Are you ready? International Freelancers Day starts tomorrow, and runs through Saturday - that's 9/24 and 25.
This online conference is partly run by the authors of The Wealthy Freelancer, a book I reviewed a few months ago. Read review here.
Release Your Writing, Kindle edition
Here's an introductory 90-second video if you're not aware of the conference. It's free and will have loads of video programs non-stop online.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
September: What happened to your summer goals?
September is here and summer is winding down. Have you moved along on your writing goals? Have you had the time you need to follow through?
If not, here's your motivation: GET IT DONE is NAIWE’s 2010 Summer Challenge.
The folks at NAIME, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, offer a challenge to take this summer to learn, grow, and get ready for a busy and successful autumn. There are three parts to the challenge:
1. Read three books that will stretch your mind and inspire your creative spirit.
2. Finish one project that’s been nagging at you for longer than you care to admit.
3. Brainstorm a new project that will bring you an additional stream of income, then take the first step to make it happen.
My goals for the Get It Done challenge are:
1. I'm on book two of the three I committed to reading. The first was The Wealthy Freelancer.
2. After attending a conference in July, I haven't kept my goal of querying one editor each week. I'm back on track now with this.
3. Additional income is easy for any writer with the power of ebooks. I'm issuing a new one in September, and one more by the end of the year. Writing an article for an online marketing is also feasible. It might be an easy goal for you to tackle too. In August, I've had $150 in extra revenue with quick sales to these markets.
If not, here's your motivation: GET IT DONE is NAIWE’s 2010 Summer Challenge.
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| Visit NAIME.com |
The folks at NAIME, National Association of Independent Writers and Editors, offer a challenge to take this summer to learn, grow, and get ready for a busy and successful autumn. There are three parts to the challenge:
1. Read three books that will stretch your mind and inspire your creative spirit.
2. Finish one project that’s been nagging at you for longer than you care to admit.
3. Brainstorm a new project that will bring you an additional stream of income, then take the first step to make it happen.
My goals for the Get It Done challenge are:
1. I'm on book two of the three I committed to reading. The first was The Wealthy Freelancer.
2. After attending a conference in July, I haven't kept my goal of querying one editor each week. I'm back on track now with this.
3. Additional income is easy for any writer with the power of ebooks. I'm issuing a new one in September, and one more by the end of the year. Writing an article for an online marketing is also feasible. It might be an easy goal for you to tackle too. In August, I've had $150 in extra revenue with quick sales to these markets.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Lonely Planet review of the "Eat, Pray, Love" locations
I had the pleasure of seeing the "Eat, Pray, Love" movie with an assignment to then review Lonely Planet's travel guides to the destinations: Italy, India and Bali. The full review is posted on Blogcritics.org.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Cogent POV from Seth Godin
Excerpt from Media Bistro interview 8-25-10
You blog every single day. How do you keep your ideas fresh for your readers?
"I don't buy that the people don't have enough ideas. It is hard for me to imagine how someone can go through the whole day and have talker's block, I have never met anyone who woke up in the morning and had so little to say they were mute until they went to bed that night. People don't get talker's block, so why do we get writer's block? We get writer's block 'cause we are afraid, it's easy to talk because you can deny it later and it disappears, but once you write it down, that's when the fear comes from. That's where you say I don't have any good ideas and all I do is write like I talk. If I have something interesting to say, I say it and then I write it down, it's not that hard. I think that the art here is in chopping down the wall, the barrier between what you want to say and what you are afraid of, and letting people hear your best stuff."
Seth Godin
You blog every single day. How do you keep your ideas fresh for your readers?
"I don't buy that the people don't have enough ideas. It is hard for me to imagine how someone can go through the whole day and have talker's block, I have never met anyone who woke up in the morning and had so little to say they were mute until they went to bed that night. People don't get talker's block, so why do we get writer's block? We get writer's block 'cause we are afraid, it's easy to talk because you can deny it later and it disappears, but once you write it down, that's when the fear comes from. That's where you say I don't have any good ideas and all I do is write like I talk. If I have something interesting to say, I say it and then I write it down, it's not that hard. I think that the art here is in chopping down the wall, the barrier between what you want to say and what you are afraid of, and letting people hear your best stuff."
Seth Godin
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
What it takes to succeed in self-publishing
The Cliff Notes version of an Cathie Beck's articulate blog post about her self-published success story. Read the full post at shewrites.com.
Cathie Beck's take-aways:
Decide what you want. Be specific. (Do you want to sell your book or self-publish for the long haul?)
Take an online book marketing class (I teach one now). Learn what works.
Write a 25-word description of your target market: age, gender, income.
Get in front of every online (and otherwise) audience you know.
Pick a launch date and build a Web site.
Get at least one good review. Use it everywhere.
Have faith and go for it with every ounce of your being.
Well said, Cathie.
Helen Gallagher
Cathie Beck's take-aways:
Decide what you want. Be specific. (Do you want to sell your book or self-publish for the long haul?)
Take an online book marketing class (I teach one now). Learn what works.
Write a 25-word description of your target market: age, gender, income.
Get in front of every online (and otherwise) audience you know.
Pick a launch date and build a Web site.
Get at least one good review. Use it everywhere.
Have faith and go for it with every ounce of your being.
Well said, Cathie.
Helen Gallagher
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
East of Eden Writers Conference: September 24-26, 2010
Oops... The following East of Eden Writers Conference has been cancelled.... Salinas is still worth a visit though, and so is the need for all of us to support our writing groups. Sending good wishes to the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Writers Club.
*******
It's too darn hot this summer. Plan your autumn getaway to Salinas, California for the East of Eden Writers Conference, Sept. 25-26, 2010. If you've never been to Salinas, you;ll see the land loved by the amazing John Steinbeck is alive with his writing.
And the Steinbeck Center is an amazing museum and tribute to this great American writer. Workshop sessions cover fiction, non-fiction, poetry, mystery, and the business of writing. Learn more at http://www.southbaywriters.com/EastofEden2010/workshops.html
Helen Gallagher
Release Your Writing
*******
It's too darn hot this summer. Plan your autumn getaway to Salinas, California for the East of Eden Writers Conference, Sept. 25-26, 2010. If you've never been to Salinas, you;ll see the land loved by the amazing John Steinbeck is alive with his writing.
And the Steinbeck Center is an amazing museum and tribute to this great American writer. Workshop sessions cover fiction, non-fiction, poetry, mystery, and the business of writing. Learn more at http://www.southbaywriters.com/EastofEden2010/workshops.html
Helen Gallagher
Release Your Writing
A question on sending your manuscript to a POD firm
A client posed this question today, and I thought I'd let my email response do double-duty by posting it here:
Yes, it is safe to send them the manuscript before you have a contract. Until the POD firm approves it, they can't offer you a contract. They need to be sure, first of all, that it is not racist or hate literature. And, they have to be sure the document format and layout is something they can work with.
As the publisher, they have a legal obligation to produce quality, so they have to see it before you sign the contract. Nobody in the publishing book business wants to claim ownership of our work. I always say its like a shoe salesman - chances are they don't want to steal your shoes while you're walking around the shop in theirs.
Yes, it is safe to send them the manuscript before you have a contract. Until the POD firm approves it, they can't offer you a contract. They need to be sure, first of all, that it is not racist or hate literature. And, they have to be sure the document format and layout is something they can work with.
As the publisher, they have a legal obligation to produce quality, so they have to see it before you sign the contract. Nobody in the publishing book business wants to claim ownership of our work. I always say its like a shoe salesman - chances are they don't want to steal your shoes while you're walking around the shop in theirs.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Best writing of a bad sentence
A sentence comparing a kiss to the sucking of a very thirsty gerbil has won Seattle-based novelist Molly Ringle the world's worst writing contest. Ringle, who says she only writes bad fiction when she fails at good fiction, took the Bulwer-Lytton prize for the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels yesterday with:
Courtesy: Maggie Ball, CompulsiveReader.com
"For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss – a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil."
Courtesy: Maggie Ball, CompulsiveReader.com
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Got a book in the oven?
You and your colleagues can collaborate on a book project together at Book Oven.
Writers, editors, designers, all can collaborate, even publish right from the site.
The site is fairly new. Here's how it works. I hope you'll let me know if you try it out...
-- As a writer, you either start writing on Book Oven, or upload text of an existing manuscript
-- You either invite collaborators (editors, designers, reviewers, proofreaders), or find them on our site
-- You work with editors/reviewers to improve your text. Your editors can leave annotations in the margins of your text, and if they have the right permissions, they can directly edit the text
-- You can use Bite-Size Edits to proofread/copyedit your text - either by yourself, in a private group, or by opening your project to the world
When you are ready to publish your text, you can generate an .epub ebook file, an html file, or a PDF file
-- Eventually, you'll be able to generate a PDF formatted for print-on-demand
-- Eventually, you'll be able to sell the epub and print-on-demand book in the Book Oven store, and through partner retailers
Writers, editors, designers, all can collaborate, even publish right from the site.
The site is fairly new. Here's how it works. I hope you'll let me know if you try it out...
-- As a writer, you either start writing on Book Oven, or upload text of an existing manuscript
-- You either invite collaborators (editors, designers, reviewers, proofreaders), or find them on our site
-- You work with editors/reviewers to improve your text. Your editors can leave annotations in the margins of your text, and if they have the right permissions, they can directly edit the text
-- You can use Bite-Size Edits to proofread/copyedit your text - either by yourself, in a private group, or by opening your project to the world
When you are ready to publish your text, you can generate an .epub ebook file, an html file, or a PDF file
-- Eventually, you'll be able to generate a PDF formatted for print-on-demand
-- Eventually, you'll be able to sell the epub and print-on-demand book in the Book Oven store, and through partner retailers
Monday, July 12, 2010
Self-publishing increases 188 percent in 2009...
Something to celebrate in this guest post by Stephanie Chandler:
Bowker recently released a new publishing industry report revealing trends in traditional and self-publishing. The report shows that traditional publishers released an estimated 288,355 book titles in 2009, down by 1/2% from 2008. Yet, non-traditional book titles, including print-on-demand and other self-publishing methods, increased a whopping 188% over 2008 with 764,448 new titles released. Yowza!
It is also interesting to note that for the first time ever, over 1,000,000 new book titles were produced in 2009.
What does all of this mean for authors? There is no denying the trend toward self-publishing (or self-publishing assistance by custom publishers). Traditional publishing channels are flat and failed to grow in 2009, which is likely due to the challenged economy.
It is also clear that the competition is increasing. With more than 1 million titles per year vying for the attention (and wallets) of readers, it's more important than ever that authors make sure to produce titles that stand out against the competition. If you self-publish, avoid cutting corners! Make sure your book is edited along with a professional cover design and all the elements one would expect from a traditionally published book.
And keep in mind that author marketing is more important than ever. Keep the wheels in motion and remember that it is a marathon, not a race. Marketing should be a daily activity that authors engage in to stay competitive.
What do you think about all of this?
By Stephanie Chandler, Author, Speaker, CEO of Authority Publishing & BusinessInfoGuide.com, Focus: Internet Marketing, Publishing, Small Biz
Bowker recently released a new publishing industry report revealing trends in traditional and self-publishing. The report shows that traditional publishers released an estimated 288,355 book titles in 2009, down by 1/2% from 2008. Yet, non-traditional book titles, including print-on-demand and other self-publishing methods, increased a whopping 188% over 2008 with 764,448 new titles released. Yowza!
It is also interesting to note that for the first time ever, over 1,000,000 new book titles were produced in 2009.
What does all of this mean for authors? There is no denying the trend toward self-publishing (or self-publishing assistance by custom publishers). Traditional publishing channels are flat and failed to grow in 2009, which is likely due to the challenged economy.
It is also clear that the competition is increasing. With more than 1 million titles per year vying for the attention (and wallets) of readers, it's more important than ever that authors make sure to produce titles that stand out against the competition. If you self-publish, avoid cutting corners! Make sure your book is edited along with a professional cover design and all the elements one would expect from a traditionally published book.
And keep in mind that author marketing is more important than ever. Keep the wheels in motion and remember that it is a marathon, not a race. Marketing should be a daily activity that authors engage in to stay competitive.
What do you think about all of this?
By Stephanie Chandler, Author, Speaker, CEO of Authority Publishing & BusinessInfoGuide.com, Focus: Internet Marketing, Publishing, Small Biz
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Ebooks: Don't Overlook the $ales Potential
If you use traditional publishing or print-on-demand, the publisher can convert your book into an ebook, and Smashwords.com can convert it to all the formats needed for ebook readers, iphones, and the next new thing that comes along. And, did you know, you earn higher royalties on ebooks? Since they cost almost nothing to produce and place into the sales channel, you can earn up to 70 percent per book, like I do on my Release Your Writing ebook.
Need more incentive:
The Hachette Book Group, states that James Patterson's novels have now moved 1.14 million copies in electronic form, making him the first author to sell over 1 million e-copies of his books.
Need more incentive:
The Hachette Book Group, states that James Patterson's novels have now moved 1.14 million copies in electronic form, making him the first author to sell over 1 million e-copies of his books.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Guest post guidelines
If you're interested in sharing a guest post at Release Your Writing, here are our easy guidelines:
1. entry should be between 200 and 400 words.
2. photo of guest author is permitted
3. topic should be relevant to writing: wanting to be a writer, how blogs make writing easier, the dream of writing a best-seller, etc.
The entry should be sent to me for approval and posting. If it all looks good, it will be posted immediately and kept on the site at least one-year.
Thanks for your interest in Release Your Writing.
1. entry should be between 200 and 400 words.
2. photo of guest author is permitted
3. topic should be relevant to writing: wanting to be a writer, how blogs make writing easier, the dream of writing a best-seller, etc.
The entry should be sent to me for approval and posting. If it all looks good, it will be posted immediately and kept on the site at least one-year.
Thanks for your interest in Release Your Writing.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Guest post: Blogging tips
The following resources are provided to Release Your Writing by Accredited Online Colleges.com
60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers
This is the first of seven posts. Accredited Online Colleges asked if they could share these with my blog readers. Let me know when you're ready for Post #2...
June 20th, 2010
Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.
Professional
Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.
1. Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.
2. Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.
3. PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.
4. Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.
5. Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.
6. Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.
7. PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.
8. Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.
9. One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.
10. Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.
11. Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now. (Note: Includes Small Presses. HG)
60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers
This is the first of seven posts. Accredited Online Colleges asked if they could share these with my blog readers. Let me know when you're ready for Post #2...
June 20th, 2010
Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient.
Professional
Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines.
1. Litscene: Use this search engine to search through thousands of writers and literary projects, and add your own as well.
2. Thinkers.net: Get a boost in your creativity with some assistance from this site.
3. PoeWar: Whether you need help with your career or your writing, this site is full of great searchable articles.
4. Publisher’s Catalogues: Try out this site to search through the catalogs and names of thousands of publishers.
5. Edit Red: Through this site you can showcase your own work and search through work by others, as well as find helpful FAQ’s on writing.
6. Writersdock: Search through this site for help with your writing, find jobs and join other writers in discussions.
7. PoetrySoup: If you want to find some inspirational poetry, this site is a great resource.
8. Booksie.com: Here, you can search through a wide range of self-published books.
9. One Stop Write Shop: Use this tool to search through the writings of hundreds of other amateur writers.
10. Writer’s Cafe: Check out this online writer’s forum to find and share creative works.
11. Literary Marketplace: Need to know something about the publishing industry? Use this search tool to find the information you need now. (Note: Includes Small Presses. HG)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Book Review: "Writers and Their Notebooks" edited by Diana M. Raab
A collection of essays by writers about their notebooks and journals. Perfect for summer reading (and writing)...
The overall emotion in this collection is a love of writing, and a celebration of notebooks and journals as the place to embrace our beloved art. Most of the essays include a sentimental regard for the many years of notebooks the writers have amassed, a memory of their first journal, and the value of old journals for recalling experiences and details from the past. More often than not, these details work their way into new writing. Author Katherine Towler notes, “My years as a journal writer were essential to the work I am doing now, and to the work still to come.”
In Writers and Their Notebooks, Raab describes words on the pages of a journal as “the music and voice of one’s true emotions. Whether the writer is expressing deeply held beliefs, recording snippets of overheard dialog, making observations, listing ideas for future projects, or copying a favorite poem, the notebook should be a vital part of the creative tool kit.”
There is the rare reference to blogs as “simultaneously a diary and a piece of performance art,” and the need for the computer when “what’s waiting is not a thread but a flood. The pocket notebook is for the hint, the computer for the deluge.” Rare is the lucky writer who is so inspired by the notebook that it must pour forth as fast as one can type, “the resonant data impinging deliciously on the mind,” as poet Kim Stafford discovers.
Read full review here.
First published as: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-writers-and-their-notebooks/
The overall emotion in this collection is a love of writing, and a celebration of notebooks and journals as the place to embrace our beloved art. Most of the essays include a sentimental regard for the many years of notebooks the writers have amassed, a memory of their first journal, and the value of old journals for recalling experiences and details from the past. More often than not, these details work their way into new writing. Author Katherine Towler notes, “My years as a journal writer were essential to the work I am doing now, and to the work still to come.”
In Writers and Their Notebooks, Raab describes words on the pages of a journal as “the music and voice of one’s true emotions. Whether the writer is expressing deeply held beliefs, recording snippets of overheard dialog, making observations, listing ideas for future projects, or copying a favorite poem, the notebook should be a vital part of the creative tool kit.”
There is the rare reference to blogs as “simultaneously a diary and a piece of performance art,” and the need for the computer when “what’s waiting is not a thread but a flood. The pocket notebook is for the hint, the computer for the deluge.” Rare is the lucky writer who is so inspired by the notebook that it must pour forth as fast as one can type, “the resonant data impinging deliciously on the mind,” as poet Kim Stafford discovers.
Read full review here.
First published as: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-writers-and-their-notebooks/
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