I’m off to Alaska this week. So I am on countdown around here—packing, stocking up on cat food, coordinating with the housesitters, etc. I am also working on several presentations for the Alaska Writers’ Guild Conference in Anchorage.
I’ll be flying in on Thursday, presenting a 3-hour workshop on Friday, giving the keynote speech on Saturday morning and I’ll be speaking again for an hour Sunday afternoon. In between, I’m meeting with five authors to give them face-to-face evaluations of their manuscripts, which I had occasion to read prior to the event.
I’ve arranged for a few extra days of R & R and hope to see a few wild moose, maybe a bear (at a safe distance) and some lovely Alaskan scenery.
I will continue posting here at my blog, but probably not daily. It might work out that I can post a little something to keep you updated about the conference, but I’m committing only to posting maybe only three or four times while I’m in Alaska.
In the meantime, even though my mind is racing with things I want to do before I leave town, I feel compelled to offer you something of value in this post today. So I’m going to remind you of one point I’ll be driving home during my presentation this weekend:
Publishing is not an extension of your writing.
And it should not be approached as such. Writing is a craft requiring certain, specific skills and mindset and publishing is a serious, highly competitive business that requires a whole different set of skills and a very different mindset. Start your journey into the world of publishing by doing the following:
Study the publishing industry.
Write a book proposal.
I offer perspective, tips, techniques, resources and information through this blog daily as well as in my array of books for authors. Check out my books here: http://www.matilijapress.com
If you are writing a book for publication, you are ready to launch your book or you have a book that you are attempting to market, order my newest book NOW. Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for Enterprising Authors (Allworth Press) is available at my website, but also at Amazon.com. The Kindle version is coming soon, as well.