Published for the betterment of your
writing career since 2003

Newly Formatted
by Silicon Valley's Tech Consultant/Poet
Samanthi Fernando. Find her on Instagram @poetsamanthifernando.

SharingwithWriters
Newsletters!
Pick Up Your Hot-Off-The-Press Newsletter Here.
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"A more than a decade of bettering writers' careers with
how-tos, tips, and publishing news."

"Please do your writing friends a favor and encourage them to subscribe."

For great tips and how-to articles
click on the link below to download your .pdf copy!
If you prefer to read SharingwithWriters in Word, let me know at
HoJoNews@aol.com.

Current Issue

March 2018 Oh my gosh! Keywords that pack a punch. Fake News. Freedom of speech. Bad habits learned from the Net. Financing your next book. Someone doesn't want us using the words "transgender" or "fetus."  Opportunities you haven't seen everywhere--or at all. Your usual tips and a little humor at the end. 

Back Issues

January 2018 Happy New Year! Let's see. Marlan Warren's report on audio books--the expense or self-record process? My editorial--ramblings on friends who publish controversial books, Fire and Fury, free press, high school newspapers. Yeah, lots to cover in one little editorial. A few opportunities and everyone's favorite--tips, tips, tips. Oh, and a free gift for Valentine's from subscriber Samanthi Fernando. And back to my old format.

December 2017 Merry Christmas! Feature on Speaking: How to Handle Hecklers. Spotlight on Mindy's Free Speech/Press. Check out Dr. Bob Rich's new free award and others.

October 2017 Borrowing Green Formatting from the Greats, Getting Blurbs the Easy Way, and check out those tips for AuthorsDen.com's new way to get free book reviews! Help me celebrate Samanthi Fernando's new format design! Find her on Instagram @poetsamanthifernando.

September 2017. Inspiration for great PR, The Silly E-book vs. Paperback Conundrum, Learn from Q&A a la Ann Landers,  and featuring, Seasonal Book Sales and Promos--or Not. If you didn't catch Samanthi Fernando's great newsletter format (still hand-produced but much prettier!), check it out this time!

August 2017 AVAILABLE ON REQUEST AT HOJONEWS@AOL.COM Foiling the "no service" gremlin that appears on your handheld device and How to Position Yourself as the Go-To Author and Expert Using HARO (Help a Reporter Out) and Make Editors who Need Help Eat Out of Your Hand. Oh, yeah! Hope you'll love Samanthi Fernando's Reformat of SharingwithWriters! 

April 1, 2017 Let's speed up the action scene in your manuscript! The truth about going viral! And an early bird value for a writers' conference you won't believe!

March 12, 2017 "How I Came About My Book Marketing World View," Mindy's help with
writer's retreat resources, Carolyn takes on the topic of cussing (it may not be what you think), and how winning a contest before your book is published can help your career.

February 22, 2017 This seems to be new scam and kinks-in-old scams week! And if you have been putting off doing visitors because you've never uploaded a video, subscriber Helen Dunn Frame has the perfect tips for you! Oh, yeah. I know you'll want to read my rant. Sometimes I just can't help myself!

January 21, 2017 Read right away (expiring opportunities!). Why you shouldn't worry about Amazon's new review guidelines. Grace Allison gives us a Webby tutorial on letting Amazon (easily!) promote our books with an e-mail! And Midwest Book Review gives you a tip on timing your review query submissions! Yep, I'm celebrating the release of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically that has even more tips of utilizing Amazon in our book review campaigns

December 5, 2016 You know you want to know the 15 Commandments for more book sales in 2017. You know you can't miss my favorite tip for December.

November 11, 2016 Renewed enthusiasm for the people who are the publishing industry with the release of How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically, how to choose the best book tour operator and my fave Twitter tip.

Oh, yeah. How to get a free e-copy of my new book--courtesy Bookbaby.com or Amazon Prime. 
Please give it a review, too! At http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews.

October 10, 2016  A new contest scam for you to avoid. Q&A a la Ann Landers helps readers work with bookstore "appearances" without being there. And, yes! The cover reveal for my How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically.

May 20, 2016 Forget Christmas in July! Get your holiday promo ideas in May! Mindy's Itty Bitty column at its most memorable. Generous Marketing. A short list of agents. Another short list of library resources.

April 10, 2016 Come listen in on a conversation I had with Amazon!  How I put a smiley face on a rejection and you can, too!  What to say to get FREE publicity. A prepublish peek at the third book in my multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books, Getting Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically and lots more!

February 20, 2016 Amazon is now a book scout! So saeth guestblogger Beth Cox. I love this week's feature, How to Handle #bookbigotry. Your book may be right for spinoffs, even if you don't think so and you know you want to know how Dr. Bob Rich makes life easier for his reviewers!

January 22, 2016 Wahhh! Rescuing Amazon reviews when you publish a second edition.  And does "corn" mean what you think it means (a little editing tip!). Yep, and tis the season for more contest news, too!

December 5, 2015 Barbie (Well, OK, Mattel!) gives us a marketing lesson we all can use! Editing guru Barbara McNichol gives SharinwithWriters subscribers the lowdown on "such as," and in the interest of free speech and free press, SWW copy editor Mindy Lawrence tells us what she thinks in her Not-So-Itty-Bitty column!  

November 9, 2015 Attack on Fake Reviews: The more you know about reviews and Amazon, the better prepared you'll be to share your book with readers! Why Op Ed and Major Media Outlets Made Me Think of V8! And some specifics on writing a query letter that's a pitch!

September 15, 2015 You probably knew you could upgrade your e-mail signature with Bookbuzzr's amazing flipper, but do you know the other benefits? And here are the secrets for giving away your book on a large scale straight from my personal experience. And, oh, yeah. Here's a tried-and-true way to get your book into college bookstores! Plus all the usual SharingwithWriters features except for Mindy's regular Itty Bitty column; she deserves a rest!

August 10, 2015 Lots of freebies in this one! The way to a frugal promoter's heart! And do you know what a Midori is? Mindy Phillips Lawrence will show you. And Scott Lorenz gives you step-by-step for making Goodreads Listopia work for your book. And, yeah, the usual resources, tips and inspiration.

July 10, 2015 I'm on an image roll! But we'll also talk about Taylor Swift, assertiveness, and promotion; a case study of a Saturday Night Live writer's promotion campaign, and another one on getting the future right.

June 18, 2015 Mindy's Itty Bitty column is a little piece of flash fiction for your enjoyment this month! I know you will enjoy at least one of the freebie offers. Do you know about the "do" dummy? And last call for WinningWriters.com first ever North Street Book Prize!

May 29, 2015 Scott Lorenz on what writers can learn from Motown. Really! Nina Corbett inspires your first documentary. Mindy Lawrence on the nostalgia of real ink. And, of course, tons of tips and resources.

May 1, 2015 Are writers and publishers organizations like IBPA any good? What is a Published Works Almanac and how can I use one? Karen Cioffi deconfuses editing terms and a whole lot more!

March 19, 2015 Jim Cox of Midwest Reviews tells you how to entice reviewers to accept your book for review. And how about a public TV documentary to expand exposure to what is near and dear to you? And Linda Ballou on combating Internet nasties.

February 13, 2015 Terry Doherty shares her bookmark secrets. I'm taking a certain Valentine (you?) to The Big Story Conference at Valley College on Feb. 20, 21, 22 FREE. And you know you want Mindy Lawrence's tips on freebies that you'd normally have to pay for at your library. Plus the usual Tips and In the News stuff that helps your writing career! 

January 15, 2015 Telling stories about catercorner, kitty-corner, and catty-corner; Scott Lorenz shares PR tricks with you; new Tricks of the Trade radio show for learning and a resource for your own promotion; and what the heck is the subjunctive mood, anyway?

December 15, 2014 Children's author advocate Terry Doherty tells he how to Drip, Drip, Drip to find success in the publishing world. Mindy Philips Lawrence somehow makes us feel special by lauding the authors we lost in 2014. Valerie Allen and other book fair gurus tell you how to keep the book fair magic going. And oh those tips and resources!

November 12, 2014 Check Your Sell-Your-Book Expertise with Carolyn’s Quiz, Nurturing Your Industry and Your Career, and SharingwithWriters perennial favorite Q&A a la Ann Landers: Scammed by Bad Publishers

Plus My Best NEW Marketing Tip for 2014

October 8, 2014 Never knock yourself out writing an inconsequential scene again (guest feature by K.M. Weiland); the skinny on lighting and background for your home videos; and why the "perfect" review may not be so perfect after all!

September 16, 2014 Ampersands may not be nearly as clever as you think they are. Time magazine tested me on initialism and I lost. How our covers--even the pretty ones--can keep our books off of bookstore shelves.

August 18, 2014 Do you know what elastic pricing is for your book? It can make you feel more comfortable about discounting and even freebies! Also news about the new Amazon List Network, brassy poetry promotion, and using booklets to partner with charity for the promotion of our work.

July 14, 2014 How to get reviewers to let you reprint (recycle) their reviews. So why exactly is it you don't want to give your books away? And about that title "content writer?" You deserve better!

June 24, 2014 Lots on the Hachette drama, Amazon's new bookselling feature #AmazonCart, and my Q&A a la Ann Landers on How Do You Get a Reviewer to Let You Reprint Their Review.

June 1, 2014 Don't let scammy marketing ideas derail you! And what are those funny numbers we see on copyright pages, anyway?

May: Free Mother's Day Offer

May 5, 2014 This is really my April newsletter but I was playing on a transatlantic cruise.  Loved Cape Town!  In this issue I'm sharing tips for decorating your writing space and Penny Sansevieri's guest contribution on Are New York Publishers Still Relevant? Oh! And check out those Costco tips!

March 16, 2014 Lots on perfecting your campaign for keeping your book alive with reviews and a lovely new Itty Bitty by Mindy Lawrence on using the new Cosmos as inspiration and for better writing.

February 14, 2014 Ragging a bit on Barnes and Noble. Is English a conceited language. What to do when someone beats you to being being the featured expert.

February 1, 2014 Midwest review's new policy benefits indie writers, a little on solitude by Mindy Lawrence, and how fiction writers can use paid-for advertising to benefit their books.

January 4, 2014 Tons of tips on reviews and one article on making more money using niche publishing. Oh! A few tips on making online blog book tours more effective, too!

December 10, 2013: Ohhh, la, la. Carolyn on public radio with Lois P. Jones talking promoting the hard-to-promote genres and reading poetry, the craziness (and loss) of some politically correct rules, and what a tip on learning more about Google Plus hovercards from Joan Stewart.

November 19, 2013: Mindy Lawrence wishes Doris Lessing a good journey, Joan Stewart wants you to use hashtags more effectively, and I want authors to consider using the free fine art now available from the great museums of the world. And lots of tips as usual!

October 17, 2013:  A Better Sellsheet: Borrowing an Idea from the Smithsonian Magazine and Subsidy-Publisher Scams

September 30, 2013: Amazon's new BookMatch, Why I Love It and How To Do it and Karen Cioffi-Ventrice's Pass It Forward.

August 30, 2013: Let Amazon Work for You, Getting Better Results for Your Freebie Offers by Karen Cioffi, and Letting Kindle Make More Money for You.

July 31, 2013: SharingwithWriters special AllTips edition. Scams, motivation and more.

June 27, 2013: What makes Amazon think they can discount my book without my permission?  And a rant:  Who says we can't write from the POV of someone very unlike us?

May 30, 2013: Give-Away Book Promotions: The Other Side of the Coin; Getting Published is Good Business; and Getting Too Darn PC for the Good of the Language.

April 30, 2013: Get your FREE Mother's Day gift and the first in a series of why free is good or bad, some more convincers and how-tos on Pinterest, and how not to fall into a tender (but-no-so-great) trap from Google Blogger.

April 10, 2013: How to use Pinterest for storytelling with tips on how to useit to market your book, too. There's also help in getting blurbs for your book the easy way.

March 15, 2013: You Want People to Accidentally Discover Your Book On The Web and Joan Stewart Nixes Alphabet Bios.

"Careers that are not fed die as readily
as any living organism given no sustenance." 
~
Carolyn Howard-Johnson


About SharingwithWriters

"A newsletter that is also a community. Share your ideas. Learn from theirs."

Sharing with Writers and Readers
sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com
"Looking for cheap ways to promote your book? Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares tips to get your book out to the world at a low cost. Sign up for her free e-newsletter to have most of the information delivered right to your inbox."
~ Writer's Digest

"This is a thank you and a love note. I've been copying your newsletters each week and I have them strewn all over the place with pages turned back and stuff marked etc.  So much good information, some I may never get to." ~Norma J. Sundberg author of An Odd Fable, with Esther Leiper, illustrator.

~~~~~

"Your newsletter is chock full of valuable tips and I'm happy to be privy to it, Carolyn. For one thing,  I had no idea Amazon offered the writer so much. I had no idea about a lot of good things until reading the letter for the first time. Guess I better get busy utilizing the tips in order to be ready for the next letter. LOL Thanks for giving me a boost and a chance to gain momentum in my writing.
Pee Wee (S.K. Hamilton) ~ author The Kahills of Willow Walk.

 

Here are some tips on the advantages of editing your own
newsletter. The Frugal Book Promoter also tells you
how you can use a newsletter to network for better
results in getting free publicity.

Trailer/Video Courtesy of Reno Lovison of RenoWeb.net.


Please
Subscribe to SharingwithWriters

"A decade of bettering writers' careers with how-tos,
tips, and publishing news."

You are invited to subscribe to my newsletter. It is published semi-monthly except when I'm on deadline for a book or traveling (a girl has to live, after all!)  It is a place where authors come to learn, to share what they know . Subscribe by clicking here.

You know you want to!

Bonuses include semi-annual editions of the popular AllTips editions and occasional special AllTips editions on targeted subjects like writing craft, book marketing, and editing--even tweeting!   

Sharing with Writers is proofed by Mindy Phillips Lawrence of MPL Creative Resources (www.freewebs.com/mplcreative).  Contact her at mplcreative1@aol.com for editing help.


SharingwithWriters
Endorsements

What People Are Saying
Printed with permission of the writer, Joe Kelley

 Dear Carolyn:

One of the reasons I like you so much is this incredible e-mail [Sharing with Writers].

This kind of information is not only tantamount and compelling...it reveals your secrets, the secret of all of your success(es). It basically tells us, "This is how you can win."

 Almost everything from you and about you, if scrutinized closely enough, will be hints, ideas, thoughts, etc. that tell us either how to START winning or how to train our minds to think more like yours.

 

Tip

The single most important thing you can do with your newsletter is encourage your subscribers to participate by writing an article for you or sending you a tip. Reward them with a liberal credit line that links to the buy page of their book or to their own newsletter or blog or Web site.

Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or tech on every page of this Web site. 

.  

 I've always considered you a marketing and promotional genius. It not only seems to come naturally, but it involves the tons and tons of footwork you've always been willing to do.

 So when I get a missive from you, any missive, I study it and it always teaches me.

 I've yet to meet you. But you've taught me more about the business than anyone else I've ever met, and I've met/know a lot of successful writers and show business people.

 The fact that you're so willing to share with us makes you even more incredible to me. Lots of people with your information prefer to keep it to themselves.

 Frankly,  I've been one of them.

 You've encouraged me to start giving back. In this vein, I contacted the LAPL [Los Angeles Public Library] about leading a writing  group on a volunteer basis.  It's going through the administration as I write but it's been pre-approved.

 I've also offered to lead or teach writing groups at a few Northeast Los Angeles senior centers, because I've always felt seniors had so much sensational material buried deep within. Once they begin writing, seniors find it a joyous and fulfilling thing . . . .~ Joe Kelley, screenwriter.

From the Editor of the Wisconsin Writers' Journal
on the Effectiveness of Sharing with Writers

 Thanks to a favorable mention of the Wisconsin Writers’ Journal in an earlier edition of Carolyn's newsletter, Sharing with Writers, we’ve already had two new memberships. She noted the importance for new writers trying to break into publication of clips from Journals such as WRWA’s. That led two people in Wisconsin! who’d never heard of WRWA to write me and request membership applications.

It’s called networking, people. Bread cast upon the water doesn’t always become soggy and sink to the bottom. Networking is a vital writer’s tool.
~
Boyd Sutton, editor of the Wisconsin Writers' Journal


Newsletter Tip

When you send out a media release to your personal list
(not via press press release distributors), mention that you'd like to link to whatever they might use from your newsletter and your blog. It never hurts to offer to write a guest post for their blog or article for their newsletter on the same subject, either!

For a list or media (press) release distributors see this in the
Writers Resource section of this Web site.

Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or tech on every page of this Web site. 


Newsletter How-To Article

Love Letter to Newsletters—and You

Adapted from the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (http://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromo).

I believe in newsletters. 

I continue to read a handful of the best out there from leaders in the industry. I do it to stay on top of the industry news, to remind me to do things I've known I should for a long time, to network with others who publish newsletters (often industry leaders), to stay on top of tech and networks on a need-to-know basis and even to remind me to occasionally submit articles to those who edit newsletters which extends my reach to targeted audiences in any of the genres I write in.

I also believe every writer should distribute a newsletter.

You should distribute one to promote your book and keep readers involved until your next book is released and to continue to grow a platform for your writing career. If your book hasn’t yet been published, your readers will enjoy following the publishing process and your agent will like that they can point out your proactive approach to marketing to possible publishers for your book.

Newsletters needn’t be fancy. In his column for Time magazine, Joe Klein told of Bryan Lentz’s choice of a simple flier to promote his run for Congress. Lentz said his campaign staff wanted him to produce “something splashy.” His simpler choice cost less and, he says, “They look real. People open them and read ’em like a newspaper.” Klein notes, “It was true, people [nearby] were reading the Bryan Lentz news.”

That’s the way it can be for your newsletter, too. I once asked my readers about my plain-text Sharing with Writers e-newsletters and they voted overwhelmingly for keeping them long and simple rather than short, colorful, and in HTML. Presumably they'd rather get information they need than luxuriate in the beauty of the thing.

 Some writers prefer to skip a newsletter and contribute to others’ letters instead. The trouble is, there are benefits that come with having your own newsletter that you can’t get by playing someone else’s game. Shel Horowitz recently reinstated a newsletter (www.guerrillamarketinggoesgreen.com) he dropped for just that reason.

Linda Morelli, the award-winning romance and mystery writer, swears by her newsletter. She says, “I have more fun with my quarterly newsletters (than other forms of promotion). I personalize each with news about what’s happening in my world, my latest reviews and book signings, my current contest, and even my favorite recipes.” Although she sends out about 100 letters by USPS to fans who don’t have e-mail, she posts electronically to a much larger list.

 It may be easier for romance writers like Linda to fill their letters with material that will be of interest to their readers, but it can be done for any genre. Here are some tips on how to start:

  • Keep your goals in mind. Entertainment? Staying in contact with readers? Garnering support? Book sales?

  • Consider the time it takes to produce a letter. Consider the cost if you choose to distribute a snail-mail edition.

  • Let your letter reflect your personality. Most letters start with a chatty piece from the author. C. Hope Clark includes a snapshot of herself doing something fun in her Funds for Writers newsletter (www.fundsforwriters.com/newsletter).

  • Humor gets and keeps readers.

  • To increase readership, encourage readers to contribute articles and letters-to-the-editor.

  • Include general and fun features to entertain your readers. Crossword puzzle using keywords from you nonfiction or novel, anyone? I can visualize a really sexy one for a book in the chick lit, erotic or romance genres. Sex sells.

  • Ask your readers for suggestions on content they would like to see included.

  • Post each newsletter on your Web site. Some of your regular subscribers will revisit your archived letters and the sites you link to in your newsletter, including your own.

  • Use a signup window on your Web site and blog so visitors can subscribe to your letter easily.

  • Recycle your feature articles and tips onto your blog and vice versa. Allow plenty of time between each appearance. Recycle again to others’ letters and blogs.

  • Include a calendar of your events.

  • To encourage readers to scroll to the end of the letter, end each one with something amusing. I use pun-oriented jokes because they relate to the fun of words. Publicity Hound Joan Stewart uses doggy jokes and solicits new ones from her readers.

 

Are you convinced? To keep yourself inspired and to get ideas and to utilize opportunities offered to expand your own marketing by newsletter editors read the ones that come from Jim Cox of Midwest Reviews, Dan Poynter, Penny Sansevieri, Joan Stewart…and..yes, mine. It won't be long before you'll see how important a newsletter of your own can be to your book but also to your entire writing career.

  

 

Newsletter Tip

When you send a query letter mention that if the editor or producer uses your feature idea (or whatever it is you're querying about), you'd love to keep the promotion going by mentioning it with a little pitch and link to your newsletter subscribers. If you have thousands of them, it doesn't hurt to throw that tidbit in there, either.

 Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or tech on every page of this Web site. 

  


Carolyn's first person essay, "Beating Time at Its Own Game."

Carolyn's Sharing with Writers  blog is a
Writer's Digest 101 Best Website

 

Carolyn's blog, The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor is
Best Blog of the Day.
 

The New Book Review blog is a Brillante WeBlog Premio award winner and was given Nikki Leigh's Starbuckled award.

Blogs are social media, as you know.
Please join me on my other social media pages  too!

Carolyn encouraging you to promote
using her newsletter...
and your own!


Subscribe to
Carolyn's Blogs, too!

 

Nikki's Starbucks Reviews

 

Nikki's Starbuckled Peer Award

for The New Book Review.

 

 

A Brillante Weblog peer award for
The New Book Review
blog. Nominated by Nikki Leigh.

 

Blog of the Day
For
The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In-Editor blog.

Carolyn's New Book Review Blog Featured...

...as essential site at
MastersInEnglish.Org

and
Online Universities'
101 Book Blogs You Need to Read


Buy Links for Carolyn's Book

Great Fiction
Purchase THIS IS THE PLACE
and
HARKENING at Amazon in their new and used feature.
Both of these books are out of print. They are available only on Amazon's New and Used feature for about $1.

Great Poetry
Purchase TRACINGS (Finishing Line Press) at Amazon.
IMPERFECT ECHOES: Writing Truth and Justice with Capital Letters,
lie and oppression with Small

Give the gift of poetry with a chapbook from Magdalena Ball's
and
My Celebration Series

CHERISHED PULSE: Unconventional Love Poetry
IMAGINING THE FUTURE: Ruminations on Fathers and Other Masculine Apparitions
SHE WORE EMERALD THEN: Reflections on Motherhood
BLOOMING RED: Christmas Poetry for the Rational
DEEPER INTO THE POND: Celebration of Femininity
SUBLIME PLANET: Celebrating Earth and the Universe
 

HowToDoItFrugally Series for Writers
Purchase THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER,
THE FRUGAL EDITOR
Second Edition
GREAT LITTLE LAST MINUTE EDITING TIPS FOR WRITERS
GREAT FIRST-IMPRESSION BOOK PROPOSALS
HOW TO GET GREAT BOOK REVIEWS FRUGALLY AND ETHICALLY

Survive and Thrive Series of HowToDoItFrugally Books for Retailers
A RETAILER'S GUIDE TO FRUGAL IN-STORE PROMOTION
FRUGAL AND FOCUSED TWEETING FOR RETAILERS
YOUR BLOG, YOUR BUSINESS

Most of Carolyn's books are also available for the Kindle reader.
Did you know that with the Free app, Kindle can be adapted to any reader--even your PC!

"Careers that are not fed die as readily as
any living organism given no sustenance." 
~
Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Studio photography by Uriah Carr
3 Dimensional Book Cover Images by iFOGO
Logo by Lloyd King

To subscribe to Carolyn's FREE online newsletter send an e-mail.

Learn more about Carolyn's newsletter and blog.

Read past issues of Carolyn's Newsletter.

 

Frugal E-Book Tip

Kindle E-Books Aren't
Just for Kindle Anymore

Did you know that Amazon’s Kindle e-books are a low-cost/no-cost way to access books even if you don’t have a dedicated Kindle reader? You can read Kindle's e-books on smartphones, desktop computers and any e-device in between. You can even store the books on the Amazon cloud.

~ Quote from Diana Schneidman, author and marketer

 

Other Links

 

Carolyn's Commercial Acting

 


 Celebration Series of Poetry Chapbooks
 

 

This is the Place, a novel

 

Speaking

Tracings, a chapbook and memoir in one

Harkening, true short stories

Carolyn's Poetry

Helps For Retailers

Helps For Writers

Full Published Works Almanac

Travels and Poetry

Published Books

 

Quick Links to Buy the Celebration
Series as E-Books or Paperbacks
She Wore Emerald Then
 
Sublime Planet
Cherished Pulse Blooming Red
Deeper into the Pond Imagining the Future
 
 
Quick Links Learn More About Other Chapbooks in the Celebration Series
She Wore Emerald Then Imagining the Future
Cherished Pulse Blooming Red
Deeper into the Pond Sublime Planet

 

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As featured in The Frugal Book Promoter

 

Editing Booklet

Like Carolyn's Great First Impression Book Proposal, Great Little Last-Minute Editing Editing Tips for Writers, is also only $6.95. Each of them take less than an hour to read.


Subscribe to
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Sharing with Writers Newsletter

and get a FREE copy of
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers

"I have been a professional writer 40 years, and am also a tenured full professor of journalism. Carolyn's Sharing with Writers newsletter is  most useful for me--and for my students. I emphasize to them that while research is 90% of writing, and the actual writing is about 10%, there's another 100% out there called promotion. Carolyn shows numerous ways to get the message to the mass media."
~Walter Brasch, author and educator


The Ultimate Aid for
Your Career

Carolyn's newest book from her multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers!
How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is now available as an e-book and paperback on Amazon.

Reviews are the way to get the launch off to a great start and to keep all your books alive. And there's a lot more to it than you think and it is (or should be) very nearly free!

 


Quotation of the Year

"Free speech is everything, the whole ball game. Free speech is everything!"

~Salman Rushdie,
Nobel Prize Winner

 


Find Carolyn on the Web

  writers retailers

Carolyn's Blogs

Sharing with Writers
All things publishing with
an emphasis on book
promotion. Named to
Writer's Digest
101 Best Website list.


The New Book Review
Great way for readers, authors, reviewers and publicists to get more
mileage out of
a great review.


The Frugal Editor Blog
This is the Frugal, Smart
and Tuned-In Editor blog.
Covers editing, grammar, formatting and more.
Get the answers you need.



Other Social Media

Find Carolyn's social media here:
Carolyn's media page.

While You're Browsing...

You will find at least one promotion, writing or tech tip on every page on this site. Sometimes you'll find, two or three! Happy browsing and collecting.


Endorsements

..it was your conference workshop and newsletter that got me started with Stories for Children Newsletter for Writers and all my other writing endeavors. It's the least I can do to repay you for all the help and support you've given to me.
~ VS Grenier , founder & owner Stories for Children Publishing, LLC


"Even though I'm not on the 'author' side, I find the information [in the Sharing with Writers newsletter] incredibly valuable ... as well as a great way to keep my sense of what's going on in the literary world!
~
Terry Doherty, editor of The Reading Tub


"Your comments [in Sharing with Writers] are so supportive and encouraging to aspiring writers and experienced ones. I subscribe to many newsletters and find yours unique, in a most positive way, amongst them. "Sharing" with writers has certainly become your trademark in my view. Thanks for all your efforts in putting out the newsletter regularly." ~ Hugh Rosen, author of Silent Battlefields

"After I bought the Frugal Book Promoter, I had the privilege of meeting Carolyn Howard-Johnson at an authors' event. Later I subscribed to her newsletter, Sharing with Writers, and watched her Web site ... grow. Through her advice, recommendations, hints and leads one can tell that Carolyn ... revels in sharing her acquired wisdom with the world. Her newsletters contain tons of practical and useful information, keeping pace with technology... the quintessential teacher reveling in the development of her students. I often benefit from her leads and make time to read Sharing with Writers to the last sentence, sometimes copying paragraphs for future use. Carolyn conveys ideas much faster than I can implement them. She is to be commended for carrying on an Internet classroom for a smile."
 
~ Mary Zerzian, author The Immigrants' Daughter.|


In an unsolicited e-mail,
Liz Babcock, editor of Ridgecrest California Writers Club's newsletter says, "As always, I enjoy your newsletter, which invariably has something in it that gives me fresh ideas, contacts, or viewpoints."


Carolyn's Awards

Awards for Carolyn's Books, Blogs and More

The New Book Review
Named to
Master's in English.org Online Universities'

101 Essential Sites for Voracious Readers

Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites
for
Sharing with Writers blog.

 


Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008) and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (2011).

 

Reader Views Literary Award for The Frugal Editor

New Generation Award for Marketing and Finalist for The Frugal Editor

Book Publicists of Southern California's Irwin Award

Military Writers Award of Excellence for
Tracings, A Chapbook of Poetry.


A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotion wins author Military Writers Society of America's Author of the Month award for March, 2010

 

Gold Medal Award from Military Writers Society of America, 2010. MWSA also gave a nod to She Wore Emerald Then, a chapbook of poetry honoring mothers.

The Frugal Editor Named #! on Top Ten Editing Books list.

Finalist New Generation Book Awards 2012, The Frugal Book Promoter; Finalist 2010 The Frugal Editor;
Winner 2010 Marketing Campaign for the Frugal Editor


The Oxford Award
recognizes
the alumna who exemplifies the Delta Gamma precept of service to her community and who, through the years, devotes her talents to improve the quality of life around her.

The Frugal Book Promoter is runner-up in the how-to category for the Los Angeles Book Festival 2012 awards.

Glendale City Seal
Winner Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts
Glendale California's Arts and Culture Commission and the City of Glendale Library,
2013

And more than a dozen other awards for Carolyn's novel, short story collection and poetry. See the awards page on this site.


Site Sponsors

Click on the logo to see the trailer in action!

Authors Broadcast for reasonably priced and thoroughly professional video book trailers.


Promotion Tip

Online marketing is among the most frugal means of marketing for books, retailers, or anyone with a product or service to sell. Learn how to make blogging work for you, no matter what business you're in with Your Blog, Your Business. Learn more about other marketing techniques with retailing books.

Find at least one tip on writing, promotion or tech on every page of this Web site. 


Yes You Can Get Reviews


Carolyn's Awards


Published Works Almanac


Carolyn's  Social Media

Find my favorite social media on the
social media page.


Other Interests

Acting
Speaking
Travel

Tolerance


Carolyn's Poetry

Tracings
Imperfect Echoes
Celebration Series
Travel


Carolyn's Literary Works

This is the Place
Harkening
Published Shorter Works


Carolyn's How to Do it Frugally Series

For Writers
For Retailers


Proud Member

www.wrwa.net
Honorary Member



ABWA is a group of highly skilled networkering women in business.

Military Writers' Society of America

Also, honorary member of Publishers and Writers of San Diego, Greater Los Angeles Writers Society (GLAWS), IWOSC, and Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA)


Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC)  Pix: Proud Irwin Award Winners
Carolyn and Janet Goliger.


Website Sponsor

As Featured in Publishers Weekly

This unique book paints a revealing picture of America for those foreigners who will benefit from a better understanding of America. Endorsed by ambassadors, teachers and editors, it even examines our culture, customs and language.

Available on Amazon bookstores worldwide, at Vroman's in Pasadena and other fine bookstores.


Must-Read Before Publishing

Awards for Carolyn's aid to
better writing and
publishing,

The Frugal Editor

 

  • Winner Reader Views Award for Best Professional Book

  • Winner USA Book News Award

  • Finalist Next Generation Book Awards

  • Winner Next Generation Book Awards for the Marketing Plan for that book

  • Honorable Mention from Dan Poynter's Global E-Book Awards

  • Book Publicists of Southern California (BPSC) coveted Irwin Award

 


Best New Writing 2013, 2015

My short story “Love Story” is included in 
Best New Writing 2013
and
"Dr. Pena's Lesson on
Culture" is included in

Best New Writing of 2015

Both are published by Hopewell Publications.


A Selection of Carolyn's Past Speaking Engagements

National Stationery Show May 17-20, 2009 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, NY Consider this a business essential.

Presenter 2009, 2010

Presenter, 2008, 09, 10, 11

Panel moderator, 2007

National Span College
presenter 2002

Fellows presenter, 2007, 08

Co-sponsor and presenter,
2007, 08, 09, 10, 11

University of Dayton Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference, 2006, 2008

Sisters in Crime,
Pasadena, 2009

On the Los Angeles Valley College Campus 2012, Rancho Library 2013,
Valley College Spring 2014

Wisconsin Regional Writers Association
Presenter, Keynote 2010

Book 'Em, NC,
Three Panels 2013


Presenter, 2013


Seminar Speaker, 2014


Keynote, 2013; 2014


Secrets of Great
Dialogue, 2015

Digging Up Memories and Bringing the Dead Back to Life
2015


Frugal Book Promotion.
Judith Briles' Extravaganza,
Denver, CO, 2016


Philadelphia, Nov. 2017

Learn more about Carolyn's conferences.