep their learning edge. You might think about Thanksgiving theme articles for next year’s November issue.
It’s especially important to consider the seasons when you have a book to promote. I like to submit articles promoting my grandparenting book ready for Grandparent’s Day in September. I write articles promoting my luau book in December for publication in the summer. If your book would make a good Christmas gift item, you’ll want to submit articles for the November/December issues. This means that you will start sending out queries in the spring/summer.
This is just one thing to remember when submitting article ideas. Another is to target the right magazine. I’ll talk about Editorial Calendars next month.
 
Interview
This month, rather than presenting my interview in Q & A form, I’d like to paraphrase my interviewee. Robin had a horrific experience with a well-known POD Publishing house. As most of you know, I advise hopeful authors to avoid using POD Publishers unless you are industry savvy and have reasonable expectations. The following observations, experiences and opinions are not my own, nor do they necessarily reflect the recommendations of WPN.
WARNING: Those of you who get queasy at the mention of author abuse, be prepared to turn away. This story gets ugly.
Robin spent 6 years writing a novel. She sent her manuscript to 6 publishers before changing her course of action. Her wild ride began when she spotted a notice online asking hopeful authors, “Do you want your book published?” Boy, do I, thought Robin. And she entered into a business relationship with a POD Publisher.
She said, “They were so very nice upfront. But after they had my money, it all changed.”
She admits that she didn’t know much about the publishing industry or POD Publishers before taking the plunge. And says now, “Words cannot express the experience I have had with this no talent bunch of idiots.” She’s irked on many levels. First, she believes that no one there read her book except the person she paid $300 extra to edit it. She describes the editing job as, “So, so.” And it was the editor who got blamed when the book took an extra 4 weeks to print. She says that they had to change editors mid-work due to their “world class” editors going out of business.
But that’s the least of Robin’s concerns. She says that the POD Publisher ruined her photographs as well as the basic design of the cover and the text pages. She says, “I received at least 6 different covers to approve. When I approved NONE of them and complained about the time spent getting the book right, they threatened to charge me more to ‘get it right.’”
How bad are the photographs? She says, “You can’t even tell what the first picture is.”
According to Robin, they left out photos, started pages halfway down, left blank pages in the middle of the book, changed font in mid-sentence and the headers and footers were not coherent with the text.” According to Robin, they really mangled her cover by putting a comma in the middle of the title and, she says, the back of the book was unreadable.
The book is completed now, but when you go to the POD Publisher’s site and look up her book, the message reads, “Coming Soon.”
How does Robin feel about the experience? She says, “The entire process hurt. It hurt big time.” She says, “These people need to be exposed for what they are—nothing more than a printing company with no talent. They are taking advantage of people with a dream.”
She advises other hopeful authors, “Do the legwork and send your book out the old fashioned way.” She says, “Forget about POD publishing—it’s a scam. If a real publisher doesn’t want your book, do it yourself. Do not give these POD Publishers your money.”
Robin has retained an attorney.
. Have you visited the Grammar Lady lately? We featured this site some months ago and, since it changes weekly, I wanted to bring it up again. Here you will find the grammar gaffe of the week, grammar question of the week, typo of the week and some very interesting discussions about language. http://www.grammarlady.com at http://artdeadlineslist.com/ar offers resources for artists. Here, you’ll find reference to books, organizations, supplies, courses, opportunities for promoting your art and much more. . See listing above for additional opportunities for artists. I recommend that you collaborate with a poet to create an illustrated poetry book to submit to Sable Publishing. publishes only the works of young people. Established just last year, this company is seeking creative nonfiction, memoirs, multicultural and ethnic works written by authors who are in their 20s or late teens. Managing editor, Gail Cerridwin, is particularly interested in seeing Spanglish manuscripts (books written in both Spanish and English). She also wants to receive memoirs from prisoners and the homeless. Contact Gail at gail@wordwarriorspress.com. Learn more about this company at http://www.wordwarriorspress.com.. See this listing above for additional opportunities for poets. This publishing company is particularly interested in illustrated poetry books. I suggest that some of you poets and some of you artists collaborate on a project for Sable Publishing.. Randy Brooks publishes Haiku and Tanka poetry. If you’re interested in submitting yours, check out submission guidelines at: http://www.family-net.net/~brooksbooks. . Publisher, Beth Spencer, sponsors an annual contest for poets and creates books from winning and some non-winning poems. Visit http://www.bearstarpress.com for more information. Or write to Beth at: 185 Hollow Oak Dr. Cohasset, CA 95973.Shirley A. Lake, editor, is seeking material for chapbooks by and about women. She prefers contemporary themes. If you have a series of appropriate poems that would fill a chapbook of 20-30 pages, let Shirley know. Contact her at 459 Willow Ave., Galloway Township, NJ 08201. Writer’s Digest’s publication, evidently bit the dust. But it’s being resurrected as Personal Writing. The new magazine will cover journaling as well as other forms of personal writing—essays, memoirs, etc. Personnel at Personal Writing have issued a challenge for writers. If you’d like to be a part of the inaugural issue (planned for April) answer the following question in 100 words or less. “What is your favorite memoir and why?” Include your full name, city, state and email. Email your entry to: writersdig@fwpubs.com with Memoirs in the subject line. Good luck! is seeking profiles of home business professionals. If you know someone who has an interesting/successful/unique business in their home, contact Joanne Steffen at letters@homebusinessjournal.net and tell her about it. She may give you the assignment. For more information: http://www.homebizjour.com/writerswanted.htm. offers job listings for writers. For $9.95 month, you can access the listings. I took a peek at their teaser list of former jobs and found one job paying more than $50,000 per year and another for freelance writers who want to earn $100 -300 per piece for articles. The list of jobs included rewriting a chapter, writing reviews, scriptwriting, a job on a newspaper, newsletter editor and a request for a Spanish speaking radio writer. Go to: http://www.writeronline.us and click on Jobs for Writers. was established in 2002 in order to publish a wide range of nonfiction book topics. And they are currently begging for submissions. While they will strike a royalty deal with an author, they sometimes like to make an outright purchase of from $20 to $5000 for a manuscript they like. This looks like a good opportunity for someone with the right manuscript as Paranoid Publications receives only 10 queries and 10 manuscripts per year. They offer up to $500 advance. And, since they are “suffering from lack of submissions” they will take a good look at those they receive. Their favorite topics include alternative lifestyles, military subjects, hobbies, health, computers, business, politics, science and automotive. Owner, Keith W. Kimmel particularly likes offbeat, non-mainstream topics. Contact him at 208 Pine Lake Ave., Suite 200, La Porte, IN 46350-3032. He wants to see a proposal with an SASE or your complete manuscript. (Remember, learn how to write a successful book proposal through WPN’s new ebook available at http://www.spawn.org/ebooks/pfry2/index.html.) Check out Paranoid Publications Group at: http://www.paranoidpublications.com. is an online broadcast opportunity exclusively for and about artists and independent authors. They’re currently seeking authors to interview. Evidently, they’ve been successful in helping to launch the careers of musicians and they would now like to offer this opportunity to authors. This is a free service, however, they do ask for a donation in any amount that you can afford to help keep the service going. Learn more at: http://www.artistfirst.com/authorswanted.htm. Or write for a detailed instruction and an information list. ArtistFirst World Radio Network, 1062 Parkside Drive, Alliance, OH 44601. Sorry, I could not locate an email address for them. is a brand new site where authors can post a press release about their book. You must register, but it’s free. Learn more at http://www.bookcatcher.com. has a new publisher. I just received word that Corney Vanhelden of Cornet Solutions has taken over the newsletter and Web site. http://www.writeronline.us is providing a new performance fee structure for their Amazon Associates. They say that the new plan will make it easier to calculate your earnings, will provide higher earnings on third-party items and will give you the opportunity to earn an extra 2.5% over your base referral rate. If you are an Amazon.com Associate, go to http://www.Amazon.com/advantage and click on Associates Central where you’ll find more information. has been doing prepublication book reviews for publishers for 71 years. And they are finally offering their review service to self-published, e-published and print on demand authors through a new program called Kirkus Discoveries. This is not something they’re offering out of the goodness of their hearts or because they can see that there are some great books going unnoticed. Oh no! They seem to be viewing this as an opportunity to make money. Yup, they are charging authors $350 per review. For this, you are entitled to have your book review displayed at KirkusDiscoveries.com. Selected titles will also be included in a monthly email newsletter which goes to publishers and film producers. For an additional $95 per title, authors can subscribe to a pay-for-promotion program whereby Kirkus vows to help you market your book. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/kirkusreviews/discoveries/index.jsp Magazine is not accepting submissions until July 2005. i
s closed to new submissions. Check their Web site periodically to find out when they may open them again. http://www.crystaldreamspub.com will transform from an online publication to a print magazine. They pay only $25-35 per 2,000-word article. But if you want to know more about Snowshoe Magazine, visit their Web site at: http://www.snowshoemag.com. (formerly The Consumer Press) publishes a wide range of topics, but they LOVE children’s books. Here’s a rare publisher who says that their audience is “everyone.” They maintain that, “If a consumer wants it, so do we.” Here’s your opportunity to get your children’s book published. Or, perhaps you have something on parenting, alternative lifestyles, business, nutrition, education, language, finance or travel. Contact Richard DiMaggio with your great idea. They welcome unsolicited manuscripts, a query or sample chapters. If you’re sending a query or chapters, email is okay. But if you are sending a complete ms, use snail mail. is new. While the Web site isn’t very informative, yet, their promo states that this publication offers a roadmap for business success that is more personally fulfilling and socially responsible. It should become a worthwhile magazine as it was created by two veterans of the “Wall Street Journal,” both of them having earned a Pulitzer Prize, Anita Sharpe and Kevin Salwen. Contact them at worthwhile@dash30.com. http://www.worthwhilemag.com is a new magazine for people who are stuck on TV. Candace Kirchinsky is editor-in-chief and you can contact her at: feedback@gluedmagazine.com. http://www.gluedmagazine.com at http://www.scsmallbiz.com will debut this month. If you have a story about a particular small business in Santa Cruz, CA or the business climate there, contact founder, Michael Meara—contact info at their Web site. is a new quarterly covering information for the seniors in Orange County, CA with a circulation of 170,000. Joan Yankowitz is interested in 1000-1200-word articles for which she’ll pay 10 cents/word. Query with your great idea or send the complete manuscript to Joan at articles@upmarketgroup.com or by mail. Study their Submission Guidelines at: http://www.upmarketgroup.com. is returning. We announced the demise of this magazine, which folded last February. Well, they’re back and they’re now a weekly. Joel Dreyfuss is the editor-in-chief for this tech industry magazine. Contact Dreyfuss at 650-428-2900 or editorial@redherring.com. For more information, visit http://www.redherring.com. http://www.spawn.org/ebooks/pfry2/index.html. To contact McClintock at Banter Press, info@banterpress.com. http://www.banterpress.com is just two years old and not very well known, so they don’t receive many submissions, yet. David McClintock, the president of this New York-based publishing company, is eager to see your manuscript if it fits with their subject list. They publish trade paperback and electronic books on a wide variety of nonfiction subjects including business, economics, health, medicine and publishing. They’re also interested in business fiction. If you’re working on a book relating to small business customer service you may be in luck. McClintock is in the market for such a manuscript. And they pay 15-20% royalties on the wholesale price. They prefer to receive a proposal package by email. (NOTE:) If you need help writing a book proposal, purchase WPN’s new book proposal e-book, “How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less,” by Patricia Fry. It’s $12.00 for 32 pages at