Cindi Myers Market News's Blog

Today, I’m doing the 2012 edition of my annual gift list for writers. If you’re a writer, send this on to those who might be buying gifts for you. If you know a writer, why not pick something off this list.   But first:

The View From Here is officially on sale now. Perhaps you’d like to give a copy to a reader in your life — or buy an early gift for yourself? It’s avaialbe in print and ebook, pretty much everywhere.

Now, on to the 2013 gift list:

Other People’s TShirts has a great collection of Tees, sweat shirts, magnets, mugs and other items that would appeal to writers. I especially like the “I Am Silently Correcting Your Grammar” shirt  or “Apostrophes Do Not Make Plurals.”

While many writers I know would love a new Kindle, Nook, or tablet, a fun cover for their tech accessories will set your back less, such as the Typewriter ereader cover from Accessory Geek.

Toys help inspire creativity, from simple markers or modeling clay, to more literary-inspired items. Shakespeare’s Den has a lineup of poseable literary action figures to amuse the writer in your life, including Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf and Charles Dickens.

Shakespeare’s Den also has a beautiful selection of literary jewelry — pendants, bracelets and charms that quote from great literature, such as a silver cuff bracelet inscribed with teh quote “To thine own self be true.”

For all the high-tech gadgets that make our lives easier, there’s nothing like getting back to basics. Most writers I know love pens, paper, notebooks and notecards  — the nicer, the better. While you can write a masterpiece in a lined student notebook, the gift of a journal might inspire you to do even more. Love Notebooks has beautiful notebooks and journals that are little works of art.

Fat Brain Toys offers a Book Lover’s Magnetic Poetry kit to get those creative brain cells firing, or the Desk Essentials Combo Pack to take goofing off while creating to a new level. Or how about a Little Box of Encouraging Words for those times when rejection is getting your down?

The writer in your life would probably love a gift certificate to a book store or office supply store.  Or encourage their dream by paying their way to a writer’s conference. Shaw Guides maintains a list of conferences here. 

What’s the best writing gift you’ve ever received? Post in the comments — you might just inspire the perfect giftr for some other writer.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this post with others. Thank you. Cindi Myers

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”  Oprah Winfrey

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There’s still a few days left to enter the Young Adult Novel Discovery Contest, sponsored by Sourcebooks, Gotham Writers’ Workshop and Serendipity Literary Agency. Submit the title and the first 250 words of your young adult novel. The top 20 semi-finalists will be read by YA editors at top publishing houses, including Navah Wolfe, Simon and Schuster; Tracey Sherrod, Harlequin Kimani ; Krista Viola, Random House ; Nicole Raymond, Candlewick; Rachel Griffiths, Scholastic; Aubrey Poole, Sourcebooks; Mercedes Fernandez, Kensington ;  Nataysha Wilson, Harlequin Teen; Laura Whitaker, Bloomsbury; and Anna Roberts, Feiwel and Friends. There is a $15 fee to enter. The deadline is November 30. Find all the details here.  

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One week until The View From Here goes on sale. In the meantime, I have a Christmas historical novella on sale to get you in the mood for the holidays. The Christmas Quilt is available for Nook and for Kindle for 99 cents.

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Storm Moon Press is a small press that publishes GLBTQ and alternative lifestyle fiction in a variety of genres, including historical and contemporary romance, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, mystery/suspense, urban fantasy, horror and speculative fiction. All stories should have romantic themes and be “erotically charged” but don’t need to be sexually explicit. Storm Moon publishes in both ebook and print-on-demand format. Their Wild Moon Books imprint also publishes straight romances. In addition to full-length novels, Storm Moon publishes a number of anthology collections. Currently, the editors are seeking submissions for the following anthologies:

Big Damn Heroines — fantasy, horror, sci-fi and paranormal romance featuring lesbian, bisexual or heterosexual plus-size heroines. Deadeline December 28, 2012 for release in April 2013.

Upon a Blood-Red Sky — paranormal, sci-fi and urban fantasy stories about the underclass in a dystopian world. Deadline December 31, 2012 for release May 2013.

All anthology stories should be between 10,000 and 20,000 words.

For more submission guidelines. go here.

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. I only ask that you give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. Thank you. Cindi Myers

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Shop Vitacost for all your health and wellness needs. Groceries, vitamins, home items and more, with $10 free for your first order and free shipping for orders over $49.

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One King’s Lane – vintage and market finds for every room in your home. On sale every day.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
―    Sylvia Plath

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If you write science fiction or fantasy and you enjoy the challenge of writing on a specific theme, check out Cross Genres Magazine. They publish a monthly ezine, as well as twice-yearly anthologies. They pay five cents a word and are seeking stories of at least 1,000 words and no more than 6,000 words on the following themes. (Submit your story during the appropriate period for the theme):

November 1-30 — Myth — publication in March 2013.

December 1-31 — Discovery — publication April 2013

January 1-31– Escape — publication May 2013

February 1-28 — She – publication June 2013

The editors like character-driven stories and would like to see more stories with female leads, gay characters, disabled characters, stories set outside North America, stories set in the far future and stories where science saves the day. For more details, see the Submission Guidelines.

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Musa Publishing is closing to most submissions during the holidays, but they’re still open to the following Special Calls:

Tuesday Temptations — The editors are seeking steamy stories for the  Tuesday Temptations line, part of Musa’s Erato imprint. “From whirlwind romances to the ultimate dirty weekends, we’re looking for stories 15k and under to steam up our screens and make our staff blush.” GLBT erotica and erotic romance may both apply, in all sub-genres.

Under the Cape — Musa is seeking stories of heroes for their Erato and Calliope imprints. “Tell us about what it really means to be a hero, and show us the person under the cape.” Genres: Romance (sweet through erotic), Action/Adventure Heat levels: All Length: 15k+ Special requirements: All stories must feature a GLBT romance in order to qualify for the Erato imprint. Calliope stories must feature heterosexual romance. (Though the website still says submissions will be accepted through 11/1, my understanding is that this has been extended to 2/1/13)

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The View From Here goes on sale in two weeks. The first in a series set in the small mountain town of Eureka, Colorado, the book received a 4 1/2 star review from Romantic Times and has been picked up by Reader’s Digest for condensation. You can preorder your copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookstore.

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Intermix is the digital-first imprint of Berkley and NAL books. Intermix focuses on genre fiction — romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy and cross-genre fiction. They welcome all lengths, from novellas to very long fantasy novels. Every submission to Intermix is considered for the Berkley and NAL print lines as well — the editors decide if the work is best suited to print or to digital. Claire Zion is editorial director for Intermix, but all Berkley and NAL editors consider submissions for the imprint. They will read unsolicited and unagented manuscripts, though agented submissions have priority. Currently, they’re publishing a mix of reprints and new material, but they’re looking to add new authors. PENGUIN GROUP (USA) Inc. 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014-3657

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As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. I only ask that you give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. Thank you. Cindi Myers

*********************************************************************************************************

Shop Vitacost for all your health and wellness needs. Groceries, vitamins, home items and more, with $10 free for your first order and free shipping for orders over $49.

**********************************************************************************************************

One King’s Lane – vintage and market finds for every room in your home. On sale every day.

This just in. I have a new romantic comedy available for Kindle or Nook. Check it out: (Scroll down to next post to read the latest market news.)

“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”  Harper Lee

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Cup of Tea Books is a new imprint from Page Springs Publishing, a small press out of Ohio. Page Springs publishes books in digital and print. Cup of Tea focuses on women’s fiction and the editors are seeking completed women’s fiction manuscripts. See their submission guidelines for more information.

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Woman’s World magazine publishes an 800-word contemporary romance story in each issue — 52 stories a year. They pay $800 for each story, making the challenge of writing such a short story worth your while. Breaking into the magazine is tough — they have very specific wants. If you’re serious about writing for them, check out this great resource. Blogger Kate Willoughby, who has sold nine stories to Woman’s World, analyzes each published story and provides tips and insights to help you sell to WW too. Check out her blog Writing for Woman’s World for great information.

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Liternational is still accepting submissions for its Santa Claws contest. The editors are looking for Fantasy stories about “magical holiday fun.” Stories should be 1,000 to 5,000 words. The deadline to enter is December 1, 2012. There is no fee to enter and the top stories will win $500 and $250 respectively. See the contest guidelines for more information. And be sure to check out the submission tips.

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Want to receive news about Entangled Publishing directly to your inbox? They’ve launched mailing lists for each of their imprints, plus a general Entangled List. Here are the links to sign up:

Entangled Pub Main List: http://eepurl.com/oZnnn
Bliss: http://eepurl.com/rsgV9
Brazen: http://eepurl.com/rsg-T
Indulgence: http://eepurl.com/rshhP
Flirt/Ever After:
http://eepurl.com/rshgn
Scandalous: http://eepurl.com/rshjP
Covet: http://eepurl.com/rshaL
Dead Sexy: http://eepurl.com/rshcr
EntangledTeen: http://eepurl.com/rsheT

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The View From Here goes on sale in three weeks. The first in a series set in the small mountain town of Eureka, Colorado, the book received a 4 1/2 star review from Romantic Times and has been picked up by Reader’s Digest for condensation. You can preorder your copy at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookstore.

********************************************************************************************************

As always, feel free to share the information in this blog with others. I only ask that you give me credit as the source, and include a link to this blog. Thank you. Cindi Myers

*********************************************************************************************************

Shop Vitacost for all your health and wellness needs. Groceries, vitamins, home items and more, with $10 free for your first order and free shipping for orders over $49.

**********************************************************************************************************

One King’s Lane – vintage and market finds for every room in your home. On sale every day.