March, 2011 - Writing and Publishing News

Archive for March, 2011

Exposure: It’s What Your Book Needs

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Is your book getting enough exposure? Or are you keeping it hidden away—declining opportunities to show it around—while waiting for bigger opportunities? Are you often disappointed after an author event because you didn’t sell as many books as you expected to?

It’s good to set bookselling goals, but don’t tromp all over your potential success by losing sight of what is really important. I maintain that exposure should be our goal when we set out to have a booth at a book fair, do a book signing downtown, sell books in the back of the room after speaking at the local Rotary Club, for example. Why? Because exposure sells books.

SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) is offering a great opportunity for authors to get exposure and to sell books at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (LATFB) April 30, May 1, 2011. SPAWN has had a presence at almost every LATFB over the past 16 years and, this year, we have two booths with space for our members to sell their books.

Let me know if you would like to join us. Patricia@spawn.org. We’re taking reservations now for one day or both days.

Tomorrow, I’m going to tell you stories about some of the great opportunities that have opened up for our members as a result of their participation in the SPAWN booth at this major, major event. (Clue: they usually have 140,000 visitors.)

Patricia@spawn.org

Posted in Bookselling | 1 Comment »

How to Get Down to Writing That Book!

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Do you have a writing project at hand? Are you working on a book that seems to be stalled? Would you like to finish your book project within a certain time frame—by the time the kids are out of school, when school starts again or before the year ends, for example?

How are you coming along with your project? Feeling disorganized, hopelessly stuck, as if there just isn’t enough time in the day? You may feel along, but you aren’t alone.

Even though there are over a million books being produced each year and there’s every technology imaginable to help, still a whole lot of authors never complete their projects or they take an inordinate amount of time to finish it. Today, I’d like to offer some tips on how to ultimately finish your book:

1: Choose a topic that you are passionate about. You have to love what you are doing. On the other hand, allow yourself to enjoy the process. Some authors have trouble giving themselves permission to spend time writing because it seems as though they should be doing something that’s more like work.

2: Come to terms with why you are writing this book—you have something to say, you have knowledge you want to share, you feel a need to help a segment of people, you just get excited when you think about your book project and where it could take you.

3: Determine what is keeping you from writing and do your best to address it.

4: Set up a writing space of your own away from the hustle bustle of the household.

5: Ascertain what sacrifices you could make in order to spend more time writing. This might be less TV watching, fewer hours spent on computer games, check emails only twice a day, get up an hour earlier, go to bed an hour later, write during your lunch hour, cut time spent on your daily workout, clubbing etc.

6: Develop a schedule. Plan to write everyday/evening at the same time. This will help you to create the habit of writing.

7: Find a writing buddy—someone to help you become more accountable.

8: Join a writers’ group. The writers’ group atmosphere can be inspiring.

9: Set a reasonable deadline for yourself. (Surveys show that it takes 725 hours to write a typical nonfiction book. That’s 90 eight-hour days or approximately eighteen work weeks or four months.)

10: Look to the future. Sometimes it helps to imagine the end results of your effort—the joy of holding your completed book in your hands, the boost your book will have to your business, the fun you will have doing readings with children, etc.

Order Books Now
A few followers have told me that they’ve had problems ordering books and signing up for courses at my website. Some have wanted to take advantage of the discounts I’m running. We discovered that there was a problem. It has been fixed. Please order your books/courses now.

http://www.matilijapress.com

And visit my personal website to learn more about my services:

http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment »

Create Your Own Writing Opportunities

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

Someone I worked with many years ago passed away last week. It caused me to recall our association as it relates to writing. It was around 1989 and fear of starvation as a writer had sent me back to the working world for a while. I landed a job in the admissions office for a local private school. After about a year, when I got my confidence level back and my article business seemed to be supporting me again, I decided to go back to it full-time. The director of the school contacted me before I left and asked if I’d like to write a book about the history of the school. I accepted the job and agreed to work so many hours per week on this project for a set fee per month. That gave me time to continue developing my article-writing business.

This was a most enjoyable project. I loved working with the school director and interviewing the many former teachers and students of note. What stories they had to share. The results of this effort was a 300+ page book—A Thread to Hold, The Story of Ojai Valley School.

A few years later, I worked with this man on his memoirs, which he presented to his family members as a surprise gift.

Have you ever written on commission? Or have you produced a book for a local business, etc? It’s generally fairly lucrative and interesting work. Aside from the history of the private school, I wrote the brochure copy for a local recreation area, a history booklet and newsletters for a local water department and I’ve rewritten manuals for a major international organization. I once designed and wrote the business column for a local newspaper. I’ve also written campaign material and fashion show commentary as well as web and ad copy.

If you want to earn money writing and you have the skill to organize and write a variety of material, you might consider sending your resume and a few ideas to local businesses, utilities companies, candidates, etc. Offer specific ideas: “I see that you are celebrating your 25th year in business in 2012, would you like to come out with an anniversary booklet to handout to customers and business associates?” Or “I notice that you are planning to run for the school board, can I help you with your campaign material?” or “Perhaps a blog would help you gain more recognition and credibility, let me write one on a regular basis for you.” Or “Does your company need help revising your employee manual or updating your website?”

If you want to earn some extra money, gain more writing credits and experience and have some fun doing it, consider approaching some of the individuals in your community who might need help with a writing project.

Announcements
My article, “Do Bookstores Matter to Authors” appears this morning in Fran Silverman’s Book Promotion Newsletter. Are you a published or unpublished author? If you aren’t doing so already, you should be subscribing to Fran’s enewsletter.
http://www.bookpromotionnewsletter.com

I’ve invited a colleague to be a guest blogger here. She’s going to write about writers groups. She belongs to two of them and gets something different from each. I think this would be a good follow up piece to the one I wrote last week on how to find a good writers group. Watch for Sandra Murphy’s post coming up in a week or so.

Sue Collier, co-author with Marilyn Ross for The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing will also be a gust blogger sometime this month. She’s on a virtual book tour and asked if she could stopover here and write something for you.

Do you have something of value to say that would be of interest to authors, hopeful authors and freelance writers? Let me know if you want to be guest blogger here at my Publishing Blog.

Visit my websites:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

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The Scary Ole Query

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

I just got the schedule for the Carolinas Writers’ Conference and discovered that I was mistaken about the program. It is a multi-track conference. But mine is a ninety minute slot. So I’ve been busy writing a speech I can use for this event—April 2—and for the two-hour workshop I’m presenting here locally on the 22nd of this month.

I’m also teaching my online article-writing course. There are writers who want to supplement their income through article-writing and also those who want to promote their books through articles. I may be one of the few instructors who cover both in my online article-writing course. If you want to earn more money through your writing or get more exposure (and sales) for your book, check out this course: http://www.matilijapress.com/course.htm

If you sign up this month, I’ll throw in my book—A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit.

Many freelance writers (and authors) are intimidated by the query letter. Here’s an excerpt from Class #4 of the Article-Writing course:

5: The first paragraph: You can either state your intent in the first line or start with an attention-grabbing statement. For me, it depends on the topic and the magazine. For example, I might write, “I’d like to propose an article featuring three artists who have made it big on QVC.” Or I might say, “Millions of artists sell their work, but few ever hit the big time on QVC.” Or, “What do Marcy Young, Toa Chang and Carmen Sanchez have in common? They’ve all made over $50K selling their wares on QVC.”

6: Give a brief synopsis of your article. In a paragraph or two (at most) describe your article idea. You want to be succinct, but make it interesting. Include the content, slant, examples of some of the information you’ll use or points you’ll make and mention the experts (or others) you plan to interview. In this section, you’ll want to provide any important statistics indicating the number of people who might be interested in this topic. The editor might not know, for example, that one in every 3 households has at least one dog, or that there are 2,000,000 kids who are waiting to have a mentor. Help to sell the editor on your article by demonstrating a need for it/potential interest in it.

7: Give your projected word count. The word count should coincide with the particular magazine’s guidelines. If their submission guidelines state that they publish articles of from 900-1200 words, be sure that your word count projection is within those boundaries.

Let the editor know if you have a specific column or department in mind where your article will fit in. If you have studied the magazine, you know that they have a column called, “My Turn.” Tell the editor that you would like him to consider your personal essay for his “My Turn,” column. Column articles are usually shorter than articles for their main pages. So be sure to check the word count requirements for the column you have in mind.

A Word About Word Count
I’ve met way too many people who do not take a magazine’s word count seriously and then wonder why they can’t get their articles published. A client of mine some years ago was invited to write an article for a magazine for the first time. They asked for 1,000 words. She came to me with her article before sending it to the editor and it comprised over 1,800 words. I asked my client about this and she said, “Oh, well I really couldn’t cut it down any more. If the editor wants to cut it, that’s okay.”

Wrong!!!! It would be highly unlikely, in this competitive climate, that an editor would love your article so much that she would publish 1,800 words where she has room for just 1,000. Nor would she spend time editing an article down—not when she has numbers of good articles and a stable of writers who might love to receive an assignment to write on this particular subject. The best advice I can give you is to conform to the editor’s requests and requirements.

8: List your qualifications for writing this article. For a piece on raising feral kitten, I could say that I’ve raised two feral kittens and I’ve done quite a bit of research on this subject for myself as well as for articles published in Cat Fancy Magazine and ASPCA Animal Watch. For an article on how to write a book proposal, I might say, “I’m the author of 33 books and I’ve written successful book proposals for most of them. I also teach book proposal classes and workshops, I’ve worked with dozens clients on their book proposals and I’m the author of books on this subject.”

Have you had experience in this subject? What sort of experience? Do you know the individual you plan to interview? What is your connection? Why are you the best one to write this article? As I said in an earlier lesson, it’s okay if the subject matter isn’t one that you’re familiar with. While you’ll want to do some preliminary research before submitting a query letter, you might say, “For this article, I plan to interview Joe Schmo, author of Why Didn’t I think of That? and director of Inventor’s Anonymous. I’ll also speak to several modern day inventors, including Alice Lake, who recently patented the spray nozzle that works even upside down; John Stanton, who came up with a new idea for recharging batteries and Eric Boston, inventor of the non splatter cooking oil.”

9: List your writing credits. I often tell writers, this is no time to be modest. However, if you don’t have writing credits, I would suggest side-stepping this issue. Since this probably isn’t the case with any of you, let’s discuss how to present your writing credentials. What is the point of this section? To assure the editor that you can write (but your excellent query letter serves this purpose, too), to let him know that you are reliable and accustomed to meeting deadlines. I might say in my query letter, “I’ve been writing for publication for over 30 years.” I might continue this way, “I’ve contributed hundreds of articles to around 300 different magazines. My articles have appeared in (I mention magazines similar to the one I am pitching. If I have written for this magazine, I mention it, as well). I am the author of 31 published books, including (and I mention those that most closely relate to the topic I’m pitching).” Sometimes I mention my affiliation with SPAWN, Toastmasters International, Ojai Valley Youth Foundation, Ojai City Historic Preservation Commission, Cat Writers Association—or whatever organization I belong to that might apply to this particular topic.

Should you mention your writing experience if it relates to business writing, blogging, writing a newsletter or writing in a genre or field very different from the type of writing required for this magazine? By all means, yes. You want to demonstrate to the editor that you can write, that you have a sense of follow through and that you are reliable (you are accustomed to meeting deadlines, for example). If you have not written for publication or presentation, rely more heavily on your expertise on the topic, your research and interview experience or abilities and your excellent presentation via your query letter.

Question? PLFry620@yahoo.com

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Public Speaking for Authors: The Large and the Small of it

Monday, March 7th, 2011

I finished a large editing job yesterday and now have the space in which to organize a speech for two upcoming writers’ conferences. One of them is supposed to have somewhere between 400 and a thousand attendees and it is a one-level/tier program. In other words, rather than the typical three or more break-out sessions occurring simultaneously at this writers conference, it is one presentation—one speaker—at a time.

I find that it is a very different experience when speaking to a large group as compared to a room of fifteen to thirty people. The intimacy is lost in the larger group. You do not have that workshop atmosphere. The job of a speaker, then, is more along the lines of a keynote speaker. In order to engage a larger audience, you really must be entertaining as well as informative.

Don’t you agree that the job of a speaker is to engage the audience? And this can be done in a variety of ways. In a smaller group, you do this by including audience members—involving them. But how do you do that with a large group? I’ve discovered that you need different tactics.

When I’m speaking to that audience of fifteen to thirty authors, I might give them writing exercises, offer a Q and A session, ask for a show of hands a time or two and/or provide a show and tell opportunity.

When the group is smaller, still—an intimate group of four to eight, for example—I might encourage more dialogue/discussion between us, maybe some readings and I tend to respond to questions in more detail.

In a large group, speakers are more inclined to engage their audience through group exercises such as having them repeat a mantra or sing a round or stand and stretch or look under their chairs for notification of a prize, perhaps.

I discovered early on as a speaker that groups large or small are engaged through laughter. The point is to somehow pull the audience together in some manner. Some speakers do this by evoking laughter (telling jokes). It’s a shared experience for the audience when they are all laughing at (responding to) the same thing.

Have you noticed how laughter can relax the speaker? I learned this the first few times I spoke as PTA president for my children’s grammar school. I think it may have been spontaneous and unplanned, but I remember my nervousness subsiding as soon as I received a chuckle from the audience. I made it a point after that to always say something that encouraged a little laughter whenever I stood up to speak.

Back to my scheduled speech: I’ve decided to use more anecdotes than usual in order to illustrate the points I want to make in a way that is, perhaps, more relatable to audience members. What do you think? And yes, I hope to include a little humor along the way.

Have you gained courage enough to speak before a group? If you have a book to promote, you should be out there doing some public speaking. What do you do to calm your nerves? Do you notice that your presentation takes on a totally different shape when you are speaking to a smaller group versus a larger one? I’d like to hear from you.

I’ll be speaking to authors and hopeful authors at the Ojai Library Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 3 in the afternoon in Ojai California. And if you are going to be anywhere near Wadesboro, North Carolina April 2, 2011, be sure to attend the Carolinas Writer’s Conference. I apologize that my webmaster is out of town and I don’t have the particulars posted at my website, yet. Please contact me for more info: PLFry620@yahoo.com

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Is a Writing Career or a Book in Your Future?

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

It used to surprise me when someone would say, “How do you have time to do all of that writing?” Finally, it occurred to me where such people were coming from and I began responding by saying, “It’s what I do.”

Most people, when they peek in at a writer’s life, are using their own busy lives as a norm and they can’t imagine finding time to spend writing a book or numerous articles or stories for publication. What they fail to realize is that writers write. That’s how we spend our time. That’s what we do from morning ‘til dusk. If we hold down an outside job, we write during the early morning and/or late night hours—before and/or after work.

It would be like having a beloved hobby or interest that you love to pursue after work—hiking, biking or working out at the gym, building birdhouses, going out dancing or having a responsibility like caring for an elderly loved one or small children. It’s something you do when you can. You find a way to do it out of love or passion.

Even though there are millions of people writing these days, there are still a whole lot of people who still say, “I wish I had the time to write,” or “Someday, I am going to write my story.” And some of them will, but not all. Some people just can’t find a way to make writing a priority. Either the passion isn’t there, their life is already full—there’s no room for anything as intense as writing—or they cannot effectively prioritize.

Loafing on the couch after work or playing computer games is more appealing to some people than sitting down to a writing project. And that’s okay. It’s your life.

If you want to get started with that writing project, I may have an online course or book for you. Check them out at http://www.matilijapress.com. Courses are listed here: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

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How to Win at Publishing

Saturday, March 5th, 2011

Are you serious about becoming a published author? Here’s a site that might help you determine if you have what it takes to be in it for the long-haul. http://www.upauthors.com Look at the March 4, 2011 blog post.

This author predicts that only two percent of today’s authors will be around in ten years—five percent in four years and twenty percent in two years.

Well, if only five percent of authors stay in the game after four years, the turnover is sure huge. The number of new authors coming on the scene is mind-boggling. Each of those authors who have bailed is being replaced by, seemingly, dozens more new ones. But, according to author of UPAuthors.com, Ron Knight, few of them will be still be around in 2021.

When I started writing for publication in 1973, I didn’t know a single other writer. I didn’t meet another author until around 1995, just before SPAWN was formed. And now my world is filled to the brim with authors and freelance writers. In fact, everyone, today, knows an author or two.

A teacher at your kids’ school just published a book. Your real estate agent is coming out with a book. Your second cousin is a published author. A couple of your neighbors are writers. And even your housekeeper, for heaven sakes, is penning her memoirs. Everyone is writing—retirees, career men and women, parents, doctors, pilots, scientists, the homeless or former homeless (I know two of them), animal activists, artists, seers—pretty much every walk of life is represented.

And it is fairly easy to figure out who will be left standing at the two, four and ten year marks. Read Ron Knight’s list to see where you fit in.

Are you a seriously motivated author with writing talent and marketing skill? Or are you a dreamer who is seeking the easy way to publishing success? Have you built a business around your book(s) or do you just have one book you want to share with the world without any fuss or muss?

I remember a hopeful author asking me one time how to make herself sit down and write. I said that we need a strong motivation to write. I suggested that she discover her motivation to write and see if it is valid. She looked at me with eyes glazed over.

Writing can be intense work. It takes discipline, not to mention time, concentration and a measure of skill. Writers must make writing a priority. And, I still insist that writers/authors must be motivated in order to write at all.

My motivation is my deep desire to write. I seek publication in order to justify my love of writing. If I hadn’t figured out how to earn a living through my writing, I would have ended up in some sort of career in the corporate world. Writing meant enough to me that I created a business around it, choosing to forego the BIG bucks possible in a corporate job.

I’ve seen many authors come and go over the years. I’ve witnessed that eighty percent, ninety-five percent and even ninety-eight percent failure rate that Knight speaks of. Although, I guess just because an author doesn’t remain for two, five or ten years in the publishing industry, doesn’t necessarily mean failure.

Knight’s list for authors is similar in concept to my FREE ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book. He helps you to examine your approach to publishing, your mindset, whether or not you are adequately prepared to enter into the fiercely competitive world of publishing, whether you have put the right kind of thought into your book project and so forth. As I’ve attempted to do in this booklet, he is helping hopeful authors to make the right choices.

Believe me (and millions of other authors) publishing the wrong book with the wrong approach to publishing can be a mighty costly experiment.

Authorship is an either in or out proposition. In order to be successful, you either jump in with both feet and follow some measure of protocol (study the publishing industry, write a viable book, understand what your options are and the possible consequences of your choices, know what your responsibilities as a published author are, etc.) or stay out of it altogether.

From what I’ve observed over the years, those who fail are those who attempt to sidestep the more difficult parts of the publishing process—they dip their toe in publishing keeping one foot solidly within their comfort zone. What am I talking about? Read my ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book and Knight’s list for authors and maybe it will dawn on you. In the meantime, here are some hints:

If you are writing a book to massage your ego without consideration for your audience, you pay the first publisher who expresses an interest in your project without further investigation, you let him publish it without having hired a good book editor, you sign the contract even though you don’t quite understand it and you expect the “publisher” to do all of the promotion, you will probably be one of the eighty percent who bails in two years.

A failed dream is painful. There are a lot of heartsick authors out there. And it is all because they barged into the business of publishing without knowledge and understanding.

Don’t let this happen to you. Read books like my The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. New discounted price. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Contact me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

Download FREE ebooklet: 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Authorship, Publishing | No Comments »

Authors Who Resist Book Promotion

Friday, March 4th, 2011

I received a note from a gentleman writer who says he is a senior (like so many of us). He read my piece, “You, too, Can Become a Published Author,” at the Suddenly Senior website.

I find it interesting that some articles seem to live forever and that seems to be one of them. Another one that attracts a lot of interest is my piece on conversation skills.

Anyway, this writer wanted to know, what so many others wonder, how to deal with the common dilemma for seniors who want to have their works seen, without having to spend their time promoting, and who are unwilling or unable to spend big bucks to have it done for them.

Here’s my response:

You and I have lived long enough to know that you get out of a project (or a relationship or membership in an organization, etc.) what you are willing to put into it. And that is pretty much the long and the short of book promotion.

If you want to open a bakery and share your wonderful baked goods with the community, you would not simply continue baking in your kitchen and hope that someone smells the aroma of the cinnamon buns wafting from your open window and show up with money in hand to purchase one. You would need a store front (which you have provided for your books via your website). You would need a way for people to purchase the buns. And you would need to spread the word about your baked goods so people would know about them. Make sense?

Of course, the wider you “advertise” the larger your sales. If you tell family members and a few neighbors, you will have one level of sales. If you run an ad, open a storefront, run ads, go out and talk to lots of folks about your business and maybe put up a few posters around town, more people will know about your cinnamon buns and more people will show up with cash to purchase them.

As you suggested, I know many seniors who are not interested in promoting their books in any big way. Those who survive in this incredibly competitive business are those who have found ways to promote their books. I’ve written articles on how to promote books and stay within your comfort zone. You might be interested in reading some of them. Here are links to a few:

http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/5-ways-to-promote-your-book.htm

http://www.matilijapress.com/articles/bookpromobasics.htm

Some promotional tactics bring more results for some people. You might enter your book in a contest, win it and get free publicity. You can spread the word about your book by commenting on other people’s blogs. Since you like writing (isn’t that why we get up in the morning?), you could submit stories to appropriate magazines as a way of making your book(s) known to your audience.

Of course, you don’t have to promote your book(s) at all. But how in the heck will you be able to justify the time you spend writing if no one is reading them?

I would like to hear from some of you who resist promoting your books. What are the results of that decision? Also, I’d like to hear from authors who have discovered interesting and effective ways to promote their books without stepping outside their comfort zones.

Posted in Book Promotion, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Newsletters For the Author

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Do you take advantage of some of the great newsletters that are out there for writers and authors? Which ones do you subscribe to? Which ones do you read? Do you read all of those that come to you?

I subscribe to quite a few and I read almost all of them. There are a couple that I am no longer thrilled with and I just delete them when they show up in my email box.

Yes, I’m busy like you are. But I find that the information, articles, resources and perspective in some of the newsletters I receive are well worth the time it takes to peruse them. I think that when you take the time to study those you receive, you feel the same way.

This morning I found a great article by a prolific writer/friend of mine in Writing-World Newsletter. It’s called, “Kill the Adverbs,” by Kathleen Ewing. http://www.writing-world.com. Read it!

I also recommend that you read the current issue of SPAWNews. It’s FREE. If you receive this newsletter and didn’t read it, go back and read it. It’s a fully-packed issue with something for everyone. If you do not subscribe, you’ll find it here: http://www.spawn.org/blog/?p=1576. Sandra Murphy from St. Louis is the editor of SPAWNews and she just keeps making it better and better.

While you’re at the site, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter. It’s FREE. And you will also receive a FREE ebooklet called, “Promote Yourself: 25 Ways to Promote Your Work, Whether You’re an Artist, Author or Small Publisher.” http://www.spawn.org

In this issue, Linda Formichelli writes “Eight Ways to Land New Writing Assignments.” Our Book Doctor responds to questions about literary virginity, capitalization in titles and possessives. A member introduces a new and easier way to take care of the bookkeeping chores for your writing business. Editor Sandy does an interview with Moe Woods of the Book-in-a-Week program. And you’ll see my article on “How to Position Yourself as an Expert.” We also review one of Dan Poynter’s new books.

Probably the most useful newsletter out there for authors and freelance writers is the SPAWN Market Update (for SPAWN members only). I’ve never seen a newsletter so fully packed with opportunities and resources for freelance writers and authors. What does it feature this month? A dozen markets for freelance writers, five publishers seeking manuscripts (three of them NEW), over a dozen book review sites, writers’ conference sites and directories, several resources for authors and there’s always news you can use.

I hope that you are reading your writing/publishing newsletters of choice and gaining precious insight, resources, guidance and information from them.

And thank you for including this blog among your reading material.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Authorship, Book Promotion | No Comments »

Writing, Publishing and You!

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

So what are you getting from this blog? I hope you are recognizing the value. Just in the past few days, you’ve had the opportunity to receive some resources for finding printing companies and writers’ groups. You’ve had a lesson that many writers miss—when to capitalize “mom,” “father,” “aunt,” etc. and when not to. You’ve learned about the concept of and how to test-market a book. You’ve had a lesson on public speaking for novelists and we’ve talked about the author’s platform. You’ve also received an invitation to take my new “Establish Your Author’s Platform Workshop” http://www.matilijapress.com/course_platform.htm and to participate in the gigantic Los Angeles Times Festival of Books: http://www.spawn.org/latfb2011.htm

We’ve given you the information and offered you the tools, so what is your next step? I’d like to know. Do you know?

Some of you are writing books. Your next step is hire an editor to fine tune it before you send it off to a publisher, agent or launch out to publish it yourself. Contact me: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

You should also be thinking about establishing your platform before you get too far down the road. A platform will help you to sell your book to an agent, a publisher and your potential readers. Publishing a book without having established a platform is like going out in the rain without an umbrella, boarding an airplane without a ticket. You’re not prepared for what’s ahead.

If you have a completed book and you are trying to find a way to get it published, you MUST read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book (only $14.95 now). http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

If you are contemplating hiring a pay-to-publish company, PLEASE read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing before signing any contract. He tells you which ones are best and worst. This step could save you a lot of money and heartache. Just because these companies exist, does not mean they are the right company for you and your project.

Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) and get the ebook version of this book FREE. SPAWN is also a good place to continue learning about the publishing industry and networking with other authors and publishers at all levels of success. http://www.spawn.org

If you have a published book and you are in the process of promoting it, your affiliation with SPAWN will help immensely and so will my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

I met writers the other day who hope to become published authors, but who did NOT want to think of publishing as a business. Sure, publishers run businesses, but they didn’t want to consider the publishing of their books to be a business venture, yet they want readers and sales and money to put in the bank. I hope the panel convinced them that they can’t have it both ways. It’s like a game of poker—either you are in or you’re out.

I apologize if this seems rambling. I hoped to make some points this morning, but I am rather distracted by clients, students and SPAWN members this week—thankfully. I love my students and clients and SPAWN members. They just sometimes keep me soooo busy. I complained about a slow week last week. When am I going to learn to appreciate the lulls—use this time to replenish so I am better prepared for the crazy times? I’ll bet this is something some of you are working on, as well. If not, you aren’t completely embedded into the world of writing and publishing, yet. And you certainly aren’t opening yourself up to help or advise others.

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