Looking for Publishing Advice? Why Offline May be Better.

On the internet, there is no shortage of publishing advice. You can often find this advice from people who work in the publishing industry (authors, agents, publishers) as well as from people who don’t (fans, readers, reviewers and some marketers or booksellers). While I do sometimes give publishing advice, I try to put that advice into context based on my experiences because when it comes to this industry – I believe that everyone’s experiences may be different.

Regardless of how the advice is given, there is often a reason why the advice is being offered in the first place. Many people try to establish themselves as an “expert” for some reason or another; others, like in my case, provide advice to either “pay it forward” or to help their blog readers get to know them. Regardless of the reason why the advice is being offered, the content of that article or blog post may (or may not) be accurate. By “accurate” I mean that the advice could be outdated, colored by personal experience or stretched a bit for some reason or another. That’s not to say that “all” advice is bad; nor am I saying that people knowingly give crappy advice. In many ways, people provide advice as a means of helping themselves reach their goal just like you are reading the advice to (hopefully) reach yours.

As I mentioned earlier, my goal for providing advice to you – my readers – is to help you think critically about your choices. I don’t expect you to take every word I say verbatim, nor do I believe that you’ll agree with everything I say. It may “seem” otherwise (especially when I’ve had too much caffeine) but I really and truly believe that everyone has their own path.

However, no matter how much advice you read online there is one thing that you’re missing – and that is the 100s of conversations that happen offline. Those are the conversations that, if you’re interested in writing within the publishing industry, you need to be involved with, listen to and watch for. Why? Well, just like you have an online reputation to manage, foster and protect – so does everyone else. As a result, there is a lot about the publishing industry that is not revealed on the internet. From the inside skinny on what publishers are really looking for to understanding which agents not to query, there are a lot of business-facing conversations that happen offline.

I’m sure by now you’re wondering how these offline conversations happen. Well? I can tell you that those conversations don’t happen overnight because often they require a level of trust after you’ve developed a rapport with other people in the industry. While that trust does not come easily, the publishing industry is really no different from any other business. In order to be a part of it, you need to network and approach it like a business (Which means keep writing!). Where can you meet people in publishing? Book clubs, conventions, author signings and critique groups in your area might be a few places to start.

Regardless of where you get your information, I strongly encourage you to take all advice with a grain of salt and be sure to follow up and research thoroughly.

July 27, 2009
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Write First, Sell Later

Before I ever started working in online marketing, I was a writer. I’ve always been surrounded by words and music, so the creative side to me has always been there. The thing of it is, I didn’t realize that writing professionally meant thinking of it as a “job” until much later — even though I did go to school “to be a writer.” So, there’s a voice in my head that is always trying to figure out what market a short story I’m writing may fit into or whether or not I’ll reach the “right” agent for “Argentum.” While this is a necessary process for an professional to go through, no amount of researching, marketing or selling your work can replace your polished words on the page. In other words, unless you’re writing a pitch, don’t worry about selling a story until it’s finished.

If you follow my blog, you know that Argentum will be my first, full-length novel but not my first published work by any means. Many of my fellow authors have reminded me that I should focus on polishing a finished novel instead of worrying whether or not it will sell in the past, few months. Admittedly, it’s taken a while to sink in this time. Why? Even though I absolutely love to write fiction, it doesn’t pay my bills or keep a roof over my head. I am not a full-time novelist, so my perspectives may be different than someone who writes books for a living. At the heart of my issue, is a question: Am I wasting my professional time by writing a novel that may (or may not) be sold?

That question is part of the reason why I am so concerned about selling my work, because I have to make do with the time I have available to me. Writing a full-length novel that may (or may not) get sold does take a considerable amount of time and energy. In other words, that’s time I could be spending writing for projects that I know have a better chance of getting published. Do I feel the experience is worth it? Absolutely. Would I change my decision? No way! Still, I’ve realized that by worrying about the novel’s “possibilities” I’ve actually wasted more time because I wasn’t spending my time working on the novel.

My story may not be your story, but I believe that the moral of it is still the same. Just like I can’t sell a novel I haven’t finished revising yet, don’t try to sell a story you haven’t written or worse — in your excitement try to oversell your work by declaring how “good” of a writer you are. (Believe me, that will only earn you an eye roll rather than a contract.)

My advice for today is this: please remember to finish and polish whatever you’re working on before you try to sell it. You’ll end up looking less like an amateur and more like a professional.

July 22, 2009
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Special Thanks to Author Paul Genesse

One of the things I love about being a writer, is the ability to connect with other authors and professionals I admire. Usually I go to quite a few conventions every year, and in about a month I’ll be speaking at the Writer’s Symposium as part of GenCon: Indy 2009. I’m very grateful to Jean Rabe for allowing me to sit on these panels. Additionally, I’m also very thankful for my developing friendship with author, Paul Genesse who runs the Writer’s Symposium e-zine. In Issue No. 7 of the Writer’s Symposium E-Zine, he had chosen to feature me as an author.

Needless to say, I was thrilled and delighted at the opportunity. I’d like to return the favor by offering a plug for his new book called “The Dragon Hunters.” Be sure to watch the book trailer below for a short synopsis of what his novel is about. For more about Paul and his books, visit his website at: www.paulgenesse.com. Happy reading!

July 10, 2009
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My Stance on Writing for Free

There have been a lot of discussions about “free” lately, so I’d like to weigh in with some thoughts on the subject.

Most publishers within the book publishing industry are currently based on a business model that does not pay authors an annual salary to write an unlimited number of books. Typically, authors sign a contract that spells out how much they’ll make and what their rights (in terms of copyrights) are. Translation? Authors make a living based on the contract with the publisher, and the publisher stays in business by selling their books. The more books the publisher sells? The more likely the author will get picked up for another book or a series.

Now, ask me again what I think about writing for free.
Read More…

July 9, 2009
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Promote Your Work with a Book Trailer

Hi, everyone. If you’ve been following my quest to learn how to create videos, you probably remember seeing my book trailer for Argentum. Well, I did another one recently. This time, I put together a fantasy book trailer for The Dragon Hunters by author Paul Genesse.

After working with Windows Movie Maker and a site that provides royalty-free images located at either http://www.istockphoto.com or http://www.sxc.hu, I used photo manipulation software to make the images the right size. (For these trailers, you can do an 800 x 600 pixel canvas.) From there, I ensured I had permission to use the music for the book trailer. You can also find royalty-free music online or you can use what are known as public domain songs as well. For more about the free video software, you can watch and learn how to use Windows Movie Maker online.

Below is my latest trailer. This time, I decided to keep it short and go with an “impression” style theme, where color was a focal point. This trailer is a bit different from the other two, because it doesn’t tell a story. It’s more of an “ad.” In my opinion, the book trailers I’ve liked the best have been short — especially if there isn’t any action in the vid. It is very hard to keep up the pace for five minutes or more if you have nothing but still frames appearing in your trailer.

Video can sometimes work great to promote your book, simply because it alludes to a mood rather than cover the entire back blurb. However, there is more than one way to put together a book trailer. This is just the start for me, and I’m finding I enjoy storyboarding and playing around with film.

Check out the book trailers I linked to above, or view this one for a horror anthology dubbed, “Buried Tales of Pinebox, Texas.” Thanks for sticking with my blog, and I hope you share a link to your trailer, too!

July 9, 2009
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