Archives: July 2009

Ann Stephens kept a blog during her diagnosis and treatment for colon cancer. Eventually she decided she wanted to publish her experience in print. Ann heard from a friend that submissions were being accepted for Bernie Siegel’s book Faith, Hope and Healing: Inspiring Lessons from People Living with Cancer. Her essay “The Touch” is one of 32 pieces in the book.
Publisher’s Weekly praised the collection, saying, “Anyone struggling with cancer will find many relatable voices and, in Siegel, a compassionate expert commentator.”
After taking an on-line Non-Fiction Writing course with Kelly McMasters, Ann felt confident in submitting her work.
“The mediabistro on-line course helped me get focused. The feedback Kelly provided helped me clarify the nuances of my message and definitely helped my writing style,” said Ann.
–William Battaglia
RELATED:
Nonfiction Book Proposal Writing courses at mediabistro.com
Essay Writing courses at mediabistro.com

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion's Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook's Morin Oluwole, and bitly's Tim Devane. Register now.

Heather Duffy Stone‘s young adult novel This Is What I Want To Tell You, was released this past March.
Heather took Young Adult Novel Writing with Micol Ostow. She says, “I had come in with a novel of 20,000 words, out of order. The course helped me finish the novel and sell it.”
Instructor Micol Ostow recommended editor Andrew Karre at Flux to Heather. Heather eventually sold the book to him in January ’08 and signed with Jenoyne Adams at Bliss Literary.
Heather says, “Be consistent and stay true to your writing. Make a schedule and stay with your craft. Think about what you are producing more than what the market demands.”
She is currently working on a novel about a street graffiti artist in New York.
–William Battaglia
RELATED: Young Adult Novel Writing Courses at mediabistro.com

Joan Smith is working as a writer/producer with a leading UK independent producer to develop and pitch her non-scripted format ideas. In addition, she set up her own company, Clarendon Media Ltd. It all started with a TV Writing course led by Laurie Scheer.
Joan says, “The course gave me the confidence to approach media professionals and I believed that I would be taken seriously.”
Joan is working on a new sitcom about a web project manager who works for a large but dysfunctional law firm while the threat of being pink-slipped hangs over her. She advises people just starting out “to have self-belief and be persistent.”
–William Battaglia
RELATED: TV Writing Courses at mediabistro.com

Katie Malachuk‘s first book, You’re Accepted: Lose the Stress. Discover Yourself. Get into the College That’s Right for You (Kaplan), will be released July 7, 2009.
Katie took Ryan Fischer-Harbage‘s book proposal writing workshop last spring.
“Ryan ended up being my agent and got me a great deal,” she said.
Katie ended up with a two-book deal. The second book, about applying to business school, will be out March 2010.
Influenced by the likes of the Dali Lama and Sakyoung Mipham, You’re Accepted uses “timeless spiritual principles to transform the application process, stripping away destructive, competitive energy and replacing it with exhilarating revelations about your true self.”
Advance reviews are already giving You’re Accepted big love. Grinell College Dean of Admissions Seth Allen says “With humor and a touch of irreverence, Malachuk asks you to ‘believe in yourself.’ This is Yoda for a new generation of college goers.”
–Lisa Fraser
RELATED: Upcoming book writing courses at mediabistro.com

She’s Got Game: The Woman’s Guide to Loving Sports (Or Just How To Fake It!) is being published by St. Martin’s Press and is due for release April 2010.
Author Melissa Malamut feels forever indebted to mediabistro.com.
“Mediabistro is like my bible. I use the site daily. It’s a great way to stay on top of what is going on in the media world and mediabistro.com has definitely given me an edge in my career.”
Melissa enrolled in an eight-week long Nonfiction Book Proposal Writing course. The instructor, Ryan Fischer-Harbage, a former editor with Simon & Schuster, became her agent.
Says Melissa, “Mediabistro gave me the tools necessary to create and complete a non-fiction book proposal. It also helped me find my agent and eventually, my publisher. None of this would have been possible without mediabistro.com.”
–William Battaglia
RELATED: Nonfiction Book Proposal Writing at mediabistro.com