Category Archives: Independent Publishers Conferences and Workshops

Crossing the Finish Line

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“When the goal is in sight, all your physical pain disappears, and your mental determination shall carry you the rest of the way.” ~ Trey Patty 

At 6:30am, Saturday morning,  my fellow Kiwanians and I were perched by the side of the road at Rabbit Ears Pass. We were on the look out for athletes who where running in a relay race all the way from Fort Collins, CO to Steamboat Springs, CO – a 198 mile trek, over multi-mountain pass terrain!! 

Although participating in a race of athletic endurance is not something I can quite relate to – I can appreciate how each of these athletes were examples in courage and in not being stopped by the thought of defeat. Throughout my five hour stint of helping on the sidelines, I was inspired by a group of runners who despite extreme circumstances, had set personal goals, and had dreams of reaching the finish line first. 

Each of us has our own interpretation what is fulfilling, meaningful and satisfying in life. Whether you are an athlete struggling to cross the finish line, or a writer in the final stages of a book project, completing the task requires many of the same character traits.

 It takes passion, planning, motivation, enthusiasm, focus and a determined spirit to continue on despite challenges and setbacks. If you are a writer whose manuscript has been rejected through the traditional publishing world, don’t let rejection defeat you! Learn all you can about why your manuscript was rejected, take all the necessary steps to correct, rewrite, improve or enhance your writing. Don’t loose the passion for your manuscript. Use your enduring spirit to continue on. Always consider the alternative – independent publishing. That way, you can be in charge of the end result using those character traits that you already possess.

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Helping Teachers Explore Possibilities

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“Give all you have…teach what you know and learn what you don’t. Stay open to all” ~ Unknown 

Last night at the Epilogue Bookstore, we had some bright, intelligent people who came to learn why non-traditional publishing is on the fast track to becoming the leading sector of the publishing industry. After all, independent publishing (non-traditional publishing) already represents over 50% of all publishing revenues! According to Bowker, the industry grew a whooping 181% between 2008-2009! http://bit.ly/cp3anL. 

Folks everywhere are asking the same question – how can they take their ideas for books and film, and turn them into reality? “On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry” will be repeated in September at Colorado Mountain College www.coloradomtn.edu.com.  Stay tuned to this blogsite, for  more information, in the coming weeks. 

Colleges are breeding grounds for professionals who are highly educated, have career expertise and love to share their knowledge with others through teaching! Sometimes, teaching means standing in front of a classroom, sometimes teaching means sharing knowledge through the form of a book or film. 

If you are a professor who has been interested in sharing your career knowledge through a book or film, the time has never been better to share that knowledge. Join in on the discussion and learn why independent publishing may be the perfect choice for you. You can be “the boss” of your book, and I can guarantee you this – it will be published, when it is up to you!

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Exploration of A Dream

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“Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible.” ~Unknown 

Do you have a book in you? Why not join in on the conversation! The independent publishing industry is boasting figures that are easy to understand once you hear what the buzz is all about!  

 “On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry” will be presented tonight at the Epilogue Bookstore in Steamboat Springs, CO at 7pm.

  • Learn how you can fulfill your dreams of becoming a published author!
  • Hear a first hand story of a choice that an independent publisher had to make.
  • Gather some resources so you can start down the path to independent publishing
  • Listen to how the passion of one mom has become a ministry of sharing a relevant topic with all parents through indie publishing.
  • Learn who to partner with for independent publishing success.  

Take the first step toward making your dream a reality. See you tonight!

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An Eagle Eye Approach

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“He is a great communicator and teacher. He knows how to fix things when they go wrong.” ~ Kevin Steele 

Over the past week or two, my son and I have had a running conversation about deadlines, and how they become the all consuming focus for so many writers, filmmakers and artists. 

Sometimes in the rush to meet a deadline, details that are critical to the success of a project are often overlooked. Yes, rewriting or redoing is arduous and laborious, but, it is not worth risking quality for the sake of just getting the project done and out the door. Presenting a project that is representative of your capability as a talented artist is vital. 

Before the deadline, it is wise to have someone take a hard-line objective look at the project you have been so deeply engaged in. An opinion without bias can serve you well! This step should not be ignored, nor should it be left as a final detail. Suppose there are things that need to be reworked? 

Meticulous does not mean being inflexible. It means caring and putting your very best forward. Think of it this way, what do you look for when you are at the other end? Quality, probably!

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Weekend Indie Publisher News

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Writers from all over the world will be converging at The Edinborough International Book Festival, just weeks away. Beginning August 14th, you can join legendary writers and thinkers at this festival. Four Nobel laureates and four Booker winners will be in attendance. As well as, over 40 authors making their debut!

This 17  day international festival is jammed full with workshops, readings, educational information for writers. A few of the activities include:

  • Storytellers
  • Oxford University Professor, Robin Dunbar – about social networking
  • Bookmaking for kids
  • Rosie Allen – producer of arts documentaries
  • Brother & sister due from Poland – on Writing a Book with your Sibling
  • Culinary Writing Workshop

For more information on this International Book Festival, visit

http://www.edbookfest.co.uk.

 

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An Indie Bound Meeting!

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“The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books” ~ Katherine Mansfield 

If you visited this website yesterday, welcome back! I am glad you returned! Our paths seem to cross a lot on this blogsite. Obviously, many of the same things are fulfilling to us! We share an interest  in independently published words, thoughts and views.

There is more information that I would like to share with you all about Indie Bound. Across America, there are bookstores who support and believe in the growing trend of independent publishing! That is right, and there is more! 

Did you know Indie Bound even has a bestselling list of independently published books? http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bestsellers. This list is updated weekly. Here are a few picks from their list: 

  • The Help – Katheryn Stockett
  • Faithful Place – Tana French
  • The Passage –  Justin Cronin
  • Fly Away Home – Jennifer Weiner
  • Matterhorn – Karl Marlantes
  • The Cookbook Collector – Allegra Goodman 

Let’s try to meet another way – in person!  How does meeting at an Indie Bound bookstore sound? Let’s meet at  The Epilogue Bookstore in Steamboat Springs, CO on August 5th at 7pm, because they are Indie Bound! Let’s discuss “On the Fast Track: The Independent Publishing Industry.” I know we will find a lot of common ground! Author Mitzi Rudderow of Dallas, TX has already sent me her RSVP. She wants to add to the discussion and introduce her book “Coming Clean: Drug Addiction Help and Hope.” Sounds like a plan to me! 

Need more information the location of The Epilogue Bookstore? Please visit their website http://epiloguebookco.com/ 

See you there! 

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Organic Writing?

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“And all writing is creating or spinning dreams for other people so they won’t have to bother doing it themselves” ~  Beth Henley 

I am not so sure  Bowker would concur with Beth Henley! According to Bowker’s April 2009 statistics http://bit.ly/cp3anL, the independent publishing industry which includes small publishing houses, micropublishers and self publishers grew a whopping 181% in 2009. While the traditional publishing industry remained flat! 

This indicates, to me, that people are crazed with creating or spinning their own dreams these days. Many writers are fulfilling their vision of becoming a published writer through independent publishing. Perhaps they don’t care to mess about with the “big guys” who claim there are 17 reasons why most books get rejected.  One of the 17 reasons for rejection is that the writing is “not organic.” Sorry, that only sounds like an inane buzzword to me. 

If you have received rejection time and time again, and you are loosing faith in the publishing game, perhaps knowing why books get rejected could be of value! There must be very valid reasons why Janet Reid says “99.2% of all manuscripts that pass by her desk get rejected!” To learn more about what doesn’t get through the standard response button of “no”, please visit http://bit.ly/VygcF.

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Write or Wrong?

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Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.” ~ John Jakes

Writers, have you taken the test? It is called I Write Like.

It goes like this – you enter a short chapter of your unfinished book, several paragraphs of your blog writing, an entry from your journal, a comment you wrote in response to a blog or perhaps, a short letter to an editor. In other words, submit a sample of your writing to http://iwl.me. 

What happens next? Within a matter of moments, your writing is analyzed in terms of your writing style and your word choice.

 How do you get the result? You receive an on-line ‘badge” which indicates which famous author your writing compares with.

 My result?  My writing compares with the writing of Stephenie Meyer, the author of the Twilight Series! Yeah, right!

 Personally, I think it is only a test to see how many foolish people, like me take it! That’s all!

 What do you think of this test?

Is it a gimmick that leads to false hope for writers?

Does it encourage writers to press on and to continue to hone their craft?

Can statistical analysis based on a sample writing of a few paragraphs be a valid way to assess talent and ability?

Can this writing test really forecast whether or not you have a chance at becoming an accomplished writer like the author your writing has been compared to?

 We would like to hear from you!

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Weekend Indie Publishing News

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Calling all writers and publishers! Tune in to “Cover to Cover”  www.wnzf.com very Saturday morning! Not only can this show be listened to on-line but also on a good old fashioned radio – 106.3 on the FM dial and 1550 on the AM dial from Flagler Beach, FL.

This weeks broadcast 7/17 – join Frank Gromling as he interviews author of The Lotus Eaters  – Tatjiana Soli and Holly Albanese of the Flagler County Library.

Next week Saturday 7/24 – Author Warren Caterson will be on hand to talk about his book Table for Two.  Also, we are in for a very informative show with Angela D’Agostino from Bowker/ProQuest. I am sure she will update us on the latest statistics on the independent publishing scene.

Tune in at 11:30 am Eastern Standard Time, 10:30 am Central Time, 9:30 am Mountain Time and 8:30 am Pacific Time, today and every Saturday!

I’ll be joining  you!

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Weekend Indie Publishing News

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Looking to submit your manuscript to book award contests this summer? Poets and Writers Magazine www.pw.org has put together a calendar of contests for all months of the year. To keep informed, please visit http://www.pw.org/submission_calendar/2010/7/all.

 Submit your independent short film into a contest! Submissions are now being accepted for the 4th International Indie Short Film Competition. All submissions must be received by November 15, 2010. This is an on-line short film and short script competition. The ISFC is looking to identify a new generation of talented filmmakers and screenwriters and to create exciting opportunities for outstanding talent. For more information on this contest, please visit http://www.indieshortfilms.net.

Winning awards adds value to your work, and creditability to you as writer, screenwriter or filmmaker. Don’t miss out on these opportunities and more! There are lots of contests and competitions to be found, hunt them down!