|
Free Updates
Navigation
Categories
| November, 2009 (5) |
| October, 2009 (18) |
| September, 2009 (22) |
| August, 2009 (15) |
| July, 2009 (22) |
| June, 2009 (19) |
| May, 2009 (18) |
| April, 2009 (25) |
| March, 2009 (19) |
| February, 2009 (21) |
| January, 2009 (18) |
| December, 2008 (3) |
| November, 2008 (12) |
| October, 2008 (13) |
| September, 2008 (24) |
| August, 2008 (27) |
| July, 2008 (26) |
| June, 2008 (34) |
| May, 2008 (36) |
| April, 2008 (2) |
|
Search
Archives
| | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Blogroll
Writing Resources
|
 Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Marketing in a Digital Age
Posted by Jane
More than a year ago, I left a comment on the Booksquare blog by Kassia Krozser, on a post titled "Why Publishers Should Blog." Kassia argued that publishers needed to be more vocal about supporting the titles they publish. I responded:
Definitely agree, but I have to wonder if the lack of enthusiastic
comments direct from publishers is primarily due to lack of time (and
energy, sadly). If an editor (or whomever) is juggling dozens of
projects in a given year, accomplishing just the basics can be
enormously demanding. (Lean staffs!) The “friendly” online marketing or
buzz building has often been left to the authors, rightly or wrongly.
Kassia didn't agree with me then, and now I don't agree with me either.
However: I'm not convinced it's the publishers who need to market and promote as much as the individual people who work at the publisher. That's because Publishers speaking as Publishers may not be very interesting to listen to, and it's hard to develop a relationship or carry on a conversation with the corporate entity "Publisher" unless we're talking about an imprint known for a specific type of work (like Tor), or a publisher focused on a genre (like Harlequin). What is the "voice" or approach of a publisher if they have dozens and dozens of potential target audiences?
Maybe Publishers (as corporations) don't need to "blog," but an imprint and its community of editors must be involved in efforts to spread word to a community of readers, through whatever channels or tools make sense for a particular topic, since editors are unique in their position of knowing the content so intimately (and hopefully the audience too!)—not to mention very influential in how the book performs.
All this to say two things:
First, I'm participating in a free webinar hosted by Digital Book World, Marketing in the Digital Age: Batteries Not Included.
This webinar may not be specifically geared to aspiring writers, but the story I told above is an important one when you're considering who to publish with and what to expect.
Authority and influence no longer lie with traditional media outlets and traditional marketing techniques. The old buttons we all used to press don't work any more. And frankly, many of the new buttons don't work either, depending on how well you use them.
So this webinar promises to be a fascinating discussion about what it means to market books (or content or media) in a digital age. I'll be joined by Guy Gonzalez (Digital Book World), Diana Villibert (Marie Claire), Patrick Boegel (Media Logic), and Dan Blank (Reed Business).
It's an incredible honor to be included, and it's amazing to think how far my company F+W has come in its approach to publishing.
Which leads me to my second point: I recall in 2007 longingly reviewing the first Tools of Change Conference schedule, and wanting to be savvier and more forward-looking in my publishing approach. I recall hearing Mike Shatzkin speak that same year at BEA, and feeling the urgency of his message.
I don't think I would've believed it if God himself had told me: that my company would be hosting Digital Book World in January 2010 (with Shatzkin as program chair), and covering consumer publishing issues in a way that helps me keep Writer's Digest growing and profitable when so many things in the print-based business are changing (often diminishing).
Two sessions I am most looking forward to:
Back-Loaded Book Deals: No (and Low) Advance Contracts, Profit-Sharing and Other Innovative Business Models (with Robert Miller of HarperStudio, Rogert Cooper of Perseus Vanguard, and agent Susan Ginsburg of Writer's House)
New Business Models: Changing the Commercial Rules of Publishing (with Richard Nash, Eoin Purcell, Chris Morrow, and Diane Naughton)
In short, I don't have to be sad about not being able to attend TOC any more.
Conferences/Events | Digitization & New Technology | F+W Life | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion
Tuesday, November 03, 2009 7:24:22 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  Trackback
|
|
Monday, November 02, 2009
Every Writer Needs a Little Salesperson Inside
Posted by Jane
It's not a natural thing for most creative people to sell their work, but when it comes time to publish, you have to know something about how to sell.
You have to put in the effort, make the calls, not get beat down by rejection. (It's why I love this Alec Baldwin video, and my advice based on it.)
I'm definitely not a salesperson by nature. But it didn't take long to learn some basic skills, since my first editorial job depended on convincing salespeople my ideas were worthwhile.
Most writers need a little help in understanding how to pitch their work effectively, and I love being the one to help craft and rework that pitch.
This week I'm teaching an online course that offers an extreme makeover on query letters. You get to submit your 1-page query ahead of time, then you'll see me (in a live session) dissect all the queries into good, OK, and needs revamped.
It's a fun and illuminating process, and you learn the essential principles of selling the story (fiction) or selling an idea (nonfiction).
My goal is that every writer leave this session with a little salesperson inside who can kick into high gear when it's query-writing time.
Go register here if you have a query letter that needs professional attention. The session is this Thurday, November 5, at 1p EDT.
Also:
Conferences/Events | General | Getting Published
Monday, November 02, 2009 6:16:59 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Writer's Digest Hits Top 10 Amazon List
Posted by Jane
Just got word that our recent release, And Here's the Kicker: Conversations With 21 Top Humor Writers on Their Craft by Mike Sacks, hit Amazon's Top 10 List of Best Entertainment Books in 2009.
Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, and said, "Veteran journalist Sacks conducted dozens of interviews with the top humor writers of the last century, and the result is a whiz-bang collection of Q&As that will school readers just as often as it provokes laughter."
Read an excerpt: an interview with Stephen Merchant, co-creator of The Office.
(And go buy in our shop at Amazon-like pricing. Get an extra 10% off if you're a VIP.)
Craft & Technique | Fun | General | New Titles From Writer's Digest
Monday, November 02, 2009 5:55:04 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Looking for Your Feedback: What Do Established Writers Need?
Posted by Jane
One of the biggest criticisms or complaints about Writer's Digest (usually the magazine) is that it's for wannabes, and that after a few years, the advice/information either becomes repetitive or irrelevant, especially for someone who works at the professional level.
I've been daydreaming about how to develop a new periodical that would offer information and insights for advanced, established, or professional writers/authors, and remain relevant even after achieving publication. (Just to be sure, such a periodical would not serve to replace the current magazine.)
But I need your help to get it right—or to ensure there's a need for it in the first place!
- What you would need or want in such a publication?
- What regular columns?
- What features?
- Whose viewpoints?
- What topics?
Leave your recommendations in the comments. (If it appears your comment doesn't stick the first time you submit it, try inputting the code again—your comment will still be in the field, waiting for verification.)
Or, click here to e-mail me.
Photo credit: Marvin (PA)
General | WD Magazine
Sunday, November 01, 2009 6:30:47 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 10/30/09)
Posted by Jane
Best of Twitter
Sunday, November 01, 2009 5:08:56 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Friday, October 30, 2009
The Battle of Resistance
Posted by Jane
This is a guest post from monthly contributor and storytelling genius Darrelyn Saloom. Follow her on Twitter. The photo above shows Darrelyn's youngest son, Jesse, emerging from battle to hand his mommy a pink crayon and a gardenia on his first birthday on May 28, 1987. (For more great stories from Darrelyn, click on "Guest Post" in the categories column to the left.)
Miserable, this past September, I perused Twitter in search of relief. And found it. Steven Pressfield was guest author for a literary chat called LitChat. Wow! Steven Pressfield, author of The Legend of Bagger Vance, Last of the Amazons, Tides of War, Gates of Fire, The Virtues of War, but also a jewel of a book I’d not yet discovered, The War of Art.
Writers on Twitter questioned Pressfield for an hour. I managed to contribute a tweet or two, but awestruck, I froze up. Fortunately, other writers had their wits about them and asked excellent questions. And the author’s answers cut to the core of my suffering. A former Marine, he said his service “taught him to be miserable—a crucial skill for a writer. Seriously, not to complain but to keep doing it.”
I’d been complaining to my husband for weeks. Maybe I better just shut up and get back to work. Good advice. And wouldn’t that make my husband happy. And then Pressfield explained Resistance, the subject of The War of Art: “Resistance is that negative force that tries to stop us from doing what we know we should—write, work out, etc.” Bingo! My problem exactly.
In misery, I’d found so many excuses not to write: I’m out of ideas; I don’t feel well (four rounds of antibiotics, two cortisone shots, and I was still sick). I’m in menopause and about to turn 54. Yikes! My pity pot was endless. Okay, so I’m not in the Marines. I’m not sitting in a foxhole, in the rain, dodging bullets. I have a chronic sinus infection for goodness sakes. I’m running out of hormones.
But illness was not the enemy. Resistance was the enemy and had found a petri dish to blossom in my neurotic thinking. As soon as LitChat concluded, I ordered The War of Art. Overnight delivery, please. This was an emergency. By the next day, I was armed with a Pressfield paperback and found more on the subject of art and misery and even the Marines. Pressfield writes:
The artist committing himself to his calling has volunteered for hell, whether he knows it or not. He will be dining for the duration on a diet of isolation, rejection, self-doubt, despair, ridicule, contempt, and humiliation.
The artist must be like that Marine. He has to know how to be miserable. He has to love being miserable. He has to take pride in being more miserable than any other soldier or swabbie or jet jockey. Because this is war, baby. And war is hell.
Hell, indeed. But so far so good, I had the misery part covered. Reading further, Pressfield named my enemy: Resistance. But he did more than name it. He defined its insidious personality, its wily disguises, its teaching abilities. That’s right, teaching abilities. Because the news here is not all bad, the infallible enemy is also a teacher:
Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, Resistance will unfailingly point to true North—meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing.
We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others.
Rule of thumb: The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more Resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.
Well, my current memoir collaboration must be aligned with the stars. Never in my life have I battled such Resistance. And for anyone who’s in the midst of her own battle, who struggles to get down to work, doubts she is good enough, blows her nose a lot and stares blankly at a computer screen, wonders why she bothered to wake up, this is for you:
Resistance is directly proportional to love. If you’re feeling massive Resistance, the good news is, it means there’s tremendous love there too. If you didn’t love the project that is terrifying you, you wouldn’t feel anything. The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference.
The more Resistance you experience, the more important your unmanifested art/project/enterprise is to you—and the more gratification you will feel when you finally do it.
So take comfort in knowing you’re on the right track. But don’t let your guard down. Not for a minute. Arm yourself with a copy of Stephen Pressfield’s The War of Art; don your camouflaged helmet, your flak jacket and weapons. Battle Resistance every day, in spite of excuses, no matter what, by giving birth to the work you are meant to do.
General | Guest Post
Friday, October 30, 2009 9:15:02 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Day I Picked Up a Hitchhiker
Posted by Jane
Risk more than others think is safe.
Care more than others think is wise.
Dream more than others think is practical.
Expect more than others think is possible.
—Claude Bissell
There's a story I love to tell in the presence of The Conductor, because it upsets him so much (in a cute way).
When I was 17, I spent a summer working in northern rural Indiana, at a Kentucky Fried Chicken.
One day, on my way to work on a 2-lane country road, I spotted a male adult hitchhiker. He had a large metal lunch box, like what coal miners used to carry.
I stopped and told him I could take him 10 miles to the next town, where I worked. He was headed to the same town, so climbed in.
When we reached KFC, it turned out my female boss was an old friend of this hitchhiker. They had a brief chat, but immediately my boss pointed a finger at me and said, "Don't you EVER pick up a hitchhiker AGAIN!"
The man grinned and said while he was grateful for the ride, he agreed with my boss.
When I left KFC that summer for my first year of college, my boss gave me a going away present that included a key chain with pepper spray on it.
I think she knew I would not be playing it safe.
It's always more fun to take the risk—and more enjoyable to expect the best of people.
Photo credit: Photofarrell
Fun | General
Thursday, October 29, 2009 1:51:48 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Age-Old Battle Between Author & Publisher
Posted by Jane
To write what is worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and get sensible people to read it, are the three great difficulties in being an author.
—Charles Caleb Colton
Almost anyone can be an author; the business is to collect money and fame from this state of being.
—A. A. Milne
Publishing is no longer simply a matter of picking worthy manuscripts and putting them on offer. It is now as important to market books properly, to work with the bookstore chains to get terms, co-op advertising, and the like. The difficulty is that publishers who can market are most often not the publishers with worthy lists.
—Olivia Goldsmith
One of the signs of Napoleon's greatness is the fact that he once had a publisher shot.
—Siegfried Unseld
Publishers are all cohorts of the devil; there must be a special hell for them somewhere.
—Goethe
As difficult as it is for a writer to find a publisher - admittedly a daunting task - it is twice as difficult for a publisher to sort through the chaff, select the wheat, and profitably publish a worthy list.
—Olivia Goldsmith
One should fight like the devil the temptation to think well of editors. They are all, without exception - at least some of the time, incompetent or crazy.
—John Gardner
If you've been following industry chatter, you may have seen some conversations lately about whether authors need publishers (or vice versa). Plus there's now a Twitter tag for the discussion, #publishersmatter
To catch up, you can read these 3 pieces:
Do Authors Still Need Publishers?
by Mark Coker of Smashwords (e-publishing service)
What Do Authors Need?
by Kate Eltham at Queensland Writers Centre (Australia)
Do Publishers Still Need Authors?
by Guy Gonzalez, my colleague and audience development director for Digital Book World (My views align closely with Guy's.)
Aspiring writers and authors can be extremely mistrustful and suspicious of publishers— creating a group only too eager to join the revolution where writers/authors have power and publishers become obsolete.
Those who can never get inside the pearly publishing gates feel marginalized and like they never got the attention they deserve, while those who do break in feel exactly the same way. As Daniel Menaker has said:
Many of the most important decisions made in publishing are made outside the author's and agent's specific knowledge. … [Publishing] silently colludes in trying to ignore the obvious … that the first printing of your book will be three thousand copies, that it will not have full-color galleys, that no advertising or tour is planned, and that it has been assigned to a publicist who up until yesterday worked in the Xerox department. Why the collusion? Because this is a business fueled largely by writers' need for attention, and no one wants to crush any writer's dreams before a book is even published. Especially since every now and then they actually come true.
Today, many authors are left out to sea as soon as the book hits store shelves, a critical moment in the life of many books. By the time the author realizes what's happening, the window of opportunity has vanished—that moment when you can ensure stores/retailers see the book as a quality and profitable item, leading to a good model (number of copies per store).
Other authors get turned out by their publishers when their books don't sell, even if they could've been a quality midlist author with more time and investment. (Most publishers don't have the luxury of waiting.)
Obviously neither of these phenomenon help the author OR the publisher.
I wonder if successful publishers of the future will attract quality authors mostly by …
- the deep reach of their distribution (especially if to a particular audience)
- their editorial/curation prowess and stable of quality authors
- the support and service they provide authors
Publishers have done a poor job, at best, in the support and service role.
How many publishers actively support their authors when it comes to teaching them online marketing and promotion practices? How many will analyze their authors' efforts at platform and branding? How many will give them the education, tools, or resources they need to be true partners with the publisher? How many will—at the very least—provide clarity on what the publisher will and will not do for the author, or explicitly convey their own strengths and weaknesses, so the author goes in eyes wide open?
While publishers of the future need to distinguish themselves by the quality of their partnerships, the quality of their audience reach (community), and the quality of their curation, I bet there will be publishers who become known for support and service, and attract quality authors like bees to honey—and be more successful because of it.
What do you say?
Digitization & New Technology | General | Getting Published | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion | Self-Publishing
Wednesday, October 28, 2009 3:23:18 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Writing & Publishing: More Than a Patience Game
Posted by Jane
My partner in crime, The Conductor, recently forwarded me the following, from an interview with Lost Producer Damon Lindelof:
In
today's film and television industries it seems like there are far
fewer writers willing to take risks for originality's sake. What advice
do you have for aspiring writers who are passionate about a particular
story, even if it risks not being given a chance by today's audiences?
-- Josh G.
As clichéd as it sounds, if you have an original
voice and an original idea, then no matter what anybody says, you have
to find a way to tell that story. My only advice would be you have to
exercise patience. I think the freshman mistake is you feel such
passion for something that you need to tell it now, as opposed to
saying, "Let me establish myself, and five years from now when I'm a
little bit older, a little bit wiser, a little bit more experienced,
maybe that's the time to tell that story."
Sometimes you get a
present for somebody a month before their birthday and you just want to
give it to them immediately. But timing is everything. So I would say
it might feel like your idea is a hard sell now, but maybe in a couple
years the timing will be right. Whatever you do, don't give up.
Whenever someone asks for my autograph in my book, I usually add my 2 biggest pieces of advice:
Be passionate. Be persistent.
Perhaps persistence is a type of patience. Persistence adds a level of push, of proactiveness, of energy. The wrong kind of patience will lull you right into complacency and inactivity (and waiting to be "discovered").
Yet: Some people are so pig-headed in their persistence that they can't discern when it's time to change course or adapt to changing times.
I recently read about the importance of context, which applies to writing and publishing more than ever. Some writers remain blind to issues of context and can't grow.
Passion & persistence best serve people who know how to grow, which Lindelof advises: get wiser and more experienced. I couldn't agree more.
AND—it crushes my heart to witness: A person with unlimited passion who lacks the focus or discipline to do the hard work of realizing the Big Dream she has.
Sometimes, it's all about who is working hardest, and can devote the most time and energy to their endeavor, and knock on more doors. Not who's most talented.
For those who are talented and never gain appropriate recognition, you can blame it on bad luck, bad timing, and unfairness, but I'd ask myself: Am I working harder than everyone else?
Photo credit: The Rocketeer
General | Getting Published
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 12:53:13 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Trackback
|
|
Friday, October 23, 2009
Your Simple Checklist for Getting Known & Getting Readers
Posted by Jane
There's such a wonderful comment on yesterday's post that I wanted to
bring attention to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka Michele Breton)! Follow her on Twitter or visit her site.
Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform
- Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)
- Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)
- Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical expertise, through services like Smashwords, Lulu, Scribd)
What other steps would you add, or have you found to be critical?
Blogging | Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion | Self-Publishing
Friday, October 23, 2009 11:38:24 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) Trackback
|
|
|
|