Amy Collins, President of New Shelves Books, is the authority on book sales and marketing in the US. Over the past 20 years, New Shelves has sold more than 40 million books into the bookstore, library and chain store market for small and midsized publishers.

“We are educators and marketing coaches,” Amy says. “We spend our days working with authors and publishers to evaluate their current situation and create a plan to improve their sales. We work to constantly stay abreast of the changing rules, industry news, opportunities, and services out there so that our clients and followers can make informed decisions.”

Amy herself is also columnist for and a board member of several publishing organizations and a trusted teacher in the world of independent publishers. Amy will be speaking at indieLAB, a new Writer’s Digest event for entrepreneurial authors and freelance writers, this September. Here, she shares insider secrets about book sales, marketing tips and publishing trends.

What are some strategies authors—especially debut and self-published authors—should consider when marketing their books?

In almost all cases, the most important thing to focus on is reviews. That is true whether the book is just coming out or it’s been out for a few years. Getting reader reviews online, getting librarians and bookstore employees to review the book, sending review requests to newspapers, bloggers, magazines, and popular websites…  all are equally important. Start asking for reviews, testimonials, and endorsements a few months before your book is going to be published; and keep asking every day for the rest of the life of your book.

Find people on Amazon, on Goodreads, at your local library, at local bookstores, online, and in the real world who review books and ask them to consider reviewing yours. Too many authors ask for a few reviews and then quit.  Too many authors ask their friends to review their book and then give up when their friends don’t actually review the book. (Hint: most friends will not review your book… They don’t know how and it intimidates them… Stop asking your friends)

But you SHOULD ask industry professionals and avid readers who write reviews online.  This should be a daily practice for every day you plan on being an author. Talented writers can author terrific books. Talented authors can get terrific books published. But successful authors get their books published and then talked about. It’s our job as authors to get our books talked about. And it’s our job as authors every day to ask for reviews and attention. It doesn’t “just happen.”

What’s the best way to get a book into libraries? 

To start, a book that wants to be stocked in the library needs some independent, third-party reviews that were not paid for. After that, the next step is to make sure that the book is available from a wholesaler that libraries like to order from.

Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Midwest, Brodart, Follet… These are a few Library wholesalers. Your book should be available and stocked at at least one of them. If you’ve decided to go print on demand through IngramSpark, your book will be listed as in stock with their sister company, Ingram Wholesaler and you’re in good shape.

Librarians depend upon reviews, patron requests, and acquisition lists from some of their favorite wholesaler vendors. So if you are lucky enough to have a “street team” have them go to their local library and request your book. Libraries like to stock books that have been requested by their patrons. After that, approaching librarians by letting them know how you’re going to attract more patrons to their location with your book is a great way to get librarians across the country to stock your book.

And don’t forget e-books and audiobooks! The biggest wholesaler for those types of books is Overdrive. Get your book into OverDrive (owned by the same company that owns Kobo in Toronto) and start emailing librarians letting them know that they can offer a book and audio versions of your book to their patrons.

Publishing Tips for Indie Authors: How to Get Your Book Into Libraries

Why are libraries important today?

According to US census data, over 70% of the voting age American adults have a library card. And 56% of Americans have been in a library or on a library website in the last month. Library foot traffic has gone way up and more and more people are visiting their local library.  Libraries are becoming even more of a community gathering and community service venue.

What challenges do small publishers face today, and how do you go about helping them overcome those challenges?

The two biggest complaints I hear from small publishers and first time authors who are considering getting into the small publishing arena are:

1) Hybrid and “Co” publishing companies will charge them a great deal of money.

2) Not being able to find editors, designers, and help when they decide to publish their book on their own.

But the biggest issue I see in working with thousands of small presses and self published authors every year, is the gap between authors who want to  get their book published and authors who want to get their book published properly.

Successful publishers take their time and follow all of the steps necessary to publish a book properly. They do not “rush to print” they put a solid plan together and they educate themselves as to what is needed to publish a book properly.

There are wonderful resources out there that any author can use to teach themselves how to become a successful publisher. The key is to read those articles, watch those videos, take the time and the trouble to learn about this industry. Publishing a book is no different than launching any other new business. And there’s a lot that goes into launching a new business successfully.

No one would think of opening a new restaurant or launching an art gallery without taking a great deal of time and money to learn exactly how those businesses work. And they would never think of opening a new restaurant without taking time to find the best dishes, stoves, and decorations. So why do people who want to start a publishing project think they can launch without the same sort of time investment?

The biggest challenges most new authors face are lack of information and not enough planning. But the good news is that both of these can be easily fixed.

What trends have you noticed in the publishing industry in the last five years? 

If you read the New York Times, you will be told that e-books are stagnating. That is not at all what I have noticed in the last five years. I have seen a enormous eBook growth.  Major media outlets only interview the top publishers and members of the American Publishing Association. The top 10 publishers out there are all selling their e-books at very high prices. They charge $15 for an ebook and then act surprised that eBook sales are dropping. Many novels are less expensive in paperback than they are in eBook! Top publishers have shot themselves in the foot with very expensive e-books. But the rest of the publishing community and small press world knows that avid readers are very willing to pay three, four, and even six and seven dollars for a new author. They’re willing to take a risk and to buy a new book… But not for $15. EBook sales are not stagnating when you take small presses and self published authors into the equation. And eBook price strategies are creating wonderful opportunities for new authors and small presses. (Bookbub anyone?)

Online Course: Successful Self-Publishing

What new trends do you anticipate for the coming years?

While the subscription services out there may not be perfect, I predict that subscription-based fiction readership will grow a lot in the next five years. Apps like HOOKED and others should not be dismissed as a fad. It’s not easy to pay attention to every new thing that comes down the pike… But I would recommend that we all keep an eye on the subscription services and “push apps“ out there.

I also believe that paper books are not going anywhere, but electronic versions of content will continue to pick up readers. Younger readers love paper books, but the next generation is quite used to reading and browsing online. Tons of older readers are preferring audiobooks. Avid readers will be getting their books in all sorts of ways. So publish in EVERY format and on every venue.

What misconceptions do you think authors have about publishing, marketing and book sales?

Too often I speak with authors who believe that if they publish their book, the readers will come. This is not Field of Dreams. No one is going to “find” your book. You are not going to be “discovered” without investing time each day on marketing activities. First time best-selling authors and the self-publishing success stories have one thing in common: They worked very hard to promote and market their books. They promoted themselves and they worked hard to build a fan base and a readership. Authors who just want to “stay at home and write” are very welcome to do so, but after almost 30 years in this industry, I’ve never met a successful author who stayed at home and “just wrote.”

The other misconception I hear almost is often is that sales and marketing needs to cost a lot of money. That’s just not true! If you were willing to spend a little bit of time every day promoting yourself and your books, you do not need to spend a lot of money. But you have to spend one of the other… spend time or spend your money so that others can spend time.  As I’ve said for years: “Time, Money, Talent: Pick any two.”

Can you give us a brief preview of what you’ll be addressing at indieLAB?

I will be teaching two sessions. One will be focused on how to find your readership. If you are an author who doesn’t understand why other authors have so many readers and you want to develop your own fan base, this session is for you.

For the authors who dream of getting their books in the libraries and bookstores? I will be teaching another session on just that. We will be going over a checklist of what needs to happen to get your book onto the shelves of your favorite stores and libraries.

Don’t miss Amy Collins at indieLAB, September 28–30 in Cincinnati!

The post Insider Secrets for Indie Authors and Small Presses from Amy Collins of New Shelves Books appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Don’t miss our free live webinar on October 17: What Every Author Should Know About Book Cover Design, sponsored by Reedsy.

by Yvonne @ Reedsy

Knowing and understanding the constituent parts of a book cover will help you make the best marketing decisions when you design or commission your own. Despite the popular saying, the cover of a book is what readers will use to judge the contents of your book. It could make the difference between readers walking (or scrolling) past it — or buying it.

Also remember: you want to design your book cover not just to attract readers, but to attract the right readers. This post that we wrote at Reedsy will take you through the anatomy of a book cover and help you build yours from the ground up so that it’s optimized to sell.

Cover Imagery

Whether you use an edited stock image, an illustration, or bespoke photography, imagery is your cover’s starting point, and will affect all future decisions — such as text positioning. Since your cover will be displayed as thumbnails in online stores, the clarity and impact of the cover image is crucial.

For example, the cover for Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison is based on a Shutterstock image of two hands, which has been manipulated, edited, and layered with other elements by a designer to have the desired effect. You can read more about this and stock image manipulation in this guide to book cover design. The image of the two hands works for Sing Me to Sleep as it hints at the tentative relationships that the main character Beth makes, and represents the emotion-driven action of the story.

A cover image, if effective, will:

1. Indicate what genre the author is operating in,
2. Provide hints as to the contents of the book, and
3. Compel people to read it.

A picture does indeed tell a thousand words. In this case, it needs to tell (or indeed sell) all the thousands of words in the novel.

Typography

When handling the words on a cover, it’s important to think in terms of visual hierarchy. In other words, how are you going to arrange the title, the author’s name, and if applicable, the subtitle — paying close attention to the relative size of each element?

For example, this cover design for Stephen King’s End of Watch has a minimal but dramatic image with the author’s name much larger than the title. King’s name is the central selling point, so it stands to reason that it’s at the top of the visual hierarchy. Equally, if you are a first-time author, or have a particularly long, impressive, or intriguing title, this will alter how you arrange the text.

Font choice is also extremely important, and should have almost as much consideration as the book title itself. A swirly, stylish font might suit a romance novel, but would look out of place on the front of a thriller, or a non-fiction book, for example. There are trends that come and go, but more or less, it just needs to be readable.

[Get hands-on craft and publishing advice at the WD Novel Writing Conference, October 26–28, 2018 in Pasadena, CA!]

The Spine

Often treated as an afterthought, the spine is actually a kind of concentrated book cover. In physical bookstores, there isn’t space for all the books to be stored cover-side forward, and the spine might be all that people see. So, it needs to be just as eye-catching and effective as your book cover.

Typically, the spine will show the book’s title, the author’s name, and possibly an extension of the front over image, or at least the background style. You can be really inventive with this — some covers have images that wrap right around the spine to the back cover. Whilst it’s only a small bit of the book cover, the spine is definitely not something to forget.

Back Cover

The back cover is like a second line of marketing — if the front cover hooked them in, now the back cover has to close the sale.

Practically, the back cover of fiction books tend to include a tagline (also known as a logline or the shout line), a blurb, possibly a brief author bio, a barcode and an ISBN number. If that last bit sounds confusing, check out this guide to ISBN for self-publishers. Non-fiction is likely to include all of the above, along with author credentials if the work is professional, maybe an author headshot with the bio, as well as testimonials (which may also appear on the front cover).

Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, for example, has a continuation of the front cover imagery with the matchstick, a catchy tagline at the top, ‘Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive — but not how to live,’ as well as a blurb that teases the reader into opening the book, and a glowing review to top it off. The back of the book is a bit like an elevator pitch. If a reader has got as far as picking up the book, the back cover is there to clinch the deal.

Now Your Turn

How will you combine all these elements to make the perfect book cover? Your book cover is your product packaging — it’s your branding for your book and for you as an author. A professional book cover will make readers take you seriously as an author whilst attracting the right readers to the story that you’ve worked so hard on.

Free Live Webinar: What Every Author Should Know About Book Cover Design

Learn more about book cover design in our free webinar on Wednesday, October 17 at 1 PM EDT (11 AM PDT) with Suanne Laqueur, Patrick Knowles, Ricardo Fayet and WD’s Jess Zafarris to learn everything you need to know about book cover design, and get insightful tips on how to get the best covers possible for your books. This webinar is sponsored by Reedsy. Register here.

The post The Anatomy of a Book Cover: A Guide for Authors appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry. For indie authors or traditionally published authors who have retained their audio rights, now may be the perfect time to consider creating your own audiobooks. Here’s your how-to guide to DIY audiobooks.

If you haven’t heard, audiobooks are the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry. People are listening to books on their phones in the car, while commuting on public transportation, exercising, gardening, cooking and the list goes on. According to the Audio Publishers Association (APA), audiobook sales in 2017 totaled more than $2.5 billion, up 22.7% percent over 2016, and unit sales were up 21.5% percent. The most popular genres continue to be mystery/thriller/suspense, sci-fi/fantasy and romance.

For indie authors or traditionally published authors who have retained their audio rights, now may be the perfect time to consider creating your own audiobooks. Before you dive in, here are some things to keep in mind.

Is Audio Right for You?

Do You Have the Rights?

Audiobook sales are growing, but that doesn’t mean they’re for everyone. If you are traditionally published, read over your contract or talk to your agent regarding the audio rights. If your publisher holds them, it’ll be up to them whether or not they want to exploit that opportunity (though you can certainly make your wishes known—best done through your agent, if you have one). If the rights remain yours, then the decision of whether or not you’d like to pursue the format is yours, too. And for self-published authors, of course, it’s all up to you.

The Making of a Grammy-Winning Audiobook: Directing Carrie Fisher’s The Princess Diarist

What is Your Genre?

Certain fiction genres perform better than others as audiobooks. Investigate yours: Look at how flooded the bestselling audio lists are in your category, whether or not the same handful of bestsellers dominate there, and how many titles are performing exceptionally well. For example, romance readers are huge consumers of digital content in the genre sometimes consuming two, three or four a month.

Do You Have an Audience?

As with other areas of publishing, a platform is an early key to success—and the stronger your platform in other formats, the better your chances of succeeding in a new one. If you have an ebook that has a strong following and is doing well on digital platforms, investing in creating an audiobook makes sense.

Create Your DIY Audiobook

It’s easier than ever to create and release an audiobook DIY style, and new platforms spring up regularly. For a full-length novel, you can expect to pay, on average, $1,500–$3,000 for your audiobook. Here’s a look at some of the current leaders on the field:

• ListenUp Audiobooks
  In 2016, ListenUp partnered with Canadian-based ebook platform Kobo to offer special discounts to Kobo Writing Life authors interested in turning their ebook content into audiobooks. ListenUp was developed as a way to extend to independent authors the same services they offer to major publishers at a reasonable cost. They can help you choose a narrator, produce the book and make it available on the various audiobook platforms. Authors retain the rights and receive eighty percent of the royalties for each sale.
• Findaway Voices
  Based in Ohio, Findaway Voices helps authors with each step along the way. After you create your account and provide the information about your book, the Findaway team provides you with 5-10 narrator choices. Once you make your choice, the book is produced (takes about 6-8 weeks). Then you can have Findaway distribute it to their 29 different channels or you can take care of it on your own. Authors retain the rights and receive eighty percent of the royalties for each sale.
• ACX
  This is Amazon’s platform that offers an indie audiobook service similar to that of self-publishing an ebook through KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). You can narrate the project yourself or hire your own voice artist. Once created, these audio titles are distributed through Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

With ACX, all of the choices require a seven-year commitment. Exclusive contracts get a higher royalty payout (40% of retail sales), but the audiobooks can’t be published on any other platforms apart from Amazon/Audible. With the non-exclusive option the royalty is lower (25% of retail sales), but authors can publish through other venues. There’s also a royalty share option, popular among those with smaller budgets, for which the narrator/producer and the author split the 40% royalties 50/50, with no upfront costs.

How to Reach More Listeners

Once you have your audiobook available on the different platforms, here are a few ideas for ways to reach more listeners:

• Link to your audiobook on your website (include sample)
• Pitch your audiobook to sites specific to audiobooks (audiobooks.com and audavoxx.com)
• Pitch to podcasts
• BookBub ebook promotions can spike audiobook sales

Audiobook popularity continues to rise, so now may be the perfect time to provide your readers with the audiobook versions of your stories.

Learn new writing and publishing skills in these upcoming online courses:

• 12 Weeks to a First Draft with Mark Spencer
• Blogging 101 with Dan Blank
• Breaking Into Copywriting with Naveed Saleh
• Comedy Writing Workshop with Leigh Anne Jasheway
• Fundamentals of Fiction with Gloria Kempton
• Professional Copyediting: Tools of the Trade with Kim Catanzarite
• Read Like a Writer: Learn from the Masters with Mark Spencer
• Writing the Middle Grade Book with Holly Alder
• Writing the Personal Essay 101: Fundamentals with Gloria Kempton

Writersdigest.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites. 

The post A Starter Guide to DIY Audiobooks appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Many writers dream of days they can devote entirely to their craft. But the reality is that working a day job in a field often unrelated to writing is sometimes a financial necessity, especially for new and debut authors.

When people learn that I write novels and hold a full-time job, they often ask me, “How?” They struggle to understand the balance of time, but I’ve made it a point to work hard to fulfill my love of both a professional life and my love of a writing life.

Also, what I’ve come to learn is that rather than seeing full-time work as a hindrance to the craft, writers can channel advantages of their situation to maximize writing productivity. Here’s how to do that:

Use time that surrounds your full-time job to think about writing.

For instance, on my commute, while I’m exercising or while I’m cooking dinner, my mind slides to my work-in-progress. During these times are when I flesh out my characters, develop plot points, imagine scenes of dialogue and consider conflict. Once I see these in my mind, it’s much easier to write them later. Also, permitting myself to think about writing during these times helps me stay focused on my full-time job to meet my responsibilities there since I know I’ll be able to come back to my writing later.

Earmark the downtime in your day job as a timed writing sprint.

During a lunch break, for instance, consider setting 30 minutes of time aside for a writing sprint, where the focus is on fast, unedited writing on a certain scene. Doing so allows the words to get on the page, and they can be edited at a later time outside of the work day. I also find that this practice gives me a welcome distance from my work in terms of breaking up the writing and the editing to provide a fresh perspective.

Try technology.

Some writers benefit from drafting with pen and paper to avoid digital distractions, but others benefit from technology, like dedicating a simple laptop to their craft but not connecting it to the internet. Alphasmart is a brand of portable, battery powered keyboard that works for some, and others use dictation software that provides a voice to text application. Dragon NaturallySpeaking is one for Macs.

Take yourself seriously.

Writers come in all varieties, as do their techniques for getting words on the page. Don’t think that because you hold a day job that you are any less of a writer than those who toil at the craft all day. Guard your time, set goals, and treat yourself as the writer you are.

Making time for writing isn’t always easy, but it can happen even for those who work full-time. Be proud of your writing accomplishments, especially when they are completed while managing other responsibilities. That, in itself, is success.

Do you have other tips for writing and working full-time? What works for you? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

Audrey Wick is an author with Tule Publishing and a full-time English professor at Blinn College in Texas. Her debut women’s fiction title Finding True North released in April, and its sister story, Coming Home, released in July 2018. Her writing has also appeared in college textbooks published by Cengage Learning and W. W. Norton. Audrey believes the secret to happiness includes lifelong learning and good stories—but travel and coffee help. She has journeyed to more than 20 countries and sipped coffee at every one. See photos on her website audreywick.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @WickWrites.

Even if you don’t have time to write a novel, you might have time to crank out a really short story! If so, enter it into our Short SHORT Story competition by Dec. 17!

The post Maximizing Writing Productivity While Working Full-Time appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

fThese days writers hoping to write, pitch, publish and platform-build have little choice but to surrender themselves to their laptops and smartphones—a complicated predicament for the dreamers of the world. Here are several pros and cons of the writing world’s increasing reliance on technology.

Over the history of the written word, technology has changed writers’ lives for the better in many ways. First, there was the printing press that prompted widespread literacy and ensured a far wider audience could have access to books. Then, everyone had more time for reading once machines reduced the amount of labor required for other pursuits.

We continue to save time with new technology—no longer needing to load pages into typewriters, flip through card catalogs to find the reference materials we need in the library, or even make a trip to the store to buy any necessities. We now live in a world of two-day gratification (or less).

But as the companies that have made our lives easier continue to larger by the year, it’s important to take at the impact new technology has on the writing community—both in positive and negative ways.

Pros: Instant delivery and increased accessibility

Amazon Prime saves us the time while making us feel a little bit like an emperor each time we summon an item and get a near-instant delivery, as Hasan Minhaj puts it. While for most this means cat food and toilet paper delivered to your doorstep, for writers this also means it’s easy to track down books and other items needed for research that would normally be hard to find, such as obscure or out-of-print books. As Minhaj put it in the third episode of his show Patriot Act, “Convenience is the commodity that matter most to our generation.”

Cons: Increased spending, support of poor worker conditions.

Prime is all fun and games, until you check your bank balance, which has also been made easier with mobile app technology. How many things have you bought because it was made easier with Prime and you wanted to feel like an emperor? Did you really need to order that electric can opener just because canned chili splashed all over your face while you were trying to open it with a manual can opener that one time? Reports show that Prime customers spend on average $800 more per year on Amazon than the retailer’s other customers. This gap is also growing wider.

Our reliance on Amazon has negative consequences that affect others, too. The increased demand for consumer goods certainly impacts the environment. Increasing reliance on Amazon puts retailers in every industry at risk of losing more sales to the giant. This includes your favorite indie bookstore and even large booksellers like Barnes and Noble.

Each order adds to the workload of fulfillment specialists and delivery drivers, who may walk 15 miles per day to retrieve 1,000 items around the warehouse or feel pressured to drive at dangerous speeds to deliver 250-300 packages during their shift.

Pro: Improved technology makes our jobs easier.

Search engines like Google make looking up subjects and falling down a rabbit hole of research are as easy as typing into a box. Apps like Trint use AI to transcribe interviews so that you don’t have to. Social media makes finding and cultivating an audience for your work easy to do without leaving your home. The audio quality of Voice Memos on the iPhone is superior to that $12 audio recorder you previously used. Grammarly proofreads your writing for you, for free. Apps such as Freedom block you out of websites that will distract you while you are trying to write. Use Google Books to search for certain words within a text, or the Google Books Ngram Viewer to see when certain words entered and became popular in written text (perfect for writing historical fiction). The list goes on.

Cons: Products are growing more and more expensive, new tech serves as a distraction.

Access to this technology can be expensive. Writers who prefer a Mac to a PC have to shell out considerably more cash to own the technology—a new Macbook Air is $1,199, while a PC costs in the ballpark of $400–$800. Apple accessories such as Mac chargers also cost a pretty penny more than PC accessories. As Apple continues to upgrade its technology, the cost of owning an iPhone is growing with each launch. Writers will pay more money for Apple products simply because of the aesthetic and brand recognition.

With great technology comes the potential to become sidetracked with all it has to offer. Try sitting down to solely focus on writing when you also have the ability to shop, connect with friends and play games on your device. In this case, productivity apps that block out these distractions can be a huge help if you fall prey to their calling. 

Pro: There is potential to gain a larger following by selling your work on Amazon and other book retailers.

If you self-published your work, you probably want to sell it through Amazon (and you may have self-published it via Amazon). Potential buyers trust this retailer and know where they can easily find your book. Amazon comes with built-in tech support for sellers should an issue arise, plus there is potential to reach Amazon’s large number of shoppers. As the largest seller of e-books, the market for e-books on Amazon is also large.

Cons: Selling on Amazon can be tough and cut into your profit.

Most authors’ books, both traditionally and self-published, are available on Amazon. You need to cut through a lot of competition to sell your work. This can be done through cutting your prices to compete with other books or even offering your e-book for free for a certain period of time. Shoppers aren’t going to just land on your seller page when they are searching for books—you will need to push the link to your page heavily though social media, newsletters and other platform outlets.

Setting prices for your work gets difficult because Amazon takes a portion of the revenue, which can cut into your profits. You’re forced to ask yourself what is more important to you: your profit or getting your voice and storytelling out to the world.

Pro: Technology offers more opportunities to bring communities of writers and readers together. 

If you use social media, you probably follow your favorite authors on their platforms. You may even promote your own work on your social media accounts, hoping that everyone you used to work with and their cousin gets excited about your next book. Finding the next book you should read is easy because you can see on Goodreads what that girl you went to college with who has great taste in books is reading. Eventbite can let you know about an open mic series you didn’t know about in your city. Subreddits can prove effective in finding a dedicated following for your work, eliciting feedback from peers or connecting with others who have the same interests. There is endless opportunity out there to find your community of people miles away who you wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Con: Technology has the potential to drive people apart.

The vitriol that exploded on social media leading up to the 2016 presidential election is just one example of how technology can drive people apart. While writers are generally open-minded people, we can all agree that no one wants to have a platform in an online environment that is toxic.

Dedicating time to networking and building a platform online can also cut into time that you could spend building meaningful connections in-person at readings, writers’ meet-ups and other literary events or simply grabbing coffee with your writer pals.

The growing empires of Big Tech companies can also drive communities of writers apart, albeit indirectly. As companies like Google and Apple dominate the economy of places like Silicon Valley, the cost of living there skyrockets. Once well-known for its thriving creative community, now only the ultra-rich can afford to live in San Francisco. Seattle, home of the Amazon headquarters, also faces a severe shortage of affordable housing.

Signs point to this trend following in Queens, New York, and Arlington, Virginia, where Amazon plans to establish its second and third headquarters. Queens is one of the last places working class writers can afford to live in New York City. For any place to have a thriving literary community, affordable housing is a necessity. In pricing writers out of big cities, large tech companies are effectively ending wide-reaching creative communities in these places. Imagine if all of the Lost Generation writers who lived in Paris as expatriates were priced out of their haven because the arrival of big tech began in that place and time. Literary history would look a lot different than it does now.

…

Our lives would also look much different today without technology at our fingertips. As writers, we must hope that the next wave of innovation brings both new advances in tech as well as new approaches to solve the problems that come with new technology.

Here’s a plus: Technology can bring learning to your fingertips. Learn something new in these upcoming online courses.

• 12 Weeks to a First Draft with Mark Spencer
• Blogging 101 with Dan Blank
• Breaking Into Copywriting with Naveed Saleh
• Comedy Writing Workshop with Leigh Anne Jasheway
• Fundamentals of Fiction with Gloria Kempton
• Professional Copyediting: Tools of the Trade with Kim Catanzarite
• Read Like a Writer: Learn from the Masters with Mark Spencer
• Writing the Middle Grade Book with Holly Alder
• Writing the Personal Essay 101: Fundamentals with Gloria Kempton

Writersdigest.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.  

The post Why Writers Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Technology appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

As fans eagerly await Season 3 of Netflix hit series Stranger Things, author Scott Hildreth offers three storytelling lessons and editing goals writers can glean from the show.

Sunday night at about 11:45 p.m., I turned off the TV. My wife was stacking dishes, cups and a popcorn bowl into the dishwasher. “I think this is what the kids call binge watching.”

We had spent the better part of two weekends watching the Netflix show Stranger Things. It was a fantastic experience.

We aren’t in our 20s any longer, so we struggled to stay up past midnight. We have jobs, so we couldn’t push through two seasons nonstop. However, we did manage sneak in a couple of episodes throughout the week. Then, on Saturday, after we finished yard work, we parked on the couch and plowed through the rest of the seasons. We have talked about the characters and scenes. We have used funny quotes in conversation and have recommended the show to others.

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As I thought about this experience, it hit me: This is the passion we want from those who read our stories. We want them to push past bedtime, snatch a chapter here or there, and fight sleep to finish. In today’s reading environment it is more important than ever to keep readers hooked on our stories.

Ebooks and E-readers are convenient, but they create problems for the author — hundreds of other stories are one simple click away. If our storytelling allows the reader’s mind to wander, she will choose another book, and we may never get her back. It is imperative that we keep readers as hooked into our stories as my wife and I were when we binge watched Stranger Things.

What was it about Stranger Things that kept us from searching out another show? Why were we willing to put things on hold until we finished the seasons? As I thought about this experience, from the perspective of both a writer and consumer, I came up with three ideas.

1. Design chapters with the purpose of keeping the reader hooked.

Stephen King says that the paragraph is the basic unit of writing, “the place where coherence begins and words stand a chance of becoming more than mere words.” (SK, On Writing, p.134). This is true for the writer; no need to argue with the King. But, for the reader, the chapter is the basic unit. Most readers think one chapter at a time; as we read, we focus on the chapter endings. I even have my kindle set to show how many minutes are left in the current chapter. Because of this, we need to build chapters with the reader in mind.

The producers of Stranger Things developed each episode as a chapter in the story. Each ended with a scene that left the viewer wanting more. “Wait, we can’t stop here. One more show.” If it was late, we would say, “Let’s just watch the first five minutes of the next show, so we will know what happens.” You know what happened next; the opening scene sucked us in. One of us would say, “We can’t quit here. Ok — we have for just one more show.” An hour later, we faced the same dilemma.

The episodes didn’t all end with cliff-hangers. The characters were not always facing mortal danger. To be honest, it would have been easier to turn those off. We are smart enough to guess that the heroes wouldn’t die.

Instead, each chapter ended with a shift in the storyline or lingering questions. Something peaked our curiosity. We did not keep watching because we cared about the characters. We had questions and we needed an answers; something gnawed at us and wouldn’t let us walk away from the story.

To keep readers committed to our stories, it is crucial that we build chapters with these goals in mind. We need to remember that each reader has dozens of options. The chapter break, end of one and start of the next, is the perfect place to set the hook.

EDITING GOAL:

1) Look at the last pages/scene of the chapter and ask, “What is on this page that will compel my reader to turn the page and begin the next chapter?”

2) Look at the opening page of the next chapter and ask, “What is in the opening scene that will push the reader to keep going?”

2. Keep the tension by maintaining both macro and micro conflicts.

The mortal sin of fiction writing is creating a peaceful world. As James Scott Bell says, we must push our hero through a “doorway of no return,” (JSB, Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure) that moment when he is unable to go back to normal life. The rest of the story is made up of his struggle against various obstacles to achieve a goal.

In Stranger Things, the heroes are searching for a lost friend and stumble into a situation that, if left unsolved, would destroy their town. This is their macro-objective — the big crisis that must addressed for the story to end. We need to know, will they make the rescue and save the town?

But, as I think about what keeps a reader, or viewer, pushing through the story for hours, it is usually more than a single macro-conflict. The successful story-teller creates hooks throughout the story by introducing micro-conflicts. The author of Stranger Things included conflicts between characters, sexual/romantic tension, lousy weather, internal doubt, and even unconnected “bad-guys.” These micro-conflicts kept the viewer worrying about how each would resolve and how they might affect the larger struggle. Sure, the overall problem pushed the characters ahead and this is what makes the story. However, readers have short attention spans and many of options. Sometimes the macro-conflict is too large to hold their attention. As we write, it could be helpful to include a string of micro-conflicts to keep the reader engaged and concerned.

EDITING GOAL:

As often as possible ask, “What micro-conflict can I drop-in, and carry across several chapters, to keep the reader hooked.” Look at relationships, character flaws, new characters, or even back-story issues.

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3. Don’t resolve too soon — force the reader to wonder how things will work out.

As we got to the last episodes of Stranger Things, the macro-conflict seemed worse. The micro-conflicts continued to swirl, and some had crept into the main storyline. I remember saying, “How are they going to tie up all these loose ends?” When questions like this gnaw at the reader, there was no way she is going to stop reading.

We want our readers to ask similar questions as they near the end of the book. We want them looking at the page count, or the Kindle percentage, and asking, “How is she going to get out of this mess in the last 10% of the book.”

Of course, we want a satisfying ending, an honest conclusion. We don’t want to introduce deus ex machina, a hidden clue, or unknown character. But, short of these cheap endings, we want to hold the tension until the last possible moment. In many cases, the reader can anticipate the ultimate ending. Most know that the detective will solve the crime and that the zombies won’t eat the whole army of good guys. But we can keep them wondering by whom, how, or at what cost, will the resolution come.

Rather than imagining the story line like an airplane, strong take off and gradual landing. Stories that hook readers and force them to stay up late, are more like roller-coasters — click, click, click, and a sudden drop to the end.

EDITING GOAL:

Ask, “How am I maintaining tension? Can I legitimately push this resolution later without cheapening the story?”

BONUS MATERIAL:

While we are on the topic of story resolution, keep in mind that the real power of a show that people binge watch is the transitions between seasons. The story resolves, but we have achieved something special when we create a moment at the end of the book that signals there is more to come. This pushes readers back to their favorite bookstore, or website, to buy our next book.

We must remember that the reader has many options. The screen and the page are different mediums, but we can learn a lot about storytelling from film-makers and TV shows that people binge watch. We do well keep our readers wanting “just one more chapter…” This build loyalty and a readership that keeps us in business.

Learn more about the craft and business of writing in these upcoming online courses:

• Advanced Blogging with Naveed Saleh
• Fearless Writing with William Kenower
• Getting Started in Writing with Gloria Kempton
• Outlining Your Novel with Elizabeth Huergo
• Query Letter in 14 Days with Jack Adler
• Writing Historical Fiction with Donna Russo Morin
• Writing Online Content with Naveed Saleh
• Writing the Thriller Novel with William Bernhardt

Writersdigest.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites. 

The post What Binge-Watching ‘Stranger Things’ Taught Me About Storytelling appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Book categorization is key to finding readers and maximizing sales. Here’s what you should know.

If you’re an author—aspiring or published, traditional or indie—you have a lot to think about: the quality of your work, your relationships with the people helping you publish, your book’s typography and cover design, competitive pricing and your marketing presence. Another thing to consider is book categorization.

If your book is properly categorized in brick-and-mortar bookstores as well as online retailers, then it will stand the best chance of meeting the most potential readers. How and why do books get categorized? Who determines the categories and which books belong in them? How can you take best advantage of the system? Read on.

Book Categorization 101

The most basic book categorization was probably decided upon by some tunic-clad Athenian shopkeeper who organized his volumes by the authors’ names. Before long, however, alpha-by-author showed its limitations, and specialty categories were born: fact vs. fiction, secular vs. nonsecular, books about chariots vs. books of philosophy.

It stands to reason. For authors, however, the inclination is to resist categorization. We don’t want to be “pigeonholed” or “marginalized.”

But here’s the thing: Narrowing a category gives us the opportunity to deepen it.

During the 10 years I was a bookseller, we were reminded constantly that, despite potential author resentment, categorization works. For instance, when African-American studies became an academic discipline at many universities, many bookstores created black literature sections to highlight the depth of their inventories and make it easier for customers to browse literature by black authors.

Guide to Literary Agents 2019

But some authors and customers felt that was segregation. So one of our store managers yielded and dismantled her black lit section, incorporating all those books into the main fiction shelves. Because the company (Borders) tracked sales by title, we could see that black lit sales plummeted; those authors simply got lost in the bigger pond.

Categorization is imperfect and idiosyncratic. My local Barnes & Noble no longer shelves African-American, LGBT or horror fiction in separate sections. My local Books-A-Million has African-American lit as well as YA, but not Western or horror. Neither of my local independent bookstores break out books by race or sexual orientation, but they do display books by local (Florida) authors separately. One store groups some fiction into a classics section; another does not. Some bookstores have sections of short-story collections, but others shelve collections with longer works in whichever fiction category they reside.

If store inventory permits, some authors are cross-shelved. For example, Toni Morrison’s novels might be shelved in both general fiction and African-American literature. This is useful for well-stocked books, but can’t work reliably for those carried in only ones and twos. (Online retailers, of course, can cross-categorize to their hearts’ content. More on this later.)

The Deciders

Who decides how a book will be categorized? First, you do. You decide whether your book is a memoir or a how-to or a romance or a literary novel. You mention this in query letters when you submit to agents and/or editors: “It’s a locked-room mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie, only with a postmodern twist: The characters are all deaf computer programmers.”

Then, if your book is picked up by a publisher, your editor and marketing team will have a say in how the book is represented to customers. The label your publisher eventually puts on the print version of your book is a blunt instrument: a general category such as mystery or biography. The book will be sold in so many different situations—in stores, online, by you at conventions, etc.—that a narrow category could make for confusion instead of clarity. Publishers generally want to avoid this.

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Buyers for brick-and-mortar booksellers use a blend of experience, sales history and common sense to refine the categorization of books. Usually all goes well, though sometimes mistakes occur. Richard Brautigan’s novella Trout Fishing in America still occasionally finds its way into the sports aisle. Moreover, in a physical store, categorization can go only so far before reaching a point of diminishing returns: Shelf labels must be physically moved as sections expand and contract, which requires extra labor. Errors result in lost sales and unhappy customers.

Amazon and other online booksellers have changed the way books are categorized by permitting publishers and authors to create ever-narrower categories and to experiment for optimal matching of books with readers. Because their shelves are virtual, cross-shelving is a matter of a click or two. Fans of cat sleuth novels can now find books of interest to them as easily as can enthusiasts of French cooking or seafaring adventure tales.

Online, categorization can be deep and broad. A book categorized as Fiction / Suspense / Psychological might also be categorized as Fiction / Thriller / Espionage, thus catching the attention of disparate yet sort-of-kindred readers.

Changes are easy online, too. A novel can be switched from hard-boiled to noir, for instance, and sales tracked.

Your Role

When categorizing your own book, here’s how to do the job:

1. Go from general to specific. Unsure whether your book is chick lit or romance? Genre definitions can vary depending on who you ask, but do some research anyway. Check virtual and physical shelves. Browse reading lists and discussion groups. Where does your book seem to fit in best? Keep it simple.
2. Resist the urge to come up with your own labels. Look at books like yours that are currently doing well in the marketplace. What categories are those publishers and authors using?
3. Consider your audience. How would your ideal reader relate to your book?
4. Select at least one major and one specialized category. If you’re going to be published, talk these over with your editor. If you’re self-publishing an e-book, make your best guesses and see what happens. You can always refine as you go.
5. Don’t stretch the truth. If your book is a Western, categorize it as such—but don’t also label it erotica unless it is.
6. Don’t stress about any of this. Get back to writing your next book.

The post Shelf Savvy: How Book Categorization Helps Maximize Sales appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

by Savannah C at Reedsy

A picture may be worth a thousand words — but a cover design can be worth 50,000. You want the cover of your book to be just as thoughtfully constructed as its contents, and for that you need an excellent book cover designer with whom you have a strong collaborative relationship.

To help you get the most value out of this partnership, we turned to some of the top professional cover designers for their across-the-aisle tips on how authors can build and maintain such successful working relationships. Here they are, straight from the source.

1. Know your project

By the time you approach a cover designer, you should already know some details relevant to your book’s cover, such as word count (for spine width) and target audience (for design). But there are many other technical aspects that your designer will need to know, such as font size, trim size, page thickness, binding, and whether your book will be hardcover or paperback (if you are printing it). It is vital that you determine and inform professional designers of these details and dimensions as early as possible.

“The more information up front the better. Do you plan to print-on-demand or publish an eBook? If printing-on-demand, prior to even hiring a designer, take the time to explore the cover template generator form of your printer.” – Teresa Bonaddio

“If you are planning to print your book, find out the technical specifications from your printing service provider. For example, the designer needs to know the spine width of your book’s cover, and that will depend on the number of pages and the type of paper you will print your book on. Also, when printing a hardcover book, the dimensions of the cover can be much larger than those of the interior pages.” – Tuire Siiriainen

2. Understand the cost

They say do what you love and money will follow, but the catch-22 is that you often need money to do what you love. No writer likes to imagine their prize project weighed down by budgetary constraints, but setting a budget for your publishing process is an absolute necessity — as is knowing how much of it will go toward your cover design.

Just as writers might want to fork up for a developmental editor or book writing software such as Scrivener to get the content of the book right, a cover design is a book’s all-important selling point. Remember that high-quality work takes time and effort to create, and understand that your designer will charge accordingly.

“Many writers I have met during my career have underestimated the costs for design and illustration, which has often led to a delay [in] production. I recommend always asking a creator whether they agree with a currently available budget and how much [work] they would be willing to do for it. […] Sometimes an exception can be made, but I would highly recommend having at least 300 to 500 Euro or USD put aside for a project.” – David Schmelling 

3. Clarify your vision

Establish a strong dialogue with your designer by sharing your inspiration and vision with them right from the get-go. Ideally you’ve chosen a cover designer whose work and aesthetic you love, but even so, you should clarify exactly what you want your cover to look like. If it’s hard for you to describe, use examples — point to one of their samples that really wowed you, or send them pictures of visually striking covers in the bookstore. Take the time to specify what you want before you sign a contract: it’s very important to get this right.

“If you have strong opinions on how you’d like your cover to look, including tangible cover attributes such as style, tone, color, composition, typography, and photography, then clearly communicate as much as you can to the designer with descriptions and sample imagery.” – David Provolo 

“[It’s] very helpful to be able to discuss the cover needs before the offer is put in. In fact, the majority of authors seem fine with this, just some seem to completely ignore it as if it’s not important. But authors don’t always give you enough info in their briefs, so even a brief discussion can help to work out what’s expected and therefore how to pitch the offer.” – Patrick Knowles 

Free Webinar: What Every Author Should Know About Book Cover Design

4. Stay positive and flexible

All that being said, you don’t have to share a brain with your designer; indeed, some of their ideas will probably clash with your own. Don’t just reflexively reject these ideas — your designer is pitching them not to sabotage your creative vision, but because they have years of industry experience and know what works. Maybe the font you want is overused or your color scheme won’t be as eye-catching you think. Remain amenable to their suggestions and they will design you a cover that looks beautiful to everyone, not just you.

“Describe your ideas in a way that focuses on what you ​do ​wish to see, as opposed to listing things to avoid, and be open to the creative process. I’ve often found that my happiest authors are the ones that I’ve been able to present with an idea that came slightly out of left field by synthesizing their vision, a strong knowledge of competitive titles, and my own personal flair.” – Laura Boyle

5. Be honest about your experience

Again: you don’t have to share a brain with your designer. Luckily, that also means you don’t have to pretend to know as much as they do. If you’ve worked with a cover designer before and you’re already familiar with the process, that’s great! But if not, it’s best to tell them that, and request that they explain the more complicated aspects. Otherwise production will be endlessly confusing for you and frustrating for your designer.

“From my experience, it is essential that a writer is transparent about their knowledge of how the production works. I have had an easier time with clients who openly admitted to being inexperienced with the entire process [than those who didn’t]. This makes it easier to address the steps during the collaboration according to the writer’s knowledge. I communicate ideas differently to a client who doesn’t know how the process works, than to a client who has knowledge about the terminology and knows how the visual design process functions.” – David Schmelling

6. Communicate effectively

Clarifying your vision and being honest with your designer also fall under this umbrella, but this is more a tip for your entire collaboration rather than its early stages. Even as you and your designer settle into a working rhythm, you should still make a conscious effort to communicate with them.

This may sound like obvious advice, but according to designers, many authors clam up or fail to respond in a timely manner after the initial conversation. To avoid this, give feedback, ask questions, and simply be available to discuss the project at all stages — not just the early ones.

“The designer’s first round of concepts will serve as concrete points of discussion and revision. Collaboration with your designer should include open communication, patience, and mutual flexibility to arrive at a cover solution that encapsulates the aspirations you have for your book.” – David Provolo

The Three Types of Book Cover Design Every Author Should Know

7. Trust your designer

The last (and by far most important) tip for a successful relationship with your cover designer is pretty simple: trust them. It can be difficult for some authors to do this, and understandably so — you’re letting a near-stranger have major jurisdiction over a cherished project. It’s like handing your child over to a babysitter, but instead of putting them to bed, the sitter gets to decide what the child’s face should look like. Forever.

Yes, it may be hard to trust your designer. But in the secret sauce of any good relationship, personal or professional, trust is the ingredient that brings all the others together. And as they turn their attention to the canvas (or tablet, as it were), your designer has to know that you trust in their knowledge and abilities. Only this can truly secure your relationship’s success, both for your current project and any future collaborations with your designer.

“My number one tip for a successful relationship with your cover designer is the same one you need to build successful relationships in life: trust. Cover designers are uniquely placed individuals. We can take an author’s thoughts and direction about a cover and approach it with the mindset of both designer and potential consumer. But the only way to get the best of both those worlds is to put your trust in your designer and their insights.” – Jake Clark

“The best books are made in great collaborations and with great trust. While we are all professional, we are also all human. Get to know the people who you are working with and trust that the objective is always to create the best book possible in any given amount of time.” – Teresa Bonaddio

No matter how you choose to publish, your book’s cover is your reader’s first glimpse into the world you’ve created, and your cover designer facilitates that glimpse. With that in mind, remember to always communicate, be positive, and above all, keep calm and trust your designer. If you foster a strong relationship with them, your cover designer will manifest your best ideas and contribute all their expertise to make your book cover a beautiful success.

This content was contributed by Reedsy and includes one or more affiliate links for their products and/or services. Writer’s Digest participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products and services purchased through our links to retailer and partner sites.

Take 30% off Writer’s Market books until 1/27 with code MB2019!

The post 7 Tips for a Successful Relationship with Your Book Cover Designer appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Industry experts and legitimate writing coaches provide advice on how to spot writing coach scams and shield yourself accordingly.

The profession of “writing coach” has come under recent scrutiny. The outcry follows a July 2018 article in the Los Angeles Times outing Anna March (also known as Nancy Kruse, Delaney Anderson and Nancy Lott) as a grifter, with financial judgments of more than $380,000 against her. March allegedly preyed on the dreams of unpublished writers by touting her services as a writing/editing coach, offering expensive writing retreats while promising access to agents and editors. According to the Times, she did not always deliver on her editorial promises, and often cancelled retreats after receiving payment.

As a legitimate writing coach, instructor and former magazine editor-in-chief of five national consumer publications, I want to prevent alleged bad actors like March from sullying the name of writing coaches across the board. And I believe the first step toward doing so is teaching writers how to protect themselves. Shield yourself from a con with the following know-how.

1) KNOW THE DEFINITION OF “WRITING COACH.”

Imagine a writing coach as a guide through the often-rocky terrain of publishing. Writing coaches can help develop story structure, teach craft , polish prose, off er accountability and goal setting, and share editor and/or agent information. Many, like myself, also offer editing help. The best coaches come with bonafide credentials, have deep experience in the area of writing you are interested in, and shorten the learning curve.

2) DON’T PAY EXORBITANT FEES UP FRONT.

“If you hire a writing coach, it would be best to pay them per session with a chance to cancel their services if you’re unhappy,” says Mary Rasenberger, executive director of The Authors Guild. “When it comes to manuscript editing, it’s always best to avoid large, upfront payments, and obligations should be spelled out.”

I personally offer an initial two-hour time window when working with new students. They pay me up front for each session, at my hourly rate, and then we both can evaluate how the process is working. Some of my students have been with me for years as they’ve seen their publishing portfolio expand; others just want to work on one essay.

3) PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL DATA.

It’s always best to pay through a check (so you have a record through your bank) or via a trusted source such as PayPal or Venmo, so that if you have a dispute you can lodge a complaint. Don’t give out your credit card information on the phone, and never pay cash. If you signed up for a pricey retreat, before you pay in full (always with a credit card), confirm with the hotel that there was an actual room booking made for the dates of the retreat.

4) REQUEST TESTIMONIALS.

Before signing up with a coach, ask to speak with current or former students. Beware if the writing coach tells you that information is confidential. You should also look at any testimonials pages on their website. For instance, my page provides testimonials using students’ and editors’ full names to provide credibility.

“There are a lot of imposters in this business,” says Sherry Paprocki, former president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Branding Yourself.

To find a coach with integrity, Paprocki recommends reaching out to at least three past or current clients to hear about their experiences. “Don’t get thrown off the mark just because someone has had one big success in their career. Look for someone who has had consistency in publishing over a 10- to 20-year period with multiple bylines and/or books to their name.”

5) CONFIRM THAT THEY VET STUDENTS.

According to publishing guru Jane Friedman (author of The Business of Being a Writer), most quality coaches don’t work with every writer who approaches them. If you’re not being vetted in some way to ascertain whether you’re a good fit, Friedman says, that’s a warning. That’s been the case in my experience as well. Many writers come to me based on my track record publishing essays and articles in the parenting and midlife market, but I still vet writers, reviewing samples of their work and having them fi ll out a questionnaire about their goals and expectations.

Learn from this author in the online course Pitch an Article: Write for Today’s Marketplace.

6) ASSESS THEIR ASSOCIATIONS.

“Look for long-standing involvement in the writing and publishing community,” Friedman says, “such as people with strong connections to influencers or organizations who can vouch for the integrity of the coach.”

Beyond one-on-one coaching, I teach online personal essay writing, pitching and freelance writing for Writer’s Digest University, and often suggest potential students take a class first. I was an adjunct instructor for NYU; often speak at writer’s conferences like ASJA, WD and HippoCamp; and am a longtime member of both ASJA and the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). These associations are more than just bullets on my résumé—they demonstrate integrity.

7) INSIST ON A CONTRACT.

“Authors should make sure they have a contract of sorts, even a signed or emailed letter that spells out exactly what the coach will do, so that there is no misunderstanding and the writer can point to the [document] if the coach is not performing,” Rasenberger says. “Payment terms should be clear and require payment only aft er particular services are rendered. A written contract also makes it easier to go to small claims court and get your money back if the coach clearly failed to perform.”

Although I mainly work with students on articles, essays and platform building; (rather than on books), I always detail rates and expectations, as well as custom-tailored advice on how we will communicate and work together. I also confirm the collaborative coaching style we will use, and whether I will coach using phone, email, Skype or a mix, depending on the client’s needs.

8) DO A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION.

Before signing with a coach, post a notice asking for information on Facebook groups for writers, or Google the words “lawsuit,” “scam” and “complaint” along with the coach’s name. Consult Writer Beware, a publishing resource from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America that documents scams and offi cial complaints against publishing professionals. And if you’re a member of The Authors Guild, their legal department can help you vet contracts and alert you to red flags, as well as assist you if you’ve been scammed. Ultimately, it’s up to you to caveat emptor. But know that if you arm yourself with awareness, chances are you’ll be OK.

The post 7 Ways to Defend Yourself from Writing Coach Scams appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

In our Breaking In column in Writer’s Digest magazine, we talk with debut authors—such as Christy Stillwell (christystillwell.com), author of The Wolf Tone—about how they did it, what they learned and why you can do it, too. Here, Stillwell talks about her experience publishing with a small press and more.

Tell us about your book. 

In the The Wolf Tone (January 2019, Elixir Press), Margot Fickett, principal cellist for the Deaton, Montana, symphony orchestra, is waylaid by 20-year-old Eva Baker who claims that her son is Margot’s grandchild.

What were you writing before breaking out with this book? 

I have written and published poetry, short stories and essays. I wrote two novels previous to The Wolf Tone. With each novel, I had an agent who believed in the book and sent it to publishers with no success. Those were difficult years, to be sure, but they certainly solidified my determination to understand the long form. I feel at home in the novel now. I especially like the room it offers, the limitless possibilities. The novel is a great taskmaster. If one doesn’t make the hard decisions about time and point of view, the book will balloon into a formless mass and threaten to swallow your life.

Breaking In: Debut Author Anissa Gray on Finding Your Writing Workspace and More

What was the time frame for writing this book? 

In The Wolf Tone, I explored ideas I’d had with me for years. For instance, when my son was in swim lessons nearly a decade ago, I caught sight of another mom on the pool deck reading papers spread on her lap. Wringing my neck to see over her shoulder, I was shocked to discover that she was reading a musical score. I knew I wanted to write about a musician. Years later, I became captivated by the burgeoning medical marijuana industry in my state. Almost overnight a pot grower’s status changed from drug dealer to medical provider. It took a long time to see how these two ideas might intersect. A lot of simmering took place. The number of years I was actively writing the manuscript: six.

Do you have an agent?

I do not have an agent. I offered this novel to my previous agent but she passed. I began the querying process. In four months I queried two dozen people. I got two partial requests and one full, but no contract. I did some serious soul searching. I had already been through the agent/publisher process and ended up disappointed. I found that my perspective had changed. I understood something: more than I wanted an agent and big contract, I wanted a book.

I took the plunge into the indie press world. I discovered dozens of exciting small presses, and many of them offered contests with publication. The money wasn’t huge, but I was grounded by my clear aspirations: I did not want to be rich. I wanted a book. I entered ten contests concurrently with my queries to agents. In four months time, I learned that The Wolf Tone had won the Elixir Press Fiction Prize. I was stunned, grateful and overjoyed.

What were your biggest learning experiences throughout the publishing process?

With a small press, much of line editing and proofreading falls to the writer. It helps to have a good team in place. Getting as many eyes as possible on the manuscript helps it stay clean and crisp.

Also, it all takes a really long time. Much longer than you think it should. 

Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in?

I was honest with myself about my goals. I took the time to understand exactly what I was pursuing and why. In today’s complex publishing industry, having a goal to simply “make it as a writer” could mean a million different things. Getting clear on what I actually wanted, and then working to prioritize and strategize about how to get there, helped me achieve success.

On that note, what would you have done differently if you could do it again?

In my earlier attempts to publish a novel, I think I’d change a lot. Slow down. Make the book the best it can be. Be clear on my goals. But with The Wolf Tone, I must say I like the chain of events. I like my honesty with myself and of course I love that my path crossed with Elixir Press. I wouldn’t change anything.

Did you have a platform in place?  On this topic, what are you doing the build a platform and gain readership?

I had a blog and a website at the time of publication. I started my blog, Say Something You Mean, to make a home for the many essayistic ideas I wanted to explore. I know if I posted more, I’d reach a wider audience, yet in keeping with the theme of the blog itself, I want to post when I truly have something to say. I’m trying to do readings and events, both endeavors that are out of my comfort zone, to gain readership. I’m also trying to be more present on social media, becoming more vocal about books and presses that I admire, and why.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on my next novel. I hope to cut my writing time in half, but I know that with this form, completion time will take what it takes. That’s true of all stories. As writers we must cultivate this wisdom: Let it happen. Guide and shape it but do not rush.

The post Breaking In: Debut Author Christy Stillwell on Perseverance and Publishing with Small Presses appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Interested in crowdfunding a novel? Susan K. Hamilton, who has crowdfunded two novels, shares the joys and frustrations authors can expect when publishing via this new and exciting route.

In the “good old days” getting published was a labor of love (or insanity). If you didn’t have an agent, you prepared a synopsis, gathered the correct number of sample chapters and wrote what you hoped was an amazing query letter. You packed it all in an envelope along with a SASE (for you young’uns, that’s a self-addressed stamped envelope), sent it off, and waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Then with the advent of print-on-demand publishing, indie authors suddenly found they had a reasonably priced alternative to traditional publishing. And they took advantage of it: according to a recent Bowker Report, “self-publishing grew at a rate of more than 28 percent in 2017, up from an 8 percent increase during the prior year” and the total number of self-published titles exceeded one million for the first time.

Enter today!

However, for some authors, self-publishing isn’t the avenue they want to pursue. If you’re one of them, then crowdfunding your book might be the answer.

I have crowdfunded two novels—Shadow King (Inkshares, 2018) and The Devil Inside (forthcoming from Inkshares)—as part of participating in the Launchpad Manuscript Competition. The experience was exhilarating and rewarding… and it was frustrating and exhausting.

If you’re thinking about crowdfunding your book, here are a few things I’ve learned about the process:

Crowdfunding a novel is HARD work.

Crowdfunding is a great avenue for up-and-coming writers to get published, but a campaign is not simply, “tell them and they will order.” You need to be ready to invest a large chunk of time, effort and attention in your campaign if you want it to be successful.

Be serious about the process. Be serious about your book and building an audience. If you’re not willing to put in the time, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. Plan on investing at least two to three months of highly focused attention on your crowdfunding efforts. I work a full-time job to pay the bills, and when I was crowdfunding, I felt like I was working a full-time second job. Do not make the mistake of assuming crowdfunding is easy.

How to Crowdfund Your Writing With Patreon

Be prepared.

You must be just as prepared—heck, even more prepared—for a crowdfunding campaign than you do for submitting a query to an agent or publishing house. Make sure you have a great synopsis and a great pitch. Have an online presence on different social media platforms. Know who your target audience is and be able to tell them—clearly and succinctly—why your book is worth investing in.

There are a lot of authors out there competing for your potential audience’s attention. Make sure your voice is clear and compelling.

Have a plan.

Like a real marketing plan. Know who you’re going to target with requests and when. Know what channels you’re using. Understand how you’re going to keep track of who has ordered and who hasn’t, and how you’re going to follow up.

When I was crowdfunding Shadow King on Inkshares as part of the Launchpad Manuscript Competition, I had ZERO idea what I was doing. I just started emailing friends and family willy-nilly, telling them about the competition and asking (okay, begging) them to order a copy. I didn’t really have a good elevator pitch for Shadow King memorized, so in some cases, I struggled to explain what the book was about – I very quickly came up with a much better pitch than I started with.

Be able to explain what crowdfunding is.

During my first campaign, I also had a hard time explaining how crowdfunding worked (I had a hard time with a lot of things in my first campaign). Many people thought the book would be delivered to them as soon as the competition ended. In reality, it was nearly two years from the end of the competition to my launch date. The people who support you need to understand that the funding part of the process is only the beginning, not the end.

Delight goes hand-in-hand with disappointment.

Now that sounds like a real downer, I know. But what I mean is that you’re going to have some people—friends and family—who say, “Of course I’ll pre-order a copy.” Then they don’t, even after you remind them several times. It is a frustrating and disappointing feeling to have someone not come through after they promised they would. This happened to me both times I ran crowdfunding campaigns. So be ready for it.

But on the other side of the coin, you’ll also be delighted—during my first campaign, I contacted a high school classmate. We hadn’t been particularly close during school, and I hadn’t seen her in over 20 years. I didn’t expect her to order, but I asked anyway, and to my surprise and delight, she said “yes” and ordered the very same day.

Despite the frustration and nights with not nearly enough sleep, I would not trade my crowdfunding experience for anything. It made me learn and stretch in new areas. It made me think about my audience and start to build relationships with them. It made me face the reality of what it takes to successfully pitch and market a book. Those are all lessons I may not have learned had I not gone the crowdfunding route.

Crowdfunding may be the path for you, it may not. Only you can decide that.

SUSAN K. HAMILTON: Susan K. Hamilton is the author of three novels in the fantasy genre: Shadow King, Darkstar Rising, and The Devil Inside (forthcoming in 2019). Shadow King landed on the Top Ten finalist list of the 2016 Launchpad Manuscript Competition out of over 1,000 entrants from 24 countries and was published by Inkshares in October 2018. The Devil You Don’t reached the Top 25 finalists list the following year and will be published under the name The Devil Inside. Susan lives near Boston, Massachusetts with her husband and cat. An avid equestrian, you can often find her at the barn when she’s not writing. She rediscovered her love for writing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst when her writing teacher freshman year told the class that their last assignment was “to write something creative.”

The post Crowdfunding a Novel: Fantastic and Frustrating appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

What is Self-Publishing 3.0? Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) founder Orna Ross explains the shift from the earliest iterations of self-publishing to today’s landscape with Self-Publishing 3.0.

We are in the midst of a revolutionary shift in publishing—an era in which independent authors can work with greater agency than ever before. It is also an era in which writers must position themselves as brands and equip themselves with the business savvy to succeed beyond the parameters of traditional publishing.

This new landscape—opportunities, challenges and all—was borne of a three-part wave of industry changes starting more than two decades ago. It was this new landscape that led to the formation of organizations such as the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), which I founded to encourage ethics and excellence in author-publishing after a 20-year career in publishing and media as a journalist, author and even literary agent.

This new column, indieLAB, and the ones to follow will address self-publishing opportunities for authors and dispel some of the many myths about this pathway to publication.

Looking Back: 1.0 to 3.0

The first crack in the closed publishing system, which required expensive presses and bookstore distribution, came in the 1990s with the digital tech that allowed print-on-demand (POD). This was Self-Publishing 1.0, and a few pioneering authors jumped aboard.

In 2008 Amazon released a technological trio: a digital ereader and app, the Kindle; a digital publishing platform, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP); and a new payment process to authors that offered commission on sales instead of the traditional royalties and advances. As Amazon also owned the largest online bookstore in the world, these three together were revolutionary, and heralded Self-Publishing 2.0. Audiobook and print publishing became possible, and other services soon followed: Apple iBooks, Nook, Kobo, IngramSpark, Wattpad and many more.

None of these platforms invested in the publishing process, but neither did they license publishing rights. The author, not the platform, became the publisher.

Enter today!

It became clear to authors that publishing need not require somebody decide your book warrants investment. Publishing simply consists of seven processes that must be done right in order to publish well: editorial, design, production, distribution, marketing, promotion and rights licensing. “I can do that!” hundreds of thousands of authors cried as they leapt into creating own digital files; hiring editors, designers and marketers; and selling directly to their readers, through their own websites and other partners.

Now self-publishing is thriving. According to Bowker, the company that registers ISBN numbers in the U.S., the number of ISBNs assigned to self-published titles has grown 156 percent since 2012, and in 2018 it passed 1 million for the first time. Even these incredible figures don’t fully represent the size of the market, as some authors publish without registering for ISBNs.

What all this adds up to is not just more self-published books, but more authors earning a living from writing. For example, at ALLi, 7 percent of our membership is in the “Authorpreneur” category, which means they sold more than 50,000 books in two years, or business equivalent. And it’s not just about outliers. It is possible for a book to earn over $100,000 annually without ever appearing on a bestseller list.

This has led to a great increase in author confidence so that today, we are experiencing Self-Publishing 3.0. Authors are moving from being content providers for large corporations—either trade publishers like Penguin Random House or self-publishing services like Amazon—to being creative entrepreneurs, running successful and sustainable digital businesses.

The Indie Mindset

None of this is to suggest that self-publishing is an easy option. Being “discoverable” in an ocean of books, some of which are sub-standard; finding your readers, building a brand; growing a business—all of these are challenging. But they are creative challenges, very different to the dispiriting rounds of rejection that were the only pathway for most authors in the past.

What distinguishes the indie author is a state of mind: being the creative director of our books, but also of our author businesses. With the vast number of distribution, marketing and publicity options open to us, we can reach a truly global readership as never before.

This entrepreneurial attitude is remaking author-publishing again, as new technologies emerge. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, voice search, blockchain: All of these seem set to shake up the book business even further. I look forward to bringing you more in-depth insights about these, and other aspects of self-publishing, over the ensuing months.

Whatever changes come along, one thing will remain constant: Only those authors who have developed the indie mindset—an empowered, creative attitude that says, “I can do that!”—are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities.

The post indieLAB: The Rise of Self-Publishing 3.0 appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

One of the most compelling reasons to publish your book in audiobook form is to expand the potential reach. As WD author Jessica Kaye shares in the opening paragraphs of her book The Guide to Publishing Audiobooks, audiobooks are reaching more people than ever. Here are her thoughts about why you might consider self-publishing your own audiobook.

Why Produce Audiobooks?

At the time of this book’s original publication in 2019, every year for the past six years, audiobook sales have been on an upward trajectory. They continue to be a bright spot in publishing, even as other areas slow down. The 2017 sales survey results released by the Audio Publishers Association, or APA, of which you will hear more later in the book, showed a 22.7 percent increase in audiobook revenue over the previous year, with an increase of 21.5 percent in units sold.

Audiobooks have made such an impact in their visibility that The British Library in London had an exhibit titled “Listen: 140 Years of Recorded Sound” that ran from October 6, 2017, through May 13, 2018. It was not about the spoken word alone, but that was a part of it.

So here you are, at the cusp of rising sales and increased publicity for the very thing you were thinking would be a smart addition to your business. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, according to some interpretations of the words of the ancient Roman Seneca. Echoing those thoughts centuries later, Branch Rickey has been oft quoted as saying, “Luck is the residue of hard work and design.” Being in the right place at the right time is a more prosaic way of saying something similar. Those words apply to you, today.

SELF-PUBLISHING AUDIOBOOKS FOR NONTRADITIONAL PUBLISHERS AND INDIVIDUALS

The burgeoning of digital recording and distribution, and the consequent diminution in cost of production have allowed authors to transition to self-publishers without the stigma that self-publishing carried in past years. The companies that catered to self-published authors used to be called vanity presses—a pejorative term, at least in the eyes of those in the publishing business. These companies offered authors the ability to see their books in print, but with the catch that it was the author who paid for that metamorphosis from manuscript to bound book, unlike with traditional publishers. Often vanity presses were for works that were not well written, not well edited, and would not have been produced without the services of the vanity press. At other times, they were used for books the authors intended for a specific and limited audience, such as family members. In the past, as today, there were good books that never found a home with a legitimate publisher, just as there are countless talented musicians who never find a record label willing to produce and sell their music. Vanity presses allowed these authors to at least have copies of their books printed.[1] By and large, however, to be self-published was formerly a means of last resort.

That is no longer the case.

A number of authors are turning to self-publishing for various reasons including having the revenue from book sales come directly to them, being able to choose the cover, the timing of publication, and the formats—e-book, hardcover, paperback, audiobook, enhanced e-book. There are also many writers who choose to self-publish because they tried their luck with agents or traditional publishers without the desired results. Some of you who have picked up this guide have already been published by a third-party publisher and now are thinking of doing it yourself. Some of you have already published books on your own and want to branch into audiobook publishing. Some of you have already published or produced audiobooks and want to get better at it and do more of it. No matter the reason you are considering publishing an audiobook, your goal should be to make it a good audiobook. If you don’t want that, why do it at all?

And that’s why this book exists: to serve as your guide to publishing a good audiobook. After all, your reputation and your sales depend on the quality of your work.

Jessica makes a compelling rationale for offering your title in audio form, but if you’re asking what’s next? Get excited. In the 10 chapters of her book, Jessica walks you through each step of producing your audiobook. From double-checking that you have the rights to create your audiobook, to contracts, to finding a narrator and recording, to distributing, Jessica covers all the critical topics that you need to consider before diving into the world of audio publishing.

Read about Jessica’s experience directing Carrie Fisher for her Grammy Award-winning audiobook, The Princess Diarist.

About the Author

Jessica Kaye is an entertainment and publishing attorney at Kaye & Mills (www.kayemills.com) and a Grammy Award-winning audiobook producer. She serves on the boards of the Audio Publishers Association and the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America (MWA.). Jessica owns Big Happy Family, LLC, an audiobook distributor (www.bighappyfamilyaudio.com.) She created and co-edited the anthology MEETING ACROSS THE RIVER (BloomsburyUSA, 2005) and contributed a story to OCCUPIED EARTH (Polis Books, 2015) as well as to the new anthology CULPRITS (Polis Books, 2018.) She is the author of book The Guide to Publishing Audiobooks (F+W Media/Writers Digest Books, 2019.)

^[1] Legitimate publishers do not ask the author to pay to be published. If you have an offer for your manuscript which includes a demand for monies from you, that is not a contract you should sign. It is perfectly legitimate for you to pay to have your book printed, but be aware that makes you the publisher. This is the modern version of a vanity press. This differs from audiobook publishing, however, where you may very well need to pay to have your book transformed into an audiobook.

The post Self-Publishing Audiobooks: Why Should You Consider It? appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

Contributed by Reedsy.

A book’s cover is a key marketing tool, reflecting the contents of the book. As you might guess, the typeface of your book title and other cover text (the style and appearance on the page) are just as important.

First impressions count. Even if you’re not likely to pay a lot of attention to fonts on book covers, they make the difference between a book that will be picked up and a book that looks unprofessional, cheap, or simply misleading.

This post will dive into this crucial component of a book cover. Read on to find out how to handle book cover typography — and how to make yours stand out and sell your book.

1. Match the genre

All things considered, you want the appearance of your text to convey the message you are trying to get across. Whether that’s signaling that the book is a romance, a thriller, or an informative non-fiction book, the typography is going to be a crucial element of tying it all together.

For example, for Tara Westover’s non-fiction memoir Educated, a simple serif font is used for the title, and the subtitle (‘a memoir’) and author name are sans-serif (have noembellishments at the end of letters). Many say that serif fonts look more ‘trustworthy,’ and feel modern. This is because they are simple and matter-of-fact: all moods that a non-fiction book will want to elicit.

Readers of certain genres will, consciously or unconsciously, be expecting certain things from your book cover. Fantasy book covers are often home to sweeping calligraphy-style fonts, for example. Ilana C. Myer’s Fire Dance does this subtly — the embellishments on the ‘R’ and ‘N’ signal the genre, but it is still reasonably simple and easy to read.

2. No Papyrus, no Comic Sans

A general rule of thumb: don’t use a font that comes pre-installed on MS Word. Typefaces like Comic Sans and Papyrus are instantly recognizable and will make the cover look ‘handmade.’

If there’s one that’s very close to what you’re looking for, you can build up and edit fonts with programs like InDesign to alter spacings and the length of existing letterings, or even just remove the very edge of letters.

You can find ideas and free fonts to use on sites like myfont.com and dafont.com. There are also plenty of other websites to search for where you will be able to access a variety of fonts without plagiarising (and also without spending dozens of dollars).

Free Webinar: What Every Author Should Know About Book Cover Design

3. Less is more

An effective approach can be to make typography the focus of your cover, or the only visual element. Playing with minimalism, space, and letter spacing is often an interesting way to make the absence of image or text just as effective as filling the cover. Dolly Alderton’s cover design is literally just the title, but it playfully hints at the narrative voice you’ll find within.

Particularly, conjunctions like ‘and,’ ‘the,’ or, ‘of the,’ can interact inventively with your background image or illustration, like in this novel by Tsh Oxenreider. The ‘less important’ words are made significantly smaller, which foregrounds the confusing pairing of ‘home’ and ‘world’ — central to the book’s idea of finding a home and belonging while travelling all over the globe.

Remember that you don’t have to use the same font for everything. However, don’t use more than, say, two or three, depending on if you have a subtitle, or reviews, etc — it will look messy and confusing.

And if you think you might have a potential series on your hands, aim for a simpler design. They are more transferable, and easier to be manipulated further down the line.

Having said all that, your title does need to be big! There are debates as to whether it should be legible in thumbnail form, but it certainly needs to be the focus of the cover.

4. Words are pictures, too

When your creativity is completely set free, your typography may end up looking like an image in and of itself.

Thinking of your imagery and typography as overlapping working parts can give you space for visual puns (like the small bombs on Karan Mahajan’s cover), hint at the characters or plot of the book, or even just allow you to exercise some creative license.

If your lettering is large and simple, it also adds character and room for some fun ideas. David Nicholls’ Us, similar to the design of some of his earlier novels, plays with this idea by having figures hang from and walk along the lettering of the title itself.

5. Consider the visual hierarchy

An awareness of the visual hierarchy of your text will make your book cover look professional and easy to navigate. Readers will assume what is important by the weight and size of the lettering, and you can direct their gazes accordingly.

The title, the author name, and (if applicable) your subtitle should be easily identifiable. Lisa Manterfield’s book cover strikes a balance between title and author name. It also follows the golden rule: if in doubt, keep it simple.

Natural contrast (light text on a dark background, for example) is a seamless way to highlight and make clear the information that you want your reader to receive.

What you’re seeking is balance: a delicate chemistry between image, text, and other information. Simply put, if your image is super busy, keep the type simple. But if you’ve got a large chunk of text that needs to go on the front cover, keep the imagery pared back.

The crux of typography on book covers is the potential to maximize the impact of your book title, and your book cover as a whole. When done well, it is an effective tool to utilize in order to give your book the best chance on the shelves, and hopefully you now have the tools to do just that.

This content was contributed by Reedsy and includes one or more affiliate links for their products and/or services. Writer’s Digest participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products and services purchased through our links to retailer and partner sites.

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Nervous about connecting with other writers and publishing professionals at your next writer’s conference? John Peragine has 10 tips on how to network effectively and get the most out of your experience. 

I encourage both novice writers and veteran ones to attend writer’s conferences. I have learned so much, connected to some great people, and connected to literary agents and publishers by attending. For many writers, the experience can be both exciting and overwhelming. They find themselves surrounded by so many people who love reading, and most importantly, writing. It can make you feel small and insignificant, but read on and I will reveal a secret.

Writers are not always good with large crowds or stepping out to introduce themselves. Our work is a solitary one, with just you and the page. And of course, the occasional furry friend as a companion. It is my belief the we need to connect with other writers to provide a network of support, friendship, context to our work, and mutual understanding. Who knows better what a writer goes through daily than another writer?

In May of this year, I presented a session on the 20 rules of effective networking. It was during the lunch break, so I figured that a few people would grab a quick bite to listen. To my surprise and delight, the room was full of people wanting to know how to network better. Below are my top 10 tips of effective networking at writing conferences.

Find your group.

There are all types of writer’s conferences that you can attend year-round. Some are general, while others focus on a genre such as romance or sci-fi. Find your group and take a chance. They are just like you!

Step out of your comfort zone and be the best version of yourself.

It is tough being a social butterfly if that is not your nature. Sometimes you must step out beyond self-imposed boundaries. Here is the little secret I alluded to earlier: Everyone else in the room feels the same as you do. If you step out a little, so will everyone else, because you are making it a safe to do so. You have a story to tell; you are a writer. Just let that story come out in a natural way, and people will be drawn to you and want to know more. Take a risk. It’s worth it.

Invest in relationships and get paid for your business.

This is such an important to understand. It has been the secret sauce in my success as a writer. When I meet someone, I listen to them. I think about ways I can help them. But I never sell to them. I never try to get them to buy a service, or publish my book, or hire me as a writer. I ask instead how I might help them. Often it is matchmaking- connecting authors to other people in the industry that may help them. I invest time in relationships. I get paid for writing. I don’t do referral fees or charge people for mentoring them- I just provide what I can. It always comes back to me as work one way or another, and in the process, I have made another friend for life.

Smile, shake, eye contact.

Engaging with someone for the first time seems like a lost art. Smile, not in a creepy homicidal maniac kind of way, but in a natural way. People’s natural response is to smile back, and it opens up the opportunity to introduce yourself. Maintain good eye contact; just try not to panic people by staring into their soul. Shake their hand firmly but not crushingly. You can use two hands if you wish, but be sure to let go. There is nothing more awkward than a person who is talking to you but won’t let go of your hand.

Have a business card.

This seems obvious in a networking situation, but I have found that many writers don’t see themselves as the entrepreneurs that they are. Your book is your business, even if it is a work-in-progress. You are the marketing department of your own business and therefore you need a card for people to be able to find you after an event. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive, but I do recommend you have one. Try not to use your business card for your day job. You are a writer and an entrepreneur; embrace it.

Listen up and shut up.

Sometimes we are so excited about what we are working on that we tend to babble, or convince someone that a) it will be the next bestseller and b) it will become a movie. Both could be true, but in a networking situation, it is about getting know the other person. You cannot possibly do that if you are dominating the conversation. Be a great listener. People will think you are wise beyond your years. Give others a chance to open up, and eventually they will come around and ask about you. Then you will have their full attention.

Turn off the devices.

I worked as a child protective services social worker for many years before becoming a writer. I was constantly on call. When my pager or phone rang, it meant a child needed my help. Those were true emergencies that could not wait. As a writer, there are fewer true emergencies. If your manuscript is on fire, then call the fire department, but when you are talking to someone DO NOT look at your phone or tablet. There is nothing more disengaging then someone looking at their phone every 10 seconds. The message is that the phone is way more important than talking to them. I often just move on when this happens to me. Spend the time to really engage one on one with someone. That is how relationships are built.

Don’t act desperate.

When approaching people in the industry such as publishers, editors, and agents, don’t act desperate. Don’t follow them around and pester them. Don’t make your move to introduce yourself in the bathroom if you happen to see them there. Just be patient, and when you see they are not busy, approach them politely, say something nice, and then move on. If you are nice and engaging, they will remember you for that.

Follow up.

You will more than likely return home from an event with a stack of cards and numbers. Wait a day or two and send each person a personalized message. If you really connected, follow it up with a phone call. Write down their special dates and send them something in the mail. People love real mail! Be active with them on social media. Promote them and congratulate them publicly for their accomplishments.

Pre-emptive strike: Let everyone know you are coming on social media.

I like to begin sending out messages on social media that I am coming and try to include hashtags and organizations in those messages. I usually wear a hat to conferences and I encourage people to say hello to me when they see me. It gives them permission and a reason to introduce themselves.

One bonus tip is that much of the best networking is done after hours. Find out what is going on and where people are going. Have fun and mingle. These are where many of the deals are done, so take a chance and step out in order to stand out.

Write better. Get published. Build your network.
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference | New York City

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