Whether you’re writing your first book or article or you’re a seasoned author or freelance writer, this issue has something that will further your career. We’ve compiled over 20 resources representing hundreds of thousands of jobs, book promotion ideas, and insight for authors and writers at all levels of success. You’ll learn how to work more successfully with independent booksellers locally and while traveling, how to choose a pay-to-publish company, where to find crowdsourcing sites for authors and much, much more.
Here’s What’s New – An updated resource and free assistance for writers, plus independent bookstore news and resources.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers – 2 great resources for writers, 6 job sites plus an index of additional job sites.
Opportunities for Authors – 8 good resources and several useful concepts for authors
Book Promotion Opportunities – Where to find and how to work with independent booksellers, 3 resources brimming with book promotion ideas.
Resources of the Month – NewPages, Bookkaholic, and Book Country.
Going, Going, Gone – 2 to report this month.
Editor’s remarks (from Patricia Fry): A listing in the WPN Market Update does not imply an endorsement by WPN or the editor. Please always do your own thorough research before using any of the services, sites, or companies listed here.
Here’s What’s New
You’re probably aware that the Chicago Manual of Style is the stylebook authors refer to, and journalists use the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. The AP has come out with the 2014 edition of their stylebook and it includes, they say, about 200 new or revised entries. Interestingly, they’ve included a new chapter with more than 200 religious terms. If you want to know more about the 2014 Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, go to http://www.apstylebook.com It appears that you can buy it for around $20 at their website.
This may not be new news, but it’s good news. The American Journalists Association (ASJA), the Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union all offer various forms of counsel to members. The ASJA caters to the independent nonfiction writer, providing a member-to-member rights and fees database, contracts and grievance guidance, and diverse educational programs. Some members say it’s the connections they’ve made through ASJA that have made a difference for them. Learn more here: http://www.asja.org. The Authors Guild offers legal services to members as one of the benefits. http://www.authorsguild.org. The National Writers Union (https://nwu.org) provides grievance assistance and contract advice.
Have you heard of Independent Bookstore Day? Evidently, California booksellers came up with the idea this year and celebrated it in May. Now booksellers in other states are trying to establish a national independent bookstore day, but it hasn’t been easy to arrange. Bookseller organizations may simply settle on statewide observances. If you’re interested in participating, pay close attention to your local booksellers association newsletters to see if they’re planning anything in your area for 2015. We’ll do our best to keep our ear to the ground, as well, and report when and if the national effort becomes a reality. Some say it already is a reality and that regional bookselling associations have voted to support Independent Bookstore Day on May 2, 2015.
Are there still any independent bookstores? Certainly. Weller Book Works (formerly Zion Book Store) in Salt Lake City has just celebrated its 85th birthday. Bookmark, a 42-year-old bookstore in Halifax, Nova Scotia continues operating with new owners. The Family Book Shop in DeLand, Florida was established in 1976. Hearthside Books and Toys has been a source of entertainment in Juneau, Alaska since 1975. Hearthside changed ownership this year. Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop has been operating in Pennsylvania since 1990. And there are still brave souls opening new bookstores. White Mountain Publications has opened a new and used bookstore in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada. Book Culture has opened at a second location in New York. The Monte Cristo Bookshop in New London, Connecticut was established with the help of crowdfunding two years ago. For a massive list of independent bookstores throughout the US and Canada, both new and old, visit NewPages. Bookstores are listed by state. http://www.newpages.com/bookstores
If you’d like to help save a bookstore, consider becoming a stockholder for BookSmart with stores in Morgan Hill and San Jose, California. Owners Brad Jones and Cinda Meister are trying to raise $300,000 to save this bookstore. http://mybooksmart.com/joomla/index.php/about-booksmart-inc
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Those who write for money are always on the look-out for opportunities and we provide several for you this month.
Check out http://www.WritingCareer.com They claim to list only those markets that pay. And they specialize in reporting current needs—so the resources you see on the first page are always fresh. Here’s a sampling of those I found the day I checked out WritingCareer. Earth Island Journal pays $1,000 each for articles on “timely topics that foresee important eco issues before they mature into urgent problems.” If you write dark fiction, you could earn $200 for those accepted into an upcoming anthology. Virginia Quarterly Review announces that they pay 25 cents/word for nonfiction articles on literary, art, and culture. SilkWords has put out a call for submissions for short romance novels. Poets will also find opportunities at this site.
http://www.indeed.com/q-Writing-jobs.html Here, you’ll find jobs for content writers, sports writers, website work, copywriting and more in nearly all states in the US, including AK, MA, CO, OH, NJ, SD, WA and others.
Career Building has a writers’ job section. http://www.careerbuilder.com/jobs/keyword/writer and they boast over 3,000 jobs available. Many of these are permanent, full-time jobs.
Simply Hired claims to list over 800,000 jobs. Wow! http://www.simplyhired.com/k-writing-jobs.html Jobs listed the day I visited included resume writer, writing instructor, tutor, editing for a private party, internships and many others.
Don’t forget to check jobs at www.publishersweekly.com/pw/jobzone/index.html. The day I checked this list, I found jobs in bookstores, consulting companies and publishing houses for managing editor, sales manager, publicity managers, publicists and more
Here’s a list of more job sites for writers. http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php
If you are seeking additional support, information and resources, check out the list of blogs recommended for freelance writers here: http://allindiewriters.com/resources-for-freelance-writers/
Storyline, a new section to be included in the Washington Post, might use freelance writers. They plan to include a lot of fun journalism including as-told-to interviews, oral histories, videos, reader response pieces and much more. Contact Storyline editor, Jim Tankersley at jim.tankersley@washpost.com for more information.
Do you subscribe to the Wooden Horse News? It’s published by Meg Weaver at Wooden Horse Publishing. Herein you’ll find updates and changes throughout the world of periodicals, including a list of editorial changes. In the August 17, 2014 issue, Meg lists over 50 incidents of new and retiring magazine and newsletter editors throughout the US and beyond. If you are a freelance writer, this is valuable information to have. Some magazine editors can get mighty cross when they receive submissions addressed to the wrong person. http://www.woodenhorsepub.com. Sign up for access to Meg’s database where you’ll find all the information you will need about magazines as well as blogs and websites that use freelance writers.
Opportunities for Authors
You know how sometimes you read an article and find out that something you are doing instinctively turns out to be right for reasons you weren’t even aware of? Well, I’ve been editing my own work and that of others for quite a while. Recently, I heard the terms micro editing and macro editing and how it is important to do both when working on a project. Come to find out, micro editing refers to the nit-pick editing we do in an effort to make sure we’re using the right word, the sentence makes sense, grammar is correct, and all. Macro editing means looking at the book as a whole—do your scenes or the way the information is presented accomplish the goals you’ve set for your project? Is it a viable story overall? Or is it a successful nonfiction book? The point is you should always take the time to view your book manuscript as a whole just as your readers will to be certain you’ve created the product you envisioned.
Along these same lines, I’d like to put this out there for hopeful, newbie, and struggling authors. Consider yourself the CEO of your book from the idea that forms in your head, through the entire process of writing, publishing, and marketing it. Why? You love your book more than anyone else does and you know it more intimately. Who better to represent it through every phase of the process? Don’t hand your book over to a traditional publisher or a pay-to-publish service and expect them to make all of the decisions and take over all of the responsibility from now on. Stay informed and stay involved.
Some authors are funding their book projects through crowdsourcing sites for authors. Here’s a site that lists nearly two dozen crowdsourcing sites for authors. http://bit.ly/1tcrpzK The list includes WidBook, BookCountry, Inkspand, Unglue and many others.
You’re probably familiar with Google alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts). They alert you when there’s an article, blog, or other mention of the terms you want searched. Most authors want to know when they or their books are mentioned somewhere on the Internet. It’s a great service to have and it’s free. Google alerts now has some competition. Check out Talkwalker alerts at http://www.talkwalker.com/alerts.
Writer’s Digest and BookBaby are now partners in a self-publishing service called Blue Ash Publishing. According to an article in Publisher’s Weekly, authors will receive 100% of net earnings on all sales. The available packages vary, and they range from $420 to $3,100.
Are you thinking about going with a “self-publishing” or as we say here at WPN, a “pay-to-publish” company, do your homework beforehand. Do not go with the first company that appears in your Internet search. Study the services and prices of several companies and then do some independent research on each of them. Do not rely on the testimonials at the company’s website. Go to the Google prompt (or use another search engine). Type in the name of the company and “warning” or “complaint,” and see what comes up. One or two complaints might be sour grapes. Many complaints could be a huge red flag.
Note: some pay-to-publish companies with poor reputations typically change their names occasionally or often. Consider this another red flag.
Read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing (available as a free ebook when you renew your WPN membership) is an excellent guide to choosing the right pay-to-publish company for you.
Book Promotion Opportunities
NewPages offers lists of independent bookstores throughout the US and Canada. They are listed by state. http://www.newpages.com/bookstores Before traveling, print out a list of bookstores in the areas you’ll visit. Stop in at these bookstores with your books. It’s likely you’ll be able to set up a consignment agreement with the bookseller.
For added incentive for the bookseller, arrange to be interviewed on a local talk radio program so the residents become aware of your amazing mystery, self-help book, memoir, or children’s book, for example. While you’re at it, drop a copy or two off at the local library, especially if your story takes place in this region or you mention local resources in your nonfiction book.
If your book focuses on a particular topic or theme, use it to promote your book while traveling. I write mysteries involving cats, so I would seek out bookstores that specialize in mysteries, cat rescue facilities, and, perhaps pet stores. If your book features quilting, for example, introduce it to local quilt shops and fabric stores. Locate quilting groups you can visit while in the area. Arrange to take your children’s or young adult book into the schools.
I also write books for authors, so I often contact leaders of writers’ groups prior to traveling and set up speaking engagements in the various communities where I planned to stop. If you adopt this idea, always carry plenty of books with you to sell.
Here are some sites with additional book promotion ideas. Have you ever visited Author Media? They post 89 book promotion ideas that they claim will change your life. Check it out here: http://www.authormedia.com/89-book-marketing-ideas-that-will-change-your-life
My colleague John Kremer offers a book marketing tip each week. Here is his index to those tips: http://bookmarketingbestsellers.com/john-kremers-book-marketing-tips-of-the-week-index
You can also purchase my book, Promote Your Book, Over 250 Proven, Low-Cost Tips and Techniques for the Enterprising Author (Allworth Press). This book is available at Amazon.com in print, audio, and for Kindle. Take a look at the great reviews this book has collected.
Resources of the Month
Are you familiar with NewPages at http://www.NewPages.com? It’s worth a visit for writers and authors. Not only do they have an ongoing list of independent bookstores throughout the US and Canada, but they list magazines, writing conferences and creative writing programs, contests, calls for submissions, blogs for writers and more. Visit NewPages and see what information you can find to further your writing/publishing career.
This month I stumbled across a site called Bookkaholic at http://www.bookkaholic.com. They claim they are “dedicated to providing online readers with quality, interesting, unique and humorous content about books, book trends, the book industry, and reading in general. We offer unbiased and honest book reviews. We want to create a literary magazine readers flock to find books and read for enjoyment. We want to create content about books. It is that simple.” Check them out, you might find some interesting facts and resources you can use.
Book Country is a Penguin site. Here, they invite authors to share their manuscripts with other authors. They say this is a good place to learn about the craft of writing and the business of publishing. They also claim this is a good place to be discovered. http://www.bookcountry.com
Going, Going, Gone
WWE Magazine quits after 30 years.
Ann Arbor Chronicle will close September 2.