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Saturday, March 26, 2022


Where Do You Get Educated About Publishing?


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

For years I've been studying the publishing world. A key part of the process is building relationships with editors and agents and others in the community such as publicity people. Something you can't control is timing but you can continue to be submitting or pitching and building relationships. Then you can be at the right place at the right time with the right material.
 
The publishing community is always changing and I can illustrate it with one of my 21 “secrets” in the first edition of Book Proposals That Sell: always enclose an SASE (self addressed stamped envelope). At that time, there was no electronic submissions. Publishers received thousands of submissions (as they do today) and if you didn't include the return postage, then your submission was thrown away and not returned. Today everything is electronic and if an editor is interested, they will request you to send the full manuscript as an attachment.
 
How can get educated about publishing? It is an on-going process but in this article I want to give you several resources. My first resource is to read the articles in my Twitter stream or that I post on LinkedIn. It is a steady stream of information about various aspects of publishing and education. I read all of these articles which are in this steam and learn from them.
 
The second way to learn about publishing is to study how-to-write books. For years I've been reading at least one how-to-write book a month and learning from them. You can get them from your public library and read them. I've written three how-to-write books. Originally I self-published Jumptart Your Publishing Dreams but now the revised edition is available in bookstores online and brick and mortar stores. Follow this link for a free sample. This book has helped many writers learn more about publishing. Check out the illustration from a reader who marked different sections to study with post-it notes.
 
I also wrote 10 Publishing Myths to help writers have a realistic view of publishing. You can get my book for only $10 including shipping plus over $200 in bonuses if you follow this link. Or you can get it at any bookstore whether online or brick and mortar. I encourage you to get the 11th myth as a free download.
 
Finally the revised edition of Book Proposals That Sell will help you understand the book publishing world and many authors have used this book to find a publisher or a literary agent. At the book website, you can get a free book proposal checklist (the pop-up when you go to the book site).
 
Another means to get educated about publishing is to attend a writer's conference. There are some excellent events and opportunities for you to meet personally meet editors and agents. I'm headed two two of these live events next month and would love to meet with you during these events. 
 
The publishing world is full of opportunity for every writer but you must take action, learn what the editor or agent wants and expects, then make appropriate pitches. Each of us can get educated about publishing and I've given you some seasoned places to explore and improve your possibilities.
 
In this article I gave you a number of different means to get educated about publishing. Are there other ways you would suggest? Let me know in the comments below.
 

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Sunday, March 20, 2022


Publishing Takes A Team


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
 
On the surface, it is often not clear but sucessful publishing takes a team. The work of a writer is a solitary task where you understand your target audience (reader) and craft your words into a manuscript for various publications. As I've mentioned in the pages of these entries, your relationships with others is a critical part of this process.  I understand many writers have chosen to self-publish which is definitely a choice but in this article I want to give several examples of why you need a team.
 
The team can get your book reviewed in respected journals. For many years, I've read the monthly Cox Report from Midwest Book Review. On their site, they have submission guidelines and I've sent a few of my books to them but (like every review outlet), they receive thousands of books and only pick a few to review. Months ago, Morgan James Publishing submitted my Book Proposals That Sell (The Revised Edition) to Midwest Book Review. Getting the book to the right person is a critical part of this process. Jim Cox selected my book to review. As I read the Cox Report, I grateful for the team and that my book was reviewed. You can read the full review here but here's the section that stood out to me: “Critique: Simply stated, if you only have time to read one 'how to' guide to getting published, whether it be traditional publishing or self-publishing, "Book Proposals That Sell: 21 Secrets to Speed Your Success" is that one DIY instructional book. Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, it can help the aspiring writer to avoid costly and time consuming mistakes with respect to getting published and having that published book brought to the attention of its intended readership.”
 
To get such a review was a feat of the team effort, but using this review on an on-going effort for the book is also important. I continue to use the review from time to time in my social media feed and other places plus I used some of the words to create a unique image. You can use these tools as well and get lifetime access if you follow this link. I use this tool several times a week so it has become an important part of my regular work.
 
As I've mentioned in these articles, thousands of books are published every day. Many books never appear inside a brick and mortar bookstore and are only sold online. As someone who has been in publishing for years, you want your book in many different places—brick and mortar as well as online. You have to be with the right publisher to get your book inside a bookstore. Several years ago, I was going through the Philadelphia airport and missed my connection. I spent the bulk of that day inside the airport waiting for my next flight. Out of sheer boredom, I went into the airport bookstore to look around and found my Billy Graham biography. Notice this picture from inside the airport bookstore. Over the years, I've seen numerous Morgan James Publishing books inside the bookstore. You have to be working with the right publisher for this placement to happen.
 
Over the last ten years, I've brought numerous authors and books to Morgan James Publishing (follow this link and my contact information is on the bottom of the second page—email and direct phone). If I can help you, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'm always looking for the right authors and books.
 
I hope through these examples, you understand publishing is a team effort and you need to be with the right team. How have you seen publishing takes a team? Let me know in the comments below.
 
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Each month I write an original article for the BRMCWC blog. Writer, What Is Your Side Hustle? I hope it gives you some new ideas for your own writing life. 

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Sunday, March 13, 2022


Put Your Spin On Your Writing

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Within the writing world, there are countless stories to be told in many different formats such as blog posts, magazine articles and books. As a writer, I enjoy helping other people shape and write these stories. It gives me a chance to put my own spin on these stories and get them out into the world. Each of us have an endless supply of such stories and personal experiences. One of the keys is to get your fingers on the keyboard and create them in the first place, then do the work to get them out into the world so other people can read them. Without pitching and making that right connection to an editor or agent, it remains something in your mind but not into the world.
 
Like the picture of the the spinning top in this article, the toy does not spin without someone taking action. Action is what we do as writers—day in and day out—especially if we want our words to get into the world. In this article I want to give you a couple of examples of how I put my own spin on my writing.
 
Social Media Posts
 
Through the years I've posted thousands of times on social media. In these articles, I've told about using tools like Hootsuite and ClickToTweet in this process. These tools help me be consistent and ClickToTweet gives others an easy way to pass on the article. In my social media plans, I will highlight articles and other writings from others. Each time I post, I make sure to include an image (since this image often draws people to read the words with the post). If the article I am highlighting has an image, I will use that image or if not, I will quickly find one to use with it.
 
For my social media posts, behind the scenes I've created my own “standard” and it's something I encouorage you to do as well. In addition to a photo with each post, I attempt to include the name of who wrote the article along with their Twitter handle (not everyone has a Twitter name but I search for it and try to add it each time). If the person has a tool to pass on the article, I use that as a starting point, then I add the name, shorten the link and if not there (add a couple of relevant hashtags). It does not take a lot of time to meet this standard but it brings consistency to my various social media posts—and yes I put some effort into these posts—something I encourage you to do as well.
 
Most of the time, I hear little from my social media posts (12–15 times a day) but then someone will comment or share or indicate some way they have read the post. Sometimes these posts are new and other times they have been out there for a long time. The interaction shows me that people read this material—whether they say anything or not. Don't be surprised if you don't get a lot of response. The key is go keep on going and be consistent.
 
Book Reviews
 
I've been writing book reviews for a long time with over 1,100 on Amazon and over 700 on Goodreads (follow this link if you want to see some of them). My reviews are my own spin or perspective on a particular book. Often I will quote part of the book (especially on print and not so much on audiobooks) which shows the reader that I've actually read the book and found a relevant quote to include in my review.  Throughout any week, I receive many more books that I can possibly read—much less write about—but I continue doing some of them on a regular basis (even though no one pays me for these reviews). If you read a book or listen to it, I encourage you to take a few minutes and write a review. It will be a way to support the author and also good for your writing life.
 
How are you putting your spin on your writing? Let me know in the comments below.
 
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Sunday, March 06, 2022


Hooking Your Reader


By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Last week a friend who purchased a couple of my books made some comments on Facebook to show me how she read those books. My Billy Graham biography which she read in one evening. Then my Book Proposals That Sell, she had planned to skim the contents and pick and choose what to read. But she was reading every page. Such reader feedback is important to every writer. When I read it, I knew that these books were achieving a basic for every piece of writing: you must hook the reader and pull them into your writing.
 
Each of us have a wide variety of media (incljuding print) which pulls for our attention. Everyone has limited time to read. It's the task of the writer to pull that reader into the material through a story or a series of questions or pointed content. I want to give you some ideas how to do this basic writing skill. In my journalism classes, this skill is called “Hooking Your Reader.” There are probably other names this skill is called as well but I'm referring to the conscious awareness of what draws your reader to your writing. As you write, you need to be aware of the power of word choice and sentence construction which could make a difference whether your words are read or ignored.
 
From my years of writing, I want to give you five aspects to consider:
 
1. It takes practice. The writing world has a strange mixture between natural talent and a taught skill. Each of us can learn how to write a query letter or a book proposal. But that natural talent you have to bring to the table. None of us know if you have this talent or not unless you are using it. There are many places to write—not just books but magazines, online publications and many other places. In the first chapter of Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, I wrote about the early days of my writing and give a series of possible places to publish your writing. If you haven't seen this list, I encourage you to follow the link and explore it. There is no opt-in and this link will go right to it). What actions are you taking to practice your writing?
 
2. Use Stories. Everyone loves a good story to pull or hook you into the writing. These stories can be your personal stories or you can tell someone else's story. The skill of good storytelling is something again that will come with practice and a skill you can learn to include elements like dialogue, description, and other elements. A good story will keep your reader moving forward through your words.
 
3. Write in the Active Tense. It may have been years since you thought about tense in grammar but this element makes a difference whether people keep reading or not. Years ago when I was doing academic writing, I wrote many passive sentences (a pattern for this type of writing). Active tense pulls the reader into your work. Make sure every sentence is in the active tense.
 
4. Seize Every Opportunity. You need to learn to hook your reader in every type of writing, whether long or short. If you are writing back cover copy for your book, hook the reader. If you are writing a social media post, hook your reader.  Every writer needs to learn  the variety in their skills and take every opportunity to practice this skill. 
 
5. As you write, always focus on the reader. Some writers lose sight of who will be reading their work—readers. Always keep this reader in mind as you write for clarity and also to keep them turning pages.
 
What methods do you use to hook your reader and keep them reading? Let me know in the comments below.
 
My Articles in Other Places
 
Each month I write for a couple of other online locations. Here's some recent articles on other topics:
 
Do you know your competition? Every author should know their competition as a part of their business plan--even if they self-publish. 
 
Every Writer Needs A Safety Net In the ups and downs of writing, I encourage every writer to have a safety net and you can read this piece to learn the details. 
 

My Speaking Schedule 
 
I'll be speaking at a few conferences in the coming months. Follow this link to learn the details. Hope to see you in person at an event. 
 
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