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Letter from the Editor

Welcome to the first issue of The
Fiction Flyer. We, that is my
husband Ray and I, started TRI
Studio LLC several years ago to
support our writing habit, and as
many of you know, this particular
habit can be a tenacious one! As
the months passed, we discovered
a growing interest in communicating
and networking with other writers.
This newsletter is one outgrowth of
that desire.

particular. Though we intend to
concentrate our efforts on fiction
since we are both fiction writers, we
will include news of interest for
writers of all genres. For example,
in this issue, we have an article
about the publishing market in
China, and another one on writing
contests. Both articles contain
information relevant to all writers. In
addition, Ray, who writes fiction
under the pen name of Ray Grant,
will include an article for each issue
on finances and investments as it
applies to writers. He has worked
many years as both an
engineer/scientist and a financial
advisor and will share his expertise
with you.

so that we may better tailor our
news to fit your needs.

Email :
KGogolewski@sbcglobal.net.
We thank you for your support and
hope that you will enjoy this issue
of The Fiction Flyer as well as
many, many more!

Happy Reading!
Sincerely,

Kathe Gogolewski

The cursive note scribbled on the
letter sent spurts of adrenalin pulsing
through my veins. Donna, the note
read. Check out this poem by Kathe. I
think it's exactly what you've been
looking for. Get back to me ASAP.
Chad The note was written to Donna,
but the letter was addressed to me,
and it contained a poem I had
submitted to a poetry contest.

At the time, I was new to the publishing
world and was thrilled to realize that
my work was (evidently!) of
professional quality. Chad was talking
to Donna about my poem! Not only
were they accepting it for their
anthology, but they also wanted me
to attend a conference, and...was I
reading this correctly? I had been
nominated for Poet of the Year! They
wanted me to read my poem with other
finalists at the conference. Really? On
the merit of one poem? Wow, it must
be better than I thought!

My consternation grew as I read the
instructions for registering and
obtaining airfare and hotel
accommodations. Nowhere in the letter
did I find any mention of monetary
compensation, even as a finalist.

I refrained from bellowing out the news
to my husband in the next room and
returned to the beginning of the letter.
On closer inspection, I noticed that the
hand-written note was a computer
generated ballpoint blue, not real ink
from a hand-held pen. My dander went
up. Was this a scam?

Well, no, but as I later learned, it was
grossly misleading. Thousands of
hopefuls would pay the price in more
than psychological terms through
expensive airfare and hotel
accommodations—and let’s not forget
the conference fee: $595 at last
count—only to arrive and learn that
every poet in attendance had also
received a Poet of the Year
nomination. Attendees are left to
discover, one by one, their place
within a tight schedule where they will
read their poems to each other
throughout the long weekend. And the
prestigious judges? Why, the poets

Continued on Page 2

Continued from Page 1

WRITING CONTESTS

themselves, of course. They get to cast
the votes for their favorite poems, after
receiving sound advice to vote for
themselves first.

This scenario plays out over and over,
conference after conference.

Here’s how they snare writers: the
company places ads in magazines and
ezines announcing a poetry contest.
There are cash prizes for winners with
guaranteed publication. Writers can
submit any number of poems without
charge. Sounds inviting, except a real
contest has losers; this has none.
Everyone wins, no matter how tasteless
or inappropriate the poem. Consider my
second entry into the contest, which I
wrote deliberately to showcase their
pitch and delivery:

Words of Praise

O words of praise so freely flowing
Oceans of it to keep you glowing!
Come On! They say, you must submit
Your poetry is such a fit
Precise and eloquent you are
For this we’ve searched so long and far
We’ll publish your prose happily
(Just don’t forget our little fee)

Now think what all your friends will say
Your enemies will have to pay
To get your pearly autograph
And you will have a hearty laugh!
C’mon you know you have the nerve
At last you’ll get what you deserve
Submit your work! Do not delay!
(Just keep in mind you’ll need to pay)

For we are so impressed with you
You’re one of the enlightened few
Bookstores everywhere will fight
For you to visit at their site
The crowds will gather, cheer your name
And life will never be the same
You’ll grow famous, wait and see
(Just remember now—it isn’t free)

* * *

Wouldn’t you expect someone in the
organization to catch this? They did not,
as I suspect they were far too busy
processing thousands of other poems to
mind the details for this one. So, without
a glance, this, too, made it into their
anthology. And for only $50, I was
informed that I could purchase the book
(more if I wanted my bio included). The
anthologies are thick hard-bound
books, congested with poems that bump
into each other—about fifteen twenty-
liners packed into three columns on
tissue thin paper. These volumes will
never grace a bookstore or library shelf,
and industry professionals do not award
literary credits for any of the works.
Even so, contest officials offer no
shortage of ways for you to spend your
money: your poem is available.

the site rates. http://www.anotherealm.
com/prededitors/ And stay away from
contests offered by only one person!

2) Look at the entry fees. Verify the
legitimacy of anything over $35. If it’s
not a well-known organization, steer
clear. The norm for the smaller
contests is between $5 and $25.
Some are free. Others offer non-
monetary prizes, such as publication,
books or subscriptions. If publication
is the prize, make sure the exposure
is wide enough to make it worthwhile.
Find out where and how you’ll be
published.

3) Look for the number of
contests run in a year. The money-
makers, those in the business solely
to make a fast buck, run contests
back-to-back all year long. If you see
a lot of contests, ask for more
information. Assess the quality of
writing in their publications to
determine their goals
.
4) Before entering, look for a
scoring sheet or some kind of
assessment about how you will be
judged. If they are asking for only $5
or if it’s free, don’t expect too much if
anything, but if they’re charging in the
$15 to $45 category, feedback is
warranted, and this should be noted
in the guidelines
.
5) Look for judges. What are their
credentials? Are they industry
professionals? A legitimate contest
will provide this information. Some
contests will protect the identity of
their judges, however, so don’t set
this one in stone. (Jello will do). In the
least, they should give you the
judge’s credentials, such as a senior
editor from Simon and Schuster, for
example, without giving the name.
Again, don’t expect this for the smaller
contests.

6) Consider the prize. If it’s too
high, be careful – it may be a scam to
entice people into spending money on
the entrance fee. While a $10,000
prize is likely a scam, even $5,000
and up should be treated
suspiciously, though it's worth
checking out. Some publishing
houses offer publication to winners,
which is enticing, but many scam
artists offer the same thing, so make
sure you have done your homework
and found out about the publisher.

7) Look for the Guidelines. Are
there any? There should be, and they
should be very clear, providing
information about eligibility, deadlines,
format, fees, and any rights you may
be surrendering. If they don’t have
them, find another contest. And follow
the guidelines closely!

Remember to have fun...and good
luck!

for a price on an engraved plaque or
an audio tape; you can have it
printed on a coffee mug. And of
course, there’s always another
conference. And, perhaps worst of
all, after learning the truth (in case
you wanted to forget the experience),
you are now on a mailing list that can
require the jaws of life to extricate
you from it.

So, should a writer avoid contests
altogether? Certainly not! An author
can build credits from winning
legitimate contests, especially
prestigious ones, such as the Malice
Domestic contest run by St. Martin’s
Press, or any contest run by
Romance Writers of America,
including the Four Seasons Awards
or The Golden Heart Award. The
Pacific Northwest Writers Association
sponsors another good one.
Legitimate contests employ industry
professional judges, well known in
the publishing world, who make
careful selections according to
rigorous standards The competition
is brutal, of course, however, you don’
t need to win in order to benefit. With
the entry fee, many offer thoughtful
critiques of your work.

However, not all writers are looking for
literary credits. Small contests can
offer a fun and interesting challenge,
though they may not impress an
agent or big house publisher.
Submission is usually easy, and entry
fees are either very low, or there’s no
charge. For example, the Preditors
and Editors Readers Poll, held online
once a year in January, invites
authors to post links to their books,
short stories or poems, and readers
may vote on their favorites.
It’s simple, fun and free. Other small
contests may charge a small fee,
such as Long Story Short, an online
ezine, however the quality of writing
is consistently good, creating a
healthy competition for entrants.

Can you assess the value of a
contest before entering? The
following tip list can help you identify
the legitimate ones:

1) Check out the organization
offering the contest. Do you
recognize it? If not, check it out
further and be wary. You can use
Preditors and Editors to find out how

WEBSITE OPTIMIZATION

Tips You Can Use

1. Current research says that
discussion boards are on the way
out, and blogging is in. Google.com
provides blogging.without charge.

2. Provide contests, surveys and
polls on your site. Publish the results
of your polls and surveys - people
love it!

3. If your book is fiction, the site
should be more personal - it's about
the author, so color and flavor play a
more vital role. (See Georgia
Richardson's site for an example of
a site with personality and punch!

If your book is nonfiction, there
should be more information, more
authority with a focus on the topic.
(See www.michelledunn.com).

Writing Flash Fiction
By
Raymond Gogolewski, Ph.D.

This is the first in a series of articles
about the writing of Flash Fiction
stories. In future articles, I shall focus
on techniques of writing, submissions,
publishing sites, and writing contests.

What’s flash fiction all about? Flash
fiction is a sub-genre of the short story
and is restricted in word count. There
is a fuzzy boundary on the upper word
limit that separates flash fiction from
short story. It’s usually about 2,000
words..

Short stories tend to range from 2,000
to 20,000 words with most written in
the 3,000 to 10,000 range. Flash
fiction tend to be between 250 to
1,000 words. Micro-flash fiction can be
any required word count below 250.
Some magazines (ezines) will ask for
stories with 99 words or fewer, some
exactly 66 words, etc. I read
somewhere that Ernest Hemingway
once wrote a six word micro-flash: “For
sale. Baby shoes. Never worn." So a
micro-flash can be quite laconic!

Flash fiction contains the classic
elements of a story: protagonist,
antagonist, conflict-obstacle-
complication, and resolution. Because
of the limitation on word length, some
of these elements can be either
absent or implied. Usually, a flash
piece consists of a single scene with
one to three characters. A catch-the-
reader’s interest first line and a
surprise ending bring a flash piece
home nicely. I find flash fiction to be
the literary equivalent of poetry. Both
require tight-structure, careful word
selection, imagination, and creativity.
Here’s a flash fiction example:

The Cat’s Meow
By Raymond Grant

“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty… got a treat for
you,” he said, extending his arm and
kneeling a distance from the cat.

She was gorgeous. Her tan fur was
thick and her tail long swishing. She
approached him slowly with
outstretched neck.

“Here, kitty...” once again. This time
the cat leaped into the air and opened
its mouth. When she landed in front of
him, she let out a roar and clamped
down on the tidbit, his hand, and his
arm up to his elbow.

One crunch and it was gone. The zoo
closed for the rest of the day.

Copyright © 2005 by Tri Studio, LLC

(*) Published by Flashshot eZine on
29 July 2005

body of your message to
raygogo@sbcglobal.net. I might
ask you if we can publish it in one of
our future issues.

Happy writing!
Ray

Ray is the author of Flashes in the
Pan: Fifty Short Stories for the
Impatient available from Double
Dragon Publishing

MARKETING TIP
Next time you're getting your
business cards printed, keep this
design trick in mind. If you print on
the front some kind of highly
recognized shape (a star, a tree, a
hand) and have it go off the edge of
the card, the recipient of your card
will be far more likely to turn it over.

Studies have shown as many as
87% of those handed such a card
turn it over. It's based on the
psychological design principle of
closure (which is of course a human
desire in general). The key is to
make the shape significant in size,
and thus usually as a background
image, with about a third of it
"hiding" off the edge of the card.

Why is this a marketing tip?
Because aside from your business
card being a basic marketing tool,
you will print on the back of the card
some key marketing message that
the recipient will now more likely
read.

THE BOOK MARKET IN CHINA

by Kathe Gogolewski

China, touted as the fastest growing
market in the world, has indeed
enjoyed dramatic economic growth in
recent years. The standard of living,
especially in the cities, is on the rise,
and a rather steep incline it is. Per
capita income has nearly quadrupled
in the last 15 years, and a few
analysts are even predicting that the
Chinese economy will be larger than
that of the United States in about
twenty years.*.

How does this impact the Chinese
book publishing industry, and what
can we expect of foreign book sales
in China in the near and far future?

Like anything in transition, there are
ups and downs, and at present, high
market volatility in China is the norm.
The book publishing industry is no
exception, so there’s good and bad
news.

First, a little background: More than
50% of all books in China are sold
through the state-owned Xinhua
Bookstores. Protected by
government policy, the bookstores
have held the monopoly on the
market for 67 years. Until just a few
years ago, they set the prices and
distributed books through 12,800
bookstores situated all over the
country. In October, 2004, a publicly
traded US holding company, Xinhua
China LTD, was given the right to
use the Xinhua Bookstores. Prices,
now determined by market demand,
have quadrupled business for
Xinhua Bookstores.

An antiquated distribution system, no
longer equipped to handle the
increased demand, was upgraded
through the formation of Xinhua C &
D (for Circulation and Distribution).
Xinhua China held controlling interest
in Xinhua C & D, while the Chinese
government retained 40% interest
through their head office at Xinhua
bookstores. In a press release dated
January 21, 2006, Xinhua China
expressed expectations for a “strong
relationship” that would “expedite
approvals required to import foreign
publications that meet with Chinese
government content approval for
distribution in China.” In partnership
with Xinhua China, Xinhua C & D
hatched plans to open distribution
centers in Beijing and elsewhere.
Xinhua C & D holds the only
nationwide wholesale distribution
license in China

And then, last month, the unexpected

Continued on Page 4

Continued from Page 3

happened: Xinhua China, poised to
drop 17 million into Xinhua C & D to
facilitate the expansion plans,
changed its mind at the eleventh
hour. Instead, they withdrew the 17
million and announced new plans to
concentrate on e-commerce and
online publishing. Controlling interest
in Xinhua C & D was given to the
Chinese government.

Why the sudden switch? According to
another press release from Xinhua
China, their board of directors viewed
the opportunity “for the sale of
ebooks in China to be substantial
and potentially more profitable, so it
is transitioning from the traditional
book distribution business to its new
online digital content business
model.” In part, Xinhua China
probably noted the growing number
of internet savvy Chinese readers.
According to a Chinese national
reading survey, (June 2006, Xiang
Jiangbo, APPREB correspondent),
the cyber-reading rate has increased
from 3.7% in 1999 to 18.3% in 2003,
then to 27.8% in 2005. The latest
annual growth rate boasts 107%. By
contrast, the reading rate of
traditional media was 60.4% in 1999,
and only 51.7% in 2005. Xinhua
China’s CEO, Xianping Wang, said,
“With China rapidly becoming the
most wired country in the world, we
are positioning ourselves to take
advantage of the trend for online
content, particularly foreign content.
Internet usage in China by middle
class consumers is growing at an
annualized rate of 60 percent. There’
s no question China represents a
great business opportunity for online
content and service providers.”

So was this an isolated decision from
Xinhua China, or did they experience
a little prodding from the Chinese
government? If the latter were the
case, as a publicly traded company,
they would not necessarily advertise
that information – not good news for
stockholders. It is possible that the
Chinese government was not
enjoying a mere 40% control over a
distribution system that, historically,
has yielded untold benefits for them
as a monopoly. It may be that upon

further deliberation, government
officials merely changed their minds
about allowing foreign control over
their market. In addition, recent (July,
2006) regulation in China prohibits
foreigners from making investments
without a Chinese partner, which
bodes ill for foreign investment in
general.

Even so, the online publishing
industry remains a new and viable
frontier, with one caveat: There’s no
reason to believe that online books
will escape the fate of traditional print
books on the Chinese market., where
piracy and corruption prevail. In the
report “Piracy of US Books and
Journals in China is Staggering and
Growing, Pat Schroeder Tells
Government Panel,” a conservative
estimate is given for lost revenue of
American publishing companies from
piracy: $52 million, and this without
factoring in digital piracy on the
internet. Mrs. Schroeder, former
Congresswoman and President and
CEO of the Association of American
Publisher (AAP), reported to a US
government commission that “help is
needed in bringing about meaningful
change in the Chinese market place.”
She spelled out the details of “market-
stifling effects of widespread and
systemic piracy” while citing the
illegal photocopying of academic
works. Even universities turn a blind
eye, she tells, allowing students to
purchase affordable, yet illegal
copies. Other works, such as
Grisham novels, political
autobiographies and Harry Potter
novels, are pirated also, and all
without fear of reprisal from the
government.

In addition, pirates appropriate the
names of well-respected US
publishers and use them on their
books in acts of trademark
counterfeiting. The content of the
books usually bears no resemblance
to the quality standards of the US
publishers.

The Chinese government is
undoubtedly realizing lost investment
capital from foreign firms who refuse
to deal with unreasonable regulations

and endemic piracy. In the final
analysis however, capital still drives
the train, even in a communist
country. The government has started
cracking down on pirating activity just
this year, though it’s a mere finger in
a dike riddled with holes. But the
message appears to be getting
through.

The rest is good news: There are
1.34 billion people in China. 300
million literate youth will soon
graduate from college and enter the
market. This, alone, equates to the
entire population of the United
States. China has a culture that
prizes reading as a character-
building activity, so there are serious
takers in the remaining 1 billion
people. Even if half the books in
China come from illicit sources, the
other half still constitutes a
staggering market. And that holds
true for both ebooks and traditional
books.

While the rules of the game can
change upon the whim of a few
influential party leaders, the trend is
toward increasing decentralization of
power. Measured amounts are
handed off to party leaders in rural
areas. Political unrest drives the
agenda in more and more cities and
towns. With the explosion of internet
use, authorities experience growing
difficulty trying to control access to
information. Some analysts believe
that this eventually will bring down
the current dictatorship, replacing it
with a more democratic government.
Access to information has been cited
as pivotal in promoting democratic
transitions elsewhere.

While no one knows the exact
political fate of China, one thing
seems certain: it promises a
powerhouse of a market, one way or
another. Keep your eyes on China
for business opportunities in general,
and on Xinhua China LTD, Xinhua C
& D and Xinhua Bookstores for the
publishing industry. These three
bellweather companies will likely tell
the story for the rest.

By Raymond Gogolewski, Ph.D.

This is the first of a series of
articles. We’ll focus on defining
financial concepts and
terminology, look at techniques to
accumulate liquid assets, and
assess the risks and rewards
associated with alternative
investments and investment
strategies.

Saving Off the Top

It may sound simple, but if you want
to manage wealth, you have to have
some to manage.

How does one accumulate wealth?
For most people, the answer is
dollar by dollar. Every time revenue
reaches your hand, immediately, if
not sooner, take a percentage (at
least ten percent) of that income
and sock it away…put it into an
account labeled do not touch under
any circumstance until retirement.

What account you say? Depending
on the level of assets (savings) you
have, you might, for example, put it
into an interest-bearing bank
savings account, buy a Certificate
of Deposit, buy a Treasury Bill,
Note, or Bond, or put it into a
brokerage account. If you put it into
a traditional IRA, some or all of it
may be tax deductible. We’ll talk
about the alternatives in later
articles. Right now, let’s keep our
eye on the bouncing ball.

If you don’t save immediately,
chances are you won’t save at all.
There are those bills that have to be
paid, that outfit that has to be
bought, that Friday night date that
money has to be spent on…yada,
yada, yada! If you take that ten
percent off the top and save it…
you’ll still be able to do almost all of
the things you planned on.
However, life is full of economic
decisions, and, if you haven’t
noticed, you make them every day.
Should I buy this, that, or the other
thing…should I spend money
on…should I pay this bill…should
I…?

By saving off the top and making it
automatic, i.e. doing it without
thinking about it (by another

name…making it a habit)…you can
accumulate wealth. Starting from
scratch isn’t easy, I know from
experience. But it is possible, and
you can make it happen. For
example, suppose you save $100 a
month on average, and you find an
investment that pays 6% per annum
(historically, there are many long-
term investments that do much
better than 6%). Guess what, if you
save it every month, after ten years
you’ll have over $16,000. Better yet,
after twenty-five years, you’ll have
almost $70,000! Just by saving
$100 a month.

By the way, guess what $500 per
month in savings amounts to after
twenty-five years? Almost
$350,000! Now, that’s a BIG step
toward wealth!

If you haven’t started, begin today!
Start with a percentage you are
comfortable with, and once a year
increase that percentage. The
important thing is to start. Now!

If you have questions or comments,
please email them to me at:
raygogo@sbcglobal.net.

***
When I was about eleven, I bought
my first copy of the Wall Street
Journal. I wanted to know what
stocks and bonds were. Seemed
like not many people knew. I went
down to our local bank and talked
with the bank manager. She
explained it to me.

Within a month, I bought three
shares of my first company. The
commission I paid was almost as
much as the cost of the three
shares (this was way before low
transaction cost internet trading
became available). Needless to
say, I never made a profit on those
three shares. However, my
purchase changed my life forever.
I became an investor, and I’ve
been one ever since.

While saving of the top, I paid off a
couple of mortgages, sent three
kids through college, and retired
from a career as a program
manager and consultant before I
reached age 60. So saving off the
top and investing really does work.

Do you have a question about this
topic? Ask Ray at:

Raygogo@sbcglobal.net

Ray's Ph.D. is in Theoretical and Applied
Mechanics. During the past ten years, he was
a certified Broker’s and Financial Planner’s
Representative. He is now fully retired.

AUDIO CLASSES FOR WRITERS

Coming Soon:

Head to Head; A Writers’ Audio
Handbook, featuring award-winning
authors Carolyn Howard-Johnson,
Joyce Faulkner, Allyn Evans and Kathe
Gogolewski and published by Double
Dragon Publishing.

Listen and learn in the second half of a
series of 30 audio classes. The first
half includes audios that cover topics
such as Choosing Point of View,
Frugal Book Promotion, Secrets of
Good Dialogue, The Benefits of Group
Promotion, Visualization in Writing,
Website Optimization and more.

In the second half of the series, soon
to be released, look for innovative
topics such as: Fury and Destruction;
How to Use Violence Effectively in Your
Writing, Ghostwriting, The Art of the
Interview, How to Write a Book Review,
Short Story Writing, Humor Writing,
Travel Writing and more.

Expect the first audio class of the new
series in September, 2006 from
Double Dragon Publishing.

Love With the Proper Rancher
by Judith Rochelle released by
Triskelion Publishing June 1, has
received Five Angels from Fallen
Angel Review, and strong reviews from
EuroReview, Ciar Cullen and Coffee
Time Romance (4 cups).

Another book by Judith Rochelle, The
Hired Wife due for release in
September by Triskelion Publishin.

Common Ground, an inspirational
romance written by Rochelle under the
pen name, Emily Brevard, will be
released by The Wild Rose Press in
september.

Love Romance Café named Judith
Rochelle as The Rising Star in
Publishing for August.

Other books by Judith Rochelle:

Playing With Fire (February 2007)
Echoes of the Past (May 2007)

Author Donna Sundblad’s
PUMPING YOUR MUSE hit
number one on Fictionwise’s
general interest best seller list two
weeks after being added to ePress-
online’s available selections.

A popular selection for aspiring
writers, each chapter extracts
elements from the real world to
construct a believable fictional
realm while giving birth to naturally
emerging characters. A must-have
for the seasoned author suffering
from writer's block or fledgling
writers looking for inspiration and
guidance.

Available at www.epress-online.com.
AUDIO Classes

A Star is Born!
Star Publish Appoints Janet Elaine
Smith as Marketing Director

Star Publish is proud to announce
that we have appointed Janet Elaine
Smith as Marketing Director for Star
Publish (http://starpublish.com).
Janet will be an invaluable asset to
Star Publish and its authors as part
of the Star Publish Management
Team.

Janet Elaine Smith came onto the
book publishing scene in June 2000
with the release of her first book,
Dunnottar. With no marketing
background and not even knowing
an author had to market their own
book, she soon proved that hard
work, good luck and the right
contacts could bring success. The
fact that bookstores are now more
open to stocking Print-on-Demand
books is due in large part to Janet's
unique, fun phone calls to
bookstores. Janet's book, Promo
Paks: Nearly-Free Marketing for
Authors, is published in e-book
format by Star Publish. In addition to
being the publisher for Janet's
PromoPaks, Star will soon be
re-releasing 14 of her books that
were with another publisher.

As Carolyn Howard-Johnson stated,
"We have the singular best person in
the industry doing this, and that
includes me. Bookstore sales have
never been my cup of tea (thus my
approach to THE FRUGAL BOOK
PROMOTER, that we pick and
choose what fits our pocketbooks
and our personalities). Janet does
bookstore sales better than anyone I
have heard of."

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