The Time to Learn about Writing and Publishing is Before One Writes or Publishes
Some novice authors readily admit that they are only vaguely familiar with the professional writing, publishing, distribution and marketing processes. They often access the discussion groups of literary websites seeking and receiving advice about writing, attaining notoriety and increasing book sales from authors who have not yet established a reputation as an exceptional writer nor attained widespread notoriety or commercial success themselves.
There are books, articles, seminars, lectures and classes, written or conducted by those who have achieved significant success in the literary field. They are available at little or no cost at public libraries, literary events and community colleges, as well as on-line.
The ideal time to learn about and develop advanced technical writing and narrating skills is before attempting to write a book. The ideal time to learn about the publishing, marketing and distribution processes is before seeking publication. That said; it is never too late to learn.
There are books, articles, seminars, lectures and classes, written or conducted by those who have achieved significant success in the literary field. They are available at little or no cost at public libraries, literary events and community colleges, as well as on-line.
The ideal time to learn about and develop advanced technical writing and narrating skills is before attempting to write a book. The ideal time to learn about the publishing, marketing and distribution processes is before seeking publication. That said; it is never too late to learn.
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Alicia wrote: "For publishing, I agree 100%.For writing, not so much: some people have to plunge right in and do it, or they'll never get started. But they need to start learning at the same time, and every pla..."
Alicia,
Thank you for remaining a loyal follower of the blog and once again sharing your opinion and comments.
Jim Vuksic
I continue my research into marketing and structuring and tried something different which looks tidier - an outline with inciting events before the actual one. As for publishing, I have published 16 books on Kindle and freebies on Smashword and Kobo. I worked my way through Self Print years ago.
Michael wrote: "I continue my research into marketing and structuring and tried something different which looks tidier - an outline with inciting events before the actual one. As for publishing, I have published 1..."Michael,
I have always admired your tenacity and determination as well as your personal investment of time and energy to continuously improve upon your knowledge and skills related to the literary field.
Thank you for being one of the oldest and most loyal followers of the blog and often sharing your opinions and comments. They are always welcome and appreciated.
Jim Vuksic
We live in a world where egos tend to look at many endeavors and take the "If he can do it - I can do it. How hard can it be?" attitude. Obviously many authors have written and published with that attitude and as a result we have a mountain of garbage in the current literary market. I do not self-publish - I prefer traditional publishers, but I spend a good deal of time updating myself on the literary landscape and current market conditions. I do write and despite a university education, I schedule at least 4 hours every week to review and learn more about the art of writing.
Jim, I agree totally with learning everything you can about any subject or procedure before attempting it.
Christine wrote: "We live in a world where egos tend to look at many endeavors and take the "If he can do it - I can do it. How hard can it be?" attitude. Obviously many authors have written and published with that ..."Christine,
It is regrettable, as you point out, that the published works of so many writers reveal a total ignorance of basic technical writing and narrating skills and, even more regrettable, their failure to recognize and acknowledge the need to learn them.
Thank you for following the blog ever since you discovered it and so often expending the time and effort to share your opinion and personal philosophy regarding the subject of a particular post.
Jim Vuksic
For writing, not so much: some people have to plunge right in and do it, or they'll never get started. But they need to start learning at the same time, and every place they run into a problem they should get some instruction (most problems have already been solved many times over - no point in reinventing the wheel): books, blogs, even actual writing courses.
I think that actual writing courses have the possible side effect of being exactly wrong for a particular student, and sending a pantser off with instructions to outline may kill a potential writer's career before it gets started.
Other than that, there's nothing wrong with formal instruction - it can give a timid writer a place to get started.
But publishing - and the preparation of the story to be publishable and to not be a total piece of garbage when turned into book form - that should be researched deeply and meticulously, especially before letting go of any money. There are an awful lot of scams out there for the unwary.