During our semi-annual Planning Retreat yesterday, we got down to business, but, as you can see by this snapshot, laughter trumped the agenda. Judith Marshall, Sarbjit Rai, and I were not the only ones in the group laughing, we just got caught in the act by Teresa with her candid camera.

I especially like this photo, because it will be a great reminder, when I’m deep in overload, that we truly do have so much fun interacting, networking, planning, and hosting events. And this is exactly why we choose to belong to WNBA-SF, along with the fact that as a national organization our influence reaches far and wide connecting women and men to the greater literary community across the country, as well as, promoting literacy world wide as a member of the United Nations and UNICEF.

Speaking of literacy, September is National Literacy Month, so we begin our fall season of events with Zen and the Art of the Book Deal and the Great Book Giveaway. October promises lunch with a bestselling author during National Reading Group Month, and November offers members the extra benefits of Authors’ Showcase & Silent Auction, just in time for holiday gift buying.

I will detail the teaser notes, above, by sending each of you a Fall Calendar of Events in the near future, which will also be posted on our website and sent out via email.

Come to the August 5th meeting at the San Francisco Main Library (6-8 p.m.) and have a good time making WNBA-SF your own!

Lynn Henriksen, President

http://www.telltalesouls.com

WNBA-SF chapter President Lynn Henriksen http://www.telltalesouls.com has invited 15 agents, acquisition editors and publisher to the March 27, 2010 event.

Writing Career Coach Teresa will help you practice your pitch at WNBA’s  “Meet the Agents, Acquisition Editors, & Publishers”

on March 27, 2010   http://wnba-sfchapter.org

“Make Every Word Count When Pitching to Agents or Acquisition Editors” by Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

You have spent months, perhaps years, writing and rewriting your project/work.  And, you’ve decided to pursue either an agent (who earns his/her commission when he/she sells a client’s work to a publishing house) or an acquisition editor (whose job is to buy authors’ works for the publishing house he/she works for). Let’s say you’ve done your homework and have compiled a list of agents or acquisition editors who specialize in the kind of project (commodity) you wish to sell.

An agent or acquisition editor receives hundreds of pitches/query letters each week.  What can you do to catch these folks’ attention?  Use the right bait.  Make every word count.

Whether you’re pitching in person, over the telephone, through an E-Mail, or by old-fashion mail, keep this in mind—the pitch (bait) has three components:
•    who needs your project (start the pitch with the “marketing hook”)
•    the unique qualities about your commodity
•    why you are the perfect author for this work (How big is your platform?)

Agents are having tough times pitching their non-celebrity authors to publishers; thus the importance of the marketing hook.  The marketing hook is a must for prescriptive non-fiction/self help.  The hook is also a must for memoirs, narrative non-fiction and novels; these genres can longer reply solely on story).  Here are 6 examples:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:  Self-Help/Metaphysical/Psychology

Most people over the age of ten dream at least 4 to 6 times per night.
Through My Dreams: A Simple Guide to Dream Interpretation, I can help everyone  interpret dreams by combining their feelings with personal symbolism, dream what they want to dream, and improve their waking lives through their dreams.
I am Angie Choi, a certified hypnotherapist who has utilized radio, television, workshops, classes, articles, and website to educate and inspire people to tap into their dreaming potential.  I’ve worked with school districts, youth groups, and community-based organizations. http://www.alivehypnosis.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:  Journal/Guide/Inspirational

More than 50 million people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend during any given year.

You Want Me to Do What? Journaling for Caregivers allows these caregivers to process their stress and celebrate what is right by giving them open-ended instructions on spilling their guts in the safety of a private journal and offers two hundred sentence starts to help them begin writing.

I am B. Lynn Goodwin who teaches workshops on caregiving.  I write for numerous publications, and, I am the founder and managing editor of WriterAdvice which has been helping writers for twelve years.  http://www.writeradvice.com/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:  Self Help / Relationship / Marriage

The 50% and 60% divorce rates, for first and second marriages respectively, are a wake-up call for the United States 55.2 million married couples.

Through my book, I empower couples to get the marriage they’ve always wanted. The Marriage Meeting Program: 45 Minutes a Week to Guarantee the Long Term Relationship You’ve Always Wanted shows how to conduct a weekly meeting that increases intimacy, romance, teamwork, and smoother conflict resolution.

A proactive, preventive approach is crucial. Regardless of how good a relationship is, there is always a need to keep it on track and room for it to grow. The Marriage Meeting Program’s step-by-step approach makes it easy to conduct the meetings. Follow-up studies show a 20 to 80 percent increase in marital happiness for couples who implement the program.
I am Marcia Naomi Berger, a psychotherapist, writer, speaker, workshop leader, and instructor of a class for therapists and counselors at the University of California Berkeley Extension. http://www.marriagemaven.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:   Memoir

There are more than 38-million boom-generation women in this country.  Through my book, I show middle-aged women how to cope with family and social pressures while dealing with their own mortality issues.

My memoir, Oldham Street, is about my journey from east coast to west bearing the pain of a son in prison, the long slow death of my father, the end of my counseling career and a ten-year relationship.  I knocked on a lemon-colored door on a short block in San Francisco.  In the next twelve years, the woman who opened that door, along with the other quirky characters in the neighborhood, inadvertently joined me in a process that brought me home to myself and into a comfortable role as the matriarch of my tribe.

I am Lynn Scott:

• author of A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me (a memoir about the abundance of spirit that I found among my Alzheimer clients).
• contributor to eight anthologies of fiction, memoir, and poetry.
• a guest on Oprah and other talk shows trying to educate others about the mental disorder causing child molestation.

http://lynnscottbooks.com http://lynnscott.wordpress.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:  Women’s Fiction

Recent survey data indicates that 22% of the 55,000,000+ married women admit to having an extramarital affair.  STAYING AFLOAT is the story of one of these women –although she wouldn’t have admitted it if she hadn’t gotten caught.

Crystal Scott is a stable and stalwart, stay-at-home wife and mother, aiming only to run an efficient home, care for her children and avoid confrontation.  Whatever her private thoughts are, she keeps them to herself.  But when her husband loses his job and shows no signs of looking for another, fault lines in their marriage are exposed.  She’s forced to re-enter the workforce, and when her dazzling, dynamic boss takes a personal interest in her, she slips into territory that most women have fantasized about, even if they don’t want to admit it — she morphs into a sex-starved adulteress.

I am Judith Marshall, author of the award-winning novel, HUSBANDS MAY COME AND GO BUT FRIENDS ARE FOREVER.  I’ve been writing for thirteen years and am a member of the California Writers Club and the Women’s National Book Association. In addition, I am the President of Human Resources Consulting Services and a member of the faculty of the Council on Education in Management, for whom I teach a number of public seminars on a variety of HR-relates topics. I’m currently working on my third novel, BITTER ACRES.

http://judithmarshall.net/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre:  Women’s Fiction / Humor

39%  of the 68 million women employed in the U.S. work in management, professional, and related occupations. Through my book Katie Carlisle, I show women how to hold onto their integrity, humor, and vision . . . in spite of having to fight sexism in the corporate world.

Katie Carlisle has been lucky enough to have a mentor (her boss) who has taken her to a point where her promotion is pretty well guaranteed.  Only then everything goes wrong.  Her beloved mentor leaves the company under a cloud; his successor is a man whom Katie hates and fears; and a downward spiral in her fortunes starts.  This is the story of a smart woman’s struggle to hold onto her integrity, humor and vision in spite of the tumult around her—and her eventual triumph.

I am Margaret Davis.  I have a doctorate from Stanford University in Sociology, with a specialization in the structure and behavior of formal organizations.  I have had two non-fiction books published in my field.  Katie Carlisle, a humorous spoof on everyday life in a large corporation, is a work of fiction.  Yet, as many of my readers have commented, “Everyone who has ever worked in a big company will relate to and love this book.”

I am also the author of Straight Down the Middle, a family drama involving a young mother’s efforts to do what is best for her child while trying to come to terms with her own sexuality.

http://margaretdavisbooks.com/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Teresa LeYung Ryan is:

• Board member at WNBA-SF Chapter since 2004
• Author with agent and NY publisher
• Writing career coach
• Past president of California Writers Club-SF Peninsula Branch
• Library advocate

Writing Career Coach Teresa is the author of  Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published (the 22-minutes/22-days workbook for writers to build their names and attract attention before and after publication).   http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

As a community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her novel Love Made of Heart to:
• shed light on stigmas suffered by women, men, and children who have mental illness
• celebrate the immigrant experience
• help survivors of violence find their own voices through writing
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

Linda Joy Meyers at previous WNBA-SF Networking event

In order to have enough nibbles and bubbly for everyone, please RSVP by April 20 to hospitality@wnba-sfchapter.org and let us know you will be joining us.

http://wnba-sfchapter.org/ Saturday, March 27^th, 2010 in San Francisco

Pitch Tips for WNBA-SF Chapter’s Speed Dating/Meet the Agents, Acquisition Editors, & Publishers Event

“Make Every Word Count When Pitching to Agents or Acquisition Editors”
by WNBA-SF Chapter Board Member and Writing Career Coach Teresa LeYung Ryan

You have spent months, perhaps years, writing and rewriting your project/work.  And, you’ve decided to pursue either an agent (who earns his/her commission when he/she sells a client’s work to a publishing house) or an acquisition editor (whose job is to buy authors’ works for the publishing house he/she works for). Let’s say you’ve done your homework and have compiled a list of agents or acquisition editors who specialize in the kind of project (commodity) you wish to sell.

An agent or acquisition editor receives hundreds of pitches/query letters each week.  What can you do to catch these folks’ attention?  Use the right bait.  Make every word count.

Whether you’re pitching in person, over the telephone, through an E-Mail, or by old-fashion mail, keep this in mind—the pitch (bait) has three components:
•    who needs your project
•    the unique qualities about your commodity
•    why you are the perfect author for this work

Here are 4 examples:

Genre: Self Help / Relationship / Marriage

The 50% and 60% divorce rates, for first and second marriages respectively, are a wake-up call for the United States 55.2 million married couples.

Through my book, I empower couples to get the marriage they’ve always wanted.

The Marriage Meeting Program: 45 Minutes a Week to Guarantee the Long Term Relationship You’ve Always Wanted shows how to conduct a weekly meeting that increases intimacy, romance, teamwork, and smoother conflict resolution.

A proactive, preventive approach is crucial. Regardless of how good a relationship is, there is always a need to keep it on track and room for it to grow. The Marriage Meeting Program’s step-by-step approach makes it easy to conduct the meetings. Follow-up studies show a 20 to 80 percent increase in marital happiness for couples who implement the program.

I am Marcia Naomi Berger, a psychotherapist, writer, speaker, workshop leader, and instructor of a class for therapists and counselors at the University of California Berkeley Extension. http://www.marriagemaven.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre: Memoir

There are more than 38-million boom-generation women in this country.  Through my book, I show middle-aged women how to cope with family and social pressures while dealing with their own mortality issues.

My memoir, Oldham Street, is about my journey from east coast to west bearing the pain of a son in prison, the long slow death of my father, the end of my counseling career and a ten-year relationship.  I knocked on a lemon-colored door on a short block in San Francisco.  In the next twelve years, the woman who opened that door, along with the other quirky characters in the neighborhood, inadvertently joined me in a process that brought me home to myself and into a comfortable role as the matriarch of my tribe.

I am Lynn Scott:

• author of A Joyful Encounter: My Mother, My Alzheimer Clients, and Me (a memoir about the abundance of spirit that I found among my Alzheimer clients).

• contributor to eight anthologies of fiction, memoir, and poetry.

• a guest on OPRAH and other talk shows trying to educate others about the mental disorder causing child molestation.

http://lynnscottbooks.com

http://lynnscott.wordpress.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Recent survey data indicates that 22% of the 55,000,000+ married women admit to having an extramarital affair. STAYING AFLOAT is the story of one of these women –although she wouldn’t have admitted it if she hadn’t gotten caught.

Crystal Scott is a stable and stalwart, stay-at-home wife and mother, aiming only to run an efficient home, care for her children and avoid confrontation.  Whatever her private thoughts are, she keeps them to herself.  But when her husband loses his job and shows no signs of looking for another, fault lines in their marriage are exposed.  She’s forced to re-enter the workforce, and when her dazzling, dynamic boss takes a personal interest in her, she slips into territory that most women have fantasized about, even if they don’t want to admit it — she morphs into a sex-starved adulteress.

I am Judith Marshall, author of the award-winning novel, HUSBANDS MAY COME AND GO BUT FRIENDS ARE FOREVER. I’ve been writing for thirteen years and am a member of the California Writers Club and the Women’s National Book Association. In addition, I am the President of Human Resources Consulting Services and a member of the faculty of the Council on Education in Management, for whom I teach a number of public seminars on a variety of HR-relates topics. I’m currently working on my third novel, BITTER ACRES.
http://judithmarshall.net/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Humor

39%  of the 68 million women employed in the U.S. work in management, professional, and related occupations. Through my book Katie Carlisle, I show women how to hold onto their integrity, humor, and vision . . . in spite of having to fight sexism in the corporate world.

Katie Carlisle has been lucky enough to have a mentor (her boss) who has taken her to a point where her promotion is pretty well guaranteed.  Only then everything goes wrong.  Her beloved mentor leaves the company under a cloud; his successor is a man whom Katie hates and fears; and a downward spiral in her fortunes starts.  This is the story of a smart woman’s struggle to hold onto her integrity, humor and vision in spite of the tumult around her—and her eventual triumph.

I am Margaret Davis.  I have a doctorate from Stanford University in Sociology, with a specialization in the structure and behavior of formal organizations.  I have had two non-fiction books published in my field.  Katie Carlisle, a humorous spoof on everyday life in a large corporation, is a work of fiction.  Yet, as many of my readers have commented, “Everyone who has ever worked in a big company will relate to and love this book.”

I am also the author of Straight Down the Middle, a family drama involving a young mother’s efforts to do what is best for her child while trying to come to terms with her own sexuality.
http://margaretdavisbooks.com/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Writing Career Coach Teresa will help you practice your pitch
at WNBA’s  “Meet the Agents, Editors, & Publishers”
on March 27, 2010   http://wnba-sfchapter.org

Teresa LeYung Ryan is:
*   Board member at WNBA-SF Chapter since 2004
*    Author with agent and NY publisher
*   Writing career coach
*    Past president of California Writers Club-SF Peninsula Branch
*    Library advocate

Writing Career Coach Teresa is the author of  Build Your Name, Beat the Game: Be Happily Published (a 22-day workbook for writers to build their names and attract attention and fans before and after publication).   http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

As a community spirit, Teresa LeYung Ryan uses her novel Love Made of Heart to:
• shed light on stigmas suffered by immigrant women, men, and children
• advocate understanding of mental illness/traumas to the mind
• help survivors of violence find their own voices through writing
www.LoveMadeOfHeart.com

January is International Creativity Month – a whole month dedicated to Creativity!  Many will start the New Year off making resolutions and creating lists of ambitions and goals to accomplish before the end of 2010.  Sometimes the list will include vows to:  lose weight, exercise regularly, write that book, contribute to savings, limit spending, work less & play more, spend time with the family… (fill in the resolution I’m missing). You get the point, these things are well and good, but will they really happen?

Did you know that according to the latest statistics, 40% of us will make New Years resolutions? Those who make resolutions are more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions. Most of those folks probably took a pen and made a list, or they sat down at their computer screen. The act of writing something down is a powerful way to make your thoughts tangible. The act of making a Vision Board (or collage) with pictures illustrating the written list of your hopes, dreams, intentions and resolutions for 2010 can take your projections from possibilities to reality.

The Vision Board is part magic and part puzzle. If you’d like help getting started, Mary E. Knippel (Creativity Mentor and immediate past president of WNBA-SF) is facilitating a workshop on Jan 30 on the San Mateo Coastside. The workshop is sponsored by the Women’s National Book Assn-San Francisco Chapter and a member benefit to promote professional development.  It will be a day of goal setting, brain storming, writing, laughter and plenty of sharing. It’s a bargain too $30 for WNBA-SF members and $45 for non-members. 

Start 2010 off on a creative note and sign up today at www.wnba-sfchapter.org.

Versions and Visions of Mary

Whether it’s a new concept, or an annual ritual, vision boards perform powerful magic in helping us manifest our dreams. They are a staple at inspirational retreats I’ve attended and if you saw the DVD “The Secret,” you know it played a significant part. The Law of Attraction directs us to envision success as if it is in the present and has already happened. The more detail you bring into the mental image, the better. The vision board brings life to the mental image.

A vision board may also be called a Treasure Map, or Creativity Collage. Using simple raw materials of paper and glue, a dash of whimsy along with a generous amount of your own imagination, the final result is the birth of a physical expression of your inner most hopes and dreams. The word collage comes from the French “to stick.” It is a work of visual art made from an assemblage of different forms (images from magazines, jazzy junk mail, ribbon, photo copies of favorite pictures, and sometimes handwritten quotes); creating a new whole.

This is an opportunity to have fun envisioning the 2010 you’d like to experience. We’re not just playing around. We’re Playing with Purpose!  The idea is that when you surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, your life changes to match those images and those desires.

Ready to create your vision board?

Want to do it with the support and encouragement of friends?

Sign up for the WNBA-SF sponsored Coaxing Creativity Workshop – Decide, Declare, Design Your writing life for 2010 on Jan 30, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on the beautiful San Mateo coastside. We’ll do some writing, create a vision board, brainstorm about goals and ways to achieve them, play, and have FUN!

WNBA SF Chapter Members and Friends

Gracious host & hostess Michael Larsen & Elizabeth Pomada

Christmas lights Victorian home with books and books and books

WNBA members and friends, share nosh, click glasses.

Treasurer Christopher Payne represents executive board President Lynn Henriksen, Vice President Allegra Harris, Secretary Sara Videtto, and Immediate Past President Mary Knippel.

Shulamit Sofia, Linda Joy Myers, Verna Dreisbach had to leave before book exchange.  So did Chris.

Warmed by friendships, old, new.

The Honorable Teresa Cox represents her cousin Effie Lee Morris whom we miss so much.  Adele Horwitz reads the tribute that she, Elizabeth and Michael wrote for WNBA Bookwoman.

Looking forward to January 30, 2010 when Mary Knippel will lead us in:

Decide, Declare, Design

Your Writing Life for 2010!

http://www.wnba-sfchapter.org/

The Women’s National Book Association is proud to announce the opening of its latest chapter in Charlotte, North Caroloina. The WNBA brings together professional women – and men – who share a passion for books and reading. It’s always looking for new members.

In its inaugural fall, Charlotte’s WNBA has planned several events, including a discussion panel on how children’s books go from idea to the bookstore and library shelves and a holiday fundraising event to support local literacy outreach.  Also, check out WNBA-Charlotte on Facebook.

Many WNBA members work in the book profession as publishers, authors, agents, editors, librarians, booksellers or book production and marketing specialists. Others simply love books.

“The only qualification is that you have a love of books and the written word,” said Carin Siegfried, Charlotte chapter president and, of course, a voracious reader. In addition to Ms. Siegfried, Category Manager at Charlotte-based book wholesaler Baker & Taylor, WNBA-Charlotte officers are:  Betsy Thorpe, vice president and owner of Betsy Thorpe Literary Services, a book publishing consulting company; Quinlan Lee, secretary and Associate Agent at Adams Literary; Sally Brewster, treasurer and owner of Park Road Books.

We tell children: “Be quiet when you’re in a library. People are reading.”

Those children/library patrons need us to use our mighty voices now.  All across our beloved country, libraries are in danger.  In the San Francisco Bay Area, 6 branches in Oakland deserve our rallies.

Case in Point:
The mayor’s budget proposal, scheduled to go into effect July 1st 2009, will slash the open hours for Lakeview, Temescal, Golden Gate, Elmhurst, Martin Luther King and Melrose library branches in Oakland.  These branches would only open 2 or 3 days per week!   Schools that don’t have libraries, neighborhood kids, seniors, people without computers, and the unemployed looking for work will be severely affected.

77.2% voters had voted YES to Measure Q (to increase libraries hours and services, not to cut them)

Keep ALL Oakland Libraries open 5 or 6 days a week!  How can we help?

Visit:

http://savethelibraries.spaces.live.com

Wherever you are, you can use the strategies proposed by the Oakland groups:

• Ask questions and offer resources

• Create an action plan, organize and more organize–strength in number

• Craft consistent talking-points to hook politicians’ attention

Contact your library to find out if any branch in your city or county are in danger. We can use our mighty voices not only through public speaking but also through writing, spreading the word, and letting cyberspace carry our messages far and wide.

Hope to see WNBA members at the San Francisco Library Main Branch on June 2 for the Effie Lee Morris Lecture.     Please RSVP by visiting home page  http://wnba-sfchapter.org for instructions.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Teresa LeYung Ryan

WNBA-SF Chapter Member-at-Large

WNBA-SF Members and Guests

are invited to the

13th Annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture

“Bookjoy: The Zing of Writing”
Featuring Guest Lecturer: Pat Mora
at the
San Francisco Main Library (100 Larkin, San Francisco)

Koret Auditorium, Lower Level
on
Tues., June 2, 2009

5 p.m. reception, 6 p.m. lecture

Please be our guest on Tuesday, June 2 at 5 p.m. for the 13th Annual Effie Lee Morris Children’s Lecture Series featuring Pat Mora at the San Francisco Main Library sponsored by the Women’s National Book Assn-San Francisco Chapter. Pat Mora is the writer of over 25 books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction for children and adults. Mora’s work spans several genres in two languages (Spanish and English), however, she admits that poetry is her favorite genre because it allows her to combine “the challenge of creating an experience with economy of language.” A tireless literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls “bookjoy,” Mora founded the family literacy initiative in 1996, El día de los niños / El día de los libros, Children’s Day / Book Day (“Día”) , now housed at the American Library Association. The year-long commitment to daily linking all children to books, languages and cultures culminates in celebrations across the country on or near April 30th. Book Fiesta captures and promotes the Día spirit. Her haiku collection about foods of the Americas, Yum! ¡Mmm! ¡Qué Rico!, won the Américas Award and was an ALA Notable. Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart, an ALA Notable which received a Pura Belpré Author Honor Award in 2006, a Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and the 2006 National Hispanic Cultural Center Literacy Award.