Archive for October, 2011

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Things You May Not Know About Publishers

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

It used to be that you could pretty much expect a publisher, who accepted your manuscript for publication, to reject any cover art or illustrations you submitted along with it. I’ve told new authors for years that if they are really attached to their title, cover design, etc., they’d better self-publish or go with a pay-to-publish company.

I notice now, however, that many traditional publishers are asking to see your cover design and illustrations. This does not mean they will use what you send if they accept your book. But they are considering these materials now, nonetheless.

In an informal survey of traditional publishers, I discovered that nearly half of those I studied say that they will review artwork and photos. I submitted two of my own books with photographs, cover design and/or illustrations over the years and both of those publishers used what I sent them. Most of my publishers changed the titles I suggested, however. Guess I’m not that great with titles.

My point is that if you are reluctant to send your manuscript to a traditional publisher because you are attached to your cover design or your title, you might reconsider. Seek out publishers who are open to reviewing your artwork. Take the chance that he will also like your title. If not, you always have the option of signing or not signing the contract. Ultimately, it is your choice.

I’ve met many authors who are absolutely gripped by fear of what might happen to their manuscripts. They are so afraid that a publisher will steal their idea, edit their voice out of the story, toss out the artwork their daughter did for the cover or misrepresent their work in some other way that they won’t even approach a publisher. I’ve met authors who are told by numerous publishers, “Make this change or that change and we will publish it.” But they don’t—they won’t. One gentleman, for example, wanted a traditional publisher for his novel and he found a few who were interested. All he had to do was cut it by 200 pages. He refused to do it. Instead, he just went around complaining to everyone who would listen that he couldn’t find a publisher.

Becoming a published author does involve some risk—but the risk factors generally aren’t those that most authors fear. Read my free ebooklet to get an idea about authorship. It’s called “50 Reasons Why I SHOULD Write That Book.” Once you’ve read this booklet, you’ll know whether or not you are a good candidate to become an author. Take into consideration the things you learn in that booklet—for example, if you are just beginning your writing/publishing journey, start NOW studying the publishing industry so you’ll know more about what to expect and how to more successfully navigate the industry.

Here’s an example of what you’ll find in this FREE ebook. These are the section headings encompassing the 50 “reasons,” which are each fleshed out so you will understand why they are so vitally important to your success as an author.

• Have you done your homework?
• You know that your book is a good idea.
• You are the right person to write this book.
• You are willing to do what it takes.
• You are already doing what it takes.
• You’ve taken steps to make this a viable product.
• You have a marketing plan.
• You are taking care of business.

I challenge you to read this booklet and honestly evaluate your situation. Let me know what you discover. Download the booklet here: http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Publishing | No Comments »

Promote Your Book Through Excerpts

Monday, October 10th, 2011

If you belong to IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association)—formerly PMA—you probably saw my article in the current issue of the IBPA Independent. This article, “Give Something to Get Something,” was excerpted from my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.

Do you ever offer excerpts from your nonfiction book? It’s a good way to get exposure for your book and there are many magazines, ezines and newsletters that use excerpts. I listed several in a recent edition of the SPAWN Market Update (in the member section of the SPAWN website). By the way, if you’d like have access to resources such as magazines that publish book excerpts, travel book publishers, publications that use essays, job boards for artists and writers, directories of publishers, fiction book publishers, magazines that use fiction and so forth, you need to join SPAWN at http://www.spawn.org

In the meantime, here’s a list of publications that publish excerpts. You’ll notice that some of the magazines specialize, so you’ll want to match the material to the magazine.

Home Business Magazine
http://www.homebusinessmag.com
Art and Understanding
http://www.aumag.org
Homeschooling Today
http://www.homeschooltoday.com
ColoradoBiz
http://www.cobizmag.com
The Missouri Review
http://www.missouri-review.com
The Outdoors Magazine
http://www.outdoorsmagazine.net
Cruising World
http://www.cruisingworld.com
Firehouse Magazine
http://www.firehouse.com
Long Island Woman
http://www.liwomanonline.com
Complete Woman
http://www.thecompletewomanmagazine.com
Outreach Magazine
http://www.outreachmagazine.com
History Magazine
http://www.history-magazine.com

As you can see, there are a wide variety of magazines that publish book excerpts. Start researching publications within your topic (travel, parenting, landscaping, fashion, real estate, health, aging, writing, relationships, sports, business, etc.) and contact those that use book excerpts.

For additional book promotion ideas, be sure to order your print or Kindle copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://www.matilijapress.com/promoteyourbook.html

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

Yes, You Can Approach Publishing Experts

Sunday, October 9th, 2011

Some authors hesitate approaching someone who has more experience in the publishing field than they do. They don’t want to bother the experts. Others have no problem trying to glean free advice from professionals.

I think most of you know that I am approachable. I’m open to questions via email at anytime and I will generally respond promptly. I do have some pet peeves, though and I imagine that most professionals will agree with the following list of dos and don’ts.

1: Unless invited to do so, don’t call on the phone. Most writing/publishing professionals closely and frequently monitor their email. Those who don’t—shame on them. There are people out there who could use a little help from time to time.

2: Don’t challenge the comments/advice of the professional. Sure, you can ask questions and request clarity. But, after someone takes time to respond to you in great detail, don’t come back with, “Well, I did that and it doesn’t work,” or “I don’t agree with you,” or “My friend signed with that company and she’s happy with them, so you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

3: Always, always, always acknowledge the professional who has given his or her time to respond. I can’t tell you how many people never respond at all after I’ve given of my time and expertise to answer their simple or complex questions. Even if you don’t like the answer (many don’t, because it often requires effort on the author’s part), at least say, “Thank you.” Acknowledge that you did receive the information.

4: Don’t ask for an opinion if you don’t want to hear the truth. Authors often ask me to take a look at their manuscripts or their completed books. Most of them are interested in my opinion no matter what I might say. They want to provide the best product they can to their audience. Others, however, just want to receive compliments. I’ve even had authors challenge my comments by saying, “Well, other people love this book,” or they use up several paragraphs to explain the concept of their book or the gist of their story—as if I didn’t get it.

There is no law that says you have to agree with any expert, but it would behoove you to at least consider what they have to say. Listen and learn. Or crash and burn.

When I critique or evaluate a book or manuscript, I try to do so using compliments along with any called for criticism. I attempt to offer suggestions and perspective that the author might not have considered. When an author responds to my comments immediately, using a challenging tone, or attempting to explain himself, I know that he is not listening. And it’s too bad. He may be missing out on a good opportunity.

Sometimes I hear from someone months or years after they initially contacted me. I love hearing/reading them say, “You were right.” Although, that isn’t as heartwarming as hearing that the author, who was reluctant to consider writing a book proposal or who didn’t plan to promote his book, now understands the importance of these aspects of publishing. Someone who scoffed at my insistence that he study the publishing industry before getting involved, or that he hire an attorney to go over a self-publishing contract with him or that he more carefully consider the audience for his book on the history of dental instruments, may contact me saying he now gets it. I love when that happens.

Do you ever contact experts in your field? Do you sometimes need the perspective or information from a gardening authority, educator, professional chef, more knowledgeable therapist or professional builder, for example? I can’t promise that any of them will respond to your request, but if they do—remember this post and your manners.

• Acknowledge and accept their offerings with grace.
• Ask for clarity only—do not challenge the expert.
• Say thank you.

Many of your questions are answered in my latest book, “Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author” (Allworth Press, 2011). Order your copy today: http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Posted in Authorship, Publishing | No Comments »

Can You Identify Your Book’s Genre?

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

Do you know what genre you’re writing in? Many authors do not. And the issue of genre seems to become more and more confusing all the time. It used to be there were specific genres—romance, thriller, fantasy, adventure, etc. Now there are new genres and sub-genres. Have you heard of, “steampunk” or “urban life” fantasy? What about “high tech” or “space opera” science fiction?

According to one publisher, science fiction might be a subgenre of horror, time travel is a subgenre of romance, and what is up with the term, “alternative history science fiction?”

How would you categorize your thriller? Is it a political thriller, futuristic thriller, paranormal thriller or a suspense thriller? Have you ever read or written a book that could be considered a docufiction, realistic fiction, dark literature or airport novel?

There are genres in nonfiction, too—true crime, biography, adventure, narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, ethnic, self-help, how-to and memoir, for example. And what about the different types of memoirs one can write?

There’s the recovery memoir, military memoir, historical/family memoir, political memoir, situational memoir, travel memoir or inspirational memoir to name a few.

You’d think there are enough genres already used to label your book. But guess again. Authors are still having trouble pigeon-holing their books because they believe that nothing currently fits their particular tome. Some books do not deserve an exclusive label—they fit into one that is already accepted. I’ve met authors, however, who consider their books so unique that they can’t apply any current genres to it. They want to convince publishers (and the public) that their book is a humorous thriller cookbook, a medical adventure with a how-to aspect or, perhaps, a lesbian fantasy romance, for example.

What’s my opinion of genre hop scotch? I appreciate that there are new genres and subgenres being recognized as some of them definitely give a book a more definitive identity. But I would also warn authors against trying to be so inventive with their books that they turn off their potential readers altogether.

No matter your book’s genre, you are going to have to promote it and boy to I have a book for you. It is a reference book. I would also call it an informational how-to. The publisher tagged it “reference/writing.” I guess there is no publishing or business of writing category accepted, yet. And that’s too bad.

Order your copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

While you’re at the Amazon book page, check out the latest review by Anne Schroeder, editor of the SLO Nightwriters newsletter in San Luis Obispo, California. As you will see, this is review number twenty-two.

Posted in Fiction, Writing | No Comments »

Promote Your Book Through Conferences

Friday, October 7th, 2011

It’s time to start thinking about your 2012 conference calendar. Although, some conference organizers already have their speakers and workshop leaders lined up for their May and June events, others are still auditioning presenters for their early spring conferences. And, while some slates for fall 2012 events are full, the organizers of others haven’t even begun to choose their conference staff.

If you would like to promote your book through conferences, start by developing a few good programs or workshops related to the theme, topic or genre of your book. Practice presenting them, all the while fine-tuning them. Make sure the presentations are geared to your audience and that they are designed to teach and share—that your audience will learn something new or gain new insight.

Locate appropriate conferences through these links:
http://www.shawguides.com
http://www.allconferences.com
http://www.bvents.com

Whether your book is on finances, business management, sports, cosmetics, foods/cooking, the sciences, photography, travel, technology, health, mythology or practically any other topic, there is a conference somewhere that focuses on that subject. If your book is fiction, you might be able to get a speaking slot at a writers’ conference. Can you speak on character development, give a good presentation on promoting a book of fiction or offer something of value on research for fiction, for example?

What are the benefits of speaking at conferences? You get exposure for yourself and your book. You earn a level of credibility in your topic. And you may sell a few books. If you offer services related to the theme of your book, you may also get a few new clients from the conference experience.

Conferences operate differently. While some pay all expenses for their speakers, some pay only for the hotel and access to the entire conference (meals, etc.). Others might offer just conference admittance, including meals served as part of the conference. It’s up to you to determine whether you can afford the experience.

I always sell books at these events. Sometimes I gain a new editorial client or two. I generally travel to two to four writers’ conferences throughout the year and, while one event might cost me $500, I might earn as much as $2,000 from another one. And I do value exposure!

In my opinion, conferences are a great way to promote your book and they can be a lot of fun.

Course on Platform-Building Offered
Do you have a platform? Would you like to establish one or build on the one you have? If you are an author of a nonfiction book or you are in the process of writing one, you might want to sign up for my online Platform-Building course. The first session begins Wednesday, October 12. You’ll receive a lecture and an assignment by email every Wednesday for 6 weeks. By Thanksgiving, you could have a solid platform to use in pitching your book to publishers and agents as well as to use in promoting your book to your audience.

Contact me today to find out if you are a good candidate for taking this valuable course. PLFry620@yahoo.com. It’s only $150.00. I will take the first 8 students who contact me and qualify. Course description here: http://www.matilijapress.com/course_platform.htm

And don’t forget to order your copy of Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. You’ll learn more about promoting your book through conferences and much, much more. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Posted in Book Promotion, Writers' Conferences | No Comments »

How to Make Other People Care About Your Book

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Who cares about your book as much as you do? The answer is, no one. That’s why you are the best person to represent your book to your audience. Sure, you can pay someone to promote your book—money causes people to care.

Your main job, however, is to get your potential readers to care. It really is personal. If there isn’t something in or about your book that will benefit your readers, why should they buy your book? Why would they?

Are the benefits to your readers blatantly evident to those who see your book? Does your promotional material address the “you” factor in your book enough to entice readers to buy it?

They say that some of the main enticement triggers that should appear in some obvious or subtle way, when promoting anything, are money, success, happiness and health. As promoters, we must show or indicate that our book will make the reader happier, healthier, more successful and/or wealthier. They might want to know how to solve a problem they are having. If a potential customer has a goal or a desire and he or she believes that your book will help them to attain it, certainly, they will buy it. Maybe they want to more effectively discipline their unruly children, get along better with their spouse, earn more money, become more creative, do better in the stock market or become more organized. If your book can promise this—and if you make these promises in your promotional material, your sales might increase dramatically.

You’ve heard (read) me preach about the importance of knowing your target audience and keeping them in mind throughout the writing process. Maybe you are finally beginning to see the value in this message.

If you can’t define your audience, you won’t be able to locate them.
If you can’t locate them, your promotion won’t be very effective.

What about fiction? What need are you attempting to fill with a historical novel, romance, western adventure, fantasy, thriller, mystery, etc? That would be our need for entertainment—our desire to dive into a book and lose ourselves or to, perhaps, tickle our intellectual prowess or to simply enjoy a good story. Your promotional tactics are important for fiction, as well. There’s a lot of competition for good books. What can you do to make yours stand out, entice readers, grab them and cause them to purchase your book?

What stops you when you are seeking out a particular type of book? What catches your eye and attention even when you are not looking for a book? Your responses to these questions might give you some important insight that will help you create promotional hooks in your book as you write it, to present a more attractive product and to write better promotional copy.

If you are struggling to sell copies of your fiction or nonfiction book and if you are interested in reviving it, order a copy of my newest book—Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author.
http://www.matilijapress.com/promoteyourbook.html or at amazon.com http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

If you are still working on your book and plan to bring it out within the next several months, order a copy of this book and begin to familiarize yourself with the huge task of book promotion. This is your key to publishing success. This book could very well make the difference between your success and your failure as a published author. Remember, over seventy-six percent of all books fail in the marketplace every year. Which books do you think sell? Those by authors who take the initiative to understand the world of publishing, book marketing and their target audience. Promote Your Book is your education and could be your salvation in the highly competitive world of bookselling and promotion.

Make sure you are on the right path with your book or your book idea. Sign up for my FREE booklet, “50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book,” at http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

Build Better Characters By Honing Your Observation Skills

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Do you pay close attention to the people you meet? Do you have good observation skills? Do you listen to the true stories that others tell about people they know and have observed?
This is a good way to build believable characters in your stories, don’t you think?

I knew a writer some years ago who used to sit where people gathered and just observe them. She especially enjoyed sitting on the pier and watching the fishermen, the onlookers, the tourists, the romantic couples, the parents with rambunctious children in tow, the elderly folks out for a stroll on a nice California day and the occasional homeless person enjoying the view from atop the wharf.

Sure, you can purposely put yourself in areas where various types of people mingle—each with a different agenda. You can also pay attention no matter where you are—airport, playground, Little League game, beauty pageant, assisted living facility, art gallery, nightclub, rodeo, even the grocery store. In fact, if you are writing a story that includes a fine artist, a cowboy, someone with dementia, a street vendor or a magician, you might make it a point to go where you will find several people in this category and spend some time observing them.

What should you be mindful of when you are observing someone?
• Their demeanor.
• Their characteristics.
• Mannerisms.
• Style of dress.
• Way of communicating—language, gestures, etc.

Does the person you are observing look others in the eye, smile easily, touch their companion often while talking to them, seem aloof? What are the physical responses that denote aloofness in this person? How would you describe the stance and walk of someone with a cane? How do people relate to their dogs when they’re out walking them? How do others react when they see dogs on a leash?

It’s fun to make up characters. But not every writer can describe their characters so readers feel an emotional connection to them. You want your readers to be able to visualize your characters. They should either like, love or hate your characters. Your characters are effective only if they evoke an emotion—does he make the reader laugh, disgust him, anger him or touch his heartstrings? In order to build characters that stir up emotion, you really must have good observation skills and the ability to describe what you envision.

Observe people and learn to describe them accurately. I also suggest behavior study. Think about how you and/or people you know behave in certain situations. Even watching sit-coms, TV dramas and talk shows can add to your understanding of human behavior and help you to create interesting and believable characters for your stories.

Do you plan to publish the book you are working on? Be sure to order my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book to learn how to navigate the publishing industry. This book is designed to save new authors tons of money and heartache by helping them to understand the publishing industry, their publishing options, the possible consequences of their choices and their responsibilities as a published author. This book covers traditional publishing, self-publishing and the pay-to-publish option. It includes what you need to know about distribution, marketing, and so much more. It’s marked down to $14.95. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

To find out if you are ready to become a published author, download my FREE ebooklet, “50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book.” http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Writing | No Comments »

Why a Book Proposal/Why Now?

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Are you working on a nonfiction book? You have a dream and a vision. You have an audience in mind—in fact, you can visualize members of this audience purchasing your book. And you plan to move forward rapidly with your project so you can make it available to the people you envision need and want it.

There’s just one problem. You haven’t asked anyone from your proposed audience if they want a book like this. You haven’t done the necessary research to discover if this book is actually needed/wanted and by what percentage of people. You just assume that since this is a topic you know, others are interested in it and want to read about it. Perhaps you’ve actually talked to a few people about the book and they are encouraging you to publish it. But are they a large enough representation of your target audience? Probably not.

Before you go off in some crazy direction eager to get your book on how to properly wear your orthodontic retainer, hair ribbons for the fashion-conscious teen, the joy of keeping your trash barrel clean, how to wash a kitten’s face or tips for cleaning your DVDs published, stop, look and listen to the experts. And the experts are saying, “Write a book proposal.”

The research you will do in order to devise a meaningful nonfiction book proposal will show you whether you actually have a viable product or not. You’ll learn if you, indeed, have an audience for your book and who they are. Through the book proposal process, many an author has discovered that the book they are writing either doesn’t have much of an audience or it’s not who they thought it was. Some authors learn, through the book proposal process, that they are writing a book that has been duplicated time and time again. It doesn’t offer anything new—the material is stale. And some find out that their plan for approaching their audience isn’t going to work well—the door to bookstores, for example, is closed to most authors today.

A book proposal, for the first time author, can be a bit difficult to construct. It can take time, tax the brain and generate unpopular results. But it can be one of the most cost-effective decisions you will make with regard to your book.

When I say “unpopular results,” I mean, what author wants to backtrack and start over with their book concept? And a genuine book proposal may indicate that you should. For example, perhaps you have written a book on a popular topic and there have been a rash of new books out on that topic in recent years. If you just barrel through with your book without checking the competition, you won’t know that the market is inundated. Once you find this out, you may decide to add an aspect to your book that none of the others include, thus you’re still writing on a popular topic, but with a new twist.

During the process of writing your book proposal, you might discover some avenues of promoting your book that you hadn’t thought of before.

Write a book proposal even before you start writing your nonfiction book and you could save yourself a lot of time, trouble and expense.

If, however, you have already produced your book and you’ve discovered that it isn’t selling as well as you expected, consider writing an after publication book proposal. I may be the only one who has created a guide for an after-publication book proposal. It’s called, The Author’s Repair Kit, Heal Your Publishing Mistakes and Breathe New Life Into Your Book. It’s a 27-page ebook available only at my website and the cost is just $5.95. Order your copy now at: http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html

Why write a book proposal after the fact? Mainly to gain a better understanding of who your true audience is and how to effectively locate and approach them.

If you haven’t done so already, order your copy of my latest book—Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

You will need the ideas and information in this book once you begin the book promotion process—but I strongly urge you to begin your education about the huge, HUGE process of book promotion even before your book is a book. I’ve seen it time and time again, authors who have not prepared for the task of promoting their books before publication, often fail in the marketplace. Book promotion is not what most authors expect. Besides, there are many things you can do before publication to ensure greater success for your book and Promote Your Book will guide you through them. Order your copy at Amazon.com today. It’s in print and on Kindle.

Here’s another idea—a FREE offer for my blog followers: Visit my website and download a FREE copy of my ebooklet, 50 Reasons Why You Should Write That Book. It’s an amazing gauge for hopeful authors. I know that many of you have already downloaded it. I’d love to receive your feedback. Did it discourage you from writing a book? Did it offer valuable insight into how to prepare for the task of publishing a book? How did it help you? http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Authorship, Book Promotion, Book Proposals | 1 Comment »

Authors, Position Yourself as an Expert

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Are you published or mentioned in other books as an expert? When you begin to receive requests from other authors to be quoted or mentioned in their books, does this mean you’ve arrived? Well, maybe at a new plateau.

I don’t know how many books, outside of my own, I’ve been in. Sometimes you aren’t even notified that you’ve been included. You just come across the book one day and find yourself in the index.

In recent months, I discovered that I was referenced in half dozen published books and I was asked to submit a few paragraphs to another book earlier this year. Frequently, I’m mentioned in the acknowledgements page as the book’s editor. But I’m also noted fairly regularly as an expert in the publishing field.

How do you manage to be included as an expert in books related to your field? By making yourself known. Publish books, submit articles to appropriate publications, go out and speak on your topic, participate in forums and discussion groups on the topic, establish an organization, circulate a newsletter, create a blog and post regularly and get involved in social media.

You should also keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. Communicate and even partner with other professionals in your field. Invite them to be a guest blogger, involve them in a project, send congrats when they come out with a new book, and so forth. Offer articles for their newsletters, join their discussion groups, send them a copy of your book. If you visit their blog, read their newsletters and frequent their website, you know when they are planning a new book. Offer to send them something of value for the book—an anecdote, excerpt from your book or an article, for example.

Whether your expertise is in the area of cats, real estate, finances, writing, aviation, retirement or health and fitness, you can increase your visibility by piggybacking with others in your field. And there are many ways to do this. Aside from those I mentioned above, consider piggyback marketing. Either purchase a quantity of the other author’s books and bundle them at a special price with your own. Or exchange promotional material to send with your respective shipments of books. You might also arrange to conduct a seminar or workshops together in order to attract a larger audience.

If you are an expert in your field and you have a book to prove it, don’t rest on your laurels. Connect with other experts in order to get even more exposure for yourself and your book.

For more great ideas for attaining greater recognition and selling more copies of your book, read my book this week: Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author. Order it in print or Kindle at: http://amzn.to/oe56Ia

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

Plagiarism

Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

“How do I keep someone from stealing my idea?”

This is a question I get from time to time—generally from a new writer who is hesitant to publish because he doesn’t want to show his work to anyone. I often tell these fearful writers that this is something we sometimes worry about when we are new to writing—it is the concern of an inexperienced writer. I recommend that they spend more time perfecting their work and studying the publishing industry than worrying about something as unlikely as plagiarism.

But newby authors want to know how to protect their writing. They want to have more assurance that their work is not going to be stolen. And I’ve found an excellent source for these hopeful authors.

Of course, no one can guarantee that you won’t meet up with a scammer who loves your idea and wants to claim it as his own or an editor who assigns your topic to another writer. It can happen. But it is rare. It has never happened to me, that I know of. But I do see my articles posted all over the Internet without my permission. Does that upset me? Not really. As long as they attribute the work to me, I’m not going to complain.

Having said that, let me introduce you to Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s latest edition of her book, The Frugal Book Promoter. She is one author who has the courage and finesse to discuss the concept of plagiarism and she also offers suggestions for protecting your work. She says, for example, “The most important part of writing, after the process itself, is to be read, to share. Worry about plagiarism keeps inexperienced writers from doing that and produces anxieties that interfere with their creativity.” She says that the kind of plagiarism that authors worry about is quite rare. It’s hard to steal an idea. She also says, what I tell authors all the time, “There are truly no new ideas in the world.” (or There is nothing new under the sun.)

She offers some great ideas for protecting your work—from help understanding copyright to some practical ways to afford yourself peace of mind. She strongly suggests, as I do, that you do NOT ask an agent or publisher (even your editor) to sign a nondisclosure agreement. It would seem to me that if you don’t trust these people with your work, you shouldn’t be working with them.

A bigger concern might be you plagiarizing the works of others. As Carolyn says, “Sometimes our memories don’t serve us, our minds absorb something so completely we don’t remember where we first saw something or our researchers don’t take accurate notes. To protect yourself, research carefully, keep accurate records and assiduously credit others.”

I’m pretty impressed with Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s book, The Frugal Book Promoter (second edition). I’ll be reviewing it for SPAWNews—probably the December issue. Subscribe for this FREE enewsletter at http://www.spawn.org and receive a FREE ebooklet on how to promote your art or your writing.

To learn more about plagiarism and frugal book promotion, order Carolyn’s 413-page book at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com

I also did an Internet search using keywords, “plagiarism,” “will someone steal my writing?” “can someone steal my idea?” etc. and came up with other interesting articles and resources on the topic. If this is something that concerns you, you might do your own research.

Visit Patricia Fry’s website: http://www.patriciafry.com and download my FREE ebooklet, “50 Reasons Why You SHOULD Write That Book.”

Posted in Authorship, Writing | 4 Comments »

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