Hmm. Apologies. This requires a bit of angsty back-story:
About ten years ago I was speaking about storytelling at travel conferences. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people - but seeing how some systems kept new travel writers fighting over scraps & freebies parcelled out by PR & the travel industry? Not so much. It made me feel ashamed to be part of it, because I believe writers should get paid what they're worth (and, you know, get *paid*, period) and also be the ones allowed to come up with all the creative ideas, including having the freedom to experiment and fail without fear & shame. It left me a bit traumatised (and guilty, because as a speaker, I was partly being sponsored by those systems myself).
So now, that's my nervous tic. I want to tell new writers - hopefully in a non-pushy, non-pompous and as-British-as-possible way - that it's possibly to go indy, remove all the barriers between you and your audience (using tools like Substack) and find a way to thrive.
I don't want to yell at anyone taking industry/PR-led/traditional/well-trod routes, because the more options the better. I just want to tell new writers that yes, *you're allowed to choose*. And anyone who tells you otherwise isn't paying attention to how all this really works.
Mike ... great mission. I am always surprised that writers want to go through the long process of finding a Literary Agent (6-12 months) who then has to find a publisher (3-6 months) who then takes another 12-18 months to publish pays 15% or less, once or twice a year, still expects the author to market and sell books; instead of Indie Publishing. I don't get it!!! All I can think is how much money they are losing every day that they are waiting on that first scenario to play out. How many people are suffering and not finding a solution to their problem? They have a solution but are afraid to boldly step out, share it, and demand the universe pay attention to them! Seems like a no-brainer to me to invest in a partner publisher (yes being an author is a business) to do the things they can't or don't even know they need to do. They can be making their investment back in as little as 3-12 months depending on their initial investment. Have a great time meeting wonderful people (substack publishers), learn skills that will be valuable for a lifetime as well as possibly one day help even more people. It is a win-win! Am I saying publishing is easy, no. It is frustrating and their are a lot of moving parts so it makes sense to take the journey with someone who has been down that trail before. Good luck with your endeavors.
I want to help Creative Entrepreneurs, Women in Transition, Thought Leaders
Hmm. Apologies. This requires a bit of angsty back-story:
About ten years ago I was speaking about storytelling at travel conferences. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the people - but seeing how some systems kept new travel writers fighting over scraps & freebies parcelled out by PR & the travel industry? Not so much. It made me feel ashamed to be part of it, because I believe writers should get paid what they're worth (and, you know, get *paid*, period) and also be the ones allowed to come up with all the creative ideas, including having the freedom to experiment and fail without fear & shame. It left me a bit traumatised (and guilty, because as a speaker, I was partly being sponsored by those systems myself).
So now, that's my nervous tic. I want to tell new writers - hopefully in a non-pushy, non-pompous and as-British-as-possible way - that it's possibly to go indy, remove all the barriers between you and your audience (using tools like Substack) and find a way to thrive.
I don't want to yell at anyone taking industry/PR-led/traditional/well-trod routes, because the more options the better. I just want to tell new writers that yes, *you're allowed to choose*. And anyone who tells you otherwise isn't paying attention to how all this really works.
Mike ... great mission. I am always surprised that writers want to go through the long process of finding a Literary Agent (6-12 months) who then has to find a publisher (3-6 months) who then takes another 12-18 months to publish pays 15% or less, once or twice a year, still expects the author to market and sell books; instead of Indie Publishing. I don't get it!!! All I can think is how much money they are losing every day that they are waiting on that first scenario to play out. How many people are suffering and not finding a solution to their problem? They have a solution but are afraid to boldly step out, share it, and demand the universe pay attention to them! Seems like a no-brainer to me to invest in a partner publisher (yes being an author is a business) to do the things they can't or don't even know they need to do. They can be making their investment back in as little as 3-12 months depending on their initial investment. Have a great time meeting wonderful people (substack publishers), learn skills that will be valuable for a lifetime as well as possibly one day help even more people. It is a win-win! Am I saying publishing is easy, no. It is frustrating and their are a lot of moving parts so it makes sense to take the journey with someone who has been down that trail before. Good luck with your endeavors.