Best Wishes,

AJ

P.S. Happy Holidays and Join me on Facebook

Goals are the foundation of a solid writing and marketing plan. They provide a target at which to aim, the standard against which you can gauge your progress. They divide your vision statement into manageable steps and provide a path to its realization. And written goals provide a means for looking back to see how far you have come.

If all these benefits of setting goals are true, how can goals be of no value? Goal-setting is a tool, and like any other tool it is useless if used incorrectly. Goals are worthless...

... if they are not clear, specific, measurable, time-sensitive and written. This admonition is almost a cliche, but it bears repeating. Objectives must be clear so there is no misinterpreting their intent; specific so there is no doubt about whether or not you reached them; measurable in their objectivity, eliminating indeterminate goals such as "be the best in the business;" attainable in a limited time period (which could be a month, a year or ten years or more); written to make them indelible and not subject to later interpretation.

... if they are not realistic. Set goals within the realm of what is possible for you to accomplish. This does not mean you shouldn't stretch to meet a worthy objective, but only that your optimism should not exceed your ability to fulfill.

... if they are not arranged hierarchically. Arrange your goals from the most to the least important, from broad to specific targets so you do the most important tasks first.

... if they are not part of a plan. Planning is a verb, a series of sequential actions represented by the acronym PIE -- Planning, Implementation and Evaluation. Preparing objectives is the start of the planning process, the foundation upon which your implementation and evaluation occur.

... if you don't follow up and make them work. Once your plan is complete, move to the second part of the PIE acronym and implement your plan, taking action to reach your objectives. As the saying goes, plan your work and work your plan.

... if you don't evaluate your relative progress and make necessary corrections. Are your actions taking you closer to, or further from your goals? How do you know? The evaluation portion of the PIE acronym tests your relative progress to make sure it is forward and goal directed. If it is not, make the corrections necessary to get you back on course.

... if they are focused on the problem and not the solution. Murphy's Law is alive and well in most parts of the publishing process. But if you dwell on the things that go wrong, that is where your attention will be focused. Don't fight problems, right problems. Set goals to reach profitability, not to avoid a loss.

... if they are set when you are in a negative frame of mind. Negativity can overpower your thoughts when revenue and profits are down. That is not the time to be setting goals. Wait until you have regained control of your attitude.

... if they are not derived from a sense of purpose. Purpose breeds passion, the unfailing belief in yourself and your ability to make your goals become reality. Your targets will rarely motivate you to sustained action if they are not set from an unfailing sense of destiny.

... if they are inflexible. You may have heard that goals must be set in stone, inveterate mandates that keep you firm of mind and path. However, this set of mental blinders could obstruct your view and keep you from seizing unexpected opportunities. Your mission statement should be entrenched in granite, but there must be some flexibility in the way you implement your plan to fulfill your vision.

Use goal-setting as the tool it was meant to be, part of the process that transforms your vision statement into reality. Do this and your march to success will be more focused and successful.

Brian Jud is an author, book-marketing consultant, seminar leader and television host. He is a prolific writer of articles about book publishing and marketing, a syndicated columnist, and a frequent contributor to the Publishers Marketing Association Newsletter. He also hosts the television series The Book Authority, and has appeared on over 500 television and radio shows. Brian is the founder and president of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association, and founder and president of Publishing Directions, a book-marketing consulting firm. Contact Brian at http://www.strongbooks.com.

5. Markets

Our most recent postings at Anthologiesonline.com: find scads of calls for writers.

Just in for the Holidays--a two-page edition of WRITERS WANTED

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CALLING FOR ENTRIES SAVE THE WHALES' POETRY BOOK 2008


Save The Whales encourages children up to and including age 13 to submit poems they have written for inclusion in a poetry book the organization is putting together for publication. The idea for a book came about because Save The Whales has received inspiring poems by children. Some of the children’s work may be viewed under ABOUT US/Inspiration/Poems.

If you are a child age 13 or younger and have written an original poem, or love whales and would like to write a poem, please submit it to Save The Whales by emailing Maris Sidenstecker at m1sid@earthlink.net or mail to Save The Whales - Poem Entry, 1192 Waring Street, Seaside, CA 93955. Be sure to put your name and age, address, phone number and email address on the entry. Please give your poem a title.

If your poem is selected, a parent will have to sign a release giving Save The Whales permission to use the child’s original work. For a poem to appear on their website, only an email confirmation from a parent is required.

If you want to write a whale poem or any kind of poem, here are some things you'll want to know. A poem is like a tiny story. Something's always left out of a poem, not just because it's a small bit of writing but because you want to leave a spot where your reader can climb in! Not all poems rhyme but all poems have rhythm. It can=2
0be the sound of your heart beat, that quiet or the sound of a hundred people clapping together, making a pattern of sound.

PATRICE VECCHIONE'S "RULES" FOR WRITING POEMS:

1. Your poem doesn't have to make logical sense.

2. Don't plan what you're going to write. Let yourself be surprised. Write your poem word by word, phrase by phrase, sentence by sentence.

3. Your imagination is ENORMOUS! Trust it to help you out.

4. Be foolish. (That's often when we write our best.)

5. Don't worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar or neatness. (Of course, they're important but not in a first draft.)

6. There is no wrong way to write a poem.

After you've written your poem, read it over to yourself, be sure it feels right, sounds right. Then put it away for a day or two. When you read it again you may want to make changes. You may notice you left something out that you'd thought was there. Now rewrite it and make sure to spell the words correctly. Check your grammar and punctuation. 

Be sure to include on your entry:
• name and age,
• mailing address,
• phone number,
• email address, and
• give your poem a title.

Entries must be submitted by December 31, 2008

Gulf Coast's inaugural prose poem / flash fiction contest:

Details: http://www.centerforward.com/~gulfcoas/index.php?n=3

The Donald Barthelme Prize for Short Prose
This year's judge: Beckian Fritz Goldberg

Guidelines: Submit up to 3 previously unpublished prose poems or short stories, each no more than 500 words in length. Your name and address should appear on the cover letter only. All entries will be eligible for publication, though only one will receive our $500 prize. Manuscripts will not be returned. Include an SASE for results. 

Your $15 reading fee, payable to Gulf Coast, will include a one-year subscription. 

Send Entries to:
Barthelme Prize, Gulf Coast
English Dept, Univ. of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3013

Deadline: December 20, 2008

Essay Contest
Details: www.tiny-lights.com

Tiny Lights invites entries that feature a distinctive voice, discernable conflict and an eventual shift in the narrator's perspective. We are looking for writers who weave the struggle to understand into the fabric of their essays.

This year, we are 3 "Flashpoint" prizes for essays of no more than 1,000 words.

We can only consider unpublished work, or previously published material for which the author holds rights. Rights revert to author after publication in Tiny Lights.

Each essay must be accompanied by an entry fee: $15 for first essay, $10 each additional essay. Make checks payable to: 

Tiny Lights Publications. Mail to: P.O. Box 928, Petaluma, CA 94953.

SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) recommended for feedback/contest notification. One envelope for multiple submissions OK.

Essays may be submitted in one of two categories:

STANDARD (no longer than 2,000 words) or

FLASHPOINT (no more than 1,000 words)

Please indicate preferred category on ms.

Entries should be typed and double-spaced.

Cover letters are optional, but ideally the title page of the manuscript should include author's name, complete address, e-mail, phone number, and essay word count. Essay title and page number in header or footer OK. Author name should not appear there.

Personal essay requires writers to communicate the truth of their experiences to the best of their abilities. While no theme restrictions apply to this contest, we will
not consider essays that celebrate brutalitiy or gratuitous violence. Tiny Lights does not accept poetry, short stories, or material written for children. Entry fees for inappropriate submissions may not be returned.

Entries must be postmarked by Feburary 14, 2009.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

First Place: $350

Second Place: $250

Third Place: $150

Two Honorable Mention Prizes: $100 each.

Three FLASHPOINT prizes of $100 are also offered. Awards will be determined by a panel of judges. Final authority rests with the Editor-in-Chief, Susan Bono.

Winners will be posted at www.tiny-lights.com by April 11th, 2009

Winning essays may be edited before publication. Final copy must be approved by writer. No essays published without author's permission.

All contestants will receive a hard copy of Tiny Lights' contest publication featuring the winning entries.

A few words about hard copy submissions: I know it’s old-fashioned, cumbersome and expensive for you to send us your entries via snail mail. Someday, I’ll have to invest in the software that allows us to manage electronic submissions. But until we learn to enjoy scrolling through hundreds of essays on computer screens, you’ll just have to put up with us sprawling on couches and beds, sitting at the kitchen table or in a sunny window or a rocking chair or a dentist’s waiting room reading every single word you send us. We’re old-fashioned enough to believe it’s important. Inquiries may be addressed to editor@tiny-lights.com

Call for Submissions: Western Anthology

We are looking for short stories from 500 to 3500 words in length, as well as poems, jokes, puns, limericks, artwork, and general silliness. All submissions must express one of the following themes:
+ American Wild West
+ Steampunk
+ Prairie Romance
or some mixture of the above.

Submissions open November 1, 2008 an' close on February 28, 2009. Acceptances and declines will be ongoing through the submission period. No late submissions will be accepted. Put "SUBMISSION: [TITLE]" in the subject line, and address all correspondence to The Editors (there's two of us) and email them to: sillywestern@gmail.com - ¿Comprende? Now saddle up and write.

Jabberwocky