Last weekend I spoke to a small writers group about writing and publishing and the following Tuesday I did a library discussion and Q & A. Both groups had lots of the same questions, namely how did I find my agent and publisher, and what is it like to be published. It occurred to me during these two events just how much publishing has changed since I started writing my first book in 1994. For instance:
Back in the day, any literary agent worth having was located in NYC, or in the immediate vicinity of NYC, because that’s where many of the big publishers are located.
Many authors’ dreams of making writing their full time gig. I know I do. To be able to support myself solely through my writing is my ultimate goal. Only I need money to do that. The only way to earn enough money to write full time is to get multiple book contracts, and sell lots [...]
When my first two books were published, I hired a freelance publicist to help me promote them. I spent a few thousand dollars, which is pretty reasonable considering many publicists charge three times that much. She was nice enough and I enjoyed working with her. She was able to get my book featured in several [...]
Many aspiring authors have a lot of preconceived notions about what it’s like to be published. I know I did and boy was I naive. I’ve learned a lot since getting that first deal, most of it was learned the hard way. I thought I’d share the top three things I wish I’d known before [...]
Time to pull those unpublished short stories and manuscripts collecting dust in your desk drawer and submit them for a chance to win. Yes, it’s writing contest and competition season once again!
Last Friday, I was at work emptying out the coffee pot and minding my own business. It was the end of my workday. I was about three minutes away from walking out the door, when a student came charging into the library’s workroom calling my name and scaring me half to death. She told me [...]
One of my goals for 2008 is to explore new promotional avenues. As many author’s can tell you, most publishers don’t do a lot to promote the majority of books they publish. They kind of throw your book at the wall and hope it sticks. So, the brunt of book promotion is up to the [...]
I don’t know if it’s because it’s the end of the year and time to start planning for next year, but I’ve been thinking a lot about my writing career and goals lately. One of my main goals year after year is to be able to support myself solely through my writing. I’ve written three [...]
One of the best things writers can do for themselves is to learn as much as they can about the publishing business. We spend so much time trying to get published we often neglect the business side of publishing and end up learning the hard way that being offered a contract is only one small [...]
As I’m sure most of you have heard by now, Walter Mosley’s latest Easy Rawlins novel, Blonde Faith, will most likely be his last in the series. As an author I can understand reaching a point where you feel a character has no more stories left to tell. But as a reader I’m crushed. No [...]
