I have not bogged for about a week because I was attempting to attend the Cape Cod Writers Conference while moving from one apartment to another seven miles away. Somehow the stress got to me, and I contracted pneumonia, so I am resting and recovering.
I am also remembering with great gratitude the wonderful last six months.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Cape Cod Writers Conference Day 3
On Wednesday I learned a lot from two teachers: Fern Reiss and Hillary Rettig.
In the morning Fern Reiss talked about ISBNs's and cover design. She explained how one company--Bowker--controls all ISBN's in the U.S. She said it costs a few hundred dollars to purchase ten ISBN's from Bowker.
She also urged us to hire a professional book cover designer, rather than try to do it ourselves. She told a story about a rich executive who insisted on doing the cover his way, only to discover that the product code wouldn't scan correctly so that the books could not be sold in bookstores.
During the class, on of my classmate talked about working for a company that designed restraint devices used on terrorists. Another student found the subject so upsetting that she left the room. I said calmly that I, too, felt upset by the subject, but I am willing to talk about it. Later the first classmate left the class. I hope what I said did not contribute to that.
I had lunch with my good friend Ann, and we had a great talk about writing and Buddhism.
In the afternoon Hillary Rettig began a three-day class about avoiding procrastination and becoming more productive. It was excellent. One idea she has is to write on a computer that is not connected to the Internet.
She also emphasized that feeling lazy is a symptom, not a cause. She said to get rid of all the "shoulds."
She mentioned an essay, "Still Writing" by Ann Tyler. I hope to find that.
"Use your time congruent with your values" says Hillary Rettig.
In the morning Fern Reiss talked about ISBNs's and cover design. She explained how one company--Bowker--controls all ISBN's in the U.S. She said it costs a few hundred dollars to purchase ten ISBN's from Bowker.
She also urged us to hire a professional book cover designer, rather than try to do it ourselves. She told a story about a rich executive who insisted on doing the cover his way, only to discover that the product code wouldn't scan correctly so that the books could not be sold in bookstores.
During the class, on of my classmate talked about working for a company that designed restraint devices used on terrorists. Another student found the subject so upsetting that she left the room. I said calmly that I, too, felt upset by the subject, but I am willing to talk about it. Later the first classmate left the class. I hope what I said did not contribute to that.
I had lunch with my good friend Ann, and we had a great talk about writing and Buddhism.
 |
| Hillary Rettig |
She also emphasized that feeling lazy is a symptom, not a cause. She said to get rid of all the "shoulds."
She mentioned an essay, "Still Writing" by Ann Tyler. I hope to find that.
"Use your time congruent with your values" says Hillary Rettig.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Cape Cod Writers Conference Day 2
The conference has been very good.
Monday afternoon I had an excellent one-hour session with agent April Eberhardt who gave me some excellent suggestions for my memoir. Basically, she gave me some old rules from my journalist days, like, "Start with your best stuff." I think I need to completely restructure my memoir.
In the late afternoon She gave a talk to about 30 of us and lamented the sorry state of publishing today. Even though she is an agent, she no longer advises writers to use the same old agent-editor-publisher route any more. Everything has changed, she says, and the other teacher I have been following, agrees.
Tuesday morning, Fern Reiss talked about the importance of a good 30- to 60-page marketing plan for your book, regardless of whether is it self-published or not.
An interesting tidbit: Lightning Source is owned by Ingram, the largest book wholesaler, and Create Space is owned by Amazon, the largest book retailer.
She said to consider Internet search keywords when choosing a title.
Monday afternoon I had an excellent one-hour session with agent April Eberhardt who gave me some excellent suggestions for my memoir. Basically, she gave me some old rules from my journalist days, like, "Start with your best stuff." I think I need to completely restructure my memoir.
In the late afternoon She gave a talk to about 30 of us and lamented the sorry state of publishing today. Even though she is an agent, she no longer advises writers to use the same old agent-editor-publisher route any more. Everything has changed, she says, and the other teacher I have been following, agrees.
Tuesday morning, Fern Reiss talked about the importance of a good 30- to 60-page marketing plan for your book, regardless of whether is it self-published or not.
An interesting tidbit: Lightning Source is owned by Ingram, the largest book wholesaler, and Create Space is owned by Amazon, the largest book retailer.
She said to consider Internet search keywords when choosing a title.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Cape Cod Writers Conference Day 1
Monday morning, Aug. 5, was the first day of a five-day course on self publishing taught by Fern Reiss. She was excellent, and she confirmed the same ideas I learned from previous conferences.
She said 10 years ago, finding an agent to gt you in the door of a major publisher was what it was all about. today's publishing industry is radically different. the major players have merged, shrunk and downsized dramatically.
She said self-publishing gives the author control, but may mean the author has to shell out between $5,000 and $10,000 to finance the publication. On the other hand the per-book profit can be much higher in self-publishing.
She said we need to remember that the shelf-life of most bookstore books is three to four months.
She said we need to keep abreast of what is happening in the business, keep track of the competition, and remember the cover needs to work on a tiny image on a computer screen.
One interesting thing is she recommended printing a set of pre--publication galleys to send to the seven trade journals, hoping for a review. They wasn't to get those three to four months prior to publication. A good review there makes a big difference.
She also recommended getting full Library of Congress Catalog data with a CIP number, not just a PCIP number
My favorite line form the morning was:
"Benjamin Franklin was self-published."
 |
| Fern Reiss |
She said 10 years ago, finding an agent to gt you in the door of a major publisher was what it was all about. today's publishing industry is radically different. the major players have merged, shrunk and downsized dramatically.
She said self-publishing gives the author control, but may mean the author has to shell out between $5,000 and $10,000 to finance the publication. On the other hand the per-book profit can be much higher in self-publishing.
She said we need to remember that the shelf-life of most bookstore books is three to four months.
She said we need to keep abreast of what is happening in the business, keep track of the competition, and remember the cover needs to work on a tiny image on a computer screen.
One interesting thing is she recommended printing a set of pre--publication galleys to send to the seven trade journals, hoping for a review. They wasn't to get those three to four months prior to publication. A good review there makes a big difference.
She also recommended getting full Library of Congress Catalog data with a CIP number, not just a PCIP number
My favorite line form the morning was:
"Benjamin Franklin was self-published."
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Comedy from Asheville on NPR
This week's episode of "Wait, Wait, Don't tell Me" was recorded in Asheville, NC, and includes lots of Asheville jokes and references--even a shout-out to Malaprop's Bookstore!
http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/
I've been home for a week, getting accustomed to the "real world."
This evening is the opening of the Cape Cod Writers Conference.
http://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/
I've been home for a week, getting accustomed to the "real world."
This evening is the opening of the Cape Cod Writers Conference.
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