Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 225

Best Tweets on Break

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Due to AWP, I'm taking a break on Best Tweets until next week.



Want to know about the best stuff I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.























Looking for more?




Follow me on Twitter (@JaneFriedman)







List of most frequent
contributors in Best Tweets for Writers (always under development)



Follow Writer's Digest editors on Twitter: @writersdigest @brianklems @robertleebrewer @jessicastrawser @chucksambuchino @psexton1 @kellymesserly




Become a fan at the Writer's Digest Facebook
page (11K fans)

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Who's Listening to You? (AWP Thoughts)

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While delivering a session at the Writer's Digest Conference (read
this very kind & generous recap from George Davis!), I mentioned a few ways
that writers can waste their time:



By not submitting your best work to commercial publishers or agents



By publishing your work digitally when your audience wants print (or vice versa)



By self-publishing when no one is listening

Since that weekend, I've been digging deeper into these ideas, and am developing an
article for Writer's Digest on when and how revise your publication strategy.



And now, being at AWP, many other ideas are bubbling to the surface. Here are a few
thoughts sticking in my mind that I'll address soon (in one venue or another!):



Traditionally, a significant obstacle for literary publishing has been the cost
of print publication. Digital tech now changes that dramatically and offers advantages—for
emerging writers to get their start, and for established writers to experiment with
things they haven't done before.




Yet even for the literary world, everyone is still trying to figure out where
the revenue with digital is.




I do wonder if we might be entering an era when we can't expect to find revenue with
certain types of work/publications—or at certain stages of authors' careers.

In
a recent interview, Francis Ford Coppola said, "You have to remember that it's
only a few hundred years, if that much, that artists are working with money. Artists
never got money. Artists had a patron … as we enter into a new age, maybe art will
be free. … Who says artists have to make money?"

Technology now allows for affordable & amazing multimedia collaborations,
and it takes us back to roots of oral storytelling, and literature's relationship
with oral storytelling.



Many people in publishing are getting very excited about this kind of innovation.
And I've been offering exhortations here on this blog (and at events): Experiment. Think
beyond the book. Stop seeing the book as the end-all, be-all. It's one facet of
a career, not the goal.



But I've also realized I have to be more measured in my advice. Maybe it's not OK
to jump right in. Maybe it's best to know (at least) what you want to say—as
Christina Katz would advise!—and to ask: Who is listening here? Or how will I
connect with the people who will listen?



It's OK to experiment. But be honest with yourself about what you envision happening
once you've finished the experiment. Where do you want, expect, or hope to be? Just
because you used a new tool, or thought outside the box, doesn't mean the readers
will come.





(Pictured above: Nath Jones & me at AWP!)



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What I'm Looking Forward to at AWP

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Today I'm headed to the Association
of Writers & Writing Programs conference. I've been going to AWP since 2004,
and it is one of the largest events I attend—more than 8,000 writers, professors,
and professionals.




When I worked full-time at Writer's Digest, I had to stick around the Bookfair hall
at the Writer's Digest table exhibit. Not so this year!



2011 is the first year that I proposed panels, and I was fortune enough to have both
accepted. (See below).



So, I'm planning to spend most of my days attending others' panels. As a new media
professional and writing professor, I have divided interests, but my choices below
reflect a little of both roles (plus a personal interest in becoming more community
oriented in all the work I'm doing).




--



Thursday, 9 a.m.


Tearing Down the Town/Gown Divide: Taking Writing Off Campus and into the Community. (Tim
W. Brown, M.L. Liebler, April Naoko Heck, Gary Glazner, John Domini) 


How to traverse the town/gown divide by taking literary and organizational expertise
into the community. Strategies for faculty and students alike to gain exposure for
their writing, grow their audiences, and obtain real-world experience.



Thursday, 10:30 a.m.


Beyond Print: Digital Directions in Literary Publishing. (H. Emerson Blake,
Michael Archer, Jeffrey Thomson, Ram Devineni, Steven Lagerfeld)

Digital media is often presented as a challenge for literary magazines and journals—an
obstacle to be overcome. But digital media also presents dynamic opportunities for
the world of good writing.



Thursday, noon


Filling the Void: Growing & Sustaining Literary Communities. (Jill Pollack,
Christopher Castellani, Alix Wilber, Kyle Semmel)


What is the beating heart of a city's literary community? Writing centers across the
country are doing more than filling a void: they are building vital links and opportunities
to serve writers at all stages of their careers.



Thursday, 1:30


Marketing Your Literary Community: How to Make Sure Your Organization is Heard. (Kyle
Semmel, Art Taylor, Jill Pollack, Chip Cheek, Gregg Wilhelm)


So you've started a literary center or festival in your community. Now what do you
do? How do you market it? Which strategies work? Which don't? How do you get the best
return on investment on a limited advertising budget?



Thursday, 3:00


The Art and Authenticity of Social Media: Using Online Tools to Grow a Community. (Jane
Friedman, Tanya Egan Gibson, Dan Blank, Bethanne Patrick, Christina Katz, Caleb J.
Ross)


Social media is easy to disparage as meaningless socializing, undignified shilling,
or time better spent writing. Yet sharing information online and having conversations
with readers is critical to spreading the word about what you (or your organization)
does. Online community building can help develop a long-term readership, plus open
up new opportunities.




Thursday, 4:30


Why Don't They List Agents on Match.com? Demystifying the Author/Agent Relationship. (Britta
Coleman, Matt Bondurant, Alex Glass, Marcy Posner, Jenny Bent, Ann Cummins)


Finding the perfect agent takes more than a pithy profile or even a well-written query.




Friday, 9 a.m.

The Good Review: Criticism in the Age of Book Blogs and Amazon.com. (Jeremiah
Chamberlin, Charles Baxter, Stacey D'Erasmo, Gemma Sieff, Keith Taylor)


This panel examines how criticism is changing in a literary landscape increasingly
dominated by new media. In this era, who is a critic? What is a good review? Whom
does it serve? And what is the impact of criticism on literature and culture?



Friday, 10:30

How to start a literary center and thrive through the decades. (Jocelyn Hale,
Andromeda Romano-Lax, Gregg Wilhelm, Eve Bridburg, Sue Joerger)

Have you realized that your region needs a literary center and wondered how you might
get one going? What are your first steps and what will follow as your vision takes
hold and your organization grows? Learn about the lifecycle of nonprofits from leaders
of literary centers at all stages of development from Idea and Start-up.



Friday, noon

Love at First Query: Agents and Authors Share Strategies for Falling in Literary Love. (Catherine
Cortese, Bret Anthony Johnston, Paige Wheeler, Matthew Gavin Frank, Gordon Warnock,
Michelle Brower)


Searching for the right agent or author is complicated. Some forge tight bonds from
their first collaboration, while others break up only to reconnect with new, more
appropriate counterparts. Is there a formula for a perfect relationship between an
artist and his or her representation, or is it all luck of the draw?




Friday, 1:30

Thinking Beyond the Book: The Future of Authorship and Publishing in a Transmedia
World. (Jane Friedman, Kevin Smokler, Al Katkowsky, Christina Katz, Andy Hunter/Electric
Lit)


According to publishing futurists, we are now experiencing the late age of print.
Publishers are beginning to see the print book as the last stage of author development,
rather than the first step. A new model is emerging for stories and content distribution,
with publishers and authors experimenting with mobile apps, podcasts, and multimedia
approaches.





Friday, 3:00

Ask Not What the Internet Can Do for You: Shifting Our Perspective on Internet Publishing
as an Alternative to Major Market Publishing. (Ralph Pennel, Justin Maxwell, Ravi
Shankar, Anmarie Trimble, Lizzie Stark, Max Magee)


This panel will discuss electronic publications as central to the needs of 21st-century
writers and readers, and not as entities serving as secondary iterations of preexisting
publications.



Friday, 4:30

F220. Building the Literary Robot: The Lit Journal as New Media. (James Engelhardt,
Scott Lindenbaum, Jurgen Fauth, Zach Dodson, Zachary Schomburg, Travis Kurowski)


Lit has gone viral, adapted to fit Twitter feeds, iPhone apps, and social networks,
and fashioned into flash animation for posting on YouTube. How do literary journals
step into these new, far-reaching modes of publishing? What role will e-literature
have in contemporary publishing and the teaching of creative writing? What will this
mean to the traditional short story, poem, and essay?



--



For any others who are attending AWP, leave your suggestions/tips in the comments!

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5 Key Takeaways for Authors From Digital Book World

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Last week, on the heels of the Writer's Digest Conference, more than 1,000 publishing
professionals gathered for Digital Book
World to discuss the challenges of transitioning a very traditional business into
the digital age.



While I didn't attend the show this year (had to teach!), I've read a considerable
number of live blogs and write-ups. Here are a few takeaways that I found especially
important for writers & authors.

1. For major publishers, e-books will be 50%
of unit sales (but not necessarily revenue) no later than 2015. What's
driving growth? The decreasing price of e-readers, the popularity of tablets, the
launch of Google Books, and—in general—the
increasing number of ways to read and acquire e-books across a variety of platforms.

2. Publishers are being challenged
to show their value. "Publishers are going to have to prove they're better
at marketing and publicity than the authors themselves," said Simon Lipskar, an agent
with Writers House.




Furthermore, with initiatives like Kindle
Singles—where organizations like the New York Times or TED are partnering with
Amazon to release timely e-originals that in the past would've been done as quick
print books—there will be even greater competition for traditional publishers.

3. Agents have to think of themselves
as not just dealmakers, but as orchestrators of talent and careers. Given
how many potential ways content can be produced and distributed now, a good agent
doesn't just sell a print book, then move on. They're thinking about which medium
is most appropriate for a first release, and the timing and pricing of other mediums.
They're exploring all multimedia options and opportunities, and making things happen
outside the traditional models.

Also, an interesting highlight from Teleread's
report: Steve Ross of Abrams Artists said that with fewer titles being published,
and so many publishing professionals out of work, he decided to set up a consulting
service for self-published authors, and within 10 days had more clients than he could
handle.

4. Bricks-and-mortar bookstores will continue to decline—which puts further pressure,
as noted above, on commercial publishers to show their value to an author beyond distribution. Mike
Shatzkin boldly predicted: "We're looking for a reduction in shelf space of 50% in
the next five years, 90% in the next ten years."

I didn't see or hear anyone else being as aggressive in their
predictions as Shatzkin, but there was agreement
there would be some decline.




One caveat: the e-book industry growth is primarily driven by Big Six publishers,
rather than independent publishers. National Book Network president Rich Freese, whose
company distributes 200 independent publishers, said: "Ebooks aren't even 5% of our
sales, and they won't be 50% in two years."




However, the biggest fiction authors are already at 50% digital; other bestselling
authors are at 20%.

5. The YA market is not (yet) driven
by e-books. Bowker's Kelly Gallagher offered results from the latest BISG/Bowker
poll, which showed that only 5-6% of the YA market is reading e-books.

Best sources to read more in-depth:




Carolyn
Kellogg at the LA Times


Gayle Feldman
at FutureBook


Teleread




And, of course, you'll find continuing coverage of all these issues at Digital
Book World's excellent site, rich with content.



For those of you who attended Digital Book World, or were closely following
Twitter and other reports: What were your key takeaways? Would love for you to share
in the comments!



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Writing Above Your Head

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In the latest Glimmer Train Bulletin, Clayton
Luz has a wonderful piece about
"writing above your head," advice that he first heard from Richard Ford. Here's a
snippet of what Clayton says:

Sometimes we have to let things we experience age
a while in our souls before they ripen into a knowing. I'm with Henry James, who wrote
"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility,
a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of
consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue."




In other words, I had to live a sum of life before Ford's meaning reached my consciousness.



I understand now. My short story "When the Wind Blows the Water Grey" represents my
first published fiction. And it got that way because I finally wrote above my head,
I believe. What does that mean? …

Click here to read
the full piece by Luz.




Or: head to the full bulletin from Glimmer
Train.

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Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 1/28/11)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.




Quick plug: check out these live, online classes from Writer's Digest:



Publish
Your Children's or Teen Fiction in Today's Market by literary agent Mary Kole
(includes critique of your first 500 words)



Sell
Freelance Articles by Writer's Digest editors Chuck Sambuchino and Zachary Petit
(includes critique of your query)





















Best of the Best

Tips from Alan Rinzler on how to untangle
a plot


@inkyelbows



Lee Goldberg guest-posts to Joe Konrath's blog
about his Kindle success


@victoriastrauss



E-publishing isn't a sprint. It's a marathon


@jakonrath

Getting Published + Agents/Editors

If you won't have a blog, don't bother
sending us your manuscript by @mxpublishing


@TheFutureBook



Pitching: find your novel's wow factor


@iapetus999

Craft + Technique

Opening no nos


@jamesscottbell



3 Layers of 'Layering' in Fiction


@victoriamixon



13 ways to begin your novel


@gripemaster




The Problem With Memoirs


@AdviceToWriters



Tightening Your (Manuscript's) Belt: a Checklist for
Eliminating Unnecessary Prose


@elizabethscraig

Publishing News + Trends

Multimedia, Kids' Apps and the Rise of
a New Form


@PublishersWkly



HarperCollins acquires first title from community
writing site inkpop.com


@eBookNewser



In a nutshell, @MarionManeker explains the impact of
Kindle Singles and similar mid-length pe-publishing


@twliterary

Marketing + Promotion

5 Steps to Starting Your Own Podcasting
Show


@BubbleCow



How to Plan Your Virtual Book Tour - terrific advice
and sample pitch letter from @sandrabeckwith


@bookmarketer

Social Media

How To Use Facebook Advertising To Market
Your Book


@thecreativepenn

Websites + Blogs

Is Your Book Hiding Inside Your Blog?:
5 Steps to Finding It


@CatsEyeWriter



"When you focus on a smaller group of potential readers,
you can grow your audience much faster."


@JustineMusk

@Dan Blank



So You Want to Start a Book Blog: Pre-Blogging Advice


@elizabethscraig

Self-Publishing + E-Publishing

A handy beginner's guide to e-book formats,
apps and devices


@namenick



Self-Publishing Adventure: When You Don't Quite Sell
One Million Ebooks


@jafurtado

Resources + Tools

Introducing the search engine for writers--finding
resources that Google won't

@elizabethscraig



Janet Reid, Literary Agent: A book that should be on
your reference shelf


@thewritermama



Five iPhone apps for writing


@eBookNewser




For horror writers--a submission resource


@HorrorTree



Need ideas to jump start your project? The Thirty-six
(plus one) Dramatic Situations


@elizabethscraig

The Writing Life

Know When Your Writing Critique Group Doesn't
Fit


@hopeclark



Bestselling novelist Nicholas Sparks remembers his
time as an aspiring author


@GalleyCat

Looking for more?




Want to know about the best stuff I read each week?


Click here to subscribe
to my shared items.




Follow me on Twitter (@JaneFriedman)







List of Tweeps most
often included in weekly Best Tweets for Writers (always under development)



Follow Writer's Digest editors on Twitter: @writersdigest @brianklems @robertleebrewer @jessicastrawser @chucksambuchino @psexton1 @kellymesserly




Become a fan at the Writer's Digest Facebook
page (nearly 10K fans)

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How to Spot Questionable Writing Advice

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Today, I'm a guest over at Writer Unboxed, where I detail how to identify what might
be "bad" writing advice:

How
to Avoid Being Fooled By Bad Writing Advice

Usually what constitutes "bad" advice is merely extreme advice. Go
check out the full story!


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Thinking Beyond the Book: What's Your Demand Curve?

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At the Writer's Digest Conference, Richard
Nash delivered an inspiring keynote. Writers loved it.



Deep in his talk, a slide flashed up on the screen that, to the untrained eye, might
not have seemed like much. It was a piece of innovative and critical business advice
that spoke to the transformation of how authors should envision the growth and profitability
of their careers.



Thinking Beyond the Book


Nash's slide shows all the things that authors might do to earn money beyond just
selling a book. It speaks to the famous 7 intangibles that Kevin Kelly once wrote
about—the factors that now
drive the so-called "new economy" in our digital culture.




Immediacy (priority access, immediate delivery)

Personalization (tailored just for you)

Interpretation (support and guidance)

Authenticity (how can you be sure it is the real thing?)

Accessibility (wherever, whenever)

Embodiment (books, live music)

Patronage (paying simply because it feels good)


Findability (when there are millions of everything requesting our attention, being
found is valuable)

The trick is think of all the ways that you can deliver special experiences or unique
products to your audience that carry a high value. You will sell or offer fewer of
them (because they make greater demands on your time, energy, or resources), but you
will also charge more for them.




The curve Nash shows is not the only or final curve, just an example. Here are the
categories I'd pull out and order as most common:



E-books (cheapest)

Limited edition books

Personalized or customized books

Classes & workshops



One-on-one experiences (most expensive)



See how these take advantage of the 7 intangibles that Kelly outlined? Personalization?
Authenticity? Embodiment?




Yes, this is, in part, a marketing exercise. But just as much it's about being creative
and imaginative—about doing things that fit with who you are, and what your readers
want.



Cory Doctorow experiments with a curve of offerings, and has
reported on his efforts at Publishers Weekly.




OpenSky is a popular and emerging merchandising
model that is part of this curve. Take
a look at this author's "store."




Teaching Sells helps
all types of experts turn their knowledge into income. (Admittedly, this works better
for nonfiction than fiction.)



There are many other high-powered models you probably know about, like The-Book-Is-a-Souvenir
Seth Godin or Hugh MacLeod.



You won't be Seth Godin overnight. But always think beyond the book when envisioning
how your career will grow.



Your turn: What have you seen authors do that take advantage of the 7 intangibles,
and go beyond the book? Share examples in the comments!

 

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Are You a Renaissance Soul? Use It to Your Advantage

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Today's guest post is from Michelle Ward,
aka The When I Grow Up Coach, who has worked with over 100 creative types to help
them with their career goals.




--



Are you a Renaissance soul? To find out, answer the following questions:



Do you find a lot of different things interesting/worthwhile?


Do you have a tough time choosing just one thing to work on?

After a few weeks working on one piece, do you get the itch to move on?

If you answered yes to at least 2 of these questions, it doesn't mean that
you're flaky, unfocused, or are bound for failure. You're, instead, a Renaissance
Soul—like about 90% of the other creative types I talk with and coach!




It simply means that, as described here,
you have too many passions/interests to pick just one—just like Michelangelo and DaVinci!
Not bad guys to compare yourself to.



You may not believe me, but being a Renaissance Soul ain't a curse. I know—you've
been told that you need to Finish What You Start or Pick Your
Niche in order to be a successful writer, but to that I say: Hooey!




It's still possible to have a kick-ass career—and even be known as an expert—without
feeling like you have to put yourself in a box. Here's how:



Determine Ideal Conditions for Your Renaissance Soul


I have a client who discovered that her Renaissance Soul is happiest immersing herself
in one project until completion, but only if that project has an end date no more
than 3 months in the future—and she knows in advance the next project to switch to.
Because of those quarterly goals, she knows she'll complete 4 projects every year,
which is a high (and motivating/exciting!) number for her.




Personally, I enjoy having my hands in 2 or 3 projects at a time, working on them
each for about an hour a day or longer (when inspiration strikes). If I had to work
on 1 project continuously until it's done, I might go insane.




To figure out how you work best, ask yourself:




How long can I work on something until I get antsy?

How would I react if I was told that I had to work on 1 thing until it gets done?




What about 2 things? 3 things? 4 things? Find your optimal number.

Where do you feel the biggest sense of accomplishment/happiness/growth: starting a
project, working on it, or finishing it? When you have the answer, do some brainstorming
as to what type of structure will let you live in that place the longest.




I had a client who started projects to prove to herself that she could do it, but
once she got to that place ("Knitting a scarf is so easy! I can so do this!"), she
abandoned the project and made herself feel guilty in the process. Once I asked her
to get her half-finished projects out of her sight, her Guilty Vampire left her alone.
She even finished the next project she started by ensuring it was challenging at the
start and that it had a purpose (to give the scarf to her sister as a birthday gift)
until the end. She's also able to start and abandon projects guilt-free, to scratch
that I Can Do It itch anytime she wants.





Do a Brain Dump RIGHT NOW


Set the timer for 3 minutes right now, and do a big brain dump of everything that's
buzzing in your head that you wanna write about. Once they're all there, prioritize
them. If you don't know where to start, then rate them by excitement from 1 ("meh")
to 10 ("THIS IS AMAZEBALLS!"). Then, rank them based on the excitement number. If
there are any ties, then go by which project feels easiest. Yes, easiest.




How to Get Unstuck


Working from the optimal place you discovered above, you can ask yourself the following
if you find yourself getting stuck:



Why do I want to change directions?

What am I afraid of?

Is this something I still want to explore? If so, how much time/energy do I want to
give it?

Do I want to revisit this at another point in time? If so, mark a date in your calendar
a month from now and switch gears. Then, on that date, reassess again how you'd work
best and don't feel guilty about taking that project entirely off your plate.

What's the one consistent thing that comes up in your writing no matter what? Is it
your infectious energy, your eternal optimism, your sarcastic streak, your descriptive
prose? Dig deep (or go directly to the report cards, the feedback from teachers and
classmates, and/or the blog comments) and see what's consistent. Now, make sure you
bring that strength into whatever you write.




What can you be counted on to provide? Instead of focusing on the actual genre or
project, focus instead on the traits that come with it and make yourself known by
your uniquity. Then, it won't matter if you're writing children's books and short
stories—the fact that you're the writer will be apparent no matter the format.



So forget the stress of becoming boxing yourself in, or having to write one piece
until it's done or you're torturing yourself (whatever comes first).




Instead, focus on learning how you're most productive, enjoying what you do and using
your specialness as a Renaissance Soul to share your awesome writing with the world!



--



Michelle Ward is a certified life coach by the International Coach Academy and
a musical theater actress with her BFA from NYU/Tisch. She can be found coachin',
bloggin' and givin' away free stuff at whenigrowupcoach.com,
and encouraging everyone to claim their uniquity at The
Declaration of You.




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MASTER Recap of 2011 Writer's Digest Conference

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This post is a collection of:



Best tweets from the 2011 Writer's Digest Conference

Links to official live blog posts of selected sessions



Best recaps of the event by attendees & presenters





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BEST TWITTER TIPS BY CATEGORY


Search #wdc11 to view all
tweets from the event. (Pictured above: Me hunched over at WDC11, tweeting, alongside
Guy Gonzalez and Kevin Smokler.)

Craft/technique

A hero must show glimmer of humanity or a flaw in 1st 5 pages.
—Don Maass




Avoid "happy people in Happyland" when starting a book. Readers don't connect with
that." 


—James Scott Bell




Commercial women's fiction: premise should have something that couldn't happen to
most people."


[Ask Agent panel, unattributed]



At about 20,000 words, I stop and ask, "Is my lead character sympathetic, as I wanted
him to be?"

—James Scott Bell




[Collection of tweets on the revision session]

After a draft, take at least two weeks' break. Then read. In first read, I put in
check marks where the story is dragging and parentheses around bad phrases. Circles
go in the margin for where emotions aren't working. Question marks are for confusing
passages. After the first read, I ask, "Does this story make sense?" Do characters
act as people really would?" Characters in a novel have agendas, they don't just take
up space. What do they want in each scene? Look for coincidences that help a character,
and cut them out. You don't want a deus ex machina effect. Novels should be like a
chess match. There has to be a purpose for the characters to act. After draft revising,
do a polish. Polishing involves looking at scene openings and chapter endings.

—James Scott Bell






Self-publishing




Biggest problem for self-publishers is visibility. If you can achieve it, the money
can rival traditional. 


—agent Richard Curtis




If you're going to give your writing away (e.g. Huffington Post) do it on your own
platform instead.

 —Guy Gonzalez




Major keys to success are good story & true editing. Self-pub cannot be lower
quality than traditional.

—agent April Eberhardt






Blogging




[Collection of tweets on blogging session]

The more you work your blog, the more value you build for readers over time and the
more they find you. Your blog is a body of work, not just some marketing channel.
Don't think: "I'm going to create blog (a thing)." Think: What is my purpose? What
are my goals? Before you start blog, think about who'll send you traffic. Know community
players, who you'll build relationships with. Cannot overstress how important headline
writing is in your blog. It's your hook. Make it descriptive, compelling. Comment
on other people's blogs. Create a post as a response to someone's blog + tweet + comment
+ e-mail. Guest-posting builds credibility with partnership. And a weekly digest /
newsletter on your topic builds value.

—Dan Blank






Marketing, platform & social media




The book is not your whole brand. It's about connection to readers. Brand starts before
a book and resonates. Brand means you've ID-ed your audience, learned its needs, gotten
a clear vision of how you connect to that. Where you hang out online can say a lot
about your brand—without you having to say it, per se. —Dan
Blank




Rather than think of platform as an economic leverage point of misery, think of it
as what makes you happy.


—Richard Nash




I use Twitter to focus on certain people. Prior to this conference, I was watching
Twitter for who was coming to wdc11. … But it's not about the platform you use, it's
about the quality of the connection. … What's the ideal number of followers? There's
isn't an ideal number. It's all about quality. You want the right people more than
big numbers.


—Dan Blank




It all seems like a waste of time until something happens.—unattributed [Social Media
panel]



You analyze connections between people, not just topic but person-behind-topic. Then
build relationship.


—Dan Blank




Blogging on existing sites can be a good addition to building a topic-specific blog
of your own. Also consider participating in forums, writing guest posts.


—Kate Rados




Don't expect to make money with the 1st book (no matter how you publish); use it to
build readership, move onto 2nd. … Your job is to get your name out there. That's
how you become successful as an author.


—Patricia V. Davis






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Pitching/queries


(Pictured above: WDC11 pitch slam!)




In pitching agents, don't mention "blockbuster," Oprah, or the fact that God or aliens
told you to write.


—Chuck Sambuchino




Should an author get a pro edit before submission? Start with beta readers for affordability.


—Chuck Sambuchino




In nonfiction, platform often more important than in fiction. In fiction, story &
writing may trump other issues.


—Jud Laghi



"When is your project is ready to query? If beta-readers see more you need to do,
do it. Often, it takes years."


—Donald Maass




"If you're not published, don't apologize! No pub credits? Just leave that info out
of query. Focus on that book!"


[Ask Agent panel, unattributed]



"Editors are constitutionally unable to say 'no' to nice people at conferences. No
answer after submission means: no (rejection)." —Janet
Reid




On persistence in querying: If you're not getting the right response to your work,
something isn't working. If you're getting rejections, look at your novel and query.
Don't exhaust all queriable agents before you rework things!

—Donald Maass




Single biggest problem in queries: What's the book about? Start where the book starts:
a choice that illustrates the stakes. Don't reach for publishing credentials! If in
doubt, leave it out. Don't need to mention sequels/other work in your query. Agents
sign you for your whole career, so focus on the book you're querying.

—Janet Reid




Pitch: Who's the main character, what decision do they face, what will happen if he
chooses A vs B? One or two sentences max! Your pitch is comprised COMPLETELY of your
main character (name, age) and what CHOICE they face. Drop backstory/situation. After
those two sentences, stop talking! The agent will ask you questions—have a conversation!

—Janet Reid




Nonfiction writer: If your blog is your platform, you've got to have THOUSANDS of
hits. If that's not the case, don't bring it up! —Janet
Reid

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WRITER'S DIGEST OFFICIAL CONFERENCE BLOG


Many sessions were covered live during the conference. Here are recaps.



The
Future of Publishing (opening talk) by agent Richard Curtis

Keynote
address by Richard Nash

Closing
talk by Benjamin Leroy




Pitch
Perfect by Chuck Sambuchino

10
Things You Must Know to Craft an Effective Query by Janet Reid

Ask
the Agent panel



Branding
Yourself by Dan Blank

Your
Publishing Options by Jane Friedman

Marketing
Yourself in the Digital Age by Guy Gonzalez



Author
101 by Kevin Smokler

DIY
Publishing panel



The
Art of the Page Turner by Hallie Ephron

Putting
Fire in Your Fiction by Donald Maass

Building
the Perfect Plot by James Scott Bell





EXCELLENT COVERAGE & REACTIONS ELSEWHERE


Go read what others had to say (both attendees & presenters):



Agent Janet Reid's coverage on her session at the conference, on how
to write effective queries




Digital Book World's Guy Gonzalez's slide deck from Marketing
Yourself in the Digital Age




Recap
& thoughts from attendee Julie Weathers (I don't agree with everything she
says, but that's mainly because conference tweets almost always deliver a message
out of context, and can be interpreted to mean things they really don't … so she takes
different meaning from the tweets than what was often intended. Hard to avoid, though.



Here's a great recap of Richard Nash's keynote, titled How
Reading Can Change the World




And, by the same person, a recap of the agent panel: Quit
Obsessing




A Publishers
Weekly blog-reporter gives her take




Here's
one attendee who didn't participate in the pitch slam, and offers reasons why attending
such a conference is still helpful




ScriptChat hostess Jeanne V. Bowerman offers a
comprehensive recap at WriteOn!




This attendee tells some good
anecdotes from the pitch slam




Finally, read Chuck
Sambuchino's wrap-up at Guide to Literary Agents, and catch a few great photos





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