"Self Published Authors" Bi-Monthly Newsletter
Helping self-published authors promote and market their books
and share information and resources.
April 1, 2004 Volume 3: Issue 3
Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com
By Subscription Only! You are receiving this newsletter
because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions
are at the end of this newsletter.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Editor's Notebook
2. Newsletter Submission Guidelines
3. Feature Article by Judy Cullins
4. Resource Links
5. Publicity Article by Roberta Gale
6. Free Products, Services, Downloads
7. Guest Article by M. LaVora Perry
8. Classes & Workshops
9. Commentary by Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
10. Announcements/Requests
11. Review by Dan Shaurette
12. Classified Ads
13. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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1: EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK
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Welcome to the April 2004 newsletter for
SelfPublishedAuthors.com. For those of you who are new to the
subscription, I hope you will enjoy this issue. Thank you for
visiting the website and subscribing to the list.
Before I continue, I want to apologize to Roberta Gale, whose
article "What To Do When Your Interview Crashes" was published
in February's issue. I make it a point to include at least a
signature box for authors who provide articles for us to use.
Whenever an author requests a short bio to be included, I
normally use it as well. However, I accidentally used Roberta's
email signature and not her bio in the last issue. This was an
oversight that I wish to correct now by telling you about our
favorite interview coach.
Roberta Gale has spent 22 years as a radio talk host in major
markets across the country. Her programs have aired nationally
on Westwood One Radio Networks and ABC Talk Radio Network, and
she was named one of the "100 Most Important Talk Show Hosts in
America" by Talkers magazine. She is president of Roberta Gale
Media Coaching, which provides interview and promotional
training to authors, experts, spokespeople and businesses and
can be reached via her website, www.robertagale.com.
I also wish to point out, that the biography on her website
lists The Self-Published Authors newsletter among those
publications her work has been featured in, among the likes
of The New York Times and The Arizona Republic.
An honor indeed, Roberta.
If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or if you'd like
to contribute, be interviewed, add an event or have a request,
please reply to this email, or drop a line to me at:
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
Thanks for reading and enjoy the issue!
Dan Shaurette
editor@selfpublishedauthors.com
http://www.ShauretteNet.com
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2: NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
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The newsletter for SelfPublishedAuthors.com is here to provide a
resource for all authors. Obviously, we want to help you
succeed in your writing, self-publishing efforts, and self-
promotion. I have received a few requests from fellow authors
asking what they can do to promote their books in the
newsletter.
I am always happy to help promote an author and their works in
the newsletter. That's what we're here for. That being said,
the best I can do is one of the following.
If you are interested in writing an article about your
experiences as a self-published author, I would be more than
happy to consider it for publication. If I publish the article,
I will give you space for a signature box that you could use to
promote yourself and your book.
If you would like to send me an ARC copy of your book, eBook
format preferred, I would be happy to review it and interview
you. The interview would most likely be what gets published in
the newsletter, but reviews of recommended books may also be
published. Please note, I have already been presented with some
works to read, so please query me first before sending your
books. I'd rather return a book than form a slush pile.
If you have a book signing coming up, we do try to list those
when they are timely. Remember our newsletter is published in
December, February, April, June, August, and October. If you
host a class or workshop, or have a website that promotes a
writer's resource, please let us know about it. All links about
such events are provided free of charge. Your name, location,
dates, and contact info. will be presented.
If instead you are just interested in placing an advertisement
in the newsletter for your book or website, you can read about
the rates on the website at
http://www.selfpublishedauthors.com/advertise.html -- they are
very fair (only $6 per newsletter issue for a five line ad.)
Advertising requests sent to me, however, will be forwarded on
to Christina Wheeler (contact@selfpublishedauthors.com), the
website and newsletter owner.
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3: FEATURE ARTICLE by Judy Cullins
Write, Finish, and Publish your eBook Fast to Pull Online Sales
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Why write an eBook?
You want ongoing, lifelong multiple streams of income. You want
to raise your credibility and trust ratings with clients or
customers. You want to get your message out so the world can be
a better place.
Yet, you want to spend only a little time on it. (Would you be
willing to spend 4 hours a week?) You want to get it out fast.
(Would 4-6 weeks be OK?) You want to market Online at a low-cost
investment. And, for some of you, you are ready to be innovative
and even take a small risk to get your eBook read by millions,
rather than hundreds!
Where are you now?
You have the idea for your eBook; you have a lot of ideas! Take
a moment and decide which one you are most passionate about now
and will be for the next year or so. Focus on one great idea,
then add others you know your Online audience will buy. Wherever
you are, you want to know what is the next step.
You have your eBook well on its way, but aren't finished. You
need advice on how to get it done, what's needed to publish
(not much!), and how to distribute it to pull Online sales.
Who Should Write an eBook?
- If you are ready to invest a little to reap a great deal.
- If you are a business person who want to serve a wider
community.
- If you are willing to move much faster than traditional
publishing
- If you want to create active, ongoing sources of income.
One method to help make your eBook successful is to know and
apply the essential "Seven Hot-Selling Points."
Seven Things to do Before Writing Your eBook
Every part of your book can be a sales tool. When you include
the below tips, you'll sell more books than you ever dreamed of.
1. Write for your one preferred audience. Not everyone wants
your book. Find out what audience wants/needs your book? What
problems does your book solve for them? Create an audience
profile and keep your audience's picture in front of you as
you write. Ask yourself, is my topic narrow enough? The
Chicken Soup For The Teenager, For The Prisoner, and other
specific groups sold far more copies than the original
Chicken Soup.
2. Write a sizzling book title including benefits. You have
eight to ten seconds to hook your potential buyer. While an
eBook cover doesn't need fancy graphics you will want to
create one that can be printed both in color and black and
white. It must be easy to see and read. Include a benefit or
two in your title and cover to compel your audience to buy.
3. Write a thirty-second "tell and sell." You only have a few
seconds to impress your potential buyer. Include your title,
a few benefits, and the audience. Use sound bites to grab
attention. "Write, Finish, and Publish your eBook Fast to
Pull Online Sales" shows professionals how to shortcut each
step of writing, publishing, and promoting a salable short
eBook.
Include a sound bite that grabs attention such as "It will do
more for you than instant cappuccino." You may also want to
compare your book to a successful one such as "This book is
the fast lane writing companion to Dan Poynter's Books."
4. Write your sales letter before you write your book. This
important sales tool gives the benefits your potential buyers
want. Include compelling headlines, other ad copy, benefits,
testimonials, and a small blurb about you, the author. If
your potential buyers like it, they will buy on the spot.
5. Write your eBook's introduction. Start it with a hook, just
like your chapter beginnings. Involve your audience right
away with a question or comment that includes where they are
now. Include the problem your audience has, why you wrote
the book, and its purpose. In a few paragraphs include more
specific benefits, and how you will present it (format).
Keep it under a page. Your introduction will help you write
your Web and email sales letter.
6. Create a table of contents. Each chapter should have a name,
preferably a catchy one. If your reader can't understand the
chapter title, then annotate it. Add some benefits or a sub
title. In my first chapter called "Why Write an eBook?" I
added this partial list of benefits: Ongoing lifelong
multiple streams of income, credibility as the expert,
products sell easily online, buyers are more targeted and
hence you create more profit.
7. Reach out to opinion molders. After an initial contact of
asking for feedback, resend them the same chapter and the
table of contents of your book. Ask for a testimonial then.
These influential contacts' testimonials will help promote
your eBook Online. You'll want to include five or more in
your Web sales letter.
Designing every part of your eBook to be a sales tool and a
beacon that brings out your best: writing a compelling,
understandable, and enjoyable book that millions of Online
buyers will want.
___
Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach
Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams
eBk: "Drastically Increase your Web Traffic and Sales"
http://www.bookcoaching.com
To receive FREE "The Book Coach Says..."
or Business Tip of the Month go to
http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml
Judy@bookcoaching.com
Orders: 866/200-9743
Ph:619/466-0622
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4: RESOURCE LINKS
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BOOK PROMOTION NEWSLETTER: A bi-weekly eZine for authors
of all genres, takes the mystery out of marketing with
first-hand accounts by subscribers of their book promotion
experiences - both good and bad.
http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com
GERMINATION: An online community for all writers.
Originally Germination was a small quarterly print media journal
in the 70's dedicated to work by a wide range of Canadian poets.
In 2001 they brought Germination back to life on the internet
under the umbrella provided by MyTown.ca and without
geographic or national restriction.
http://www.mytown.ca/ev.php?URL_ID=2959
Have you used these services? Tell us about them, or recommend
another! Send an email to editor@selfpublishedauthors.com and
let us know.
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5: PUBLICITY ARTICLE by Roberta Gale
How to Kick Nervousness in the Shin During Interviews
or How to Turn the Prince and Princess of Panic
into Perfect Professionals
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Everyone gets nervous doing something. The mere thought of
getting on a roller coaster, even a kid's one, makes my whole
body feel like it's preparing for certain death. Other people
can't fathom getting within a quarter mile of a cow without
running away screaming. Some people are unable to walk into a
mall without experiencing claustrophobia.
And then there are those who have an instant panic attack when I
mention guesting on a radio or TV program. These folks would
rather bungee jump into the Grand Canyon without a safety
harness than get behind a microphone. The people I'm talking
about may not necessarily be shy or withdrawn. Even those with
the gift of gab at parties can clam up and break into a cold
sweat when they imagine being on the air.
If you recognize yourself in that last scenario, you do have an
obstacle to deal with, but it is not insurmountable.
The first step in your road to recovery is to learn how to use
your diaphragm. No, not the birth control device, (that's out of
my area of expertise), but the muscle located at the top of the
rib cage and beneath your breastbone.
Start by standing or sitting up straight. Place your hand on top
the diaphragm and breathe in deeply while pushing the diaphragm
out fully. Then breathe out slowly while feeling the diaphragm
push in. Practice this whenever you can; while watching TV,
waiting in line at the bank, or at the fast food drive-through.
With practice, your diaphragm will develop and become as hard
as any other muscle you exercise.
A well-developed diaphragm will not only make your voice
stronger and more energetic, it will keep you calm and centered
during an interview as well. When we're nervous, we tend to
hyperventilate and breathe in a shallow manner from the top of
the chest. This causes us to feel as if we're not getting enough
air, making our heart beat faster. Then begins a frightening
chain of events that may cumulate into an anxiety attack. And
the worst place for this is happen is on the air in the middle
of an interview!
Whenever you feel anxiety coming on during an interview, take
some slow, deep diaphragmic breaths. The feeling that as much
air as you need is there for you will help calm you down. And
the breaths themselves have a meditative and focusing effect.
Trust me on this one. Just because I've worked on-air for 22
years doesn't mean I'm immune to nervousness!
Being nervous is also a function of not knowing what to say or
not knowing where to go next. If you keep a short, clear outline
of your main points in front of you (or in your mind in the case
of TV) you'll have much more of a safety net to rely on. It also
helps to prepare more material than you think you'll need, but
beware of over-preparation. Do not write down and memorize
everything word for word or you'll become even more worried
trying to remember it all!
Many people freeze, stutter or panic when they're asked a
question they don't know the answer to. If you don't know the
answer, the best course of action to take is to admit it! Tell
the host you can try to find out the answer later. Lying or
attempting to make up an answer only serves to make you and the
host uncomfortable.
And don't feel you have to answer every question within a split
second. If you need some time to gather your thoughts, or
recover from a "senior moment" it's okay and very natural-
sounding to take a beat. You can also prepare a few crutch lines
in advance to use during these times such as, "I really have to
think about that one," "I never thought about that before," or
"what a great question. I really need to think this through."
Practice will also help alleviate nervousness. Obviously it's
best to work on mock interviews with a media coach who will
offer subjective, professional feedback. However, you can also
give a list of questions to a friend, co-worker or family member
and have them 'interview' you a number of times. Be sure to tape
the interview each time so you can listen back to it.
Nervousness also comes from the mistaken belief that on the air,
you must play the role of the polished, slick, know-it-all
"guest" participating in an "interview." In reality, nothing can
be more counterproductive or further from the truth. Be yourself
and participate in a two-way, natural conversation between
yourself and the host. Throwing out all of your preconceived
notions about playing a role that doesn't resonate with who you
really are can really help calm you down.
___
Roberta Gale has spent 22 years on the radio in major cities
across the country. Her programs have aired nationally on
Westwood One radio Networks and ABC Talk Radio Network. She is
president of Roberta Gale Media Coaching, which provides media
training to authors, experts, spokespeople and businesses.
For more information, go to, http://www.robertagale.com
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6: FREE Products, Services, Downloads
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DESKTOP AUTHOR: Free Demo and Reader - Win98SE/NT/2000/XP
Desktop publishing software for page-turning digital web books.
THE SCORE: Drag-and-drop design, no HTML/programming needed.
Create secure self-running or DNL format or both, royalty-free.
The free trial version does not expire and is fully-functional,
but does have a 2-page spread limit for trial book creation.
THE CATCH: No Mac support, for creation or reading, without PC
emulation software. Even the free web plug-in is Windows only.
Moreover, the registration is steep: $195.00 Australian or
roughly $145 US, or $191 Canadian.
THE COIN TOSS: Download the free reader and check out the great
samples and see for yourself if it is worth the limited
audience and high price tag: http://digitalwebbooks.com/reader
http://www.desktop-author-software.com
Have you used this software? Tell us about it, or recommend
another! Send an email to editor@selfpublishedauthors.com and
let us know.
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7: GUEST ARTICLE by M. LaVora Perry
De-bunking Subsidy Publishing Horror Myths
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Subsidy publishing companies are those that require an author to
pay to produce her or his book. These companies are also known
as co-publishers, or pejoratively, "the vanity press." Some of
these companies make unreasonable promises about how their
services lead to books becoming instant, phenomenal best-
sellers, or engage in other unscrupulous business practices.
However, legitimate subsidy publishers do exist. In this
article, I'll explain the 6 factors that led me to choose the
subsidy publishing company with which I partnered to publish my
children's book, TANEESHA'S TREASURES OF THE HEART.
First, let me say that whether one self-publishes solo or uses a
subsidy publisher, the expense of paying to publish can be high.
Publishing print-on-demand (POD) is a form of subsidy publishing
that can greatly reduce this expense. However, this article will
cover conventional subsidy publishing in which a certain number
of books are printed in anticipation of orders being placed.
If you can afford it, and you do your homework and footwork,
partnering with a subsidy publisher can have its advantages.
In my case, the factors that influenced me to select the
company I chose were:
1. I pay a one-time, flat fee that includes free reprints for
the duration of my two-year contract, and I will not pay for
reprints if I renew my contract. My intention all along was
to produce a top-selling book. I invest the book promotion
hours and effort it takes to make this happen. As a result,
my book was published in June of 2003 and I'm presently into
my 3rd free printing; books are being sold both nationwide
and internationally.
2. My fee includes worldwide distribution through Baker & Taylor
-- which means something to those vendors to whom it means
something.
3. I don't have to pay for or personally handle warehousing and
shipping or pay additionally for these essentials -- no
matter how many times my book is reprinted.
4. I own the copyright to my work -- not the subsidy publisher.
5. The company's finished products have a professional
appearance in terms of paper and bookcover stock and print
quality.
6. I didn't want to wait until a traditional publisher picked up
TANEESHA'S TREASURES OF THE HEART; the story was
unconventional enough that I believed I had to make
substantial sales before traditional publishers realized
there was a market for this type of book.
Now that TANEESHA'S TREASURES OF THE HEART is in print, my co-
publisher has provided me with a significant additional reason
to be glad about my decision to use their services: As I
continue to learn more about the publishing business and
approach them to revisit certain terms of my contract, they have
been flexible about doing so.
I would never tell anyone that they should stay away from every
subsidy publisher, no more than I would dissuade someone from
totally self-publishing, publishing POD or seeking a traditional
publisher. Rather, because I realize that so much of what I've
learned and achieved in relation to my book is the result of
people sharing their expertise with me, my approach to dis-
seminating information is to provide balanced assessments of
what the reality of publishing is so that writers can make well-
informed decisions about how they want to proceed with their
work.
___
In 1995 M. LaVora Perry became the first African-American staff
greeting card writer in the world's largest publicly owned
greeting card company--American Greetings (AG). Since then her
words have appeared on gift items worldwide. She edited the
limited-edition 2004 AG Day-at-a-Time African American Almanac
desktop calendar. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed
children's book, TANEESHA'S TREASURES OF THE HEART, and the free
on-line children's e-book, WU-LUNG & I-LUNG. A link to sign up
for her free newsletter is located on her Web site:
http://www.fortunechildbooks.com
Email her at: lavora@fortunechildbooks.com
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8: CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
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FANSTORY.COM: Peer-review Writing Community/Workshop
Hands down, this is the most developed peer-supported writing
community I have found online. I list it here instead of under
"Resources" because they offer Workshops in addition to Peer
Reviews, though the whole site could itself be considered a
writing workshop if what you seek is interactive support.
Membership is free for reading and reviewing, but to post your
own work there is a $5.95/month or $47.50/year subscription.
http://www.fanstory.com
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9: COMMENTARY by Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye
Poor poetry, rich deceit: Is 419 America's middle name?
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In Nigeria, it is called O.B.T. (Obtaining By Tricks). But in
America, it is known as Better Business. In Nigeria, they are
not registered; they operate under the shadow of darkness. But
in America, they are duly registered and given a clean bill of
health by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). In Nigeria, they are
abhorred and isolated by decent society, but in America, they
have on their pay roll America's accomplished poets and
professors who use their hard-earned reputation to polish their
image. Also, a bevy of lawyers work for and with them. And their
business is "legal." But each time they stretch forth their
hands and reach out for the jugular of unsuspecting victims,
they leave in their wake excruciating pain, sorrow, loud cries,
and bitter anguish.
In the State of Maryland, United States, there is a body called
the International Library Of Poetry (ILP), or POETRY.COM or the
International Society Of Poets (ISP). All they are after is your
money, which they get by flattery and lies. And if you are
enticed by their carefully worded letters, then you will tell
the story of your penury with hot streaming tears! But according
to Grace Cavalieri of the poetry faculty of St. Mary's College,
Southern Maryland, and one of America's best poets who
unabashedly associates with them, ILP is "run by good people"
and "honorable people."
But let's hear Theresa Coleman, one of the victims of
ISP/ILP/POETRY.COM. She told Charlie Hughes, a US poet of repute
and owner of Wind Publications who has been monitoring the
activities of ISP/ILP/Poetry.com, (quoted with Charlie Hughes's
permission):
"I am a disabled Veteran and live on a very small pension and
Social Security Disability pay. I had to borrow the nearly
$1,500 to attend this conference (ISP Conference). It will take
me over a year to pay all the money back. Not to mention, I did
not have clothing suitable for such an event, so there went
another $300.00! ...There were hundreds of us... I cried like a
baby after realizing that I was just ripped off, knowing how
long it will take me to pay back all the money I borrowed...
Organizations like this SHOULD NOT be permitted to continue
preying on innocent people and robbing them of money most of us
didn't have and had to borrow ...I cannot express the deep,
emotional anguish this has caused me...I almost feel like suing
the BBB (Better Business Bureau, whose approval rating of
ILP/ISP/POETRY.COM helps people get caught in their trap)...
Now I am so angry with them that I cannot express how badly I
would like to choke every one of those rip-off artists!
...I am totally appalled that they have remained in business for
so long" (For a full account of Coleman's testimony, visit:
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/bigmoney.htm).
Like Coleman, we too are totally appalled that ISP/ILP/
POETRY.COM has remained in Business till now. Unfortunately,
American laws have no succour for the likes of Coleman. And
there are thousands like her, bleeding at all corners, after an
encounter with ISP/ILP/POETRY.COM.
Now why would this disabled woman plunge herself into debt to
attend an ISP conference? Well, she is one of the several
victims of ISP/ILP/POETRY.COM grand lies and deceit, who are
made to believe they had won some big money, and lured to the
conference to pay the registration fee which Professor Fleda
Brown, another poet who associates with ISP, admits is "very
high".
Len Roberts, a leading US poet and professor of English at
Northampton Community College, was hired three years ago as ISP
"Educational Director". With his reputation and ISP's fat
account, he hires America's best poets to speak at ISP
conferences. Some eminent literary figures like Professor
Stephen Dunn (Pulitzer Prize winner), Grace Cavalieri, Dr.
Herbert Woodward Martin, Professor Fleda Brown (Delaware Poet
Laureate), W.D. Snodgrass (1960 Pulitzer Prize winner) Lucille
Clifton, Robert Winsky, etc. also associate with ISP and their
names are used to purchase respectability for ISP's unwholesome
trade. Roberts told this writer that most of the complaints
about ISP occurred more than three years ago, before ISP hired
him. But Theresa Coleman got her bitter deal from ISP in 2000!
Roberts insists: "The only valid complaint I find among all
these criticisms is that the phrasing of ISP's letter is
misleading." Now what does ISP gain by misleading people?
Simple! To make them believe they have won some money in order
to lure them to the conference for which they would pay ISP as
much as $702.00 dollars as registration fee. By their admission,
last year alone, not less than 2,500 people got into their trap.
This way they can comfortably give away $74,000.00 to 36 "poets"
and still smile to the banks with their millions. So, contrary
to the claims in a recent feature article in a Nigerian
newspaper, ISP holds an elaborate convention where wonderful
lectures are delivered on poetry by nationally acclaimed poets
and university professors. More importantly, it pays all the
prize money as advertised. But in order to do this, it robs
Joseph to pay Josephine.
The ISP professors maintain that only those who fail to win
prizes complain after the convention. Charlie Hughes disagrees.
"Those people who are disgruntled with ISP convention are not
disgruntled because they lost a contest. They are upset because
facts were misrepresented to them in order to lure them to the
convention," he declared.
Now how can America whose press regularly malign other
countries, and whose government regularly issues negative
reports about select countries, including Nigeria, allow an
outfit like the ISP/ILP/POETRY.COM to go on "legally"
inflicting pain on hapless folks and raking in millions in the
process. Their Educational Director has admitted that the
"phrasing of ISP letter is misleading". So, is there no law in
the United States that is capable of stopping person(s) and
institutions from continuing to deliberately circulate
misleading letters with the sole aim getting at people's money
and plunging them into huge debts? Even if they have snaked
their way through legal loophole to make their activities remain
"legal", can't the US authorities listen to the anguished cries
of all their victims and clamp down on them in public interest,
as has been done in Nigeria here with even organizations like,
Umanah I. Umanah's Resources Ltd in Port Harcourt, whose
activities had not even begun to cause any harm to anyone, but
was seen as potential time bomb?
This writer tried to make inquiries about ISP at the United
States Information Service (USIS), Lagos, but he was told to go
to the ISP website, that they do not have any information about
them. Also, in June 2001, following "dozens of complaints" it
had received, WritersWeekly.com forwarded information to the
Maryland State Attorney General about the activities of
ILP/POETRY.COM. Now, this is July 2003, what has happened?
Is ISP a sacred cow, beyond investigation? Is it because of its
fat taxes?
So what is the sin of ILP/ISP/POETRY.COM? On their website to
which USIS directs inquirers, they call for poems. Any trash you
submit is an instant hit. Then you will automatically become a
poet with "unique vision" and great talent, certified by the
"Acceptance Committee" as semi-finalist and eligible for
publication in an anthology that costs $59.95 plus another $8.
And if you want a 150-word note to appear with your "poem" too,
you will pay another $25.00. Well, whether you pay or not, your
"poem" will still be published. But, of course, many buy several
copies out of joy that they are featured in an anthology. So
regularly, they churn out these anthologies filled with near
rubbish just to get at the money of any one that submits just
anything. Then after this stage, enter Steve Michaels with a
letter informing you of your nomination as Poet of the Year.
The letter starts with some sort of announcement in front of an
imaginary crowd declaring you the Poet of the Year and winner of
the grand prize of $20,000! The purpose is to make you believe
when you now read of your nomination that you have won the
prize. All effort is deployed to make the letter (also sent out
to more than a thousand others) appear personal and exclusive to
you in order to lure you to register for the conference. What is
the necessity for this deception? What is really happening?
Professor Fleda Brown explains: "almost every one who submits
poems is ‘accepted', so they should not understand their
invitation as any particular honor". But how would they know
that letters coming from ISP/ILP that parade the cream of
America's poets on their website is worthless, not indicative of
any honour? Note that, their victims are mostly barely literate
"poets", who are prone to misunderstand letters that has
continued to dribble even college graduates!
Len Roberts, ISP Educational Director, is a most charming
fellow, as Charlie Hughes confessed to this writer. After a
series of interactions in the process of the preparation of this
article, this writer was so affected by Roberts's personality
and manner that he almost gave up writing this article.
Apart from his reputation as a distinguished poet and academic,
this other personal quality may have influenced the decision of
ISP to hire him for the job. He is always handy to charm
aggrieved "poets" into silence with his warm personality,
beautiful diction and style. Well, this story is not about
personal charm and all that, it is an exercise solely in the
service of the unwary.
Now, the next in the web of deceit comes from Nigel Hillary of
Noble House Publishers with another set of lies and flattery.
ILP/POETRY.COM subscribes to a Privacy Policy. So, how then does
Noble House get people's addresses and other details in order to
write them informing them that they had read their poem in the
United States and now wished to publish them in the UK also? Is
Noble House just ILP/ISP/POETRY.COM in another name, since both
are only all after your money? Is it a question of Esau's hand,
Jacob's voice? Both flatter you to high heavens and tell you
unspeakable lies about a poem they have not even read, which may
even contain terrible errors that cannot be excused as poetic
license! At the end of the day, you will still be the one to
"edit" your "poem."
In its commitment to publish just any trash, look at ILP's
output posted on their website and complied by Theresa Coleman:
- In 1997, they published 44 anthologies of "poems";
- 1998, they published 78;
- 1999, they published 52 (that is, one a week!);
- 2000, they had published 46...as of August)...
Source:http://windpub.com/literary.scams/bigmoney.htm
The Editor of the page estimates that with these publications,
the ILP is richer with $9 million dollars each year at just
$50.00 per book. But by this writer's estimate based on ISP
letters and documents available to him, they realize $84.95 plus
additional $8.00. Also, "Greater Maryland Business Bureau
reports that ILP has 500,000 customers each year. If only half
purchase a single book, that's $12.5 million!"
But Charlie Hughes, a publisher of long-standing, told this
writer that based on his experience as a publisher, the
production cost of an ILP book cannot be more than $10.00.
The question is: Can the ILP/ISP/POETRY.COM enjoy a conducive
climate in Nigeria? The answer is obvious and it is No!
Now, in America, truth is: no one can stop ILP/ISP/POETRY.COM.
So, for now, the only way to avoid their trap is: don't send
them a poem; don't believe anything their letter says. Take
time to read their letter, as Professor Roberts says, and
realize that despite all it may say, it is not informing you
that you have already won a prize, rather, you are only being
invited to a conference where you will then compete for a prize.
All the deceptive and flowery language is solely meant to lure
you into registering for the conference. Or, you may follow
Grace Cavalieri's advice: "Come to learn poetry and have fun at
the convention, not to win money."
Well, tomorrow, American officials will still come down here to
sermonize on Nigerians "who obtain money by tricks (OBT or
419)." But can't anyone out there stand up to them and tell
them: "Physician, Heal Thyself First? Our boys are merely
apprentices from their big brother in Baltimore in Maryland?"
Well, the fault is ours: We gave room for those patronizing
insults. Instead of registering our own equivalents of
ISP/ILP/Poetry.com in Nigeria, we blacklisted them!
___
Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye's articles on various literary, political
and social topics, have been published in reputable journals in
Nigeria and abroad. Presently, Ejinkeonye serves as editor-in-
chief of a christian publishing outfit in Lagos, Nigeria, and
on the editorial board of The Daily Independent
(http://www.dailyindependentng.com), a national newspaper in
Lagos, Nigeria, where he writes a weekly opinion column.
Email: ugoe@swissinfo.org
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10: ANNOUNCEMENTS/REQUESTS
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CALL FOR STORIES: SciFiPress is currently collecting original
short stories from aspiring Sci-Fi authors in their new Yahoo!
Community group. Members of this group can submit manuscripts,
receive great feedback from other members and vote on who will
be included in the final published collection. If selected your
work will be published in a new paperback series of sci-fi short
stories called "Cosmic Shorts" sponsored by ClassicCosmos.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SciFiPress
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11: REVIEW by Dan Shaurette
GEHENNA: A Time Of Judgment Chronicle for Vampire:The Masquerade
----------------------------------------------------------------
Genre: Fiction / Role-Playing Games
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: White Wolf Publishing
ISBN: 1-58846-246-3
Price: $29.99 USD
"You come out at night,
that's when the energy comes,
and the dark side's light
and the vampires roam.
You strut your Rasta wear
and your suicide poem,
and a cross from a faith
that died before Jesus came.
You're building a mystery."
-- Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery", from Surfacing
The countdown has begun and there's no stopping it now. It's
the End of the World as we know it... The World of Darkness (R),
that is. Vampires, Werewolves, and Mages, oh my! The Time of
Judgment (TM) is at hand. White Wolf Publishing has decided
that their 13 years of gothic role-play Storytelling have run
their course. All good things must come to an end.
And it has been a good run, in my opinion. I discovered
Vampire:The Masquerade (R) in 1992. I had played other
role-playing games in the past, but never got into dice-based
hack-n-slash type games, like the original D&D and its variants.
TSR's Forgotten Realms (TM) attracted me because there seemed to
be a developed world to get into. My favorite novel of all time
is still AZURE BONDS by Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak and is based
on that world. When TSR released the gothic/vampire-based
Ravenloft (R) RPG system and novels, I became even more pleased.
But I think I fell more in love with the novels, like I, STRAHD
by P.N. Elrod, than actual game play.
One day, a friend I gamed with told me about the Storyteller-
heavy RPG system involving vampires by this new company called
White Wolf. Immediately after reading VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE,
I fell in love with the World of Darkness universe. Here was a
game system that was focused on a Story Teller, not a Game
Master. This was interactive fiction in my estimation, like
Infocom (R) games of old.
In Masquerade, the characters' history was more important than
the stats. The situations and encounters were more interesting
than the dice rolls. Moreover, the dice that were rolled gave
more realism and empowerment to the story. The different
personality types were easily identifiable to the players.
Depending on my moods, I either played a lone-wolf Gangrel or an
impish Malkavian. My characters were flawed heroes with a
tormented, haunted past. After a while, I preferred being a
Storyteller over being a player, because it allowed me a
creative freedom I never experienced before.
Everything comes full circle. Now more than a decade later, I
find myself rediscovering the World of Darkness. After a few
years of not playing, and not writing as much, I wanted to find
out what new material existed. To my shock I discovered that
Gehenna, The Final Night, had finally come to destroy the
Vampires in my precious gothic universe. Moreover, White Wolf
will cease publication (including reprints) of all World of
Darkness game book lines by April 2004! The Garou werewolves
have fought their last battle against the evil of the Wyrm in
their Apocalypse. The Mages will have their Ascension finally.
All of the creatures of the night will finally get their last
bump.
Gehenna was foreshadowed in the original Masquerade books
because they knew even then that every good story has a
beginning (their foundation), a middle (our games), and an end.
It would be anti-climactic to not write a chronicle game-
setting for how to play The Final Night. I bought GEHENNA
without a second thought and took it home to read it.
I swallowed it whole as I took in the meaning of it all.
It opens with a short story to set the stage. Typical for them,
and as expected it was well-written. The artwork throughout the
book also lives up to their standards for dark eye candy. The
next chapter then breaks from the norm, and essentially spells
out everything that you will read in the rest of the book.
It is all very vague, intentionally one would presume, to act as
a spoiler yet not give away any plot.
In the end, they preach their usual speech of, "this is your
story, play it your way" by giving you just enough background
for your creative license as a Storyteller. I did love the
background info bites though because they summed things up well.
The rest of the book contains four meta-plots for how you can
play Gehenna in your games. The first one was my favorite.
It was the simplest to fold into a story, involving all of your
players, and has a satisfying redemption in the end. It has a
very "Book of Revelations" feel to it as it directly uses the
comet Wormwood as the tool of God's wrath, thinning the blood of
the vampires to non-existence. However, a group of vampires,
including presumably your coterie of players, make their way to
a church where they get locked in for 40 days. If they can
survive in there, they can find salvation and become human
again. This may be thick in Judeo-Christian mythology, but it is
justified because the "origin" of these vampires borrows
directly from Genesis.
The remaining three stories are satisfying as well, but have a
more H.P. Lovecraft feel as the ancient Antediluvian vampires
return to destroy their progeny, but most of them hardly
resemble vampires anymore. The Tzimisce Antediluvian, for
example, is a giant hunk of flesh that emerges from underneath
Manhattan to devour everything in sight. Paging Dr. Cthulu!
In my mind, the satisfaction of the last three comes from
finding Lilith playing the role of vengeful wrath-giver. But
the satisfaction ends there, because as a player in a game that
would use these tales for Gehenna, there is really very little
to do. Your players end up following the main non-player
characters around, requiring little interaction for choices.
They may make great fodder for White Wolf's novels, but not a
satisfying game. It might make a good movie, though.
The best advice then, it seems to me as a Storyteller, is to
take all of the best elements of all meta-plots, throw in some
of my own old stories, simmer in a pot, and serve up a new
story. That is the best use of these chronicles, and White Wolf
even encourages it.
Would I recommend buying the book? As a source book for playing
the end of the world, it does a great job, does answer some
questions and ties a few loose ends. But not enough loose ends.
The stuff it misses makes everything that came before it seem
like a red herring, and that is disappointing. O.K., so they
can't resolve everything... that's what novels and video games
are for, right?
This book should have tried to though. Instead of the last
three stories being different flavors of the same story, they
could have consolidated and made a true "sliding-scale" of doom,
then made a final chapter of resolutions. Here they could have
answered all the questions they raised for 13 years, and even
said honestly things like, "Yes, Sam Haight was a red herring.
He really is dead. Move along, nothing to see here."
This gripe is the reason I did not give the book a perfect
score. For the rest of the stories, the quality of the writing,
the value of knowing at least a few ways Gehenna will come, and
having a sense of closure, I give it a rating of 4 out of 5.
Now that I have said all that, I have this nagging feeling like
this is all a Malkavian prank. Would White Wolf really stop
printing their award-winning, best-selling, generation-defining,
money-making venture, the day before April Fools' Day?
Yes... and no.
Hah! See, I knew it! If I can be allowed to be cynical, let me
just say this is the best marketing plan I've ever seen! Build
up a following, produce a great gaming universe, publish tie-in
novels, license video games, and develop (short-lived) TV shows.
Then build up to an apocalypse and follow through by ending
publication of everything. Even their online store closes up
shop on March 30th.
It's an eBay-lover's dream. An instant market for rare, out-of-
print books. Plus, loyal fans will run out and buy all the
books left on shelves because they know they won't be able to
get them ever again, except through eBay and used book stores.
Finally the crowds will demand, "Oh please gothic gods of the
game, give us more!" Well looky-here, they've re-vamped the
World of Darkness. Yup, in August 2004, the all-new blacker-
than-black World of Darkness will emerge. New rules, new
creatures, new game. Sure it will probably be similar, for the
"old-school" groupies, and still give a new generation of gamers
a fresh game to play. If possible, it might even be better.
Now everyone will go buy the new game system to see what WoD 2.0
will be like. Marketing pure and simple.
But marketing that worked. I bought the book. I'll probably
buy the tie-in novel to see how the author envisioned Gehenna.
I'll probably buy the new WoD game starter to see how it all
comes to fruition. The cycle begins again, my friends.
I should have seen it coming.
___
This article is dedicated in loving memory to
Peg "Stargazer" Field.
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