Writing and Publishing News

Yesterday, I mentioned that Dan Shaurette interviewed me. He has posted the interview at his blog site. If you want to learn more about my publishing path and my thoughts about the industry, read it here:
http://www.danshaurette.com/2008/03/07/patricia-fry-interview

It’s interesting how writers across the U.S. are experiencing very different climates both inside and outside their homes. A friend in Ohio reports severe snow storms. Everyone she knows is planning a snow day all weekend cozied up with plenty of food, firewood and movie DVDs in their homes. A client in Florida reports lots of rain. Other writers in Florida experienced some unexpected tornadoes this week. A writer I know in St. Louis walks dogs when she isn’t writing and is sick and tired of the snow, sleet and black ice there this winter.

The weather can certainly affect our writing by distracting our attention, by causing power outages, by creating fear within us (that the tree outside our window will fall, that a loved one won’t make it home safely, that the river will rise, etc). Even lovely weather can be a distraction. Here in sunny Southern California, I’m planning time out of the office and in the garden this weekend.

But what about when we’re distracted from writing not by fierce or interesting or beautiful weather, but by something within us? Many writers suffer from writer’s block. Others just can’t seem to make writing a priority. They want to write—or at least they think they do—but they just can’t seem to discipline themselves to sit down and accomplish anything.

I believe I told you about the woman I met at a writers’ conference last year. She sat down with me and said, “I want to write, I just can’t seem to get to it. How can I make myself actually sit down and start writing? What will cause me to do the writing I want to do?”

I gave her the answer: I said, “You lack motivation. You need to determine and focus on your motivation for writing before you are likely to follow through and actually proceed with your writing.”

I explained that part of my motivation for writing is my need/desire to earn a living through my writing. I’m in love with the process of writing and “can’t not write.” Since writing is my passion, rather than deny myself the pleasure while, perhaps, going out and earning a larger salary, I opted to create a career around my writing. Thirty years later, I’m still at it.

Another motivation that keeps me at the keyboard day in and day out is my desire to help other writers and authors. When I realized the value of my years and years of writing and publishing experience, I became practically obsessed with sharing my knowledge with others. The first time I responded to an author’s questions about publishing and saw the look of understanding and gratitude on her face, I was hooked. The first time one of the authors I coached landed a publishing contract with a large publisher, I knew I’d found my purpose. The first time a workshop attendee announced that she had been published in a major magazine, I knew that I was destined to teach.

Yes, I’m highly motivated to continue on my writing, publishing, teaching path. Who else do you know that gets up eagerly at 4:30 or 5: a.m. to write her daily blog for fellow writers/authors?

If you are still seeking your motivation, here are some tips:

• Ascertain why you want to write. What part of you does the process of writing feed, thrill, excite? What moves you to write?

• Consider whether or not there is something that keeps you from pursuing the things you enjoy most. Do you have a habit of denying yourself? Is this why you can’t bring yourself to sit down and write—because you don’t think you deserve the pleasure? Or is it because you just haven’t made writing a priority in your life, yet?

• Choose a meaningful topic to write about or project to work on. Maybe it is your memoirs, a story based on your family genealogy, an article related to a passion of yours—global warming, going green, closing down puppy/kitten mills, tighter border controls, teen pregnancy, steroid use in young athletes or child abuse, for example. If you believe that your writing can make a difference, you will be more likely to follow through with it.

• Determine your first choice of venues—a particular magazine, the local newspaper, a specific publisher, for example. When we have a publishing goal in mind, we are often more motivated to stay on course.

• Set aside the time to work on your project. Don’t pencil it in—write it in dark black ink on your calendar and treat this appointment with yourself as important as any with a client or your boss. You might have 2 hours before dinner each night to write, 4 hours every Saturday afternoon, an hour or so before work every morning or an entire day off for writing once a week. You can accomplish a lot in just a few hours per day. I wrote an entire book in 8 months once using an electric typewriter and writing only about 15 hours per week. (Now, I put in 60 and 70 hours most weeks.)

• Offer little rewards for each accomplishment. Finish two pages (or two paragraphs) and take a stroll with your cat through the garden. Complete the research for your piece and have a latte break with friends. Save certain indulgences for only after you’ve produced something related to your writing project.

Find more tips and techniques for motivating yourself and disciplining yourself as well as writing well, choosing topics, placing articles/stories, publishing and beyond in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
And if you need a additional help, be sure to order and use The Author’s Workbook
http://www.matilijapress.com/workbook.html

There’s a new review posted for my book The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

I located Dan Shaurette’s blog through my Google Alerts a few weeks ago. Google Alerts come to your email box once a day, bringing you information about posts and articles related to your chosen topics. The blog post that caught my interest related to Dan Shaurette’s book recommendations for authors. I visited his blog to learn that my book was not listed among his recommendations.

I contacted him and asked if I could send him a copy of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and he graciously accepted. Not only did he write a glowing review of my book, he conducted an online interview with me, which will be posted around the first of April. Here’s the link to the book review.
http://danshaurette.com/2008/03/06/right-way-review

There’s a free gift in it for those of you who visit Dan’s site and read the review. After reading the review from top to bottom, email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com and tell me where Dan suggests that this book “deserves” to be. Put “Patricia’s Book Review” in the Subject Line. Include your mailing address and expect to receive something in the mail within a week or two.

I was working on the SPAWN Market Update yesterday, which means I spent most of the day reading, studying and researching. I came across a comment from someone in something I read somewhere. (I’m sorry, I tried and can’t retrace the source. If it was you, contact me for proper credit.) This professional suggested that when writing your blog, you should avoid being too formal and professional. They recommended lightening up and making your blog site fun. Gosh, it occurred to me that too many of the blog sites I visit are cutesy, silly, without substance or purpose.

I guess it’s a good idea to offer something in between these two extremes. I don’t know—I have fun being silly with my friends and talking about my cats and their antics, sharing funny stories about mundane daily activities, telling about my day in the garden pulling all of the weeds the rains brought and encountering a gigantic grasshopper, etc. But I feel that when you come to my blog site, you are seeking information, resources, guidance. Am I wrong? PLFry620@yahoo.com.

One more thought: it’s obvious that the economy is taking a downturn. Many of you are curbing your spending and, for reasons unknown, when we cut back, we start eliminating the things that are most meaningful to us. We put our dreams on hold. And for many of you, that dream is to be published.

I maintain that this is a good time to pursue that dream of seeing your articles or stories published in magazines or producing that book you’ve been working on. If you approach these activities with knowledge and know-how, you could be investing in your future. Maybe now is the time to study the world of article/story-writing. Read A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles. Perhaps this is the time to learn about the publishing industry and the process of producing a book. Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Take this knowledge and information and make the right choices and you could create your own better economy.
http://www.matilijapress.com

Be sure to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book and the companion Author’s Workbook at
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I got to visit a local writers’ group yesterday. I always enjoy meeting writers and sharing what I know they need to know in order to realize their publishing dreams. I was a bit taken aback at the first question out of the gate. In fact, I hadn’t even delivered my initial greeting when the only gentleman in the room asked, “How much do you make?”

I think that everyone feels somewhat uneasy with that question. If you earn very little, you hesitate sharing that information with others. If you make a LOT you aren’t particularly comfortable saying so. I can certainly see why someone with aspirations to succeed as a writer or author would want to know the possibilities. I simply told this gentleman that this would be revealed in my presentation. And I did reveal all that I was willing to reveal—I’ve been supporting myself through my writing work, consultation work and book sales for the last 20 years.

At one point in my talk, I was asked to get to the nitty gritty of publishing—I guess folks got tired of hearing about “me.” I was getting tired of talking about me. But most writers are interested in the beginnings and journeys of other writers, so I often include my story.

When I got into the nitty gritty of publishing, that’s when the notebooks came out. Almost everyone wrote at a wild pace and the questions were flying from every corner.

After two hours with these lovely writers, I was confident that they would make more informed decisions as they enter into the world of publishing—at least they are aware of the necessity to study the publishing industry and write a book proposal. Several of them bought copies of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less and Successful Writers Handbook. So I know they have what they need in order to make the best decisions on behalf of their projects.

By the way, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book has a new nickname. One of the writers dubbed it, “Big Yellow.” I like it.

When I visit writers’ group meetings, I’m always a bit surprised to learn that most of the writers know nothing or very little about the publishing industry. All of the knowledge they carry with them is what they know from rumors and long-held beliefs. They’re generally surprised at some of the hard truths I share with them and most of them are somewhat overwhelmed by the scope of the industry. Few of them are familiar with the process of publishing, their options, etc. These writers had not heard of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, PublishAmerica or iUniverse, so I know they haven’t even been seeking out publishing opportunities. If you type in “publish,” “publishing,” etc. in the Google prompt, your going to see these fee-based POD “self-publishing” services on the first page.

When someone has a manuscript ready, they want to publish NOW. Those without knowledge of the publishing industry will explore the first opportunities they discover—those that appear on page one of a Google search. The words, “We would love to publish your book,” are music to a hopeful author’s ears and most of them will stop right there, pay the fee and gleefully receive their published book within weeks. Most of these authors, when they finally learn more about the publishing industry and realize they had options, will regret having made a snap decision. They may have ultimately made the same decision, but they realize too late that they really should have done more research before making any decision.

This is the message I strive to share with my blog readers, with writers’ groups, with conference attendees, through my articles and my books—before you even start writing that book, study the publishing industry. And always, always write a complete book proposal. This is your business plan for your book.

I’d like to hear from those of you who made snap decisions with regard to your manuscripts without studying the publishing industry first. I want to hear your story.
PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Are you a niche writer? In other words, do you have a specific topic directed at a small, but devoted, interested audience? Dan Poynter (self-publishing guru) started out writing about parachuting. His books and articles on parachuting certainly address a niche market.

Most of my books are also niche books. I have books on grandparenting (for grandparents, of course), how to present a Hawaiian luau on the mainland, (for folks who are interested in Hawaiiana, throwing impressive parties and spending all day roasting pork). I have one on youth mentoring, which would be of interest to people who want to help kids out. My journaling book is directed at teens—another niche market. And my local history books are of interest to locals and tourists to the Ojai Valley.

What about my writing/publishing-related books? Of course, they are also niche books. While an occasional reader steps out of the mainstream because he decides he wants to be a writer, the audience for these books is composed of writers, authors and folks who want to be a writer or author.

Is your book or proposed book a niche book? Are you writing niche articles? If you write about cats, you’re writing for a niche market. If you’re writing about aviation, you’ve chosen a niche topic. Maybe your focus is World War II aircraft. Then your audience has focused down even more narrowly and, perhaps become stronger.

Does this make sense? It does if you acknowledge your true audience. Let’s examine the meaning of niche. Wikipedia says it is a “focused, targetable portion.” Merriam Webster defines it as a “specialized market.” It seems logical that if you promote your book or articles to the segment of people who are truly interested, you will sell more copies than if you use a scattershot method of promotion.

Approach cat magazines with your cat articles and aviation magazines with your WWII aviation stories.

Market your vintage plane book to aviation buffs. Sure, you’ll pick up a few sales from the mainstream—women purchasing the book for their husband whose father was a pilot, or their sons who are soon taking their first airplane ride or their uncle who knew a man who built vintage planes. But, first know your target audience—the individuals who will most likely purchase a book like this—and address the bulk of your marketing efforts toward them.

I have written articles on writing and publishing for magazines outside of my target audience—The Toastmaster (because speakers often become writers or vice versa), senior magazines (because a lot of seniors are writing their memoirs), but most of my articles appear in writing/publishing-related magazines and newsletters, such as Writer’s Digest, Writers Weekly, Writers Journal, Book Promotion Newsletter, etc.

I speak about writing to Rotary club members, at church gatherings, etc., but my main audiences are writers at writers group meetings, writers conferences and so forth.

When you’re looking for a place to post your amazing article on how to groom a cat or your book focusing on teaching your teen about finances, don’t think mainstream, go where your true audience is. Ascertain your niche market and present your article or book appropriately.

If you haven’t done so already, be sure to read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. It will help you through the entire process of publishing, including discovering your niche market.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

I hear that attendance at writers’ conferences and seminars is down. I certainly didn’t see evidence of that at the San Diego State University Writers’ Conference in January. And this is a 3-day intensive event. However, I’m told that, when the economy goes down, one thing that hopeful authors tend to neglect is their future in publishing. They put their dreams on hold. They hesitate spending money for education/information that will help them to successfully publish their books. And this is a shame.

News Flash! You and your future are important. And not all writers’ events are costly.

If you’re anywhere near Atlanta or Nashville this month, there are two opportunities you really must pursue. The Spring Book Show at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta is presenting a series of workshops and several major seminars for authors and hopeful authors March 28-30. You’ll learn from the likes of Peter Bowerman, Bobbie Christmas and me—Patricia Fry (career writer/author and 30+ year veteran in the writing/publishing trenches).

And the beauty of this event—it is soooo reasonable. For only $70, you can spend a day listening to speakers and participating in seminars as well as perusing aisles and aisles of books for sale. ($85 at the door). Or sign up for the entire two day program for $120 ($140 at the door).

http://www.anvilpub.com/spring_seminars.htm

If you live in or near Nashville, the opportunity to learn more about the publishing industry and how to navigate it is FREE. Join me at Borders (2501 West End Ave.) in Nashville at 7: pm Monday, March 31 and I’ll present an amazing workshop. Hopefully, I will have plenty of time for your questions, as well.

Questions? PLFry620@yahoo.com

For more about me, my background and my work, visit my website at http://www.matilijapress.com