From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V2 #241 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, January 8 2004 Volume 02 : Number 241 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 13:49:50 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Cedar Fort Offer on My Manuscript Eric SWEDIN wrote: > Hi, everyong, > > I am new to this list and this is my first posting. I recently > submitted to Cedar Fort a historical mystery manuscript set in 1865 > Manti. They responded positively, but want $2,900 to co-publish. Run, don't walk, away from that order. I have friends who've published with Cedar Fort under such an arrangement but you run the risk, one being that, once they get this money from you, what is their motivation to market your book? That has been the complain of some who've published with Cedar Fort -- that they don't publicize like they should. Especially with you being a published author, you don't need the service that Cedar Fort can provide. Thom Duncan - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 16:46:42 EST From: JanaRiess@aol.com Subject: RE: [AML] Cedar Fort Offer on My Manuscript In a message dated 1/5/04 1:23:09 PM,=20 owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com writes: > I am new to this list and this is my first posting.=A0 I recently > submitted to Cedar Fort a historical mystery manuscript set in 1865 > Manti.=A0 They responded positively, but want $2,900 to co-publish.=A0 I a= m > already a published historian (one book published last October and two > more under contract) and my instincts are confused.=A0 Has anyone else had > experiences with Cedar Fort and this arrangement?=A0 Is it common?=A0 Any > feedback would be useful to me. >=20 Hello, Eric, and welcome to the list! Congratulations on your accepted=20 manuscript. It's certainly not common, but not unheard of either. Academic presses=20 sometimes strike deals with authors where the authors (who are usually funde= d by a=20 grant from their university or an outside fellowship) agree to pay part or=20 even all of the cost of publication. But for a commercial house to make su= ch=20 an offer is unusual and, I think, unfair. I would advise you to take their= =20 offer to the Authors Guild (www.authorsguild.com) and see if you can get a=20 contract review. Also, if you know any other Cedar Fort authors, try gentl= y=20 asking them what they were able to negotiate for their first book. (I know= you're=20 already a published author, but if this is your first novel, you have no=20 sales record in fiction and are starting from scratch in the publisher's eye= s.) It's your decision, depending on how eager you are to get the novel=20 published. My own instinct would be to bargain for more. Cedar Fort is c= learly=20 risk-averse and doesn't want to bear the sole responsibility if the novel do= esn't=20 sell. You might be able to persuade them if you can demonstrate all of the= =20 fabulous ways you will work on publicizing and selling the novel once it's=20 published. Every publisher wants a motivated author. =20 If you do take the contract, be sure that you negotiate for a very nice,=20 above-average royalty to counterbalance the financial outlay you're putting=20= forth=20 in the beginning. Good luck! Jana Riess Religion Book Review Editor Publishers Weekly - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 15:00:40 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] BLACK, _Pride and Prejudice_ (Movie Review) Well, I say it's a perfect death wish scene. So she gets some negative feedback on her novel. Distressing experience, right? And one any real writer experiences, oh, weekly. Has she taken creative writing classes? Is she in a writer's group? Does she have writer friends she shares her work with? =20 She's either a real writer or not. The film says she's a real writer. So treat her as one. =20 Fact is, a character we're supposed to think of as smart, determined, confident, talented, goes off the deep end over nothing. It doesn't work, and it seriously damages a really fun and otherwise smart film. =20 Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 15:12:33 -0700 From: Margaret Young Subject: RE: [AML] YOUNG & GRAY, _Standing on the Promises_ Wow, Sam! Thank you so much for buying the trilogy! Actually, the = first book is by far the easiest of the three. We were very upfront with = Deseret Book in telling them exactly what we would discuss in the three volumes (though we didn't know the extent of where we'd go when we signed our contract.) I was told that the DB Board thought the third book the most difficult--and I agree with that assessment. I was also told that they = felt very good about publishing it, that in fact a member of the board = personally thanked one of our editors for pushing the project through. And it was = a person of high rank in DB who pushed for the project. I personally = believe that something has happened since then to cause support to be withdrawn, = but I don't know what and doubt I ever will. And sadly, I must agree with = your assessment of the Mormon audience. So what does that say? Should = Mormon writers who want to write about difficult subjects seek = outside-Mormondom presses? We chose Deseret after much thought (and we did have a = choice). We wanted to have the Church "seal" on our trilogy. I'm still convinced = we were right with that move. When I have time, I'll write more about why = I don't regret the decision--despite being very disappointed with what has happened since we decided on Deseret. - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 15:20:14 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] David FARLAND, _Lair of Bones_ (Review) Good review, but far and away the most important fact in is this one: Dave finished the series. Dude, I've been seriously stressed, wanting to know how it turned out. I'm not a fantasy buff, aside from Lord of the Rings and a few other fave-raves. Used to read Xanth, for example, until PierXanthony got too precious and cutesy by half. But when I had foot surgery, Scott Bronson lent me the first Runelords book, which I put off reading until I'd read everything else I had. And then I was hooked. And then, doggone it, book Three was over, the story still unresolved. Very unfair. Writers have an obligation to write FAST. =20 (Was the third Matrix movie weak? Maybe, but it did come sharply on the heels of the second movie. Was I able to wait one whole year between Two Towers and Return of the King? Yes, barely, but a good thing Peter Jackson didn't put it back another week, or I might have exploded.) Anyway, for a non-fantasy type guy, these books are great. Probably now you'll all tell me that there are five other contemporary fantasy series even better that I need to check out. I don't care, and I probably won't. This one is terrif. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 15:25:10 -0700 From: "Eric Samuelsen" Subject: RE: [AML] AVERY, _From Mission to Madness_ (Review) I am insulin-dependent diabetic, right now but not always with pretty good control, I have been, at times, hypoglycemic, and I must shout my Amen to Sam's post to the heavens. When I have been hypoglycemic, I have not been correspondingly psychotic. Well, no more than usual. Eric Samuelsen - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 15:22:42 -0700 From: "Anne Bradshaw" Subject: Re: [AML] Acting and Movie Directing Yea! Good for you, Mark! I agree. I get tired of my offspring and their friends always being super critical of every movie they see. What's with all the dissecting, anyway? Call me naive and comfortable if you will, but is it now out of fashion to simply enjoy a movie for the sake of entertainment--pure take-me-away-from-my-everyday-problem-world type diversion? Maybe if we all enjoyed more, and criticized less we'd be healthier and happier. Okay, I know there's a place for critiques--but all the time? Over everything? It makes my stomach knot. Ooops! Is that what this list is all about? Anne Bradshaw ****************** Anne Bradshaw http://www.annebradshaw.com http://www.latterdayauthors.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 18:01:57 -0500 From: Sam Brown Subject: [AML] David Smith and Mental Illness Hello, As Margaret had indicated, these were some thoughts about "brain fever" and whether Emma's emotional trauma could have contributed to David's incapacitation. Disclaimer: My medical knowledge is primarily clinical internal medicine, with research expertise in infectious disease, though my knowledge of medical history is very much that of an autodidact: 1. Brain fever is a generic term which signifies delirium with fever. Many diseases, even plain old pneumonia or influenza, can lead to that state of affairs, and in the elderly, even a simple urinary infection can make them as loopy as a jaybird. 19th century terminology is imprecise (as you'd expect) when judged by contemporary nosologic categories, so I wouldn't look for too tight a fit. I should make a comment here, though. The morbidity (decreased level of function) that occurs after the actual brain infections, is usually NOT that similar to frank mental illness. People may have memory gaps, may act inappropriately, may be constantly confused, may have frank "mental retardation" or what appears to be catatonia, even seizures, inability to speak, or nonsense speech. And of course, surviving events like that is profoundly depressing. But it's not that common to have eg schizophrenic-type symptoms. The example I gave in my book review of herpes simplex encephalitis is frankly not that common an outcome of the disease, and I do suspect schizophrenia in David Hyrum Smith, rather than a post-encephalitis syndrome. The second question is highly controversial. There is a view (I defer to the feminist scholars to tell me whether, as I suspect, it has a Victorian root) that the parents (usually the mother) are to blame for mental illness in a child. Autism is a great example of a disease that was blamed on the mothers but now is actively the opposite. In a basic scientific sense, mental illness is either genetic or epigenetic (nature or nurture), thus the parents may be an indicator of genetic abnormality or they may be both products and perpetrators of an illness-inducing milieu. But people tend to mean something different when they talk about parent- child "transmission" of mental illness, and it's usually about culpability. I am very much an urban liberal, and so my intuitive response is to say that it's not the parents' fault, while traditional views have favored blaming the parents. The truth, as far as I can describe it, is actually more complex than that, in large part because there are scores of different mental illnesses, and they behave differently. A quick review of the most common diagnoses: Depression: there is evidence for a genetic component, and people feel that there is also an environmental piece, though this is debated Schizophrenia: there is an association between "high-conflict" family life and the development of schizophrenia, but whether that is simply the fact that a pre-schizophrenic child may induce tension in a family has NOT been well demonstrated. There's no clear evidence for the claim that Emma's PTSD (she has every right to it, but I'd have to review the biography to see whether she actually has the symptoms of it; I don't recall her fitting that mold very well, and I do not at this point think she had it) would lead to David's apparent schizophrenia. I highly doubt that connection. Substance abuse: genetic component and strong behavioral component (parent's bad habits can make kids act up) Bipolar disorder: some genetic support but not clear environmentally. Obsessive-compulsive disorder: I don't remember the literature on this topic. I suspect that there are weak associations both genetically and environmentally. As a side note, I believe we want to be able to name and trace the genesis of mental illness (Emma's "PTSD") to contain it, to assure ourselves that it cannot strike us if we do not have ill parents or do not smoke cannabis or watch naughty movies or vote Independent or whatever. But that is a false assurance, and mental illness is one of the jagged thorns in the side of theodicy, a disruption of what we perceive as the Divine Order that leaves its sufferers, at least temporarily, in Outer Darkness with Judas without ever having even aspired to his treachery. I believe that's a reason why I write so many mentally ill people into my stories: they are the "missing link" in the genealogy of God's justice. Anyway, quick summary: 1. brain fever is not very specific and is frankly not that likely to account for mental illness, though it can lead to very disordered lives. 2. I doubt Emma's PTSD led to David's illness. In general, it's a tough sell to say that parents emotional or mental illness accounts for a child's, though the issues and phenomena are complex. - -- Yours, Samuel Brown, MD Massachusetts General Hospital sam@vecna.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 15:48:37 -0800 From: "Kathy Tyner" Subject: Re: [AML] The BoM Code I concluded a long time ago that whenever I read or am in the presence of either Harlow Clark or D. Michael Martindale I am around far livelier minds than my own. I often must meader through Harlow's posts to really grasp the intricate wordplay while getting to the point. A challenge, but well worth it. Quite frankly, I think Harlow should use that poetic talent besides the adult prose he writes and become the Mormon Dr. Seuss. Good heavens man, don't dither, but do it! While on the other hand, D. Mike gets straight to the point, usually a well made, occasionally brusque point. Brevity being the soul of wit. I deeply appreciate both of your styles, they make me think. Kathy Tyner Orange County, CA - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 16:30:12 -0700 From: workshop@burgoyne.com Subject: [AML] Re: Personal Websites: Advice? Quoting JanaRiess@aol.com: > Hi all, > > I don't have a website yet, but I'm actually under the gun right now to set > one up for my Buffy the Vampire Slayer book, which is coming out May 7. So, > > for those of you who have websites, did you do them yourselves or hire > someone? > If you hired someone, how much did it cost, and would you recommend their > services? I'm going to have to hire a website designer -- and fast -- and > hope > it's not going to be too expensive. I have a generic website for writers in html that I can email you. The idea is that you customize it with your own information. Email me directly if you're interested. Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury workshop@burgoyne.com - ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 16:37:51 -0700 From: workshop@burgoyne.com Subject: [AML] Re: Cedar Fort Offer on My Manuscript Quoting Eric SWEDIN : > I am new to this list and this is my first posting. I recently > submitted to Cedar Fort a historical mystery manuscript set in 1865 > Manti. They responded positively, but want $2,900 to co-publish. I am > already a published historian (one book published last October and two > more under contract) and my instincts are confused. Has anyone else had > experiences with Cedar Fort and this arrangement? Is it common? Any > feedback would be useful to me. Eric, I'd recommend that you talk to a few printers (I highly recommend Varsity Printing near Fashion Place Mall in Murray, Utah if you need an idea of where to start) and see how much they would charge you to do it yourself. Just as a comparision if for no other reason. The only advantage I can see to going with Cedar Fort under the arrangement they've offered you is if (1) you've tried every other possible publisher, (2) they're cheaper than self-publishing, and (3) they provide decent distribution, which you can't get as easily if you self-publish. Rule # 1 for authors in publishing is "money should go TO the writer." > BTW, my book is _Healing Souls: Psychotherapy in the Latter-day Saint > Community_ (University of Illinois Press, 2003). Sounds interesting. Any chance they'd send someone on the AML board a copy for consideration for the AML awards? Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury workshop@burgoyne.com - ------------------------------------------------- This mail sent through IMP: http://horde.org/imp/ - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 20:43:12 -0600 From: "webmaster" Subject: [AML] Box Office Figures, 2 Jan. 2004 Feature Films by LDS/Mormon Filmmakers and Actors Weekend Box Office Report (U.S. Domestic Box Office Gross) Weekend of January 2, 2004 Report compiled by: LDSFilm.com [If table below doesn't line up properly, try looking at them with a mono-spaced font, such as Courier - Ed.] Natl Film Title Weekend Gross %B.O. Theatrs Rank LDS/Mormon Filmmaker/Actor Total Gross Chnge $/Thtr Days - --- --------------------------- ----------- ----- ------- ---- 5 Paycheck 9,837,313 -27% 2,762 12 Aaron Eckart (actor) 38,644,452 $3,561 (2nd-billed star) 21 The Cat in the Hat 988,295 -22% 1,057 45 Eric McLeod (exec. producer) 99,383,495 $935 Aldric La'Auli Porter (assoc. producer/1st A.D.) Danielle Chuchran (actress) 22 The Young Black Stallion (NEW) 755,381 +20% 51 12 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 2,349,976 $14,811 38 The Missing 116,290 -14% 146 40 Aaron Eckart (actor) 26,121,804 $796 Aldric La'Auli Porter (assoc. producer/1st A.D.) 46 Timeline 34,156 -32% 270 40 Paul Walker (lead actor) 19,113,238 $126 72 Pride and Prejudice 13,032 +50% 4 31 Andrew Black (director) 157,616 $3,258 Jason Faller (producer) Kynan Griffin (co-producer) Anne K. Black (screenplay/produc. designer) Jason Faller; Katherine Swigert (screenplay) Travis Cline (cinematographer) Ben Carson (composer) Alexander Vance (editor) Actors: Ben Gourley, Hubbel Palmer, Amber Hamilton, Carmen Rasmusen 83 Galapagos 1,122 -29% 1 1529 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 14,255,937 $1,122 89 The Legend of Johnny Lingo 744 -29% 1 129 Gerald Molen (producer) 974,693 $744 John Garbett (producer) 97 China: The Panda Adventure 432 +93% 1 892 Reed Smoot (cinematographer) 3,545,773 $432 - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2004 03:37:43 +0000 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] HARTLEY, _Stand By Servant Joseph_ (DN) Deseret News Saturday, January 3, 2004 Knight family among the unsung faithful LDS readers will appreciate story of loyalty, courage By Dennis Lythgoe Deseret Morning News STAND BY SERVANT JOSEPH: THE STORY OF THE JOSEPH KNIGHT FAMILY AND THE RESTORATION, by William G. Hartley, Deseret Book, 604 pages, $37.95 Generally speaking, historians tell the stories of famous people more than they do the average guy. LDS history is no exception. That's why we hear about Mormon leaders much more than we do those little people who worked hard, accomplished much but were never considered celebrities. Joseph Knight and the more than 60 members of the Knight family who knew and associated with Joseph Smith in the early days of Mormonism are among that unsung group. Whereas many early LDS leaders fell into apostasy when the going was rough, the Knight family stuck with the Prophet Joseph. That included almost all of Joseph Knight's married children, their spouses and dozens more of their extended family. In 1842, Joseph Smith wrote of his affection for the Knight family, saying that Joseph Knight had always been "faithful and true, and even handed, and exemplary and virtuous, and kind; never deviating to the right hand nor to the left. Behold he is a righteous man." Then he referred to his sons, Newel Knight and Joseph Knight, "whose names I record in the Book of the Law of the Lord, with unspeakable delight, for they are my friends." No wonder Bill Hartley decided to tell the Knight story in "Stand By Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration." An experienced and capable historian, Hartley is a research historian at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute of Church History at Brigham Young University and has presided over the Mormon History Association. He has been a prolific writer, having produced 10 books and numerous articles in the field of Mormon history. He is still young enough to avoid having this book termed his "crowning achievement," but it is a distinctive contribution nevertheless. Hartley has dug deeply into the records in order to bring the Knight family convincingly to life. He tells much of the history of the LDS Church in the process of portraying the family, so the reader gains a different perspective than is available in most histories. Hartley describes the supernatural experiences of Newel Knight, who, according to several accounts, had a Satanic encounter followed by a purely religious one, in which "the Spirit of God descended upon him, to such a degree that the visions of eternity were opened to his view and he beheld great and glorious things." Afterward, Knight asserted that the power of the spirit was so great that he felt "weight pressing" upon his shoulder and head, and then realized "the Spirit of the Lord had actually lifted me off the floor, and that my shoulder and head were pressing against the beams." This has often been referred to as "the Levitation of Newel Knight." Hartley pops the bubble of those who believe that there were witnesses to the "levitation," pointing out that only Knight himself described this "spiritual" experience. The book tells a very interesting story of people and religious experience, and it should find plenty of room on LDS readers' shelves. Copyright 2004 Deseret News Publishing Company _________________________________________________________________ Have fun customizing MSN Messenger =97 learn how here! =20 http://www.msnmessenger-download.com/tracking/reach_customize - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 21:50:36 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] KUSHNER, _Angels in America_ (HBO) THOMASDUNCAN01@comcast.net wrote: > Mike, Angels in America isn't about Mormon homsexuals. They are just characters in it. I know, but it was the depiction of the Mormons that irritated me, so that's what I concentrated on as far as talking about how I could do a better job, even though there's no reason to think that my efforts would be all that stellar. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 21:55:47 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] The BoM Code Kim Madsen wrote: > I can never quite tell when Michael preceded by a D is being caustic or > joking with good friends. It's the mystery in life that keeps it interesting. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 22:08:13 -0800 From: "Richard R. Hopkins" Subject: [AML] New Magazine Needs Writers Greetings! Cornerstone Publishing is launching a new (printed) magazine named "SinglesLDS." It will draw on the considerable talents of Denise Hopkins, President and Editor-In-Chief, who (until her recent marriage to yours truly) endured the LDS singles scene from the age of 24, when she and her four small children found themselves abandoned by her husband after a five-year temple marriage. The magazine will be directed at all singles, but especially those who do not want to remain so. It will confront tough issues, give news of the singles scene all over the country, feature noted singles, present advice on self-improvement and marriage preparation, publish feedback, and encourage arts and hobbies. We will include wedding and engagement announcements and allow classified ads for just about anything (roommates, tutors, horses, jobs, real estate, etc.). We are looking for writers to contribute articles pertaining to self-improvment, dating relations, practical guidance for single parents, and other subjects of interest to single adults. Also, if you are single, we would appreciate short or serialized stories, poetry, and humor. Payment for articles accepted for publication will be at the same rate normally paid by other LDS magazines. The magazine will maintain LDS standards but it will not be restricted to articles that could appear in the Ensign. Rather, we are looking for articles fully compatible with Gospel stardards that cover issues and strive for depths beyond what can normally appear in the official organs of the Church. Richard Hopkins - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2004 23:04:43 -0800 From: Harlow S Clark Subject: Re: [AML] "South Park" & Mormons [MOD: I don't want to get into a discussion of whether Mormonism is or is not more consistent with conservatism, liberalism, etc. A discussion of *perceptions* is, however, appropriate, particularly in terms of how this can relate to writing. Okay? --Jonathan Langford] On Fri, 2 Jan 2004 15:19:44 -0600 (CST) Rich Hammett writes: > But what a world we live in. Somehow, South Park and Dennis Miller > are the new icons for the hip conservative. At least South Park is > still funny most of the time. > > rich Hmm, do I sense some tension here with the idea that conservative=Mormon? Hollow Cluck ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 09:45:56 -0700 From: "Eugene Woodbury" Subject: Re: [AML] Personal Websites: Advice? Assuming you want a website with your own domain name (i.e., www.yourname.com), and you're on a tight budget, I suggest the following: The cheapest is to host your site using the free web space that comes with most ISP memberships, and then direct your domain name there using domain forwarding. Domain forwarding takes any registered domain name and points it anywhere you want, such as your personal web space. This could also include "free" web space sites (http://100best-free-web-space.com/), but they are often popup ad-driven, or you have to register your domain through the site. Perhaps somebody could recommend one? I have a "Person Identity Account" at http://www.domaindirect.com/ for both domain forwarding and email (I like to keep personal email addresses separate from site addresses, and separate from my ISP). It's $30/year for 2 years. For full-service hosting, I use the "Hosting Club" at Catalog.com (http://www.catalog.com/v2/index.html). It's $35/year to register your domain and $35/year for basic hosting services, which is more than enough for any low traffic site (i.e., most of us). I have yet to come close to using up my storage space. Most budget hosting services will likely fall into this range. In the web world, you pay for bandwidth, which is determined by how many people visit your site. If your site becomes wildly popular, you would find it necessary to upgrade to a commercial package, which start at about $108/year (plus domain registration). The reason I have both (site hosting and domain forwarding) is that I registered two versions of my domain name. But the total bill comes to only $100/year. Eugene Woodbury - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jan 2004 19:49:35 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Cedar Fort Offer on My Manuscript No responses yet? [MOD: No, a moderator with a bad headache so that the list went offline for two days.] This is standard procedure for Cedar Fort for untried authors. They call it their author-participation program and is part of why they are able to produce so many titles in a year. There is nothing legally wrong with it and both parties are often successful in recovering costs. For frame of reference, if your book is not too many pages (say 250) and you run a Print-on-Demand bid for self-publishing your title, you will spend about the same amount of money just on printing -- not including marketing and advertising costs. You keep more of the proceeds and have no binding contract to live by, though. However, I also know several CFI authors who went this route and have been very happy with the end result. Since you're already published, you're familiar with reading contracts and should be able to decipher what they're sending you, I imagine, and whether it's worth it to you or not. If you have solid, good sales figures to show them, that could help to negotiate a different arrangement. They also do standard publishing (no cost to author) for some of their titles. I don't know the percentage on that or how difficult it is to try to arrange. Good luck! Linda Adams - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 16:10:54 -0800 From: Julie Kirk Subject: [AML] Art Olympics and Card Books Has anyone heard of something called the Art Olympics? I had someone contact me from Turkey and he has found some references to such an event happening in various nations, but cannot find enough info to start organizing one in their country. So, if anyone knows anything about this type of event (not a biennale, We've already talked about that), can you pass that info on to me? I guess the art olympics is done similar to a biennale where there are artists from many nations. It is non competitive and done in more of a "spirit of unity". Unlike many of the biennales though it involves people of all sorts of artistic disciplines such as music, performance (dance, theatre, etc), and visual arts. Secondly, a big thanks to the people who responded to me both on and off list about the books for my 13 year old daughter, the Card fan. She is thrilled to be working her way through all of her new books - the Ender's Game series and the Ender's Shadow series. Thanks again, everyone, I really appreciate the support you all seem to give to me and each other. Julie ********************************************* Julie Kirk http://www.juliekirk.com http://www.streetpainting.net - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 12:00:46 -0600 From: "Patricia Wiles" Subject: RE: [AML] Personal Websites: Advice? Hi Jana-- The cost of a website depends on how much you are willing to pay. In a recent poynter.org article on the subject, one writer paid $1000 set-up, plus $60 maintenance per month. If you're like me, you can't afford = that! I built the latterdayauthors site myself, and didn't have much = knowledge. However, it has been a challenge. If you decide to build your own site, here's some thoughts: 1. You need a good, reliable server. We use Webmasters.com. They have good customer support and they are reasonable ($10 per month). You = could also go with smartwriters.com. If you are an SCBWI member they only = charge 7.50 per month. You also get a choice of templates with which to build = your site, which is nice if you don't want to read #2. =20 2. From the beginning, invest in good web site builder software. When = we first started latterdayauthors, I used Publisher, which I already had on = my computer. I just remodeled the site in FrontPage, and let me tell you = it's a real pain to redo every single page from one program to another, even = if they are both Microsoft programs. If I had it to do over again I would = have spent the money and bought FrontPage in the beginning and saved myself = some headaches. Having a good program makes all the difference in terms of maintenance. Of course your site wouldn't have to be changed as much as ours, since we're more like an online magazine and we're adding new = content all the time. But it will still save you time to be able to edit things live and so forth. Call me a control freak, but I like having control over what I have on = the web. A musician friend of mine paid someone to set up and maintain a website for him, but he had no control over what this guy put up (or = didn't put up). Because he lives halfway across the country, he had to contact = the webmaster by phone or email, and even then things didn't get changed. I helped this musician get a grant from the state arts council to put = together some promotional materials, and I am going to rebuild a site for him = using the materials. What I'm trying to say is don't relinquish control over = what you have worked so hard on to a webmaster or anyone, leaving you unable = to have access. Believe me, if I can build a website (no matter how = simple) you can too. It just takes a lot of hard work. I have to build my own website also, since I have a book coming out this spring. I think a web presence has become a necessity for writers--it offers us a unique advantage as far as connecting to readers. However, = I have to admit that the reason I plan to do it myself is because I'm not = very trusting. I've been burned, and as I mentioned I know others who have = been burned on the web too. I look at this as another skill I have to learn = as a writer, sort of like how you still have to take college algebra even = though you're getting a degree in English Literature. You may think you'll = never use it, but it's good to know you could do it if you had to. Plus it's = kind of nice to learn a new skill, and even with the headaches of working = with a computer it's fun to build your site and start getting feedback. =20 Feel free to email me if you want to talk some more about it. :) Patricia Wiles Executive Editor, latterdayauthors.com http://www.latterdayauthors.com - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 12:30:31 -0700 From: "Scott Parkin" Subject: Re: [AML] Cedar Fort Offer on My Manuscript Eric Swedin wrote: > I recently > submitted to Cedar Fort a historical mystery manuscript set in 1865 > Manti. They responded positively, but want $2,900 to co-publish. Here's the problem. The LDS publishing industry is relatively small and there are relatively few outlets for books that don't fit into the currently defined LDS marketing categories (scriptural/historical, romance, teen morality tale, thriller/action adventure). Cedar Fort supports the widest variety of any LDS publisher today. But they're a subsidy publisher--the "author participation plan" is their standard deal for first titles. With your previous history of publication, you might be able to counter-offer and talk them into waiving the participation fee; because many of their titles are little more than vanity pieces, the fee is their way of weeding out the pure vanity authors and ensuring some level of author participation in the actual marketing and promotion of the book. LDS publishers in general are pretty weak at promotion and marketing (with the arguable exception of Deseret Book and Covenant Communications). Cedar Fort gets a bad rap for having no real marketing push--a reputation they've mostly earned. But some recent experiences with friends of mine who published through them suggest that Cedar Fort is actually willing to work with motivated authors to do some guerilla marketing and they will help you set up local book signings and similar events. Here's what you'll get with Cedar Fort: * Distribution to the major LDS outlets. * Reasonable design and production quality (not great, but not bad). * Quick turnaround. * Limited promotion on their Web site. * Friendly staff. * Support for your own promotional efforts. Here's what you WON'T get with Cedar Fort: * No strong editing. They pretty much accept the manuscript as you submit it, and do little in the way of copy editing, and essentially nothing in the way of content editing. Do that on your own before you ship the manuscript. * No strong marketing push. They'll help you arrange book signings and will support your own promotional/marketing plans, but they're not likely to do much push on their own. * No national push. They're essentially a Mormon market publisher. They'll sell to bookstores out of state, but there's no strong effort to push the book outside the Mormon corridor. - ----- I would try to sell your book to Deseret Book first. If it won't fly there, try a small or regional publisher. If it still doesn't sell, consider Cedar Fort as a strong third-level publisher, especially if you can get them to waive the participation fee (they have done it before; make a strong pitch and see what happens). The key with Cedar Fort is that you need to actively promote your own book. They will help you with ideas and booking support, but you really need to own your own book promotion plan and calendar, and drive that plan yourself. They will work hard to support your efforts, but the effort needs to be yours. Kathleen Woodbury said it best--in publishing, money is supposed to flow *to* the author, not *from* the author. In Mormon publishing, about the best you can hope for is to not pay anything and wait (hope?) for royalties to appear six to twelve months later. If you can get Cedar Fort to waive the fee, they're as good as anyone else in the second-tier LDS publishing world, and better than many. Scott Parkin - -- AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V2 #241 ******************************