Writing and Publishing News from

I love book signings. I like attending those of my colleagues (I believe it’s important to support our fellow authors in this way) and I enjoy greeting people who attend mine. I had a very successful book signing at Borders Westend in Nashville March 31 of this year. We attracted something like 21 people, who came to hear me talk about publishing. Many of them bought my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. In fact, I shipped several copies of the book a few weeks ahead of the presentation and quite a few books had already been sold by the night of the event. The books were selling so well, that the manager, who so graciously welcomed us to the Nashville Westend Borders, asked if I had any more copies I could leave with him. He ended up with 31 copies total.

Guess how many have been paid for to date&#8212nearly 5 months later? NONE! Zip!! Zero! Not even one of them.

I am to the point of frustration, as you can imagine.

Of course, I’ve been in touch with the manager of the Nashville Borders store and the accounts manager (who has since left) numerous times. When I can actually speak to a live person, or when they happen to respond to my emails, they assure me that the check is in the mail or that they will check into it. A couple of times, I had to resend the invoice. All I get are promises and lies.

Finally, I sent a letter to the Accounts Payable Department at Borders’ Headquarters. I included a timeline of my presentation in Nashville, my conversations with the store manager and my attempts to get paid. There was no response. So two weeks later, I attempted to contact the Borders main headquarters Accounts Payable Department by phone. I left numerous messages. Finally a live person called and left me a message. They don’t seem to know anything about my invoice. I had to send it again. (Or maybe this is just their way of stalling me so I will eventually forget about it and go away.)

On August 20, I sent the copy of the invoice and a timeline of events since the date of the signing (March 31) to Borders Headquarters Accounts Payable Dept. Since then, I’ve made several follow-up calls and have yet to speak to a live person. So I still have not been paid and I still don’t know truly what’s going on. All I know is that I am growing more and more frustrated.

I’ve posted versions of this dilemma at SPAWN’s discussion site, SPAWNDiscuss, asking if anyone else has had a problem collecting from Borders. No one has responded, except with their own bookstore problems—none related to Borders. I can’t find anything while doing a Google search to indicate that others have had similar problems with Borders. So I am assuming that I just fell between the cracks. However, I do have a few smaller outstanding invoices that Borders hasn’t paid over the years&#8212invoices that I didn’t pursue.

Does anyone know what’s going on with Borders? Have you done business with them? Do they pay you? Has anyone had trouble? How did you resolve problems with them? Any information or advice would be welcome.

In the meantime, don’t forget that I’m starting a new book proposal course September 15, 2008. Sign up this week (August 25-29, 2008) and get a discount. Here’s the information:

Write a Successful Book Proposal. Every author needs a book proposal. Let me successfully walk you through the often intimidating process of writing one. 8 weeks, $200. The next class starts September 15. Sign up this week (August 25-29, 2008) and I’ll give you the course for $180. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

Questions? Comments? PLFry620@yahoo.com

I tell every hopeful author and freelance writer who will listen that knowledge is one key to their publishing success. But where can you go to get information about the publishing industry, to become familiar with the resources you need, to be ever aware of the opportunities and keep up with the changes within the industry? Here’s what I suggest:

• Join organizations such as SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) http://www.spawn.org as well as IBPA (formerly PMA), http://www.pma-online.org and SPAN, http://www.spannet.org
• Read the newsletters and e-newsletters from these organizations and subscribe to others.
• Visit these organization websites and take advantage of the resources they offers.
• Read good books by reliable authorities. For authors, I recommend my book: The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html and, if you plan to go with a POD self-publishing services, read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing (The Contracts and Services of 45 Self-Publishing Companies—Analyzed, Ranked and Exposed). For freelance writers, read A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles http://www.matilijapress.com/writingpage.html and books by Peter Bowerman, for example.
• Attend lectures and conferences related to publishing and freelance writing.

Of the organizations mentioned above, SPAWN is the only one who addresses the needs of the beginning and advanced author and freelance writer. Sign up for the FREE newsletter at the SPAWN website: http://www.spawn.org. Click on “FREE newsletter.”

I’m the president of SPAWN. And I write a second newsletter FOR MEMBERS ONLY which is posted at the SPAWN website each first of the month. This one, The Market Update, is jam-packed with information, news bites, resources and opportunities for authors (at any stage of their publishing journey), freelance writers, artists, photographers, poets and others who are interested in being published.

Here’s a peek into the September edition of the SPAWN Market Update. I have included:

For Freelance writers:
• Listings for dozens of consumer and trade magazines, such as: HOW (pays $900 per article), Human Resource Executive (pays up to $1,000), Advantages Magazine (pays up to $1,000 per piece).
• Sites where you can find additional trade magazines listed: http://www.freebizmag.com, http://www.tradepub.com
• An article focusing on when and how to get permission to quote an individual or a passage.
• I’ve also included 5 magazines that will pay for poetry.

For Authors:
• A list of a dozen publishers to consider.
• Access to hundreds of children’s book publishers. For example: http://www.signaleader.com
• Book promotion opportunities, including a list of fall book festivals and a magazine where you can promote your memoir.
• A library search tool where you can search for books you need for research purposes AND where you can discover which libraries house your own published books. I used http://www.worldcat.org and discovered hundreds of my own books in libraries throughout the world, including South Africa, Australia, and London.

Join SPAWN today and gain access to all of this and much more in the September 2008 edition of the SPAWN Market Update. The cost to join SPAWN is $45/year. Every new member can earn many times this amount in the first month of membership through the tips, opportunities, resources and information bites available in just one issue of this incredible newsletter. Spend a little time searching our Market Update archives and you could be taking money to the bank—lots of it! PLUS you will get a free book or ebook of your choice. We are now including Mark Levine’s The Fine Print of Self-Publishing as one of your choices. Join SPAWN, choose this book and you’ve knocked the cost of your SPAWN membership down to around $25.00.

Learn more about SPAWN at http://www.spawn.org/member.htm

Questions? Contact me at: PLFry620@yahoo.com

How fast do things move off your desk? Do you let tasks and requests pile up until you can find enough time to handle it all? Do you spend X amount of time on these accumulating items each day/week? Or do you take care of business as it comes in?

I tend to be of the latter type. It is rare that you will find a small or even medium “to do” item on my desk for a week or even a few days. Larger tasks, and those that I consider a bit distasteful, may hang around a little longer.

I often get interview requests: “Please respond to the interview questions and return them to me.” I generally tackle them with joy (I love interviews) early the following morning and send them off before my daily walk.

I also receive a lot of questions from clients, SPAWN members and writers/authors at large. It is rare that I don’t respond as soon as I open the email request. If it is a complex question that needs a little research or if it is a list of questions (generally from a client), I may wait until I have the appropriate slot of time in order to respond. This would rarely extend beyond a 12-hour period.

Article requests and manuscript evaluations are typically handled within a few days. I respond to most emails as soon as I receive them and I’m rarely away from my computer for more than 8 hours at a time.

How do you handle the things that come across your desk on a daily basis? What if you’re working on a client project or your own book or article manuscript? How do you handle interruptions? I take regular breaks (go off the clock, if it’s client work) and refresh my tea or coffee, grab lunch, take a walk or do a few stretching exercises. That’s also when I check email and respond to quick questions or simple requests. So I’m keeping up with what’s coming in every few hours or so. This may not be the most effective, efficient way, but it works for me. And my desk, as we speak, is clean. What about you?

SPAWN
I mentioned SPAWN above. To remind you, SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network. If you are interested in publishing, at any level, consider joining SPAWN. We are a networking organization and resource center for anyone interested in publishing. Dues: $45/year. Benefits: Numerous! http://www.spawn.org

Resources for Writers and Authors
If you are writing or promoting a book, seeking an agent or publisher or trying to establish a career as a freelance writer, I have resources for you. Between the SPAWN website and my own, you have access to hundreds of articles and resources. I also have several books for authors and freelance writers at http://www.matilijapress.com Most particularly, you’ll want to order The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Book Proposal Course Starting Soon
I’m teaching my 8-week online book proposal course starting September 15. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get professional assistance writing your book proposal. You could pay as much as $1,000 if you were working one-on-one with a professional. Sign up for my course and work one-on-one with a professional for only $200.

By the way, it’s all done via private email&#8212there is no sharing of materials with other students.

You weren’t planning to write a book proposal? You just want to write your book? I urge you to rethink your tactics. Remember, as soon as you decide that you are writing (or have written) a book for publication, as opposed to one for just family and friends, your book becomes a product and you have entered into the realm of business. A book proposal is a business plan for your book. Without one, you are just guessing that you’ve written the right book for the right audience. You are just assuming that there is a spot in the marketplace for your book.

Tell me, is this how you would enter into a business of any other type&#8212blindly without knowledge of the industry, the competition, your customers or the market? Would you open a deli without checking to see if there are others in the neighborhood, how much business they are doing, if there is access to suppliers in your area, what the county/state requirements are and without a marketing plan? I don’t think so!!!

Sign up for my Book Proposal Course at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm Or sign up for another one of my on demand, online courses at http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

It seems like a good idea to write a novel, memoir, self-help book or ___________ (you fill in the blank). But is it, really? What makes you believe that you should spend months or years writing this book? How do you know there is a need or desire for it? Are you sure that there are publishers waiting for a book like this and consumers yearning to read it?

Or are you so emotionally attached to your book idea that you are willing to risk time and money, not to mention your mental health, in order to see it published&#8212one way or another?

Not all manuscripts are meant to be published. Let me say that again, not all manuscripts are meant to be published. Just because you have this desire to write something down, doesn’t mean that it is worthy of publication. There are thousands of books in the system now that probably should have remained just a concept in the author’s mind or musings in a private journal. And there are thousands of authors who wish they had never spent the money to produce an inferior book just for the ego rush. Some of them realize now where they went wrong&#8212others still don’t have a clue.

It used to be that publishers pretty much determined what books were available to read. We had few choices, as consumers, but to rely on their opinions. There have certainly always been a few renegade self-publishers and vanity presses trying to create a voice within the industry, as well. But, today, practically anything and everything goes&#8212good or bad, rich or sleazy, intellectual or trashy, desired/needed or not. And some authors don’t even care about the quality of their project. They just want to see their words (their ideas, their thoughts) down on paper. They want to have something from their own imagination, ingenuity or experiences preserved for evermore. And many of these authors don’t give a second thought to their audiences until the reality of publication begins to set in.

The author wakes up one day and realizes, “Hey, I’ve just spent quite a bit of money having my memoirs (gay-ethnic-romance novel, children’s picture book or alphabetical guide to sushi bars along the west coast) published. Now I’m going to start selling it.” And he heads to the nearest Borders Bookstore with an armload of books and a bundle of self-confidence.

It doesn’t take long for rejection to diminish his confidence level and for overwhelm to set in. Some of these authors run back to their POD companies and start signing up for various promotional programs in hopes of selling enough books to pay the growing publishing bill. When these programs fail to produce the sales figures he desires, the author gives up and his book dies.

So what could have saved this author? What can you do to guarantee your own publishing success? Educate yourself. Become knowledgeable about the publishing industry. Become aware, through study, that publishing is NOT an extension of your writing, but a business. And then take the steps toward becoming a savvy author with a strong business sense. Here are my recommendations for new authors who on the verge of entering into the publishing field. Before writing that book or, at least, before choosing a publishing option:

• Study the publishing industry.
• Become aware of and consider all publishing options before making a choice.
• Keep an open mind. Knowledge will burst some of your bubbles.
• Write a book proposal.

For assistance with any of the above, order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book NOW. Herein, you will learn about the publishing industry, you’ll become aware of your publishing options and receive guidance in making your choice, you’ll also find complete instructions for creating a book proposal along with sample proposals as templates. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Watch out for publishing rumors. They can sabotage your success.

Almost everyone who enters the publishing arena for the first time, has heard a rumor or two. They’ve listened to the publishing war stories of those in their writers’ groups. They’ve met disgruntled authors at conferences and book festivals with stories to tell. Or they talk to a neighbor who tried to get a book published in the ’80s. Some hopeful authors embrace the first or what seems to them the most logical/reasonable testimonial and consider it publishing gospel. Here are a few examples that hopeful authors have shared with me:

Rumor
A publisher will take your 500-page manuscript, throw away 450 pages and then tell you to rewrite the book.

Fact
Actually, this would be rare, indeed. Publishers get enough good manuscripts that they aren’t going to work from scratch with an unknown author. This is absurd.

Rumor
Publishers won’t even look at your manuscript if you don’t have an agent.

Fact
There are hundreds and hundreds of small to medium-size publishers who prefer to work without the involvement of an agent.

Rumor
All I have to do in order to get published is find an agent.

Fact
Sorry, an agent does not guarantee a publishing contract.

Rumor
It’s impossible for a first-time author to land a traditional royalty publishing contract, so I might as well pay to have this book published.

Fact
There are plenty of publishers who work with new authors—some of them claim that 75 or even 100 percent of their books are from first-time authors.

Rumor
I don’t have to have my manuscript edited. If the publisher is interested, he’ll edit it.

Fact
Yeah, right! But how are you going to get him interested in an inferior manuscript when there are so many others to choose from?

Rumor
I won’t need to promote my book because I’ve paid my POD publisher to do the promotion.

Fact
Don’t get me started. No matter what publishing option you choose, you WILL be responsible for promoting your book.

Rumor
Bookstores won’t carry self-published books.

Fact
Have you contacted independent bookstores?

Rumor
No one will review self-published and POD books.

Fact
This describes most pre-publication reviewers. But there are numerous book review opportunities throughout the Internet and among print publications.

Rumor
Writing the book is the hardest part.

Fact
No, successfully navigating the publishing industry is harder and marketing is even harder, yet.

Folks, don’t rely on rumors and the experiences of a few others when you are ready to enter into the world of publishing. Be proactive. Study the publishing industry so that you are completely informed and well-prepared to make the right decisions on behalf of your particular project.

I often say that one must put the puzzle pieces together in order to discover how to successfully manage the world of publishing. But now I think it is more like working with Tinker Toys. Everyone, who gets a set of these building pieces, will put them together in a different way—to suit their specific publishing needs.

As part of your study of the publishing industry, be sure to read the book I wrote for newby and struggling authors. The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I go around the country and all over the Internet telling hopeful authors that they MUST write a book proposal before they write their books. I’ve been adamant in my coaching on this subject; until recently.

A few weeks ago, it came to my attention that maybe this isn’t the right instruction for everyone. As I worked closely on the business of a book proposal with one writer, in particular, I noticed her confidence waning. Her creativity faltered as we worked together on writing a synopsis and putting together a marketing piece. I watched her, over several weeks, make numerous false starts and attempts. Subsequently, recognizing her high level of anxiety, I realized that she just wasn’t ready to handle the task of writing a book proposal. What to do?

Do I tell her that she’s not cut out for the business of publishing? She’s a professional woman, for goodness sake. Do I suggest she give up on her book? It’s an intimately personal memoir. No! Here’s what I did. I gave her permission to write her book without the stress of the book proposal hanging over her head.

In some ways, this was a difficult decision for me. Here are some of the reasons why I advise writing a book proposal first:

• The newby author will get a sense of the very necessary business end of publishing a book and be more well-prepared.
• He will have the opportunity to build promotion into his book.
• She will understand the importance of establishing a platform.
• They will more likely be writing the right book for the right audience.
• The book proposal is a guide to writing the book.

However, I now realize that some authors, especially when their projects are very personal, are better off to get the story down, first. Especially new writers need to, perhaps, avoid left brain activities right now and just stay in creativity mode&#8212live with the story. If it’s an emotional story&#8212one that’s painful to tell&#8212all the more reason why they must make it their focus, for now.

Yet, this isn’t true for all authors who are writing emotionally draining books&#8212not at all. I work with some authors who can leave an extremely sensitive manuscript in order to take care of business&#8212such as writing a book proposal. I guess it depends on one’s ability to shift from right brain to left brain and back again. And it depends on how raw the emotions are&#8212how much time has passed since the events about which they are writing.

So my lesson for ME this month is to more carefully evaluate a client or student who is in the process of writing a personal memoir. I need to determine whether or not this author is ready to concentrate on the business of writing a book proposal.

So what’s the harm if this author writes the book first? The proposal process probably would not change her way of writing the story. It’s her story and she’s going to tell it from her perspective. The information she collects for her book proposal probably would do nothing to alter the way she wants to tell her story. In fact, writing a book proposal might sour her story by distracting and frustrating her. For authors like this, it may be best to allow them the freedom to write the book, first.

When the book is completed, she may decide that she doesn’t want to share it with the public. She might simply tuck it into a drawer and go on with her life. She might produce it for family and friends. Or she might be extremely interested in having the book published. She’s of a mind now to write a book proposal and to look into her publishing options. She may even discover her business sense and make a few changes to her book in order to create a more salable product.

And so, my lesson this month is a reminder that there is more than one way to approach publishing. And my job is to guide the hopeful author in the direction that fits his or her needs.

New and seasoned authors will find the information they need in order to more successfully navigate the process of publishing in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

I’ll be starting a new online Book Proposal course September 15. Sign up now at http://www.matilijapress.com/course_bookproposal.htm

Or sign up for the course of your choice. We present online courses on demand: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm