Writing and Publishing News from

We all have first impressions. We judge situations, people and organizations and we form opinions based on these judgments and impressions. Sometimes, however, we are wrong. And that’s the focus of my blog post today.

I often question SPAWN members who have decided not to renew. I ask them why they have made this decision. And quite often it is because of their misperceptions about what we offer and who we cater to. “Your members are freelance writers who write for a living,” one woman told me. “I’m an author and I need information about marketing my book.”

Oh my gosh, how could she possibly miss the point that the majority of our members are authors and a huge focus for SPAWN is book marketing. Every newsletter we produce and those in our archives have information and resources related to book promotion. Most of the articles posted at our site are for authors who are facing or involved in marketing a book. How could anyone miss this fact?

Several members have told me that they wanted to find a publisher and that SPAWN wasn’t helpful in this endeavor. Some of them were upset because they had made some poor decisions on behalf of their books. We, here at SPAWN, are fully aware of the multitude of decisions an author must make and we know what authors need most in order to do the right thing by their projects: Education, information and resources. And we provide all of these things in many forms in hopes that our members will recognize it as useful and pursue it. Unfortunately, some authors don’t understand that they must be alert to the sources available, participate, get involved and actively pursue the offerings.

Maybe they see the recommendations and warnings, for example, but choose to ignore them. They believe that these are for meant for others—not them. Some authors hope for explicit guidance directing them to their personal pot of gold. They don’t want to sort through the maze of possibilities. They want someone to show them the quick and easy route to publishing success. Their heads are turned by the folks at the first “self-publishing” company (or fulfillment company or agency) who issue them a contract. And, not only do they read what they want to read into the contract, they believe the verbal promises. When things go bad, they figure that SPAWN failed them.

In reality, they failed themselves. If these authors were to backtrack, they may realize that everything—EVERYTHING—they needed in order to experience publishing success, was in-their-face available through SPAWN. Let’s examine what opportunities these members might have missed—in fact, dissed:

• They didn’t even read the free gift book they received when they joined SPAWN.

• They didn’t read some of the books we’ve reviewed for SPAWNews even though they contained information that might have helped them avoid several mistakes.

• They didn’t take the time to read the SPAWN Market Update each month (for members only), nor did they use the nifty search function to seek information in our massive archives.

• When they did read or scan the Market Update, they neglected to heed the warnings and recommendations or to pursue the information we offer.

• They didn’t take seriously the wisdom in any of the articles they happened to read at the website, in SPAWNews or in the SPAWN Market Update.

• When they were uncertain about a company, agency, publisher or distributor, for example, they didn’t bother to check them out using the warning sites we provide.

• They signed contracts based on verbal promises instead of seeking legal advice as we recommend. (We also list low and no cost sites offering legal advice for authors.)

• They didn’t use SPAWNDiscuss (to communicate with other members), nor did they contact the professionals at SPAWN when they had a question or concern about a pending decision. And when they did—and they didn’t like the answer (too much work), they disregarded it and chose to make mistakes, instead.

The fact is, there are no magic potions or wands that will help you to succeed as a published author, a candy maker, a boot repairman, an investor or anything else. In all cases, it takes knowledge in order to make the right decisions and choices. And that’s the piece of the puzzle that is missing for many authors who fail. They just didn’t educate themselves about the industry and their responsibilities within it. They didn’t acknowledge the variety of options or learn the possible consequences of their choices. They joined SPAWN hoping for a quick and sure entrance to publishing success and experienced, instead, heartbreak.

If you have a book in the works or you’re promoting one and you are ready to take advantage of an enormous resource in SPAWN, join now at http://spawn.org Click on “Join SPAWN Now.” If you are a renewing member, click on “Renew Now.” If you’d like to start out slowly and just subscribe to our free monthly SPAWNews (which is separate from the SPAWN Market Update), click on “Free Newsletter.”

Did you attend my Open House for Writers and Authors, yet? Did you visit my updated website? What do you think? If you’re a writer and/or author, you’ll especially discover value at my “For Writers” pages. There, you will find “Words for Writers” with 13 tidbits of information such as, “The Art of Shipping Books,” “Clean Up Your Muddy Writing,” “The Anatomy of an Online Class,” “Don’t Write that Book…,” “Surefire Ways to Get Your Book Proposal Rejected,” “Watch Out For Burnout,” etc. http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/wordsforwriters.html

Note: Words for Writers has evolved into this Publishing Blog. I post to this blog site almost every day—so tune in often for fresh advice, perspective, resources, ideas, leads, recommendations and news you can use.

The Resource List at my website now includes around 200 freshly updated entries and links for writers and authors of all genres, disciplines, interests and needs.
http://www.matilijapress.com/forwriters/resources.html

On the articles pages at my website, I have posted over 100 of my articles. Study the 75 or so articles related to writing, publishing and book promotion. But also read some of my articles on business topics, public speaking, health/fitness, children/parenting, animals and more. This will give you an idea of the type of work I’ve been doing for magazines over the years. And it may give you some ideas for approaching some of your favorite topics.
http://www.matilijapress.com/articles.htm

Talented Author, Sandra Cropsey, Writes in Favor of Standardizing Self-Publishing
Congratulations go out to my friend, SPAWN member and talented writer, Sandra J. Cropsey whose article appears in the May 7 edition of Jerry Simmons newsletter, Tips for Writers from the Publishing Insider. The title of her piece is “The State of Publishing: Who You Gonna Call?”

If you have ever questioned the state of self-publishing today and wondered when someone was going to establish some sort of standards for this sub-industry, you’ll find a sense of camaraderie within Sandra’s article. I can’t find a link to this issue at Simmons’ website, so if you want to see this article, contact me and I’ll send it to you. For more articles like this, sign up for Jerry’s free enewsletter at http://www.writersreaders.com

Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com for a copy of Sandra’s article. Learn more about this talented writer of children’s books and hilarious novels at http://www.sandracropsey.com Maybe some of you will want to team up with Sandra and other professionals to devise a plan for standardizing self-publishing, somehow. Be sure to include Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print of Self Publishing. He has actually taken a step in that direction with this book. If you are thinking about getting involved with a “self-publishing” company or you are struggling within the boundaries of a contract with one, you MUST read this book. Levine rates, ranks and analyzes 48 “self-publishing” companies—helping authors to set some of their own standards.

Are you a hopeful, new or seasoned author? Are you seeking information and resources to use in accomplishing your publishing goals? You’ve just been given a huge gift and many opportunities in the form of hundreds of resources, perspective and information. Don’t walk away without sampling the offerings.

Patricia Fry is the author of 29 published books, including The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Order your copy today and start your journey toward publishing success. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

My first experience with an online course was several years ago when a colleague asked me to teach one through her company. I enjoyed it so much and the students seemed to get so much out of it that I began teaching my own online courses.

Currently, I teach 4 courses for writers and authors:

• Book Proposal Workshop
• Book Promotion Workshop
• How to Write and Sell Articles to Magazines
• Self-Publishing Workshop

How Does an Online Course Work?
It’s as easy as emailing a friend, but much more rewarding and beneficial to your writing/publishing career. It’s like going to school in the comfort of your home. You receive weekly lectures and assignments that you can work on at your convenience. Your instructor will respond to your questions and provide individual feedback. Plan to participate fully and you could complete a successful book proposal for submission by the end of the 8 week course, have an article ready to submit to an appropriate periodical in 6 weeks, start selling more books or self-publish your book by the end of the 6 or 8 week course.

And if you want to complete the course faster—there’s certainly that option available, too. I will work with students who want to move at a faster pace as long as they complete the course within the 6 or 8 week period.

What Does an Online Course Cost?
I see courses and classes advertised on the Internet at a variety of prices. I charge anywhere from $125 to $200 per course. That’s $20 to $25 per class.

I typically charge $50 for editing work and consultations. But, when you take one of my courses, you get individual attention, benefit of my editorial and industry knowledge and plenty of guidance throughout the duration of the course at no extra charge.

Depending on your level of participation, my $125 Article Writing course could result in $500 worth of benefit to you. You might receive as much as $800 worth of value from my $200 book proposal course.

Yes, the value is significant for anyone who wants to establish a career or promote a book by writing articles for magazines, who needs help promoting a book, who wants to establish his/her own publishing company and who needs to develop a book proposal.

We’re all trying to cut corners and save money these days. I read a commentary at a book review blog over the weekend. The reviewer said that she has reviewed many, many self-published books in recent years and that there are very few of them that she would recommend. I think she said it was 2 out of several dozen. She said that a huge majority of the self-published books she reviews are poorly written and in bad editorial shape. And this trend is getting worse because authors are unwilling to spend the money and the time to do the right thing.

Authors, hear me: If you are going to bring out the book of your dreams and you have serious hopes that it will compete with books from traditional publishers—those books you see stocked in bookstores—you MUST do what those publishers do.

• Understand something about the publishing industry before getting involved.
• Determine, before writing it, if there is a market for this book.
• Determine your target audience and write it for that audience.
• Have the book professionally edited.
• Run it by a proofreader.
• Produce a professional-looking product.
• Have a marketing plan for this book.

How do you achieve a level of knowledge about the publishing industry? PLEASE read Patricia Fry’s book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

How do you learn about marketing a book, locating the appropriate market for your book, writing for that market, what is a professional-looking product and so forth? Hire a book shepherd, take several months or a year to learn your way around in this industry and/or go back to school. Yes, sign up for appropriate courses presented by professionals in the industry and cut down significantly on the learning curve as well as the money you spend.

Check out the courses we offer at Matilija Press http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm. If you don’t see a course that you feel applies to you, let me know and maybe we can create one within your specifications: PLFry620@yahoo.com.

If someone offered incentives to join an organization, what would work for you? What would make you choose to renew your membership in that organization? What sort of enticement would move you off dead center if you were trying to decide whether to join or renew your membership in a writing or publishing organization?

Are you a member of SPAWN, SPAN, IBPA? Maybe you belong to a regional publishing organization or a local writers club. Which one(s)? What made you join? What kept you coming back?

Here are some additional questions:
What caused you to get involved and participate in the organization?
What made you avoid getting involved and participating?
What are you looking for in a publishing or writing organization?

Respond to these questions and get an ebook of your choice:

Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats
The Successful Writer’s Handbook
How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less
The Author’s Repair Kit

PLFry620@yahoo.com or leave a comment here or contact me through my website: http://www.matilijapress.com

Yes, times are tough financially. We’re all experiencing job layoffs, work slowdowns, loss of customers/clients, losses in our investments and so forth. There’s no pretty picture painted in our wallets or on our bank statements. But is this any reason to set your dream aside—to skimp on your amazing book project?

I am concerned about some of my clients who seem to be bypassing important steps in order to save some money. While some are deciding not to pay to have their books edited, others are scrapping their projects altogether. It’s sad.

It has occurred to me, lately, that maybe there is something we, as citizens, can do to help ourselves, each other and the economy. Rather than holding off getting that book edited, going to the printer with it or even having your bathroom upgraded, getting that paint job on your house, having the fence built around your property or having your sofa reupholstered, do it now! Hire someone to do a small job and encourage him to hire someone to do something for him. Talk to your neighbors and family members about hiring that gardener or that dog groomer. I’m not talking so much about going down to Starbucks and paying for a cup of coffee or buying a new dining room table from a name brand store.

I’m suggesting that we help one another out at the grassroots level by hiring entrepreneurs who are running one-wo/man businesses, mom and pop stores, home-based businesses, etc. Help out that tree trimmer who has done good work for you before, the contractor who replaced your roof, the laborer who dug your leach line, the petsitter who helped you out last summer and don’t forget the editor you love.

And think of how much better you will feel after having received a service or product while also helping a fellow wo/man. You’ll really enjoy your home more when your bathroom walls are covered with fresh paint or when you drive up and see flowers instead of weeds. Think how happy you’ll be when you find a publisher for your book because it is actually ready for publication.

Maybe you’re already hiring independent workers to handle various projects for you. If you are, I’d like to know how it’s going. If not, try it and see how good you’ll feel.

If you’ve been putting off signing up for one of my courses because the economy has you frightened, let’s talk about a possible discount. Maybe there’s an aspect of the course you don’t need and I can omit it and drop my fee. Talk to me: PLFry620@yahoo.com But what I don’t want you to do is put off getting the education you need or want in order to write a successful book proposal, sell more books, start a serious freelance writing business or self-publish your book. Check out my array of courses at: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm