Hello again. And thank you for being a valued subscriber to E-
Writer! I've had quite a few new subscribers since the last
issue, so I thought perhaps I should start by recapping on the
basics. Apologies in advance if you've heard this before...

Let's start with the question, why E-Writer? Well, the E stands
for two things, Entrepreneur and Electronic. Entrepreneur,
because that's my angle. I work full time as a freelance writer
and my number one aim is to make a (good) living from it. I'm
not saying I wouldn't one day like to write the great novel, but
my motives are primarily commercial, not so say financial! So in
each issue of E-Writer I aim to pass on a range of ideas - some
quite unusual - for turning your writing skills to profit.

The E also (of course) stands for Electronic. I use the net
a lot in my work, and hope to share through this newsletter a
few hints and tips I have picked up along the way, and some
useful resources I have discovered for "wired-up" writers. The
net is also a market of growing importance for writers, and in
the newsletter I aim to reveal ways you can get a slice of the
online writing action yourself.

In each issue I also share any interesting market information I
have come across. E-Writer is never going to be a long list of
markets which might consider your work, however. There are
other websites and e-zines which do this far better than I ever
could (see, for example, http://www.worldwidefreelance.com).

As for frequency, I've settled into a routine of every two to
four weeks. Sorry it's a bit irregular, but I have to fit the
newsletter in among my other writing commitments. Still, I hope
it will always be a pleasant surprise when it does turn up!

You can view all the past issues of E-Writer from the archive
page of my website at http://www.nickdaws.co.uk/EWarchive.htm.
The archived versions of the newsletters have been tidied up a
bit and some extra features added, e.g. the section headings are
hyperlinked from the contents list at the top of each issue. I
can't actually do this in the e-mail version of E-Writer, which
is sent in plain text format (so that everyone can read it).

One last general comment is that, as the archive gets bigger,
you may find it harder to locate an item you saw in an earlier
issue - so on the front page of http://www.nickdaws.co.uk I have
added a search engine (provided by Google). Enter the term you
are looking for - e.g. Kwickee - and the search engine will list
all the pages on my website where this term can be found.
Incidentally, you can set this to search either my site or the
whole Web if you prefer.

It's been a fairly quiet couple of weeks for me since the last
E-Writer. I'm quite glad about that, as it's given me a chance
to get my annual accounts sorted out (my financial year goes
from November to October, for reasons that are far too boring to
recount). I have, however, reached an agreement with WCCL, who
publish my 'Write Any Book in Under 28 Days' course, to produce
another writing course for them. I can't say too much about it
at the moment, except I'm very excited about it, and it should
be a perfect complement to the '28 Days' course. Watch this
space for more info!

I was also very pleased to hear about the first E-Writer-
brokered collaboration! Reader and published author Paul Power
contacted Dr Suzanne Harris as a result of reading the item
about her website in last month's newsletter. The upshot is that
they have developed a joint proposal for a specialist gardening
book, which is currently doing the rounds of publishers. If
anyone else is looking for a collaborator, please let me know
and I'll put your details in a future issue. Who knows, I might
even be interested in collaborating on your project myself!

Finally, you might possibly be interested to know that I am due
to appear on a talk show on Florida radio station 1230 WBZT on
Monday November 22 at around 1pm Eastern Standard Time.
(Unfortunately I shan't be flying out for the show - I'll be on
the phone from home.) The programme is called The Entrepreneur
Hour and it's hosted by Suzanne Mulvehill. If you don't live in
Florida, you should be able to listen in via their website at
http://www.wbzt.com. I'll be recording the show on my PC using
my favourite 'Replay Radio' software (http://tinyurl.com/5egg5),
so unless I embarrass myself too acutely I will make it
available afterwards via my website as an MP3 file.


2. Useful Resource: Encyclopedia Britannica Website

In this issue of E-Writer I thought I'd highlight another very
useful resource for writers and editors, the Encyclopedia
Britannica website (http://www.britannica.com).

I assume most readers will be aware of Encyclopedia Britannica,
and perhaps (if they're old enough) even have an old set of the
printed encyclopedia at home. Nowadays, Encyclopedia Britannica
survives mainly as an electronic publication on CD and the net,
and despite the name it is now published in the US rather than
Britain.

The Encyclopedia remains one of the most authoritative and
comprehensive general information resources available, and the
good news is that you can access all of the information in it
via the website. The less good news is that for the in-depth
content you have to pay a subscription - though the cost is
actually quite modest at $59.95 (around £40) a year or $9.95
(around £6) a month.

However, you can view concise information (which may well be
sufficient to resolve any basic writing or editing query) free
of charge via the website. Here's how to use it. In the search
box at the top centre of the homepage, enter the term you want
information about. Ensure that the radio button for Britannica
Online (rather than Dictionary & Thesaurus) is checked, then
click on 'Go'.

After a moment, a results page will appear listing full-length
articles available to subscribers on the left of the page and
free concise articles on the right. Clicking on any of the
latter will open the article concerned.

As a test, I tried this with the search term 'volcano'.
Britannica Online listed 73 free articles, among which was the
following general introduction:

<<Volcano - Vent in the crust of the Earth from which molten
rock, debris, and steam issue. Volcanoes are commonly divided
into two broad types. Fissure volcanoes occur along fractures in
the crust and may extend for many miles; lava is ejected
relatively quietly and continuously and forms enormous plains or
plateaus of volcanic rock. Central volcanoes have a single
vertical lava pipe and tend to develop a conical profile; lava
flows from the throat and follows the easiest path downhill.
Often in these volcanoes highly viscous lava clogs the throat,
causing a pressure build-up that is relieved only by violent
explosion and eruption. Such eruptions may completely remove the
top of the cone and occasionally also part of its interior.>>

The site also listed a further 645 in-depth articles relevant to
volcanoes which would have been available had I chosen to
subscribe.

As well as Britannica Online, the website also gives you the
opportunity to search for terms in the Merriam-Webster Online
Dictionary and Thesaurus. This is done by clicking the
'Dictionary and Thesaurus' radio button in the search box on the
homepage. Dictionary entries show pronunciation and etymology
as well as meaning. As an example, here is the entry
for 'Dinosaur'.

<<Pronunciation: 'dI-n&-"sor
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin Dinosaurus, genus name, from Greek deinos
terrifying + sauros lizard -- more at DIRE Date: 1841
1 : any of a group (Dinosauria) of extinct chiefly terrestrial
carnivorous or herbivorous reptiles of the Mesozoic era
2 : any of various large extinct reptiles other than the true
dinosaurs
3 : one that is impractically large, out-of-date, or obsolete
- di·no·sau·ri·an /"dI-n&-'sor-E-&n/ adjective>>

If you want to see synonyms and near-synonyms for a word, you
can do so by clicking on the Thesaurus button on the dictionary
results page. However, in the past I have found that this is
less comprehensive than the free thesaurus available at
http://www.thesaurus.com.

Overall, the Encyclopedia Britannica website is a handy
resource for quickly checking facts or getting essential
background information. Much of the time the free concise
service should be quite adequate, but if you ever want to
explore a topic in more depth, you could always invest a few
dollars in a one-month subscription.


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3. Market Info - Miscellany

Here are a few more potential markets for you...

EOTU Ezine is currently seeking short story submissions in the
fantasy genre for its December issue (deadline: 15 November).
Short stories of under 3,000 words and poems under 30 lines are
most in demand. Payment is one cent per word for any story ($5
minimum, $30 maximum), and $5 for any poem or piece of art. For
further information, including how to submit, see their website
at http://www.clamcity.com/submissionspage.html. 

US video games developer Merit Industries is looking for trivia
writers in the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech,
Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Polish, Russian, Spanish (Latin America), and - not least -
English (UK). I don't have any more info than that at the
moment, but if you check out http://www.meritind.com and
http://translations.meritind.com/ it may give you some idea of
the type of product you will be working on. To apply, submit
your CV/résumé to: mailto:fguignard-at-meritind.com.

The wonderfully named Hereafter.com website is looking for
writers for a series of multimedia romance stories to be
distributed via the Web. Familiarity with the genre is required,
and they say preference will be given to applicants in southern
Ontario. Payment for the next story will be 1000 CDN$ (about 800
US$ or £500) and will be in stages: a token payment on signing,
half on acceptance of the first draft, and the remainder on
acceptance of the final draft. Revenue sharing will also be
given when the story is distributed. To apply, you are asked to
create an account and profile, then upload some short samples of
your work at http://www.hereafter.com/talent.html. Incidentally,
they are also looking for illustrators and voice artists.

Cat lovers (among whom I count myself) might be interested in a
new anthology, tentatively titled Cat Tails, which is currently
seeking contributions. The publishers, Paw Publishing, say:
'Write a true short story, article or poem on the comfort, joy
and meaning cats bring to our lives.' You've got a little time
for this one, as the deadline isn't till March 1 2005. There's
no financial payment, unfortunately, but contributors get a copy
of the published book or e-book (their choice) and a writer's
credit. Copyright remains with the author. For more info, see
the website http://www.pawpublishing.com/Book_op.asp.

Chambers & Partners are seeking full-time researchers/writers to
work in Central London. They say they're looking for people with
a flair for writing and interviewing, and a background in law
would be useful. You should have a minimum 2:1 degree and some
office experience. The salary on offer is around £20,000 (about
37,000 USD). To apply, send a CV/résumé to Janis Witicki,
Chambers & Partners, 23 Long Lane, London, EC1A 9HL, UK, or by
e-mail to: mailto:JanisW-at-chambersandpartners.co.uk.

And here are some more full-time writing opportunities, this
time in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. An international PR agency
is looking for ambitious individuals with a proven ability to
write well under deadlines. Strong editorial experience is a
must. Duties will include writing press releases, feature
articles, executive by-lines and Q&As. To apply, send your CV as
soon as possible to mailto:info-at-wallismc.com, quoting the
reference DXBAM50.

Finally, I should mention that the UK mobile phone publishing
company Kwickee, for whom I am a (freelance) group editor, is
now up and running. So far it has been a fairly low-key launch,
not helped by a few technical problems which are still being
resolved. However, I am assured that new investors are coming on
board, and once all the necessary finance is in place, a major
marketing campaign will be rolled out. There are also technical
developments in process which, according to Kwickee's Managing
Editor Nick Hirst, "will bring about a sea change in ease of use
in uploading and editing, as well as accessing on your mobile
phone and purchasing."

For the benefit of new readers, Kwickee publishes articles and
fiction which customers can download via their mobile (cell)
phones, PDAs and the net. Anyone is welcome to submit material,
and writers will receive a proportion of the payment received
every time someone pays to receive one of their contributions.
For further details, see the web pages http://www.kwickee.com
and http://www.kwickee.info. Note that anyone from anywhere in
the world is welcome to contribute Kwickees - payments to non-UK
residents will be made by Paypal.


4. Style File: Trouble With Numbers

In this feature I examine an aspect of English usage - words,
punctuation, grammar, and so on - which can cause problems for
writers and editors. In this issue I'm looking at some issues
concerning numbers.

Writers (and editors) often find themselves in doubt over
numbers, especially whether to write them out as numerals or in
words. In most cases this is a matter of custom and practice
rather than strict grammatical rules. The following are some
general guidelines, but bear in mind that publishers may have
house style rules which differ from these.

(1) In non-technical books, the most common rule is that all
numbers up to 100 should be written out in words. This is the
Oxford University Press preferred style, for example.

If a sentence includes one or more figures of 100 or above,
however, numerals are normally used throughout the sentence for
consistency.

There are 500 envelopes, 50 pens, 30 pencils, 10 reams of paper
and 6 ring binders.

But note that this only applies to the sentence concerned, not
the rest of the text.

(2) In scientific and technical books, however (and in newspaper
style), different rules often apply. In some cases numerals are
used throughout, while in others words are used for one to nine,
and numerals for numbers greater than this. Editors should look
to their publisher's house style sheet for guidance, or failing
this make a decision and aim to apply it consistently.

(3) Try to avoid starting a sentence with a numeral. If this is
unavoidable, write it out in words.

There are 120 shops in the new shopping mall.

But,

Sixty-four shops in the mall are open this Sunday.

There is one exception, however - it is OK to start a sentence
with a year.

2004 is a year that will be remembered for many reasons.

(4) Approximate figures - fractional or otherwise - are normally
written out as words: half the students, a quarter of a cup of
sugar, a third of the time, four times as often.

(5) Where two numbers follow each other in a sentence, for
clarity it is often best to write out the shorter number:

We need another three 60-Watt bulbs for the office.
The computer room has 20 seventeen-inch monitors.
The theme park has two 40-foot pirate ships.

(6) And following on from these examples, a hyphen is normally
placed after a unit of measurement when the unit modifies a
noun: 10-foot pole, 6-inch rule, 10-year passport. (The unit of
measurement in such expressions is, for some reason, always
singular.)

If an adjective is added to the unit of measurement, it takes a
hyphen also: a 10-foot-long pipe, a 2-inch-wide aperture, a 3-
year-old horse.

(6) Finally, except at the beginning of a sentence, numerals are
normally required in the following instances:

* With symbols or abbreviations
6 oz or 4:20 p.m. or 3%
8 KB or $9 or 2"

* In addresses
156 High Street
4201 12th Avenue

* In dates
1 December 2004 (UK style)
December 1, 2004 (US style)

* In decimal fractions
8.5
4.25

* In page references
page 7

As I mentioned earlier, the treatment of numbers is more a
matter of style than grammar. As a matter of interest then, I
thought I'd conclude by reproducing the advice from the house
style guide of one of the clients I work for from time to time,
a large educational organisation within the UK:

<<Never start a sentence with a number. Write the number in
words or change the order of the sentence.
Example
Wrong - 12 per cent of part-time students at the college studied
hairdressing.
Right - Of the part-time students at the college, 12 per cent
studied hairdressing.
Spell out numbers one to nine in text. Use numbers from 10
upwards. Ordinal numbers (numbers that show order in a series,
that is, first, second, third) are treated in the same way, so
you would write ‘fourth, fifth’ but ‘19th, 21st’ and so on.
Try not to mix figures and spelt-out numbers in the same
sentence. If this is likely to happen, use figures throughout
the sentence. Use figures to show percentages (for example, ‘7
per cent’) and for monetary values (for example, ‘£587’).
Use numbers and words to show very large round numbers, for
example, ‘£500 million’. Use commas to divide thousands, for
example, ‘345,678’.>>

Authorities I referred to in writing this article: The Oxford
Manual of Style, The Chicago Manual of Style (14th edition), the
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.

That's it for this issue. I hope you've enjoyed reading it and
found something that may be useful to you. E-Writer will be back
with you again in a few weeks' time.

Happy writing!

Nick

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Copyright Info

Except where specifically stated, material in E-Writer is
protected by copyright of Nick Daws, 2004. Material from the
newsletter may, however, be reproduced in other online or off-
line publications so long as (a) the text (including any URLs
and e-mail addresses) is not altered in any way, and
(b) the souce is acknowledged and a link or text reference is
provided to my website at http://www.nickdaws.co.uk. Notifying
me is not essential but would be appreciated - please use the e-
mail address above or the link on my site. Many thanks!

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