The self-publishing industry is perhaps one of the most successful industries today that has lifted itself up with it's own might.
Links of the week November 20 2017 (47)
Our new feature links to interesting blogs or articles posted online, which will help keep you up to date with what's going on in the book world:
27 November 2017
The self-publishing industry is perhaps one of the most successful industries today that has lifted itself up with it's own might. It is clearly burgeoning because of the clear advantages it offers. Of course, that doesn't mean self-publishing is everyone's darling as this article proves. That said, self-publishing has managed to surprise us, by its rapid evolution into a self-sustained industry on its own.
20 November 2017
In Betty Kelly Sargent's 30 years as an editor in the traditional book publishing world, she's seen skilled editors transform hundreds of manuscripts from ordinary to extraordinary.
Encouraging you to complete your first draft is just the beginning of what a good editor can do for you. In my 30 years as an editor in the traditional book publishing world, I've seen skilled editors transform hundreds of manuscripts from ordinary to extraordinary. Maybe it is a question of reorganization, or maybe the bad guy just isn't convincing enough, or maybe the title is way off the mark. Incidentally, two of the titles Fitzgerald was considering are Trimalchio in West Egg, and The High-Bouncing Lover. See what I mean about editors and titles?
If you plan to pursue writing as a professional, long-term career, I recommend starting and maintaining an author website even if you're unpublished. Your website serves as an online home and hub for everything that you do, whether in real life or in the digital realm. You fully own and control it, tell your own story, and connect directly with the media, readers or influencers. It's hard to overstate its importance over the long term
Your first attempts at creating an author website probably aren't going to be that great, and that's okay. Plus, it's unlikely you'll get much traffic. Instead, the point is to practice your skills at expressing who you are, and what you do, in a public space. Over time, your ability to do this will improve, assuming you tend to your website periodically and don't abandon it. (And why would you, if you're still writing and publishing?)
If you start the website development process early, before you really "need" a site (before people seek it out), you can enjoy a gentler learning curve, as well as the power of incremental progress. You don't have to launch and perfect everything at once. Start small, and build your skills and presence over time. You want something doable and sustainable-and sustainability is key.
How do romance authors and editors address tricky issues of communication and safer sex without killing the mood?
Writing prompt: Two characters, en route to falling in love, are about to fall into bed together. Make it steamy. Make it satisfying. Oh, but don't forget to have them talk about safe sex and make sure there's affirmative consent. And don't make it weird.
Although romance has been dubbed "porn for women" by critics as diverse as the Family Research Council and the New Yorker, the fact is that the genre was less complicated before things got hot and heavy on the page.
For decades, mainstream romance novels skirted the issue of sex with a suggestive kiss and a fade to black. Then, in 1972, Nancy Coffey, a 25-year-old editor at Avon, published a book that broke down the bedroom door and changed the genre forever.
If you have a message to share, a story to preserve, or you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, there's no better vehicle than a book. While some believe that writing a book is a long, difficult process, reserved for the talented few, I believe anyone who can talk and type can write a book. What's more, you can do it in a year. By following a simple technique, you can get your book written and into the world this year! The powerful method comes from The One Thing, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, and it's called "planning to the now."
What is Planning to the Now?
Planning to the now is a tool for focusing all your efforts toward your ultimate goals and ensuring that you're doing the ONE most important thing right now that ties directly to those big goals. The concept is deceptively simple and incredibly effective. Starting with an audacious Someday Goal, you work back in time to right now, tying each nearer term goal directly to your grand plan.
Using this method you lay out exactly what needs to be true at the 5-year, 1-year, 1-month, and 1-week marks-finally landing on what you need to do today to hit all of your milestones. With each step closer to now, you focus on one, and only one, thing you can do to advance toward your goal.
GREAT HONORS ARE flowing to Ursula K. Le Guin. Last year, the Library of America began a publishing program devoted to her work, a rare achievement for a living writer. The second and third volumes, containing much of her classic early SF, are now out. Her collected shorter fiction has been published in two volumes by Saga Press. In 2014, she received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. This year, once again, she was on the betting list for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Le Guin lives quietly in Portland, Oregon, with her husband of many decades, Charles.
I was very careful in those years not to work to a deadline. I never promised a book - ever. I left myself what leeway I could in what I did when. My actual time to work on my writing was going to be limited to what was left after the needs of my kids. I don't want to be pollyannish, but the fact is both jobs were very rewarding. They were immediately rewarding. I enjoy writing and I enjoyed the kids.