Practical insights, expert advice, and compassionate guidance from inside the publishing world.
Over a decade ago, print-on-demand technology was still new to the publishing world. Ebooks were available but without e-readers, no one really cared. Back then, books that “just weren’t right” for traditional publishers often ended up in a drawer somewhere. Now, low-cost opportunities for self-publishers are everywhere!
It’s always exciting for me to present at a new conference. Making the circuit in my region means I’m often speaking to overlapping communities, so a new venue means I get to meet new people…and help a whole new group of writers! Recently I had the pleasure of presenting at The Writer’s Center’s Publish Now! conference. From 9am – 5pm on Saturday, attendees received comprehensive information and advice about how to take their writing from a manuscript to a book, or possibly an ebook, in this age of digital publishing. Presentation topics included publishing, writing, legal/business, and marketing.
For the third year in a row, I was invited to speak at the Bay to Ocean Writers Conference. I gave my popular talk, “Polishing Your Work for Publication,” which teaches you some of the most common problems plaguing creative works and offers tips on how to resolve them and strengthen your writing in the process. Here’s the talk description:
Approximately 3 million new titles were published by traditional houses and self-publishers in 2010. Every writer knows—or soon learns—that it takes multiple revisions to create a piece ready to compete for book buyers’ attention. But where do you start? This talk will introduce you to the most common problems that plague written works and offer simple ways to identify and resolve them in your own novel, short story, or memoir.
As an active member of the Maryland Writers’ Association, I’m always excited when I get the opportunity to speak to a new chapter. So it was with great pleasure that I drove out to Sykesville on a Saturday afternoon to speak at the Carroll County chapter of the MWA. I did a presentation called “Pitching, Querying, Proposing: How an Author Goes from Shy to Sold.” Here’s the description that was publicized:
You’ve experienced the satisfaction of working hard to learn a craft and producing a quality piece of writing—but now what? If you ever want anyone to read your work outside of your immediate circle of family and friends, you’ll need to get published. Though self-publishing is always an option, this talk focuses on how writers generally approach the submission process. Find out who really decides what gets published, how to approach them without getting the proverbial door slammed in your face, and what these gatekeepers expect from you besides your very best work. You’ll also get tips that will make your pitches, queries, and proposals more effective for best results.
Over a decade ago, print-on-demand technology was still new to the publishing world. Ebooks were available but without e-readers, no one really cared. Back then, books that “just weren’t right” for traditional publishers often ended up in a drawer somewhere. Now, low-cost opportunities for self-publishers are everywhere!
My colleague Angela Render and I want to help people learn to self-publish their books right. While there’s no one set-in-stone, step-by-step plan that everyone must follow, there is a mentality, a set of tools and skills, and an understanding of the industry necessary to get beyond those 100-200 friends-and-family sales.
I was so pleased to participate as a keynote speaker at the Adirondack Center for Writing’s annual Publishing Conference two weekends ago. Besides the incredibly productive train ride, I got to enjoy a cool, beautiful weekend in the mountains of upstate NY. I also got to meet a whole new community of writers and was invigorated by my conversations with fellow keynote speakers Amy Holman, Jeffrey Lependorf, and Peter Joseph. ACW’s Executive Director Nathalie Costa Thill couldn’t have been a more gracious and lovely hostess.
In the comfort of an Adirondack ski lodge-style room complete with the most gorgeous stone fireplace I’ve ever seen…
“Breaking and Entering” Into Writing – 14th Bay to Ocean Writers Conference
This year I’ll be giving a new take on an old talk: Polishing Your Work and Query Letter for Submission.
Every writer knows—or soon learns—that it takes multiple revisions to create a piece ready to compete for book buyers’ attention. This talk will introduce you to the most common problems that plague written works and offer simple ways to identify and resolve them in your own novel, short story, or memoir. You’ll also receive tips on writing an effective query letter, critical for those going the non-DIY route.
I was so excited about traveling to Lake Mary, Florida this fall to teach an extended version of my talk, Revisions: Polishing Your Work for Publication. I took about a hundred attendees through some of the most common errors and challenges that creative works face including basic punctuation and grammar rules as well as developmental issues such as unnatural dialogue, loose ends, and more.
There are five key elements to salable fiction. Do you know what they are? In this six week class, I’ll share learned-the-hard-way tips, tactics, and tricks of the trade to help you sell, regardless of genre or skill level. You’ll learn what editors and agents want…and what they don’t want.
Every Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of science fiction and fantasy fans descend on the Hunt Valley Marriott for Balticon, the annual Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. From Friday to Monday, they get to peruse the goods in the dealer’s room, pick up free books and ‘zines, and geek out with other fans of their favorite books, TV shows, and movies. What a lot of people don’t realize is that the event boasts a great writing track as well.
I gave my popular talk on author platforms for the members of MWA’s Frederick Chapter, which was a wonderful opportunity for me for two reasons: I got to check out Frederick a bit (I’ve only ever driven through) and I was able to meet many MWA members I’d only previously known via email and chat lists. Plus, the C. Burr Artz library had an excellent meeting room with plenty of space and a podium for me to rest my elbows on.
After several years enjoying all the Maryland Writers’ Association has to offer, I decided to give back in a more specific way in FY 2009-2010. I ran for and was elected to the Vice President’s seat on the Board under President Sonia Linebaugh. We were lucky to have Diane Booth volunteer again as Conference Coordinator, and she delivered yet another successful conference for MidAtlantic writers. I was honored to return for a repeat performance of my presentation, Revisions: Polishing Your Work for Submission.