Begins Layoffs,
More Reductions Due
NEW YORK, NY/12/19/01Random House has laid off nine employees at three imprintsDoubleday Broadway, Ballantine, and Bantam Dell. More staff reductions are expected at Knopf, the Random House Trade Group, Crown, and the children’s book units.
CEO Peter Olsen said in an internal staff memo December 19 that the company is struggling to cope with the attacks on America, the war, the recession, and what he sees as a “prolonged downturn in the book marketplace”
America’s largest trade book publisher employes 3000 people. Among those laid off were Peter Borland, vice president and executive editor of Ballantine, and Amy Scheibe, laid off from Doubleday Broadway, who recently edited “Bee Season,” the best-selling literary first novel by Myla Goldberg.
In the memo, Mr. Olsen congratulated employees for continuing vigilance in the company’s cost-cutting efforts, but concluded that “It won’t get easier for us in 2002.”
Layoffs at such a major house signal tougher times in general for the publishing industry.
Random House is owned by German-based media conglomerate, Bertelsmann, which plans to go public in the next few years.
USA Networks
for $10 Billion
12/16/01French conglomerate Vivendi Universal, the world’s second-largest media company, has purchased the entertainment assets of Barry Dillers USA Networks for $10 billion. Diller will head the new Vivendi-controlled company, which is now one of Hollywoods hottest studios.
The new company combines Universal Studios theme parks and movie studio with Diller’s cable networks, television production unit and film company.
Diller is charged with expanding the new unit’s presence in the U.S. to compete with AOL Time Warner, Walt Disney Co. and Viacom.
For Jean-Marie Messier [Vivendi Chairman] to have gotten Barry to come inside the tent and offer his services, whatever those are going to be, is a real home run, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, a partner in DreamWorks SKG who worked for Diller for several years at Paramount Pictures.
Universal, which has owned 43% of USA Networks, now has controlling interest in USAs entertainment business, but USA is not selling its Home Shopping Network and Internet companies, which include Ticketmaster. Vivendi also will keep Universal Music Group, the worlds largest music company, and its publishing operations separate from the Diller-controlled company.
Vivendi has also purchased an 11% share of satellite television service EchoStar Communications, which reaches 6.5 million homes across the country, and earlier this year acquired book publisher Houston Mifflin for $1.7 billion, and MP3.com Inc. for $372 million. The acquisitions are part of Messier’s aggressive moves to compete against U.S. entertainment giants in their own homeland.
Audio Content
for RealOne
WAYNE, NJ/12/19/01Audible Inc. (NASDAQ NM: ADBL) the leading provider of downloadable spoken audio that informs and entertains anywhere and at anytime with audio editions of books, newspapers, magazines, radio programs and original shows, announced that it will provide audio content for RealNetworks(R) Inc. (Nasdaq: RNWK) RealOne(TM), the single source for consumers to discover, play and manage the best in brand-name digital programmingmusic, entertainment, sports, news and more.
RealOne subscribers will now have the opportunity to enjoy portions of audio books by John Grisham, Deepak Chopra, Bill OReilly, episodes from the Star Trek audiobook series and Audibles original program from sexpert Susie Bright.
On behalf of the authors and publishers whose works we commercially distribute, we are delighted with this opportunity to promote the benefits of listening to the spoken word, said Brian Fielding, executive vice president for Programming, Audible Inc. We value the opportunity to convert the millions of users of RealOne into spoken audio consumers.
RealNetworks is committed to bringing top quality content to our RealOne subscriber base, said Scott Ehrlich, vice president, Programming, RealNetworks Inc. The premium audiobooks and original shows provided by Audible have been very popular to visitors at Real.com and we are pleased to now offer this content to our RealOne subscribers.
Audible (www.audible.com(R)) is the Internets largest, most diverse provider of premium spoken audio services for content download or playback on personal computers or AudibleReady(TM) PC-based mobile devices. Audible has more than 32,000 hours of audio programs and 165 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, magazine and newspaper publishers and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.coms exclusive provider of spoken word products for downloading or streaming via the Web.
Additionally, the company is strategically aligned with Random House Inc., to pioneer the first-ever imprint to produce spoken word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the companys key business partners are Card Access Inc., Casio Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Handspring, Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Corp., Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks Inc., SONICblue Incorporateds Rio Audio Group, Sony Electronics, Texas Instruments and VoiceAge Corp.
to Make iUniverse
Titles Available in UK
LAVERGNE, TN & CAMPBELL, CA/12/19/01iUniverse, the leading digital publishing infrastructure provider, announced that it has chosen Lightning Source Inc., leaders in providing digital content services and solutions to the publishing industry, to make its titles available in the UK.
The relationship gives iUniverses some 8,500 authors, representing over 10,000 titles, access to new markets for their self-published, on-demand titles.
iUniverse titles will now be available throughout Great Britain through wholesaler Bertrams as well as other partners within the Lightning Source distribution network. Titles ordered through LSIs international distribution network will be printed in the UK at Lightning Sources new print facility in Milton Keynes. Lightning Source currently stores iUniverse titles digitally, which upon request are printed using Lightning Sources one book at a time print-on-demand technology.
Lightning Source brings us printing expertise to help us more effectively serve our UK and European authors, said Doug Bennett, President and COO of iUniverse. By expanding our relationship internationally, we take our authors dreams one step further.
Adding an international building block to our current success with iUniverse in the U.S. was the next logical step, said Ed Marino, President and CEO of Lightning Source. We are pleased to build upon an already successful working relationship taking it to the next level – expanding the reach of iUniverse titles with Lightnings international distribution network and introducing additional avenues of profitability for iUniverse and its authors.
Lightning Source Inc., a subsidiary of Ingram Industries Inc., provides a comprehensive suite of digital fulfillment services. The company is revolutionizing the options available to the industry in the secure conversion, storage, management, and distribution of digital content. Lightning Source stores books and other information electronically and delivers them on demand in either traditional printed format or as e-books in response to orders from booksellers, librarians, and publishers. Lightning Source has printed more than 3,000,000 on demand books for more than 1,300 publishers around the world.
iUniverse puts the power of publishing into the hands of individuals and companies, allowing them to publish and distribute professional quality books and documents – on demand, in print or electronic format. As a digital publishing infrastructure provider, the company offers a unique Publishing Commerce Platform to empower individuals, companies and publishers to maximize the value of their content through seamless assembly, production and delivery. Its changing the rules of publishing. A record 750,000 books have already been printed and sold by iUniverses more than 8,500 strong author base. The company has a wide range of customer and partner relationships with industry leaders including Adobe, Barnes & Noble, Hungry Minds (formerly IDG Books) and the Authors Guild. iUniverse maintains operations in Campbell, Calif.; Lincoln, Neb.; New York City; and Shanghai, China. The company is headquartered in Campbell, Calif.
Completes Spinoff
of Community Papers
SAN JOSE, CA/12/18/01Continuing the evolution of what has become the Bay Areas leading alternative newspaper group and Silicon Valleys largest community publishing group, Metro Newspapers has completed the spinoff of its community newspapers into a separately owned and operated company.
Effective immediately, Dan Pulcrano, who had been chief executive officer of Metro Newspapers and executive editor of its four alternative weeklies, becomes principal owner and CEO of Metro Newspapers, as well as publisher of its flagship weekly, Metro. David Cohen, who had been chief executive officer of SVCN Inc. (Silicon Valley Community Newspapers) and publisher of its six community newspapers, becomes principal owner and publisher of SVCN LLC.
The formal separation of the media businesses by two long-time friends and business partners culminates nearly 17 years of growth in two distinct types of newspaper publishing.
Metro/SVCN was one of the first companies to successfully embrace both community papers and alternative weeklies, and the strategy resulted in rapid growth, Pulcrano said. Now that both groups have achieved critical mass, each has enough revenues to operate on its own. And each one can now pursue independent and more specialized editorial visions and business strategies.
With a community newspaper-dedicated company, Cohen said, we will be able to focus all of our energy on delivering the fiercely local coverage that make our papers strong in the valleys established family neighborhoods. And the Metro group will be able to concentrate on its mission of providing cutting edge content to broader markets.
Metro Newspapers publishes Metro Silicon Valley, Metro Santa Cruz, North Bay Bohemian and Oaklands Urbanview. It also operates two web-based businesses, Metroactive, a Bay Area-wide arts and entertainment service, and
Boulevards, a network of city information sites encompassing more than 20 major city.com addresses.
SVCN publishes the Campbell Reporter, Willow Glen Resident, San Jose City Times (a legal newspaper), Cupertino Courier, Sunnyvale Sun, Los Gatos Weekly-Times and Saratoga News.
Metro will continue to operate from its offices at 550 South First Street, San Jose. SVCN expects to move its offices to 1085 The Alameda in San Jose when construction is completed in late January.
The San Francisco Bay Area is the nations largest market for alternative newspapers, which deliver lively news, arts and entertainment coverage via free distribution points in urban regions. Metros four alternative papers reach an estimated 500,000 readers in seven counties. Metro Newspapers employs 100 people, distributes nearly 200,000 copies weekly and anticipates 2002 revenues of more than $10 million.
SVCNs delivers community newspapers to 100,000 homes with 200,000 readers in the communities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and the San Jose neighborhood Willow Glen. SVCN employs 50 people and anticipates 2002 revenues of $8 million.
The community newspapers focus on community news, ranging from city council and planning commission actions to police activities and education. SVCN newspapers have won numerous awards for excellence and sponsored hundreds of community events and organizations. Among SVCNs state and national awards are three of the California Newspaper Publisher Associations highly coveted General Excellence awards, along with first place awards for design, editorial pages, sports reporting, public service, photography and spot news reporting.
At 23, Pulcrano founded the Los Gatos Weekly with the support of a local group of investors. It competed with the century-old Los Gatos Times-Observer, then owned by the Meredith Corp. of Des Moines, Iowa. Building on the Weeklys early success and witnessing the emergence of San Jose as an urban center, Pulcrano invited Cohen, a veteran of the LA Weekly and Connecticut-based Advocate publications, to join him in launching Metro in 1985. It grew from an initial circulation of 40,000 to its current circulation of approximately 100,000, which is distributed at more than 1,200 locations in business districts, university campuses and well-known high-technology companies.
In 1990, Metro acquired the Los Gatos Weekly and the Los Gatos Times-Observer and merged them to become the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. The following year, it purchased the weekly Saratoga News and the Willow Glen Resident, at the time a monthly. Those purchases formed the foundation of a community newspaper group that now also includes the Cupertino Courier, the Sunnyvale Sun and the Campbell Reporter. The Sunnyvale and Campbell papers were started by Metro. The Cupertino Courier, which has published since 1947, was purchased in 1995.
Concurrent with the aggregation of community newspapers in Santa Clara County, Metro expanded into other counties in the Bay Area with alternative newspapers.
In 1994, the company began publishing Metro Santa Cruz and assumed control of the Sonoma County Independent. The Sonoma County Independent was renamed the Bohemian in 2000 when it expanded coverage to Napa and Marin counties. Metro began publication of Oaklands Urbanview earlier this year.
GENERAL NEWS
Editors Tell How
to Score a Byline
in Big-Name Magazines
So what would you do to break into that one magazine, that one hot publication youve been dreaming about? Hand out freshly baked brownies at the Hearst water coolers? Accept an editors dare to stand out in the middle of Times Square dressed in a leprechaun outfit, singing My Way? Donate a kidney?
Actually, breaking into a big-name magazine is far easier (and less humiliating) than any of those antics. On Jan. 15, editors from magazines on the most-desired list will be on hand to share just what makes your query letter jump out of the slush pile and land you an assignment. Theyre ready to give you the inside scoop on what makes them sit up and take notice of your pitch and clips, how their magazines focus and leadership are changing to allow for new styles and ideas, what topics they want to see, and how you can establish an ongoing relationship with the magazine for a steady stream of high-profile work.
In addition to our editorial lineup, one of ASJAs most prolific members will share how she has broken into the top-name markets, and how she has established ongoing relationships with her editors for repeat assignments and contributing editor status.
Panel of speakers:
Fran Carpentier: Senior Editor, Parade Marlane Liddell: Senior Editor, Smithsonian Patti Wolter: Features Editor, Self Sherry Suib Cohen: ASJA, contributing editor at Rosie; former contributor to New Woman, McCalls, Self, Parade, and Redbook, and author of 18 books including Hot Buttons: How To Resolve Conflict And Cool Everyone Down.
Moderator: ASJA member Sharon Naylor, contributor to Self, Cosmopolitan, Family Circle, Womans Day, Better Homes and Gardens, Health, Bridal Guide, Brides and many others, and author of ten wedding books, including The Complete Outdoor Wedding Planner, released in this month, and How to Plan an Elegant Wedding in Six Months or Less.
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2002
Time: Cash bar and hors doeuvres, 6 p.m.; Program begins at 6:45
Place: The Roger Smith Hotel, Lexington Avenue & 47th Street, New York City
Price: $18 for ASJA members; $20 for non-members.
Reservations suggested. Call the ASJA office at(212) 997-0947 or email staff@asja.org to reserve your spot.
Software Magazine
To Go Quarterly
In New Year
FRAMINGHAM, MA/12/20/01Wiesner Publishing LLC of Englewood, Colo., has announced that Software Magazine, the field guide for helping IT managers select the software and service partners they need, will publish Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter editions in 2002.
The Spring edition is scheduled for March 2002, and the Software 500 issue as the Summer edition.
The downturn experienced in the high-tech advertising market in 2001, further affected by the Sept. 11 attacks, convinced us that a quarterly frequency was best, said Dan Wiesner, president of Wiesner Publishing. Given the 20-year history of the publication, we are well-positioned to offer a valuable package to software and service companies targeting clients in IT.
John P. Desmond, president of King Content Co., a partner with Wiesner Publishing on Software Magazine, has been named Publisher and Editor to guide the magazine in its next phase of growth. I am excited to take on this more challenging role as we continue to serve IT managers seeking software solutions to solve business problems.
In addition to maintaining the Software Magazine Web and print presence, Desmond will focus King Content on custom publishing and marketing services for software suppliers, and conference content development for event companies.
Software Magazine is read by 73,000 CIOs and senior-level IT decision-makers, and many more visit the www.SOFTWAREmag.com Web site. Established for more than 20 years, 58 percent of Software Magazines readers are CIOs, VPs, Directors or Managers of IT; 34 percent are in other IT management; and 8 percent in pure business management. All of Software Magazines readers have the authority and the budgets to purchase IT products and services. The average reader of Software Magazine is from an organization with 5,400 employees with gross annual revenue averaging $1.2 billion
B&N Announces
Plans to Open
Three Superstores
NEW YORK/12/19/01Barnes & Noble Inc., the nations largest bookseller, announced that it has signed lease agreements to open new superstores in three cities: DeKalb, Ill.; Ithaca, N.Y.; and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The 21,000-square-foot DeKalb store, expected to open in November 2002, will be located in the Oakland Center at the northwest corner of Sycamore Road and Barber Greene Road.
The Ithaca store is expected to open in September 2003 and will be located in the Tops supermarket site on Route 13. It will have 25,000 square feet.
In Florida, the 29,000-square-foot store, expected to open in July 2003, will be located in the Legacy Place shopping center on PGA Boulevard. The existing store at 2480 PGA Blvd. will close.
We are excited by the prospect of becoming a vital part of these dynamic communities, said Alan Kahn, chief operating officer of Barnes & Noble Inc. Customers of Barnes & Noble will have access to millions of books in every imaginable subject, and a comprehensive range of CD, video and DVD titles. As a community institution, a significant percentage of the stores books will reflect the local lifestyles and interests of local customers.
Stores enable customers to order books at the store and have the order completed through Barnes & Noble.com for delivery to their home, office or to a friend. They carry an extensive selection of childrens books in an area designed especially for kids. The stores music department will offer more than 25,000 CD, video and DVD titles. Its Red Dot electronic music catalog, a touch-sensitive customer kiosk, features information on the actual location of CDs in the store. Listening stations will be available for customers to preview selected recordings. The store will also feature a Barnes & Noble Cafe, serving in a classic bistro setting Starbucks coffee, cappuccino, espresso; the full-leaf teas of The Republic of Tea; cold drinks; and a variety of reasonably priced gourmet sandwiches and desserts.
Stores also will develop an ongoing calendar of events, including poetry readings, book discussion groups, author signings and childrens story-telling hours, often featuring special guests. These events are designed to respond to the specific interests of the community.
Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) operates 582 Barnes & Noble and 328 B. Dalton bookstores, and GameStop (formerly Babbages), which is the nations largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores with 1,011 stores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of book titles and provide access to more than 1 million titles. They offer books from more than 50,000 publisher imprints with an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes & Noble is one of the worlds largest booksellers on the World Wide Web (www.bn.com) and the premiere bookseller on America Onlines (Keyword: bn) proprietary network. Barnes & Noble.com has the largest standing inventory of any online bookseller. Barnes & Noble also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores and Web site.
FILM/TV NEWS
Marvel Announces
Action-Packed
Slate of Movies
NEW YORK/12/21/01Marvel Studios has announced that the company will feature five major motion pictures over the next 18 months culminating with a May 2, 2003 release for X-Men 2 and a June 20, 2003 release for The Incredible Hulk.
These two live-action feature films will join three high-profile releases in 2002 that will be kicked off by Blade 2 on March 29 and followed by Spider-Man on May 3 and Daredevil during the holiday season. This action-packed, star-studded lineup helps ensure that Marvel Studios which brought the superhero movie back in vogue with the breakout success of X-Men this year will dominate the Hollywood landscape throughout 2002 and 2003. Now that this schedule is firmly in place, Marvel and all its divisions, are busy exploiting these properties in publishing, licensing, interactive and toys.
In order to extend the life of each franchise. Marvel will continue its policy of following each movie with an animated show and video games. Animated shows are currently in development for all five properties.
When we began Marvel Studios our vision was to be one of the dominant players in the sci-fi fantasy business and we have achieved our goals and then some. I wanted us to be a dominant player in the Hollywood landscape and have a lineup of movies based on our characters in production at the same time. Now that dream has finally become a reality, said Avi Arad, CEO of Marvel Studios. We proved with Blade and X-Men there is a massive audience for superhero movies and the studios have come to accept that the Marvel Universe provides a rich library of event movies.
Marvel isnt finished after these five expected blockbusters hit the big screen. The company has a very exciting schedule already signed for popular franchises including Ghost Rider (Dimension Films), Fantastic Four (Fox), Iron Fist (Artisan), Sub-Mariner (Universal), Dr. Strange (Dimension), Deathlock (Paramount), Werewolf By Night (Dimension) and Cloak and Dagger (Dimension Films). With sequels and more than 4,000 other characters in its extensive library, the Marvelous age of movies is likely to continue for years to come.
With a library of more than 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) is one of the worlds most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Marvels operations are focused in five divisions: entertainment (Marvel Studios), licensing, toys (Toy Biz), comic book publishing and Internet/New Media. Marvel facilitates the creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, television, home video and the Internet, based on its characters and also licenses its characters for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including video and computer games, apparel, collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvels characters and plot lines are created by its comic book division that continues to maintain a leadership position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source of intellectual property.
PEOPLE
Vivendi Extends Contracts of Two Execs
PARIS & NEW YORK/12/20/01Vivendi Universal (NYSE: V; Paris Bourse: EX FP) announced it has extended for five more years the contracts of Ron Meyer, President and Chief Operating Officer, Universal Studios and Stacey Snider, Chairman, Universal Pictures.
In making the announcement, Jean-Marie Messier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivendi Universal, said, I am thrilled to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of these two outstanding leaders. As the head of Universal Studios Groups businesses, Ron has brought the studio to new heights. With the recent creation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE), Ron, under the leadership of Barry Diller, will now expand his responsibilities to include all of the TV activities of VUE. I have every confidence that he will continue creating long-term value for the company.
Messier added: Staceys unique balance of creative and management expertise has led Universal Pictures to unprecedented success during the last three years, by consistently delivering exceptional films to audiences around the world. We now have the distinct privilege of ensuring management continuity at Universal Studios for years to come.
Ron and Staceys renewed commitment comes at the time of the creation of VUE, with Barry Diller joining as CEO and stands to show the outstanding talented team that will lead VUE to new growth and development, Messier concluded.
The formation of Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE) was announced on Dec. 17. VUE brings together Universal Studios Group and the USA Entertainment Group.
Universal Studios Group encompasses the production and distribution of theatrical television and home video entertainment through Universal Pictures; and the operation of theme parks around the world through the Universal Studios Recreation Group.
USA Entertainment Group is one of two groups comprising USA Networks Inc. and includes USA Cable, Studios USA and USA Films. USA Cable consists of the top-rated USA Network, one of cable televisions leading providers of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows and blockbuster theatrical films; SCI FI Channel, now a top-10 cable network in primetime, featuring cinematic hits, new and original series and special events, as well as classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror programming and an award-winning Web site, SCIFI.COM; and Emerging Networks TRIO, Newsworld International (NWI) and Crime. The Groups network development and production, as well as first-run production and distribution division is Studios USA, responsible for some of the biggest dramas, action and talk hits on television. Also in the Group is USA Films, a motion picture production, marketing and distribution company comprised of Gramercy Pictures, October Films, USA Home Entertainment and certain domestic PolyGram Filmed Entertainment assets.
The media and communications business is divided into five business segments: Music, Publishing, TV and Film, Telecoms and Internet. The Music business is conducted through Universal Music Group, the worlds leading music company, which develops, acquires, manufactures, markets and distributes recorded music through wholly owned operations or licensees in 63 countries around the world. Universal Music Groups other businesses also include one of the worlds largest music publishing companies, which involves the acquisition of rights to and licensing of, musical compositions. The Publishing business is a worldwide content leader in its core markets: education/literature, games and healthcare information. It provides content across multiple platforms. The TV and Film business produces and distributes motion picture, television and home video/DVD products worldwide, operates and has ownership interests in a number of cable and pay-TV channels, engages in the licensing of merchandising and film property rights and operates theme parks and retail stores around the world.
The Telecoms business provides a broad range of telecommunications services, including mobile and fixed telephony, Internet access and data services and transmission, principally in Europe. The Internet business manages the strategic Internet initiatives and new online ventures for Vivendi Universal.
Utilizing advanced digital distribution technology, the Internet business develops e-commerce, e-services and thematic portals that offer access to the Internet via a variety of devices, including mobile phones, PDAs, interactive TV and computers. Vivendi Environnement is a 63-percent owned subsidiary of Vivendi Universal, which operates the environmental services business, with operations around the globe.
Flatley Named Chief Ad Officer at Forbes.com
NEW YORK/12/18/01Jim Spanfeller, president and CEO of Forbes.com (www.forbes.com), the largest site for business executives on the Web, announced the appointment of William J. Flatley to vice president, chief advertising officer, with responsibility for all of Forbes.coms advertising sales and sales marketing activities.
Bills collaborative management style, strong focus on results and excellent client relationships – in addition to his proven track record in sales growth, market assessment and brand leverage – make him perfectly suited for his new role, said Jim Spanfeller, president and CEO of Forbes.com. With Bill at the helm we are extremely well-positioned to increase our leadership status in online advertising.
Flatley, 54, was most recently a consultant to Forbes.com, and was formerly executive vice president at Ziff Davis Media from June to December 2000. He was vice president, associate publisher sales development at Forbes from December 1999 through June 2000, and was Forbes vice president of advertising sales from 1997 to December 1999. He first joined Forbes in 1989 as its Western advertising manager based in Los Angeles and was named advertising director in 1990. He had previously worked at Newsweek magazine as Western manager, based in Los Angeles, and, prior to that, in its Chicago office.
Im thrilled to be leading such an outstanding sales organization, representing one of the most powerful online brands in the industry, said Flatley. And I welcome the challenge of continuing to integrate our new media initiatives with those of the magazine to offer more than the sum of our parts to the advertising community.
Forbes.com Inc., a leading Internet media company, is among the most trusted resources for the worlds business and investment leaders, providing them the uncompromising commentary, concise analysis, relevant tools and real-time reporting they need to succeed at work, profit from investing and have fun with the rewards of winning. Forbes.com includes real-time original reporting on business, technology, investing and lifestyle; the complete online editions of Forbes magazine, Forbes Global, Forbes ASAP and Forbes FYI; stock and mutual fund quotes; comprehensive company profiles; an expanded online version of Best of The Web; a wide array of interactive tools, calculators and databases, including People Tracker, the annual Forbes Lists; and a Lifestyle section that currently focuses on high-end vehicles, collecting, real estate and travel.
FINANCIALS
Expectations
for 2 nd Quarter
NEW YORK/12/18/01Scholastic Corp. (NMS: SCHL) reported that it exceeded analysts earnings expectations for the fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 30 and raised its earnings per share (EPS) target for the current fiscal year.
Net income for the second fiscal quarter increased 18 percent over the prior year quarter to a record $67 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, on revenue of $637 million. This compares to net income of $56 million, or $1.48 per share, on last years second quarter record revenue of $668 million due to the phenomenally successful July 2000 release of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire. Profitability in the current quarter increased over the prior year quarter as a result of the companys ongoing cost savings program, resulting in an 11 percent increase in operating income to $112 million (17.6 percent of revenue) over the $101 million (15.2 percent of revenue) reported for last years quarter. Interest expense for the quarter was $5 million lower than in the prior year quarter.
Were extremely pleased that Scholastic exceeded expectations in this key quarter in our plan to increase profitability in Fiscal 2002, said Richard Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO. Despite the impact of September 11th and the recession, we generated record profits against tough revenue and net income comparisons to the year ago period. We achieved solid growth in book clubs and fairs and better than expected trade sales of Harry Potter(TM), aided by the success of the feature film. With $40 million in Harry Potter sales in the second quarter and $54 million in the first half of the year, we have already exceeded our full year sales goal of $50 million and, as a result, we are raising that goal to $70 million. We also increased the profitability of Educational Publishing, while substantially reducing our company-wide product, promotion and fulfillment costs.
Now that we have worked our way through the challenging first half revenue comparisons, we look forward to renewed sales growth as well as continued margin and profit improvement in the second half. As a result, we are increasing our Fiscal 2002 EPS target to $2.45 to $2.55 versus our original target of $2.35 to $2.50. The per-share target excludes the $0.13 effect of the adoption of SOP 00-2 (Accounting by Producers and Distributors of Films) in the first quarter of fiscal 2002.
Second Quarter Fiscal 2002 Segment Highlights
– Childrens Book Publishing and Distribution Revenue in the quarter was $427 million versus $447 million in the year ago period. Book club orders were up 4 percent and revenue per order was up 2 percent while book fair revenue increased 13 percent, reflecting increased fair count and revenue per fair as well as the first quarter acquisition of assets of Troll Book Fairs. The anticipated decline in trade revenue was less than expected due to the continued success of titles such as Harry Potter, Captain Underpants(R), Clifford The Big Red Dog(R) and JumpStart(TM) workbooks. Direct-to-home revenue declined in line with expectations as the company implemented its plan to reduce unprofitable sales.
– Educational Publishing Revenue in the quarter, which is seasonally the second smallest for this segment, was relatively level at $74 million, while margins expanded due to the cost benefits of the companys strategic decision in April to focus on reading improvement and intervention and not update the Scholastic Literacy Place(R) basal reading textbook program.
– International Revenue in the quarter was $90 million versus $94 million in the year ago quarter. Tough comparisons in Canada, which benefited from strong Harry Potter merchandise sales in the year ago quarter, and the adverse effect of foreign exchange rates were partially offset by increased sales in Australia and in Groliers reference business.
– Media, Licensing & Advertising Revenue in the quarter was $47 million compared to $53 million in the year ago quarter, with increased licensing fees related to the hit Clifford(R) animated TV series on PBS Kids partially offsetting high syndication revenue in the year ago quarter.
For the six months ended Nov. 30, revenue was $943 million and net income was $30 million ($0.79 per diluted share), including the $5 million ($0.13 per diluted share) cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle due to the adoption of SOP 00-2 in the first quarter o fiscal 2002. In the year ago period, revenue of $1,030 million and net income of $46 million or $1.24 per diluted share benefited from unusually high revenue from the release of Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.
A replay of the companys conference call is available until 5 p.m. Jan. 19, 2002, by calling 800-873-2145 or visiting the website, http://net1.worldcom.com.
Scholastic (NMS: SCHL) is the worlds largest publisher and distributor of childrens books. As a global childrens publishing and media company serving the needs of parents, teachers, and children, Scholastic provides proprietary book and software distribution through school book clubs, school book fairs and to classrooms, as well as through the retail trade.
Since 1920, Scholastic has created quality educational materials for schools and has expanded its reach to include the distribution of books, software, toys, online learning services and television programming directly to the home. Scholastics Grolier division is the leading print and online publisher of childrens reference materials and the leader in childrens direct-to-home book clubs. Internationally, Scholastic operates wholly owned companies in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Scholastic web site. www.scholastic.com, is a leading provider of educational services online for parents, teachers and children.
Issues Trading
Update
LONDON/12/18/01Pearson plc (FTSE: PSON; NYSE:PSO), the international media and education company, issued its annual December trading update.
Since its October update, business information, consumer publishing and U.S. educational publishing and testing businesses have performed in line with the company’s expectations.
In October, Pearson highlighted the difficult trading environments for its Latin American and corporate training businesses. These markets have continued to deteriorate and, in response, Pearson has taken actions which will reduce profits this year but will strengthen its position for 2002. In Latin America, the company tightened credit terms, increased reserves for obsolescence and bad debts and restructured operations. The company also further scaled back FT Knowledge, our corporate training business. Pearson now expects profits from education operations to be some (pound)35 million lower than current market expectations, though still approximately 10 percent higher than in 2000, thanks to a full years contribution from NCS.
Looking ahead to 2002, Pearson is managing businesses on the basis that there wont be any substantial upturn in advertising and technology markets and that trading conditions in Latin America will continue to be difficult. This year the company reduced costs, particularly in internet enterprises and advertising and technology related businesses. This should help the company deliver a significant increase in adjusted earnings per share in 2002.
Financial Times Group: The FT Group is trading in line with the guidance given in October. Across business titles, Pearson has seen no material recovery from the severe advertising downturn reported in October, and still expects full-year profits to be 40 percent lower than last year. FT Interactive Data remains on track to deliver double-digit profit growth.
Pearson expects advertising revenues in the first quarter of next year to be markedly lower than in the same period this year, but all business titles will benefit from the steps taken this year to reduce costs.
Pearson Education: U.S. School and U.S. College publishing businesses are trading ahead of their markets and in line with our own expectations. They will deliver strong revenue and profit growth this year. Outside Latin America, international operations are also performing in line with expectations.
NCS Pearson is now an integral part of the company’s education operations. Its testing and assessment, government solutions and data management operations are performing in line with expectations. U.S. school districts continue to rein back on major new technology investments and we now expect electronic curriculum and enterprise software sales to be flat on last year. As a result, on a standalone basis, NCS Pearsons revenues are likely to be level with last year. Stripping out the benefit of last years decennial U.S. Census contract, revenues should be up around 5 percent and profits up some 25 percent.
In 2002, the company anticipates good growth in testing and assessment and U.S. college publishing markets. The company are not planning for any increase in U.S. school spending as increased federal funding is offset by a weaker adoption schedule and softness in some state budgets.
The Penguin Group: As we reported in October, we continue to be successful in the bestseller lists, but industry-wide attrition in backlist sales is hitting illustrated reference and travel titles particularly hard. Although sales of backlist titles may remain difficult in 2002, with Dorling Kindersley now fully integrated, Penguin will benefit from DKs return to profitability.
Internet Enterprises: Internet enterprises are trading in line with expectations, with losses of around (pound)60 million in the second half of this year. With these Internet enterprises now part of our established businesses, Pearson expects losses to fall next year by (pound)80 million and we remain on track to hit our break-even targets.
RTL Group: RTL Group, in which Pearson owns a 22 percent stake, has reported a worsening trading environment right across Europe. It now expects EBITA to be some 35 percent to 40 percent below the 2000 pro forma level of EUR 555 million, before restructuring costs and new business investments of EUR 68 million.
Marjorie Scardino, chief executive of Pearson, said: The markets for advertising and technology continue to be tough, compounded by problems in Latin America. We cant say when these markets will recover, but with our cost base significantly lower, were putting our business in the best possible shape for the year ahead.
Pearson will announce its preliminary results for the 12 months ending Dec. 31 on March 4, 2002.
BOOK/MOVIE DEALS
FBI Agent Who
Warned of Attacks
Subject of Book
NEW YORK/12/18/01For many people, Sept. 11 was the day the unimaginable happened. But one FBI agent, John ONeill, had repeatedly warned the United States government that such an attack was possible.
Ironically, ONeill lost his own life on Sept. 11, just days after beginning a new job as Chief of Security for the World Trade Center. Veteran reporter Murray Weiss will reveal ONeills tragic and dramatic story in a new nonfiction book scheduled for publication by ReganBooks in spring 2003.
As one of the FBIs foremost counter-terrorism experts, John ONeill played a leading role in almost every major investigation of terrorism against Americans in the past decade, from the Oklahoma City bombing to the attack on the USS Cole.
ONeill was a dashing, larger-than-life character who irritated many members of U.S. and foreign governments with his aggressive, hands-on tactics and his insistent, repeated warnings about the possibility of an attack on U.S. soil.
Again and again, ONeills warnings were ignored, and on Sept. 11, he became a victim of the very thing he feared most. Readers will relate to John ONeill because of his bravery in the face of evil and his conviction in the face of others doubt, stated Judith Regan, President and Publisher of ReganBooks. I am thrilled that this compelling story will be told by Murray Weiss, a ground-breaking journalist who knew John ONeill well.
Murray Weiss is an award-winning investigative and criminal justice reporter with the New York Post. He has been named Man of the Year by a variety of uniformed service organizations, including the Uniformed Firefighters Association and the Patrolmens Benevolent Association. Weiss has broken numerous landmark stories in celebrated cases. Authorlink News, Success Stories,
And Recognition Authorlink Sales at a Glance
A Comprehensive Listing of Sold Titles
Major Publishers
Browse Authorlink
for Manuscripts
Statistical Update
DALLAS, TX/ 01/01/02Literary agents and editors regularly surf Authorlink in search of good writers. Among major houses making requests and/or visiting the site, are: Random House, Knopf, St. Martin’s Press, Simon & Schuster, Penguin/Putham and many other smaller publishers. More than 700 writers are currently listed with us. Since tracking began, 1604 requests have been processed for requested manuscripts. Of the 342 editor or agent offers we’ve been able to track, 73 have lead to publication as a direct or indirect result of exposure on Authorlink. Additional sales and agent contracts are pending.
On average, about 55-65% of the listed writers have received requests by editors and agents, some receiving multiple requests. Of those who have received interest, about 20- 30% are signed with agents and 15- 20% have directly sold their works to publishers during this time, not including pending sales.
The site, which matches literary agents and editors with writers, has received praise from editors at Penguin UK, Avon, Berkley, Random House, Time-Warner, Bantam Doubleday Dell and other major publishers.
See “What People Are Saying About Authorlink”
Freni Sells Work
to California Press
73rd Authorlink Writer to Land Publisher
MARLBORO, MD/1/1/02Authorlink writer Pamela S. Freni has become the 73rd author to sell her manuscript as a direct result of the popular online marketing service. Her book, SPACE FOR WOMEN will be released in mid-2002 by Seven Locks Press, Santa Ana, CA (www.sevenlockspress.com) and will be available at major bookstores and online booksellers.
Ms. Freni who lives in Upper Marlboro, MD (twenty miles east of Washington, DC), was listed with Authorlink for about two years and had several queries for the manuscript before Seven Locks offered her a contract. She is represented by the Stefanidis Agency which is active on Authorlink. Seven Locks made the direct request for Freni’s manuscript through the Authorlink service.
In announcing the sale, Freni called Authorlink “a fine and useful service.”
The 25-year-old Seven Locks Press publishes quality books covering a wide variety of contemporary topics that provoke thought, enlighten, and entertain. Its authors include political figures, icons of journalism, and recognized experts including Bill Moyers, Hedrick Smith, Congressman Cecil Heftel, Sir Eldon Griffiths, Jane Glenn Haas, and Alan Bock.
Ms. Freni’s book is about the heated space race between the US and Russia. After Russia sent the first man into space, the US was backed into a public relations corner that could only be answered by sending the first woman into space.
Thirteen enormously talented women tested and trained and were on the verge of being astronauts in 1960 when political pressure forced them off the stage. Even forty-one years later,they are talented and ambitious and some of them are still looking for a ride into space.
Pam began writing the book as a direct result of hearing of the thirteen women discussed in her book. “I was so incensed at how they’d been treated by NASA and others, I decided that the story should be told, so I naively began to write a book,” Pam said. “It’s amazing how much ignorance played a part in the process. I thought if you wrote a book, someone just published it.”
Freni’s favorite authors are Michener and Dava Sobel. They can tell a story that quickly fades from words to mind pictures. You don’t even realize you’re reading, just pictures passing over your mind’s eye.
Does she have any advice for newcomers trying to break into publishing?
“As a newcomer, I have read a thousand documents all reminding writers not to take any rejections personally and to persevere. It’s true. Also, never take ‘No’ for an answer if you believe in your writing.”
Asked why she thinks so many writers get rejected, and so few become published, and what elements of good writing would she guess are missing from an aspiring writer’s work, Pam had this to say:
“It doesn’t seem to be a single element so much as it is the ‘heart’ many of us miss adding into our books. We make word choices that either describe something or that grab the imagination and wrestle it to the ground. We can either say, ‘The fireman raised the flag,’ or we can say, ‘The fireman cradled the scarlet and white banner as he struggled to the top of a small smouldering mountain of debris where he defiantly raised it to the top of the mast of the remains of the World Trade Center.’ I think we have to be honest with our emotions and let them enter into our stories. That gives them heart and catches the eyes of the editors.”
Pam says she has learned her craft from, “Reading, reading, reading. Dissecting word usage from authors I enjoy. Reading every web page targeted at authors such as Authorlink.com. Listening to a really good editor who has worked on two manuscripts for me.
And what’s the funniest thing that ever happened to her on the way to getting published?
“After twenty-three rejections on Space for Women, I mentioned it to a friend from the office. She looked startled and asked if I would like an agent. She then handed me the phone number of an author friend of hers who recommended his agents to me. Thinking that it couldn’t be this easy, I contacted them and they became my agents. See it’s easy! I was so lucky and have felt from that day, that this book was destined to be published.”
Seven Locks Press has won a Benjamin Franklin Award and the Category Bestseller Award from Amazon.com. In the last few years Seven Locks Press selection of books has expanded to include a collection of coffee table books, gift books, celebrity bios, and new age titles. The company has introduced a line of juvenile titles and launching a line of fiction titles. Seven Locks Press is the publishing arm of Chapman University Press and a distributor for other small presses that rely on the marketing and publicity capabilities of Seven Locks Press. This year, Seven Locks Press will be publishing twenty-one new titles and will distribute nine titles for other publishers. In 2001, the publishing program will nearly double to forty new titles. James C. Riordan is publisher.
Joyce Lackey
Sells Book
to Gardenia Press
72nd Authorlink Writer to Land Publisher
A publisher contact made several years ago has finally paid of for Authorlink writer Joyce Lackey. The author who received a request for her novel as a result of her Authorlink listing for, The Ghosts of Buffalo Creek, has at last sold the work to Gardenia Press, a small publisher who plans to release the work in July 2002.
News Archives
71st Authorlink Writer
to Sell Manuscript
June1, 2001Michael E. Bemis of Kennebunk, Maine, became the 71st author to sell his work as a direct result of listing his work on Authorlink.com.
His book, Safe & Sound, a nonfiction work about how to buy a safe, private, and quiet home, will be published by Hanrow Press of Rancho Santa Fe, California. The small press, founded in 1982, has specialized in law and safety engineering books until now. The publication date for Safe & Sound has not yet been determined. Michaels work had been listed with Authorlink for about a year when Hanrow requested a look at the full manuscript. Authorlink interviewed the author about his success:
AUTHORLINK: When did you begin your writing career, and what prompted you to do so? Is there a special story behind your decision to become an author?
BEMIS: I started writing in earnest while serving as Sheriff of York County, Maine. When I left law enforcement full-time I was able to devote more time to my writing.
AUTHORLINK: Who was the greatest influence on your decision to write, and in what ways did they encourage you?
BEMIS: My mother who is a published author.
AUTHORLINK: How important has your agent been in guiding your career?
BEMIS: I briefly had an agent but due to personal hardship they were forced to close. I presently do not have an agent.
AUTHORLINK: How did Authorlink help?
BEMIS: Authorlinks excellent service and support has consistently exceeded my expectations. Without Authorlink, Safe & Sound would not be poised for publication.
AUTHORLINK: Do you have any advice or insights for newcomers trying to break into publishing?
BEMIS: It sounds monotonous, but they should just keep trying.
AUTHORLINK: Do you perceive New York publishing to be a closed society or an open one?
BEMIS: I think it’s open to good writing and content that’s timely and unique.
AUTHORLINK: What are publishers looking for today?
BEMIS: What will sell and authors with a passion to sell it.
AUTHORLINK: How did you learn your craft? Through reading? Conferences? A university? Mentoring? A combination of these, or other means?
BEMIS: Nothing formal, just a lot of research, reading and writing.
70 th Authorlink Writer
to Land Publisher
April 15, 2001Jan Letoha this month became the 70 th Authorlink writer to sign a publishing contract as a result of her listing on Authorlink.com. Her first book, Bury The Past , will be published by Port Town Publishing in August, 2002.
Port Town Publishing (PTP) is a small publishing house located in Superior, Wisconsin. The company was founded in 1999 by Jean Hackensmith, a struggling romance author who got tired of getting rejection letters from the New York publishers. PTP publishes about 4-5 novels per year, including original romance, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror.
Bury The Past was listed on Authorlink for 22 months. During that time, Jan also signed with an agent through Authorlink, but the agent closed her agency due to illness.
Jan has also listed her second book, Fire On The Moon, with Authorlink. Its another spooky, romantic suspense story.
How did Jan feel when she heard that her book would be published?
Like a genie popped out of a bottle and granted me three wishes! Its the best feeling in the world!
Jan began writing about ten years ago. I read a time travel/historical romance and thought, If this author can get away with such a fantastic story, maybe my ideas arent so crazy after all. So I started writing Bury The Past. Writing fiction was a lot harder than I thought itd be, though. Getting the hang of writing dialogue was really tough.
Before listing her work with Authorlink, Jan had tried the traditional methods of marketing sending out query letters and sample chapters. I had another agent a few years back, Jan said. A word of advice if an agent asks for money up front, look out! Maybe Im just jinxed when it comes to agents. Anyway, I’m convinced that Bury The Past would be sitting in a shoe box on my closet shelf if I hadn’t discovered Authorlink.
When Jan is working on a book, shes a person obsessed or possessed. She’ll write 10 – 12 hours a day, especially during the summer.
In the real world, Jan teaches Psychology and U.S. History at a South Georgia high school.
What advice would she give to writers who want to be published?
Research the requirements for different types of novels. It seems that publishers want to see key elements in a book that will appeal to their specific type of market. Read a book on editing manuscripts so you can delete what publishers don’t want to see. List your book on Authorlink its the only thing that worked for me! Then develop a huge store of patience and persistence and dont think youre home free once you sign a contract. Thats when the real work starts!
Joy Jasper Sells Work
to St. Martin’s Press
67th Authorlink Sale
2/26/01Joy Waldron Jasper this month became the 67th Authorlink writer to sell a manuscript as a direct result of contacts made through Authorlink. Jasper found her New York agent Sam Fleishman of Literary Artists Representatives via Authorlink, and he subsequently sold one of her works to St. Martin’s Press.
The new book, “The USS Arizona: The Ship, the Men, the Attack!,” will be in bookstores November 1, 2001, in time for Veteran’s Day (November 11) and the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day (December 7, 2001)
“After meeting my agent through Authorlink, we signed a contract in December 2000 to represent my novel. Then we signed a second contract in January to represent my nonfiction book,” Jasper explained. “As is often the case, the nonfiction sold first. St. Martin’s Press bought it in February 2001, and has moved at an impressive speed to release it in less than a year, so as to offer it to readers at the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day a mere nine months later, which is stunning in the world of publishing! Kudos to my wonderful editor, Mac Talley at St. Martin’s Press, and to my amazing agent, Sam Fleishman.”
Joy became an Authorlink writer in October, 2000. The fictional work that originally attracted her agent is titled “Betrayal at Pearl Harbor.” While that novel hasn’t yet sold (as of press time), the nonfiction book on Pearl Harbor was rapidly sold through the agent who connected with Jasper through Authorlink.
The USS Arizona book is the story of life aboard the USS Arizona in peacetime, and the survival stories of 10 men who lived through the attack. As a journalist and a diver, Joy first visited the USS Arizona underwater in 1983, covering the story of the photo documentation and scientific illustration of the gallant battleship, the greatest casualty of the Pearl Harbor attack. She was so enthralled with the story, she searched out survivors and began interviewing them, crisscrossing the country for several years to hear their stories. Hearing their emotional tales, she was fascinated by the tremendous bond and affection they felt for their ship, and she felt it was a story that needed to be told.
“I’m a writer who prefers to write every day, in the morning when I’m fresh, and for a period of three to four hours,” Jasper said of her working habits. ” If I’m on a splendid roll, I might write for longer, but I like to achieve 10 pages a day that I’ll keep. It never hurts to stop in the middle of an idea, a sentence, a chapter. I like returning the next day to something unfinished so that I’m inspired to jump in again. I don’t think there’s any one way to write, but I think it’s important to find your own best period of the day and the length of time that makes sense for you. Writing books is my top priority, and I write full time.”
For the record, Joy’s children are grown, and she lives in New England with her husband and a garden full of perennials
“I’ve completed my second novel in a series of underwater thrillers (the first working title, Betrayal at Pearl Harbor, which is listed on Authorlink is under review at several major houses at this time),” Joy said.
I’m currently working on another nonfiction book on the Lewis and Clark expedition, and another historical biography is in the outline stage.
“I want to thank Authorlink for providing me a forum for my work, she added. “I was encouraged by having been selected for the Authorlink web site, and once I had a page there (http://www.authorlink.com/001051th.html), I had confidence to approach agents. I sent a number of Authorlink-listed agents an email, condensing my query to three paragraphs and asking them to look for more information on my page. I got positive responses from eight out of ten queries I sent. Of those eight, I was extremely fortunate to find a superb agent to represent me, and who got a sale within a month at a major press.
“Thanks to all at Authorlink. And I want to say to my fellow writers: ‘”Keep writing, and don’t lose heart! If it happened to me, it can happen to you.'”
Authorlink Writer
Chopra Finds
Publisher for Work
68th Authorlink Sale
4/1/01Dr. Prem Chopra, author of the new age nonfiction book, “If I Had Known,” has sold his work to Hanrow Press in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The small press, founded in 1982, has specialized in law and safety engineering books until now. Chopra’s book is their first venture into trade books.
Dr. Chopra has been listed with Authorlink since October 2000. He signed a contract with Hanrow Press early this year. He became the 68th author to sell his work through Authorlink in the last 36 months.
Jan Wallace Becomes
69thAuthorlink Writer
to Sign With Publisher
69th Authorlink Sale
4/1/01Jan Wallace became the 69th writer to sign a publishing contract through Authorlink in the past 36 months in late March. Ms. Wallace, a first-time author, signed a deal with PortTown Publishing for her book, Where Roses Grow Wild. The publisher is a small Wisconsin house that releases about four books per year.
Ms. Wallace had two manuscripts listed on Authorlink between 1999 and 2000. In January 2000, Authorlink received a request from WMG Promotions, a literary agency, requesting the manuscript. She signed a contract with WMG the very next month, and shortly thereafter WMG sold the work to PortTown.
Port Town senior editor Jean Hackensmith wrote to Agents Cary and Sherry Wolf that she found the manuscript to be “funny, romantic and tragic.” She said she had tears streaming down her face in the end.
Jan Wallace credits the editor with giving each writer a lot of attention to make sure the manuscript is everything it should be for the reader.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling knowing someone reads your manuscript and it really has an effect on them positive effect at that, that you make them feel for the characters themselves, because that’s what it’s all about-believing in the story.”
“Authorlink has made it possible for writers to link up with the correct agents and publishers, and gives agents a chance to review works by various writers,” Jan explained.
I started along time ago writing, as child I would write stories and put on plays in the basement of my parents’ home. I’ve always told stories, then one day said, lets see if anyone would like to publish any of the stories. Friends have read them and said they were good, but, hey, these are friends after all.
Jan once worked for The University of Georgia Extension Service in the Fort Valley, Georgia office. Today she is a fulltime writer.
“I start a manuscript and work each day 6 to 8 hours,” she said. “It usually takes 3 months to finish a draft, then another three months to get the bugs out. I edit, fix mistakes and read it over and over, proofing each page until it is correct.
“I can see why books cost what they do and why some people just give up, it is not an easy job to do it over and over, no ones manuscript is correct the first go around, you realize when you re-read it the feeling might not be there so you have to correct it put heart where there was none.”
Jan is married to her childhood sweetheart, and they have four children. Twenty-six years ago they bought an old historic house with 17 rooms in Marshallville, Georgia, restored it and live there today with their family and many dogs, cats, doves, ducks, chickens and rabbits.
“My advise to other writers is: don’t quit dreaming about what you believe in, you have to believe in yourself, before anyone else will, and then you go from there, keep writing don’t give up. “Write from your heart, and let it be about something you know. If you venture into another area you don’t know the reader will know it too, and you’ve lost. So stay with what you feel and understand most about life. “It’ll work for you.
“I am especially thankful for my agents,” Jan said. “They have worked late into the mornings trying to find a suitable publisher. They work with writers because they love the written word.”
Wins Series Contract
With Berkley Publishing
Kat Goldring, among new writers listed on Authorlink, has signed a three-book contract with Berkley Publishing Group for her cozy mystery series, Crow’s Feet and Lemon Drops, to be released in September 2001. Kim Waltemyer is the Berkley editor who made the acquisition, and Carol McCleary of Wilshire Literary Agency, made the sale for four figures.
McCleary had represented the series 5 1/2 years before the first book sold.
“I already had an agent when Authorlink was kind enough to list me in some of their first presentations,” said Kat. “Ours was a mutual endeavor as Authorlink was just starting up and I had just finished a revision with the first novel under the wings of the DFW Writers’ Workshop. Just as an aside, that DFW Writers’ Workshop stands for that and never has meant “Dallas Ft. Worth” as some like to say. In fact one of the founding members with whom I was lucky enough to work with and helped name the group told me it really meant, Damn Fine Writers.
“I believe the fact that AUTHORLINK listed me was one of the reasons my agent did not give up on presenting my work to top notch publishers. I have a few magazine articles and short stories published but my best and most extensive showcase was writing and illustrating with my original drawings a newspaper column for a year titled ‘THE MEDICINE PATH.’
“AUTHORLINK has been wonderful. My agent and I have always been grateful for the professional format available on the site for presenting my work. We came very close to making a sale through the site with China, and may yet sell the foreign rights with help through AUTHORLINK.
Kat Goldring works full time as a high school foreign language department head and Spanish teacher. She spends an hour to hour and a half per day in editing and rewriting the novels and outlines for the first three in the WILLI GALLAGHER MYSTERY SERIES. During holidays and summer time (8 weeks) that time increases to 3-4 hours a day. This doesn’t include the hours for research, marketing, the time to work with other writers on shared projects, and commitments to two writing groups.
“Not only do I work the 40-hour drill and the writing tight-wire,” Kat explains, “but I also sing and play the guitar in two groups: SISTERS OF THE WIND includes a fellow writer, Shirley McKee. We two do mostly classic/golden country western and cowboy/girl programs for local clubs, groups, schools, city gatherings and such. The HIGH MILEAGE country western band, some seven members strong, includes three law officers, performs for trail drives and city functions.
How does it feel to have a published contract?
“I go back and forth between elation of having a fantastic adventure and panic attacks,” says Kat. “I am so thankful for all the wonderful folks, including AUTHORLINK, who have crossed my path at the right time, and have helped me make a lifelong dream come true. WAKAN TANKA (Great Spirit), of course, I thank for all lessons learned and all paths. This is one of those paths strewn with bluebonnets, soft moss and warm cuddly critters. The panic part has to do with getting to those book signings. I’m directional dyslexic and panic when traveling to new places. So . . . maybe that’s the next adventure and lesson!”
Kat Goldring currently is working on the next two novels in the WILLI GALLAGHER SERIES: SNOW SNAKE and SWEET CHARIOT. She also have a second series, the DELTA PAIGE SERIES, and has finished the first book in that series, COOPER STREET GIRLS.
Authorlink asked the author: How helpful was DFW Writers’ Workshop?
“I would not have cleared out the flaws in my manuscript. The members helped me to develop a selling novel. I would not have met my agent, Carol McCleary, if DFW Writers’ Workshop had not had her as a guest. I would not have had the opportunity to meet my editor, KIM WALTEMYER with BERKLEY PUBLISHING. I interviewed with her during her visit with DFWWW. Although I’ve served as an officer and hosted many dinners as well as parties at my own country home for the members, editors and agents, I still owe DFWWW a great deal.”
Writers Earn
Top Recognition
Dallas and Atlanta/2/15/01 Jerry Lee Davis, author of Twin City (AUTHORLINK PRESS), and Ginnie Bivona, author of Ida Mae Tutweiler and the Traveling Tea Party (AUTHORLINK PRESS), have recently earned top recognition in two different markets.
Jerry Lee Davis of Atlanta has been nominated for the First Novel Award in the 37th annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards, sponsored by the Georgia Writers’ Association. Ginnie Bivona’s Ida Mae Tutweiler recently climbed to number one on the Dallas Morning News Bestseller List for paperback fiction. Ginnie lives in Dallas.
The Georgia Awards ceremony, hosted by Mercer University Press, will be held at a dinner March 17 at Mercer University in Macon,Georgia.
Among a number of recent review of Ginnie Bivona’s book was an article by Don Johnson on Read-a-Bargain.com.Johnson called Bivona’s Ida Mae “A wonderful,character-driven story that produces open memories we thought we’d forgotten. . . . I expected a typical ‘woman’s’ book but found a story of human beings for human beings. Man or woman your time won’t be wasted on this one.”
Writer Signs
Publishing Contract
Charlene Tess has become the 66th author to find a publisher as a direct result of Authorlink. Port Town Publishing, a small Wisconsin publisher, will release Ms. Tess’s THE VAN WINKLE BRIDE as a trade paperback romance in June 2001. The book, originally listed on Authorlink as THE VAN WINKLE CONNECTION, is Ms. Tess’s first published work.
“The senior romance editor of Port Town Publishing saw my posting on the Authorlink website and thought my novel sounded intriguing and suitable for her list for 2001,” Charlene explained. “She contacted Authorlink Editor Doris Booth, who contacted me. Doris Booth forwarded an e- mail to me from Port Town Publishing. I sent the publisher a copy of my manuscript by snail mail. The editor read it and said she could not put it down. She offered me a contract by e-mail and then sent me a written contract by snail mail.”
Charlene listed her novel on Authorlink on April 10, 2000, and sold it on November 25.
“My husband and I met Doris Booth at a SouthWest Writers Conference and decided to advertise our editing business on Authorlink. Two of my novels had won first place at Southwest Writers Conference Contests, and I had been trying to get them published by the old-fashioned way: query, partial, full manuscript, SASE, wait, wait, wait method. Authorlink sounded like an attractive, modern way to market my novels. And it worked! I am delighted with the results,” Charlene said.
“I have been writing as long as I can remember and have published essays, feature articles, short stories, and a nonfiction book, but this will be my first published novel.
“Presently, I am working on a rewrite of a romance novel that my sister and I co-wrote, and I am about one-third of the way through a mainstream novel entitled The Greatest Gift. It is the story of the unshakable bond between a mother and daughter in spite of tragic circumstances that shatter their lives.”
Charlene says her best advice when it comes to becoming published is “to be like the old Timex watch slogan: ‘Take a licking, but keep on ticking.’ In other words, keep trying. And don’t forget to try new ideas if the old ones aren’t working for you.”
Wins Series Contract
With Berkley Publishing
Kat Goldring, among new writers listed on Authorlink, has signed a three-book contract with Berkley Publishing Group for her cozy mystery series, Crow’s Feet and Lemon Drops, to be released in September 2001. Kim Waltemyer is the Berkley editor who made the acquisition, and Carol McCleary of Wilshire Literary Agency, made the sale for four figures.
McCleary had represented the series 5 1/2 years before the first book sold.
“I already had an agent when Authorlink was kind enough to list me in some of their first presentations,” said Kat. “Ours was a mutual endeavor as Authorlink was just starting up and I had just finished a revision with the first novel under the wings of the DFW Writers’ Workshop. Just as an aside, that DFW Writers’ Workshop stands for that and never has meant “Dallas Ft. Worth” as some like to say. In fact one of the founding members with whom I was lucky enough to work with and helped name the group told me it really meant, Damn Fine Writers.
“I believe the fact that AUTHORLINK listed me was one of the reasons my agent did not give up on presenting my work to top notch publishers. I have a few magazine articles and short stories published but my best and most extensive showcase was writing and illustrating with my original drawings a newspaper column for a year titled ‘THE MEDICINE PATH.’
“AUTHORLINK has been wonderful. My agent and I have always been grateful for the professional format available on the site for presenting my work. We came very close to making a sale through the site with China, and may yet sell the foreign rights with help through AUTHORLINK.
Kat Goldring works full time as a high school foreign language department head and Spanish teacher. She spends an hour to hour and a half per day in editing and rewriting the novels and outlines for the first three in the WILLI GALLAGHER MYSTERY SERIES. During holidays and summer time (8 weeks) that time increases to 3-4 hours a day. This doesn’t include the hours for research, marketing, the time to work with other writers on shared projects, and commitments to two writing groups.
“Not only do I work the 40-hour drill and the writing tight-wire,” Kat explains, “but I also sing and play the guitar in two groups: SISTERS OF THE WIND includes a fellow writer, Shirley McKee. We two do mostly classic/golden country western and cowboy/girl programs for local clubs, groups, schools, city gatherings and such. The HIGH MILEAGE country western band, some seven members strong, includes three law officers, performs for trail drives and city functions.
How does it feel to have a published contract?
“I go back and forth between elation of having a fantastic adventure and panic attacks,” says Kat. “I am so thankful for all the wonderful folks, including AUTHORLINK, who have crossed my path at the right time, and have helped me make a lifelong dream come true. WAKAN TANKA (Great Spirit), of course, I thank for all lessons learned and all paths. This is one of those paths strewn with bluebonnets, soft moss and warm cuddly critters. The panic part has to do with getting to those book signings. I’m directional dyslexic and panic when traveling to new places. So . . . maybe that’s the next adventure and lesson!”
Kat Goldring currently is working on the next two novels in the WILLI GALLAGHER SERIES: SNOW SNAKE and SWEET CHARIOT. She also have a second series, the DELTA PAIGE SERIES, and has finished the first book in that series, COOPER STREET GIRLS.
Authorlink asked the author: How helpful was DFW Writers’ Workshop?
“I would not have cleared out the flaws in my manuscript. The members helped me to develop a selling novel. I would not have met my agent, Carol McCleary, if DFW Writers’ Workshop had not had her as a guest. I would not have had the opportunity to meet my editor, KIM WALTEMYER with BERKLEY PUBLISHING. I interviewed with her during her visit with DFWWW. Although I’ve served as an officer and hosted many dinners as well as parties at my own country home for the members, editors and agents, I still owe DFWWW a great deal.”
to Contribute Kids’ Book
Column to Authorlink
Laguna Beach, CA/12/15/00Barbara J. Odanaka, former LA Times sports reporter and columnist, will join Authorlink on January 1 2001 as a regular columnist. Her articles will provide writers with in-depth insights on writing and publishing children’s books, and will include interviews with children’s editors at major publishing houses.
Among upcoming topics for her column will be:
January 1: Rejection 101 February 1: A Crime to Rhyme? March 1: Every Story Tells A Picture April 1: Successful School Visits May 1: Beautiful NoiseWhy “Quiet” Picture Books No Longer Make the Grade June 1: Five to Watch: A look at Upcoming Children’s Authors
From time to time, she will provide special reports on major children’s book conferences.
Ms. Odanaka left her career at the Times to write books for children. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators.
Barb earned a BA in English from the University of Southern California. She lives with her husband and son in a California beach town, and is a founding member of the Skateboarding Moms Society. She can be reached at bodanaka@aol.com
Lands First Book
Deal With Scribner
NEW YORK,NY/10/1/00Jimmy Gleacher, who has been listed as an Authorlink writer since October, 1999, has sold his first novel to prestigious Scribner, an imprint of Rawson Associates and part of Simon & Schuster.
Meredith Phelan of Linda Chester and Associates in New York found Jimmy’s novel, “Roll Again,” on one of her frequent searches of Authorlink, signed him on, and subsequently sold the work for five figures. The mainstream fictional work, to be released in 2002, is the 64th title to be sold either as a direct or indirect result of Authorlink.
Agent Wray
Signs Fifteen
Authorlink Writers
9/00Pamela Wray, owner of the new and growing Pamela Wray Literary Agency, has agreed to represent 15 writers found over the last several months as a direct result of Authorlink.
Among the works now represented by Wray are several thrillers and young adult works. Ms Wray, an aggressive agent, already has sent works by the newest Authorlink ensigns out to key publishers.
In another case, Ms. Wray signed a children’s author who, while not officially listed on Authorlink, connected with Wray through the service. The work is a moral folk tale, similar to Uncle Remus.
“I was so excited about this book that he expressed it to me over night, and I have already spoken with numerous publishers, special merchandising and TV producers, ” said Wray. “I am going to put this book up for auction because there is so much interest.”
“The Authorlink website is the ultimate place for any editor, literary agent or publisher, and I am so thankful the staff’s hard work and diligence,” Ms. Wray said in a note to Authorlink.
Ms. Wray is among a number of agents who regularly surf the Authorlink site in search of good manuscripts.
61st Authorlink Writer
to Sell To Manuscript
New York House Pays Handsome Advance
New York, NY/5/26/00 Authorlink writer Gary Clemente became the 61 st author to sell his work to a key New York publisher.
Lebhar-Friedman, New York has slated a 2002 publication date for ” Confessions of a G-Man: Inside the FBI, originally listed on Authorlink as The Marking of a Hoover. Clemente will be paid a $5,000 advance plus royalties for the work, half up front and half on delivery of the finished manuscript. Sale of the book is the direct result of Clemente’s listing on Authorlink.
“Confessions” will be an inside look at the FBI through the eyes of Clemente’s father, who was a career agent for 26 years. The book will deal with anecdotal stories and inside information about the Bureau, the war on Communism in the Fifties, the mob, and J. Edgar Hoover among other things.
How did he find Authorlink? A writer friend told him about it and spoke highly of the service.
Authorlink seemed to be up front about everything and didn’t present itself as a scheme to make money off of writers,” Gary said. “Doris Booth answered all of my questions promptly and professionally while the book was made available for review. I was pleased with how some of the particulars of the book was presented and listed on-line.”
How long were you listed on Authorlink before the sale Gary’s book was listed on Authorlink for about five months before Lebhar-Friedman Editor Frank Scatoni (formerly with Simon & Schuster) spotted the title and requested a proposal. This was all done through e-mail.
Gary, 48, has been writing full time and semi-professionally since he got out of college. He’s written in a number of different mediums along the way. He has several other projects in the working stage, including a collection of short stories; a humor book based on the newspaper column he writes weekly; and a suspense book in the same vein as Michael Creiton.
How does it feel to be a published author?
“My first and only published book was a children’s piece that came out in 1995, called ‘Cosmo Gets An Ear,’ about a little boy who gets his first hearing aid. Being published in book form is a wonderful feeling. It’s an achievement I’m the most proud of in my writing career.
And does he have any advice for new writers?
“Take it from somebody who has written all of his adult life and even some before as a kid it’s got to be in your blood, because getting published is not the easiest thing to do. You write because you have to it’s who you are and nobody’s going to make you stop. One thing that can be valuable is to learn how to distill and recognize exactly what it is on a gut level that attracts people to certain stories and why. There are usually one or two elements working that can make a successful story or book. Examine a well-made movie or book and practice how to recognize the “concept” that made it work. Other than that, as Winston Churchill said, ‘Never, never, never give up.'”
Pamela Wray
Literary Agency Signs
Four Authorlink Writers
5/00Pamela Wray Literary Agency based in Alabama, has signed four Authorlink writers for representation.
They are Steven Rudd, Midnight Run; Jan Letoha, Bury the Past; J.E. Deegan, In Dark Covenant; Norman Davis, Stonecypher’s Gold.
Authorlink Author
Carolee Joy Takes
Rising Star Award
6/15/00Carolee Joy, author of Wild Angel (Authorlink Press) won second place in the prestigious short contemporary category of the Rising Star 2000 Awards, a division of the Romance Writers of America.
The winners, including the Grand Prize winner, were offered free registration at the RWA national conference or equivalent cash. Winners were presented at the Sooner Area Romance Authors in Tulsa, Oklahoma May 20.
Contest Winner Earns
Publishing Contract
Los Angeles, CA/ 5/15/00 Ekaterine Nikas (Katy) Terlinden, the 1998 Best of Show and mystery winner of the Authorlink New Author Awards Competition, has landed a publishing contract with Avid Press
( www.avidpress.com Her winning novel, Divided Child, will be released by Avid in Winter 2000 under her pen name, Ekaterine Nikas. It is the fifth time in two years an Authorlink contest winner has won a substantial publishing contract.
“Authorlink.com offered a wonderful contest that gave me an important boost to my career, got me access to editors and agents, and provided a very impressive reference for query letters,” said Terlinden.
Katy had been writing for about ten years before she heard about Authorlink on one of her writer lists. She advises new writers to “be persistent, be part of a network, enter contests (they are a great way to get agents and editors to look at your work), and keep your mind open to the possibilities offered by small presses and e-book publishers, especially if your book does not fit easily into the New York mold.”
Katy also says, “utilize the Internet to the fullest. I probably would not have made my sale without it. I think Authorlink is a great resource for writers and an excellent example of how new writers can use the Internet to break through the barriers to publication.
New Book Released
by Marlowe, New York
NEW YORK, NY/5/1/00Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men, by Thomas J. Harbin, Ph.D, has just been released by New York Publisher Marlowe & Company’s Avalon imprint. Author Tom Harbin directly attributes the sale of his book to his listing on Authorlink.
Forensic Psychologist Harbin sold his nonfiction manuscript, originally titled STANCE OF ANGER, to established publisher, John Muir Publications as the result of a direct inquiry by the publisher in May, 1998. Muir was bought by Marlowe Books, a division of Avalon last year.
In his new book, Dr. Harbin helps men understand their anger by explaining what the specific symptoms of chronic anger are and by showing angry men how their actions negatively affect family, friends and co-workers.
Tom is one of nearly 60 Authorlink writers to sign a contract with a publisher since sales tracking began in early 1997.
Tom had been listed on the site for eight or nine months before receiving the request. Generously sharing the sales figures with other Authorlink writers, Tom said he was paid a $1,000 advance upon signing a contract, another $1500 upon delivery of the revised manuscript, and the final $1000 was paid when the book was released.
Tom began writing the manuscript about seven years ago, for use with angry men in his clinical practice. “The book sort of grew over the next couple of years and I guess I have been actively trying to sell it for about three years,” he said.
“At first, I naively sent it to editors who had done similar work. Then, I engaged a New York agent who had promoted books for a friend of mine. Honestly, I was about to put the manuscript away and forget about it or start the self-publishing journey. Then I became aware of Authorlink while absently surfing the net for agents.”
While not officially working on any new titles, he has started writing some short stories about the goings on in his rural North Carolina county, and he’s been keeping copious notes for a possible book about his role as a forensic psychologist.
When asked what he would advise first-time writers, he said I would not presume to offer anyone advice. I think that lucked out so far.
And how important was Authorlink to his begin published? My book would still be sitting on a dusty disk somewhere, without Authorlink, he concluded.
In little more than three years, nearly 300 writers have reported signing with agents as a direct result of Authorlink, and more than 1500 requests from editors and agents have been processed.
The author lives and practices in North Carolina.
Authorlink
Correspondent
Joins LA Times
Authorlink writer, Michelle Lovato, has been hired by the Los Angeles Times to cover special sections issues.
Regarded as one of the worlds most prestigious news organizations, the Los Angeles Times has a full circulation of 1.4 million copies per Sunday issue.
Lovatos work will premier March 13.
With more than two years experience as an Authorlink California publishing correspondent, Lovato has covered several events, and can be found by searching archives.
Lovato is the owner/publisher of The Silver Lakes Gazzette, a weekly newspaper, and a columnist and reporter for The Inland Empire Business Journal, a Southern California regional business magazine.
Accompanying Lovato in her new post will be her husband, Vince, a 20- year veteran of journalism. Among Vinces credits are previous LA Times bylines,
the sales of two short stories to Stephen Speilberg, two nominations for California Newspaper Publishers Association awards and was the recipient of a fellowship to Rice University in Houston Texas.
Lovato has 10 years experience as a political and business reporter
and specializes in feature stories. She writes a newspaper column entitled, Thank You, Lord and has won several awards for her short fiction.
Both Lovatos are pursuing careers in the publishing industry. Ms.Lovato will continue contributing articles to Authorlink.
Authorlink Author
Carolee Joy Ranks
as RWA Finalist
DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX/ 3/13/000WILD ANGEL (Authorlink Press, April 2000) by Carolee Joy has been named a finalist in the Golden Quill contest sponsored by the Desert Rose Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Other finalists include multi-published authors such as Vicki Lewis Thompson, one of Harlequin TemptationsTemptations biggest sellers.
In addition to WILD ANGEL, SECRET LEGACY, another novel by Ms. Joy, is also a finalist in the Golden Quill competition for Best Romantic Suspense and Best First Book.
New Author
Ranks #12
on Amazon
ATLANTA,GA/3/10/00A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO DAY TRADING ONLINE (Adams Media) by first-time author, has risen to #12 on Amazon.coms top 100.
The book, agented by Deidre Knight of the Knight Agency (listed on Authorlink), was released only a week ago, and began its quick rise after the author appeared on CNBC Today.
American Self
Publishers’ Group
Honors Mitchell
SAN FRANCISCO, CA/ 3/1/00Ed Mitchell, whose manuscript had been listed with Authorlink before he decided to self publish, has been awarded the National Publishers Freedom Award for Best new Fiction. The honor will be bestowed by the year-old American Self Publishers Association (ASPA) for Mitchell’s novel, GOLD RUSH 2000. Resource Library. The ASPA award will be given in a formal ceremony May 13 in San Francisco. In addition, the work was accepted by the National Steinbeck Center Resource Library.
Mitchell attributes part of his success to Authorlink for having seen “the quality in my book, and having had the courage to publicly declare that assessment.” Authorlink, while not a self publisher, helps writers market their work through promotion to editors and agents, and through listings of their work on its award-winning site, authorlink.com
Winner Signs Contract
With Major Publisher
Dallas, TX/1/1/00Three winners of the Authorlink New Author Awards competition have landed major publishing contracts within the past 18 months. The latest Authorlink contestant to become published is Cynthia G. Alwyn (pen name), who placed among the top three in the 1999 Authorlink awards competition.
Carol Berg of Ft. Collins, CO, the 1999 Authorlink first-place, science fiction/fantasy winner for Song of the Beast, won a three-book contract with Roc (an imprint of Penguin Putnam). And June London, 1998 Authorlink mainstream winner signed a six-figure contract with Harper Collins for her novel, Bingo Queens and a second work-in-progress, tentatively titled Stray Bullets.
Ms. Alwyn won the 1999 competition for a book titled, Tail of the Serpent, but it was her newest work, Best Served Cold, that convinced New York Agent Anne Hawkins of John Hawkins & Associates, to become her agent. Hawkins subsequently sold the work to St. Martins Press for an undisclosed amount. The title will be released in the Winter of 2001.
“I have been surprised how fast things can happen,” said Cynthia. “I met Anne Hawkins, who is now my agent, at a conference in 1998. We kept in contact, and when I visited with her at the 1999 Authorlink Awards presentation in Georgia, we finalized our business partnership with my new book BEST SERVED COLD. A short time later, St. Martins bought the project. Im thrilled and stunned at the same time. It didnt feel real to me until I started getting mail from them.”
BEST SERVED COLD features protagonist Brenna Scott and her search dog, Feather, a black Bouvier Des Flandres. Together, they search for lost or missing people. In this book, Brenna and Feather race the clock to locate a child before the kidnapper makes good his threat to take the little girls life.
“I wasnt sure the book would sell, but Anne believed in it and in me. Since Id worked with a canine search and rescue team for nine years, I do have first-hand knowledge of how dogs and handlers work. Although the story is fiction, I believe my experience in this area helped sell the book,” said Cynthia.
Due to the commitment of her day job, Cynthias writing time is limited. “I usually write Thursday through Sunday and a solid eight hours a day while on vacation. I frequently work out plot points and tidbits about characters driving to and from work. Most days, Ill sit in my car during lunch break (its the only quiet place at work) and make notes. Although Ive started writing the next Brenna Scott book, it doesnt yet have a title.”
The 2000 Authorlink New Author Awards Competition is now accepting entries for this years contest through March, 2000. Awards again will be presented at the annual Harriette Austin Writers Conference, University of Georgia, in July, 2000. Top prize is $500.
For details see: http://www.authorlink.com/contest_00.html
Authorlink Writers
Sign Publishing Deals
8/15/99Three more writers have won publishing contracts as a direct result of their listings with Authorlink. All three are clients of Elisabet McHugh, McHugh Literary Agency, who discovered them on Authorlink several months ago. This brings to a total of 49 the number of books that have been sold through Authorlink during the past 2 1/2 years.
Chris Spicer has accepted an offer form McFarland & Co. for Frankly, My Dear. . .:The Life of Clark Gable.
Publication will be in 1001, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Gable’s birth.
Neva Hacker, author of Missing Candy, and Charles Crone, author of The Palestinian Solution, have sold their work as e-books to Fictionworks, through Ms. McHugh.
43 rd Author to Find
Publisher Via Authorlink
7/1/99Scrivenery Press will publish Authorlink writer E. A. Blair’s A Journey to the Interior, in November, 1999, making Blair the 43 rd author to find a publisher via Authorlink since sales tracking began in 1997. Thirty-one writers have been published as a result of Authorlink, with houses such as Berkley, Tor, John Wiley & Sons, Carol Publishing Group and others. Twelve more titles will be released in August, 1999 by Authorlink’s own imprintAuthorlink Press, bringing the total of successfully published authors to forty-three.
“I had tried sending material to about 50 agents, and though many were favorably impressed, all rejected the work, probably because their slice of an author’s first book might not have seemed profitable enough,” said E.A.
Blair, who holds a Masters Degree in Fine Arts has been writing since 1951. His day job for the past 30 years has been in publications for the aerospace industry. Some time back, he wrote and published a professional book, but turned to serious fiction only about ten years ago.
E.A. had been trying to sell his work through agents for five years, when he discovered Authorlink in May, 1998. He had been listed on the site for ten months when Scrivenery Press Publisher Ed Williams spotted his work on the web site. Scrdivenery, whose titles are distributed by Ingram Book Group, is actively building both its fiction and non-fiction lines.
Asked how it feels to be a published author, Blair said, “Vindicated. The related adjectives will come later.”
Blair’s contract did not include an advance, but does pay standard royalties.
“My impression of Scrivenery is that they are professional, intelligent and use advanced publishing technologiesas witnessed by the use of Authorlink and Ingram Book.
“Finding Authorlink was like a door to opportunity suddenly opening,” said Blair.
He advises the unpublished writer to “Write patiently, critically.”
He has a second title underway.
Novel Released
by Berkley Publishing
NEW YORK,NY/6/10/99 LOST RIVER, a novel by Authorlink writer, Pax Riddle, is now on bookstore shelves. Pax made the deal with Berkley Publishing Group (division of Penguin/Putnam) as part of the connections he made through Authorlink. The book is available via: http://www.lostriver.org/, barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com
Among Best Education
Resources on the Web
6/10/99Authorlink has been selected as a featured site in StudyWeb
( http://www.studyweb.com/) as one of the best educational resources on the web.
StudyWeb is one of the Internet’s premier sites for educational resources for students and teachers. Since 1996 professional reviewers have scoured the Internet to select only the finest sites to be included in StudyWeb’s reviews. Each site in StudyWeb includes a detailed review describing it’s merits.
With Lightning to Offer
On-Demand Book Imprint
DALLAS, TX /5/1/99Authorlink, the award-winning news/information and marketing site for the publishing industry, will launch its own book imprint, Authorlink Press, this summer. The move results in part from a new publishing partnership between Authorlink and Lightning Print, Inc, the print on demand subsidiary of Ingram Book, worlds largest book distributor.
Authorlink Press will carry the fine tradition of New York-style publishing into the digital age, said Authorlink President Doris Booth. We will serve as a market proving ground for the titles that truly deserve to be published and readtitles that eventually may find their way to larger houses, after we establish a solid track for them, said Ms. Booth.
Lower-cost digital and on-demand printing now enable Authorlink Press to publish books once considered economically too risky. The company will aggressively market the titles, establish sales records and then seek to turn them over to larger publishers.
The imprint will use the latest technology to publish digitally-downloadable books and trade paperbacks, printed on demand. Titles will be distributed through multiple on and off-line sales channels, including Ingram, which serves major booksellers such as Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.com.
Authorlink has also established an alliance with Peanut Press, to help supply electronic books for 2 million Palm Pilot and IBM WorkPad owners. Authorlink marketing ties also include alliances with the book review site, Bookbrowse.com (280, 000 page views annually), larger publishing houses, and other distribution and marketing resources.
Authorlink Press emphasizes aggressive, targeted marketing and distribution for every title it buys-a vital element often missing from tight production and promotional budgets at traditional publishers. The company’s own loyal audience of 170,000 book lovers provides one the ready audiences of book buyers.
Not only do our readers support fellow writers by buying and reading their work. They provide vital marketing feedback. At Authorlink the end consumer will tell us which books they like and whynot marketing reps, nor retail booksellers with special agendas, but the readers themselves, said Ms. Booth.
Admittedly, digital publishing furrows new ground for Authorlink Our imprint is a test of its own-measuring whether consumers will buy truly good titles through Internet sites, hand-held devices and on-demand, with books printed at the time of their order (one- off). Ms. Booth explained.
In 1999 Authorlink Press initially will release 12 fiction and non-fiction titles, both in digital and trade paperback (on demand), with 12 to 24 titles to follow next year. They will be promoted to targeted, vertical markets, and to horizontal mass audiences via the Internet and traditional channels.
The imprints digital books will be available on the Authorlink.com site and through Peanut Press
( http://www.peanutepress.com/) late this summer. Most titles-and all of the initial 12will also be available in the Ingram title base and may be ordered through all Ingram ordering systems, accessible to Barnes & Noble, Barnesandnoble.com, Amazon.com and, other major booksellers and libraries.
Both first-time and seasoned authors will be included in the list. Categories include suspense/thrillers, mainstream commercial fiction, science fiction/fantasy, romance, and narrative and commercial nonfiction. No anthologies or short stores are considered, and length ranges from 70,000-80,000 words. The new house is not a subsidy or vanity publisher, and will pay standard publishing industry royalties.
Unsolicited manuscripts are NOT accepted at this time and will be automatically recycled. Prospective authors should, instead, consider submitting their work for possible listing in the site’s Author Showcase section.
Authorlink will continue to showcase listings of ready-to-publish manuscripts, and to market them worldwide to editors and agents, as it successfully has done for thee years. Authorlink has been rated among the top 25% of most useful sites on the web by Microsoft’s One Click Away E- zine.
Web site: http://www.authorlink.com/arch4_files/authorlink.htm
Among Writer’s Digest
Top 101 Sites For Writers
Writers Digest magazine has selected Authorlink as one of The 101 Best Web Sites for Writers. The 101 were culled from the Digest staffs lists of favorites, as well as from nominations made by about 1,500 visitors to writersdigest.com.
The 101 Best is the cover story of the May 1999 issue of Writers Digest. The list is also published in its entirety on the Writer’s Digest website, at http://www.writersdigest.com/101sites.
The list of recommended websites is just one of several recent additions to writersdigest.com.
Authorlink holds other distinguished industry awards, and including its ranking by Microsoft’s One Click Away E- zine among the top 25% of most useful sites on the web.
Sign With WriterBeck
Agency in Two Weeks
5/1/99Four Authorlink writers will have signed with a single literary agent within the past two-weeks. Beck Roberts, owner of the Writerbeck Agency, has contracted Mackey Murdock and Andrea Giacomuzziboth listed with Authorlink and found through the site. Two more writers were polishing their manuscripts, but were expected to sign with Ms.Roberts within days.
Beck Roberts represents 70% fiction and 30% nonfiction, and handles most categories except for erotica and cartoons. She has 30 years of experience as a published writer in both fiction and nonfiction and 20 years in related marketing fields. Ms. Roberts has been an agent for a little more than a year, and has already signed seven writers, including the new Authorlink people.
Her agency is based in South Carolina, where she moved with her husband and two children to have a simpler lifestyle than in Atlanta.
“Being a relatively new agent, I am more eager than some to work with the authors and their manuscripts, sending them out with strong cover letters to publishers. I am tireless in my efforts and truly get excited about seeing good works in print,” she said.
The agency has no sales at present but, as Ms. Roberts said, “Good things take time and I am confident in the authors’ work and my ability to promote it successfully.”
Editor’s Note, 5/11/99: This agent has retired due to a severe illness and will not be accepting other clients.
Sells WOLF’S TALE
To TOR Books
Agent Describes Publishing Recipe
By Sam Hughes
The Dickens Group Literary Agency
3/99David Holland and his upcoming first novel MURCHESTON: THE WOLFS TALE (TOR Books) is a lesson to all who serve as functionaries in today’s literary marketplace. Success may well depend on an old recipe: a good writer, a persistent agent who is willing to nurture true talent, and an editor who takes his or her job to heart and who will fight for a book. In the case of David Holland, whose work has appeared on Authorlink the factors that traditionally made the publishing industry great came together after seven years of productive author/agent interaction.
The heroes of this story are Hollland, one of the finest writers our agency has seen, agent Bob Solinger, who recognized brilliant writing and spent seven years pounding on doors to sell Hollands work, and Karla Zounek, the TOR editor who fell under the spell of Hollands writing and worked one-on-one with him to produce a fine literary horror story with a distinctive Victorian setting and tone.
For agents and editors struggling against adverse forces in the current marketplace, it is important to recognize the Holland phenomenon. Services such as Authorlink a sterling example of what Internet marketing can and should be are invaluable to everyone, especially to new writers. And the ultimate lesson for writers, agents and editors alike: eventually, good writing sells.
Writer’s Seven Year
Effort Pays Off,
Authorlink Plays Part
Louisville, KY/1/1/99David Holland, a writer featured on the Authorlink site, since August, 1997, has sold his novel, THE WOLF’S TALE, with The Dickens Group as his agency. David has tried for seven years to become published, and at last found an agency that believed in his work and found the right publisher. More details of his success will be published here soon.
Becomes 25th Authorlink
Writer to Sell Work
2/15/99Forensic Psychologist Tom Harbin has sold his nonfiction manuscript, STANCE OF ANGER: RECOGNIZING AND CHANGING THE PATTERNS OF MENS ANGER, to established publisher, John Muir Publications. Tom is the 25th Authorlink writer to sign a contract with a publisher Since sales tracking began in early 1997.
The title will be released in the spring of 2000, according to acquisitions editor Cassandra Conyers, who requested the manuscript directly from Authorlink in May, 1998. Tom had been listed on the site for eight or nine months before receiving the request.
Generously sharing the sales figures with other Authorlink writers, Tom said he was paid a $1,000 advance upon signing a contract, another $1500 upon delivery of the revised manuscript, and the final $1000 will be paid when the book is released. Authorlink assumes a royalty arrangement is also included in the contract.
Tom began writing STANCE about seven years ago, for use with angry men in his clinical practice. The book sort of grew over the next couple of years and I guess I have been actively trying to sell it for about three years.
At first, I naively sent it to editors who had done similar work. Then, I engaged a New York agent who had promoted books for a friend of mine. Honestly, I was about to put the manuscript away and forget about it or start the self-publishing journey. Then I became aware of Authorlink while absently surfing the net for agents.
Tom said having his first work published feels daunting. Muir wants him to increase the book length by about 67% during revision, and he’s not a full-time author. He hopes he can get it done on time, especially since there are substantial penalties for being late.
While not officially working on any new titles, he has started writing some short stories about the goings on in his rural North Carolina county, and he’s been keeping copious notes for a possible book about his role as a forensic psychologist.
When asked what he would advise first-time writers, he said I would not presume to offer anyone advice. I think that lucked out so far.
And how important was Authorlink to his begin published? My book would still be sitting on a dusty disk somewhere, without Authorlink, he concluded.
John Muir Publications, established in 1969, will release 68 titles in 1999, and 75 in 2000. Main interests are in travel and alternative health.
In little more than two years, 215- plus writers have reported signing with agents as a direct result of Authorlink, and more than 960 requests from editors and agents have been processed.
Writer Cindy Appel
Lands Columnist Job
as Result of Authorlink
2/15/99Cindy Appel, recently named Cyber Columnist of the Quarter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, attributes her job as a Star Telegram Online Columnist directly to Authorlink and the 1998 Authorlink Electrify Your Writing seminar.
I found out how to become a cyber-columnist from the talk given at the Authorlink workshop last May by Star Telegram Online Marketing Director Bonnie Bradshaw. I became a weekly columnist by July of last year, said Cindy.
Her column, titled, Every Day IS Mothers Day can be found at www.star-telegram.com/homes/cappel/columns/momsday.htm. Cindy takes a semi-humorous look at the world through the eyes of being a full-time mom and struggling writer. She has even developed a loyal following of sorts, too, and takes suggestions from readers on future column topics.
I just thought that others who read Authorlink might like to know how helpful it can be to their writing careers, said Cindy.
Agent McHugh Signs
12 Authorlink Writers,
Sells to Key Publishers
12/1/98Twelve Authorlink writers have signed contracts within the past couple of years with Literary Agent Elisabet Mchugh, all as a direct result of the Authorlink service. And McHugh has sold many of their works to major publishers.
One of these clients, Roland Jansen, whose first book Profits From Natural Resources was just published by John Wiley, is now working on a second investment book. Linda Swink, Eric Winkler, David Whale and Sam Sackett also sold their books through Ms. McHugh.
In recent months, this agent has added a number of other Authorlink writers, including: Steven Levi, David Dial, S.Alan Hepps, Terry Milton, Jim Norton, Rebecca Spalten, and Lewis Tracy. A thirteenth writer is about to be signed with her.
“Authorlink is providing a great service for agents and editors,” says Ms. McHugh, who works exclusively through the Internet and has clients in eight countries. “I’m impressed not only by the quality of the manuscripts that you have listed, but also the prompt service rendered by your staff when I request a manuscript. And I check out the new listings on your website on a regular basis.”
Authorlink Writer
Sells Nonfiction Title
to Lone Wolf Enterprises
12/1/98Dale C. Maley, author of Road Map to Retirement: How to Quickly and Easily Develop a Financial Plan for Retirement, has sold his work to Roger Wolfs Lone Wolf Enterprises, Ltd. ( http://www.lonewolfent.net/) as a direct result of Authorlink
The book will be released both in hardcover and online in the first quarter of 1999. Lone Wolf has more than 60 titles in print.
Maley will receive 15% of gross for printed book and 15% of gross for electronic book sales.
Maley discovered Authorlink when he picked up a paper flier at the Harriet Austin Writer’s Conference in Athens, Georgia last July, then followed up by visiting the site at http://www.authorlink.com/arch4_files/authorlink.htm. (Note: The second annual Authorlink New Author Awards Banquet will be held as part of the 1999 Harriet Austin Writers Conference in Athens, July 23-25, 1999).
Dale, who has been writing for about two years, said it took him only 15 months to find a publisher through Authorlink He first found an agent through Authorlink who tried, but failed to sell the title to a large publisher.
How does it feel to have his first work published? Very exciting, it has been a long, arduous, and perilous journey from writing those first few words of the manuscript until getting it published, said Dale.
He advises new writers to Make sure your book is either the best among all the competition or among the first few books published in a new subject area. Be diligent, patient, and believe in your yourself and your work.
Authorlink Helps
Writer Secure
International Agent
12/1/98J.D. Wetterling, author of SON OF THUNDER, has sold his first work to domestic publisher, Rivilo Books, Felix C. Lowe, publisher. The title was schedule for release in November, 1998. While J.D. located a publisher on his own, it was Authorlink that helped him find his agent. The Stefanidis Agency based in Geneva, Switzerland, discovered J.D.s listing on the Authorlink site and requested a review of the manuscript. The writer agreed to let Stefanidis handle the foreign rights.
Wetterling , who has been writing for nine years, had tried to locate an editor and agent for the last eight years. He found Authorlink while surfing the net. He found the publisher networking through friends.
How does it feel to have his first work published? Wonderful! he exclaimed. Wetterling, whose day job is as a Stockbroker with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, has two more novels in progress. He hopes to write all day, every day, for the rest of his days. Books and the Internet helped him more than anything else to improve his craft.
He advised new writers to never give up.
Authorlink Writers
Now Able to Track
Their Own Page Hits
12/1/98 Authorlink writers are now able to track the number of hits to their individual pages each month. We’re now adding individual counters to every page, so writers can determine the level of interest in their listed manuscripts. The counter, which resets at the first of each month, does not show who visited the page, but it gives the writer an idea of how interested editors, agents and general readers are in his or her topic and title.
The counter is now being added to every new writer’s page. Writers with existing listings can request an ID and password for the service by emailing: dbooth@authorlink.com
JLA Agency Signs
Four Authorlink Writers
In 60 Days, Praises Site
11/15/98Jay Lace, owner of JLA Literary, reports that he has signed contracts to represent four Authorlink writers during the past 60 days.
They include: Michael Sedge, Author of the novel, The Oracle, and a nonfiction work, Fettuccini or the Frustrated Soul; Margaret Brennecke, author of the novel, Seeking Refuge; Miles Twaddell, author of the novel, Victory Day, and Charles Carron, author of the non-fiction work, The Suing Game.
JLA, a new agency actively looking to build a small roster of clients, found all four writers listed on Authorlink
“We are looking for original works with commercial appeal,” said Mr. Lace. “We have discovered that using Authorlink helps us separate the chaff from the wheat, and saves us hundreds of hours that would otherwise be wasted on unsuitable manuscripts.”
The agency adheres to the AAR’s guidelines, although it is not yet a registered member.
Wiley Releases
Authorlink Writer’s
First Book in November
11/1/98Roland Jansen, who found an agent and publisher through Authorlink, has received the first copy of his new book, Profits in Natural Resources, from publisher John Wiley & Sons. The new release shipped to major bookstore chains in early November.
“It all started with Authorlink, ” Jansen said in a message to Authorlink this week. “The Internet works.”
Agent Signs
Three Authorlink
Writers Within Months
AUSTIN, TX/10/98Brian G. Clark, Esq., owner of BGC Literary Management, has signed contracts to represent three Authorlink writers within less than two months.
BGC is an aggressive and highly professional new agency headquartered in Austin, TX.
Clark said he has signed Eric Scherer, author of THE OLYMPUS PROJECT; Ekaterine (Katy) Terlinden, who wrote THE DIVIDED CHILD, and Pete Murphy, author of SALAMANDERS. Ms. Terlinden was Best of Show (suspense/mystery/thriller) winner in the first annual Authorlink New Author Awards competition. (See the second annual Authorlink competition guidelines at http://www.authorlink.com/contest_99.html).
“The advent of literary agents came as publishing houses cut editorial staff, allowing agents to step in as the front line arbiters of taste and commercial viability,” said Clark. “Authorlink has become the new additional front line for the busy agent, a source for trusted pre-screened material to pursue at their convenience.”
Authorlink Finalists
Sign Publishing Contract
With Neighborhood Press
8/29/98Marian Gibbons and Karin Welss, finalists in both the Romance and SF/Fantasy/Horror categories in the 1998 Authorlink New Author Awards Competition, have signed a publishing contract with Neighborhood Press for their historical romance novel, SWEETER THAN WINE. SWEETER THAN WINE is scheduled to be released in May, 1999, under the pseudonym of Michaela August.
In this novel WWI widow Alice Roye must fight to save her Sonoma winery from the threat of Prohibition. She falls in love with her new vintner, a European refugee, not knowing that he served as an enemy soldier during the war.
“We believe that entering our work in contests such as the one sponsored by Authorlink really opened some doors for us, ” said Karin Welss. “SWEETER THAN WINE is definitely a local history novel, highlighting a little-known aspect of Prohibition,” explains Welss when asked about how she and Gibbons chose the subject for their novel . “A lot of hard-working American winemakers and grape-growers lost their livelihoods when beer and wine were outlawed along with hard liquor, and California’s wine industry languished for the next fifty years.”
Gibbons adds, “It was a very emotional time, so soon after World War I and the deadly influenza epidemic. Although the concept of Prohibition was well-intentioned, its effect was devastating even before gangsters and bathtub gin became the popular symbols of its failure. Grape-growers didn’t know, right up to harvest in 1919, whether or not they could legally pick the best crop they’d ever seen. I found the research fascinating.”
How did they make the sale? After finishing the manuscript, Gibbons and Welss spent a year sending out query letters and partials. They also entered several writing contests, including the Authorlink contest. “The romance writing community is incredibly supportive of new writers,” Welss says, and Gibbons agrees: “We got a lot of help and encouragement from the published authors who judged two of the contests.” A major obstacle to overcome in selling SWEETER THAN WINE was its WWI-era setting. “It’s always difficult for new authors to break in,” remarks Gibbons, “and even more difficult when editors are convinced that no one wants to read historicals set in the early 20th century.” Their finalist status helped generate leads for possible publishers, as did their membership on several writing-related Internet listservs.
Welss remembers: “Someone on RWALINK (the Romance Writers of America members-only listserv) mentioned that Neighborhood Press was a fairly new publishing house open to romance submissions, and they spoke very highly of the Senior Editor, Rhea Griffiths. We queried Rhea via email, got a favorable response, and the rest is history.” Marian Gibbons and Karin Welss are working on separate solo projects at the moment, although they have several more co-authored novels in the planning stages, including a sequel to SWEETER THAN WINE.
Gibbons is currently writing a sequel to In a Mirror, Darkly, set amid the turmoil of Berkeley in the 60’s. Welss has another historical romance in progress, a tale of love and blackmail set in Restoration England.
About Neighborhood Press: Rhea Griffiths founded Neighborhood Press in 1995 with nothing but a desktop computer, an America Online account and the belief that “if she built it, they would come…” Now a rapidly growing small press, Neighborhood Press plans to publish twelve novels in 1999 as well as six issues of The Lovers Knot, a new magazine aimed at readers and writers of romance. Additional information about Marian Gibbons and Karin Welss, writing together as Michaela August, is available at the HREF=”http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/3524/”Michaela August Web Page.
Another Writer Wins
Publishing Contract
Via Authorlink
EquiLibrium Press Signs Mitchell
NEW YORK, NY & CULVER CITY, CA/ 8/98Joyce Slayton Mitchell, author of more than 32 nonfiction books published by major houses such as Bantam, Dell, Simon & Schuster, and others, has sold another nonfiction work as a direct result of Authorlink
Ms. Mitchell’s newest manuscript, Pregnant in New Zealand: Mother and Daughter Letters from Afar, will be published in May, 1999 by EquiLibrium Press, Inc. of Culver City, California.
EquiLibrium Press Publisher Susan Goland requested the manuscript several months ago after seeing Mitchell’s listing on Authorlink This will be EquiLibrium’s first title as a new publisher, specializing in all aspects of health and wellness for women.
Pregnant in New Zealand is the story of a courageous and adventuresome young woman who finds an exotic life in the Pacific. This collection of New Zealand-to-Vermont letters is written in the first hours of pregnancy, leads to a dramatic 45-hour labor, and reveals the tensions of midwifery, and differences in generations, race and hemisphere.
Ms. Mitchell, who lives in New York, has successfully listed several works with Authorlink since late 1997. The newest book had been listed on the site for about 45 days or less, when Publisher Goland spotted it. The entire process, from listing to sale, took place within about three months.
Authorlink Winner
Signs Six-Figure
Deal at Harper Collins
7/98June London, mainstream winner of the 1998 Authorlink New Author Awards Competition, has signed a six-figure contract with Harper Collins for her novel, Bingo Queens and a second work-in-progress, tentatively titled Stray Bullets.
The first title will be released in April, 1999, and the second manuscript will be completed in August, 1999. Both will be released under Harper Collins Cliff Street imprint.
Ms. London, whose real name is June Park, lives with her husband in a small Oklahoma town, similar to the setting for Bingo Queens, her first novel.
She met her agent, Robert Tabian of Robert Tabian Literary Agency , four years ago at an Oklahoma writers’ conference. He showed considerable interest in her story at the time, though only a few chapters had been completed.
June sent an earlier novel out to 20 agents, all of whom rejected her. In 1988, early in her career, she took lessons from well-known writing coach, Jack Bickam at the University of Oklahoma in 1988. He was my mentor, one on one, June said. She began winning various contests and published a few shorts stories. She also began teaching creative writing at local colleges. The more I taught, the more I learned, June told Authorlink.
When she finished Bingo Queens in February last year, she suddenly remembered the meeting with Tabian. A few weeks earlier, she had entered the Authorlink contest. On April 13, 1998 Authorlink notified her that she had won first place in the mainstream nonfiction category. About two weeks later, Tabian notified her that Harper Collins wanted to buy the work.
While we werent responsible for making the direct connection with HarperCollins, said Authorlink Editor Doris Booth. we sure know how to spot the winners.
Tabian is a former editor at Putnam and was with International Creative Management before opening his own agency. Among Tabins clients is 1993 Pulitzer Prize Winner Robert Olan Butler.
How does it feel to have her first two novels sold? I dont know, says June. I suppose reality has yet to sink in.
Asked when she first became interested in writing, Ms. Park, a native of London, England, said that as a child during World War II, she read books while sequestered in bomb shelters to calm her fears and remove her from reality.
For the past ten years she has devoted herself exclusively to her writing career.
Authorlink Author
Tim McGuire Tops
Ingrams Hot List
DALLAS/FT. WORTH, TX/ 6/30/98Tim McGuires newly-released Western, Danger Ridge (DORCHESTER/LEISURE BOOKS) has been listed by Ingram Book Company among the top ten most requested western fiction titles in the mass market/paperback category for several consecutive weeks in June. The excellent showing was posted even before the title was scheduled to reach bookstores by the end of that month.
Tim McGuire is among writers whose ready-to-publish and newly-released works are listed on Authorlink Danger Ridge is his first novel. Another western, titled, Nobility, , is due for release by LEISURE next year. Ingram is the worlds largest trade book distributor.
Authorlink Writer
Pax Riddle Sells
Book to Berkley
6/20/98Authorlink writer, Pax Riddle, has sold his first novel Lost River to Berkley Publishing Group for the mid four figures. Pax joined the Authorlink site in early 1997. Some months later he signed with a top New York agent, whom he found through the Authorlink private agency directory. Berkley Editor Kim Waltemeyer bought the manuscript in June, 1998.
Lost River is the story of a young Modoc woman married to a white man, who struggles to balance her Indian heritage and her family in the face of looming war between her people and the US Army. The book will be released in Summer, 1999.
Pax Riddle writes full time, and lives with his wife and teenage daughter in Connecticut. He is working on a second novel, The Education of Ruby Loonfoot, and recently sold a nonfiction article to Wild West magazine.
Pax advises new writers to join a good work-oriented critique group, and consider their comments closely, while maintaining your style and integrity. If you wish to sell your work, versus merely write it for artistic, self satisfaction, find out about the marketplace. See where you can find a niche, he says.
New Author Finds
Agent on Internet,
Sells Six-figure Deal
7/98First-time novelist William Kowalski of Erie PA. has sold his manuscript, Eddies Bastard, to Harper Collins. After receiving offers from several houses, agent Anne Hawkins of John Hawkins & Associates Inc., New York accepted a two book deal totalling in the mid six figures. Marjorie Braman, Senior Vice President for Harper Collins Adult Trade Books made the successful offer. Irv Schwartz of The Renaissance Agency, Los Angeles, CA, will handle film and television rights.
Kowalski first contacted Hawkins with an unsolicited E-mail query. He found her E-mail address via a search of AOL user profiles for literary agents.
In the fictional autobiography, William Kowalski explores the importance of family and the place of the individual in the continuum of history and time.
Living alone in a decaying mansion, Grandpa Mann is the last surviving member of a once-great family. Or so he believes until the day he stumbles drunkenly out the back door and discovers a baby in a picnic basket. A note taped to the handle identifies the occupant as EDDIES BASTARD, the child of his only
son recently killed in Viet Nam. What follows is the bittersweet story of the old man raising his grandson as the last, proud scion of the Mann family and steeping him in all of its rich and bizarre heritage.
Kowalski braids the story of the boys journey to young manhood together with family anecdotes and homespun philosophical excerpts from great-great grandfather Manns Civil War diary. The result is a story mixing warm humor with nostalgia and the inevitable sadness common to most American family histories.
Michigan Writer
Sells First Book
Via Authorlink
7/98David Whale has found an agent and sold his book, HOW SCHOOLS REALLY WORK: AN ACTION GUIDE FOR PARENTS, through Authorlink Before having his work accepted for a listing on Authorlink he had written an agent himself, only to be turned down.
“It seemed like to me there should be a better way to reach potential editors and agents. Authorlink turned out to be the answer,” David said.
He found Authorlink through a search engine while surfing the web. “I liked the way it was laid out and the content,” he said. ” I figured it was worth a try, and the results and support were outstanding all the way.”
Whale said his agent has been great to work with. “We do all of our communicating via email. She is based in Idaho and I am in Michigan. We’ve never met face to face but I feel I know her and we have a very good relationship.”
David waited a number of months before his agent connected with him through Authrolink! But persistence paid off. About nine months after his listing on Authorlink Agent Elisabet McHugh had made a sale for David. That’s less than half the time it usually takes to sell a manuscript.
The hardcover book will be released in September, 1998 by Avisson. While David has published some scholarly papers and continues to do research and writing on the same topic as his book, this is his first full-length published work.
Sam Sackett’s
‘Career Karate’
Finds Publisher
6/98Sam Sackett expected it would take a long time to find an agent, even with the help of Authorlink His listing first appeared on the site in April, 97, and about six or even months later he signed with agent, Elisabet McHugh, after receiving requests from three different representatives, and subsequently a publishing house.
“Placing the book with a publisher took longer than I thought, “said Sackett. “I think any author feels his work is so good that it will sell immediately, and I am no exception. Reality was, as it usually is, disillusioning.” That process took about four more months.
“Was I skeptical of Authorlink at first? Sure. Anybody who has lived long in this economy has run across enough scams to make him skeptical of anything that sounds like a good deal. It’s a by-product of the free enterprise system that crooks are free to function until they’re caught.
“I found Authorlink very professional and timely. I was particularly impressed with their efforts to make sure that the agents they list operate ethically, ” Sam said. ” I even passed along a couple of names of agents who approached me about whom I was leery, and Authorlink acted appropriately.”
How did Sam Sackett begin his writing career?
“Miss Grassle, my kindergarten teacher, assigned all of us to write a book in imitation of the little reader which was our text. I became hooked on writing and have been writing ever since.”
Right now Sam has obligations that prevent him from the kind of sustained writing effort that he would like to make, so he’s working along at translations of a couple of Flemish novels because he can do them a page at a time in between other chores. When he can free up his time more fully, he plans to finish a book on how to get a job, TWELVE STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT CAREER, which his present agent is also interested in representing.
Another agent whom he found through the Authorlink listings, has three of Sam’s novels: ADOLF HITLER IN OZ, AN AMERICAN PRODIGAL, and SWEET BETSY FROM PIKE.
Sam’s book, CAREER KARATE: WINNING STRATEGIES FOR MANAGERS, will be released by The Graduate Group sometime this spring.
“I think Authorlink is a great opportunity for writers. Before I discovered Authorlink, I had used the lists of agents in the Literary Market Place, only to be told by them at least by those of them that answered at all that they were not accepting work from new writers. The agents listed by Authorlink are all agents actively seeking new talent. For that reason Authorlink saves writers an enormous amount of time and effort in bringing them together with people who actually are interested in considering their work. So I am really very thankful to Authorlink and will be happy to sing its praises wherever and whenever I have the occasion.”
Eric Winkler Sells
First Work
Within Five Months
6/98Eric Winkler signed with a literary agent and sold his first manuscript, Partnership Marketing, to Greenwood Publishing, all within only five months. How did he do that? Through Authorlink
“At first, I made the mistake that first-time authors make of trying to pitch my manuscript directly to publishing houses. While searching the Internet for publishers, I ran across Authorlink” Eric explained. “Rather than try and learn the book publishing industry overnight, I thought I’d “borrow some experience” from Authorlink and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results.”
Authorlink asked Eric if he were skeptical of the service at first, and why?
“I have to admit I was skeptical at first. There are so many mine fields on the Internet that I worry about paying for any service offered on the ‘net. I was impressed by the list of authors on the site and by the current publishing industry news. It seemed like a gamble worth taking and I’m very pleased with the connections Authorlink made for me.”
Eric had searched for several months and had a number of dead-end conversations with publishers. He made the mistake of thinking he didn’t need an agent. “Looking back, it was a little like thinking I could do my own dental work with a few lessons,” he commented.
Eric said he was surprised how fast Authorlink produced results for him. It took less than a month for him to sign with agent, Elisabet McHugh through Authorlink He agreed to partner with her in October. By December, 97 he had received his first serious offer from a publisher. Then, in February, 98, only five months after Authorlink connected him with an agent, he sold his first book.
Asked if he had any advice for other first-time authors, Eric advised: “Don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know. Do you need Authorlink? Yes. You can’t possibly expect to learn the publishing industry overnight, so let Authorlink lend you their contacts and their expertise.
“I don’t know about other writers, but I asked myself over and over whether or not I needed an agent. I did. My agent helped me focus my work and helped crystallize the vision for my project. Unless you are fortunate enough to be a publisher writing about the publishing industry, you need an agent to help you navigate this complicated business.”
Eric Winkler said he had “nothing but praise” for Authorlink “This service sets realistic expectations and then exceeds them. I consider myself fortunate to have found Authorlink and even more fortunate that my agent found me through Authorlink This is a service I’d recommend to any first time author.”
Roland Jansen
Finds Publisher
In Six Months
5/98Roland Jansen has just sold his first book to John Wiley & Sons as a direct result of having secured agent Elisabet McHugh through Authorlink
Unnatural Profits from Natural Resources: How to Make Big Profits, Globally, From Oil, Gas, Grains and Metals will be released by John Wiley & Sons in August, 1998.
Dutch-born Jansen, director of fund management for the oldest bank in Liechtenstein, wrote the book in German in September 1996 and originally titled it, The Coming Squeeze in Natural Resources. A friend who review it told him his German was “hopeless” and suggested he write it in English. He did. In January, 1997 he began surfing the Internet to find information on publishers and came across Authorlink
“I thought Authorlink was a great idea for an aspiring writer living in a remote area and with no contacts in the publishing world. My book was accepted for listing on the service and after only two months, in March, 1997, Authorlink Editor Doris Booth informed me that literary agent Elisabet McHugh was interested in reading the full manuscript. After receiving valuable background information from Doris about the agent, I signed with Ms. McHugh on April 3.”
In the following six months, Ms. McHugh encouraged Jansen to refocus the book and he completed the new version in August, 1997. Only a month later John Wiley & Sons made the offer to publish the book.
His advice to new writers: “Listen to the feedback you get from publishers who don’t want to buy. Your work must be unique and you must be able to tell a publisher why it is so special. Finally, don’t let anyone take away your dream of being published.”
