The rough reality of publishing and the simple workaround

Writing Etc.: Make your writing sparkle, write killer queries, get published. Tips, tools, and techniques to help sell your writing.

October 21, 2014

~~ Notes from Minnesota ~~~

Hey Writing Etc. subscriber,

The only constant in life is change.

I’m feeling fairly well these day. Post cancer-diagnosis life is beginning a somewhat predictable rhythm. I’m able to take longer walks. Days are calm, dare I say… verging on “good” again.

Then came Luna.

Last week, my dear son yelled from the basement, “Hey Mom. The cat’s still under the deck.”

Stupid me. I had to look.

Sure enough, a little kitty lay pressed against the dirty basement window. “Ignore it,” I say.

“But its neck looks sooo long,” he counters.

We opened the window (bad move) and the most charming kitty popped her head in. My son immediately closed said window and we went upstairs.

Later that morning, I ran downstairs. I peeked towards the window. It was still there.

Even stupider me: I opened the window, just to see how thin it was. It climbed inside. I stroked it. Then I carried it upstairs. Then I fed her. Then she slept on my desk.

The city clerk told me to bring her to the Humane Society. “Or you can shoot her,” she said, “We’ve got an infestation on stray cats in town.”

Needless to say, I now live with a cat. A tortoise shell kitty. A lovely little girl. The two dogs are somewhat confused at this new development. As am I.

I’m not sure how I feel about this new arrangement, however I can say I do not dislike it. That little critter seems to be stealing my heart. Dang her. 🙂

Keep writing!

Beth (who is currently brushing a persistent tail off her computer keyboard)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Does marketing your writing frustrate you? Check this out: “Advice to Freelance Writers: Insider Secrets to Effective Shoestring Marketing, Managing a Winning Mindset, and Thriving in Any Economy, Volumes 1 – 3.” Get the scoop here.

~~~~ Feature Article ~~~~~~~~

The rough reality of publishing and the simple workaround

Beth Ann Erickson

The world of publishing is continually changing. So far, just this year, over two million new books have been published worldwide.

That’s a lot of books. This number highlights a few realities for writers.

First, competition for reader eyeballs is astounding. Second, fewer people actually read books anymore. Third, most of these books… an incredible number, actually… will die slow, quiet deaths.

So, is there any way to stack the deck, just a little bit, in your favor?

Sure. The biggest thing you can do to ensure the success of any writing project is to learn how to market. If you can’t market, you may as well write for your friends and family because they’ll be the primary buyers.

Marketing isn’t hard. It isn’t complicated either. However, you absolutely, positively must learn some of these important skills. It’s not negotiable.

Another thing you need to do is build your brand. Yeah. I wasn’t thrilled to hear this until I actually studied branding and discovered how much I enjoy this activity. As a writer, you have an automatic edge in this department.

Finally, you need to build a readership. This is a career-long activity that’s easily accomplished by learning marketing skills and being consistent within your brand.

So… while the current publishing environment isn’t necessarily great, it’s not hard to implement an effective work-around. Also, with so few writers paying heed to these workarounds, you can cultivate quite an edge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can use any of these articles free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be sure to include this byline:

This article is courtesy of Filbert Publishing. Make your writing sparkle, write killer queries, get published. Subscribe to Writing Etc., the free e-mag for freelancers and receive the e-book “Power Queries.” http://filbertpublishing.com

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You received this email because you subscribed at FilbertPublishing.com. You can easily manage your subscription by clicking the link at the end of this email.

You’ll receive between 1 – 4 emails per month from me, lots of tips, articles, and announcements of our latest titles.

I don’t rent or share your email information with anyone. Ever. Period.

Please forward this message with your friends, writing groups, peers, and anyone who you feel will find this content useful. I think they’ll find the information helpful and I know I very much appreciate your support. 🙂

~~~~~

PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not distribute your email address to anyone. Ever. Period.

Please send your news items, ideas, comments, etc. to mailto:filbertpublishing@filbertpublishing.com

Writing Etc.

Box 326

Kandiyohi, MN 56251

Maurice and Beth Erickson, Publishers

mailto:filbertpublishing@filbertpublishing.com

http://filbertpublishing.com/