There Are No Rules - Saturday, July 26, 2008

It's the third and final day of the Midwest Writers Workshop! It started with the traditional buttonhole breakfast, where each faculty member hosts a table with a specific topic.

My Buttonhole Topic: Online Marketing and Promotion
I spent a couple hours (over some excellent scrambled eggs and coffee, good job BSU catering!) talking about the basics of online author marketing and promotion. The key points that came up again and again:

Yes, an author Web site is mandatory if you're publishing a book. At what point does it become critical? When people start to search for you online (e.g., through Google), wanting more information about who you are and what you do. You don't want them to come up empty handed. In some categories/audiences, if you don't exist online, it's like you don't exist at all.
A Web site doesn't have to cost you money or be flashy to be effective. How can you figure it out? Go to conferences or writers groups and ask others how they did it.
No, you don't have to blog, but if you do, make sure you maintain it and feature something useful to your readership.
The time you spend on online marketing/promotion efforts directly relates to who your audience is. For example, if you're a YA author, then you must spend a lot of time being visible online and promoting online. But if you're marketing to a readership that is not Web savvy, then spend less time online (but you're not off the hook—industry professionals and media professionals will still look for you online).
Social networking is fun, but not mandatory. I recommend trying it, just to eliminate the fear or ignorance factor. You don't have to continue doing it if it seems unproductive or unfun. If you're trying to reach a younger audience, social networking probably is an essential element of your online marketing.
Effective marketing (whether online or offline) is that perfect combination of (1) your strengths (2) your audience's needs and (3) the best fit for your content. This leads to authentic and worthwhile marketing efforts.

The Times They Are A-Changin'
In the afternoon, I talked about how the publishing world is becoming format- and platform-agnostic, meaning it's all about content, and not the vehicle for the content. Furthermore, there can be more lucrative earning opportunities in other forms of media that are personalized and immediate, such as seminars and events. I quoted Seth Godin before, and I'll quote him again: "The book is becoming the souvenir."

Evening Keynote by Jeff Stone
A remarkable and delightful children's author. Highlights from his talk:

No. 1 Rule: Have fun. If you don't have fun writing it, no one will have fun reading it.
Good idea: Write what you know. Better idea: Write what you want to know.
If you're stuck in your story, do something you've always wanted to do (sail a boat, ride a horse, etc).
You have to be able to talk about your work and pitch it (condense it).

Finally—I'm Left Speechless
Right before the keynote address, Alan Garinger (from the MWW committee) announced that, in addition to their annual writing awards (Manny Awards & the R. Karl Largent Prize), they were presenting the infrequent and prestigious Dorothy Hamilton Award, which I wasn't familiar with (and I've been attending for six years, so it really is infrequent). As Alan started describing the recipient (a person who had been attending for six years, was a publishing industry insider … well … ) … I am still speechless.

My enormous gratitude to everyone on the MWW committee—Jama, Alan, Ron, Earl, Barb, Charlotte, Cathy, Holly (and I know others I'm missing here, forgive me!)—who are so loving and generous. It's an incredible blessing to be given an award for doing something that I love and cherish immensely. Thank you very, very much. You're all like family.

Postscript (after recovering my faculties!)
Now that I've recovered (a little), here's what I would've said about this very touching gesture. To the MWW committee, to MWW faculty, to MWW attendees (of the past six years): thank you, thank you, thank you. Perhaps you believe you are the lucky ones, but any generosity I've offered at MWW has come back to me a thousandfold. I go every year with an open heart, and I find myself unbelievably enriched upon my return home. Anyone who has attended this event knows what I'm talking about; it has the power to change lives, and I always experience people (writers, faculty, and committee members) who touch me indelibly. Again: Thank you.

Conferences/Events | Getting Published | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Saturday, July 26, 2008 7:25:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Recap (Day 2): Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

This morning I met with writers for manuscript critiques. The most common problem?

Too much detail and explanation in the opening
That means too much telling and showing. (Do we really need to watch your character move slowly from one place to another, each movement, each gesture, each breath? That's not building momentum. That's usually called boring.) Carefully consider if each detail or action needs to be specifically conveyed. (Is it OK if it is only implied?) Here's a challenge I presented to three different writers: Can you take your first five pages, and condense into 1 page? 1 paragraph? What happens? What stays, what goes? Is it stronger?

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Midwest Writers Workshop
Bill Fitzhugh delivered the lunch keynote. Highlights of his talk:

There are still dry counties in Mississippi.
Remember to do the research.
It's mostly hard work, but sometimes 10,000 butterflies come in through the window, then they leave. And you work to make that happen again.

In the afternoon, I once again delivered my session on crafting a saleable nonfiction book concept that will attract the attention of agents and editors. (You can go here to download the PowerPoint presentation as PDF file.) If you attended the MWW session and still need the handouts (three pages total), then e-mail me at wdbooks@fwpubs.com, and I'll send them to you as PDF files.

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Friday, July 25, 2008 6:09:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Recap (Day 1): Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

This morning I arrived in Muncie, Ind., in time for my lunch talk on "The World of Sales" (or how publishers sell books into stores/retailers and to distributors/wholesalers).

The World of Sales talk
Within the first five minutes, I'd delivered the first hard truth about book publishing (or book sales): all books sold to bookstores are sold on a returnable basis—meaning the books can be returned to the publisher at any time, for any reason. So it's important to distinguish between "sell-in" (how many copies are initially sold into stores) and "sell-through" (how many copies actually sell through the register into readers' hands).

Quick intermission (death-bed advice to writers)
During the introduction of conference faculty, we were each asked to give one piece of advice to writers if it were the last thing we would ever be able to say on the matter. The themes?

perseverance (my answer)
keep writing, get it done
believe in yourself
forget the market, write your own book
get the words right

How to Get the Most Out of a Writer's Workshop
Author Shirley Jump delivered the evening keynote. She has charming promotional cards that I didn't realize were promotional cards when I first saw them. One one side, it says,

WRITER AT WORK
Do Not Disturb
Note: Will make exceptions for those bearing contracts, chocolates, or margaritas.

On the other side: Picture of Shirley and web site address. Brilliant!

Highlights of her advice:

Always be professional. You'll be bumping into agents or editors; you don't where such a meeting will eventually lead. You are interviewing for the job of author.
Be extroverted even if not by nature. Talk to everyone you can; you're among like people. Network. You need contacts.
Don't sell yourself (pitch to editors/agents) unless you're asked to.
Sleep when you get home. Attend everything, go to everything, both formal and informal. (And do the eat-there-stay-there option if available.)
Take a day to follow-up after the conference; send thank-yous.
Take time afterward to note what excites you most, then act on it.

Tomorrow: a full day of breakout sessions! (Click here to view the MWW schedule.)

Conferences/Events | Getting Published

Thursday, July 24, 2008 6:48:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

On the Road: Midwest Writers Workshop
Posted by Jane

Tomorrow I will be on the campus of Ball State University (Muncie, Ind.), participating in the Midwest Writers Workshop. I've been speaking at this conference since 2003, and it is very near and dear to my heart (particularly since I come from Indiana and spent a couple years attending high school in Muncie).

On the agenda:

Thursday lunch speaker: "The World of Sales" (where I explain how books are sold to chain bookstores, online stores, distributors, wholesalers, and specialty accounts). Followed by informal coffee talk that afternoon.
Friday workshop: “Crafting a High Powered and Saleable Nonfiction Book Concept." This is the same one I delivered for the first time in Athens. (See previous post.)
Saturday workshop: “The Times, They Are A-Changin'." I discuss how major book and magazine publishers are beginning to recreate themselves into media companies. I help writers make sense of (and navigate) the ongoing transformation of writing and publishing in the digital age.

Lee Lofland, author of WDB's Police Procedure & Investigation, will also be at speaking on topics related to his book (thinking like a detective, understanding police tools and equipment, writing a realistic crime scene, creating compelling villains).

Literary agents will be present, including Anne Hawkins (John Hawkins & Associates), Amy Tipton (FinePrint Literary Management), and Josh Getzler (Writers House).

MWW always offers an excellent program and is known for its very friendly and experienced staff. Look for my in-depth recaps each day, starting tomorrow!

Conferences/Events

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:48:23 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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If Fonts Were People
Posted by Jane

Another item to share: What would fonts look and act like if they were people? This video shows what happens (and sorry to say, Comic Sans saves the day). Thanks to Melissa for passing along!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Fun

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 4:54:08 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

How Writing a Novel Is Like Falling in Love
Posted by Jane

There are many stages of a relationship, just as there are many stages of your novel writing and revision process. Blogger Libba Bray has written a charming piece that illustrates how you fall in and out of love with your work:

THE FIRST DRAFT
I love this book. And it loves me. I never want to be without this book. Never, ever. What? Were you saying something? I'm sorry I can't hear you because my book just said the best thing ever. Wait--just listen to this sentence. I know! Isn't my book so dreamy? I love you, book. Do you love me? Of course you do. OMG--we said that at the SAME TIME! WE ARE SO IN TUNE! This is going to be the best book ever written. Oh, whisper that again. I Pulitzer you too, honey. Sigh.

Read the full post here. Thanks to Nancy Parish at F+W for sharing it with us!

Craft & Technique | Fun

Tuesday, July 22, 2008 3:50:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Content Providers Will Survive. Will Authors?
Posted by Jane

In one of my posts last month, I discussed how writers can sabotage their careers by treating online/multimedia activities as optional. In the comments section, Christina Katz (a Writer's Digest author), said:

Whoa, there Nelly!

I've been on the horse for a very long time and you're galloping a bit to far ... ahead.

Don't like this kind of talk. Don't like my work being called "content."

I can't imagine any writer I know who would thrill at the sound of that word.

Easy does it, there. S-l-o-w. D-o-w-n. You know I'm forward-minded ... but this is a bit too forward for me.

I have a feeling most book authors will not warm up right away to this idea of being a "content provider" rather than an author. (And let's not exempt editors from this thinking, either. Meredith has talked about hiring "content strategists" rather than "editors." See this article.)

There is a great deal of romance, authority, and credibility tied up in this idea of being an author. And it sounds distinctly less sexy (and even less beneficial) to be a "content provider." And while I think we should keep playing with the words until it sounds desirable for everyone involved, the sooner we can shift our thinking here, the more viable we will all remain.

Last week my company, F+W Publications, officially changed its name to F+W Media. Read the press release here. CEO David Nussbaum says:

As a Company, our mission is to strive to offer the highest quality content in a wide variety of formats – from print to digital to video – to highly passionate enthusiast communities. We provide compelling content engaging communities and most importantly consumer satisfaction. We are a media company with enormous potential for future growth through excellence and innovation.

So what's the takeaway?

Method of delivery (or format) is irrelevant. Book, DVD, Web site, podcast? It doesn't really matter. What will do the best job of delivering useful, engaging content or community?
While some people (or some audiences/consumers) may be enthusiasts specifically of the book format, first and foremost (at least when we're talking about the majority of the nonfiction audience), people are looking for an interaction, experience, or information.
I love this Seth Godin quote from an article in The Futurist, "The 21st Century Writer": "The book is a souvenir." What does that mean? It means that the book is becoming the ancillary product in a much larger experience, that people want more than information. Read "The 21st Century Writer" to fully explore this idea.

Media companies, formerly known as book & magazine publishers, have to create or support products/content/experiences so unique and personal that they can't be easily duplicated elsewhere for free. Books are only one aspect of the bigger picture.

(Apologies to Christina Katz for setting her up! As she says, she's very forward thinking.)

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Industry News & Trends

Monday, July 21, 2008 3:46:28 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Saturday, July 19, 2008

Recap: Harriette Austin Writers Conference
Posted by Jane

I always love journeying to the South for a writing event; aside from getting to hear the regular and charming "Yes, ma'am" near and far, I never have to sigh over yet another ubiquitous conference cheesecake. Here, I get to choose among blackberry cobbler, banana pudding, and apple pie!

But down to business.

Here at Harriette Austin, Saturday was a full day of workshops and one-on-one critiques; unfortunately I didn't have a window to attend other sessions. But I do have a few tips based on my manuscript critiques—I read the first 15 manuscript pages of eight different novels. The same red flags appeared again and again.

Big Red Flags in First 15 Pages

No clear protagonist-problem. Of the manuscripts I read, only two had a very clear protagonist with an identifiable problem. For most first-time novelists, this is a requirement for a story beginning. Also, several manuscripts had more than three POV characters in first 15 pages, which can create a dizzying experience for the reader. It's a big risk.
Slow start. About half of the manuscripts I read had very slow starts, where the story was mainly taking place in the characters' heads, or it suffered from too much backstory too soon. Resist the temptation to flashback or give a lot of detail about the past; move the story forward instead, and weave in the backstory (only as absolutely required) as you go. I recommend Hooked by Les Edgerton to help refine your first few chapters.
In two manuscripts I read, the authors were trying to position their work as fiction, but it was clearly a true-to-life story. In both cases, the authors felt their stories were more marketable or safe if written as novels. Unfortunately, this often creates more problems than it solves.

Crafting a High-Powered Nonfiction Book Concept
Here at Harriette I debuted a new session that focuses on how to develop a killer concept for a nonfiction book (with the exception of memoir). I usually deliver sessions on writing nonfiction book proposals, but I realized these sessions totally missed the big problem that authors have. The key struggle is coming up with a concept that will sell. If the author has evidence that his or her book idea will sell, the proposal practically writes itself.

Click this link to download a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation: NonfictionBk.pdf (894.3 KB)

The Harriette conference features about a dozen different publishing professionals (editors and agents), and takes place in a delightful venue—the University of Georgia Center. They take excellent care of both presenters and attendees, and I highly recommend it to all aspiring writers, especially novelists.

Conferences/Events | Craft & Technique | Getting Published

Saturday, July 19, 2008 6:49:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Friday, July 18, 2008

Excellent & Innovative Author Marketing-Promotion-Publicity Tips
Posted by Jane

Here's a round-up of the more intriguing or helpful articles I've been reading on author marketing, promotion, and publicity.

What Social Media Does Best (Chris Brogan)
Chris Brogan's blog is probably my favorite new read; he tackles questions of marketing/promotion in relation to social media in a fresh and useful way. This post helps give you a grounding of the principles.

Use LinkedIn to Promote (The Publicity Hound)
LinkedIn is a social networking tool for professionals that comes in handy for job searches and business opportunities. I'd never really considered it as a book promotion tool, but this post gives a vague idea of how it might work. (Unfortunately, rather than deliver the real goods, the post promotes a teleseminar on the topic.)

Tips on Working With Publicists (GalleyCat)
Here you'll find links to the latest advice on how authors can work effectively with their publishers' publicity departments (or lack thereof) or independent publicists. Invaluable. Read. Bookmark. Save.

Starting and Writing an Effective Blog
One of the most frequently asked questions at conferences is how to start and run a blog that really makes a noticeable difference to an aspiring or published author's career or visibility. Here are a variety of resources I've found that offer genuine tools:

Blogging: How to Get Started (Sling Words). A step-by-step primer on the logistics. (What service do you choose, how do you set it up, etc.)
A Sample Blogging Workflow (Chris Brogan). Shows you how to keep your blog populated consistently with good content without expending all your energy on it.
10 Secrets to Better Blogging (Chris Brogan). He must know what he's doing, because this is my third link to his site in this post.

Building Readership | Digitization & New Technology | Industry News & Trends | Marketing & Self-Promotion

Friday, July 18, 2008 1:19:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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Secrets of Book Publishing from a Self-Published Author
Posted by Jane

After finally ending a two-week hiatus on my blog/Internet reading, I have many things to share in the coming days.

First, for aspiring (and established) book authors, I highly recommend the following post from self-published author Mark Hurst, which is one of the best point-by-point explanations I've seen of how the book business works (and it certainly puts your expectations in line). I do disagree with him that publishers are making significantly more money than the authors, but other than that, it hits the nail on the head.

A snippet:

When you approach publishers with an idea, your main job - practically your only job - is to explain very clearly why the book is going to sell. (Here it really helps if your last name is Clinton.) If you're not a known author or celebrity who can guarantee some sales, then it's best to come in with a clearly defined, market-tested book idea... not to say a knockoff of a bestselling concept or a me-too book on a hot trend, heavens no, we'd never do that, just maybe something "inspired by" a successful book.

Read the full post here.

Getting Published | Industry News & Trends

Friday, July 18, 2008 12:56:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

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