|
Written by Rhonda
|
|
Saturday, 19 December 2009 02:14 |
|
When I was a much younger writer, I was an idiot. I didn't listen to my college professors when they talked about networking. I listened to what I thought was important and figure the rest would just happen naturally. And though my professors succeeded in teaching me almost everything I know, I failed to learn everything they knew. Don't try this at home. Networking is a very important tool in a writer's arsenal. In fact, it ranks right up there with craft and talent. It's not enough anymore to write a brilliant work - be it fiction, non-fiction, or any other creation. The writer has to be concerned with the whole process of publication and production now. When looking to climb higher up the writerly food chain, with whom does the writer need to network? The answers are both obvious and surprising. - Publishers and Editors - Can I get a "Duh" from the congregation? Knew you could do it. This is obvious, publishers and editors are the ones who buy your brilliant prose and get it into the hands of your adoring fans in the best possible shape. Making a good impression on them is the no-brainer - except it's not. This is where the "don't follow editors into the bathroom and slide your manuscript under the door" adage applies.
- Other Writers - Believe it or not - other writers are not "The Competition". They're colleagues. They're friends. And they have knowledge many of us would not hesitate to impart on how to succeed in the business - if only to tell their "war" stories of how to "Don't Try This At Home". As with my professors in college - learn from their mistakes and experiences. Why reinvent the wheel when someone's offering you a car?
- Artists - This is the potentially surprising one to some. It took me a while to learn this one. Artists come to most of the science fiction conventions - if that's you're genre. I don't know about the others, but if you're serious about this - I'd get to know some of the artists who do covers in your genres. Why? If you listen to a lot of writers, they will tell you in great detail how much they love their covers and credit many of their sales to the cover. Or gripe endlessly about how bad their cover is and now many sales it cost them. If your cover is going to help or hinder your sales, why aren't you getting to know the people who'll be working on them?
Okay, so here's the caveat to the networking. You won't have a lot of power of WHO buys your book/screenplay/stories. You won't have ANY power - unless you independently publish - over who does your covers. HOWEVER, the same reason you network with publishers - which is to get the extra 30 seconds on the desk to let your brilliance leap off the page - is the same reason you network with artists. I've heard major SF cover artist admit they put a little more effort into covers for people they know and like. Also, if you're independently producing a project for whatever reason - like I am early next year - you will a cover. Even if you're putting it out in ebook format. You're going to need a cover. And if you're a writer like me, you probably have NO talent to draw. If you do - you have way too much talent. By knowing artists - even if you have little or no money - you can still end up with a darned good cover - maybe even by an award-winning artist. So as the Holidays scream towards us and the year ends, start 2010 with a plan. Any plan. Whether it's to write every day or make a better effort at effectively networking, as long as it's a plan, I applaud you.
|
|
Holidays are for Books and Writing...Really |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Rhonda
|
|
Wednesday, 02 December 2009 02:06 |
|
Welcome to December. For all of you who participated in NaNoMo, congratulations - no matter what your personal outcome. Now we get to face the Holidays, which makes it even harder to find the time to write. But it's possible to manage it all - Holiday craziness, Real Life, and write - granted it won't be at the NaNoMo pace, but if you found the time during November to put fifty thousand words down, you can keep up the habit of writing even during the holidays. The Holidays are always a time of wondering how to get it all done and what to get the loved ones in your life. The "how to get it all done" is almost easier. Getting it done means applying rear to chair - just like many of us did for NaNoMo. It means doing a little less here, or writing while the holiday baking is going on there, or even scheduling in some writing at breaks and lunches at work - which is what I'll be doing this week as I start a new job during the holidays. However, also realize December is one of the busiest months in life - if you miss a day here or there, let it go and get right back on the horse. If you're looking for gifts for family and friends, or even yourself, I'm going suggest buying books - especially from independent presses directly, or independent bookstores. Not only will you get some arguably better books that you can't find in many bookstores, but you'll be helping these independent presses continue to bring you great books. Presses like YardDog Press, Dark Star Books, Subterranean Press, Zumaya Books, Sam's Dot Press, and so many others. That's not to say you shouldn't buy books from the major retailers, they need support as well. Just keep an open mind. Why should you do this? One, writers need to keep reading. And two, writers need to have publishing houses open in order to submit to them. The only way publishers keep publishing is if people buy the books. So this is your holiday exhoratation - keep writing, and buy more books.
|
|
|
Written by Rhonda
|
|
Wednesday, 09 December 2009 03:39 |
|
'Tis the season for giving gifts - gifts of all kinds. Sometimes writers even give away stories for during this time of the year. This brings me to this week's topic, Giving It Away. Among some writers and publishers there are discussions about the value of giving your work away for free. Many point to Yog's Law (Money Flows Toward The Writer) as a reason to not give anything away. Others claim, "Exposure is something you die from." Am I one of those writers? Sometimes. There are circumstances where absolutely not, your writing should be paid for - period, end of statement. This is usually when dealing with Vanity and Subsidy Publishers who not only don't want to pay their writers for their work, but think it's perfectly fine for the writer to pay them. That's wrong. End of statement. But there are also times when I BELIEVE it's perfectly acceptable to give your work away. When do I think it's okay to give away your writing? - Charity Events -- If there's an anthology or a special themed magazine or even an auction where the proceeds are going to a cause you feel passionately about? Then by all means, donate your work.
- Convention Program Books -- Many conventions ask their writer and artist guests to donate a piece to go into their program books. Do it! Especially if you're a newer writer. Why? One - it gives you an automatic readership. Two - you can be like me and end up having a story share a table of contents with Larry Niven and Elizabeth Moon. Three - Good Will. If you participate in the program book, and don't make it seem like the convention is ripping you off, then you're more likely to be asked back to said convention. Four - new readers and something to autograph. If you're a new author, this is a great way to something in the hands of people who've never read you before and to give you something else to sign at the autographings.
- Holiday Gifts - If you're strapped for cash, what better gift can you give than a story? Already established? Put a holiday story or some other story up on your website as a blanket gift to your fans. Again, it comes down to garnering good will.
- Marketing -- this is probably the most controversial. There is a line of thought that says, "You get what you pay for", so people tend to feel something "Free" is almost the same as "Not Good". That's not necessarily the case. Sometimes, it's more like being a drug dealer - give them the first taste for free, after that, they'll buy your books. There are a growing number of authors who're trying this out. I've been one of them, and am about to embark on another marketing experiment that could be great or blow up in my face. We'll see.
Does this mean I think you should drop everything and hit the "For the Love" markets? Absolutely not. That's crazy. We're all out - if we're honest with ourselves - to be the next JK Rowling and Stephanie Meyer. If you're serious about being a writer, start high. Always hit the highest paying, best possible markets for your work first, then work your way down the monetary ladder. But I'm also saying that sometimes, it's okay to give it away - because under the right circumstances, it could launch you into bigger and better things. Just ask Cory Doctrow.
|
|
Writers, Publishing Options, and Vanity Presses |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rhonda
|
|
Monday, 23 November 2009 21:22 |
|
There's a new brouhaha on the publishing playing field. Traditional Publishers embracing Vanity Presses. The first started in October, 2009 when Thomas Nelson created a new "division" called WestBow Press. This didn't cause a major stir because they're Christian publishers and their niche is ...well... a niche. Thomas Nelson is a major player in Christian publishers, but that's a smallish slice of the publishing pie. The much bigger wave is when, in the last week or so, Harlequin Enterprises announced Harlequin Horizons. Both are joint ventures with Author Solutions. Now more established, smarter, and wittier people than me have weighed in on this. I was pleased and amazed by how quickly the Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Mystery Writers of America have weighed in on this. Sanctions have come down against Harlequin, stripping them of their eligibility status for national convention space, and "professional" status for their writers. This is HUGE. HUGE. HUGE. Why? Because now "traditional" and established publishers have decided it's okay to bilk unsuspecting newbie writers out of what little money they have and call it a Changing Business Model. Rachel Caine has a great blog post on Michael Hyatt's position. Both Thomas Nelson and Harlequin Horizons are equating "Self-Publishing" with "Vanity Publishing". Both Thomas Nelson and Harlequin Horizons are partnering in "Vanity Publishing" in all its deceptive glory covered in Fine Print. They say, like all vanity presses, that your book will be "exposed" to the major booksellers. That means it'll be in Ingram's catalog. It'll be available online. It'll be in the trunk of your car. It will not be in Barnes and Noble or Borders - why? Because as much as Michael Hyatt says: Having said that, readers don’t care about the publisher as much as authors and agents do. I have argued this repeatedly on this blog. Several readers always feel duty-bound to tell me how much the imprint name matters to them. I am not arguing that it is not important to some. You can always find an exception. I am just saying these readers represent a very, very small minority. The one point that this does not take into account? Readers don't determine what's in a book store - Bookstore Chain Buyers Do!!!! They also have a database that tracks sales that other publishers look at. If your WestBow or Harlequin Horizons book manages somehow (miraculously) to get into a major bookstore, and you sell a couple dozen - that translates poorly in the database. The bookstores won't order more, and other publishers will see that and your chances of getting picked up by another publisher plummets. Writing and publishing is hard enough now - even with all the new technologies and options - to navigate without having publishers who know better embracing scams, and these are Vanity Press Scams. Self-Publishing means You do it all yourself. You find the printer. You set the price. You do the marketing, promotion, etc. YOU KEEP THE PROFITS. Vanity Presses mean you pay them to print your book. You do the work. You do the marketing. THEY TAKE A MAJOR PORTION OF YOUR PROFITS. Do the math. Thomas Nelson and Harlequin want you to make an informed decision. So, do the math. Learn the differences. BE INFORMED. Don't get sucked in to fancy packaging or slick websites. There are reasons why there are "Laws" like "Money Flows To The Writer". Learn the rules before you decide to break them, make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.
|
|
