Below are the 5 most recent journal entries recorded in Fogbound Publishing Writers Group's LiveJournal:

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006
9:30 pm [phillipalden]	Posting is open here: You don’t have to be publishing a book to post to this group. FPG is about helping writers, and this Live Journal group is about supporting writers. Anyone can post about any experiences they’ve had (or are having) as a writer, poet or journalist. It’s the opinion of the moderator of this group that journalists are writers are artists. So post away! (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006
4:28 pm [phillipalden]	Fogbound needs a new editor: Our original editor has walked away from the idea of helping other artists without being paid, and that is in direct violation of our charter. Fogbound is about helping self-publishing writers succeed without seeking to profit directly from their work. Any editor who agrees to work with Fogbound may offer their editing services as a separate enterprise, but our purpose is to advise and consult without trying to make a buck, to help grow the community. Unfortunately, there are people on the fringe of any artistic community that seek to profit from the work of others. As artists we are keenly aware of the fact that we don’t make a lot of money from our art. If profit-seeking were our motive there would be no art. But some seek even to take a bite out of the meager income our work may garner. Fogbound is about helping and integrity. As founder I will never allow the group to be used or do anything that betrays the trust of our authors. As you can tell, this is a bit of a sore point with me. If you are a talented editor who wishes to make a difference in our community, we would love to have you on board! Any work that goes through us is approved by all members of the group, which currently is comprised of our Graphic and Web Director (Charlie Hale) and myself. My area is marketing and promotion, and I run the day-to-day aspects of our group. Any editor who joins us would have an equal voice. We already have two authors interested in what we have to offer, and there is a group of artists and community leaders who are following our birth and growth. I believe Fogbound has an exciting future, and if you’re a editor who wants to make a difference in the community I hope you will join us. Interested editors should email me at: phil@valdemar.net Sincerely, Phil Alden Current Mood: determined (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 29th, 2006
11:25 pm [phillipalden]	Looking for an editor/paper: Aside from the article request, I am starting to look for an editor who is interested in publishing my articles on pain treatment and management. But before I start putting myself out there, I was wondering if anyone knew about a local/regional/national paper or magazine looking for freelance submissions. I will do assigned articles as long as they relate to my field of activism – HIV and immunology, medical cannabis, drug policy, public health – but my desire and focus right now is pain treatment and management. Any editors out there looking for my work? (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 27th, 2006
8:10 pm [phillipalden]	More about this Live Journal Fogbound Writers Group: April/May 2006 This is a positive space for writers, poets and journalists – anyone who is serious about writing. This group is open to all writers and people who have an interest in writing. Art, (as my writing mentor so aptly put it,) is about communication. Writers of all types have a voice, and there are things we want to communicate through our art. Every voice adds something and every voice lost takes that same thing away. Who can say where the next great writing voice may come from? Likewise, our society does not support artists the way it should, and it’s been argued that no society does. Writers know they aren’t paid a cent (for the most part) during the years they are researching, writing and editing their work – so any money we make upon publication doesn’t really equal “profit” in the traditional sense. Out of the 200,000 to 300,000 new writers that publish a novel in the U.S. in a given year – only a few will become best-selling, famous authors who have their books made into movies. Most of us will have to be content with sharing our art, and maybe making some of our costs back. Aside from the hours spent writing, we go through laptop computers, printer cartridges and paper, pens, copying and mailing. When you include book jacket design and web page design, editing and printing costs of promotional materials – your average novelist spends $5,000.00 or more just getting his or her book to release. Personally, I’m happy if my first novel sells enough copies to repay my out-of-pocket expenses. I hope it will do much better than that and I dream of the same big success that we all dream about. Since I’m writing a three-book series I hope that each book will be more successful than the previous ones. We never know if our work might strike a cord with people, or be released at just the right moment. So we need to help each other. We need to be a real community of artists who want to share their experience and help each other. There are so many pitfalls on the road to publication, and many more in the post-release world. The world at large may not support artists as it should, but there are many individuals – spouses, family, friends, readers – that do support our art. Writing may be a solitary pursuit, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely one. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
4:13 pm [phillipalden]	Welcome to Fogbound Publishing Group: All Writers Welcome! This group was started so all writers, no matter where you are or who you are, can come together to talk and share about writing – but it’s the hope that writers in the Bay Area (where the moderator lives) might grow this community by helping each other learn and grow as artists. At the moment this is merely a new community on Live Journal – where it goes from that is up to the members and the moderators. I would like to form a group that meets regularly on the peninsula to share ideas and support each other in our work. There are 25,000 to 30,000 books released in the United States every month, so it can be hard to find resources or get your work noticed. The focus of this group at the moment is supporting writers who have an interest in producing their work now or in the future – but there is no publication requirement of any kind whatsoever Like all Communities, this one has a few basic Rules: 1. Treat all members of the community and their voice with respect and consideration. 2. No abusive language or ridicule of others. 3. No ideal stealing or plagiarism, (both of which are illegal, as well as unsporting.) 4. No advertising or selling of products or promotions not related to your art. 5. Announcements of your work being released are always welcome. 6. No “data mining” or collection of user names and/or email addresses. 7. No job hunting or other commercial purposes here, there are plenty of places on the web for that already. If you happen to connect with someone, great – but that is not the purpose of this group. 8. Absolute respect for the expression and voice of other artists. This is a place for Artists, and any inappropriate content will be deleted by the moderator. In addition, any Artist who is abused will receive all the assistance this group can offer to resolve the problem and/or prosecute any illegal activity. All contact goes through the moderator of this group, who also appreciates being treated with consideration. (Thank You.) The future of Fogbound Publishing Group: I have developed a web site for FPG that will be undergoing changes as I add a links page and other related content. FPG is a not-for-profit publishing group for self-publishing authors. It’s purpose is to provide an umbrella press for their novels – as it’s been shown that affiliation with a publishing group lends credibility to our work, as well as a “front office” of sorts that acts as a “firewall” between an author’s private life and our work. I’m hoping to get my editor and graphics guy on board to help authors with the editing and correction process, and to offer advice on book jackets and web sites, respectively. The support group is open to all, but we will expect a certain level of competence among authors we work with. Such involvement can mean hundreds of hours working together, and we wish to work with writers who are serious about the art and publication. The links and all information on the web site will be open to all. (Comment on this)