Welcome to the Writer Insider, a new resource for writers, independent “indie” publishers, self-publishers, interested readers and anyone else who wants an audience for their writing or to know more about writers and their craft. I have a big idea to vet to you, and I’m seeking your reactions, both positive and negative, and anywhere in between. I propose to explore the universe of publishing, which like our own starry cosmos, is expanding and growing at light warp speed toward an immense extent and population. I plan to do this in great detail, based on my own journey, that of my fellow writers, collaborators and other experts who have something to contribute to this complex story. Here’s an outline of what I plan to cover in the months to come, amounting to a free course on getting started in your writing career.
10 Basic Skills Every Writer Should Know
Introduction: The Expanding Universe of PublishingWelcome to the Writer Insider, a new resource for writers, independent “indie” publishers, self-publishers, interested readers and anyone else who wants an audience for their writing or to know more about writers and their craft. I have a big idea to vet to you, and I’m seeking your reactions, both positive and negative, and anywhere in between. I propose to explore the universe of publishing, which like our own starry cosmos, is expanding and growing at light warp speed toward an immense extent and population. I plan to do this in great detail, based on my own journey, that of my fellow writers, collaborators and other experts who have something to contribute to this complex story. Here’s an outline of what I plan to cover in the months to come, amounting to a free course on getting started in your writing career.Until the turn of the twenty-first century, books were published primarily by publishing companies in the principal cities of the world. An author would contact the publisher, who would consider a submitted manuscript, suggest changes and either reject the submission or accept it for publication. Then at some time over the past century, as publishers were besieged by ever-more would-be authors, the literary agent came upon the scene to screen, select and help authors prepare their manuscripts for submission to the publishers. As an architect who did lots of writing and promotion for my design firms over the years, I felt that a basic, introductory course, distilling what I have learned over a dozen years since undertaking second career, might be of benefit to aspiring writers, Perhaps I can spare you a few futile exercises, help you avoid a couple of missteps and set you on your way to covering the basics in getting started on the rocky and constantly changing path to achievement as a writer.To accomplish this I’ve outlined several topics which I hope you’ll find worth of a little bit of you time to read and absorb, which will cover what I see as the main steps in writing and getting your material published. Pub 1.0 Mastering the Writing CraftHaving something to say and expressing it well is the entry ticket to the writer’s world. To merit publication by someone else, it must be said clearly, correctly and expertly and often artfully. To attract readership, it must at least be informative, appealing, topical, accessible and interesting. To become profitable and make a career of writing, one must develop an audience, a following or, what is called in the publishing game, a platform. In fact it helps to be a celebrity, like a presidential candidate, a news anchor or the survivor of a death-defying climb up Mount Everest. Short of these qualifications, most of us will have to achieve writing success the hard way, mastering the writing craft.The articles in this section will give you a sampling, from my own experience and form visiting experts in the writing and publishing world. Pub 2.0 Getting published: What’s involved ?Until the turn of the twenty-first century, books were published primarily by publishing companies in the principal cities of the world. An author would contact the publisher, who would consider a submitted manuscript, suggest changes and either reject the submission or accept it for publication. Then at some time over the past century, as publishers were besieged by ever-more would-be authors, the literary agent came upon the scene to screen, select and help authors prepare their manuscripts for submission to the publishers. To achieve profitability, A number of factors influence how you can publish and what type of publisher you can choose, or become: the following and professional standing:that is, the “platform”—of the author. the type or genre of the book, the number of books you have to offer in the excitement you can generate over the appearance of your new book, whether it be a novel, biography, cookbook or self-improvement strategy. Pub 3.0: Role of the Peer network: Literary societies, online groupsAbout the best thing I did for my writing career was to join local writing groups: St. Louis Writers Guild, Sisters in Crime and St. Louis Publishers Association. Each literary society, in its own way filled in my ignorance of a huge and growing publishing industry, which is located, not only in the great publishing houses of New York, London, Toronto and Sydney, but in newspaper offices. homes, internet companies and tiny home studios worldwide, like my own cave in the basement of our house. In addition, online groups on social networks have led me to friendships across the sea and throughout the U. S., affording me new publicity and publication opportunities to an ever widening audience. Future topics in this free online course will include the following: Pub 4.0: Hooray, you’ve got a book! Now what?Pub 5.0: Getting noticed: DiscoverabilityPub 6.0: Publicity: Traditional, with the big bucks, or new age on the internetPub 7.0: Social networking: the new wavePub 8.0 Marketing: media types: Print, e-books, Kindle, audiobooksPub 9.0: Sales and distribution channels: exclusive vs. Omnium Gatherum approachPub 10.0: My Own Writer’s Journey: the Books and StoriesFor the whole story, go to the Writer Insider: A Writer’s Journey |