Look what Adam Cohen of WinningWriters ran today;  it’s a day I really needed a boost (I brought my husband home from the hospital today so it was a an upper at just the right time! Those of you who subscribe (see the right column to subscribe if you haven’t alrady!) know that I have used WinningWriters’ newsletter to find reliable, vetted contests for years and that I highly recommend their own #NorthStreetBookPrize for the added value they offer to those who enter.  His warmth and high standards come through in all his ads and projects.  Thank you, Adam! 

THE GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION BOOK PROPOSAL From the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series This short book, now in its second edition, is the result of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's extensive work with clients who hate writing book proposals and hate learning how to write them even more. She found herself coaching them through the process rather than doing it for them, for who could possibly recreate the passion an author feels for his or her own book better than the author? In doing so, she found she had written a booklet—not a tome—that took her clients only about thirty minutes to absorb. Voila! The Great First Impression Book Proposal was born, and you can get it for as little as $2.99 at Amazon.   CONTENTS 1.  Getting Past Our Own Arguments—and Past Gatekeepers' Resistance 2.  Getting Started: The Short Way to the Gate 3.  Your Overview: How To Make Jaded Gatekeepers Want More 4.  The Details: How To Make a Gatekeeper Open the Door for You 5.  Making It Easy: Quick Formatting and Editing Do's and Don'ts 6.  The Clincher: Keeping the Gate Wide Open 7.  Checklist: Is Your Great First Impression Proposal Ready for Its Closeup? Available in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audio formats BUY ON AMAZON UNSOLICITED ENDORSEMENTS "When I first reviewed Carolyn Howard-Johnson's small book, little did I realize how dog-eared my paperback copy would get over time. I've been through it and bookmarked it so many times that it's tattered beyond belief, but I cannot get rid of it. It appears that Ms. Howard-Johnson has also released it in an updated edition, and that's why my review predates this one. And please note that now The Great First Impression Book Proposal is available as a Kindle edition...If you're an aspiring writer in any genre, it's well worth it." —John Williamson, Top 1000 Amazon Vine Reviewer "'This is a really smart proposal,' was one comment from an agent who went on to sell my nonfiction book to a publisher. The 'smartest' thing about it? I used Carolyn's guide to write it!" —Treacy Colbert, medical writer and author of End Your Menopause Misery "I just finished reading The Great First Impression Book Proposal. I like your style and encouragement. I was a bit intimidated about finishing my book proposal. I was thinking it had to be stiff and boring. I even have dialogue in it. I thought I'd have to cut it out. Now, I'll probably leave it in." —Wanza Leftwich, author, blogger "I love [The Great First Impression Book Proposal]! My husband was amazed at all the info crammed into this short book. You could have charged a lot more. I just re-vamped my proposal to follow the guidelines in it for my latest book." —Myrna Lou, palmist, psychic, author "Marketing is never easy...Well, it might be if you follow the easy steps Carolyn Howard-Johnson offers up in The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need to Know About Selling Your Book in Thirty Minutes or Less. Howard-Johnson's bulleted lists are superior. They're easy to understand, easy to implement, and even easier to read. (She means it when she says thirty minutes or less). She gives us even more: A list of other resources on book proposals. I will recommend this book to all of our authors and potential authors at Ladybug Press." —Georgia Jones, Editor in Chief, Ladybug Press and NewVoices, Inc. BUY ON AMAZON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Carolyn Howard-Johnson has been an instructor for UCLA's world-renowned Writers' Program for nearly a decade, a columnist and staff writer for the Salt Lake Tribune and the Pasadena Star News, and has appeared on hundreds of TV and radio stations nationally and locally. As a publicist for the Eleanor Lambert Agency in New York, she took part in the creation of the first "10 Best Dressed List" with Christian Dior.   Carolyn was honored as the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment, received her community's Character and Ethics award for promoting tolerance with her writing, and was named to Pasadena Weekly's list of "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen". She presents at writers' conferences nationwide. Her own writing as a novelist and poet has informed the advice she gives to authors regarding sales and genre. Carolyn has worked with Winning Writers for years as a co-sponsor of the North Street Book Prize, helping winners promote their books. View her many offerings for writers on her website.