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Last week, I read this blog. It inspired me to think about the value of social media, e-readers, and e-publishing. As writers and thinkers, we have a responsibility to the future. Or more accurately, we have a responsibility to preserve history. We must make published documents accessible for future generations.

Do you think they’ll use the same technology in 2511 we use now? Is publishing our most valuable information in such a way that is likened to thousands of authors 500 years ago writing a trillion documents on papyrus, shredding each document into 10,000 pieces, and strewing those documents across the earth the best way to preserve our history?

In that blog, the author jokingly theorized that perhaps future generations might study Kanye West’s tweets. Do you think civilizations 500 years from now will consider what he tweeted, in the midst of zillions of gigabytes of information, that valuable? I’d argue that in the 26th century Kanye West and Lady Gaga will be celebrated, if they are known, in the same way we celebrate minstrels. Do you consider lyrics of a minstrel from 500 years ago valuable? Do you know any?

I theorize ancient civilizations had better means to preserve their most valuable documents. Though, just as we publish in a way that is the most convenient and cost saving for us, perhaps they published in the same way.

What do you think? Is e-publishing likened to thousands of authors, writing trillions of documents, shredding each of those docs into ten thousand pieces, and strewing them across the earth? Or is e-publishing likened to the advent of the printing press? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Stay social, my friends!

Erick

Before I sat down to write my novel in progress, I determined a writer should focus on three things to be publishable: Writing a well-crafted story, writing well, and marketability. Too many self-published authors have lowered the publishing bar. There is a time and place for self-publishing; though, a writer should always remember publishing, self or traditional, is about sales, not a winning smile. Of course, a smile helps.

For that reason, I decided to go the traditional publishing route. I recommend if you plan to go that route, you follow the rules. AgentQuery gives tips and advice for querying agents. And Nathan Bransford wrote a great blog about what you should do before you start the querying process.

First, make sure you have a well-written, finished manuscript. Literary agents want to know you have a good story idea and can complete a book, and they might ask to read it (Make sure the agent is legit). Next, learn about the publishing business by reading blogs, going to conferences, asking questions, and engaging.

If you heard you need to be published before you get an agent, don’t believe it. I don’t believe it. AQ says it’s not true. Yes, publishing credits help but so does being Justin Bieber. If your book can sell, it can sell. Literary agents get paid for selling books, not previous publishing credits.

Remember, I’m not yet published, so all advice is that of authors, agents, and publishers, not my experience. So, authors, agents, and publishers, I welcome your insight.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

Today, I’m starting to blog on Fridays about my journey toward publication, beginning with my search for a literary agent. I’m not an expert, so I’m not going to offer any advice. However, I’ve done much of the research for you on how to use the online world to connect offline. So I’m going to let you know how to use the tools I’m using, starting with AgentQuery (AQ).

On the left side of AQ, you’ll see the ‘Quick Agent Search.’ AQ consists of a database of 972 agents, so you might find it easier to use their full search below that. AQ suggests finding ten agents.

AQ recommends you narrow your search down to the ten most likely agents to want to know more about your work. It doesn’t hurt to keep a list of more than ten agents, but make sure you prioritize which ones you’ll contact first.

For more advice on how to obtain an agent, read AQ’s writers’ section, get advice from writers with agents, follow the conversations I listed in this blog, and sign up for AQ’s social networking site—AgentQuery Connect. They offer forums, a calendar, a live chat room, and other ways to connect.

Along with using AgentQuery and AgentQueryConnect, I recommend you join Goodreads, post book reviews on Amazon, and check out my blog. Next week, I’ll update you on my progress, so come back and join me on my journey toward publication.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

In this blog, I predicted a literary minefield. #Seth#Godin set off the first explosive with The Domino Project.  In that blog, written almost nine months ago, I said of the coming changes to the publishing industry, “rather than the writer trying to seek the approval of a few people in the publishing industry, they will have to find an audience and seek the approval of their audience.”  In this blog, Seth Godin wrote of The Domino Project:

“Readers have been separated from authors by many levels—stores, distributors, media outlets, printers, publishers—there were lots of layers for many generations, and the editor with a checkbook made the process palatable to the writer.”

The Domino Project will give the author more control in the publishing process by publishing on Kindle, audiobook, and hardcover at the same time.  The Kindle version will work on Macs, iPads, Windows, etc. And The Domino Project will strive to publish literary works in foreign languages.

For those intrigued by the idea of  e-publishing but aren’t ready to make the move from traditional paperback, all books published with The Domino Project will be distributed to those stores Amazon partners with and are interested in offering those books at retail.

Right now, The Domino Project only consists of a staff of six people with a great idea.  They are very up front about their limitations, but they are also open to hearing about great ideas.  If you’d like to contact Seth and his publishing team, you can read about them here.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

Yesterday was the 159^th anniversary of the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin (UTC). Let’s look at three social media lessons Stowe used to spread her anti-slave message to millions of people.

Lesson 1: Create responsive and innovative messages that inspire change

Written in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, UTC was influenced by the stories of escaped slaves, including those of Josiah Henson.

Today, many are capitalizing on the rise of social media by suggesting ‘search is dead.’ Those who understand social media best realize search and social media have and will continue to integrate. They inspire change by looking beyond the horizon rather than at the horizon.

Lesson 2: Don’t try to create an audience around your message, rather create your message around a listening audience

Before it’s book publication, UTC appeared in a 40-week serial of an abolitionist periodical called National Era. Stowe found an audience sympathetic to her anti-slave message.

That doesn’t mean let your audience influence you, rather it means tailor your message to the needs of your audience. Listen to and engage with that audience, send a relevant and identifiable message to that audience, allow your message to attract that audience, and trust that audience to spread your message.

Lesson 3: We are responsible for how our messages influence others

Uncle Tom’s Cabin inspired the Republican party to change its stance on chattel slavery, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. And those three books have inspired political and social movements, including the civil liberties, feminist, and green movements.

I’m sure we can learn more lessons from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but those are the three I find most relevant.  Are there any lessons you’d add? BTW, all historical information is taken from Wikipedia, so any arguments against any historical information in this blog should be taken up with the editors of Wikipedia.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

#PubTip #Book#Marketing

Check out this video featuring Vanessa Lowry of Apex Book Manufacturing on the importance of your book cover design. Lowry draws on the advice of best-selling authors Martha Beck and Seth Godin. She also gives new authors , particularly those who plan to self-publish, tips for working with a graphic designer and any other professional you’ll need to work with to get your book published. There is so much more great advice Lowry gives in this video, but I’m going to let you find out the rest of Lowry’s book marketing advice for yourself.

Tips on Self-publishing your book from Apex book manufacturing from Don Wood from YPV productions on Vimeo.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

#pubtip #copyright #writingadvice #writing #HarperCollins

Last Friday, I mentioned a new site for teen writers by HarperCollins called inkpop.com.  It is a site where teens can post their writing, let other teens know what they like or don’t like about one another’s writing, and get advice from HarperCollins publishers.  Think of it as American Idol for teen writers.

Here’s a list of other sites where you can share your writing:

http://www.mibba.com/

http://www.harrypotterfanfiction.com/

http://www.booksie.com/

http://storymash.com/

http://www.writers-network.com/

http://www.webook.com/

http://www.wattpad.com/

https://www.createspace.com/

http://www.qoop.com/

http://issuu.com/

http://www.smashwords.com/

http://www.wordclay.com/

http://bookoven.com

http://www.fanstory.com/

http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/

These look great, and I am not saying they are not.  I am saying you should know your rights, as in copyrights, first. 

For those of you outside of the U.S., I am not an attorney, so I cannot advise you.  Though, as a person who is not an attorney, I would warn you that if you are found to be in offense of stealing a U.S. citizen’s work, your country may turn you over.

Yes, once you write anything, it is copyrighted.  This blog is copyrighted material.  Some people may do a “poor man’s copyright,” which is sending a document to oneself in the mail.  But the date on a mailed package can be altered simply if the author works at, or knows someone who works at, the USPS.  An envelope can also be steamed open.

When a court decides whether a case is worth going to trial they look at the evidence.  They want to know if there is enough evidence and if that evidence is strong. I am going to venture to say that most courts may throw a copyright case out unless the work is legally copyrighted with the Library of Congress.

It is great that people can put their work online, so a huge publishing company can see it (And NO! I am not saying they would steal your work.  That would be like the owner of a candy store stealing candy from the kid.)  Writers should be aware of how to protect themselves, and then protect themselves.

Stay social my friends,

Erick

#pubtip#HarperCollins #inkpop #query#letter #writer #author #writing

I found a couple of great videos for new authors.  The first one gives advice on how to write query letters, and the other one is about a book HarperCollins is publishing (The Carrier of the Mark) by Leigh Fallon.  They found the book on a new website for authors called inkpop.

For those unfamiliar with inkpop, it is a website by HarperCollins for teens where they can share their writing, get advice from other writers, and find out what other aspiring writer like or don’t like about your work.

Enjoy these videos!

Stay social my friends,

Erick

I follow 156 literary agents.  I wanted to write a blog with the averages of what days and how many times on those days literary agents tweeted.  I came up with the idea because Literary agents are, honestly, not the best tweeters in the world.  Though, out of the 156 agents I follow, there are 21 who are excellent Tweeters.  I set out to graph the averages of what days, and how many times on those days they tweeted.  Some of those agents tweet into the triple digits on some days.  You might think that’s overkill, but those agents who tweet that much in one day do so for good reasons.

While I concluded going through perhaps tens of thousands of tweets was not worth the time it would take to chart such a graph, I did notice some important hashtags those agents use to hold Twitversations with their followers. Here’s a list of those literary hashtags you should follow if you want to learn about the publishing business:

#yalitchat –   A weekly Wednesday chat for readers and writers of Young Adult literature (9-10 pm EST or 6-7 pm PST).

#kidlitchat – A weekly chat about all things children’s literature, from board books to YA. Currently Wednesday’s at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific

#askagent – [There’s no description for this, but I think the name says it all]

#pubtip – [There’s no description for this, and no it's not about the best Irish Pubs in Boston's Southie]

#writechat – A weekly conversation on Twitter for writers. The discussion takes place on Sundays from 12-3pm PST, 7-10pm GMT; moderated by @WritingSpirit

For those on a hunt for an agent who is social media savvy, follow these Tweeters:

Kid_Lit RebeccaAgent bradfordlit MandyHubbard sztownsend81

johnnygeller BostonBookGirl jennybent RachelleGardner BookEndsJessica literaticat WolfsonLiterary

BookEndsKim caroleagent KathyBuckworth DanielLiterary

DaphneUn hroot kate_mckean LucienneDiver ElenaRoth

Stay social my friends,

Erick

The closer I come to the publishing side of my writing career, the more I think about the importance of a marketing plan.  And the more I ask myself if I should look for a traditional publisher, self-publish, publish on demand, or other.

I think I am a decent writer, and I am pretty confident I have a captivating story.  I have spent the last couple of years getting to know potential readers and people who could be helpful in the publishing process.  I even started SEO Bridges as a type of engine to help in the marketing process.

So, now that I am close to the publishing side of my writing career, it is not so much about gathering more logs for the fire.  Instead, it is about using those logs, and maybe some new ones along the way, to help me fan the flames.

So, how do I fan those flames?  Well, it’s all about having a marketing plan.  When I started working on this novel, I knew I would need to write well, have a captivating story, and market myself and my book.  The more and more serious I became about writing, the less and less people considered my endeavors wastes of time.  I’d tell them, “Writing is a business.”  The more business like I became, the less cynical they stayed.

Why am I telling you this?  Whether you’re writing a book, starting a business, or just living your life, you need a plan.  Know where you’re going, how you’re going to get there, and whom you can trust to help you along the way.  As the saying goes, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”

Stay social my friends,

Erick