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60 Great Writing Conferences in June 2018

Hello from Manchester

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AgentPete

Capo Famiglia
Guardian
Full Member
May 19, 2014
London UK
The first thing to say, and make very clear, is this – Litopia is not turning into a pay site. It has always been free to access, and will continue to be so.

Our History

The history of Litopia is very, very ancient indeed (in internet terms). The idea struck me as I was researching and writing one of my books, back in the mid-1980s. More and more writers were using computers (usually Macs) and in those days, the only people online were academics, the military, computer geeks, scientists and other assorted oddballs. Out of curiosity, I joined the world's first electronic community (the WELL) and was fascinated by what I experienced.

Immediately, two things seemed pretty obvious to me. First, most writers were getting themselves computers to use as word processors, and then venturing online. And second, it ought to be possible to use the 'net to create a specialist community just for writers. The writing life is necessarily isolating, and my hunch was that a virtual writing community might fill an important social need.

So here we are, many incarnations later. Litopia is no longer just a social community. With the rise of digital publishing, and the constant upheavals taking place in “legacy” publishing, it seems that Litopia could and should become more and more relevant… a social community certainly, but also a place to craft your talent, to exchange know-how, and to seek out new writing opportunities.

It used to be that all authors aspired to have a literary agent, for the simple reason that agents were the unchallenged gatekeepers to the publishing world. That is less and less true: authors have a wider range of publishing choices today; and even in the traditional publishing sector, editors are far more open to direct contact from writers (and indeed, sometimes initiate it themselves). While many authors still undoubtedly need the services of a good agent, many other do not – and for those, in particular, Litopia can and should be an invaluable resource.

In the past, a few kind members have been generous enough to help fund Litopia’s existence in some way. Mostly, though, the cost of our operations has always fallen upon me to bear.

What started as an interesting experiment has grown – and will continue to grow – into something that has real value for more and more writers. It seems reasonable now to suggest to our members that they might consider supporting Litopia’s existence.

The equation is simple: if you receive value from Litopia, please give some value back.


Levels of Support & Benefits

I’ve tried to create a range of support levels, with something to suit everyone’s budget. Have a look, and let me know if you think I’ve got the spread about right.

Being a supporter gives you some nice perks, as you'll see.

In the past, we have only been able to take payments through Paypal, which has discouraged some members because they have objections to using it. I’m pleased to announce that we can now additionally accept credit card payments via Stripe for Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Simply select Stripe at the checkout.

Lastly, I hope this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Litopia. Nothing would make me happier than being able to spend more time here, continually devising ways for Litopia to help and support your writing life. But I can only do that if Litopia is truly supported by its community. And Litopia’s future is far more secure if it is funded by all its members, not just by me!

So, if you can, please do upgrade your account.
 
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Well it all makes sense in this ever evolving digital world. When I've got time tonight and if memory cells function (there could be a novel in that one... lol) I'll look into this further as I appreciate Litopia, as I'm sure we all do. :D
 
The first thing to say, and make very clear, is this – Litopia is not turning into a pay site. It has always been free to access, and will continue to be so.

Our History

The history of Litopia is very, very ancient indeed (in internet terms). The idea struck me as I was researching and writing one of my books, back in the mid-1980s. More and more writers were using computers (usually Macs) and in those days, the only people online were academics, the military, computer geeks, scientists and other assorted oddballs. Out of curiosity, I joined the world's first electronic community (the WELL) and was fascinated by what I experienced.

Immediately, two things seemed pretty obvious to me. First, most writers were getting themselves computers to use as word processors, and then venturing online. And second, it ought to be possible to use the 'net to create a specialist community just for writers. The writing life is necessarily isolating, and my hunch was that a virtual writing community might fill an important social need.

So here we are, many incarnations later. Litopia is no longer just a social community. With the rise of digital publishing, and the constant upheavals taking place in “legacy” publishing, it seems that Litopia could and should become more and more relevant… a social community certainly, but also a place to craft your talent, to exchange know-how, and to seek out new writing opportunities.

It used to be that all authors aspired to have a literary agent, for the simple reason that agents were the unchallenged gatekeepers to the publishing world. That is less and less true: authors have a wider range of publishing choices today; and even in the traditional publishing sector, editors are far more open to direct contact from writers (and indeed, sometimes initiate it themselves). While many authors still undoubtedly need the services of a good agent, many other do not – and for those, in particular, Litopia can and should be an invaluable resource.

In the past, a few kind members have been generous enough to help fund Litopia’s existence in some way. Mostly, though, the cost of our operations has always fallen upon me to bear.

What started as an interesting experiment has grown – and will continue to grow – into something that has real value for more and more writers. It seems reasonable now to suggest to our members that they might consider supporting Litopia’s existence.

The equation is simple: if you receive value from Litopia, please give some value back.


Levels of Support & Benefits

I’ve tried to create a range of support levels, with something to suit everyone’s budget. Have a look, and let me know if you think I’ve got the spread about right.

Being a supporter gives you some nice perks. One of the coolest is the ability to customize the header on your Profile Page (this is, of course, public-facing). Just like Facebook, you can upload whatever picture you want to… maybe your current book jacket? At the moment, everyone has some rather sweet polar bear cubs… over to you to get creative! And there are other benefits, too – again, let me know if you think the balance is about right.

In the past, we have only been able to take payments through Paypal, which has discouraged some members because they have objections to using it. I’m pleased to announce that we can now additionally accept credit card payments via Stripe for Visa, Mastercard and Amex. Simply select Stripe at the checkout.

Lastly, I hope this is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Litopia. Nothing would make me happier than being able to spend more time here, continually devising ways for Litopia to help and support your writing life. But I can only do that if Litopia is truly supported by its community. And Litopia’s future is far more secure if it is funded by all its members, not just by me!

So, if you can, please do become a supporter.
Alas, when I click on the 'Have a look link' above, I get an 'Oops - not allowed' response, so I'm still in the dark [though I get the principle].
 
Hi Peter, I subscribed to the Ambassador level on line on 13th March, but I seemed to have lost the red banner beneath my icon.
 
Hi Peter, there's also a glitch somewhere else, as I wanted to upgraded my Benefactor to Patron, and but now it shows both. I never received the e-mail and links on how to cancel the Benefactor status (as I explained to you previously), so hoped this could be done your end or the link sent to me?
Thanks
 
When I click on 'Support Litopia' the following message appears:
Oops! We ran into some problems.
You do not have permission to view this page or perform this action.
 
Well, you do amazingly well, old bean. Even if it feels like hell or merely purgatory. One remembers when the orfspring were small and one was also working, gahhh. You're a contemporary classicist, and you should have a mainstream published collection all of your own before long, no sharing! I'm awake at that time because it's light so early now, and I can hear the occasional fox yelp, but I am not writing, only thinking. Or possibly merely vegetating.
 
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60 Great Writing Conferences in June 2018

Hello from Manchester

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