Write Nonfiction in November

As participants’ fingers slow to a halt over keyboards and then hit the save and print buttons indicating the completion of their projects, the second year of the Write Nonfiction in November challenge and blog comes to an end. For those not ready to say “I’m done” quite yet,  you’ve got until 11:59 p.m. to actually complete that project you began 30 days ago. At the stroke of midnight, however, Write Nonfiction in November officially comes to a close.

Wow! We’ve covered a huge amount of ground again this year. With the help of my guest bloggers, this blog has offered what one of my Red Room readers said was enough information for a college course! I’m not sure about that, but I do know that’s I’ve offered you plenty of suggestions about things you should be working on to improve your writing, promote your books, build your platform, create a media brand for yourself and your writing, develop a website and blog and Internet presence…and more. So, despite the fact that the blog has ended, the 30 posts from this month should provide you with amplefodder for the rest of the year. If you take the advice offered here this month and apply it for the next 11 months, you’ll not only stay busy until next November but come out ahead of the game in so many ways a year from now. And that’s what I suggest: Use these 30 posts as your “workbook” for the rest of the year. And then really do the work that my guest bloggers and I have outlined for you.

Given the increased readership and support the Write Nonfiction in November blog received this year, especially from Red Room, where the blog was featured in the “Best Blog Series for 10 days and gained a good number of fans, I plan to keep the blog – if not the challenge – going all year long. (Last year, the blog lay dormant most of the year, with the exception of a few times I felt I had something “newsworthy” to report upon.) This year, I’ll keep on posting “informative” blogs, especially since I know people visit Write Nonfiction in November all year long and read the posts. However, don’t expect a post every day. I intend to post only once a month (probably between the middle and end of the month), and I hope to include some guest bloggers during the year as well.

Without the challenge aspect, you will be missing the energy of Write Nonfiction in November the rest of the year, but no one should work at such a frenetic pace all the time (although some of us regrettably do). The challenge was meant to prove to you that you could, indeed, work quickly and get a lot done in a short amount of time if you set your mind to it. Without the Write Nonfiction in November challenge, you’ll have to find ways to generate your own desire and will power to start and finish nonfiction projects without knowing others are doing so along with you and without the deadline of a formal challenge or contest. That said, I know the lack of an outside deadline or accountability can pose the largest hurdle for a writer.

That’s why in this this last post of Write Nonfiction in November I’d like to focus upon how to “stick to it” – meaning your writing. A writing friend of mine and I were discussing how we manage to do a lot of things related to our writing, including helping other people get their books written, but we don’t actually write our own. This seems to be the complaint of many a writer. We are too busy building platform, trying to get paid assignments, networking to bring in new clients, promoting the last book, editing or writing our proposals, getting over the last rejection letter, or simply taking care of the details of our lives to actually write that article, book or essay. We have a great idea. We even get started writing, but we don’t finish. Or maybe we actually finish, but we don’t write the proposal or query letter. Or if we complete that phase, and then we don’t send the letter or proposal out to an editor or agent. Thus, our work stays forever in our own clutches rather than in that of some eager agent or editor at a publishing house or magazine – which means the only one reading our writing is…us.

Is that why we write? I don’t think so.

How do we actually stick to the whole process from start to finish and get our writing out into the world so it can be read? We all know this takes great will, courage, passion, determination, persistence, and drive – things we don’t always possess. We can do some things to help us develop these characteristics and follow through on the things necessary to get our writing out in to the world. I can offer 10 tips to help you stick to it and continue moving forward until next year when the Write Nonfiction in November challenge begins again.

In some cases the tips I’m going to offer represent a case of me “teaching what I most need to learn,” since I’m at fault of doing all those things mentioned above and not sticking to it myself. In other cases, my tips are tried and true provenpractices that have worked for me or that I’ve seen work for my clients. I encourage you to try one or two or try them all, but find at least one and commit to using it. I’ve heard best-selling author Wayne Dyer say, “Don’t die withyoursong still in you.” In this case, I’ll turn the statement around and say, “Don’t die – or show up next year – with your nonfiction project still in you.” Get it out! Use one or more of these tips to help you do so.

1. Find an accountability partner.  Find someone – another writer is best, but it can be anyone (preferablynota spouse or romantic partner) – to whom you can make an accounting each week, every two weeks or once a month. This is a person to whom you will make commitments, such as: “I will write and finish my query letter this week;” “I will have my proposal done by our next phone call;” “I will have sent out five proposals by our next meeting;” or “I will write five pages a day every day this month.” You can also offer them dates: “I will post six blogs by December 10th.” If you have a writing group, you can use the members of this group as your accountability partners.
2. Get a freelance editor of book coach. When you are paying an editor, you are more likely to work hard at your writing and to try and finish your project in a timely manner. Plus, your editor may give you deadlines. Additionally, working with someone on your book or project keeps you motivated and focused. Often people hire a book coach to help them do just that and to give them monthly deadlines and make them accountable for a certain amount of work each month. If you really can’t stick to it alone, a book coach can help you stick to it all the way until the very end – a published project.
3. Make writing and submitting work your #1 priority.  Yes, we all need to build platform, promote ourselves and our books, make money, handle life’s demands, and answer email, but commit to making these things lower on your priority list. Make writing and submitting your work priority #1 by simply taking this task on first every day. Yes, first. Don’t look in your email box first. (This is a trap I fall into a lot, and I stay trapped there for several hours.) Don’t make those phone calls first. Don’t see who wrote on your Facebook “wall” and find a few more “friends.” Write first. Submit your writing first. Otherwise, if you make these tasks even priority #3 or #4, many days you won’t get around to accomplishing them. (Plus, many of these things – checking email and Facebook accounts – are simply great ways to procrastinate.)
4. Use a reward system.  This works for adults as well as for children. If need be, bribe yourself withareward for getting your writing and submitting done. Maybe your reward is a walk with a friend or a trip to Starbucks. Maybe it’s 30 minutes on Facebook or reading a book. Maybe it’s a pile of Hershey’s Kisses. It matters not what reward you receive as long as it’s something you appreciate and that will motivate you to do what you need to do to stick to your nonfiction writing and to the getting-published process.
5. Try timed writings. If you feel like you just don’t normally have a lot of time to devote to any aspect of your nonfiction writing, take on the tasks in short bursts. Work on your essay for 15 minutes.  Do one interview a day or a week for your article or book. Write one page of your proposal a day. Work on your news release for an article directory10 minutes every morning before the kids wake up. Research agents and publishers while you are waiting for a doctor’s appointment. Make time for what’s really important to you. By the way, timed writings are a great way to move through writer’s block.
6. Blog your book or your essays.Many an author has been discovered via his or her blog. Plus, it’s a great way to write a book in short increments. Plus, bloggingseemsless intimidating than sitting down to write a whole book. Simply commit to writing three or four paragraphs of a post – or one screen – each day on the subject of your book and see where it goes. Have an outline of your book in front of you and stick to it as much as possible, but allow yourself to go with the flow of blogging. You’ll find writing much easier, and you’ll be publishing as you go!  Or write on different topics that interest you, and when you write something particularly poignant or meaningful, edit that into an essay you can send to an editor at a print publication or an ezine. (Blogging also can serve as a great way to move through writer’s block; write fast and as if you are talking to a friend. That moves your through your block.)
7. Keep you goal in mind. Remember why you chose to write this particular project and what you want to get out of writing, completing and publishing it. Who will it serve? How will it help? Why is it important to say what you have to say? Or simply remember the fact that your goal is to become a published writer. You can’t accomplish that goal if you don’t continually write and submit your work – and overcome the rejection of your work not being accepted by simply submitting yet again. You might want to create a “vision board” to remind yourself of this goal. A vision board consists of a poster board (or something smaller if you prefer) covered in pictures and sayings that represent your goal. It’s a visual reminder of what you desire to accomplish. Hang it in your office so you can see it whenever you look up from your computer.
8. Acknoweldge and remember the greater purpose to your writing. Some writers feel the reason they write comes from a deep place within them…from their soul. It’s their soul’s purpose to write. If you feel this way, each time you sit down to “work,” remind yourself that you are not simply working, you are fulfilling your purpose here in the world. This may ring especially true for you if you are writing self-help, inspirational or human potential books.
9. Move through your fear. Why do most writers not stick to their writing or to the submission process? They are afraid…afraid of failure, afraid of rejection, afraid of being seen, afraid of speaking their truth, afraid their families will disapprove of what they’ve written, afraid of being out in front of lots of people, even afraid of success. Here I get to be a life coach (if I haven’t been already) and say, you must simply move through your fear. Fear never helped anyone become successful. It only stopped them from achieving that which they most desired. My advice for moving through fear is simple: Each time you feel afraid, sit down at your computer and write or put together a submission packet. Susan Jeffers’ book title says it best, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.”
10. Plan your work, and work you plan. My son received this bit of advice the day before Thanksgiving in a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant. When I told him I was trying to decide what tip to offer as my last, he suggest this one. I agreed it could be more appropriate. Come up with a daily and weekly plan for your writing and for submitting what you write and then work that plan. Don’t deviate from your plan (unless it isn’t working). Decide when you will write and for how long. Then, do it. Give yourselves deadlines, and stick to them. Choose publications, editors, agents, and publishing houses that look promising, and then make a plan for when you will submit to them. Then, mail those submissions by those dates. Be your own worst boss…the one you are afraid of telling that you missed the deadline. And re-evaluate your work and your plan regularly – each day, each week, each month. Plan your work, and work your plan.

Thank you all for participating in Write Nonfiction in November 2008 – both participants, readers and guest bloggers. Please feel free to leave me comments about how your projects this month have panned out or to email me at cpywrtcom@aol.com. I’m happy to simply hear from you or to answer questions. Also, if you have topics you’d like to suggest for future blog posts during the year of during next November, please send them along.

If you’d like more information on me or my services, please check out my website at www.copywrightcommunications.com.

I’ve enjoyed writing this blog and learning from my guest bloggers. If you did, too, please don’t forget to cast a vote for Write Nonfiction in November as one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers by going to writersdig@fwpubs.com. Write “101 Best Websites” in the subject line. Then, place the link to this blog – www.writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com - in the body of the email. If you want to add why you like the blog and the challenge, that’s helpful. If not, just send the link.

And come back next year for the 2009 challenge and next month for a little taste of what we experienced here during the past 30 days. Thanks again for joining me.

Happy and productive nonfiction writing!

On this, the second to last day of Write Nonfiction in November, I’d like to devote a blog posting to how to build your platform and promote books on the Internet. The Internet offers a vast resource of free promotional tools, if we, as writers, only know how to use them – and actually use them.

I was speaking with a POD publisher the other day who told me that she can’t get her authors to do enough promotion for their books. Not only will they not build platform before their books come out, they won’t do it afterward either. I have discovered that a lot of authors are interested in hearing about platform building, but they just don’t want to do the work.  Here’s the deal, folks: As nonfiction writers, if you want to publish a book, the only way to get it sold (either to a publishing house or to actual readers) is to promote yourself and build a platform. Period. Platform and promotion = books sold. There’ s no way around this fact.

Before I even begin telling you what to do, I’m going to broach the topic that always comes up at the end: How much time will all of this take you? A lot. I know you’d rather be writing. I would, too. But, in fact, I spend about 80 percent of each week on promotion and platform building activities I’m going to tell you about…and there are so many more I could be doing as well (such as going out and speaking before live audiences). You have to do it, though. So, stop fussing. Stop procrastinating. Stop saying, “I just want to write.” The days when writers could just write have passed.

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, here are my top five tips for promoting yourself and your book and building platform on the Internet.

Tip #1: Write articles for ezines and distribute them in ezine directories.  Plenty of ezines exist for each subject niche. You can easily find these by doing a Google search. Most don’t pay writers, but a few will offer payment, and if they don’t know you are being paid with the fact that the online publication will include your author’s bio and links to your website or locations where readers can buy your book on line. This will increase traffic to your website, where hopefully you have ways to capture their email addresses (like with a newsletter sign up), or result in book sales.

Beyond individual ezines specifically related to your subject matter, I suggest you sign up for specific ezine directory services. These tend to be services for which you pay on a monthly basis or each time you post an article. (I have listed several ezine directory services I recommend in my ebook, Using the Internet to Build Your Platform One Article at a Time -scroll down the home page to find it at a reduced price through the month of December.) The benefit to using these services comes in the fact that rather than submitting your article to 20 ezines individually, these directories submit them for you to many more than that. Plus, your articles remain in the directory and are available for ezines to find at any time in the future. My articles and essays have been picked up and used by an assortment of publications all over the world. This gives me enormous exposure. Each time someone publishes one of my articles, my bio (including the links to my website) is published along with it. This sends more traffic to my website.

Tip #2: Comment on Other People’s Blogs and Articles: By leaving comments here and there on the Internet, you let people know who you are and what you do, while also letting them know where to find you fi they want more information. If, for instance, you are a medical expert writing a book on medicine, you would want to comment on other blogs about medicine – in particular the type of medicine about which you write. Each time you leave a comment, anyone who clicks on your name gets sent to your website. There they discover more about you…maybe they read your blog and subscribe; maybe they see that you have a book for sale; maybe they notice you’ll be speaking in their hometown and decide to come hear you and purchase a book there. 

You can take advantage of the chance to leave comments by finding articles that relate to your writing projectsand that have been published and are available on line. A friend of mine has gotten a lot of traffic to her blogs and website in this way.

Tip #3: Use Google Alerts to help you find out when you need to leave a comment.The best way to discover when you should be leaving a comment somewhere online is to set up Google alerts to notify you each day of articles and blogs that relate to the subjects about which you write. Then you can look at these alerts and decide which ones are worth your time and energy. You can also set up an alert for you name.

Tip #4: Take time for social networking:  Sign up for Facebook, LinkedIn or MySpace and use them. I was a member of LinkedIn for a long time and didnt’ get much out of it until I joined a few groups and participated in the discussions going on there. Then suddenly I started seeing these people going to my website and commenting on my blogs or offering to link with me in other ways. I recently joined Facebook, and I’m thrilled at the result. I have been able to form groups of friends in many circles related to my book projects. I already called on several people to help me promote something for a friend, and it worked great. I’ll be sure to do the same when it comes time to promote my books. Plus, you always have a presence on Facebook if you are using it. And that’s really important.

Tip #5: Review competing or competitive books on Amazon.com.  Okay, there’s a whole art to this, but let me just say that by reviewing books that are similar to the book you are about to publish or have published or are writing, you let readers know you and your book exists.  Again, you can send them to your website and hopefully capture their email address or at least make them a unique visitor.

More and more books are being published on the topic of promoting your self and your books on the Internet. Find a book that speaks to you. Read up. Then, take the time to do what you can on line. It’s cheap. You can’t get better than free. All you are spending is your time, but it will be worth it. Then use the paid services, like a PR pro, when you really need them.

I can tell you this: Using these tips, in about two years I built my website traffic from almost zero to between 3,500 and 5,000 visitors (2,000-2,700 unique visitors) per month.  (I attribute a small amount of this growth also to my monthly appearances over the last 11 months on Conversations with Mrs. Claus.) I see the difference in how many visitors I get by how many of these tips I employ each month. That’s how I know they work.

Since the Internet offers so many opportunities to promote yourself and build your platform, I asked Linda Lee to add a five more tips to my list. After all, she taught me a lot of what I know! If you recall, Linda offers website and blog coaching and consulting services as well as custom website development. The following information is just a bit of what you’ll find in the book she’s writing, You have a Website, Now What?

Tip #6: Find online “communities” that share your passion or interests. This can be a forum or a blog network, like the Moms Club, or Blogher or Red Room. There are thousands of choices out there. This is where you find readers. Whether your passion is writing, gardening, health, fishing, animals, politics, spirituality, there is an online community for those topics. Participate in those arenas. People will get to know you and want to hear from you. This will translate to readers for your site.

Tip #7: Network. As you are reading other peoples site, you can start to network with them. Leave comments and build a relationship. Ask them if they would want to “guest” blog on your blog. On your blogroll, link to other blogs you enjoy and recommend. Search engines love back links. Focus on the smaller bloggers rather then fighting for attention with the A list.

Tip #8: Participate in some of the newer social media sites. Right now the new kid on the block is YahooBuzz. I highly recommend you join and start using it. Then there is Digg, Stumbleupon, Friendfeed, and many others.

Tip #9: Use your a newsletter. Use your newsletter mailing list to promote a website article or blog post you have written. Only do this with your most relevant articles and posts. Encourage your readers to forward your email to a friend by inserting a button that will easily allow them to forward your email. Also be sure to invite them to leave you a comment on your blog.

Tip #9: Include email signatures. In addition to your website address, add a little line about your latest article or post and make it clickable so people can just click through to read your latest work. To see how to add a signature file to your email go here.

Linda concludes with the following advice: “All this can feel overwhelming at times. You may feel stupid or inept. You aren’t. Trust me, the Internet is huge and most people have the same feelings at one time or another. What I have found over the years is that you must stay focused. Don’t let yourself get sidetracked on other sites when you are working on your items. You can bookmark things and come back to them later.

“You are just as able and competent to promote yourself and participate in this online world as the next guy. Believe in yourself. Good luck and have fun!”

About Linda Lee

Linda Lee is a writer, speaker, educator, and website designer. Available for consulting and coaching, she helps people launch blogs and websites and trains then in how to get traffic to their sites and to maximize their website presence with the use of blogging and search engine optimization of their websites. Linda is passionate about empowering people to take charge of their computer, showing clients with laughter and enthusiasm that they can make it work for them. This explains Linda’s slogan: “Don’t Let Your Computer Outsmart You.” Linda is co-president of the Women’s National Book Association’s San Francisco Chapter and a speaker and volunteer coordinator for the San Francisco Writers Conference.

http://www.askmepc-webdesign.com

http://www.smartwomenstupidcomputers.com

For information on my teleseminars, Why Every Author Needs a Platform and How to Build one on the Internet or How to Build a Platform One Article at a Time, please check out my teleseminar schedule here. Also, for information on my ebook, Using the Internet to Build Your Platform One Article at a Time you can check out the page on this blog, click on the link above, or go to www.copywrightcommunications.com. I’m also available to give talks on these and other topics related to nonfiction writing and platform building.

Don’t forget, if you like this blog, please vote Write Nonfiction in November one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers by going to writersdig@fwpubs.com. Write “101 Best Websites” in the subject line. Then, place the link to this blog – www.writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com - in the body of the email. If you want to add why you like the blog and the challenge, that’s helpful. If not, just send the link.

An earlier posting on the need for writers to have either a website or a blog – or both – generated a bit of debate. However, those of you reading this blog have not been privy to those comment, because they were left on identical posts published at www.redroom.com. I’m proud to say Write Nonfiction in November actually was featured for a whole week (from Nov. 17-23) in the Red Room as part of their “Best Blog” series. In any case, I’d like to address the topic of that debate: Is blogging really writing?

The debate began when I told a reader that the time they spent blogging should, indeed, be considered writing. This was followed by a comment by another reader that seemed to think if someone wrote something, a blog being the “something” in question, not worth writing, then the blog post didn’t really consist of writing at all. So, at the risk of boring those who read the comments in Red Room and repeating myself, here’s what I have to say on the topic.

Blogging allows a writer a forum never before available. Free publishing! You can become a published writer in minutes.

Now, whether or not you gain any readers has a lot to do with my blog reader’s complaint about writers who write and have nothing of importance to say. Some blogs consist of daily accounts of taking the dog for a walk, cooking dinner and interactions with friends. To most people, this seems like meaningless drivel. And a blog on these topics probably won’t attract many readers – except maybe family and friends. Unless you’re really funny…or very judgemental…or write with a strange, twisted perception of these mundane, daily events.

Blogging is writing – no matter what the blogger writes about. Now, in the mind of a drivel-writing blogger, he or she still is performing the act of writing. In my mind, they are writing – yes, even if they have little to write about that would make me subscribe to their blog. They might even write badly, but if they sit down every few days and write a blog post, they are writing. Even if I see their writing as a bunch of worthless words, it doesn’t matter. And, they may even have a huge readership despite my judgement about their writing. (If someone is reading, they must be writing, no?)

Many books have been published that aren’t worth reading. Does that mean they don’t contain pages and pages of writing? No. Their authors participated in the act of writing. (I’ve even edited a few self-published books that fall into this category…)

One more point about whether or not drivel represents writing: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) doesn’t ask fiction writers to write well or to produce good writing; it only asks fiction writers to write. They can write 50,000 words of drivel – worthless, not-worth-reading copy.  I understand that sometimes that is, indeed, what the participants turn out. The point, however, revolves around the fact that NaNoWriMo participants are writing about 1,500 words a day. They are sitting down and turning out words. Are they worth reading? Maybe not, but it’s still considered writing.

Blogging also allows a writer to participate in a writing practice every day. The only way to become a good writer is to write, preferably every day. Writing takes practice. Now, not all of us want to publish our practice writing, but a blog does give us a format that almost requires us to sit down every day or a few times a week and actually post something – hopefully something of value that we feel represents good writing. Many writers like to do “morning pages” or some sort of journaling exercise. Blogging can serve the same purpose, only in a much more public venue. Writers write. Bloggers blog. It’s the same thing.

Blogging allows you to test market your ideas. By blogging on the topic of your writing projects, such as your nonfiction books, you can test market the material. If it’s of interest, you’ll gain readershp. You also can get feedback on your writing (given that anyone actually reads your blog). If you develop a readership, that says something about both your writing and your subject matter. If no one ever shows up to read what you have to say, that also tells you something.

You can find many stories these days of bloggers who have become published book authors simply by choosing to blog. I met a women just the other day whose niece had a book published by a major publishing house; they found her blog, which was about her experiences raising a coyote pup. She didn’t even have aspirations of becoming an author. However, her blog attracted a big following. And that attracted the editor of a publishing house. So, if you are an aspiring author, you should think about using your blog as a way to see if interest exists for your book. Or you might consider blogging your whole book; that’s been done as well. It’s a great way to sit down every day and write your book – much less intimidating, I think. Just write a few paragraphs a day, and see if anyone starts showing up to read it!

Blogging provides a great way to promote your book and to build a platform. The more readers you get, the bigger your platform. The bigger your platform, the easier it becomes to sell your book idea to a publisher and to sell your book to potential readers once published. All the people reading your blog on a regular basis – or even occasionally – represent potential book buyers.

Blogging helps writers find their voice. I love the fact that blogging allows me to “be me.” I find that as a blogger I’ve developed a much stronger “voice” than I’ve ever had before. I’m much more able to say what I want in a natural manner. This ability is beginning to melt into my other writing – my books, my articles and my essays. I especially see the benefits of my blogging practice when I sit down to write an essay; I can write them more quickly and easily than ever before, and they come across as much more authentic and less stilted. They have a more organic flow to them.

Blogging allows a writer not to write alone.If you can get a readership that actually wants to comment on your blogs, this allows you to leave your lonely writer’s garret occasionally to simply read a comment or post a comment – and you actually haven’t gone anywhere. At least you know, though, that you aren’t alone. You know someone is out there with you…reading what you wrote. And isn’t that really what ever writer wants? For the beginning writer who may not have ever seen his or her writing in print, the fact that their blog has attracted even one reader can be thrilling!

So, is blogging really writing? By all means, I say, blogging is writing. Sometimes it’s good writing and sometimes it’s bad writing. Sometimes it’s drivel and sometimes it’s a meaningful and inspirational masterpiece. Blogging encompasses a myriad of types of writing. Blogging can be a daily writing practice. Blogging can be published writing. Blogging is writing in an authentic voice. Blogging is a way to write a book. Blogging can be a way to make a living as a writer. Blogging can be a continual letter between author and reader. Blogging can be any type of writing you want it to be. You choose…and then begin blogging…begin writing.

(As you think about beginning – or continuing to blog, don’t forget to finish up your Write Nonfiction in November project. This is day # 28. You have two days left. Your fingers may be weary and your eyes bleary (no this isn’t about poetry…), but I can assure you the end is in sight. You can do it!)

Thanksgiving Day dinner offers us many food choices, so I figure Write Nonfiction in November should offer a blog about choices – in this case publishing choices – on November 27th as well. As you finish up your Write Nonfiction in November project (just four days until it’s over if you’re writing on the holiday), you might be mulling over your publishing options. So, today we’re going to discuss what they and dispel any confusion you might have.

If you’ve worked on an article or an essay this month, you are probably thinking about writing a query letter and sending your manuscript out to a publication. This requires simple research to discover what type of publication best suits what you have written and a well-crafted query letter. (You can learn about how to write a query letter by reading some of the great books on the subject and check out my blog from last year’s challenge.) You’ll want to spend some time reading the magazines that represent potential markets for your work, and then some time really honing that query letter. Also, go on line and read each magazine’s writer’s guidelines; be sure you know what type of articles they publish, their desired article length, etc. Sending in articles that don’t meet these requirements ensures rejection letters coming your way. Take the time to go back and review your work and make sure it fits the magazine’s needs in all ways. Then double check your query letter. At that point, you’re ready to send your work out for consideration to one or more publications.

If, however, you worked on a book project this month, you might be considering your publishing options. While we’ve discussed traditional vs. self-publishing on several occasions, you may still feel a bit confused, and that’s not surprising. These days the lines between self-publishing and traditional publishing have been blurred, and the advent of print-on-demand (POD) publishing has added another whole component to both types of publishing. In fact, traditional publishers use POD technology and what we often refer to as “self-publishing” today really is POD publishing instead. For this reason, it’s good to understand the differences and what each has to offer you, as well as what each requires of you.

To help explain this to you in a very simply manner, I asked Alicia Robertson, chief executive officer of Robertson Publishing in Los Gatos, CA, to write about the three publishing models available to writers. I have the unique ability to walk into Alicia’s POD publishing offices whenever I like (it’s located in my town) and speak with her – an added benefit for me! That said, I tell all my book editing clients to at least call Alicia before making up their minds about how they will publish their books, and she’d be my first choice of a POD publisher for my own work. She publishes some beautiful books written by authors who live all around the world and represents the epitome of what a POD publisher can offer you – all with a very personal touch.  And in her personal, one-on-one way, here’s her take on your three publishing choices.

Three Publishing Models

By Alicia Robertson

CEO, Robertson Publishing

It’s just so easy to get published these days, right? 

If you’re reading this, which of course you are, you’re probably very aware of just how maddeningly difficult it is to get published these days.  Even if you can find a literary agent who knows the right people for your kind of book, and even if a book house falls in love with it and buys it for publication, you’re still going to wait for another two to three years before you hold a copy of that book in your hands.  And in the mean time, you’ve also given up almost all control over both the content and the appearance to the managing editor, the developmental editor, the production editor, and the copy editor.  And you don’t get most of the profits, because the publisher has to have that for taking all the risk.  So what’s a writer to do? 

You’ve got three choices: Traditional Publishing, Self-Publishing, and Print On Demand. For those who might be confused about the differences between these three models, let me explain.

Traditional Publishing houses exist to produce and market books for well-known authors who have a solid following.  Plus, every once in a while, just for sport, they take on an unknown author who is well represented (see paragraph 1, above). You have very little control in most cases, although this depends on the editor you get.

Self-Publishing has always been available to anyone with enough gumption money to pay the printing costs.  But you’ll have to market and sell the books yourself, and you can end up three years later with 1,643 books, still in their original cartons, down in your basement.  But if you’re energetic and willing to put in the time to promote the book properly, you can do quite well-particularly if you’ve written a book that targets a unique market in a special way.  You have lots of control but not much help from the printer, since very few printers understand the publishing business or book design.

Print-on-Demand technology saves time and money for everyone; we no longer have to print hundreds or thousands of books to get a good wholesale price.  Some POD publishers collaborate with their authors, and offer many of the services provided by traditional publishers, including royalties, marketing materials, custom websites, and help with book and cover design, and are partnered with the same distribution channels: Baker & Taylor, Ingram Books, and Bertrams, who in turn deliver books to all the independent booksellers, plus Books-A-Million, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstone’s, and Borders.  You get lots of control, depending on the publisher.

Overlap between these three publishing models exists in several areas.  Traditional publishers are using print-on-demand for almost all of their smaller titles for economic reasons.  Self-publishers can use editors and book designers to help them move forward, and the more experienced and professional print-on-demand publishers have a wide variety of tools to help their authors, including typesetters, copy editors, designers, photographers, and image banks that provide professional level illustrations and photographs at astonishingly low prices.

How Much Will It All Cost?

Traditional Publishing costs you mostly in time- time spent in finding and convincing an agent to pitch your book; time waiting for something to happen; time dealing with the personnel of a large corporation; time finding a better agent.  Figure two to four years.  If your book isn’t selling well after the first three months, almost all the marketing effort will be your own.

Self-Publishing is straightforward, by comparison.  You pay in money (printing and production fees range considerably from company to company) and in the learning curve, because not every printer knows how to produce a book correctly.  So you buy one of Dan Poynter’s many wonderful books on self-publishing, buy the Adobe Creative Suite, your own barcode and ISBN numbers, add more memory to your computer, and become your own book and website designer.  Lots of energy required, but you’ll end up becoming an expert.  If you’re not doing any­thing else and you’re a quick study, figure three to six months to a published book. 

Print-On-Demand Publishing costs about $500 to $600 to create a 200+ page book and put it into worldwide distribution.  Figure four to six weeks, depending on the cover.  If you have more money, or energy, or both, buy Adobe InDesign, abandon Word, and learn how to set type properly; the publisher (if they’re good), will provide what coaching you need, and your book will be much the better for it. 

Last Thoughts: If the people you’re trying to work with can’t or won’t spend time helping you create a better, more polished book, move on.  If they don’t have at least some strong opinions about hyphenation, typography, and design, find someone who does.  And if it seems like they’re charging you too much money, they probably are.

The author can be contacted at:

Robertson Publishing

(888) 354-5957

www.RobertsonPublishing.com

Voting for this blog is quick and easy; it entails only three steps.

1. Send an email to: writersdig@fwpubs.com.

2. Write “101 Best Websites” in the subject line.

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Winning the contest provides a great opportunity for Nina Amir (me!) to let more writers know about this challenge and to share with them the great information offered during November and available here all year long.

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“Branding” has become quite a catch word these days. As nonfiction writers, we, too, need to “brand” ourselves and our work. We even need to go so far as to become a “media brand.” In the process, however, we can make our writing more marketable to publishers, and, ultimately, to readers.

What exactly is a media brand and how do we as writers go about accomplishing the creation of our own media brand? Back today to tell us is entertainment professional and consultant Philippa Burgess of creative convergence. I’ve heard her speak about this topic, and I’ve always found what she has to say fascinating. I know that by applying the principle of branding to myself and to what I write, I can not only make myself more-marketable as a writer, but that I can help myself build a platform across all media – all of which will make my books sell better as well.

So, today, take of your writers hat and put on your marketing hat. Or, better yet, wear them both. That, I think, is the idea.

I hadn’t been editing books long when I was approached by the husband of one of my good friends, Colin Tipping. He had written a book, called Radical Forgiveness, and was looking for someone to help him edit it and get it ready for self-publishing. Given that I am “spiritually- and metaphysically inclined,” and this was a spiritually- and metaphysically-based book, I was thrilled to take on the project; it allowed me to meld my general knowledge of the topic with my specific knowledge about writing, editing and publishing. (It actually gave me a chance to begin specializing in editing nonfiction books of a spiritual and metaphysical nature, although I also edit lot of other types of nonfiction books).

Colin went on to become extremely successful with Radical Forgivenessand to write several more books.  I actually didn’t realize how success and well-known he’d become until I was introduced by a colleague to a woman who moves in spiritual and metaphysical circles as “the editor of Radical Forgiveness,” and she knew the book and was impressed that I had something to do with it and knew Colin. The fact that she was impressed impressed me! In fact, not only did Radical Forgiveness win a Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Award, but it has sold well over 100,000 copies. Colin now spends his time trotting around the globe doing workshops and seminars and pursuing what he loves: teaching, writing and helping people.

So, today I’m happy to let Colin tell you his self-publishing tale. It has ups and downs, but offers many bits of wisdom for those of you wanting to take the self-publishing route with your books. Many people I know have approached him for his “secrets” on successful self-publishing. Here, he tells you the path he took and discloses a few tips and pointers.

A Cautionary Self-Publishing Tale with 10 Tips and A Great Ending

By Colin Tipping

Author

Workshop and Seminar Leader

I had been thinking about writing Radical Forgiveness for about seven years, and figured I would do so when I had enough time and enough money.  Well, I could never seem to get enough of either, so it didn’t get written.  I used to visit the big bookstores with some trepidation to examine the books on forgiveness to see if anyone had written the one I had in mind.  I noticed there was still a big hole there just waiting to be filled by my book.

In December 1996, I attended a Mind/Body/Spirit Healing conference in Hiltonhead, and went to listen to one of the obscure side speakers, not knowing anything about her.  Her name was Caroline Myss (Sacred Contracts).  As she talked, I realized that she might write my book if I didn’t do it first.  I came home and said to my wife, “I am going to give up selling real estate (which was my job at the time), and I am going to write my book.” 

I began writing it early in the year of 1997.  It took about six months to write and have edited by Nina Amir and then another three months to get it ready for publication.  I spent one whole month working on getting testimonials.  I got some, including ones from authors Caroline Myss, John Bradshaw, and Alan Cohen.

I published the book in October of 1997 with a print run of 2,500. I mortgaged my house in order to come up with the money for that print run and the other expenses.  Print-on-demand was not yet available.  When I received the pallet of cartons full of books, it was quite an experience opening that first box and seeing all those books with my name on it.

I got it into the New Leaf Distribution Company, which covers most of the new-thought and self-help stores on the Eastern side of the country and found Access Publisher’s Network, a company that would get it into the more mainstream stores including the chains.

In 1998, I won the Writer’s Digest National Self-Published Book Award in the inspirational category which I felt was quite a coup. It enabled me to put ‘Award-Winning Author’ on all my publicity.

My plan from the outset was to self-publish and then, once I had sold 10,000 copies, find an agent and shop it around to various publishers.  So, I was caught off-guard one day when an editor from the William Morrow Company called me out of the blue and asked me whether I was interested in receiving an offer on the rights.  My initial response was that this seemed premature to me, and I explained to her how I had planned things.  She actually had not yet read the book but was calling on recommendation from one of her published authors.  So the editor said she would get back to me with an offer in the following few days.

Two days later she called offered me an advance of $50,000-$25,000 on signing and the other half on publication.  I had no idea whether that was a good offer or not, so I asked her for 24 hours to think about it. I checked with some friends.  They said I should have jumped at it.  So, I called her back the next day and agreed on the main deal points.

When I got the contract to sign, I went out and bought a book called How to be Your Own Literary Agent.  I used that to go over the contract with a fine tooth comb, taking out all the innocuous sounding words that can trap you in serious ways.  I then took it to an attorney to look it over and to make sure I had covered all the points.  He said I had. I saved several hundred dollars, if not thousands, by doing it that way.

Thank God I had the foresight to add the following clause: “Author reserves the right to continue self-publishing the Work to within 60 days of the actual publishing date.”  That clause saved my bacon, because within a couple of days of William Morrow receiving the contract duly signed and executed, Harper Collins pulled a hostile take-over and William Morrow was history. Harper Collins had a book on forgiveness coming out of their San Francisco office, so they put mine on the shelf. Had I not included that clause, my book might never have seen the light of day. There was also a clause where they promised to publish within 18 months of the date of the contract, so when that came up, my editor (who had not been fired) told me quietly that I could ask to buy the rights back.  I did, and they agreed.

They wanted the $25,000 back they had given me on signing, but I refused.  I had been damaged by the delay and had already paid taxes on that money.  We eventually settled on the following.  If I sold the rights to another publisher, I would have to pay them $10,000 out of first proceeds. If I did not sell it within three years, I would be free of any obligation.

I still have the book and have no intention of selling it to any publisher, so I ended up $25,000 to the good on that deal, but it just as easily could have been a disaster.  I have heard many horror stories of publishers putting a book on the shelf and author being unable to get it back.  I was extremely fortunate.

However, the drama around this book did not end at that point.  Not long after, we got wind that Access Publisher’s Network, the main distributors for the book besides, was going bankrupt.  They were in possession of a large number of my books, and it became clear the books were going to be deemed assets of the company for bankruptcy purposes, so they were lost.  Interestingly enough, the retail value of the books was about $25,000-the same amount I had received out of my publishing agreement.  I was extremely fortunate that I was released from the contract with Access; I was the only author who was, as far as I know.

In spring of 2002, I wrote and published the second edition of the book. The cover was much improved and the content was updated and upgraded. Some chapters were dropped and new ones inserted.  I also put the Epilogue into one of the chapters and had a new Epilogue on 9/11.

Just as I was about to go to print on the second printing of the second edition, I received a phone call from Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations with God).  He was effusively complimentary about my book, and said it even saved his daughter’s life.  He had formed a small imprint attached to Hampton Roads Publishing Company and wanted to publish my book under the banner of Walsch Books. We met, and he told me he was going to help me sell millions of books.  The president of Hampton Roads was supposed to call me in the following days to work out the deal, but the days went by and I heard nothing. After a couple of months, I wrote to Neale declining his offer.  The president was on the phone the next day trying to get me to sign up with, blaming his secretary for not having sent me the contract.  I asked him the following question:  “Bearing in mind that I have my book in all the major distributors in the country, including Ingram Book Group, Baker & Taylor, Barnes and Noble, and Borders, what could you do for me that  I am not doing for myself?”

“Virtually nothing,” came his reply. 

“So, why would I give up earning $4 or $5 per book as my own publisher and accept less than a dollar in royalties from you without the assurance that you could at least quadruple my sales?”  It was a no-brainer.

Later that year, I happened to meet socially with a man who was a senior executive at Putnam’s Sons.  He asked me how many books I had sold. I told him 20,000.  His response was, “Whatever you do, don’t give it to a publisher. They can’t do any more than you are already doing, they would expect you to market it anyway, and you’ll make far less money.” 

I then placed my book with a small distribution company in the Boston area called The Quest Publishing and Distribution Company and have been with them ever since.  To date I have sold approximately 100,000 books in the US, and another 20,000 in Australia and other Commonwealth countries.  I have sold foreign rights to publishers in Russia, Poland, Finland, Turkey, Spain, Czech Republic, Holland, France and Germany. The German publisher sold 10,000 in the first year and has sold over 50,000 to date. I have also published it in Spanish for the U.S. and the Central and South American market. Radical Forgiveness is still doing well everywhere and has become very much a word of mouth phenomenon. 

Random House Germany approached me last year and asked if I would write a book on Radical Self-Forgiveness with an advance of 20,000 Euros.  This is now in the works and expected out in Germany in March 2009. The English version, published by Global 13 Publications will be available at about the same time.

Based on my experiences with self-publishing Radical Forgiveness, here are my top five tips for what TO DO and what NOT TO DO if you decide to self-publish your own nonfiction book:

What TO DO If You Self-Publishing Your Book

1. Make sure your book is well edited and thoroughly proofread.
2. Have your cover professionally designed, both front and back. Book buyers make their decisions based on the looks and the table of content.
3. Chose a title that will make people want to read your book.
4. Shop around for a good printer. The cheapest is not always the best and check references.
5. Get a proof of your book before it goes to print.

What NOT TO DO If You Self-Publish Your Book

1. Don’t give your book the same title as another. Research is essential.
2. Don’t sign any contracts or agreements without first seeking legal advice from an attorney who specializes in publishing laws.
3. Don’t rush the process. Being thorough with editing and proofreading will save you not only money but embarrassment.
4. Don’t take the editing process personally. Even though it is your work, a good editor will know how to structure it for the general public.
5. Don’t give up! Be persistent and stay in the knowingness that your book will become reality.

About Colin Tipping 

Colin Tipping was born and educated in England and taught at London University before moving to the United States in 1984. He is an ordained interfaith minister with the Universal Brotherhood Movement, Inc. and a licensed hypnotherapist.

During his career as a teacher and motivator, Colin Tipping has, together with his wife JoAnn, founded the Institute for Radical Forgiveness, Quantum Energy Management Consultants, LLC The Georgia CancerHelp Program, and Together-We-Heal, Inc., a 501-c-3, non-profit corporation.

A prolific author, Colin Tipping’s books are:

RADICAL Forgiveness: Making Room for the Miracle

A Radical Incarnation: Yours!

Radical Manifestation: The Fine Art of Creating the Life You Want

Spiritual Intelligence At Work

Getting to Heaven on a Harley: A Radical Karma Workbook

Colin’s workshops, delivered in several countries on three continents, are praised as life-changing experiences. An inspiring conference keynoter and retreat leader, Colin Tipping has received praise for his work from, among many, John Bradshaw, Mark Victor Hanson,Caroline Myss and Gregg Braden.

www.radicalforgiveness.com

colin@radicalforgiveness.com

972-202-9926

Global 13 Publications, Inc.

 Five days until the end of Write Nonfiction in November….your deadline is fast approaching.

Let’s say you managed to land that publishing deal, or you’ve successfully self-published your book. One way or another, to get those copies selling you need to market not only the books but yourself.

You can choose for a variety of ways to do this, including hiring someone to help you do the job. You can also do the job yourself – and get it done on a shoestring budget. How do I know this? Because I’ve watched my friend and fellow writers’ group member do it.  In fact, as I’ve said before, at this moment he is not participating in Write Nonfiction in November, because he is busy marketing himself and his book all across the country. All by himself, he’s also managed to get himself spots on a PBS special, into national and regional magazines, on panels with other well-known authors, and onto numerous talk shows.

For this reason, I asked Ron Arons, author of The Jews of Sing Sing, to take just a little time out of his busy book tour schedule and tell the readers of Write Nonfiction in November how he markets, or promotes, himself and his book on a budget. He agreed, and his valuable tips follow.

He did, however, leave out one tip: Check your local office supply stores for sales! Every time our writers’ group meets, Ron tells us about something or other that we can get at a vastly reduced price or for free…yes, for free. For example, if you keep you eyes peeled, you can even get 10 two-pocked folders, which you will want to use for your publicity kit (see below), for free at Staples every once in a while. (And, if you are very crafty, you can get 10 in the morning and 10 in the evening…or…well, I won’t give away all of Ron’s secrets.)

Marketing Yourself and Your Book on the Cheap

By Ron Arons

Author and Speaker

The Jews of Sing Sing

So you want to market yourself and your book, right?  But, how do you do so without losing an arm and a leg?  Professional book publicists typically charge thousands of dollars.  If you have absolutely no time on your hands and have sufficient funds at your disposal, maybe a book publicist is the way to go.  However, if you believe, as many do, that it’s difficult to justify the cost of a publicist and/or you think you can do an equally good job of marketing your book for less money, read on…

One of the simplest and least expensive marketing tools is the old fashion business card.  I recommend you have these made up long before your book is published.  Invariably, office supply stores (e.g. Staples and Office Depot) have discounted offers on the printing of postcards.  Vistaprint.com offers very nicely printed business cards for very reasonable prices (the company also offers a variety of templates so that you don’t have to go through the process of designing your own).  There’s always the option of designing your own business cards and printing them out on your own printer, but this might zap a bunch of your time and printer ink.

One step up from the business card is a postcard. The larger-sized postcard increases the possibilities of what you can design.  Online companies like Vistaprint.com (no I do not have any business relationship with this company), modernpostcard.com, and rocketpostcard.com all provide fast turnaround and reasonable prices.  Long before my book was published, I created a postcard graphic that included various big-name gangsters, photos of Sing Sing Prison, and illustrations of various punishments given out at the famous correctional facility in New York.  Almost everyone who saw the graphic was captivated by it.  As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  This original postcard suggested more with a bunch of small photographs than I could explain in words that could fit on the same postcard.  The postcard explained in an immediate fashion the nature of the topic I was writing about.  The postcard was a launch pad for deeper discussions of what the book was about.

After my book was published, I created new postcards with the book’s front cover as the graphic.  These cards can be used in lieu of or in addition to a business card to instigate a conversation about the book.  I have also created custom mailing labels that I have placed on the back side of the post cards and sent them to the bookstores (or other venues) where I have had plans to speak so that they can promote both my book and my speaking engagements.  Bookstores and other venues typically do not have large marketing budgets to promote author events beyond simple email blasts to attract audiences/buyers.  Bookstores and other venues LOVE it when you the author take the initiative to save them money and help them promote you.

The next step up from postcards is a full blown hardcopy press kit.  While the entire world is going digital, I have found there still is value in having something in your hand to hold onto.  That’s why newspapers are still around – many still like the tactile feel of a newspaper more than viewing an article online.

Then of course, there is the author’s individual website.  Companies like Google and Microsoft (just to name a few) offer both website development tools and hosting services at nominal prices, if not for free.  If you want to build just a simple website without too many frills, this is a good way to get your feet wet.  If you outgrow this approach, you can build a more sophisticated website as your needs and desires grow.

You will also want to join websites for authors.  There are many websites that allow you to join fellow authors to promote your books and upcoming speaking engagements.  Two that I use are booktour.com and redroom.com(where Nina Amir actually posted Write Nonfiction in November and ended up having it featured on the home page for a week).  Both are FREE.  Note: if you do sign up for either of these sites, please (seriously) tell them that I sent you (and I’ll get a bonus).

Assuming you really want to promote your book, that means travel.  This means you’ll want to find ways to travel on the cheap.  There are many websites that can help you find low airfares, discounted hotel rates and low car rental rates.  I personally stay away from booking at sites like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com.  These sites not only tack on an additional if nominal service fee, for hotels and car rentals they also lock you into the reservation, so you might lose your deposit – or more if you cancel.  I much prefer other websites that you can use to compare low rates such as Kayak.com (for airfares, hotels, and car rentals), Travelzoo.com, and Carrentals.com.  I also use the entertainment book to obtain lower rates for hotels and carrentals.com.  It also helps if you can coordinate multiple speaking engagements in a particular area, if possible.  Then, you can have the different venues share/split the travel expenses, making it more likely that they’ll invite you in the first place.

Happy selling.

About Ron Arons

Born in New York, Ron Arons was reared a goodie-two-shoes. Aside from four moving violations (including a “California” roll through a stop sign, doing 40 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, and driving with his brights on), Arons has never been afoul of the law.

Arons earned a B.S. in Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He worked for many years as a marketer at many high-tech companies, including Texas Instruments, Ashton-Tate, and Sybase, before deciding to work full time on this book. Arons became interested in understanding his roots after he lost both his parents to cancer 16-18 years ago. In the process of researching his criminal ancestor’s past, he has traced his roots to England, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania.

In 2005, Arons won a Hackman Research Residency Award from the New York State Archives to continue his research of New York Jewish criminals. In January, 2008, he appeared on the PBS television series, The Jewish Americans, as the acknowledged expert on Jewish criminals of New York’s Lower East Side.

Arons tours the country giving educational and entertaining presentations on Jewish criminals and Jewish genealogy.

www.ronarons.com

This is it – the last week of Write Nonfiction in November. We’ve covered a lot of ground with this blog, and I hope you’ve each done the same with your nonfiction writing project. However, it’s time to think about wrapping things up.  As I prepare another six blogs, you need to prepare to complete your project. And don’t forget there’s a holiday in this week – Thanksgiving. I’ll be traveling on Tuesday and Saturday, and I’ll have sketchy dial-up Internet service some of the time, but I’ll still be posting blogs…so keep reading and keep writing. And we’ll cross the finish line together.

Also…If you like this blog, consider voting it a 2009 Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers. To do so, simply send an email to: writersdig@fwpubs.com. Write “101 Best Websites” in the subject line. Place the link to this blog – www.writenonfictioninnovember.wordpress.com – in the body of the email. If you want to add why you like the blog and the challenge, that’s helpful. If not, just send the link. Thanks!

In this current economy, many writers may opt out of attending a writers’ conference. However, in any economy, a writers’ conference represents a treasure trove of information and opportunity for the serious writer wanting to become a published author.

I’ve attended the San Francisco Writers Conference three times in a row and served as a volunteer once, rounding out my attendance to four times. I plan to volunteer again this year. I also volunteered, which allowed me to attend many sessions, at the Writing for Change Conference, in San Francisco. It was at the SFWC that I landed myself an agent, and it was there that I learned of the importance of platform building. I have since met two other agents there that have considered or are considering my work. I had one publisher to whom I introduced myself at the SFWC look at my work, and I formed a Jewish writing group through contacts made at the conference. I also have made invaluable writing friends and contacts there – people who have helped me create my website, who have offered me advice, and who have written for Write Nonfiction in November! Additionally, I’ve had my work published in the conference’s anthology three year’s running.

I can’t even begin to tell you all the reasons to attend a conference if you can, which is why I asked Barbara Santos, who has been organizing writers’ conferences for many years, to do so instead. She’s done a great job of covering the main points and of offering some great pointers on how to take advantage of your time at a conference.

I’d add only two bits of personal advice: Don’t be overwhelmed! There’s so much information offered at a conference, and you may feel like you have so much you still have to do before you can interest an agent or publisher in your work, that it can stop you in your tracks. Instead, let it fuel you on your way to a published book. Also, don’t be afraid of agents. I agree with Barbara: They are just people – but they have the ability to help you get your book published, and that’s what they want to do if they feel they can. And that last part is, of course the caveat. So, seize every opportunity at a conference to pitch your book!

The Truth About Writers’ Conferences

By Barbara Santos

Author

Marketing Director, San Francisco Writers Conference

Writers’ conferences can be a waste of time and money.  A disciplined writer should spend that weekend writing at their kitchen table rather than hanging out with a ballroom full of wanna-be writers.   And for unpublished writers who dare to attend wearing their publishing naïveté like a red silk vest, well let’s face it, learning how to become a best-selling author in a weekend is impossible. 

Hello! That not the truth about writers’ conferences.  Yet, so many writers simply do not know how valuable an event packed with publishing professionals can be.

I have been creating, organizing and promoting writers’ conferences since 1993.  For years I’ve watched behind the scenes as thousands of writers came to the Maui Writers Conference and the San Francisco Writers Conference-undoubtedly two of the best writers conferences in the country.  Far too often the attendees were simply unprepared to present themselves as creative, talented, professionals. They were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people at the event, the ideas that bombarded them so fast they couldn’t write them all down, and the energy that should have inspired, not intimidated, them. I felt guilty. Wasn’t it my job to prepare them to grab the opportunities that dangled like ripe mangoes at the MWC or encircled them like the fog at the SFWC?

So I feel it is my duty to share some truths with you.   Know these truths and you will get the most out of a writers’ conference:

Truth #1   The literary agents, publishers and editors you’ll meet at a writers’ conference make their living off writers.  Think about that, and know that is why they come to these events. They are looking for talented writers with salable projects. They want you to succeed, because your writing ultimately can buy their groceries, sheets for their beds or their kids’ braces. 

Truth #2  Yes, pursuant to Truth #1, literary agents, publishers and editors actually do eat, sleep and some even have kids.  In short, they are people…all kinds of interesting types of people. Meeting them (or just listening to them) at a writers’ conference is crucial to your career. Take advantage of the opportunity to “interview” them and really listen to what they have to say. They know the publishing business, and you know your book, but you must “click” to meld into the perfect team.

Truth #3  Your work is worth more than you think.  Do NOT present your manuscript to an agent, throw yourself at his or her feet and babble something like “take it…please!”

Truth #4  Talented writers (like you?) will always rise to the surface in the sea of  conference attendees.  But first you must master the delicate blend of chutzpah, talent and fate. The magic of a writers’ conference happens when you meet the right agent on the way to the next session and deliver the 2-line/30-second elevator pitch of a lifetime. You simply can’t do that anywhere else.

So, start researching writers’ conferences if you intend to build your career as a published author.  Google the presenters so you know who they are and what they represent. Build your platform and polish your work. I know this truth from personal experience. Any writer who comes prepared will find a writers conference to be the absolute best investment they’ll ever make in their writing career.

About Barbara Santos

Barbara Santos is the marketing director for the San Francisco Writers Conference. She was also co-director of the Maui Writers Conference for many years.  She is the author of the Maui Tacos Cookbook and the Maui Onion Cookbook. Indeed, she met her editor/publisher at the conference!

If you are ready to be published and want to meet Barbara Santos, join her at the 2009 San Francisco Writers Conference this February 13-15 at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. (Writing-related workshops on craft, publishing and book marketing; inspiring keynotes by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres), Richard North Patterson (Balance of Power) and Lolly Winston (Good Grief); Speed Dating with Agents; Ask-A-Pro session; and much more.)

Go to www.SFWriters.orgfor all the details and easy online registration.

Eight days left to the Write Nonfiction in November challenge…Are you nearing completion of your project?

Not only does every writer need to have a website or blog, but every writer trying to build a platform or publicize a book also needs a website that showcases himself or herself as an author. This website specifically serves as a landing spot for the media. When a radio or television show host coming looking for you, they find you – and everything they need to know about you and your book - on the pages of this website.

To tell you more about how to create an author showcase website specifically for the media, Annie Jennings has written another blog for Write Nonfiction in November. If you recall, Annie serves as a national publicist through her company Annie Jennings PR, and she is known as “America’s leading publicity intelligence expert.” Annie’s vision and insight has revolutionized the publicity industry as many of the publicity techniques, tools and strategies in widespread use throughout the industry today have been developed by Annie Jennings PR.  The media website represents one of her innovations. 

Create an Author Showcase Website the Media Will Love

by Annie Jennings

National Publicist

If you are a book author, expert or wish to brand yourself to the media and are in pursuit of media placements, I recommend you develop a media site, or author/expert showcase site developed especially for the media.

Almost every week I find myself having a conversation with one writer or another about why he or she needs to have a website or a blog. I’m getting a bit tired of the discussion, but I keep repeating myself for one reason: I know how important it is in this day and age for every writer to have an Internet presence. Plus, if a writer has dreams of become the author of a book, they almost have to be involved in platform building on the Internet. Additionally, for those nonfiction writers who want to become freelancer journalists or to sell ebooks, a website that showcases their work, credentials and products has become essential in the current marketplace.

To help me stress the need for writers’ websites and blogs, I’ve asked my webmaster and friend Linda Lee to relieve me today and do the honors. Linda offers website and blog coaching and consulting services as well as custom website development. She’s constantly coming up with new ways to do things with websites and blogs, and she’s passionate about writers using the Internet and using it well. So, if you aren’t going to listen to me, listen to Linda!

7 Reasons Why Every Writer Needs to have a Website or a Blog
By Linda Lee

Inernet and Website Coach and Consultant

Website Designer

The Internet has profoundly changed the way people communicate with each other. This has also impacted businesses and altered the way they do business. If you are serious about writing, you need an online presence. Here are seven reasons why.

1. Be easy to find
In today’s world, people find you though the Internet. The Internet has become the yellow pages to the world. People now Google someone they meet or hear about to learn more. You don’t want to miss those opportunities. Each time someone finds your website or blog, you have an opportunity to promote yourself and your product.

2. Showcase your work
Your website or blog serves as your portfolio. This is where you showcase your work and your talent. You can use your website like a resume. Have your biography and a section with samples. You can create your press kit for easy access. You can have your podcasts or any radio show appearances on your site. You also want to list all your contact information.

3. Branding
As writers our name is our brand. This is an opportunity to get your name out there 24/7. The Internet is always “on” and fresh content is a priority for search engines. With your site you have a palette to showcase and present yourself to the world.

4. Marketing
You will want to have your website address on all your written materials. Editors and agents can peruse your work in your sample section. Having you own website or blog gives you the opportunity to promote yourself online, submit your articles to online services like e-zine or join an article submission service for a small monthly fee.  They will distribute your articles for you.  Always place a short line about yourself and a link to your website in all your work. Internet marketers and website owners are starved for content, and as a writer you can provide it. This will stay out there online for years and reap you benefits and new customers or readers long after you have written the article. There are also services you can sign up for where people will hire you to write articles for them, such as elance.

5. Creativity and Fun
To utilize and enjoy your creativity, start a blog. Blogging is a great way to get traffic from the right audience for the right reasons. This is your chance to express yourself while attracting an audience who shares your interests and wants to hear what you have to say. When you add a blog to your website, you instantly will see an increase in traffic. Search engines love fresh content and blogs are an easy and fast way to provide new content.

6. Build a mailing list
This is critical if you want to begin to market and sell yourself and your product.You can offer a monthly or bi monthly newsletter. You can tell your clients and interested parties about products you recommend and you can do this as an affiliate to make money. This is also a potential list of buyers for your books and future books, teleseminars, classes, podcasts and any personal appearances or speaking you may be offering.

7. Monetize your site
Earn a little income back with your site. If you can begin to build some traffic and an audience for your website or blog, you can make money from your site. This involves joining some affiliate programs such as Amazon and Adsense.

Almost every company now offers an affiliate program where if you discuss a product and use your affiliate link to the company, you will earn a commission if the customer buys. Amazon actually will credit you for anything someone buys through your link for up to 24 hours. The commissions run from 2-5 percent.

Most people now use the Internet to find what they are looking for. Don’t miss out by not having a web presence. You don’t have to understand computers or be a techie. There are many great website designers and professionals available to help you get started. Click here for a free quote on a website or a blog for your business.

About Linda Lee

 http://www.askmepc-webdesign.com

http://www.smartwomenstupidcomputers.com

By the way…how’s the writing going? Only nine more days to go! Leave some comments to tell me how your nonfiction projects are panning out. With all this good advice, you should feel stimulated and inspired (and hopefully not overwhelmed) to keep going until the end, which is now in sight.