Writing and Publishing News

I just got back from Idaho. My 86-year-old mother and I spent a week at my brother’s new home in the Camas Prairie watching the deer and antelope play. Well I didn’t see any antelope, but we got there during fawning season and saw a lot of does caring for their young in the tall grasses around the house. We also watched as a nest of baby blue birds took flight for the first time. We observed a pair of prairie swallows feeding their young. And I saw a couple of elk crossing the road in front of the ATV I was driving across hill and dale one bright blue-sky day.

It was a lovely setting and my mom and I had a great visit with 3 generations of family, including 4 little ones we’d never met. But boy is it a different way of life in that remote area of northwestern Idaho. Everyone grows vegetables and plants fruit trees. They go into the timber and harvest mushrooms, trek along the rivers and pick wild blackberries. And they do a lot of canning. They have television sets, but turn them on ever so seldom. My sister-in-law has a computer, but she’s still on dial-up and there’s no wireless connection anywhere near there.

I actually wrote two blog entries while in Idaho, despite the fact that I was sorta sick with a cold and struggling with laryngitis the entire time I was there (but that’s another story). Before I could post to my blog, however, dial-up failed and my blog entry disappeared. If it wasn’t such a delightfully relaxing atmosphere, I might have become terribly frustrated. I can tell you that I am very pleased to be back home at my computer where DSL keeps me connected 24/7.

As always, when I leave town for any length of time, I came home to a pile of work. I still haven’t written the July edition of the SPAWN Market Update&#8212a meaty newsletter that appears each month in the member area of the SPAWN website. http://www.spawn.org I get a lot of publishing/writing newsletters every month and I have to tell you that, for the author and freelance writer, the SPAWN Market Update is one of the most useful, informative and readable. There are no advertisements in the SPAWN Market Update or SPAWNews, which is a free newsletter going out to anyone who subscribes. http://www.spawn.org

Last night, even though I’m still struggling to be heard (the laryngitis is still evident), I taught the first in a series of eight book proposal workshops to 4 members of a writers group called the “Yes I Can Club.” It went well. Each member is working on a book. They are all serious writers and seem willing to consider even those suggestions that may seem a little outside their comfort zone. They aren’t so attached to their projects that they balk at new ideas.

For example, last night I asked them to consider two questions:

Why are you writing this book?
What is the purpose of your book?

Eyes widened as brains began to twirl and whirl. And soon the truth in their deep down motivation rose to the surface. Almost everyone expressed surprise at their perceived purpose for their books. And some of the authors even discussed making changes in their stories in order to accommodate a greater purpose.

An author typically starts out writing for him/herself. It isn’t until he begins to consider his audience that the true story or way of story can emerge. If you are currently writing a book, maybe it’s time for you to think about your audience. What is it you’re offering them? Are you providing that in your story or text?

Maybe your book is purely for entertainment. Start looking at it from the reader’s point of view. Is it actually witty, amusing, interesting, engaging and/or enjoyable? If your book is designed to be informational, are you providing that information you promise? Does your how-to actually offer guidelines, instruction, direction, coaching? And what about your memoir? What’s the point of it? What will make someone want to read your story? Would a self-help component entice a larger audience? Or do you have too many strong elements in your book. Maybe you’re confused as to whether this is your recovery memoir, a tribute to a deceased loved one or a book on how-to overcome grief.

Start asking these questions and your book concept could transform right before your eyes. And this could be a very good thing. Consider your audience before you get too far into your book and you’re more likely to write the right book for the right audience.

For help with this, be sure to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book today. Despite its tremendous value, the cost is only $19.95. Pay $28.00 and get the companion workbook, as well. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

What are you willing to do toward your success as an author? Will you draw the line at promoting your own book? Will you choose not to learn something about how the publishing industry works? Will you balk at writing a book proposal?

I meet hopeful authors every week who are so attached to their expectations with regard to the publishing process that they are unwilling to bend on behalf of their projects. These wannabe authors want to succeed in publishing, but they don’t want to pay their dues. They say, “I can’t possibly change a twenty-year habit of leaving two spaces after the period.” Or “Sure my writing is a bit rusty, but I can’t afford to hire an editor.” Or “I don’t have time to study about publishing&#8212I just want to be published.”

Where will these hopeful authors end up? Well, some of them could possibly fall into a sweet deal with a major publisher who sells millions of copies of their book. This is a lovely fantasy. It could happen, but it’s not likely. Most of these authors, who actually complete the book of their dreams and find a way to get them published, will lose money and stop dreaming.

If you’re growing weary of hearing (or reading) me tell you to study the publishing industry and to write a book proposal BEFORE writing the book, then good for you. That means you are reading this blog and you are reading my book&#8212which I wrote for you, by the way&#8212and you are attending my lectures.

Don’t turn away. Don’t disregard my (and other professionals’) advice. Pay attention to our important message. Start this week making the changes and the choices that will put you in a better position with regard to publishing success and professionalism as an author. What do I suggest?

• Write everything this week using just one space after all punctuation. (If you wonder why, contact me and we’ll discuss it: plfry620@yahoo.com)
• Start NOW studying the publishing industry. Join organizations such as SPAWN, SPAN and IBPA (formerly PMA). Read every word in their newsletters, study the articles and other information on their websites. Subscribe to other newsletters and magazines related to publishing. And read good books by respected professionals such as Patricia Fry, Dan Poynter, Brian Jud and Marilyn Ross. Learn everything you can about your options, the possible consequences of your choices and your responsibilities as a published author.
• Stop writing and start working on your book proposal. For more information about how to write a book proposal, read chapters 4-7 in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book or read How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less. http://www.matilijapress.com
• Hire a good editor before sending your manuscript to an agent or publisher and before self-publishing.

There’s no such thing as just one right way to write, publish and sell a book. You need to make the best choices based on your particular book. But there is a right way to prepare for your publishing success and that’s the message I bring you today.

Every year, I take time to reevaluate my business and set new goals. Sometimes, I set my sites on a new direction. I decide to write articles only for magazines that pay $500 and up, for example. In 1999, I finally decided to hang out my shingle and work with other writers and authors. A few years later, I began seeking workshop venues throughout the U.S. And then there are shifts that occur in my career that I have no part in orchestrating.

Recently, a client contacted me and asked if I would be a paid, professional mentor to her entire writing group. Now this is something I never thought about doing. What a concept. But will it work? I’ll let you know if future blog posts.

Here’s what I know so far: There are four hopeful authors in this group and one writer who hasn’t committed her words to paper, yet. The four are all working on nonfiction books and they want help writing their book proposals. So I guess my primary contribution will be conducting book proposal workshops. It shouldn’t be too different from teaching my online book proposal course—only there will be a lot more interaction in the writing group setting. I’m sure I will learn a lot through this process and I certainly hope the authors will, too.

Sometimes authors come to me for help that I wouldn’t imagine myself offering. I’m asked to get involved in projects at levels outside of my perceived job description. For example, a potential client asked recently, if he should solicit financial sponsorships for his project. Someone else called asking whether to go with agent A or agent B. Yet, another new author requested my opinion on fulfillment companies. I find myself in precarious positions, at times, when drawn into the personal decision-making process with an author.

I can, and I will, provide resources and ideas for making a selection, but I can’t make that decision for you. Some people join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) in hopes that we will make choices for them. They want to know what publisher to approach, whether to self-publish or not, which printer to go with, if POD is for them. At SPAWN, we provide the resources, tips and techniques, but we certainly don’t make the decisions for authors. Visit the SPAWN website at http://www.spawn.org

I find, however, that many hopeful authors and budding freelance writers want definitive answers to their burning questions. They want to know the best publishing choice for their project and whether a certain POD contract is good or not. But the only right answer is the one that they generate only after conducting the necessary research. And the right answer for one person may be the wrong answer for the next person.

Publishing is not an exact science. It is not an extension of your writing. It is a business and it becomes personal with each project and each individual.

Read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Why? You’ll learn about the world of publishing and how to navigate within it in order to experience success with your particular project. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html