RESOURCES FOR WRITERS

[CarolMS]

Someone recently said something about creating a thread for posting about book marketing and promotion and I thought I'd share the links to a few resources I've been following for some years now (for both traditional and self-publishing). Many of you likely know about these already, but maybe not, so you might want to check them out. (I'm posting them here because, despite searching the Litopia site, I can't find the thread for posting such info.) There are, of course, tons more good resources--including, of course . . .

. . . this GREAT Litopia site and @AgentPete! Numero Uno! None of the others are brimming with as wise and generously shared knowledge and expertise nor so welcoming and supportive a community as Litopia. And I'm sure they're not as much fun either! YAY! We're so lucky!

Joanna Penn has long been considered a top go-to expert for information on book publishing. A wealth of information on the craft of writing, marketing and promotion, trends in the industry, and more through her website, blog, podcast, books and courses. And she's a fiction writer, too!
The Creative Penn. Writing, Publishing, Book Marketing and Making a Living with your Writing

Jane Friedman's website is a wealth of information on book marketing and promotion, the publishing industry, writing craft, and more. Her blog is very informative and she also offers good (and inexpensive--$25) webinars (by people like Tiffany Yates Martin, for example). Friedman is a respected industry expert.
https://janefriedman.com

BIG resource for tons of marketing and promotion advice (Not only for BookBub, and you don't need to join to subscribe to the Partners Blog)
BookBub Partners Blog

A good blog focused on marketing and book promotion.
Book Marketing Tools Blog | Great book marketing tips!

 

[Peyton Stafford]

Isn't it wonderful how writers can earn a good living as experts on writing even though they have never published a bestseller?

 

[CarolMS]

Isn't it wonderful how writers can earn a good living as experts on writing even though they have never published a bestseller?

So often true, I agree (and not just in the world of writing "experts"). I'm not sure that it applies to these sites, though, Jane Friedman was the editor at Writer's Digest for years and has solid credits for what she does, and she seems to selectively curate her guest posts from genuine experts. I don't know enough about the those with the most expertise in the marketing and promotions area, such as social media approaches, to judge how well vetted the experts these other sites are drawing their posts from. I've just heard over and over that they're highly recommended. I really get bugged by all the people who've jumped on the "expert editor" bandwagon, though, and have little to support the supposed expertise they charge a whole bunch for. Just reminds us that we always need to critically consider what we read and hear and choose carefully.

 

[Barbara]

Thanks for these.

For me, writing teachers don't have to be bestsellers. They either have info to share or they don't. I either need to learnt something or I don't. Non bestselling authors have just as much info and skills that I can humbly learn from. Like with feedback, I pick what resonates. We've never learnt enough. Our teachers can be anyone.

I've had skiing instructions, martial arts instructors, other teachers. None were Olympic medallists. I still learnt from them. Being a bestselling author isn't about being at the top of ones skills which one can share. It's often about being at the right place at the right time.

Teaching is a different skill than the actual writing. Some people are better at teaching than at the actual doing.

After all, we teach each other here too.

Good on them to share their knowledge. Yes, some charge and why not - they have food bills too - and why not earn a living by doing something they love (my doc charges for his skills too), but I don't have to buy.

I've used Jane F's website quite a bit.

 

[AgentPete]

I’m always somewhat wary of folk who market themselves as canonical experts, in any subject let alone one as dynamic and rapidly-evolving as self-pub. I prefer to go for a coaching-based approach, i.e. focused on potentiating the learner rather than elevating the teacher. But… whatever works

 

[AgentPete]

And… just a footnote. I’ve thought about this subject a lot, particularly when immersing myself in yoga. The power dynamics of the teacher/student relationship can’t be ignored. In yoga, they’re pretty obvious and often quite extreme. But they exist in most areas.

An awful lot of abuse (and sadly, there is a lot of it in the yoga sphere) is a consequence of this imbalance, and the opportunity it creates for misconduct. Not healthy.

 

[CarolMS]

And… just a footnote. I’ve thought about this subject a lot, particularly when immersing myself in yoga. The power dynamics of the teacher/student relationship can’t be ignored. In yoga, they’re pretty obvious and often quite extreme. But they exist in most areas.

An awful lot of abuse (and sadly, there is a lot of it in the yoga sphere) is a consequence of this imbalance, and the opportunity it creates for misconduct. Not healthy.

I agree, @AgentPete. This kind of thing has been a big problem the in the "pop" (popular) psychology "self-help" realm for years. And certainly a lot of "spiritual" practices, too. It's sad when something as deep-rooted and beneficial as yoga or things like Buddhist mindfulness, which has been my spiritual practice for more than forty years, gets perverted for financial gain or someone's ego trip. As a therapist, I worked with survivors of clergy abuse (as in screwing with people's hearts and minds, not just sex abuse). Talk about crazy-making!

 

[CarolMS]

I’m always somewhat wary of folk who market themselves as canonical experts, in any subject let alone one as dynamic and rapidly-evolving as self-pub. I prefer to go for a coaching-based approach, i.e. focused on potentiating the learner rather than elevating the teacher. But… whatever works

Thank goodness there are those like you, @AgentPete, who seek to provide helpful information without ulterior motives. It's always good to us to do our homework on reputable sources of information, too, and I find the people and websites that curate information help with that. This is where we need critical thinking skills, isn't it. It's so easy to get sucked into things in this social media world. Self-publishing has become a bandwagon for people selling their "wisdom." The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has a site called Writer Beware that does a scam alert, which can be useful. Is that known about in the UK?