THE PAPERBACK BOOK LIVES!

One of the key components being a successful writer is being in the community of writers and readers so last week I attended the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and what a grand event it was, thousands of people, music, food and literary workshops made up the landscape on the campus grounds of USC.

I attended the workshop “Non-Fiction, Sounds and Visions” and I am so happy I went, there was a publisher from Brooklyn, and he gave me so much hope. There was much conversation about how the Internet has changed the entire publishing industry. There is good, or great news for self-publishing authors.

The old boy network is gone, and a lot of New York traditional publishing houses are suffering. Well known best-selling authors are now self-publishing because they want to maintain total control over their projects, and keep ALL the profits from the book.

It was music to my ears, in the world of traditional publishing, armed with many rejection letters the author was made to feel like a second class citizen in the publishing industry. It’s hard to get a literary agent, and the chances that you can get your book in the chain book stores are slim to none. After all the big publishing houses have to have the edge, right?  Wrong, NOT ANYMORE!!  Yeah, we have power! The field is wide open and all it takes is good solid writing, and a business plan better known as a book synopsis.

In the world of e-books, I concede that they have sold gazillions on the Internet, I’ve even bought a few, but nothing, can take the place of the paperback book. You know the kind, you hold in your hands, and turn the corner of the page down, the kind that you highlight and mark in, the books in your bookshelves or your nightstand, that product is not going anywhere. 

So my fellow Writers, keep writing and use as many avenues as you can to get the written word out, such as blogs, and there are tons of websites, online magazines and newsletters that are always looking for content.  Find the ones that fit your genre because this is a great way to build a presence on the Internet.  Besides, somebody needs to read your words and it’s not helping anyone as long as it’s in the notebook or your computer. 

For those of you in the Los Angeles area, we are starting another creative writing workshop in June, and the goal of the workshop is to produce an anthology of the work that is created in the workshop, thus you become a published author!! More info will follow and I invite you to follow me on www.reflectionsph.blogspot.com

 Debbie Bellis, Publisher/Writers Coach

NEW TRENDS IN SELF PUBLISHING

I recently attended a workshop with the Independent Writers of Southern California and the topic was Current Trends in Self Publishing. It was quite interesting. There is great news, this is the best time for authors, because self publishing is starting to stand out like mainstream publishing.

Authors are putting out quality material that is packaged much as the same as traditional publishing. As a matter of fact, some of the surviving traditional publishers now have self publishing companies. Traditional publisher Random House is the parent company of Author House, and now Penguin Books is merging with Random House and the list goes on, and in case you didn't know, Createspace is the publishing company owned by amazon.com.

There is a new kid in town, the old boy network is fading fast, Authors are become business savvy, more creative, and knowledgeable about the many options that are available, that's the key, in order to move your work, you must become a salesperson of your own product.

Writers are creative, we don't want to think about selling, we want to romance our work, writing the story as it unfolds and dream about it becoming the next million dollar best seller. How do you do that? According to the information in the workshop, it's all about social media, build a buzz and a platform. This is the most cost effective way to build interests in your book which equates to book sales.

How do you do it you may ask, here is one answer:
Find one segment or chapter of your book and hone in on it. Find something that is related to something that is going on right now in the world. Create a character or a question, then answer it. Example:
One of my authors wrote a children's book on safety, it was geared to the age group of 3-7. All about safety tips inside the home and in the community. She illustrated items under the kitchen sink, cleansers, disinfectants, etc, and she showed how these things are off limits to the child. She created herself as a character named "Safety Mom" she called the local library, fire department and parks, and asked to bring in a presentation for young children on safety tips. She made an apron, and glued a lot of items that are off limits for children, and began to teach the children what not to touch in the home. She sold a lot of books, and spoke at many of her communities events.

As a author or writer, even if you haven't finished your writing, you must begin to build a platform. who is going to read your work? What questions does the book answer? Readers want a character or subject that they can relate to. Your readers invest with their time and money in a character, your character or subject can be a series. Once you build a buzz about the material, readers want more, thus developing a following.

Your platform must match your book, the stand alone subject is dead, you must find something to hone in on and work. Know your audience, and being part of the literary community is key.

Community book stores will survive, they all have co signment agreements for self published authors, and will take a few copies of your book and for a large percentage of the sale display your book in their bookstore.

Last but not least, social media is key, create a blog, and try to update often(something I am to busy to do) but I'm committed to making small entries, just to stay current. Create a fan page on facebook. Our fan page is Reflections Publishing House and you will find a literary community of online writers and highlights of what we are doing. The key is to communicate with the readers, offer tips for writers, and share the journey. You must have your work in as many venues as possible. www.selfgrowth.com is a great site to build a free website, and write articles which will give you a presence on the web, a must as you create the business side of your writing project.

Work the blog community, become friends with well known bloggers and have links to other blogs on your blog. It's the creative vs business hats that you must wear, even while you are still writing. YouTube is a sure way to get out in front of the public.

Let's start a dialogue, post your questions and comments and become part of the literary community.