ISBN now available in singles

If you're publishing a book, you need an International Standard Book Number (ISBN.)
As I mention in Release Your Writing, they are available through R.R. Bowker Company, and must be issued in the name of the publisher. So, if you publish through a print-on-demand firm, the ISBN is in the firm's name. If you want to own the number, you would have to purchase a minimum of ten ISBN's at a cost about $245 plus $30 registration fee plus $25 per barcode or a total investment of $525

Now, I've learned RJ Communications has become an authorized agent for R.R. Bowker and is selling single ISBN's at about $125. In fact, his site shows a December special for $99.

If you are issuing only one book and really want the ISBN in your name, look into it and review the application at this site, rjcom.com

If you are more likely to stay with print-on-demand, or are publishing multiple book formats, such as: hardcover, trade paperback, ebook, audio book, etc., you might be happy to purchase the ten-pack.

Several people have asked about upcoming workshops and events. The full list is posted at my site, www.releaseyourwriting.com, and at booktour.com

For your easy reference, here is info on the first two workshops of 2008:

JAN. 28, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

MT. PROSPECT PUBLIC LIBRARY

Description: Aspiring writers will learn the ins and outs of publishing in the 21st century during this workshop led by author Helen Gallagher. Gallagher, author of Release Your Writing: Publishing Your Way, will discuss the pros and cons of working with an agent, options for publishing written works yourself, how to cope with new technologies, ways to effectively market a book, and more.
Location: Meeting Room A (room 154)
Contact: Linda Burns
Contact Number: 847-253-5675

Cable TV interview for the library program: http://www.mppl.org/about/librarylife_76.html
(Click on Clip One only.)

FEB. 6, 2008, 7:00 p.m.

AUTHOR TO SPEAK ON HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK
Wilmette, IL (December 5, 2007) -- The February meeting of the Midwest Writers Association is open to the public to hear Helen Gallagher’s presentation, “Your book is being published: Now what?” Gallagher, a freelance writer, technology expert and author of Release Your Writing: Book Publishing Your Way, will discuss ways to market a book through bookstores and other retail outlets, book clubs, online resources, and other strategies. February 6, 7:00 p.m., at the Wilmette Public Library Auditorium, 1242 Wilmette Avenue, Wilmette, IL. Admission is $5.00. If planning to attend, please inform Jim O’Connor, 847-615-5462, jimo@oconnorpr.com.

E. L. Doctorow

In one brief phrase, E.L. Doctorow says all we need to know to finish writing a book:

"... there is no way out except through that last sentence."


source: Creationists, E.L. Doctorow, Random House

Tech Toys for Writers

Over at the Writer's Digest Writer's Perspective blog, there is interest in holiday gift ideas for writers. Here's a list of more tech gifts for writers adapted from a recent presentation I gave in Spokane.

http://www.cclarity.com/techtoys.html

I'm about to post an entry today about Amazon's Kindle E-Book reader today, so check back here later today for that too.

Helen Gallagher

Author, Author, where is your web site?

If you are working on a book, don't wait until its finished to build your web site. Once your book launches, you'll find yourself busy with hundreds of other things, and a publicity campaign is much easier if the web site is already in place.

As I've helped people with this task, I've noticed they gain clarity about the book, and about how to focus or pitch the book by having a web site. It forces you to make a nice, concise statement about the book, to capture attention. And that will later become the theme for your entire book campaign.

So don't wait - choose a domain name for yourself or the book's title, as I did with Release Your Writing (www.releaseyourwriting.com) and begin letting your site reveal the focus of your book. You'll also have a place there to list upcoming events and let people know how to purchase, but you might enjoy it as a visual representation of what you know is soon to come: your book.

Helen Gallagher

Book store loyalty works both ways

During a book signing event Monday, the store owner was pleased to hear me speak about book store loyalty.
We can't just ask a store to carry our books. We also have to support the store. They are a presence in our communities, they foster literacy, provide jobs, pay taxes, and we need to be there for them.

So, attend events at local book shops, buy from independent stores more than you do online retailers, bring them fresh ideas for book signing events and partnerships with other local organizations.

My sister has a small book shop on the Oregon coast. She recently had a customer in the shop from Minnesota, attending a 2-day workshop on book collecting. He spotted one of her beautiful art books, Splendid Pages, price $65.

As she relates the story, "He had his back to me then I noticed him with pen in hand but decided not to get upset about that, though it is becoming a pet peeve when people reference buying books elsewhere to save money. So he hands me $2 and says nicely that he knows it's hard to be an independent bookseller and the $2 is a 'discovery fee' and that he had a shop in St. Paul that he uses. I said I would accept and am glad he understands the challenges to booksellers, etc. I also said that's why I ship books all over the country at no charge. He paused and said "...oh you ship for free?....well then I'll take it".

Say "No" and walk away

Every writer wants to gain exposure and selling articles is a great way to validate our work. But don't sell out, and don't agree to post your work on web sites without retaining your rights.

Here's a brief excerpt of the actual contract underlying one of the many 'content sites' that urge writers to submit article for distribution on the web. This example is a company that pays you money! Yes, folks, that's right! They will pay you for your article, but .... they pay $1.50 for every one thousand page views, or clicks on your article. Not even enough to buy a magazine!

What's worse, the firm's contract states:

"Content Producer hereby irrevocably (i) grants to Company a worldwide, perpetual, fully-paid up, royalty-free, transferable right and license, with right to sublicense, to reproduce, publicly display, distribute, and perform, transmit, edit, modify, create derivatives works of, publish, sell, exploit, use, and dispose of such Work for any purpose and in all forms and all media whether now known or to become known in the future, the right to retain all revenue and income derived therefrom, and any and all other related rights of whatever kind or nature --- "

I think I've made my point. Contact me if you have any questions.

Guess the profession...

From this description, try to guess the person's profession:

"... [His] ideas come from everywhere. He keeps a file bulging with magazine and newspaper clippings, takes research trips abroad, and never travels without a pencil and notebook."


Did you guess "Writer?"

I sure did. My first thought was someone immersed in the lovely art of research, or perhaps a travel writer.

Well, just to show you that inspiration comes from everywhere, and we should always be on the alert for new ideas, it turns out the quote, in Saveur Magazine, refers to Chicago restaurateur Rich Melman, head of the Lettuce Entertain You enterprise.

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month

Tomorrow, November 1st, is the kick-off for NaNoWriMo, where dedicated, adventurous writers sign up and pledge to kick-start their writing, or finish a project, by committing to writing every day in November, to complete 50,000 words by the end of the month. It can be a fresh start on a new novel, or a way to test your stamina and ability to commit to time at the keyboard. (And, it needn't be a novel - you can write anything).

Either way, you'll have something to show for it at the end of the month. There's no cost, no commitment, except to yourself, and no shame if you come up short with only 48,329 words on November 30th.

It's easier than you think to get started. Give it a try here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Organizing your notes for writing

Wonderful travel writer Frank Bures has an interesting interview with George Saunders, author of "The Braindead Megaphone" in World Hum, 10.05.07 that includes this passage:

"What’s it like when you come back from a trip and sort through your material?

It goes like this: Type up every scrap of notes, transcribe every tape. Start sifting through all of that 100-odd single-spaced pages of mess, to try and find some critical incidents you know you’re going to use. This is the hard part—since nothing is polished yet, nothing seems like it will make good writing, ever. When you’ve finally revised these incidents or vignettes, and put them in some kind of order, suddenly there actually is a story there."

Feel better now? All writers go through the moments of mental clutter when nothing seems right, and then somehow our marvelous brain knows how to sort the threads and ideas into something we can work with. Don't get discouraged if you sit down to write and don't know where it's going. You're moving forward. That's what counts - that's where the action is.

Supporting other writers

I join many writing organizations, to show support for the groups that support us in our efforts. Writing is a pretty solitary business, but when you pay attention, you find hundreds of organizations and associations that offer benefits and opportunities for dialog among writers.

Today, I joined the Freelancer's Union - to add strength to their numbers. Much to my surprise, when I completed my profile, I turned up on their home page! Sure shows they know how to offer support. I'll keep you posted of their efforts, and invite you to join as well, at freelancersunion.org.

Title research

At a recent workshop, I asked the participants to give me the title of their book. Some, even though they were working hard on their book, had not yet come up with a title. My advice, for brainstorming titles, is to look at books similar to yours, and search for titles similar to what you have in mind.

Among the many ways to do title research, consider worldcat.org, the world's largest library catalog. Of course you'll also punch your topic or title into Amazon and Google to see if you're in good company.

Since no one can copyright a title, there's nothing stopping you from using a book title that's already in print, but consider the need to differentiate yourself, so you're not just leading people toward another person's book.

When you do a search on Amazon or Google, your goal is not to find half a million similar terms, but to see how unique your name is. My first book Computer Ease, was a tough search because there are so many terms and titles beginning with the word "computer." I got lucky, though, with Release Your Writing, because it's the first book to show up when someone types the name in at Amazon, even if they type it without quote marks. And, at least for the time being, it comes out on top at Google too, even though there are 95,700,000 references to "release" and "writing." But the three words together make my site rise to the top.

So in considering your book's title, do your research.

Floundering? Full of Doubt? ...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by 

the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

--- Mark Twain

Writer's DreamKit

What a great name for a product !!
Many of us have seen ads for years for Dramatica Pro, software to help novelists and screenwriters to plod along on plot.

But, if that's more than you want, and yet a spiral notebook or a laptop isn't enough to get your story written, they also have a smaller product called Writer's DreamKit. At a cost of $59 for a Windows or Mac version, it might be just the thing to help you with step-by-step techniques for writing fiction. DramaticaPro includes many more features, but retails at $269.

I haven't tried either product, since I write non-fiction, but I've seen ads for Dramatica in Writer's Digest for years.

Here is an unattributed endorsement of Writer's DreamKit:

"What I came to discover that night is that Writer's DreamKit did not write the story for me, what it did do was make me work at telling a story I had no idea how to tell."

Sounds promising...