Thursday, January 26, 2017

Letter from Lebanon



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Canadian Volunteer Charmaine Craig wrote:

Dear Friends,
We are busy here in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon providing the much needed aid to displaced Syrian War Refugees, living in the settlement camps or in town, renting horrible spaces. This week volunteers have done food and blanket distributions and plan another food/heating fuel distribution and a large shoe distribution. 

Today I will be purchasing food from the wholesaler. We buy rice, lentils, chickpeas, bulgar, etc in 25 kg bags and large boxes of cooking oil, tea and pasta. Please help 

I am also working with a team to improve a horrendous housing situation for a family. We will be purchasing some needed antibiotics for the children, a cook stove and propane, food, hygiene products and whatever else we feel will make their living situation more habitable and sanitary. 

Thank you, friends, for making this happen!
Please ask all your friends to donate as well, even $5 helps!

Love Charmaine


War Refugees to Survive the Winter
https://www.gofundme.com/bekindtorefugeeswinter2016


Tuesday, January 10, 2017

How to Make More Money With Your Manuscript




For many authors, writing a book is the only way of earning money with their craft. But there is much more to a manuscript than what you can imagine! Your book has a secret ingredient which is called “Copyright.” Every story you write, every novel, is a package of copyrights.
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You can sell parts of your book to:
  • one publisher
  • other parts to another publisher
  • some parts to overseas markets
  • other parts to audio
  • as e-Books or Singles
  • to game companies
  • maybe even to Hollywood’s film industry
  • use parts of it to submit to contests
  • divide it into chapters and sell to magazines
  • or to web publishers …

The list goes on and on and on. But what you need to do:
  • learn all about copyright to really understand this
  • realize that each piece can be a cash stream for you
  • you don’t even have to use your name, get a pen name or even several

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You can sell these manuscript copyrights or uses in several ways:
  • First Serial Rights
  • First Serial Right Electronic
  • Second Serial Right
  • Subsidiary Rights

Audio Books
Why not additionally create an audio-book from your novel or even from non-fiction? Audio-books are very popular!  Your readers can listen to your audio-books, which can easily double their book consumption because they are using time, that previously was not available and turning it into valuable “reading” time.
Readers can listen in their car, bus, train, plane… while exercising, walking or hiking, on the beach or while doing mundane tasks around the house or yard.  Special needs readers, such as blind ones will have access to your written words in form of an audio-book.
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Kindle Singles
Now it is possible to write 5,000 (better 10,000) to 30,000 word articles, Amazon calls them “Kindle Singles” and sells them online. A prominent author of these Kindle Singles is Stephen King, with his Single “Mile 81” the current top seller (as of this writing). 

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Split Your Book into Single Articles
Very few emerging writers realize that they can sell their magazine articles over and over again. As long as the markets don’t overlap, you can sell exactly the same article as many times as you like and, in this globally connected marketplace, it is easier than you think.

However, you can only sell first rights, either print or electronic, once for the same piece. After that, unless you change the article significantly, you must offer it as a reprint for a lower fee. If you change the article, you can sell it again for first rights.

Then tweak it into an 800-word article for a national US daily. Subsequently, you make some minor changes to slant the piece for a travel magazine. Each time, you are able to sell it for first rights. Continue to sell it, however, look out for new markets in other English language markets overseas.

Reselling your work makes good business and time management sense – 
it reduces the energy you expend and increases your revenue. 



Use your book's manuscript to extend your revenues, find tons of freelance writing opportunities in the book, and learn everything about grants, crowd-funding, fellowships, writing contests or writer vacations in free residencies.
The Possibilities Are Endless...Learn how to be in charge of your income now.  The only “ceilings” are the ones you place on yourself!  You can make an excellent living as a writer.  All you need is someone to show you how to start.
Writing for a living offers lots of advantages – you get to choose when and where you work, and with whom. But it’s not enough to say you want to make a living as a writer; you need to know HOW. You need a concrete plan to bridge the gap between where you are now to where you want to be in the future. 


 111 Tips to Make Money With Writing: 
The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing
shows you exactly the many possibilities to become a full-time writer - with a lot more than 111 tips - how to make a living from writing.


For a Preview click here:  http://a.co/eD6PcoW
Find it on iBooks, B&N, Kobo, Chapters, Thalia, Weltbild etc. 
via a universal link: 



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Monday, January 2, 2017

Just for the Price of a Coffee ...






Hello Friends, 
I just received an email from Charmaine Craig.  She is helping Syrian war refugee families and was already several months in 2015 and 2016 in Greece.  Now she volunteers in one of the huge refugee camps in Lebanon. In my eyes, this Canadian lady is a saint...



My pledge to you is this:  Instead of a large daily coffee, order a small one 
and with $36 help a family who is a victim of this murderous war.


"Happy New Year from the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon!!!
Most of us wish for a happy, healthy and prosperous year and it is ever more important here. Syrian families displaced by war wish for peace and wonder about when the day comes that the war is over if they will have a place to go back to."






"Families live in abject poverty here in the Beqaa Valley.
They have barely enough food to survive let alone for proper nutrition.  And, children run around in sandals and light jackets when it is freezing outside.  So many children and elderly will end up sick this winter. 

There are over 1400 informal settlement camps scattered on farmer fields throughout the valley.  Not every settlement receives aid. A lot of NGO's will not work here due to safety concerns.  Here at Salam LADC we try to reach the most vulnerable.  We have done many distributions in my short time here and the relief and joy it brings to the people is very gratifying. 


We provide food bags with enough staples for one month for each family and heating fuel to help keep them warm.  We distribute clothes by providing pop-up stores where we set up racks and bins of clothing so that the people can choose for themselves what they would like. This is such a dignified way to provide clothing."


Charmaine wrote:  "I am very happy to work with Salam LADC. I can see they do so much good here with their projects. But as they are a small grassroots NGO their funding is provided by us, the volunteers, and our networks.

I would like to fund at least one of the distributions of food and heating fuel. The cost of the food parcel is $25 and 4 gallons of heating fuel is $11 (all American funds).  For the price of a coffee, you can help me help. 


Friends, we can provide comfort and hope and with your donation families will be provided food and warmth."





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Read more here - and follow Charmaine on Facebook:
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Donate to my GoFundMe Winter 2016 Campaign
https://www.gofundme.com/bekindtorefugeeswinter2016

Be Kind to Refugees Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/bekindtorefugees/


Addendum:When I was here in Lebanon, last May, there were 1400 informal settlements. Now, there are an estimated 2050. More and more families have left Syria since the Siege on Aleppo and Lebanon has decided they are no longer permitted to register as refugees which mean: less aid.
I would like to fund at least one distribution of food and heating fuel for an entire settlement camp. The cost of the food parcel for one family for one month is $25 and 4 gallons of heating fuel is $11 (US funds). For the price of a coffee per day, you can help me help keep a family warm and fed this winter.

Thank you for your support!
Love Charmaine