There’s such a wonderful comment on yesterday’s post that I wanted to bring attention
to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka
Michele Breton)! Follow her on Twitter or visit
her site.





Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform

• Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)
  
  

• Join Twitter (and/or Facebook)
  and make friends with like minded people

• Contribute comment regularly on blogs and sites (like Writer’s
  Digest Poetic Asides prompt challenges)

• Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)
  
  

• Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical
  expertise, through services like Smashwords, Lulu, Scribd)
  
  

• Format for Kindle and release

• Get onto the Barnes Noble Nook
  system

• Ask hubby to turn my book into an iPhone
  application

What other steps would you add, or have you found to be critical?

This is a story about an energetic author who deserves an award for truly living by
the adage, "There Are No Rules." In fact, I shall start an honorable group, "There
Are No Rules Crown Club," for people who live up to this moniker, starting with
Al Katkowski.




Al e-mailed me over the summer and suggested that he might be a valuable speaker at our
annual conference in NYC. I agreed, and he spoke about his success in transforming
his book, Question of the Day (self-published),
into an iPhone App that now ranks as one of the Top 25 book apps and has been downloaded
more than 80,000 times.




I asked him to answer some questions that would give you an idea of how you can accomplish
something like this too. You
might also want to read this other article he penned for Teleread.






So at first you were initially skeptical if turning your book into an iPhone app was
a good use of your time and energy. But ultimately you decided to go for it. What
did that process look like, e.g., how long did it take, what resources did you need,
and how much did it cost?




The process of building the first version of the App occurred over a six-week period.
This was with Daniel, who was simultaneously working a 60-plus hour work week, and
had previously committed to other outside work. It needn’t take that long. The work
came in between $500 and $1,000 total, but there is more work to be done [for another
version].




For authors, I would say keep in mind that the improvements I am about to take on
fall further and further away from the presentation of a book, and don’t necessarily
reflect the amount of work that any author needs to take on. However, your App must
"do tricks." This is iPhone, not Kindle—you’re competing with Tetris for attention.
That’s why I wisely got into the Books category [for iPhone apps], and left Entertainment!






What are some practical steps that an author can take to launch their book as a successful
iPhone App?





We’ve been studying this for a long time, listening to experts in the field and watching
what authors and publishers are bold enough to do, and what they are afraid to do.
I recommend putting out two thirds of your content for free, perhaps more. 





The publishing world is currently focused on how to move into the digital domain while
minimizing the threat of piracy. They do need to be addressing this. So the idea of
increasing the release of free content is, well, freaking them out. Yet, it is exactly
what they need to be dealing with.





Free content is part of the glue of "tribes", as Seth
Godin might say. Understanding the true ratio between free content and paid ensures
a healthy, continuous relationship with customers.





Thinking about preparing for the future when it’s already here is like preparing for
a flood when you’re already drowning. They’re doing too little, and it may already
be too late. They’ve begun to release one free book of an author, or of a series,
to promote interest in the rest. What if you’re a first-time author, with only one
book?




Lite versions of apps fall into a great literary tradition: generating enough interest
to facilitate purchasing the next installment. The classic example is "A Tale Of Two
Cities", which was originally published as part of a literary journal, in installments.
Pick it up and pay attention to the end of each chapter, the way things are summed
up. 





I want to recommend three operable models here for the first time, for fiction writers:

1. Release a lite (free) version chapter by chapter. Every
four to six weeks, update your App with a new chapter. There will be a push notification
through the App Store that your book has added a new chapter; iPhone users love updates
of their favorite Apps. Whether your App was pay or not, updates are always free.




Some people don’t update right away. But you can track the amount of updates on a
daily basis to see how many people are actively keep up with your new additions.




After updating the app to Chapter Seven of your ten-chapter book, that’s it. Game
over. Now, at the same time, release your full pay app version for purchase. They
can pay now. 





2. Release a lite (free) version with somewhere between 60% to 80% of the content.Less
than that may engage them, but that amount will really seal the deal. If they like
what they’ve seen, they will pay for the rest. If you give away too much, they may
pick up your book somewhere and check the last five pages for the ending.





3. Have you begun podcasting? I’ve spoken to best-selling authors whose hands
are tied; they are not permitted by their publishers to put out iPhone versions of
their books. One of these is a very well known podcaster.





You can create first-time integrated experiences for your readers. This author should
have been the first to do this, but instead, it could be you. At the top of the page,
a choice in media:

"Chapter 4: Would you like to read, or would you like to be read to?"

We’ve all had to discontinue reading before we’ve felt like it. In this
format, you could offer your reader the option of plugging their iPhone into the car
stereo and reading to them at the point where they had to stop reading on their own. 

What’s been most surprising about the experience?


That major publishing houses are nowhere near me [in the iPhone app rankings]. One
James Patterson book came close for a while. I’m at number 23 today, he’s at 53. We’re
both free. I’m also surprised by the fact that the other apps that are near me are
compendiums, reading apps, etc … no actual print books.





It surprises me that people are impressed that I got the Apple Store event dates.
Again, is anyone even trying? 





The acceleration of Books within the App Store is surprising and even a little shocking.
When I got in in April, there were 3,000 book apps. Check this out: on September 7,
the books category hit the 10,000 mark. On October 7, it hit 12,000, a full 20% growth
in only one month. That’s staggering, and you can’t tell me that people aren’t paying
attention to the potential of books within the iPhone format.






When you spoke at our conference, you said that you weren’t quite ready to be looking
for an agent on the print edition, even though QotD has been downloaded more than
80,000 times, and currently in the Top 25 out of over 12,000 titles in the Book App
category. What benchmark are you waiting for? OR, are you waiting to be approached?




I walked into the conference thinking that I had something going for myself, but that
there were a lot of people in the business who either think nothing of it, aren’t
aware of it, or don’t understand the value of it. These feelings were confirmed and
magnified at the conference. Several respected industry people told me that I have
a huge platform now. I did, in fact, meet up with an agent who was enthused about
what I’m doing. She sees "huge" potential, and doesn’t think that others in the biz
see it that way. We’ll stay in touch, and that’s a good thing.




Industries won’t change until they see money flowing into someone else’s pockets.
If industries can’t create money flow, they will certainly follow it. They are forcing
me to grow. And that is a good thing.  





The next time I update, it will be like tapping over 80,000 people on the shoulder.
They love their apps. They are going to listen. And here’s the kicker: I asked about
a hundred people to download my app. The rest found me. It’s a marketer’s dream. How
can you not see the value in that?




You’ve had some tremendous success without any mainstream or “traditional” assistance
(or that’s my impression?). What advice do you have for others who may be pursuing
an indie path?




The main thing I had to do was to get right with myself, and my answers are based
on that.





First of all, if you need to write and be read, and selling thousands of books is
not a major concern, don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t serious. 





For the rest of us:





People often do things like self-publishing without fully realizing why they did it.
It serves to make them feel good about themselves, temporarily. It is exactly like
when someone you work with or go to school with loses weight. They needed to do it,
it was a lot of work, they feel a feeling of satisfaction and they get a lot of compliments.
After a while, they don’t get compliments and they still have to give up the Twinkies.
Are you kidding? What kind of rip-off is that? A total rip-off! A few weeks later,
the Nordic Track gets parked in the garage. They quit as soon as it stops feeling
good.





I always say, "Know what’s driving you." Why are you doing this, and is that driver
enough to get you through rejections, confusion, boredom and that lost in the woods
"what do I do next" feeling? You need to know, but there will be tough moments when
even the drivers leave the room, and you’ll really want the Twinkies. Starting at
that moment, every little thing you do for your self is a huge victory. The down feeling
will go away, something will turn in your favor, and then  "perseverance" is
not just a word anymore.




So, know your drivers, know that you will change course many times, and be ready to
divorce your naysayer friends in a split second. Some people keep them around as motivation,
but to me, they are poison. You can’t afford the time it will take to figure out why
they give with one hand, and slap with the other. You don’t know why, and they don’t
know why. And they’re not going to stop. They don’t need to change, but your environment
needs to change. You’re doing something much riskier and more difficult than most
of the people people you know. Distance, immediately!





Every day that you recognize that something is off course, and you don’t initiate
work on a solution, you’re blowing it. You may as well quit and start to like working
for somebody else, because you are not being true to yourself, and your babies are
dying. You are killing them with inattention. 





I’m fairly easy going, but I have a pretty big ego. As a creative person, I know that
my ideas are my life blood. I did create Question
Of The Day, but making it into a book was not my idea, and neither was the iPhone
App. My indebtedness to others teaches me a lot.





There will always be a right time to jump from "indie", whether it means hiring staff
and becoming a startup, or going with a publishing house. Your ideas will always be
your own, but you can never achieve as much by yourself as you can with other people.



 



What are your next steps, let’s say in the next year? Do you have any longer range
plans or goals?



Question Of The Day will remain
a free app. Not a "lite" version, but a full version that is free. We are now putting
together a companion pay app, built from suggestions of QotD downloaders. This version
will have twice as many videos, and I am also weighing the possibility of adding half
of the questions from the next book, which is already written. 





We are planning a social networking version, where people who are playing with the
app can locate and communicate with others playing with the app, and play together.
At their option, they will be able to see each other’s location in the world on a
map.





Ultimately, I’d like this to do well enough so that I can put it behind me and focus
entirely on music. In one way or another, I’ll always have something to do with Question
Of The Day, but I have to get back to what I was doing before I got here. Not that
I’m not working on it, but it really needs my full attention. I need to be doing it
all the time, like I was.












–




My indebtedness to Al for sharing these thoughtful, thorough answers (and also thanks
for his enduring patience). And to all iPhone users: Go download that app! (I did,
and it’s wonderful.)




So, for readers, does this raise more questions for you? What do you think the big
surprise is? Let’s hear it in the comments!

One of my posts last month, The Benefits of Blogging, received a number of
valuable comments. For
anyone wondering about the value of blogging, this is a must-read for the variety
of perspectives.




The next question that naturally arises—after you decide to blog—is how to gain readership.
Before I mention specific tactics, 3 things to remember:

1. It takes time; this is a journey. Be patient. Results don’t come overnight.
2. The more focused your blog is (the more it is driven by a specific purpose), the easier
   you will draw a readership. Sometimes it can take you 6-12 months to figure out what
   your blog is about. Read
   the Brazen Careerist for more on this important point.
3. You have to be consistent in when you post, even if you don’t think you have enough
   readers for it to matter.

That said, here are a few easy ways you can begin growing your reach. These are meant
to be simple, straightforward, and meaningfully accomplished by anyone in the first
months of blogging.

1. Comment on other blogs—blogs that you actively read and/or truly
enjoy. But don’t just comment, "Great post! Go read my blog." Instead, make a
comment of substance that adds a resource, tip, or encouragement. Or offer an opposing
point of view. Make it a discussion, not a promotion of yourself.



2. Be the No. 1 commenter on your own blog. Show your readers that you care
and will take the time to respond and interact with them.



3. In your own blog posts, reference and link to other blogs/sites. Comment
on what other people are writing about, or summarize many viewpoints on an issue.
These other bloggers will discover you and might comment or link to you.



4. If you’re on Twitter, then Tweet your blog
posts. (You can use TwitterFeed to do
this automatically if you like.) If you’re not on Twitter, consider that some sites/blogs
see 30-50% (or more) of their traffic coming from Twitter.



5. If you’re on Facebook, then use the NetworkedBlogs
application from within Facebook so that your Wall automatically updates and
links to your latest blog post. Your readers/fans can also use the NetworkedBlogs
app to follow your blog.

For more resources on growing your blog readership, try these helpful posts by experts
Chris Brogan Guy Kawasaki:

23
Elements of Sharable Blog Posts (Chris Brogan)




The 120 Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog (Guy Kawasaki)

Bloggers: What have you found to be most important or influential in
growing your readership? Did you experience a tipping point?



Photo credit:
Humanoide

In my role at Writer’s Digest I balance
a two key objectives that’s an odd, meta-publishing endeavor:

1. Help aspiring writers succeed in the publishing arena
2. Keep the Writer’s Digest business—as a publishing and/or content business—viable

Because of my position within the publishing industry, I see up-close the effects
of hard economic times, transformational technology, and increased pressure to produce
more with less. Friends lose jobs, businesses fold, we try to follow the cliche "work
smarter, not harder," and remind ourselves of the heartfelt reasons we’re in the business
in the first place.




Here are some recent thoughts from others, from a variety of perspectives:



Daniel Menaker (former Executive Editor-in-Chief of Random House)

I believe that this impending Gutenberg-level shift
in reading culture, along with the economic disasters of the last two years, render
the challenges of present-day hard-copy publishing all the more agonizing, immediate,
and dramatic. At least in the abstract, and especially in this economic climate, most
other professions pose some of the same problems for those who pursue them, no doubt.
But the tectonically opposing demands on publishing — that it simultaneously make
money and serve the tradition of literature — and its highly unpredictable outcomes
and its prominence in the attention of the media have made it a kind of poster adult
for capitalism and the arts in crisis. [click
here for full article]

Guy Gonzalez (F+W community leader behind Digital
Book World)

For all the talk of publishing’s supposedly imminent
demise, there are far too many passionate people working in and around the industry,
at every level, to let that happen. And whether they realize it or not, it doesn’t
matter if they’re working for one of the major publishers or an independent press,
in senior management or as an editor, author or bookseller — there’s a wide and fertile
common ground we all share and it’s best represented by the community we all
serve: the readers.



Ultimately, it’s readers’ changing habits that are driving the
fundamental changes in the publishing industry – everything from the types
of books they’re reading to the formats they prefer reading them in – and
as a result, it’s the current business model of most publishers that’s under
stress, not the community service of publishing itself.

[click
here for full post]

From Mark Barrett at DitchWalk.com

Everyone in the new content pipeline must demonstrate
added value in order to be embraced by both authors and readers. As an author, if
you are not helping me monetize my content in some way, I have no valid business reason
for partnering with you or hiring you. As a reader, if you are not providing me a
service I need at a competitive price I will simply go elsewhere.




… As a writer, questions of cost and profit and revenue are of interest to me because
I now have a direct pipeline to readers. I know I can reduce my costs to something
approaching zero, so the question of most concern to me is how to generate revenue.
I know I need help to monetize my content. I need sites that will host it and promote
it, readers that will recommend it, and publishers who will do the same if I want
to reach the widest possible audience.




I want to make deals with business partners in order to accomplish these goals. I
want to have the money to hire professionals like editors and designers to help me
produce the best work I can. And I want publishers to help me reach the widest market
if that makes sense to both of us. [click
here for full post]

***




I frequently encounter these two groups:

• The writers/authors who read all of this, who do comprehend what’s going on, but seem
  unwilling or unable to adjust their expectations of a publisher or their own responsibility
  for success
• The agents, editors, and other publishing insiders who also comprehend what’s going
  on, yet expect or demand business as usual when it comes to book deals, contracts,
  and other partnerships

There are also the people who say, quite rightly, that writing and publishing a "real"
book is still the big dream, and people will keep chasing that dream no matter how
much we all argue that the book is dead, that times have changed, that no one reads
any more, etc.




Yes, the dream will always remain. As far as I can tell, it has been a dream for more
than a century (The Writer, a competitor to
Writer’s Digest, has been in business for more than 120 years).




But achieving that dream is going to take many more shapes, and look a lot different,
than it did even 5 or 10 years ago.




Most of all, I want YOU to see, really see, what’s possible (now in the future—see The
Art of Possibility), identify what you can achieve, and understand tactics to
get things done.




I’m trying to do these things, too—along with care for the morale of the people I
work with at Writer’s Digest and F+W.




I am reminded of Kenny
Moore’s words:

Morale continues to remain dismal in most companies
and employee surveys reveal three disturbing trends: nobody trusts, workers don’t
believe senior management and employees are too stressed out to care. Problems with
trust, belief and caring. When I lived behind the cloistered walls, we referred to
these dynamics as a crisis of Faith, Hope and Charity. As the Recession continues
to take its toll, the business world is facing a spiritual problem as much as a fiscal
one. Napoleon once said that leaders are dealers in hope.  That sounds like a
sacred quality to me.

Photo credit: benefit
of hindsight

I recently received the "One Lovely Blog Award" from Jillian Livingston (go check
out isdisnormal—and you must if you are
a mom). My thanks to her for introducing me to this concept.




As a result of being honored, I’ve been asked to note 15 blogs I recently discovered
that I find worthy of the award.




(Photo above: A sign at a Buddhist temple advises that those with good eyes are inclined
to fall into deep wells—which is how I feel when I discover a great new blog!)




So: here are blogs I’ve added lately to my Google
Reader. (You can see my
shared items from Google Reader here, and I accept sharing requests too if you
use Google Reader.)



(1) Digital Book World


This is the newest blog launch from F+W, but
it’s backed by the inimitable Guy Gonzalez.
A good read for savvy writers who want a larger understanding of publishing industry
challenges. (Note: Digital Book World is offering a
free webinar on "The Truth About eBooks" on October 21.)



(2) When Fridays Were Fridays


Written by someone who started working for a large company right out of college and
stayed 30 years. I feel a cosmic connection to this person, because in 17 years, I
wonder if my "About Me" will look exactly the same. I particularly like her post Have
You Ever Faked It?



(3) What Consumes Me by Bud Caddell


You’ll love it at first sight.



(4) Kenny Moore


Kenny is the co-author of The
CEO and the Monk. I love how compassionate and human his advice is, while
still being practical and appropriate for a corporate setting.



(5)Start Up Blog


I feel like I’m getting a better business training here than I would at a university.



(6) Self-Publishing Review


A site that benefits from a multitude of contributors. Professional and quality information,
with a bit of magazine style to it (lead stories, resources, features).



(7)Fiction Matters


And it’s not here just because they complimented me lately (or because of a bourbon
affinity discovered on Twitter … well, maybe a little). Check
out their guidebook, then peruse tips.



(8) My Name Is Not Bob


By the charming Robert Brewer, editor of WritersMarket.com.
He is also blogger at Poetic Asides, but this is his
personal blog, just launched on August 14. He’s been a little quiet lately, but I
know he’ll be active again.



(9)The Sound and Furry


And this one is by the customer service rep behind WritersMarket.com,
who is herself an aspiring children’s writer. Great tips here for writers, plus cats
(a great accent for every blog).



(10) Information Is Beautiful


Always amazing and share-worthy posts.



(11) Clay Shirky


Very infrequent posts, but outstanding quality when it comes to contemplating the
future of media.



(12) The Book Oven


Something for everyone—especially writers—to keep an eye on.



(13) Publishing Trends


Their best content will cost you, but they still post really wonderful insider information
for free.



(14) Bad Pitch Blog


While not directly tied to writing/publishing, read this long enough and you’ll become
a better salesperson and promoter of your ideas. A totally new find and I love it.




OK, I purposely stopped at 14. You tell me what No. 15 should be—based on the best
last blog that’s been added to your RSS reader or bookmark list. (Wondering
about RSS readers? Read my tip on how to save time with an RSS reader.)

Above: Jane looks at you expectantly with the tough-love stare. Don’t disappoint her.




–




This past year, I’ve posted a ton of information on how you can

(1) ensure your work is the best it can possibly be



(2) build an audience and create demand for your work



(3) take advantage of technology to push your career forward

At the Editor Intensive last
weekend, I found myself referencing numerous blog posts I’d made, and thought it was
time to compile what I’d consider the "guide" for 2009 on how to succeed in the new
publishing landscape (because the industry ain’t what it used to be).




This is a perfect reference guide for anyone who’s attended the Intensive and wants
a refresher—or an excellent accelerated course for anyone who hasn’t.




I would love your feedback on what topics you’d like covered in more detail in the
coming months!




P.S. Reviewing these, I clearly like the number 5.




–




THE SECRETS TO PUBLISHING SUCCESS: Jane’s 2009 Tough Love Guide





Editing and Revising

The
First Five Minutes: How Editors Evaluate Your Manuscript



Avoiding
Red-Flag Mistakes on Your First Page



Secrets
of Great Storytelling (Particularly for Memoirists)



5
Common Flaws in Memoir Projects



Not
All Books Need to Be Well-Written to Sell



Your
Protagonist Must Have a Goal (by guest Jim Adam)



Hiring
a Professional Editor vs. Getting Amateur Critiques



The
Golden Rule About Nonfiction Books

Querying / Submitting

Persistence
Doesn’t Matter If You Make This Common Mistake

5
Questions to Ask Yourself After Hearing: We Can’t Sell Enough to Justify Publishing
It



5
Elements of Query Letters



The
Art of Live Pitching: 3 Rules

Audience Development / Platform Building

The
Hardest Part About Developing Platform



The
Four Stages of Marketing Promotion



5
Questions for Those Who Don’t Have Time to Market/Promote



Hard-Core
Tactics for Authors Developing Audience



Fiction
Writers Need Platforms, Too

Online Audience Building

Hey,
Writers: What’s Your Online Strategy? What Are You Waiting For?



Make
Waves Online to Create a Path to Print Publication



Should
Your Book Really Be a Book? How About a Website First?



What
Does It Take for a Blog to Become a Book?



Should
You Blog? And If So, What Are Best Practices?



How
Writers Can Start Blogging in a Meaningful Way



The
Benefits of Blogging (Especially for Unpublished Writers)



The
Essential Components of an (Unpublished) Author’s Website



How
Twitter Is Helpful for Aspiring Writers



Figuring
Out Your Facebook Strategy: 3 Essential Tips

Indie Publishing

Everything
You Need to Know About Self-Publishing (Sort of)



My
Big Rant on Self-Publishing

Big Picture

5
Ways Writers Book Publishers Need to Embrace Change NOW



Are
You Ready to Be a Bestselling Author? Then Listen to Alec Baldwin



That
Unquantifiable Factor That Helps You Get Published and Succeed



Read
My Writing and Tell Me What to Do

By noon on Saturday, attendees were commenting that they’d already gotten their money’s
worth. I consider that a big win!




If you missed the event, you can still get some valuable takeaways:

• Meryl Evans has compiled Tweets
  from the event, which I’ve made available for printing and download on Scribd.
• You can also read this fabulous recap from an attendee: 8
  Gatejumper Tips Heard at the Writer’s Digest Conference.

And most remarkably, Meryl Evans sent me a note
to help attendees make sense of what to do next! See below. My big thanks to her generosity.




—



So You Went to the Writer’s Digest Conference. What Are You Going to Do Now?

by Meryl Evans




In the Writer’s Digest Conference
blog, Robert Lee Brewer reported on something he overheard:

So, earlier today, in the hallway, I overheard one
writer speaking to another. She said, "I don’t have the time to handle all this."

I was not surprised to hear
this kind of statement at a conference on publishing and marketing and communicating
and podcasting and basically everything we’ve been going over since Friday. But, of
course, I started thinking about how successful writers should be, at least, trying.




Well, after a long pause, she continued speaking to the other (very good listener)
writer, "But I have to make the time if I’m serious about making this work."

The writer caught on. Not all of us think about how we’re going to make
the most of a conference. Or we feel overwhelmed that it paralyzes us preventing us
from taking action. We bring home all the notes we took filing them away only to never
see them again. Then the least we can hope for is that our brains remembered a few
key points while we wrote or typed them and apply them.




Review Your Notes


Take five or ten minutes to look over your notes. You can handle that, right? As you
review your notes, pick one to three things you want to use. Post them in your to
do list or whatever you use on a regular basis so you can remember and practice. Give
yourself a deadline—you’re a writer, you can handle it. Check off each item as you
do them.




Got ‘em all done? Great. Now, go back to your notes to cross them off. Pick one to
three more things to try. Repeat.




That wasn’t so bad, was it? Turning loads of notes into a couple of doable tasks makes
a difference.



Write One Article


You probably walked away from the conference with a few article ideas. Rather than
trying to do it all, I pick one topic and write the article within a couple of days
after returning home. You can make it a blog entry, an article for your publication,
whatever. In writing the article, those ideas will stick with you. Plus, you gain
a bonus of sharing that with others.




When you finish the article, revisit the other article ideas and what you can do with
them. Rather than feeling spread thin with all your article ideas, you focus on one
article at a time while putting the rest away for later. You’ve captured the ideas
on paper or on your laptop. They won’t disappear. Well, unless you delete them, lose
them or trash them.



Key Points from WD Conference


You can find great tweets from the conference by searching
Twitter for WDC09. Here are some highlights worth remembering, captured from tweets
and the blog so you don’t have to read it all:

• Christina Katz: Platform is everything
  you do with your expertise. So many tools are available; must prioritize, maximize
  your time. Do you see yourself as the producer of your writing career and take 100%
  responsibility for your success?
• Jane Friedman: Platform comes first! Book
  second. Without a strong platform and topic—creating demand—your book will have a
  difficult time finding its place in the market. Any changes publishers want to make
  to the book is what they believe will help increase book sales. They basically want
  what’s economically best for your book—and that’s ultimately a good thing.
• Scott Sigler and Seth
  Harwood: Once you show you can move (sell) books, publishers will take notice.
  That’s why giving away your first book online for free and building up an audience
  is essential to getting publishers—who have ignored you for years—to wake up and realize
  your talent and value. "You are the best person to sell your book," says Hardwood.
• Alice Rosengard: Sees organization as a common problem with nonfiction proposals.
• David Mathison (Be the Media) keys: Have a
  direct relationship with your audience. Control your rights. Repurpose your content.
• Chris Brogan: The best way to get a book
  published is to not try to get a book published. The whole trick about promoting is
  to not talk about yourself. Learn to talk about other people. Twitter is not about
  talking; it’s about listening.
• Agent Miriam Kriss: A lot of "overnight successes" are 10 years in the making.
• Agent Panel (Jessica Sinsheimer, Regina Brooks and Michelle Humphrey): Difference
  between freelanced editing and traditional editor is the latter cares, has a vested
  interest in the book. Professionally edited, professionally typeset, professionally
  designed are critical for success via POD.

As I catch up from being away at the Writer’s Digest Conference (read
more than 100 posts with info here!), guest blogger Jane Koenen Bretl is filling
in with some more advice on the benefits of blogging!









When I started my blog jane, candid in January
2009, it was my starting point to create visibility and web presence for my work,
and explore a whole new avenue of writing.  Inspired by the December 2008 Writer’s
Digest Editor’s Intensive, through blogging I found a voice that can be the start
of my author platform; it took me in a new, unexpected direction that I may not have
pursued, at least at this point in my writing career.




The benefits of blogging to an aspiring writer are numerous, but a most unexpected,
helpful and frankly delightful outcome has been the relationships I have developed
with other writers.





I actively seek out writing blogs, and by participating in author blog tours, networking
through thoughtful commenting, and trolling through the blogrolls of other writers,
I have met many other writers who have provided useful advice and much encouragement.





As a result, I’ve hosted an oft-published author at my home while he was on a 20-state
book signing tour. I’ve hosted guest-blogging authors who brought both a new audience
and increased credibility to my site. I’ve been a guest blogger on other wonderful
blogs (like this one!) that provide a new, exciting forum for my work. And I’ve developed
friendships with many writers who share selflessly of their experience.




It is a curious concept to me, this idea of meeting others online. At first I had
preconceived (mostly negative) notions about online relationships, a prejudice lodged
somewhere between online dating, ranting chat rooms, and all-night Dungeons and Dragon-esque
gaming sessions. (Not that there is anything inherently wrong with those activities,
they are just not my scene.)





I thought real people made real friendships face-to-face, not sitting alone in a computer
chair with fingers tapping at the keys. Preconceived notions can and do close doors.




Blogging has instead opened doors for me to meet other writers from around the world,
kindred spirits surely not on my life’s path otherwise. It has opened windows through
which I can watch the progress of other writers, and see both the pitfalls they have
faced and the successes they have earned through hard work and great talent. There
is a collective sense of celebration when a blogger-friend reaches a writing milestone.
It inspires me.




This summer, I had the opportunity to take a fond blogger relationship to a new place—
face-to-face. Judy Clement Wall wrote one of
the first comments I ever received on my blog, offering kind words right when I was
nervously venturing into unfamiliar territory. 





I in turn visited her site and her words struck a cord with me immediately. I have
been an avid reader of her blog zebra sounds ever
since. Like many bloggers, she kept the personal details of her home address and her
family private; it just feels safer that way. However, as I prepared for a long-planned
summer vacation to the West Coast (yes, I was reading Judy’s blog instead of packing),
I realized through one of her off-handed references that this blog-buddy might live
in the very area we were to visit! After some off-line emails, we learned it was indeed
the same town. Serendipity strikes again. We made plans to meet at a coffee shop during
my trip, since we already knew we shared an addiction to coffee as well as a love
of writing.





Ironically, me, the online relationship snob, was as nervous to actually meet her
as I might have been on a first date: Would I recognize her from her photo? Would
she be as friendly as she seemed?  It felt surreal, this crossing of worlds (maybe
I had already drank too much coffee that day???).




Of course, the meeting was delightful. We shared blogging advice (how did you add
that cool widget?), warm mutual admiration, and encouragement for next steps in our
writing careers, all right along with our hot caffeinated beverages. It felt like
a reunion, not a first meeting.




Ironically, the act of blogging can be much more personal than the typical conversations
between new acquaintances, what some describe as the nakedness of putting it out there
for all to see, sharing these words that come from some deep place inside. This has
been my biggest revelation about blogging.





So as I strive to build my author platform, increase my online visibility, create
a potential audience for my work, and generally make waves out there in the social
media world of the publishing industry, I can also reap the benefits of my blogging
community and all that they share.




Considering it? Give it a try.




–




[Editor's note: Be sure to read Judy Clement Wall's companion blog post to this, "(Sometimes
it's not) All About Me"]

Photo credit: Laughing Squid










More writers are blogging than ever. And if you’re not blogging already, you’ve probably
considered it. Recently, a writer asked me via Facebook about
blogging.





She said:

[It is] my impression that blogs related to writing
are primarily written by people with expertise in their field and who have valuable
advice and connections within the industry. Now, however, I am checking around and
I see that many writers, even writers who are unpublished — and some who appear very
far from being published — have blogs, also where they discuss writing and their
completed works and/or works in progress. These people generally have direct links
to their blogs that become available when they sign their name (or their blog name)
when commenting on another blog. So, I suppose they are doing some marketing for themselves.




So, my question is: Should I have a blog?

This writer had some serious reservations about starting a blog, and here’s how I
answered her questions.



1. I don’t feel like I have much in the way of valuable advice. What kind of advice
do I have to dispense?




For aspiring writers (especially novelists), it often comes down to a matter of voice—an
engaging voice, humorous insights, or a unique perspective to bring to the table.





Sometimes you may have specific advice, sometimes not. For many aspiring writers who
blog, it’s about a community—writers who are learning from one another. It helps if
you can identify what about your experience sets you apart, but this insight may not
occur for 6 months or more of blogging.




Don’t assume your blog should be specifically about writing. It
could be about whatever sets you apart, makes you unique. The writing life can
simply be an accent.



2. One person mentioned on his blog that a literary agent looked at his blog, saw
his complaints about the issues remaining with his book, and decided not to look at
his book. I suppose it seems obvious that you shouldn’t write negative things about
your work on your blog, but to me this seems like one example of potentially many
examples of why a BAD blog could be worse than no blog at all.



There’s always that risk that an editor/agent will be turned off by your site
or blog. Frankly, though, if you’re sending out material knowing there are still issues
to resolve, you should be getting rejected. (Never send material out that isn’t
as final as you can make it!)




If an agent/editor is turned off by your site/blog, they may not like your style or
voice, regardless of content or professionalism. If your blog is a good representation
of who you are as a writer (and most blogs are), then it would be like worrying about
a potential mate who decides not to start a relationship with you because he/she doesn’t
like your personality. Saves you both some trouble, right?



3. I know nothing about blogging, so I feel my chances of writing a bad blog are
sufficiently high that I should be concerned.




Maybe you worry too much. This could a unique angle to your blog.



4. Since blogs need to be updated on a regular basis and you have to respond to
your commentors, I feel like a blog could be a significant time sink. I just wonder
if my time isn’t better spent working on my next book.



This is a legitimate concern, but only because you would fall in love with blogging
and community building and not do the real writing.




The administrative part of the blog (design/setup/posting/blahblahblah) takes no time
at all (minutes). Many people fall into the trap of widget-y improvements, or the
fun tinkering, the stuff that you do to avoid writing.




You should decide upfront how much time you want to spend (or can afford), e.g., I
will post once a week, the post will be about 500 words. It can actually be a good
warm-up exercise.




Try not to plan this out too much or wait to act because you feel lots of preparation
is needed. Overplanning or overthinking is somewhat antithetical to today’s blogging
practice (except for professional bloggers who make a living at it).




5. One final concern: if I post excerpts from my novel on my blog, is that a problem
down the road? I see that many authors do post excerpts from their unpublished books.
Do you know if posting excerpts is a problem?




You do not lose ownership of your content by posting it online; it does not go into
the public domain or give anyone else the right to use it. (Of course, it can heighten
risk of someone stealing it, but this is incredibly rare, and it’s not like there’s
raging demand out there for unpublished writing—where people are just waiting to steal
and profit from your work!)




Unless you want to see your excerpts published in a literary journal or magazine in
about the same form as on your site/blog, there’s no need to worry. Your blog audience
and platform is not the same thing as having a book published and distributed through
major retail channels. Some authors have podcasted or otherwise distributed their
entire novels before publication, and it helped them get a book deal. (See www.scottsigler.com)



So, what do you think? Do you think that *trying* to start a blog is a valuable
investment for me at this stage?




For fiction writers and poets, a blog should exercise your creative muscles and let
you write in an unpressured way. Sometimes it can help you stumble on insights, as
well as new friendships. However, for an aspiring writer, you have to be careful it
doesn’t detract or replace the "real" work of writing the book or the manuscript.




For nonfiction writers, blogs can be an essential part of your marketing and promotion—the
author platform that helps you get published in the first place.




Only you can make the final decision. While you shouldn’t jump in just because everyone
else is doing it, sometimes it’s good to try things that stretch you beyond your comfort
zone. Blogging isn’t for everyone, and there’s no shame in leaving it behind if you
don’t like it.




I’d love to hear in the comments from aspiring writers who are bloggers. What’s your
experience? Has anyone started, then decided to stop—and why?