Latinidad – 12/08: Best of 2008

Contents:
1. Saludos
2. Article: An Author's Holiday Wish List
3. The Latinidad List
4. Upcoming Workshops: Winter Words Conference
5. Resources: Latino Writer Prize
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BEFORE YOU SEND IT OUT
"I was about to shoot myself in the foot by submitting to prospective agents
a manuscript needing revisions, a self-defeating query letter and a
confusing synopsis. Fortunately, a whiff of uncharacteristic cautiousness
prompted me to send the materials to Marcela--one of the soundest moves
I've made. Her editing of the start of the manuscript was spot-on and
provided a direction for editing the rest on my own; I wound up cutting
15,000 words, or 12%, of the novel. A greatly simplified synopsis fell in
place, and my new query letter looks nothing at all like the original. Her
tips about building a platform are compelling and not especially onerous.
Our phone conference was productive and enjoyable. Marcela has put
together a well-organized, robust consulting program that I heartily
recommend."--Burt Michaels, author of "Speechless"

Ready to work with a professional editor? Visit
http://www.marcelalandres.com/services.html
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1. Saludos
Given the current economy, you're probably looking for ways to trim your
holiday budget. Make your dollars stretch by giving books as gifts. Have
a gamer for a nephew? Give him the official guidebook to his favorite
video game. Got a foodie for a best friend? Get her a cookbook. Is your
boss a golf fanatic? Buy him his favorite golfer's autobiography. There's
a perfect book for every person on your list, even the one whose
personal library consists of the Yellow Pages. Before you shop, read
Sofia Quintero's "An Author's Holiday Wish List" to understand why
buying books is important for all writers. Then peruse this year's
Latinidad List for inspiration on books to buy for you and yours. To
nominate a book for next year's list (one you wrote or read) please
e-mail me at marcelalandres@....

Helping Latino writers get published,
Marcela Landres
marcelalandres@...
http://www.marcelalandres.com/

2. Article
An Author's Holiday Wish List by Sofia Quintero

"During this season of giving, I'd like to humbly request that you bestow
a present on your favorite author. Publishing is an increasingly difficult
industry, complicated by the mystery of how it actually does and does
not work to our readers. That is, the folks who may appreciate us the
most tend to know the least about what we go through to get that book
into your hands. As a result, sometimes our biggest fans do things–or
fail to do things–that hurt our ability to get that next book to you.

Here are things you can do to be sure that your favorite author can
continue to serve your entertainment and/or enlightenment needs next
year and beyond. They cost little to no time or money, and make all
the difference.

* Buy your copy. To properly feed you favorite author, you must buy the
book, LOL! Seriously, it's that simple. If you borrow if from your friend
and then pass it on to your cousin, of course, we're flattered. But we're
also in trouble. The biggest thing that makes the publishing house think,
"This is an author we should keep publishing," is book sales. Word of
mouth only helps an author if it translates into more books sold not
borrowed. There's no way to track borrowed books so please, if you can
afford it, buy our books rather than borrow them from someone else.

* Buy the book for someone else. In general, books are fantastic gifts
because there's one for every person, even the one who hates to read.
Now to give back specifically to your favorite author, buy the book you
love most and give it to someone else who you think will love it, too.
Don't just tell him or her, "You have to read this," and hope they do.
And because it bears repeating, certainly don't give that person your
copy, LOL! Buy the book for them. If you can get it autographed, that's
a special touch, and most authors love to oblige if you cover the
postage and give us enough time. Chances are that if you go to such a
length to stand by your recommendation, the person will actually make
the time to read it. There's no better way for a fan of an author to show
his or her appreciation than by recruiting new readers to our work.

* Ask for it at the library. Not all people who love to read can afford to
buy books, but you can still support your favorite author through your
local public library. Simply ask the librarian to order copies of our
books if the neighborhood branch doesn't already have them. In their
diligent effort to serve you, librarians do keep track of such requests as
well as monitor which books are borrowed most frequently. Get your
favorite author on your librarian's radar, and you have done an
incredibly helpful thing."

To read the rest of the article, please visit Sofia Quintero's blog at
http://tinyurl.com/6ph3wk

3. The Latinidad List

Literary Fiction – The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez
Every character is simultaneously original and familiar.

Poetry – Unfinished Portrait by Luivette Resto
Grounded in the reality that is the U.S. Latino experience.

Chick Lit – More Than This by Margo Candela
Though a happy ending is certain, you can't wait to get there.

Thriller – Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano
If Elmore Leonard were Nuyorican this is the novel he would write.

History – A Universal History of the Destruction of Books by Fernando Baez
Mind candy for the brainiacs in your life.

Lifestyle – Practically Posh by Robyn Moreno
Thrifty tips on living well, perfect for our tough economic times.

Cookbook – Simply Delicioso by Ingrid Hoffman
Fun and flavorful everyday meals that won't take all day to cook.

Young Adult – Amor and Summer Secrets by Diana Rodriguez Wallach
A Philadelphia princess goes to Puerto Rico and finds her Latinidad.

Middle Grade – The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez
The original title gives a glimpse of the poetic lines peppered throughout
this poignant debut.

Picture Book - Sergio Makes a Splash by Edel Rodriguez
Finally—a charming tale that doesn't involve abuelitas, tamales or pinatas.

4. Upcoming Workshops
Winter Words Conference

WHAT: Panel subjects include Agent Panel, Children's Literature,
Hot publishing trends and books for 2009, How to develop a
fiction series, Literary Fiction, Living the Adventure, Memoir, Niche
Writing (business, feature, science, travel), Sports Writing and Young
Adult Literature. Marcela Landres will present a Pitch Your Book
workshop.

WHEN: Saturday, December 6th, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

WHERE: Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road,
Fairfield, CT 06824

FOR MORE INFO: Visit http://www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/

Invite me to speak for your organization:
http://www.marcelalandres.com/requestaworkshop.html
List of upcoming workshops:
http://www.marcelalandres.com/workshops.html

5. Resources
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HOW EDITORS THINK
"I read How Editors Think in one sitting and was engaged from beginning to
end. It is well written, highly informative, and humorous—I found myself
laughing out-loud in a few spots! Thanks for sharing the secrets of the trade."
—Mayra Lazara Dole, author of Down to the Bone

Inspired by my experience as a former Simon & Schuster editor, How Editors
Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You reveals what it really takes to get
published. For more information, visit:
http://www.marcelalandres.com/E-book.html
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LATINO WRITER PRIZE
Deadline: December 31
$1000 and publication by Curbstone Press are given for a first book of fiction
by a Latino writer. For more information, visit http://www.curbstone.org/
*****
SELF-PUBLISHING WORKSHOP
Date: December 6
Four-hour workshop led by bestselling author Karen E. Quinones Miller
covering a variety of topics, including: Setting up your own publishing
company; obtaining ISBNs; copyrighting your book; getting distributors;
and marketing your book. For more information, visit
http://writers.aalbc.com/aalbc_com_worhshops_for_writers.htm
*****
SEEKING DOMINCAN WOMEN WRITERS
Deadline: January 1
The anthology, Quisqueyanas: Contemporary Writings by Dominican
Women, seeks submissions from Dominican women living on the island or
women of Dominican descent living in the U.S. Submissions may include
fiction, creative nonfiction, personal essays, and memoirs. For more
information, visit
http://www.erikammartinez.com/english/projects.html
*****
NEA TRANSLATION FELLOWSHIPS
Deadline: January 9
The National Endowment for the Arts grants $12,500 to $25,000 to
translators of poetry and prose. For more information, visit
http://www.nea.gov/grants/APPLY/LitTranslation/index.html
*****
POETRY RESIDENCY
Deadline: January 15
The University of Mississippi gives $1500 and a one-month residency to
a poet working on a manuscript. For more information, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/mfa/SPiR.html
*****
AWARD FOR STUDENTS
Deadline: January 15
The Hurston/Wright Foundation gives $1000 to recognize excellence in
fiction writing by a student of African descent enrolled full-time in a U.S.
college or graduate school. For more information, visit
http://www.hurston-wright.org/
*****
SHORT STORY COLLECTION PRIZE
Deadline: January 15
$1000 and publication by BkMk Press is given for a short story collection.
For more information, visit http://www.umkc.edu/bkmk/
*****
SEEKING LATINO HUMOR WRITERS
Eljumpingbean.com seeks intelligent voices of color with a sense of
humor. Their goal is to produce high quality and thoughtful content
that provides a satirical skewering of anything and everything, whilst
providing a springboard for some down and dirty discussion. For more
information, visit http://eljumpingbean.blogspot.com/
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EMERGENCY GRANTS
Human Rights Watch/Hellman-Hammett Grants give up to $3000 to
writers who have an urgent need to leave their country, are facing a
medical emergency, or are otherwise in dire financial circumstances.
For more information, visit http://www.hrw.org/en/node/75288
*****
SEEKING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN WRITING
The New School invites applications from accomplished fiction writers
with a strong academic or belle-lettristic orientation for a full-time,
tenure-track assistant professor position. For more information, visit
https://careers.newschool.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?
time=1228010673345
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NOMINATE WWW.MARCELALANDRES.COM
If you like my web site, please nominate it for next year's Writer's Digest
Magazine's "The 101 Best Web Sites for Writers" list. Send nominations to
writersdig@... with "101 Best Web Sites" as the subject line and a
brief note explaining how http://www.marcelalandres.com/ has helped you.
Thank you in advance for your support!
*****
SPREAD THE WORD
Want to see your announcement in an upcoming issue of Latinidad? Just
e-mail me at marcelalandres@...
*****
REPRINTS
You are welcome to reprint portions of Latinidad®; please credit
Latinidad® and include a link to http://www.marcelalandres.com/
*****
MORE ABOUT LATINIDAD®
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visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marcelalandres/
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"Money is like muck, not good except it be spread."--Francis Bacon

Latinidad® © 2003 by Marcela Landres

Marcela Landres
Editorial Consultant
718-208-5810
marcelalandres@...
http://www.marcelalandres.com/
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