Book Country: Penguin's author site and print-on-demand

Penguin Group USA is launching a site for fiction writers - for posting work-in-progress, getting critiqued, even getting published.

Later this summer the site will generate revenue by allowing users to self-publish their books for a fee by ordering printed copies. (The books will bear the stamp of Book Country, not Penguin, and the site is considered a separate operation from Penguin.)

The site will also explain the business of finding an agent, marketing and promoting a book, using social media and handling digital and subsidiary rights. Penguin hopes the site will attract agents, editors and publishers scouting for new talent, and allow writers to produce work with more polish and direction than they could otherwise.

More melting and morphing of the industry into a model that is accessible to all authors, not just the top tier.

Keep an eye on Book Country, and read Release Your Writing: Book Publishing Your Way if you need to gain clarity on your publishing and marketing options.

Another great blog sample

At a lively workshop at the Des Plaines Public Library last night, I used "Julie & Julia" as an example of what can happen if a writer is motivated to start a blog.  The Adult Service Librarian, Christine Posinger, shared another great example of a blog:
The Pioneer Woman.

Take a look at the blog to see a perfect example of focus, great use of photos, the author's consistent "voice," and the wonderful platform created by a blog, links to her books, links to her Facebook and Twitter pages, and audio. It's a great example. If you're wondering where to start, the easiest way is... just start.

Go to blogger.com or wordpress.com and sign up for the free blog. Blogger is easier to use, but Wordpress has cooler designs and features.

"How to Write a Book Proposal," by Michael Larsen: My review on Seattle PI

Writer's Support Group in Lake Zurich

While presenting a publishing workshop this morning at the ELA Public Library in Lake Zurich, I learned they have a Writer's Support Group that meets monthly, at 9:30 a.m. and at 6:30 p.m.

Full details are here on their monthly calendar. Their next meetings are on May 9th. If you're in the area, its a great opportunity for networking or to discuss your work-in-progress.

Why authors need a sense of humor

The Onion, America's best satirical journal, has a funny article on the exaggerated realities of author book signings:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/author-promoting-book-gives-it-her-all-whether-its,19985/

My upcoming events are at Book Tour.com -- I'll save you a seat ....

Cheers,
Helen Gallagher

Self-Publishers Online Conference May 10-12, 2011

http://www.selfpublishersonlineconference.com/If you've never participated a virtual conference, this is the one to attend.

The conference includes 16 experts, Q & A sessions and a virtual exhibit hall. If you need marketing and promotion expertise, for your current or future books, this is the place to be. See full agenda here. Conference dates are May 10-12, 2011, and you can attend by computer from the comfort of your own home.

I'm able to offer you the link to register at a discount. Ready to sign up?
When the registration form asks for a Coupon Code, use  Helen11  to receive a ten-percent discount.

NOTE: Early-bird pricing ends April 15th.

Favorite quotes for today

Two very different quotes are making me happy today:

"We are what we repeatedly do. 

Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." 

 Aristotle   

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice Doggie' until you can find a rock."

Will Rogers  

Timely quote

I love the imagery in this quote from Geoffrey Nunberg in the New York Times Book Review section on March 20, 2011 about the enormity of data in our world today. He is speaking of the proliferation of information and internet chatter that has removed writing and reading from a solitary pursuit to a community activity.

"It's as if we've torn down the walls of the library, and now the

reading room is full of street people."

I picture the area around the New York Public Library  suddenly becoming the basis for all the chatter and cross-talk taking the place of lovely books. On my first visit to that venerable institution, I enjoyed the beauty of the reading room, years before technology overtook quiet. Not finding a single book available for browsing, I asked the desk attendant, and was told "If you want a book, fill out this slip to ask for it and wait while someone brings it to you."  Growing up in Chicago where I could browse the library from the age of 5, and take home as many books as I wished, the New York experience left a mark on me. I've been collecting books for my personal library ever since.

Again: Self-publishing trumps traditional...

Jane Friedman at Writer's Digest has a splendid and generous post about people choosing self-publishing instead of a book contract with a traditional publisher.  Read more here.

If you don't have time, return to the post later and learn from the most successful self-publisher I know of: JA Konrath, who says:

A virtual shelf, like Amazon or Smashwords, carries all my titles, all the time. And I don't have to compete with a NYT bestseller who has 400 copies of their latest hit on the shelf, while I only have one copy of mine. We each take up one virtual space per title. … Virtual shelf life is forever. In a bookstore, you have anywhere form a few weeks to a few months to sell your title, and then it gets returned. This is a big waste of money, and no incentive at all for the bookseller to move the book.

Writing with a non de plume: What's in a name?

The folks at Writer's Relief have put together a good article on the pros and cons of writing under an assumed name.
I generally advise against it today, because of the online marketing needed for visibility. It seems doubly complex with needing two email addresses, business cards, a different blog identity,and so on.  Read the full article here.

As the article states:

The minute you decide to take on a nom de plume, be prepared to stick to that name in your correspondence and at writers’ conferences and book signings. You want people to associate that name with you, not give them a slew of different names to remember.

Hint: If you do choose to go with a pen name, choose a name that’s not too generic or linked to someone else. Try an online search of your prospective name to see what comes up.

Thanks to Ronnie at Writer's Relief.

It's award season for books

One of the best ways to create a long-lasting buzz for your book is by winning an award.

One of the first reputaable award campaigns to run in early 2011 and include books published in 2008 through 2011 is the
http://www.indieexcellence.com/

Catholic Writers Conference Online

For the third year in a row, I'm a conference participant at the unique Catholic Writers Conference Online. The event runs from March 21 through 27, 2011. 


The current conference schedule is here, and as a reminder, this conference is open to all, is free, and you participate by online chat, in forums, or via phone.

Take note of the pitch sessions - your chance to pitch live to at least six agents and editors on the schedule.

My topic is "Power Blogging for Writers" on 3/21 at 7 p.m. Central time, but take advantage of the richness of presenters, topics and variety at this free event all week long.

Day 5: Words Matter Challenge: Captivating words

I have a long list of favorite writers, not for their story-telling or engaging commentaries, but for their way with words.
among the best are Nicholas Delbanco and Alain de Botton. These are essayists, who whenever writing, are writing to me, with carefully chosen words, painting pictures. In "The Art of Travel," when de Botton describes gazing up into an apartment in Amsterdam, I'm right beside him as he describes what he sees in the apartment, and whispers how he longs to be up there, in that chair, reading a book, and looking out on the city he's in.

In "Lastingness," when Delbanco teaches me about creativity and graceful aging, he teaches me about life as he tells the story of his experiences in Provence, in Madrid, and back at home reading a pile of favorite books.

Day 4: Words Matter Challenge: Mangled Metaphors

Grammarians must have cringed when author Studs Terkel stated: "Nothing happened nowhere."

As writers, we know what he meant. -- There is always a story to be found, and sometimes the backstory is even more revealing. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, our job is to write the truths that live beneath the surface.

But mangled language can also be great fun:

mangled           words           result in      hurt          feelings       


Can become

Wangled          mords           insult           flirt           healings.


Thanks to Jerry for the creative boost.