Month: March 2015

‘Build a platform’

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

At writing conferences, “build a platform” is almost a mantra. Here is some basic advice about how to build your own.

Build a Successful Writer’s Platform

http://www.everywritersresource.com/build-successful-writers-platform/

And speaking of conferences, the 26th Madison (Wisconsin) Writers’ Institute starts tomorrow. If you’re close enough, you can register in the morning. Check details at https://uwwritersinstitute.wisc.edu/. It’s a great place to learn, meet people, pitch to agents, and generally feel encouraged as a writer.

Know your style

~ sharon ~ 1 Comment

A few writers I know work in multiple genres. They’re comfortable switching between fiction and non-fiction, from memoir to mystery. Others have found a style and voice and genre and stick to it. But for many writers, I think, there’s a time when they write to find out who they are as writers. Unless experimentation is one of your writing goals, this post may lessen the time from wondering to knowing what your style is.

How to Find Your Trademark Writing Style

http://writetodone.com/trademark-writing-style/

Creativity and pay

~ sharon ~ 1 Comment

Here’s a reflection about creative work and getting paid by an Australian writer and mother. She raises the age-old questions about balancing work and motherhhood, and getting paid for writing. (So you know, HECS is an Australian student loan program and TAFE is a vocational training system.) While she offers no new solutions, sometimes knowing others struggle with the same challenges — including fatherhood — helps.

The literary mother load | Overland literary journal
https://overland.org.au/2015/03/the-literary-mother-load/

Build your team

~ sharon ~ Leave a comment

So, you may already have an agent, but do you have a publicist? Last summer, I had a chance to meet Dana Kaye, a publicist, at the Writers Block Party (a gathering of Chicago Writer’s Association and In Print Writers). She talked about the services she and other publicists can provide to authors. Independent authors who don’t have marketing backgrounds certainly may want to consider hiring a publicist. Literary agent Carly Watters says traditionally published authors also might want to hire their own publicist to supplement whatever is being done by their publishers.

How much do you know about hiring an external publicist for your novel? | Carly Watters, Literary Agent

http://carlywatters.com/2015/03/16/external-publicist/