- The panel of authors at the James River Writers Show. (Left to right) Julie Geen, me, Deb Dudley, and Meg Medina.
The tables have turned a bit with my writing, and I’ve recently been asked to speak at writing workshops. The first show was at the Roanoke Regional Writing Conference Series (see pics here), talking about taking a blog to book. My second was here in Richmond at the James River Writers Show on a panel about building an author platform. In both cases, I discovered that although I had been asked to come share my expertise since I published my first book, I still have so much to learn.
The publishing industry is changing rapidly, so that the old models about publishing are not the same. It used to be that there was traditional publishing (book deal, advance, royalties) or there was self-publishing. But now… there are more and more groups springing up in between, and so many more options for authors to craft their career path, instead of waiting to be picked up by agents and publishers.
The most important thing I’ve learned from preparing for and doing these talks is that I must continually study the industry. I have to be curious. I have to read–mostly online, because it’s changing too fast to put it into print. I need real-time data. I thought I would share a few tidbits and resources.
Visit AgentQuery.net
The best general info to get the gist on standard things in publishing.
Read Writers Digest and Poets and Writers
Embrace Google and search for:
• Tips for writing conferences
• Developmental editing vs copyediting
• Author Platform
• Author Blogs
• Why authors tweet
• Social media for authors
• Why book trailers
• Createspace versus Lightning source
• Book publishing royalties
• Non-traditional publishers
• (and whatever baffles you about publishing)
So, what does baffle you about the industry?