SMFS Newsletter: The Short Order -- Vol 2 Num 1 -- Feb 1998%=====================================================================% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% THE SHORT ORDER %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %===================== Volume TWO Number ONE =====================% %============================ Feb 1998 ===========================% %===================== A Newsletter From The =====================% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SHORT MYSTERY FICTION SOCIETY %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%=====================================================================%The Short Order(TSO) is a quarterly email/web newsletter for fans ofmystery fiction in the short form. Those interested in working on somepart of The Short Order can email the Editor, R.K.Foster(Bob) at{rkfoster@ix.netcom.com} with your ideas, background, and suggestions. -=+=-####### TABLE OF CONTENTS SCAM ALERT by Kate Grilley MARKETS: KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN by Gail ("G. Miki") Hayden SHOOT--I MEAN, ASK AWAY... by Jiro Kimura WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, ANYWAY? by Gail ("G. Miki") Hayden NIGHT DETOUR by Polly Whitney####### ODDS & ENDS SUBMISSION GUIDELINES BACK ISSUES KEEPING IN TOUCH, SUBSCRIBING, ETC. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION -=+=-The opinions expressed by individual authors are their own and do notnecessarily represent the opinions of the Short Mystery Fiction Societyor its members or the Editor or Staff of The Short Order newsletter. -=+=-The Editor would like to thank the Contributors to The Short Orderfor their submissions and the readership for supporting this fledglingpublication. My thanks also to Margo Power for her advice and support.Please email comments to R.K.Foster(Bob) at {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}%=====================================================================%SCAM ALERTby Kate Grilley"A fool and his money are soon parted." Keep your wallets/checkbooksfirmly shut when these folks come calling.My spies have been very busy of late, here are verbatim dispatches fromthe front. My sincere thanks to all who took the time to personallye-mail me with these reports.* * * * * EDIT INK./EDITCETERA.......is in the Scam Alert news again.LATE BREAKING NEWS...Many thanks, and gross of pockets for his spy coat, to Tom Kreitzberg forsending me the following news item on January 14, 1998:"Editing firm bilked writers out of $5.5 mln - suit ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) - A firm of ``book doctors'' who allegedlycreated a network of fake agents and publishers to lure aspiring writersinto spending thousands for editing of ''excellent'' manuscripts was suedby New York state Friday. In a multi-million dollar civil action, New York Attorney GeneralDennis Vacco charged that Edit Ink, run by William Appel and DeniseSterrs, fraudulently generated $5.5 million in fees through the scam. He said the firm lured would-be authors through ads placed on theInternet and in literary publications such as the New York Times BookReview. Form letters that blatantly played to thefragile egos of writers were sent to each of thousands of would-beauthors who submitted manuscripts. They were told their work showed``great promise and excellent commercial possibilities, but neededprofessional editing before it could be published.'' The letters referred writers to Edit Ink, which would bring themanuscript ``closer to publication'' -- for $5 a page, the suit alleged.While hopeful authors were told only the most promising submissions werereferred to Edit Ink, the same form letter was sent to every writer andmanuscripts were not read. The supposed publisher or agent would then receive a 15 percentkickback from Edit Ink for every manuscript submitted for editing, Vaccosaid. Once the manuscript was edited and supposedly submitted forpublication, authors received a letter saying the work could not bepublished after all. The scheme began to unravel when desperate writers began checkingwith the publishers to whom they had been told their work had beensubmitted, and learned that not only had the manuscripts not beenreceived, but the publishers had never even heard of the agents. This was because Appel allegedly set up people in his networkwith little or no experience in publishing. His sister-in-law and afriend who was formerly a swimming pool salesman posed as literary agentsor publishing houses. One established author beat the sham firm at its own game,however, submitting a fake manuscript described as ``a series ofblatantly incoherent pages,'' only to receive the standard form lettersaying the manuscript was ``close to marketable'' and referring him toEdit Ink for a final edit. Some authors were so encouraged by the letters they intiallyreceived that after their work was ultimately rejected, they sent theirmanuscripts to other phony agents in the network. When they received thesame flattering letters time and again referring them to Edit Ink, thefraud became apparent, Vacco said. One author on disability who is supported by her son spent $1,600for editing after receiving a flattering letter. In her affidavit shesaid she and her family all concluded that ``the enouragement was toohard to pass up.'' The defendants were charged with false advertising, deceptivebusiness practices and fradulent or illegal conduct. The civil actionseeks unspecified damages, penalties and fines. Edit Ink has been effectively shut down by a temporaryrestraining order."-------------------------Here are reports from Scam Alert readers of their personal experienceswith Edit Ink/Editcetera and agents who recommend these book doctors totheir potential clients.-- "I know from personal experience that Silver Branch Literary Agencyalso recommends Edit Ink. Edit Ink's owner, Bill Appel, was not at allamused when I called and asked where his client base came from or whathis success rate was." -------------------- "Here is another servant of Edit Inc. pretending to be a literaryagent:Silver Branch Literary Agency -- Contact: Kelly CulmnerHas a web sight on AOL and solicits authors directly...I received amarketing packet from them stating that I was referred to them fromSilver Branch. It arrived two days before the rejection from Culmner -attached to another pitch for Edit Inc."------------------Here's another report on Kelly Culmner:-- "Last March, I got a direct mail letter from Charles Neighbors atAardvark. He said he had 30 years in the business and said he'drepresented such-and-such writer and sold such-and-such books, and notedalso that he got a thrill out of discovering new talent.I decided to calland get a feel for what Aardvark was all about. Neighbors answered thephone himself, and we proceeded to have a nice chat about my work. I senthim the manuscript and waited. Three months later I called and got holdof him again. He said he'd been too busy, but he remembered receiving itand said something to the effect of the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Three months later, I sent him a friendly e-mail requesting themanuscript back. No reply. Mid-September, another email with noresponse. I called the Better Business Bureau in Buffalo NY and found outNeighbors was something short of legit. Emailed again two weeks ago andsaid "Send me my MS back or I'm turning in my official BBB complaintkit." This time he emailed me back and said Kelley Culmer was takingover Aardvark, and that he was no longer involved. He gave me an emailaddress for Ms Culmer, but of course my email to her bounced back."--------------------------- "I also believe I feel prey to a literary scam concerning Bill Apeland The Literary Bridge. I, unfortunately, spent a good deal of moneywith Bill Apel, who was running an editing service by the name of EditCetera. I should have known better when he seemed very anxious to have mesend a check, and during our short time together I felt that he was doingnothing for me in the editing department."---------------------------"Immediately after submitting an ms to Aardvark, I was also referred toEdit Ink. I sensed an inside commission game, because the pressure fromthe Edit Ink salesman was almost like that of a used car salesmandesperate to make a quick last minute sale before closing shop."--------------------------- "Add Literary Group International in New York City to your list.Frank Weimann, President, reviewed the MS and found it "has greatpotential." He also said that "it needs developmental editing if it'sgoing to make it in this difficult market." He goes on, "(P)leaseunderstand that virtually all of our clients work with professionaleditors before we take them on as clients....But, knowing how theindustry operates and what is takes to get your foot in the door, I havecontacted Edit Ink, a professional "book doctoring" service and told themabout your manuscript so that if you decide to seek some developmentalinput, they would be aware of what you needed. The following fullparagraph is a resume of Bill Appel and Denise Sterrs in glowing terms.The one after states "Should you decide to revise this manuscript,incorporating Edit Ink's editorial suggestions, we would be glad toreconsider representation. A small publisher ( a woman who advertises inthe NY Times Book section on Sunday) with a PO Box in Hollywood, FL didthe same thing with me( referring me to Edit Ink). Amazing how the EditInk letters come before I even receive my MS returned.On another subject, Irene Rogers aka Irene Rogers Literary Representationa division of the Western Publishing Group offered me representation,sent a contract, and requested about $150 for costs for five copies of myMS. I spoke to her, made a counteroffer to which she agreed, and thensent her the counteroffer and check for $150. She negotiated the check,never sent back the signed counteroffer, and never sent my MS topublishers. I could never get in touch with her. Finally, I sued her andhave a judgment against her and her alias."----------------------------- "...a couple years ago, Bill Appel of Edit Ink sent out a letter toevery member of the MWA offering $500 for written endorsements of hiscompany."* * * * * JOHN HONEA AGAIN...Previously we reported a possible scam by JOHN HONEA PUBLISHERS a/k/aRENAISSANCE LITERARY AGENCY, based in Alpharetta, Georgia.--"you maybe be able to add American Literary service to your list, I wassugested them to try them last year. I think it was John HONEA...I doremember clearly American Literary service asked for $275. I tried tocall them to say I couldn't afford it, but their phone number wasn'tworking I'm not sure it was real (or if the Co. is still around) theaddress is P.O. Box 500669, Atlanta Georgia 31150 (404) 594-2614"* * * * * A WRITER'S DIGEST ALERT--"At the center of all this greed is none other than Writers Digest.I've seen documentation and have read extensive correspondence to see howthey operate. As publisher of a book that explains all about writing andpromises to make everyone a Writer, they have a huge mailing list. Usingthe list and some ads, the conduct contests. Virtually every wannabewriter who presents us with a moronic proposal has gotten to thequarter-finals of the contest. From perhaps an earlier time, the WD ganginvite them to have their mss analyzed...for only $85. The "writer"receives balk a chatty, upbeat 2.5 page letter, always encouraging him totake the next step --perhaps a story editor a tightening, or even athorough copy edit or complete rewrite, all the while paying WDincreasingly large sums of money. I've seen evidence where WD scammedthese poor souls out of up to $25,000...and no agent would touch it."* * * * * THE RADIO TALK SHOW PLOY...I posted on this previously, but it seems those folks at Wale are aliveand well and looking to take someone for a whale of a ride...-- "The offer from WALE was ...that I was expected to pay $4495 a 50/50"partnership" -- once the funding for advertising exceeded $4495, theywould split all forthcoming income with me 50/50.It sounded very flattering, but I spoke to a station manager of adifferent talk show station (in another part of the country) to see ifthis sort of thing was standard in the industry. He said it was veryrare, and that it sounded like the station was in some sort of financialtrouble since they were looking for help in funding their shows.According to him, it sounded like WALE wants a no-risk business venture.The representative from WALE said there is no show now, but their teamwould sell the advertising spots (20 one-minute spots). My greatestconcern was ... what if they can't sell those spots? And, what's more,what if they decide to cancel the show after the 13 week contract becauseit can't generate the kind of income they envisioned? I'll tell you whathappens -- not only would I never see any benefits of the partnership(no 50% split), but I'm ALSO out $4500! I was also told that the hugeincome potential they promised may not materialize in view of the factthat the market is very competitive in their region and could have agreat deal of difficulty selling all those advertising spots they have tofill.Here's the clincher -- when I called the person who offered thisopportunity to decline the offer, he proceeded to badger me for over 15minutes and implied that I was a fool for passing up this "once in alifetime opportunity" (which immediately raised the RED FLAG in mybrain)! He used classic intimidation techniques and the kind of tacticsused by people who are trying to talk you out of your hard-earned money!I kindly informed him that I could not come up with the capital for thisventure, and expressed a great deal of appreciation for the offer. Butthe pressure kept mounting. I also kindly stated that since this wassuch a golden opportunity, he should have no trouble finding someone tohost the show. This seemed to fuel his rudeness and he stated that other(older, more experienced) authors with book sales reaching the hundredsof thousands would jump at the chance to have what I'm turning down. Irepeated the fact that I do not have $4500 and would NOT have it forquite a long time and that the answer was no. (I guess he wanted me totake out a loan or sell my car or something. Pff.) He interrupted memany times during the conversation, and I finally had to cut him off bytelling him I had to go. I found him to be highly unprofessional anddownright rude and overbearing. I even asked him, "Why can't you justrespect my decision? I don't understand why you're giving me such a hardtime about this. I am not in a position to accept."* * * * * E-MAIL SPAM SCAMS...Seems those folks who previously used the classified ads in your localpaper to attract business have now hit e-mail. You know the ads..."earnbig bucks at home for stuffing envelopes, send us $20.00 and we'll sendyou the details". Guess who's getting rich? Here's a clue: it won't beyou.* * * * * HAVE YOU BEEN SCAMMED? HERE'S A PLACE TO GO FOR HELP!I had an e-mail from Gregg Shapiro with the FTC...he says:" We are looking for new areas in which to look for possible violationsof the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive trade practices."You can send reports directly to Gregg at: Gregg Shapiro,INTERNET:GSHAPIRO@FTC.GOV* * * * * CHECK THIS SCAM ALERT WEBSITE...http://www.writer.org/scamkit.htmIt's the Writer's Center's ScamKit.----------------------------------------------Many writers are fueled by one thing: hope. I find it unconscionablewhen that fragile emotion is preyed upon by greed. Heard of any scams?You, too, can win a pocket for your spy coat! Send your scam news to meat: Kate_Grilley@compuserve.com The names of all correspondents will bekept strictly confidential.Wishing everyone a scam free New Year!Kate"Guavaberry Christmas", Murderous Intent, Fall, 1997 You can reach Kateby e-mail at Kate_Grilley@compuserve.com or on the web athttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Kate_Grilley%=====================================================================%MarketsKeep Your Eyes and Ears Openby G. Miki HaydenOne reality in the short story marketplace is that magazines open andclose as frequently as your refrigerator door. This doesn't mean that theeditor was not sincere in initiating the enterprise, just that he/she mayhave been a bit short-sighted as to the difficulties of running apublication.But once a magazine has revved up and sent out publicity, it is a longertime a-dyin' than it's own mere existence. In doing a start-up, theeditor/publisher has sent announcements to all avenues that attractwriters seeking a market.Not every "New, New, New Market Listings!!!" contains information that isall that fresh. These inventories of markets have their particularagendas--namely to sell their own publications, or to fill a certainamount of space. I have found that out the hard way--namely, by sendingsubmissions to magazines listed in the most reputable of periodicals.Then come the returns: "Box closed." It is unbelievable, but even themagazines and newsletters with the biggest circulations often have notchecked their market listings before printing these notices. They mayhave received a "seeking submissions" request from a publisher seven,eight, or more months before, and do not verify prior to heading intoprint. In the meantime, the market for your mystery is as dead as thecorpse in your opening paragraph. There goes your $1.24 in stamps, not tomention the price of the envelope and the cost of printing the coverletter--the rest, presumably, is salvageable for the next submission. Ofcourse one month may be gone before you receive the material back fromthe postal service. For the already frustrated (it's a given), this isjust another wound.So, you say to yourself, "I'll check out every market before submitting."That's not a bad idea, of course. Sending for guidelines may get you somehelpful responses: "We regret to tell you, but our publication hasclosed." And you only had to invest 64 cents in postage, a considerablesavings.On the other hand, if you send a check for $3.95, the price of themagazine, thinking that you will determine the type of stories itseditors prefer, you may well be wasting your money, if the magazine hasclosed. Oh, it's not a total loss, as you do receive the magazine--maybeone that printed six months before--the last issue that ever will hit thelight of day. Whether that's of benefit to you or not depends on yourvalue system. Please be aware that editors mostly want to sell theirmagazines. Even if they are not planning to ever publish an issue again,they have 500 copies in the closet that they want to sell.I don't know what advice to give to forestall the above. That's the hardpart. I think probably the best thing a writer can do is to watch themarkets as closely as possible. Being on the Internet does help, butrecently I saw a "new" listing for a magazine that I personally know hasbeen dead for nearly a year and a half. And this was in an officiallysanctioned America-On-Line Writer's Club publication. Keeping in touchwith fellow writers, of course, will help. Subscribing to the ShortMystery Fiction Digest will bring you updates from those of us sloggingout there through the trenches. It's a good idea. The time spent readingthis free, frequent group chat is worth it. And most of us have noulterior motives--nothing to sell you except our friendship.Here then are a couple of new market listings--two of which you can sendarticles about short mystery fiction or writers. I hope these magazinesare flourishing and will accept your material.G. Miki Hayden, author of Pacific Empire from JoNa Books, nineintertwined short mystery/crime stories from a world that never was, canbe reached at MaraWayne@aol.com.The Mystery Review will look at:Interviews* authors or others related to the mystery genre (editors, lawenforcement personnel, etc.)* range from 2,000 to 5,000 words, depending on subject* require photos and/or other illustrations that can be reproduced inblack inkTruly Mysterious* "real life" unsolved mysteries--historical or contemporary* 2,000 to 5,000 words* photos/ illustrations requiredBook Reviews* 500 to 700 words ( 1 to 1 1/2 typewritten pages)* need book jacket for illustrative purposes and short authorbiographical sketchBook Shop Beat* approximately 500 words* b/w photo of store, proprietor, business logotype, etc. required* questionnaire covering basic information required available from theeditorTrivia, Puzzles, Shorts* need short filler articles, puzzles (particularly crosswords) and wordgames related to the mystery/suspense genreContributions are welcome but the publisher does not assumeresponsibility for unsolicited materials. It's best to contact the editorabout your article idea/ book review title before proceeding, to avoiddisappointment. Byline and cash honorarium for materials accepted.Honorarium paid on publication.Barbara DaveyEditorThe Mystery ReviewP.O. Box 233Colborne, Ontario K0K 1S0 CanadaorP.O. Box 488Wellesley Island, NY 13640-0488U.S.A.Telephone: (613) 475-4440Fax: (613) 475-3400 * E-Mail 71554.551@compuserve.comFogfire online magazine:The editor of Fogfire, Ken Hoffman, intends to make it a commercialventure and is paying authors:Prose: 1/4 to 1 cent per word.Poetry: 1/2 cent per word with a minimum of $2 per poem.Artwork: $2 to $10 per standalone piece. $1 per piece supplied as anillustration for a written piece.http://www.fogfire.com/Mystery Readers Journal:located at http://www.murderonthemenu.com/mystery is a non-fictionquarterly. In 1998, the themed issues will focus on: The EthnicDetective; Animals in Mystery; Crossing-Lines (Cross-Genre Mysteries);and Chicago. Take a look at the webpage for writing guidelines. Theeditor is Janet A. Rudolph.%=====================================================================%SHOOT--I MEAN, ASK AWAYby Jiro KimuraQuestion:Rather than a question, how about a comparison? Much talk here seems tocenter around North American short mystery. What (OK, maybe it is aquestion) are the similarities and differences between short mystery"acceptance" you notice when comparing, say, North America to Japan? Isit harder for a short mystery writer to get published in Japan? DoJapanese publications accept submissions from North American authors? DoJapanese publications pay better or worse? Etc., etc. -- J. Alec WestAnswer:Dear Alec:There are two "translation" mystery magazines in Japan. One isHayakawa's Mystery Magazine (HMM), which prints short stories by"overseas" (mainly American and British) writers as well as book reviews,news, columns and essays by Japanese writers. These stories are fromAlfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and anthologies. The other one is EQ,the Japanese edition of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, which usuallyprints short stories from the original American edition as well as bookreviews, columns and essays.The both don't accept submissions from "overseas" writers, but HMMsometimes asks FAMOUS writers to submit stories or prints unsolicited oragented stories by FAMOUS writers. Yes, you have to be famous for theconsideration since they have to sell copies. Some famous writers arespecialized in short stories such as Edward D. Hoch, Henry Slesar, JoyceHarrington among others. You will become famous if you continue to writeexcellent stories.I am no expert in payment. Usually both magazines pay less than Playboyor other major national magazines but more than semi-pro magazines in US. -- JiroDear everybody, if you have questions about short mystery fiction, pleasee-mail me at {AHREF="mailto:jkimura@nsknet.or.jp"}jkimura@nsknet.or.jp{/A}. If youdon't want your name used or if you want a cute pseudonym used, pleaselet me know. Otherwise, I will use your "real" name. If your question istoo tough for me to answer, I apologize in advance.***************************JIRO KIMURA is a mysteriouswriter-translator-critic-researcher-collector-whatever, currently holingup in the Far East. He manages {AHREF="http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~jkimura/"}The Gumshoe Site{/A}.%=====================================================================%Who the Hell Are You, Anyway?by G. Miki HaydenIt makes me very nervous to read promotions for the next issue of a shortmystery magazine. "New stories ny Stallone Bigname, Cunning Wordsmith,and Lori Gigantic!!!!" Oh, good heavens, who are these people? They mustbe the up-and-coming writers I missed in the last seven issues of thepublication. I'm out of the loop. I don't know these names and they'vealready beat me by a mile. I'm an unknown and they are on top.Are they? I don't know. Has anyone heard of Lori Gigantic? What does shewrite?Okay, so you can't answer that question. The one I really want to askthen, is: "Who are YOU?"I hate to tell you this when you're struggling with the most basic ofmissions for the short mystery fiction author--simply writing a readablestory--but you have to create an identity if you want to elbow your wayinto the marketplace. It's a disgusting concept for a meek and mildcreative type such as yourself, I know. But it is factual. I'm sorry.Yes, it's true.YOU have to be your own creation, as much as any story you write. Youhave to take on a recognizable persona. I don't mean that who you are hasto be entirely false, or clothed in lies, but you must realize that youyourself are your product. If you never trust me regarding anything else,trust me on this one.The first sign of the authenticity of the above statement is the factthat you have to have something to put in a cover letter. "Oh, I neverwrite cover letters," many writers may say. "I let my story speak formyself." And, indeed, some editors specifically request, "no coverletters." But that is rare, and most experienced and multi-publishedauthors will tell you that it's best to use a cover letter, albeit onethat is brief, polite, and to the point. And the second thing that goesinto your letter, after naming the story, its type, and length, are yourcredentials. That, not your relationship with your spouse and your newcocker spaniel, is who you are."I have published articles in Weed Killer Weekly and My Life in AutoParts," while admirable, will not really work for creating the image ofan author who can write a compelling short mystery story. You might say,instead, "I have published nonfiction in a variety of publications andhave worked at writing short mystery fiction for many years. The enclosedstory springs out of my experiences in the shark-infested waters off ofBimini last winter."In the writing world, as elsewhere, showmanship counts.Take one step beyond the cover letter as well, for inevitably, you must.Writers, as I may have noted before, are shy and retiring by nature."Ladies don't boast," one of you told me. Get over it. Start posting onyour fiction digests, ladies and gentlemen. And when you do so, pleasesign your names at the end of the letter. You are not going to sell yourstories under the byline "H20Flame." Come on, reveal yourselves. That'swhat a writer is supposed to do in his/her stories, after all.Local mystery fiction meetings will follow. Yes, there are organizationssuch as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America. and othercrime/mystery organizations that meet in your area. Are you uncomfortablyshy? Choose the type of meeting that will be the least painful to you.You don't have to, nor will you be able to, attend everything. Go to aseminar rather than an MWA cocktail party. All you have to do is sit andlisten, smile at a couple people, then run to your car. The next day,tell your online group what you learned. You are gaining an identity.What you don't know is that one of the people in that local group or onyour listserv is an editor. He/she now knows something of who it is youare. When your submission appears at his/her door, the author of thatpiece--you--is endowed with an identity. The writers' sparkling wit isalready known to the editor who will pick up the submission more quicklyand will read with a bit more attention.If you are serious not just about writing, but about getting your shortfiction published, you may have to place yourself on an unfamiliar limb.It is a little scary. I understand. But if you are truly committed tothis writing venture of yours, you will take the chance. Best wishes.G. Miki Hayden (MaraWayne@aol.com) is the author of Pacific Empire, analternate history comprised of nine short mystery/crime stories.%=====================================================================%NIGHT DETOURby Polly WhitneyThe fog licked the street light like it was a paper cut,Urgently, quickly: city medicine for a surprise wound,sucked on by the elastic mouth of the night's swollen air.Inside, the customers, more tired from drinking than drunk,Appeared as 3-D projections on the portrait of All-Souls Cafe,A flat backdrop where singles could hover over temporary hope.I walked down the stairs, a 3-D loner in a tight skirt,Onto the canvas of All-Souls, looking for a hovering soulMore tired from killing than from lifting an oil-painted mug.A guy with a black beard used his 3-D eyeballs to check me out:Should he buy me a flat beer or float his eyes back to the mirrorBehind the bar, with its Picasso amarettos and camparis?I didn't let him float away into the mirror, that escape routeto artifice. I made him look at my 3-D eyes and decide.When he did, it was painted on his face, in shades of ambiguity.He was going to ask me the question. "Come here often, Doll?"I turned away from his painted face. "If you don't know the answerTo that question, you're not the portrait I'm looking for here."endPolly Whitneymailto:ceae49a@prodigy.com%=====================================================================%####### SUBMISSION GUIDELINESIf you would like to submit material for the Short Order newsletter,or have an idea for material to be included, please email the Editorat {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com} with details, or send the actual material.There is currently no monetary compensation for material selected.The Newsletter is currently published on a quarterly basis.We try to include material directly related to mystery stories in theshort form or related to support of both authors and readers of shortmystery fiction. Here are some further guidelines: * Submissions should not be longer than 2000 words unless the piece can be spread over multiple issues. We will consider anything that is short mystery related including poetry, news about the industry, info on writing, etc. Continuing columns are also possible. We do not however accept actual short mystery fiction. * Along with the body of the material, please include the following; The Title of the piece, your full name as you would like it to appear on the piece, a short blurb or intro for the material, an email and website address(if available) for yourself, and a closing "author's bio" type entry to be included at the closing of the article. * Please save a copy of the work in ASCII/text format, if possible, and include it as plain text in your email submission. You can UU encode the document if necessary. * Email your Newsletter Submissions to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. The Subject line of the email should begin with "TSO: " * We are currently publishing the newsletter on a quarterly basis.Please have submissions sent via email by the last day of August, November, February, and May in order to be included in the September, December, March and June issues.%=====================================================================%####### BACK ISSUESBack Issues of The Short Order are available on the SMFS website. If youwould like a listing of the Table Of Contents for each issue, or you knowwhich issue you want, we can email the text versions of the Newsletterto you. Simply send a request to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com} indicating theneeded issues.%=====================================================================%####### KEEPING IN TOUCHTo subscribe to this email version of this newsletter, which is currentlypublished on a quarterly basis, send email to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}with a brief note asking to be subscribed. The list is not automatedand is used only for distribution of The Short Order newsletter.If you wish to be removed from The Short Order subscriber email list,also send a request via email to {rkfoster@ix.netcom.com}. -=+=-The World Wide Web version of this newsletter can be found at: http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/newsletter/The Virtual Offices of the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS) can befound on the World Wide Web at: http://www.thewindjammer.com/smfs/ -=+=-To join the Short Mystery Fiction Society(SMFS), it's free of charge,send email to: majordomo@teleport.comwith a blank subject line and a message body of: subscribe shortmystery-l-digest(That is the letter L, not a #1)You will receive the SMFS listserv digest in email almost every day.%=====================================================================%####### COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Copyright(C)1998 Short Mystery Fiction SocietyPermission is granted for the redistribution of this Newsletter, so longas the Newsletter is not edited and is attributed to the Short MysteryFiction Society(SMFS). All Other Rights Are Fully Reserved.Any other use of this information without the express written consent ofthe Short Mystery Fiction Society is prohibited. The Short Mystery FictionSociety expressly disclaims all liability for any misuse of thisinformation by any third party.%========================== THE BITTER END?! =========================%