Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded how influential writers really are.

Fiction can be more effective at explaining global issues than factual reports, according to a recent study by a team from Manchester University and the London School of Economics. Read more about it here.

The study says that books like Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner have “arguably done more to educate Western readers about the realities of daily life in Afghanistan under the Taliban and thereafter than any government media campaign, advocacy organization report or social science research."

While a segment on the news might hold our interest for a few moments before becoming part of that day’s information overload, the characters and scenes from the books we love stay with us long after we’ve put them back on the shelf. I admit that when I see or read a report from Afghanistan, the picture of everyday life that was so vividly painted in The Kite Runner does immediately come to my mind—not as a substitute for current events, but as a context in which to view them.

That said, I cannot imagine having learned more about a woman’s life in Iran from a novel than I did from Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. The study doesn’t seem to take into account readable, engrossing nonfiction as part of the picture.

What do you think? What novels or other books have expanded your worldview?

—Jessica

Hi, Writers,

Jessica here, filling in for Jane while she’s out of the office for a couple of weeks. When she asked me to guest blog here on There Are No Rules, my first question was about to be, “What would you like me to blog about?” Then I remembered There Are No Rules, so I knew better than to ask.

These first two weeks as editor of WD have flown by. While preparing my first issue at the helm of the magazine, I’ve also been soaking up as much industry news as I can—like all of us here do on a regular basis, but on overdrive.

Sometimes in the deluge of newsletters and blog posts about media layoffs and Google legal battles and the like, it’s nice to find someone who’s saying something totally random that’s been on your mind. That’s how I felt when I logged onto The Penguin UK Blog for the first time in a while, started scrolling through the entries and came across a refreshingly honest post titled How Does Everyone Here Read So Quickly?

I am a voracious reader. True, I feel a responsibility to stay apprised of what’s on the shelves as part of my job—but I’d read nonstop even if I didn’t.

That said, I add to my wish list infinitely faster than I can cross books off. This frustrates me for many reasons, a big one being: I’m fully aware that people expect editors to have read, well, everything. Obviously, this is not possible (though if I could pick one superpower, that might just be it … that, or invisibility, or maybe time travel … but I digress). I love an intelligent conversation about a great book—but I cringe when I'm put on the spot about one I haven’t read. Surely I cannot be alone in this, I’ve wondered. My literary counterpart across the pond made me feel like I have a little company. I love to savor the language of a beautiful book. I don’t want to rush. It’s supposed to be fun!

As writers, it’s important for all of us to be reading constantly. It’s essential. But having a read-in-progress you can’t wait to get back to at this very moment is what matters—how fast you get through it isn’t.

So. What are you reading right now? Leave a comment and let me know! There's always room for one more book on a never-ending wish list.

Over at Writers on the Rise, I'm interviewed about the changes happening in the media industry. Here's a brief snippet, but click the link for the 5 tips:

Writers must be involved with online life and expect to provide online content, and have an online presence. I’d say your career will come to an abrupt halt in a few years if you’re not willing to participate, market, promote, or engage in online activities and audiences.

My colleague Amy Schell recently shared Seth Godin's interview with the people over at Harper Studio. A couple wonderful snippets:

If everything is free, how is anyone going to make any money?
First, the market and the internet don't care if you make money. That's important to say. You have no right to make money from every development in media, and the humility that comes from approaching the market that way matters. It's not "how can the market make me money" it's "how can I do things for this market." Because generally, when you do something for an audience, they repay you.

What's the most important lesson the book publishing industry can learn from the music industry?
The market doesn't care a whit about maintaining your industry. … you can decide to hassle your readers (oh, I mean your customers) and you can decide that a book on a Kindle SHOULD cost $15 because it replaces a $15 book, and if you do, we (the readers) will just walk away. Or, you could say, "if books on the Kindle were $1, perhaps we could create a vast audience of people who buy books like candy, all the time, and read more and don't pirate stuff cause it's convenient and cheap..."

When I first joined the Writer's Digest community in 2001, I had the great pleasure of having Jessica Strawser as a colleague on Writer's Digest magazine. Our paths diverged after a couple years, but now we're working together once again on this publication that brings out our most heartfelt enthusiasm and creativity.

During her first turn at Writer's Digest, Jessica contributed and edited monthly magazine columns about writing successes, critiques, and careers, and also served as executive editor of multiple special issues (such as the ever-popular Writer's Yearbook). Since her leave from the magazine, she's had experience in marketing and public relations, online writing and editing, and book publishing, most recently as managing editor for North Light Books.

Fans of Writer's Digest magazine, as well as future fans, have much to look forward to. Jessica has a passion and expertise for the writing community that's accompanied by a fresh perspective and a curiosity essential for our continuing mission to be the most informative and trusted source for writers.

Please join me in welcoming Jessica: a fellow writer and a fellow editor (and, it must be said, fellow book lover).

I recently stumbled upon 101 Reasons to Stop Writing while surfing the writing blogosphere. I love it.

This past weekend, I spoke about the art of query letters at the Northwest Ohio Writers Conference. Download my query letter handout as a PDF: NovelQuery.pdf (80.05 KB)

At Writer’s Digest Books, we’re in the process of updating our popular title Formatting & Submitting Your Manuscript and are looking for insight from agents/editors on how the industry is changing. Here are a few things we’re interested in knowing.

1. How have queries and submissions changed for you in recent years? Do you request different information? Do you accept email queries? If so, do you prefer electronic or paper queries? How important is format and formality in electronic communication?
2. What are your pet peeves and turnoffs?
3. What are your do's and don'ts for writers?
4. Have you changed how you select authors? How many of your authors are found through queries, and how many through other means? Do you want to hear about an author's platform?
5. What recent changes in your market do you want writers to know about?

Writers are also welcome to comment and offer tips.

Click here to e-mail me directly!

There's a blog offering the best explanation ever of how your book gets sold into bookstore chains, by the marketing manager at John Wiley & Sons. Here's a brief snippet:

But bookstores are businesses, not public conveniences. No store has the responsibility to carry every book published -- although, to be honest, that's a straw-man argument, since no one is asking for that. (They're just wishing that their books, the books they like, and the books by their friends be spared the chopping block.) I market books for a living, so I can tell you an unpleasant truth: the order for any book, from any account, starts at zero. The publisher's sales rep walks in the door with tipsheets and covers, past sales figures and promotional plans, to convince that bookseller's buyer to buy that book. In many categories -- SFF is still one of them -- the chain buyers say "yes" the overwhelming majority of the time. But not all the time. Sometimes, that buyer is not convinced, and the order stays at zero.

Everyone has offered such wonderful comments on the magazine covers that I wanted to share/review some of them:

Mary Ulrich comments:

I would think you have two audiences, the subscribers and the people who will buy WD off the shelves.  The first sample has more of the "Entertainment tonight" appeal and might hook the McGafferty fans to an impulse purchase. As a subscriber I like number 2 or 3 because I am most interested in the "craft" articles and like a creative drawing. …

In the Dec. issue of WD, in the small print on the bottom of page 2, it says that WD is "a bimonthly publication".  Last issue I was confused to receive the December issue at the beginning of October. So WD is published bimonthly, 6 X a year, or quarterly?

First, to answer Mary's question: WD magazine is published 6x/year. I'm not sure why, up until this point, we haven't clarified this by labeling the cover with "November/December", "January/February" and so on. Something for me to research!

But to get to the real point: Mary hits on a perplexing issue that Writer's Digest magazine faces: the difference between what would be appealing to many of our subscribers (usually more advanced writers) and people who buy the magazine off newsstand—the type of person we usually label as the "aspiring writer" or the "dreamer," though all great writers are dreamers (even still aspiring) to some extent.

WD's circulation department has sales information that supports using an author photo on the cover because photos perform better than illustrations on the newsstand. Of course, what subscribers would prefer is a gray area, but based on the small sampling of comments here, it does appear that people who have read the magazine for a while tend to favor the illustrated cover.

However, it's hard to overlook the truth behind these comments:

A writer on the cover makes me connect as opposed to some abstract art. (PatriciaW)

The picture on the front cover of real people who struggled to write and enjoyed every bit of their struggle, touches my heart most and gives me the motivation I need as an aspiring writer. Their success to be featured on the cover speaks more words than any art could reflect. Art and cartoon could work for specific topics inside the magazine, but real people appeal more to the majority of would be writers. (Amina)

The first one absolutely caught me. I didn't know who Megan McCafferty was, but it didn't matter to me, as the "Write Your Novel in 2009" was much the clearest on that page, and that was what grabbed me. (Deb)

I generally tend to believe that writers who buy off newsstand are initially pulled in by the photo (they connect with the human face -- this is probably subconscious -- even if they don't recognize the face), but don't buy the issue unless the cover lines really deliver on a benefit or dream the writer has -- in this case, to write a novel.

As for subscribers, I can only hope they continue to renew because of great content, and generally overlook covers meant to appeal to newsstand buyers?

It's a big challenge for us to tackle in 2009 and beyond.

We're putting the finishing touches on the January/February 2009 issue of Writer's Digest, and have four very different options for the cover.

Which one do you like best?
And which featured story looks most exciting to you?

It's been just a little over two weeks since Writer's Digest was re-organized within F+W Media as a community-category (rather than as separate media/business units). Hands down, it's the most exciting time I've ever experienced at WD (and not because of the frenetic energy and craziness of Q4 environment in a poor economy).

Here are the major projects I've been working on these first 2 weeks:

• Releasing our books with new-media tools, delivering the same information or concept across all Writer's Digest-related properties in a way that makes sense for each one
  (see Donald Maass example below).
  
• Launching new educational sessions (live webinars) through WritersDigest.com by end of year.
• Planning an all-new writers conference in Fall 2009 that focuses on the business of being a successful author in a time of great change.
  
• Developing a business plan for digitizing all of our backlist books so that writers can choose, chapter by chapter, what content they want and personalize it for their needs.
• Creating a unified brand identity that helps everyone immediately recognize any kind of Writer's Digest experience.
• Designating an Online Brand Editor who oversees and creates a strategy for our online content, no matter what its source (magazine, book, event, community/forum), and makes sure it all works in concert with each other. (And also evaluates what YOU visit and enjoy!)
  
• Evaluating WD magazine's editorial plans for 2009: what should our feature packages be and how should the columns/depts change?
• Launching of a new community site at community.writersmarket.com (kind of like Facebook for writers), for subscribers of WritersMarket.com

The immediate benefits I've noticed:

• We're starting to use our content in smarter ways and distributing it in different ways
• We're making better use of our internal talent (editors), who can contribute and be involved across all writing-related properties, not just their formally designated piece of the pie
• We're beginning to develop a more integrated and valuable online strategy that better serves writers

I think one of the best examples of our brave new world is how we plan to launch Donald Maass's new fiction-writing book next spring, Fire in Fiction. If this book had released a year ago, we would've run a couple ads, maybe scored an excerpt in the magazine, and that would be it.

Today, with WD run as a community-category, here's what's slated:

WD Magazine
Original article on fiction writing from Don to run in spring/summer 2009

WritersOnlineWorkshops
Original online courses (regular courses plus brief webinars) built around the book, offered in the months prior to and following the book's release

Digital Products
Simultaneous Kindle and other e-book editions

Online at WD.com
Sneak preview chapter posted before publication
E-launch party on WD.com blogs/forums, featuring exclusive live chat with Don

WD Newsletters
Free chapter download and advance purchase incentive (buy book early, get access to exclusive online chat)

Conferences
Feature Don as a speaker for at least one event in 2009

Of course, all this change doesn't come without its challenges, and you'll no doubt get to experience a little of that rough road with us, as we figure everything out. As we boldly move forward, I hope you will come to our aid with ideas and suggestions (and perhaps a sprinkling of patience).

Everyone has been so helpful in giving feedback on magazine content, so here's a sneak peek at our issue themes for the coming year. This is a very broad-stroke outline, but gives you a sense of our focus each issue.

If there's a particular technique, topic, or area that you've always hoped we'd cover, let me know!


April 2009
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SELF PUBLISHING

• The new perception of self-publishing; emerging tools and models
• Resource chart on POD companies (what they offer, fees, rights, etc.) and reader feedback on self-publishing experiences.

WORKBOOK: Revision and Self-Editing

• How to turn a first draft into a salable manuscript
• When and how to work with freelancers to get a book into shape

June 2009
GET KNOWN BEFORE THE BOOK DEAL (MARKETING & PROMOTION ISSUE)

• How to market and promote yourself before and after you make the sale
• The most effective way to use social networking tools to sell yourself & your book
• Hands-on guide to online viral marketing tools (blog tours, book trailers, reading groups, podcasts)

WORKBOOK: Writing Memoirs and Life Stories (when you’re not a name)


August 2009
PUBLISHING 101: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU WRITE A WORD

• Visual guide to how your book moves from proposal to print to on the shelf—all the steps, all the things you need to know ahead of time
• What to expect from your publisher (editorial, marketing, publicity)
• How the industry has changed and new steps you need to take to ensure successful publication

WORKBOOK: The Art & Craft of Storytelling; Hooking Your Reader From Page One


October 2009
AGENTS AND EDITORS SPEAK OUT (THE GATEKEEPER ISSUE)

• The new roles of gatekeepers and how to be an equal partner in publication
• The anatomy of a book deal and a book contract: what you must know and ask about even if you do have an agent

WORKBOOK: Novel-writing related


December 2009
THE FUTURE OF PUBLISHING

• The changing economic model of media and the emerging role of writers as content providers—five essential rules to follow to stay in the game
• How to negotiate the smartest deal for digital rights and e-rights (and when to keep all such rights for yourself)

WORKBOOK: Writing Groups & Critique Group Guide; A Fresh Start in the New Year