I’m wo-maning a booth this weekend and will be introducing visitors to SPAWN. I’ll hand out our SPAWN Catalog of Members’ Books and Services. But I decided to also create a “take away” to give authors and freelance writers some good reasons for joining SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network). I’m sharing them with you today.
1: Being a member of SPAWN will afford you the opportunity to network with others in the publishing business, such as fellow authors, publishers, freelance writers, working artists and so forth. We have an email discussion group where you can bring your questions, make announcements, share resources and so forth.
2: You will have access to not one, but two enewsletters. SPAWNews contains organization news and updates, member news and announcements and articles on the topics relevant to you and your work. SPAWNews is free for all subscribers.
3: Sign up for SPAWNews at www.spawn.org and receive a free ebooklet, “Promote Yourself! 25 Ways to Promote Your Work Whether You’re an Artist, Author or Small Publisher.”
4: Members also have access to the monthly SPAWN Market Update, which is a more hard-hitting newsletter including industry news and opportunities, information and resources for authors. We focus on markets for freelance writers and artists, finding publishers for authors seeking publication and mainly we focus on book promotion ideas and opportunities for published authors.
5: As a member, you can share news of your books or services in SPAWNews which reaches around 2,000 subscribers.
6: You will have the opportunity to write articles for SPAWNews that will bring additional attention to your writing projects and give you exposure among your peers.
7: You can have your book included in the SPAWN Catalog of Members’ Books and Services for a year at a low rate of $35. The catalog is online all year. Once a year, we print it out and distribute it at many events throughout the year, including the major Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. In 2013, it will also travel to the large Tucson Festival of Books.
8: You have the opportunity to have your book displayed at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for $55 or you can participate in selling your book from the SPAWN booth at this event.
9: Being a member of an established, international organization such as SPAWN is prestigious. It looks good on your resume, at your website, when you are seeking speaking engagements or on your book proposal.
10: As a member of SPAWN, you have access to audio recordings featuring interviews with 22 professionals and experts in the publishing field.
11: When you join SPAWN or renew your membership, you will receive a free ebook of your choice, including Mark Levine’s “The Fine Print of Self-Publishing,” and Patricia Fry’s “The Successful Author’s Handbook.”
12: No matter when you join SPAWN, you won’t miss a thing. You still have access to our archives of SPAWNews and the SPAWN Market Update, which includes years of information and resources.
13: The fee to join is only $65/year ($55 if you belong to one of our affiliates—see list at our website). Most members receive many times their membership fee back after using some of the resources we list, following an opportunity we mention or heeding a warning we issue, for example.
Join SPAWN here: http://www.spawn.org Click on “Join/Renew”
Question? Contact Patricia Fry at Patricia@spawn.org.