Free Copyright Webinar and Main Street Rag Call for Submissions

Writer's thought for the week: "Some say writing inspiration comes from sunny days, cuddly kittens and children romping through fields of daisies. Those people have somebody else paying the bills." ~ Karuna Eberl

Questions about copyright? The Arts Council of New Orleans web site has a free on demand 25 minute presentation on copyright. It covers the importance of registration, registering using the online eCo system, the need for work for hire agreements, derivative works, and public domain. You can listen to it here:
http://artscouncilofneworleans.adobeconnect.com/copyright_webinar_final_webinar_2011

MAIN STREET RAG is open for submissions for three themed anthologies and a novella series.
http://www.mainstreetrag.com/MSR_Short%20Fiction%20Anthology.html
http://www.mainstreetrag.com/MSRNovella.html

The reading period for all four runs through 9/15/11, but will end for the anthologies as soon as they have accepted enough to fill a book.

The anthologies are:

The List: We’re looking for stories with lists in them—any kind of list, serving any purpose. We want fiction that explores how lists can help to structure or lend meaning to a story. We want to see work that examines what our habit of list-making reveals about our lives. Send us your fiction with odd, funny, heartbreaking, mundane, or mind-blowing lists.

Just Tattoos: How do tattoos haunt, hurt or give meaning to the character's story? Who wears or inks these tattoos? What defines the human body and art?

Secrets: Tell us how someone is changed by the secrets they keep; or how secrets from the past haunt the present. Pass along a secret that startles and intrigues, or show us what happens when a secret is held too tightly.

Novellas should be between 30,000 and 50,000 words.

Ploughshares open for subs; Tips on story analysis

Why do you write? "The truth, the unvarnished truth, is that I haven't a clue. The answer to that question lies hidden in the same box that holds the origin of human creativity, our imperative need as a species to communicate, and to be touched." —Gloria Naylor

Ploughshares is opens for submissions from June 1 until January 15.
http://www.pshares.org/submit/guidelines.cfm

This journal "welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, and a limited amount of nonfiction." Snail mail submission is free but there is a $3 fee for online submissions. Submit one prose piece or one to five poems. Pays: on publication: $25/printed page, $50 minimum per title, $250 maximum per author, plus two copies and a subscription. They say their backlog is heaviest in the fall, so the earlier you submit, the better!

Interesting web site: Author Lisa Cron's web site has a list of questions to ask yourself about your story: http://www.wiredforstory.com/writingtips/
While you're there, take a little time to browse this interesting site.

Orion Magazine Open for Submissions June 15

Writer's Thought for the Week: "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure."  ~  Samuel Johnson

Orion Magazine
hhttp://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/mag/guidelines_for_article_submissions/

Due to the high volume, Orion now only accepts submissions twice yearly, during designated submission windows. The next submission period will be June 15-30, 2011. Manuscripts received during this time will receive a response by September 30, 2011.

Orion welcomes "thoughtful submissions concerning the collision of nature and culture, the commingling of people and place." Orion considers unsolicited essays, narrative nonfiction, interviews, profiles, short fiction, and picture essays. They also consider submissions for their Place Where You Live and Coda departments. Sample articles are available on their web site.

No more than two submissions of no more than 6,000 words each per person. Feature articles range from 1,500 to 6,000 words, departments from 350 to 1,200 words. Lead time is typically six to nine months. Pays $400 to $1,000 for feature pieces, $50 to $450 for shorter texts. They purchase first North American serial rights, as well as exclusive worldwide electronic rights for sixty days and nonexclusive permanent web rights for their electronic archive.

iPhone Workshop and In the Snake

Writer's thought for the week: "Words are but air; the pen leaves a mark." ~ Anonymous

Author and speaker Linda Rohrbough developed an iPhone version of her workshop "Pitch Your Book". 
http://www.lindarohrbough.us/index.php/iphone-app
 It has Apple's approval and is available for $3.99.

I don't have an iPhone but I attended this workshop at a writer's conference. I almost didn't go because I didn't have a book to pitch, but none of other workshops in that time slot interested me. Linda's workshop was the best one of the whole conference. She taught us a simple, effective three-step formula for talking about your book with an agent or editor. 

Conferences can be expensive and time-consuming, and I often find that I am only interested in certain parts of them. Will other iPhone apps for writers be available soon? I might just have to get an iPhone. I'm not saying conferences have no purpose. You can't ask an iPhone app questions. Well, you could, but you won't get answers. You're not networking while listening to your iPhone, and you won't get a one-on-one in-person session with an editor or agent that way either. But $3.99 for a workshop in my home or office instead of getting dressed up and driving somewhere? Sounds good to me.

In the Snake
http://www.inthesnake.com/submissions/

This new ezine wants short stories for their first issue scheduled for October. All genres accepted but no explicit sexual descriptions or excessive violence. "We are very interested in stories that focus on the evolution of characters, questions of identity, and perception of self." Pays $50 per story on acceptance for one-time Web publication rights.