Your Info Guide

Weddings - that Special Day

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:16:50 +0000

Standing in front of all her loved ones, donning an elegant white gown and a radiant smile, the bride smiles at her groom, tears in her eyes, and says, “I do.” The audience feels a rush of excitement, thrilled to be a part of this magic moment. Weddings are magical events.

Over the years, weddings have taken new twists. Veering away from tradition, many couples today choose alternative weddings that will create one-of-a-kind memories to last a lifetime. Numerous resources are available to help couples plan unique weddings, ranging from intimate at-home nuptials to destination ceremonies. Even destination weddings offer a broad range of options.

Today, beach weddings have become very popular. Wedding guests are able to join in the occasion while also enjoying a vacation of their own. Newlyweds stay on to honeymoon at the same spot where they tied the knot. Many resorts offer packages that give couples a more economical wedding option, as well as one that is unique, beautiful, and relaxing.

Other couples choose to plan their weddings in another country, to honor their heritage. A bride with an Irish background, for example, may choose to wed in her ancestors’ homeland, complete with traditional bagpipers and Irish dancers. Weddings like this allow the couple to honor tradition while looking ahead to the future and adding a modern twist. Guests and couples alike can indulge in a return to their heritage, learning more about their culture and perhaps digging in to their families’ roots.

Some still opt for weddings in Las Vegas. Kitschy as it may be, there is a certain attraction to the little wedding chapels and Elvis impersonators. Certainly these weddings create stories that are worth telling for years to come.

The most important part of any wedding is the vow shared by the bride and groom. Choosing to marry and sharing that moment with loved ones is the most important decision a couple can make. No matter what kind of celebration they choose, or where they decide to tie the knot, weddings are special occasions that are sure to touch the heart of everyone in attendance.

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Wedding Information a website providing information on Weddings

Newsletters in Plain Text or HTML - Which Work Better

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:32:32 +0000

A common question asked when you first set out to write an email newsletter is whether it should be a plain text email or HTML (web page style). This is an important consideration since your choice impacts on how many people read your newsletter and how they respond to it. Let’s look at the obvious pros and cons of each format.

HTML Emails

THE GOOD

Interactive - active elements can be inserted into emails limited only by what email clients can handle. May include movies, games, surveys or any active content.

Metrics - Code can be placed into emails to provide detailed statistics on whether your email newsletters are read, for how long and which links are clicked and followed.

Formatting can be controlled to the finest details including fonts, spacing, and design.

THE BAD

Creating HTML emails take a lot of time and technical proficiency.

Not everyone has an HTML capable email client in which case you will be excluding some people.

Your basic message may be lost by the excessive content and “eye candy”.

The range of options available in HTML are extensive and can lead to what I call “TMOS” - Too Many Options Syndrome, which is the antithesis of the concept “KISS” - Keep It Simple Stupid. TMOS can stop you from functioning efficiently because you are bogged down with how many things you could do, you end up doing nothing.

Plain Text Emails

THE GOOD

Easier to create - just type words.

Less chance of formatting problems making the email display incorrectly.

Less chance of a SPAM filter blocking the mail.

Message will be easily digested by the reader provided you write it well.

No distractions from graphics or over stimulation from too much content competing for attention.

You sell with words, the most powerful sales tool available on the web if used correctly.

THE BAD

Harder to capture statistics.

Hyperlinks may not be active (most text based email clients convert HTTP links to clickable but some still don’t).

Limited to text to convey your message.

No multimedia can be included.

Why Do You Have a Newsletter?

Let’s cut to the chase here. Why do you have a newsletter? If you are running an Internet business your newsletter functions as a customer retention tool, sending out periodic reminders to pull your prospects/customers back to your site. Newsletters themselves also function as a direct sales tool. It doesn’t matter if you are selling affiliate products, your own products, a service or information, your newsletter is meant to do one thing - illicit a response from its audience.

In order for your newsletter readers to feel compelled enough to take action your newsletter must clearly state it’s message AND create enough of a pull, usually via emotional tugging, to get the reader to do something. The same rules that apply to websites and copywriting apply to newsletters except you have even less time to convince your reader to do something.

Newsletters fall into the domain of email, the most popular web activity. Email is mainstream, it has penetration and people of all ages and backgrounds know how to use it. Consequently the learning curve is a little higher and your readership knows how to at least complete the basic functions with email. This means that they are quite capable of giving each email about 1 seconds worth of attention before clicking that delete button. That’s not a lot of time to convince them that your email is worth reading.

Should I use Plain Text or HTML Newsletters?

In my opinion, plain text should be your choice for email newsletter format. Why? Because of the numbers. Email newsletters are a form of direct response marketing and in direct response marketing the numbers matter.

From the point of view of a small business owner with limited time and resources you want to maximise the results you get from your newsletters. You want a lot of responses to whatever your newsletter is trying to do. You should be able to easily test different copy and see which works best so you can maximise the numbers. It’s all about the numbers…

Your newsletter must hit the reader quickly and compel them to read on. Any delays or presentation errors are going kill your chance of capturing the attention of the reader. While plain text emails are not immune to display errors (more on this later) they are a lot more likely to be digested by the reader even if things don’t format exactly how you want them to.

A plain text email is more likely to reach a larger amount of people than a HTML email simply because plain text is more compliant to standards. Plain text emails are less likely to be blocked by SPAM filters. Plain text emails will display immediately, there are no download times waiting for graphics to finish loading. Plain text emails are more likely to display properly regardless of what email client your subscribers use. All this adds up to plain text emails being read more often…better numbers…see a pattern here?

Words Sell

Bells and whistles are nice. Interactive toys and flashy lights and sounds are great. But ultimately it’s words that sell. If you write compelling newsletter copy aimed at your target audience that have been carefully selected by the methods used to acquire newsletter sign-ups, you have the perfect vehicle to illicit a response using words that sell. Why dilute your message by wrapping it within colours and images or overstimulating your readers by providing too much information when a few paragraphs can create your desired results more effectively.

Why Not Use Both Plain Text and HTML?

Good idea! If you have the resources and skills to produce a quality HTML and plain text newsletter then by all means offer both to your audience and let them nominate which they prefer, or better still have the email automatically display the appropriate format by detecting what type of email client they have. If you offer both be sure to test to make sure it’s worthwhile. Are more people responding to plain text emails? Well in that case send everyone plain text.

In my case I’m a small business owner and I’m going to be writing the newsletters myself. I do not have time nor the skills to create a new HTML webpage for every newsletter I produce. I could perhaps have a nice standard template designed which I use for newsletters but as I wrote above, I believe that is a waste of time. Words sell, so I’ll focus on creating emotionally compelling words for my newsletters rather than waste time trying to get a box to align right correctly.

Tips for Better Plain Text Newsletters

TELL A FRIEND

Remember how I talked about the numbers? Your efforts should be focused on ensuring the maximum number of people are exposed to your email so your emotionally compelling and convincing newsletter can work it’s magic. This doesn’t have to be limited to just your newsletter subscribers — your subscribers can be turned into evangelists for your newsletter. Make it easy for your subscribers to forward your newsletter on to friends and associates - suggest it to them at the end of the newsletter. Of course for this work you better be creating a damn interesting newsletter.

WORD WRAPPING

Plain text can format incorrectly and one of the most common problems is line breaks. Either lines breaking too early causing your sentences to look
disjointed and
clumsy, or no line breaks at all, causing one of those nasty horizontal scrollbars to appear and your reader to read off the page to finish a sentence. The screen resolution of your subscribers computers can also impact how your text wraps causing these problems.

You can’t control the monitor resolution of your readers or what email client they use, all you can do is try and account for as many variables as possible. To compensate for this problem you have to set a characters-per-line limitation. I’ve researched into newsletter formatting and different people give different suggestions, from 68 characters per line to 63. I’ve decided to recommend to you the round number of 60 characters per line. This will give you nice compact paragraphs made up of nice compact sentences that are likely to avoid most word wrapping (or lack thereof) problems your readers might experience. On extremely high resolutions there will be a lot of white space and your email might look like one big long tower of text but that’s still a lot better than broken sentences or horizontal scrollbars and won’t be too common a problem.

How To Set Characters Per Line Limitations

You didn’t think I would tell you what to do without giving you practical advice on how to do it would I?! Of course not.

Format Text provided by Web-Source.net will handle email newsletter formatting to any character width you specify. Better still it can even undo the current character spacing on any text you have so it’s definitely a tool worth book marking.

Newsletters Are An Important Tool For Your Online Business

Many of the most successful Internet entrepreneurs are wealthy because they have massive (10,000+) lists of highly targeted subscribers that they have been building for years. One well written affiliate product email to a good list can create thousands of dollars of sales and you don’t even supply the product.

Better still once you have a solid list you can contact similar focused online marketers and carefully select the right cross promotional activities that can double your exposure with one email to their list. Of course you have to have your own list to make available for cross promotions before you can expect to work with other people - the smart/persistent/rich help each other to get richer.

Even if you are using your newsletter as a step in the conversion process to generate sales of your own products or services it’s a wise to stay up to date on good newsletter management techniques. By focusing on the numbers you can maximise direct responses that will lead to more sales as visitors become prospects and prospects become clients.

By Yaro Starak
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com

Do you want to profit from your own successful home based Internet business?

Learn from Yaro Starak, a young entrepreneur from Australia. He works part time from home on several web based business that generate between $2,000 and $8,000 per month. Get your free articles and audio now - visit his Internet Business Blog.

Some More Random Musings and Observations on Life

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:27:49 +0000

Constant affirmation without accountability is a sure-fire way to cripple a child. In other words, belief in yourself without responsibility leads to a sense of entitlement.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been rejected for anything, anytime, anywhere. We all have. How would you like to have a nice little four-letter word for the next time you’re rejected? It’s: NEXT. Next sale, next job, next date, next whatever.

Beware of people who use their own emotional pain as a tool to manipulate others instead of as a motivation to change themselves.

Parents of teens need to watch out for NMK Syndrome: Not My Kid, as in “my kid couldn’t have done ___” (fill in the blank). Well, yes, they could have. Even if you have faithfully raised them not to do certain things, kids still have the power of choice, which means they can make bad choices. NMK Syndrome can blind you to something that needs immediate attention. Trust in your kids and in your parenting, and always check out what you hear.

When you receive a notice in your credit card statement that says, “Congratulations, because of your excellent payment history, there is no minimum fee due this month,” it’s not a time for celebration. You’re still being charged interest. These people are not your friends.

It’s a humbling and sobering experience to have a child who wants to be like you.

I’ve noticed more and more people doing what I call “caboose living.”

Picture a three-car train. The engine in front we’ll call facts/reality; the car in the middle is our thoughts, beliefs, decisions, choices and behaviors based on the facts; the caboose is our feelings. The facts/reality come first, then thoughts and behaviors followed by feelings.

Many folks try to run their life train with the caboose (feelings) in the lead. Feelings are interesting and important, but they cannot drive the train. Pay attention to your feelings, but let the facts/reality drive the train.

A successful marriage requires selective and strategic ignoring. The right things to ignore are little habits and irritating peculiarities that we all have. The problem comes when you select the wrong things to ignore.

I wonder if it’s a bad thing to believe that football on TV is one of the first sounds of fall approaching.

Most folks live with the illusion that worrying about something can actually make a difference. The only possible way that worrying can make a difference is if the worrying motivates you to take action to do something about the subject of your worry.

People often say, “Well, I’m just going with the flow.” The problem with going with the flow is that many times the flow is lost and does not know where it is going.

Best quote I’ve seen since last time, by Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts: “At some point, though, a problem ought to be defined less by our ability to explain why it happens than by our willingness to demand that it happen no more.”

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Static Charge Pulse on Wind Generator Material Memory Blades

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:25:05 +0000

Wind Power is considered a clean industry and is amongst the favorites of environmentalists and clean energy supporters. Unfortunately the wind generators rely on the wind and the wind is somewhat inconsistent in that sometimes it blows and some times it does not. There are some places in the United States like the California and Nevada Deserts, Hills of North Dakota, West Texas Plains, State of Wyoming where the wind seems to always be blowing and hard. Scientists do long intense studies to determine where the wind blows with the most force by studying weather patterns, terrain and updrafts for many seasons. It is through these studies we learn where to place our wind generators to get the most; “bang for the buck.” You see wind generators are expensive to build and you also have to build power lines to take the energy to the grid. The is a definite monetary consideration and return on investment which must be calculated with or without the renewable energy infrastructure tax credits and deductions.

These wind generators produce quite a bit of static electricity, but in its form is not very usable to your alternating current needs of running appliances. The static electricity created by the large wind generator fan blades moving thru the air is significant. With this electromagnetic energy once it is used it goes to zero like a big zap from the carpet after you drag your feet across it. But as the wind generator blades moves it is built up again and again. We should use this zapping power to allow the spinning blades of a wind generator to flap, by sending pulses into specially manufactured material memory blades. As they flap much like a bird we can increase speed of the blade slightly when the wind is weak. Thus have a more constant power output to the in times of no or little wind. By creating a flapping situation blades can continue even when airflow is very low at 2-3 mph. Think on this.

“Lance Winslow” - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

A Working Writer’s Website - Publish, Promote and Profit

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:09:14 +0000

If you’re an online writer, you should definitely consider developing a website.
Perhaps you’ve been thinking about it, but you have some questions about the process…

This article will help to point you in the right direction and provide answers to questions like:

Why should you create a site?

What should you feature on your site?

How do you get started?

Who can you look to for examples?

Where can you find resources on the web?

Writers should produce a website to tell the world they exist!

Your own special place on the Internet can offer readers, publishers, businesses, other writers and prospective clients a glimpse into your world.

Features on your site can include:

Your resume

References (with names, titles, addresses, phone numbers and/or email contacts)

A list of your services (what type of writing you do - creative, journalistic, academic, medical, business, marketing, public relations etc.)

A sampling of your writing (full text articles, reports and/or features previously published or available for free publication)

Links to your writings on the web (work on other websites - poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, commentary or other contributions)

An option for viewers to access your writings via autoresponder (see page referenced below for where to get one for free - these sites will tell you how to use autoresponders too!)

Getting started is a fairly simple process with today’s variety of free services available online. Once you have created your site, you will need to promote it on the web.

Go to this page

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art454.asp

to browse the lists of:

Free Website Providers

Free Autoresponders

Free Web Promotion Resources

Free Graphics & More

Free Tools

and you will also find links to some other writer’s websites for ideas…

© Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of the Free Ezine for Writers featuring news, reviews, and continuously updated links to the best resources for writers online like - freelancing & jobs, markets & publishers, literary agents, classes & contests, and more… Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art157.asp

Top Ten Ways To Jump-Start Your Creativity

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:07:49 +0000

1 - Take A Tour of the Great Outdoors

Consider a hike in the mountains, a stroll beside the river, a run along the beach, a jog through the park or a walk around the city.

2 - Soak Up Your Surroundings like a New Sponge

Open your mind to the unknown and grasp the little details often overlooked in every day life.

3 - Read, Read, Read

Read anything that interests you… Regardless of whether it?s related to writing or not! Think variety - from trashy romance novels and bad tabloids to The New York Times and Writers Digest. Find something different to read that you are really interested in and then actually take the time to READ it thoroughly.

4 - Escape Reality Temporarily

Indulge yourself with rare pleasures - like a hot bubble bath, a professional massage, a visit to the beauty salon, a mini-shopping spree, a big bowl of REAL chocolate ice cream or just a little time ALONE!

5 - Play Like A Child

Forget your responsibilities as a mature adult for a few hours! Remember something you loved to do as a kid and re-create the experience now. Or participate in whatever game/activity/adventure your child enjoys more than anything else. Roll up your sleeves, abandon your inhibitions, throw caution to the wind and play - really PLAY like you did when you were 10 or 20 years younger!

6 - Quit Procrastinating

Finish that one particular project that you have been putting off for weeks.. Get it done now, so you can really focus all of your energy on new ideas and creative pursuits. If there’s one thing that clouds your thinking almost daily, make it go away today!

7 - Just Write

Write about anything. Write about the first thing that comes to mind - no matter how silly or irrelevant the subject may seem - put your feelings into words and get them down on paper as much paper as it takes! Keep writing about what you’re thinking about until you can’t think of any more words.

8 - Share Your Ideas, Opinions or Experiences with Someone Else

Whether you have to call our mom or a close friend, talk about what’s on our mind with somebody - almost anybody, who you know and trust. Interact with other writers on the web via e-mail discussion lists, open forums or critique groups.

Get your thoughts out there. Bounce your ideas off of somebody else. Share your feelings with others who can relate to your topic. Ask for feedback from people you trust.

9 - Identify Issues that are Important to You

Make a list of topics that you think matter in today’s world. Jot down at least ten subjects and then explore ways to transform these ideas into articles. Example of Issues: Child Abuse, Internet Technology, Scams Online, World Peace, Prison Reform, Senior Care, Freedom of Speech, School Choices etc….) Look at the headlines in your daily newspaper, think of recent stories broadcast by National news programs like 20/20…

10 - Search The Web

Look for articles and other resources related to creativity. Read stories written by other writers and/or try some creative writing exercises.

Resource Box - © Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Camera Cell Phone Sprint

yourinfoguide — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:30:02 +0000

Camera cell phone by Sprint - offer with a service plan.

Camera cell phone by Sprint offer is just an example of many types of camera cell phones offered by service providers like Sprint PCS, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, and many more. Camera Cell Phone by Sprint can be purchased when you sign up for the cellular phone service plan offered by Sprint. Sprint allows you to use a variety of camera cellular phones and has many different service plans from which you can select the one that is right for you.

Camera cell phone by Sprint - promotions.

Make sure you look for promotions when you sign up for a cellular service plan. Example of the promotions that are offered by Sprint could be a discount on purchase of Camera Cell Phone by Sprint, extra minutes of free talk time, and many more.

Camera cell phone by Sprint - Sanyo SCP-5300.

The Sanyo SCP-5300 is an example of the Sanyo camera cell phone by Sprint. This camera cell phone has many important features which include but are not limited to camera, web browser, color LCD screen with 65000 colors, and games. This cellular phone is stylish and has a very nice design. It offers polyphonic sounds/ring tones, which sounds very realistic, like real music. The built-in camera allows you to make VGA photos, allows you to zoom, and offers a built-in flash. You can send the pictures that you took with this camera cell phone by Sprint to anyone on your list of friends.

The Sanyo SCP-5300 camera cell phone by Sprint uses this service provider’s 3G data network. This network is fast and reliable. You can use this cellular phone to browse the internet, check email, download pictures, ring tones, games, wall papers, etc. Additional games can be downloaded to your phone and you can enjoy playing them on the 65000 color LCD screen, thus enjoy a great quality entertainment.

Visit http://www.camera-cell-phones-2u.com

Beware of The Pirated Software E-Mail Scams!

yourinfoguide — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:30:12 +0000

You have gotten those E_Mails buy software at deep discounts. It is very tempting to save 85% to 95% on your favorite Software Titles. Why would you pay $279 for Windows XP when you can pay $49. Most of the times these are Pirated copies of the Software. You can run into huge problems later when you seek upgrades, Support or Security patches.

Anyone can rationalize buying Pirated software. Who are you hurting? Bill Gates is so rich he can afford to loose a few sales. No you won’t hurt Bill Gates to much. But what about the Microsoft Employee with a wife and a Child or 2. If Microsoft looses enough sales tom these pirates who do you think will be laid off. The Working Man with a wife and children to support. The single mom trying to make a better life for her and her children. People much like you are going to suffer the most.

If ethics alone are not enough to keep you from buying pirated software how about the fact that Microsoft is now verifying that you have a legal copy of their software before they allow you to download updates. Updates that are often meant to plug security holes in the software that leave your computers fair prey for worms. Viruses and Adware.

You will want those security updates. Buying Pirated software will cost you more in the long run because you will need to buy a Microsoft version to get support and upgrades

About The Author:
Mike Makler has been Marketing Online Since 2001 When he Built
an Organization of over 100,000 Members

Get Mike’s Newsletter:
http://ewguru.com/newsletter

More Articles by Mike:
http://ewguru.com/tips

Permission Based E_Mail Marketing Methods
http://ewguru.com/hbiz/amazingoffer.html

Functional Exercise For Golf WarrantsThe Quickest Results

yourinfoguide — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:22:23 +0000

Functional exercise for golf can mean different things to different golfers. But the key is to take a look at the golf swing mechanics and devise golf exercises, drills, and golf programs to strengthen weak or limited phases of the swing.

Not every golfer has the same deficiency; and treating golfers this way is like “one-stop” shopping. This will result in failure. No improvement for the golfer. This is a complete waste of time, money and physical effort.

The first step is for the golfer to partake in a golf fitness evaluation to determine the correct functional exercise for golf program.

This evaluation should cover strength, flexibility, stabilization and endurance. These are all key factors in performing at your best. These individual tests cannot be general fitness tests, but tests devised specifically for the golfer in mind.

Functional exercise for golf is dynamic, sequential and incorporates core strength and stabilization. Any functional exercise for golf that does not address this is not for golfers.

First off the golf posture is not common among many sports or athletic movements. Being ‘bent-over’ at the waist with your weight more at the balls of your feet incorporate balance and stabilization immediately.

And rememberthis is only at address!

To maintain your posture dynamically throughout the golf swing takes a ‘unique’ blend of all components mentioned above. That is why it is so important to incorporate functional exercise for golf in your routine.

Once you’ve taken the above mentioned evaluation, you’ll have a good idea of what your weaknesses (limitations) are and start designing a function exercise for golf program that will hit those areas.

This functional exercise for golf program should be done a minimum of twice, but preferably 3 times a weak to get results. Being consistent with your program will leave you a happy golfer on the course.

No one ever said it would be easy, but by incorporating a functional exercise for golf program will be well worth it.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and manual at PerformBetterGolf.com.

A Writer’s Glossary (Part Two)

yourinfoguide — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:07:04 +0000

Find definitions from H to P…

~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~

Haiku -
A three line, seventeen syllable poem, usually about nature.

Hardcover -
Hard cloth over cardboard bound book that includes a paper dust jacket.

Historical Fiction -
Fiction of any genre set in the past.

Home page -
First page of a document from the World Wide Web.

Hypertext -
Words in an electronic document that are linked to illustrations or other text, such as a related document or a definition.

~~~~~~~~~~~ I ~~~~~~~~~~~

Institutional Sales -
Trade and mass market books that are sold to libraries and schools.

Interactive Fiction -
Features multiple plots and endings. The reader determines the structure of the story by choosing from different alternatives at the end of each chapter.

Invasion of Privacy -
Writing about someone without their consent, even if it’s true.

~~~~~~~~~~~ K ~~~~~~~~~~~

Kicker -
Used in journalism for a short and snappy ending.

Kill Fee -
The amount of money a publication pays to a writer when an article they were assigned to write has been canceled. The amount is usually determined with the initial contract and varies depending upon factors like: the publisher’s guidelines; the length of the article; and the time spent researching the piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~ L ~~~~~~~~~~~

Lead Time -
The time between getting the article or query and publishing the article. This is very important for seasonal stories and articles.

Lede -
A journalism term for the beginning of a story.

List Royalty -
The amount paid based on a percentage of a book’s retail or ‘list’ price.

Literary Fiction -
A general category for nonformulaic, intellingent, and serious fiction.

Little/Literary -
A small publication created with the primary goal of providing literary writers a place to publish their work as opposed to making a profit. This type of publication generally has a low circulation and offer little or no pay, although writers may be compensated with contributors’ copies (free copies of the issue in which their work was published).

Logline -
One sentence description of a TV or screen play.

~~~~~~~~~~~ M ~~~~~~~~~~~

Magalog -
A mail order catalog that includes how-to articles about the items for sale.

Mainstream Fiction -
Uses more depth with background, characterization, etc., than genre novels which tend to be more narrowly focused.

Manuscript -
A writers document of screenplay, nonfiction book or novel.

Markets -
Writers markets for publishing poems, articles, short stories or books.

Market Research -
Uusually for nonfiction books to show a publisher there is a need for the proposed book.

Mass Market Publishers -
Publishers the produce paperback books inexpensively, in large quantities, titles fit current market needs, sell high volume in a short amount of time.

Memoir -
A narrative of a writer’s (or fictional narrator’s) family history or personal background.

Meter -
The regular patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

Midlist -
These are mainstream books by unknown or new writers that are expected to have only limited sales.

Monograph -
A scholarly study that is documented and detailed about a single subject.

Multiple Submissions -
Sending more than one piece of work at a time. (Submissions made this way are usually fillers, greeting cards, poetry etc….)

~~~~~~~~~~~ N ~~~~~~~~~~~

Net Price -
Sometimes called “wholesale price.” This is the money the publisher receives from each book sale after discounts are given to buyers or book stores. Some publishers base the royalty paid to the illustrator or author on net price.

Net royalty -
A royalty payment based on the amount a publisher receives from the sale of a book after returns, special sales discounts, and bookseller’s discounts.

New Age -
This used to be a ‘fringe’ topic that included occult and UFO phenomenon. Now, it includes general topics such as health, religion, or psychology, but emphasizes the alternative, spiritual, or mystical aspects.

Newbie -
A new writer.

Novel -
A fiction book for authors that is usually 40,000 to 60,000 words, Young Adults and contemporary Romance are less. Spy thrillers, historical, and generation books are often 80,000 to 100,000 words.

Novella -
Fiction that is more than 7,500 and less than 40,000 words but can vary with genre.

Novelization -
Usually a paperback that is made from the script of a movie. Also called a movie ‘tie-in’.

Nut graf -
A journalism term for the paragraph that contains the point of the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~ O ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Acceptance -
Payment is given to the author when the editor accepts the article.

On Spec -
When you write an article based on an editor’s expressed interest in your idea. But since the editor has not assigned the piece to you, she is under no obligation to accept your final work.

One Time Rights -
The publication buys the nonexclusive rights to publish the piece once. The author can sell the same article to other publications simultaneously.

On Publication -
Payment is given when the piece is published.

One-shot feature -
A single feature article for a syndicate to sell. The opposite of regular columns or article series.

Outline -
A writer’s own guide for their play or novel.

Over-the-transom -
The submission of unsolicited material by a freelance writer.

Overview -
The description of the nonfiction book or novel to a publisher is a couple of pages.

~~~~~~~~~~~ P ~~~~~~~~~~~

Package Sale -
An editor pays for photos and a manuscript as a ‘package’ with one check.

Page rate -
When a magazine pays at a fixed rate per published page, instead of per word.

Parallel submission -
Several different articles are written from one unit of research to send to similar magazines. This isn’t a simultaneous or multiple submission because it isn’t the same article.

Parody -
The imitation of a work for the purpose of making fun or ridiculing the work.

Payment on Acceptance -
The writer receives payment as soon as her work is accepted by the editor.

Payment on Publication -
The writer receives payment when her work is published.

PB -
Picture Book.

Pen Name -
A name that is not the writer’s legal name. When a writer wants to remain anonymous, her work is published using a pen name.

Permissions -
A fee paid by anyone who wants to reprint part of your book for various uses such as: another writer using more than 50 words from your book in a published article, teachers reproducing all or part of your story for class use (often the publisher will allow teachers to use the material for free). The publisher handles permissions for the author and usually splits the proceeds 50/50.

Personal Essay -
Usually about the writer’s life and written in the first person.

Photo feature -
The emphasis of the feature is on the photographs instead of the written material.

Pica -
Printer’s measure of type = 12 points, used to measure columns and photos.

Plagiarism -
Using the words and ideas of another writer as your own.

POD -
Print on Demand, publishing a book or books as they are demanded by the publisher.

Point of View -
First person, second person(you), or third person.

Potboiler -
Quick projects to bring in money or ‘keep the pot boiling’ with little effort or time involve, such as stories, short articles, how-to tips, or fillers like anecdotes.

POV -
Point of view.

Proof reading -
Thorough reading and correction of a manuscript’s typographical errors.

Proposal -
A summary of a proposed book, usually nonfiction that includes articles you have written (particularly on the proposed topic), 2-3 sample chapters, chapter-by-chapter outline, author information, marketing information, one page overview of the manuscript and a cover letter.

Prose Poem -
An open form poem whose long lines seem like prose.

Prospectus -
A description of an article or a book that is usually about a page long.

Public Domain -
Work that has never been copyrighted (or work that has had its copyright expire).