Send submission to: gv@brandhomework.com

DO NOT SEND YOUR SUBMISSION TO ME OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!

Entries limited to the first 100 who follow all the rules, or close on November 15, 2008, whichever comes first. I'll call the winner on Christmas Day (I know, but I love to be dramatic.), and offer the writer a Letter of Intent (meaning it's my intent to represent this work if it's up to snuff at the end of the year, and you can't submit the work anywhere else until the year is up).

Work starts after my birthday, which is January 10^th, and will run until I feel the work is ready to submit to publishers, or December 31, 2009, whichever comes first. If the work ain't ready by December 31, 2009, you'll still be in better shape than you were. There's no cost to enter. You have my permission to put this info on any loop or newsletter.

Direct any questions to the e-mail address you submitted to, NOT TO ME!.

May the worst writer with the best voice win! (No, I ain't kiddin'. This award is for someone who doesn't have a shot at publication without more help than anyone else is willing to give. I'm willing.)

Barnes and Noble Gets Rated! [not "raided"!]

(Courtesy of Michelle Sutton)

Barnes and Noble has revamped their site and their rating system. You can now give "detailed" ratings and have your picture posted, etc. This is what the choices are...

Detailed Ratings:

You can now share additional feedback with your fellow shoppers by rating specific elements of this title. These won't affect your overall rating above.

Rate the: Series Excellence, Writing, Characters, Story, Realism

It is: Edgy, Emotional, Unforgettable, Challenging, Thrilling

Good For: Just for Fun, Discussions, Re-reading, Finding Yourself [Are ya lost? Can ya look for me too?], Sharing with Friends

[Nice that they're doin' something to better their system. Props, B&N.]

By Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly

F+W Media, which changed its name from F+W Publications in July to better reflect its push into digital publishing, has reorganized  the company, moving away from its existing structure which divided up the company into book and magazine divisions, into a company organized by communities. According to a memo from F+W CEO David Nussbaum, "starting now, we are organized and led by community and customer focus, not by channel or product." Nussbaum told PW the new structure will enable F+W to deliver "more expert information in its markets," while also making the company a more effective publishing partner for its retailers.

Under the realignment, Sara Domville and David Blansfield are now presidents of F+W Media, overall, and will be responsible for different communities. Additionally, F+W is dividing its content into 15 communities, and appointed a single executive to head each as publisher and editorial director. Those executives will have full responsibility for a particular community, regardless of media - books, magazines, online, digital products, and events.

Communities and leaders reporting through to Domville are : Fine Art, Jamie Markle; Crafts, Teri Mollison; Genealogy, Allison Stacy; Writing, Jane Friedman; Woodworking, Steve Shanesy. Domville also retain responsibility for Adams Media and David & Charles, and all U.S. Book Sales & Custom Publishing activities headed by Phil Sexton.

Communities and leaders reporting to David Blansfield: are  Antiques & Collectibles, Dianne Wheeler; Automotive, Jeff Pozorski; Sports and Construction/Trade, Dean Listle; Numismatics, Scott Tappa; Design, David Sloan; Horticulture, Guy Gonzalez; Log Homes, Bob Rosen; Outdoors, Brad Rucks; Scuba Diving, Keith Phillips.

Nussbaum said he expects the new structure to be fully implemented by the end of the year, and for F+W to reap the benefits early in 2009. He doesn't believe the new organization will lead to a change in the number of titles released annually, which typically ranges from 700 to 800. The number of digital products, however, is expected to rise. "This is not business as usual," Nussbaum acknowledged and said the organizational structure will continue to evolve. "We have work to do to bring the business to where it needs to be, but I am confident with our new structure we will see gains in collaboration and innovation. And most importantly in today's tough economy, we will work harder to achieve our financial goals across the company," Nussbaum wrote to employees. [Hmm. Wonder if when they restructured, they found all those author royalties they misplaced....]

by Craig Morgan Teicher -- Publishers Weekly

Simon & Schuster and Macmillan Publishing Solutions subsidiary MPS Mobile announced a partnership today through which MPS will distribute over 500 S&S e-books through its Global Reader platform, which makes digital book content available over any Web-enabled mobile phone. Among the titles Global Reader will immediately make available are The Secret, and Star Trek books. Excerpts of both will be given away as a promotion to introduce the service. Other titles available at launch include Nancy Drew mysteries and books by Ernest Hemingway. Eventually, all S&S e-books will be made available through the service.

Since BEA last spring, MPS has made several other announcements, such as the adoption of ePub and an interface redesign for Global Reader, plus a distribution deal with the e-book-only imprint E-Reads. Global Reader is available in over 160 countries.

By Rachel Deahl -- Publishers Weekly

In another move by a publisher to exploit the book-to-film connection, Macmillan has inked a partnership with the L.A.-based literary agency RWSH. The move, which allows RWSH to exclusively sell film and TV rights to unagented titles on Macmillan's list, follows on the heels of a number of publisher-driven attempts to exploit intellectual property more skillfully (and lucratively) in Hollywood. 

While Random House and HarperCollins have both hooked up more directly with moviemakers--Random established Random House Films to co-finance literary adaptations directly with Focus Features while HarperCollins has a partnership with indie producer Jeff Sharp through its Sharp Independent at HarperCollins--the Macmillan deal is most similar to Simon & Schuster Children's recent pact with The Gotham Group. Through the S&S-Gotham partnership the L.A. talent agency will look to set up projects based, also, on un-agented titles on the publisher's list. (The S&S-Gotham partnership will, however, see Gotham setting up certain projects of its own with the publisher.)

Through this deal, which a spokesperson at Macmillan said has been percolating for nearly a year, RWSH agents and Macmillan employees will work together to identify the best projects for potential film or television adaptation. And, while a majority of the titles in play are backlist, the spokesperson confirmed that some of the house's frontlist titles have also been signed un-agented.

Speaking to the deal Brian Napack, president of Macmillan, said it "brings to us, and by extension our authors a world class team in Hollywood" to make movie deals. Sylive Rabineau and Liza Wahcter, principles at RWSH, added that the agency will work to "fashion the best possible media deals, at just the right homes, for each particular project."

Cheerin' for the Underdog!

UNDERDOG PRESS needs your support to publish great work that needs a home. Please visit us at www.underdogpress.com  today and pre-order Sheryl Brennan's Celtic Sacrifice in Trade Paperback.