Wednesday, August 31, 2005

SORMAG's ONLINE BOOK CLUB - SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE

SORMAG'S BOOK CLUB

September Schedule

Sept 1 - I Confess - Carol Ann Culbert Johnson

Sept 5 - No Strings Attached - Nancey Flowers

Sept 12 - Runnin’ Game - Courtney Parker

Sept 15 – Whatever It Takes - Gwynne Forster

Sept 19 - Short Changed - Andrea Blackstone

Sept 22 – Unconditional - A.C. Authur

Sept 26 – Jerome's Quest - Debora Elizabeth Hill

Sept 29 - The Company You Keep - Angela Henry

The online book club introduces you to two authors each week by
sending out a chapter excerpt of their books.

To join the book club - sormagforum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

If you would like your book featured in our book club. We still have
slots available for OCT/NOV/DEC. All genres are welcome. Send for guidelines – sormag@yahoo.com

Missed our line up? Feature your book in our online store - For the low price of 10.00 your book will be featured for SEP/OCT

Check it out - http://www.sormag.com/store.html

Please feel free to forward this information on to other book lovers.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

LITERARY EVENT - March 2006

Come out and meet Face to Face
Authors to your favorite Novels!

On the night of March 31, 2006, the Writer's Achievement Award will be presented to Jacquelin Thomas. Jacquelin Thomas is an award winning, best selling author with eighteen titles in print including, The Prodigal Husband, Soul Journey and her recent celebrated novel Saved in the City. Other credits include contributions to the Women of Color Devotional Bible and Brides Noir magazine.

Jacquelin Thomas will be the first novelist to be awarded with the Writer's Achievement Award. The novelist will be participate in a discussion panel & later book signing during the Book Extravaganza along with many other national authors. Jacquelin Thomas will be presented with the First Annual North Carolina Black Book Festival Writer's Achievement Award during the Opening Night Literary Gala. The literary gala's keynote speaker will be author Byron Harmon. Byron Harmon has been awarded eight Emmy’s for news excellence at WCBS Early Morning Show in New York City.

This gala is a ticketed event. Click Here for more information.


Saturday, April 1, 2006 Workshops and Panels (Free to the public)

Invited Authors that will be in Attendance...


Stacy Hawkins Adams Vincent Alexandria
A.C. Arthur L.A. Banks
Cassandra Darden Bell Kendra Norman-Bellamy
Jamise L. Dames Angie Daniels
Collen Dixon Gywnne Forster
Nina Foxx Bettye Griffin
Vanessa Davis Griggs Linda Dominique Grosvenor
Felicia Madlock Brandon Massey
Tia McCollors Marissa Monteilh
Electa Rome Parks Eric Pete
Ryan Phillips Karen Siplin
Sybil Barkley-Staples Linda Hudson-Smith
Van Whitfield

For more information, visit www.NCBookfest.com

CONGRATULATIONS JACQUELIN THOMAS

Monday, August 29, 2005

BOOK RELEASE PARTY

Are you having a book release party.

Here's the spot to advertise them.

Post your release info in the comments section.

CONTEST - The Best Frugal Promoter of 2005

M E D I A R E L E A S E
Contact: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com
Phone: 818-790-0502

For Immediate Release

Reach for the Stars: A Contest for the Best Frugal Promoter of 2005.

Public relations is neither advertising nor free ink. It is the dissemination of information that sets a standard for how you would like to be perceived. First and foremost, it must be undertaken with the highest ethical standards.
FROM THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER BY CAROLYN HOWARD JOHNSON,

Star Publish and Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the award-winning The Frugal Book Promoter, will give writers a chance to prove their promotion mettle. Their first-ever contest, Reach for the Stars: Win a Contest for the Best Frugal Writing Promoter of 2005 will award prizes and publish the winners' entries in an e-book designed to help other writers hone their public relations skills and encourage those who are not promoting to better realize their publishing goals. As a service, the e-booklet will be given to any writer who would like a copy.

Six winners will be chosen. Grand prize winner receives $50, a free e-copy of THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T by Howard-Johnson, and will be honored by having his/her promotion plan published in the e-book along with either a headshot or a book cover shot and a biography. The others' entries will be similarly published and will receive a copy of The Frugal Book Promoter which David Herrle, editor of SubtleTea.com called "The Frugal Promo Bible." The handling fee for entering the contest is $5.

For guidelines and an entry form writers should go to http://starpublish.com/ and click on "Reach for the Stars Promotion Contest." .All fees must be paid using PayPal. The deadline for entries is October 30. Winners will be notified on January 1st and the public will be notified of the winners and the availability of the e-book as soon as it is released.

The contest judges will be Kristie Leigh Maguire, publisher of Star Publish, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author, and Irwin Zucker, founder of Book Publicists of Southern California and President of Promotion in Motion.. A writer need not be published to enter. Writers may submit campaigns design to build a package to present to agents and publishers before their work is published, or promotion plans used to promote a given work or body of work after it is in print. How a writer uses a promotion campaign will be considered in selecting the winning entry as well as the actual promotion process. Originality and thoroughness will also be considered. Complete guidelines and entry information are available at: http://starpublish.com/.

Star Publish is a different kind of publisher where the author is the Star. It offers near self-publish profits on your paperback and several alternatives to fit the needs and pocketbook of an author.

Co-sponsor of the contest, Carolyn Howard-Johnson is an award-winning novelist and her first chapbook of poetry will be released in the fall of 2005. Her The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, is published by StarPublish. It is the winner of USA Book News' "Best Professional Book 2004," and was named Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment by members of the California Legislature.

Learn more about Howard-Johnson at http://carolynhowardjohnson.com

Learn more about the contest and Star Publish at: http://starpublish.com/

Learn more about Book PUblicists of Souther California at http://www.bookpublicists.org/.

####

Support Materials Available on Request


Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Author THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T,Winner USA Book News' "Best Professional Book 2004"#1 Bestselling E-book at: http://starpublish.com/starbooks.htm. Purchase the paperback at http://www.amazon.com/. Learn more at: http://carolynhowardjohnson.com/ .

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

MARKET NEWS

More additions and subtractions in the editorial ranks at various publishers:
Daniel Mallory is a new Editorial Assistant at Ballantine. He is interested
in acquiring new authors.

Over at Bantam/Dell Wendy McCurdy has been removed from the list of
acquiring editors. Micahlyn Whitt is now listed as associate editor.


At Berkley/Jove, Jackie Cantor, executive editor, has been added to the list
of acquiring editors.

Heather Osborn, submissions coordinator, has been added to the list of
acquiring editors at Ellora's Cave.

At Harlequin/Silhouette Keyren Gerlach, editorial assistant, has been added
to the list of acquiring editors for the African-American program. Kate Ahl,
associate editor, has been removed from the list of acquiring editors for
Mills & Boon Medical Romance. Adam Wilson, editorial assistant, has
been added to the list of acquiring editors for Silhouette Books. Harlequin
Superromance's

Lara Smiltnieks is now listed as Lara Hyde. Allison Lyons of Harlequin
Intrigue is now listed as editor. Farrin Jacobs, editor, has been removed from the
list of acquiring editors for Red Dress Ink.

*******************************
Multnomah Publishers has a new address:
601 N. Larch Street
Sisters, OR 97759

*******************************
Though Ballantine usually only considers agented material, they will
now consider query letters from unagented authors. From their guidelines: "
In your query letter, you should include a brief synopsis of your plot,
setting, and character descriptions, and any personal information that you feel is
relevant. We will consider only single-title romances of approximately
100,000 words."

******************************
This week, I'm looking at the Spotlight on Pocket Books from RWA's
National Conference in Reno. Spotlight on Pocket Books. Pocket Books is the mass
market publishing division of Simon and Schuster. The Spotlight was
presented by Editorial Director Maggie Crawford, Senior Editor Micki Nuding, Senior
Editor Amy Pierpont and Senior Editor Lauren McKenna.

Pocket publishes Pocket publishes approximately three mass market
paperback romances a month, consisting of historical and contemporary romance,
romantic suspense and paranormal romance. They also publish two Downtown Press
trade paperbacks a month, primarily chick lit. They publish erotica in trade
paper as well.

On the historical side, they like Regency historicals, Victorian
romances, Medievals and historicals set in Scotland. They also like Paranormal
historicals. When it comes to setting, they're pretty conservative.
They like time periods and locations that are traditionally strong sellers, such as
medievals, Regencies and Victorians and books set in England and Scotland.

Whatever the time period or setting, the sexier the better. Lauren
McKenna in particular loves medievals and historicals with paranormal
elements.

Pocket publishes Romantic Suspense. They'd like to see some very sexy
romantic suspense stories.

Pocket’s trade paper erotica are very, very sexy stories with a good
Romance Pocket also publishes MTV books, a YA line that’s been around a
while, but they’re currently revamping to make it more commercial. They’re
actively looking to acquire 50,000 to 75,000 word stories for late teens and
young twenty-somethings. Lauren McKenna acquires for this line and is open to
all sorts of stories. For instance, she mentioned she’d love to see a vampire teen
novel.

For contemporaries, the editors would like to see books that are really
sexy, with a great hero and heroine and a fast-paced plot. They do some
romantic comedy, but straight contemporary romance is not a very strong seller
for them. They would like to see a paranormal or suspense or some other
element in their contemporaries.

Amy Pierpont works on the Downtown Press line of trade paper chick lit.
They’re open to books aimed at a broad audience, not just twenty-somethings.
They like suspense chick lit, as well as novels that address issues
contemporary women are facing today.

Pocket is also interested in African American romance. Send these
submissions to Associate Editor Selena James.

To recap: Lauren McKenna likes sexy historicals, particularly if they
have paranormal elements. She also buys contemporary romance and she edits
chick lit for Downtown Press and erotica for trade paper erotica releases.

Micki Nuding likes chick lit, erotica, and sexy contemporary and
Historical romance.

Amy Pierpont is looking for YA for MTV books, chick lit for Downtown
Press, and contemporary and historical romance.

Selena James would like to see historical, contemporary and paranormal
romance, erotica, and African-American romance.

All books should be approximately 90,000 words. Send a query letter,
the first three chapters and an SASE. Pocket does not accept unagented
submissions.

**********************************************
My newest release, My Backwards Life, should be in bookstores by the
end of this week. This is my first woman's fiction novel, told in first
person. If you haven't already done so, you can read a free excerpt on my
website.
_http://www.cindimyers.com_ (http://www.cindimyers.com)

And if you're in the Denver area, I'll be signing My Backwards Life at
the Tattered Cover in Cherry Creek on Friday evening at 7:30.

*******************************************
While you're at my website, check out the contest I'm holding for
Preorders of my October book, Learning Curves. I had these very cool tape
measures made up to distribute to booksellers and media. I have 40 left, so the
first 40 people who send me a copy of their email confirmation showing they've
ordered the book from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, or any other bookseller,
will receive one of these tape measures. Forward the confirmation (or cut
and paste into a new email) to me at _cindi@cindimyers.com_
(mailto:cindi@cindimyers.com) . You can see pictures of the prize,
find out more about the book, and
click-through to order, at _http://www.cindimyers.com_
(http://www.cindimyers.com/)

*****************************************
Feel free to pass along this newsletter and to encourage others to sign
up to receive it. If you reprint or forward the newsletter, all I ask is
that I be given credit for it. Anyone can sign up by sending a blank email to
_cynthiasterling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com_
(mailto:cynthiasterling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com)

Cindi Myers
My Backwards Life, Next, September 2005
Learning Curves, Signature Select, October 2005
_www.CindiMyers.com_ (http://www.cindimyers.com/)

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

BOOKS TO READ AUGUST BOOKS

Do you have a book published in August? This is a feature we will have for the blog. Your chance to introduce the readers to your book.

Post the title
Author
Short blurb
Web link


ONLY AUGUST 2005 BOOKS PLEASE
Other books will be deleted.

Thank You For Your Support

I would like to personally thank you for supporting SORMAG. It was always nice to see the numbers on the visitors counter go up each day.

Please feel free to let us know what SORMAG meant to you.

Welcome

WELCOME TO SHADES OF ROMANCE MAGAZINE - SORMAG

We are a guide for readers and writers of multi-cultural literature.

We feature interviews, excerpts, book reviews and literary news.

We have promoted writers and their books for five years.

This blog is an inexpensive way for authors to promote their books. If you are an author looking for a place to promote your books check out our rates. We have something for every budget.

http://www.sormag.com/AUTHOR.html

Readers we hope you will continue to stop by and let us know what you think. This is the only magazine you can voice your opinion after you read it.

We value your opinion so feel free to dialogue with our guest authors. Tell us what you think with our Let's Talk About It Topics and tell us what you're reading.

See ya on the Net,

LaShaunda - Publisher
http://lashaunda.blogspot.com

Welcome To SORMAG's Blog

About Me

My photo
I believe in promoting authors and their books. Let me introduce you and your books to online readers.

I'm also a happily married mother of three who's trying to break into the Christian writing field. The writing road can be rocky.

I’m available for:

Online promotion coaching
Lectures
Seminars
Freelancing
Contact me at:lchwriter@gmail.com

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