Happy New Year!

I’ve organized this longer-than-usual post to optimize its usefulness. One section is dubbed “Last Year in Publishing,” another is “The Year Ahead,” and a third, in a shameless rip-off of Oprah, is “Your Best Writing Self.”  You’ll find information about traditional and  indie publishing, links to insiders and to those proud to call themselves outsiders, marketing tips, and new-agent news. In other words, there’s something for everyone.

 Last Year in Publishing

 At paidContent, Laura Hazard Owens summarizes 2011 with numbers. Did you know twenty percent of book sales at Random House and Hachette were digital? 

Here’s another number to crunch: Amazon announced it sold roughly one million Kindle devices per week in December.

Booksellers had a merrier-than-expected holiday season, reports Publishers Weekly. Anecdotal evidence suggests Borders’ closing and the “buy local” trend buoyed sales at brick-and-mortar stores.

This story sheds light on the preceding item. In Michigan, booksellers react to the end of Borders with tactics aimed to lure and hold customers.

 Writers Digest links to its eighteen most popular writing articles of 2011.

The Year Ahead

At The Shatzkin Files, digital-book expert Mike Shatzkin focuses on the important questions the publishing industry faces in 2012 and beyond. 

Author Bob Mayer, whose perspective is that of a writer traditionally published for twenty years and indie published for two, offers  ten predictions for 2012.

Joe Konrath tacks his 2012 writing/publishing resolutions to the bottom of resolution lists dating back to 2006. Scroll through the years to see the evolution in his thinking about traditional- versus self- publishing and other writing matters. 

We associate “friction” with politics and with rubbing two sticks together to make fire, but one publisher uses the word to explain why it won’t make its ebooks available to libraries for lending. “Selling one copy that could be lent out an infinite number of times with no friction is not a sustainable business model for us,” Maja Thomas, a senior vice president of the Hachettte Book Group, told Randall Stross of the New York Times.  

 Your Best Writer Self

Chuck Sambuchino alerts readers to two new literary agents, both of whom represent women’s fiction. Hannah Bowman joined Liza Dawson Associates and is looking for commercial fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy, women’s fiction, cozy mysteries, romance and young adult. Rachael Dugas signed with Talcott Notch Literary and seeks cookbooks and young adult, middle grade, and adult fiction in the contemporary, paranormal, women’s, and romance genres.

If writer Raymond Carver were alive today, would he tweet, blog, and post on Goodreads? Author Christopher Meeks asks the question and decides Carver would do what writers must do today: promote their books.

Writers Digest offers platform-building tips Raymond Carver would follow. Will you?

Some of us have sworn off New Year’s resolutions but acknowledge we have plenty of room for improvement. Author Chuck Wendig reminds us to help other writers.

Here’s another room-for-improvement link: make the most of your Facebook page. 

Media professor Jane Friedman links to the 2011 articles she believes offer the best advice for writers.

Thinking about indie publishing in 2012? Joanna Weiss, author of Milkshake, outlines her stage-by-stage journey. 

Critic and journalist-turned-consultant Porter Anderson, he of the distinctive voice and excellent connections, covers the publishing industry weekly via “Writing on the Ether.” (Uh oh, I may have linked myself out of a job.) 

May 2012 bring you success in writing and life. Big thanks to this chapter’s founders and the outgoing board.  Welcome to the new board.

Special thanks to the RWA-WF eleves who’ve been working behind the scenes on the chapter’s WordPress site.  I’m grateful for easy-to-embed hyperlinks.

Heading out to DragonCon, Publisher’s Weekly’s Barbara Vey had an interesting conversation on the plane with a potential reader, which led her to ask the question: How do you get new readers? Read her answer, it’s maybe not what you would think. http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?p=4683

No new reporting on the agents-as-publishers controversy. Meanwhile, Chuck Sambuchino reports on a new agent—Barbara J. Scott of Wordserve Literary—who, among other things, is interested in representing women’s fiction.http://www.writersdigest.com/uncategorized/new-agent-alert-barbara-scott-of-wordserve-literary

 “This industry is an eco-system: you get exactly out of it what you put in,” says Lauren Cerand.

Galley Cat’s Jason Boog interviewed publicist Cerand last week, discussing whether new authors need to hire out publicity skills to promote their books. Boog’s written summary: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/should-i-hire-a-book-publicist_b38096 pulled from a 10 min MP3 file interview that can be accessed from this link as well on the MediaBistro site.

A previous worry of e-book authors is being put to rest as companies are now launching technology that makes it possible to digitally sign e-books. In a press release, Autography and Open Road Integrated Media touted their e-signing technology for author Jonathon King and his Edgar award winning mystery The Blue Edge of Midnight.

“Autography’s e-signing technology works across all major eReader platforms and applications. Jonathon’s signature page will feature special graphicsjust for Bouchercon and can include a picture with the author that is also inserted into the ebook. The now personalized greeting can be exported to the consumer’s Facebook or Twitter space with a single button if they choose.”

http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/article/autography-open-road-host-first-ever-autography-ebook-signing/1

Evoking the myth of the three-headed hydra, Bob Mayer divides the publishing landscape up into tech people, business people, and content providers. In his blog post he exhorts writers to let go of their fears and, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/the-three-headed-hydra-of-publishing-that’s-consuming-itself/

In his analysis of screenwriter Harlan Ellison’s (I, Robot) on-air rant, Steven Pressfield makes the point that,

“The problem is that we as artists and entrepreneurs don’t control the means of production or distribution. If we want our work to get “out there,” we have to make a deal—with a bank, a movie studio, a record label, a publishing house. Art and commerce inevitably clash, and we know who comes out on the short end of that.”

So he recommends writers develop two key skills… http://www.stevenpressfield.com/2011/09/un-screwing-the-writer/

And if you need some good news (I know I do!), Sourcebooks’ publisher and CEO Dominique Raccah has some good news for her company, which means good news for the book industry too, as she writes in this open letter introduced in Richard Curtis’s E-reads blog: http://ereads.com/2011/09/sourcebooks-ceo-raccah-upbeat-and-so-are-her-stats.html

From Industry News Team Member Kecia Adams

Sorry, I’m a little late with the post! My excuse is the lazy days of summer are upon us. Hope everyone is beating the heat. By far the biggest news in the industry last week was the liquidation of Borders Books. AP journalist Mae Anderson in this USA Today article presents some of the varying perspectives on the “big box” bookstore’s closing. A Publisher’s Weekly article, meanwhile, speculates on where readers who prevously browsed in Borders will go, noting that one publisher said e-books “is what’s saving all of us,” and quoting Susan Katz of HarperCollins Children’s Books:

“We’re very sad to see the closing of Borders. There will certainly be a void without them.” Then she added: “But we look forward to continuing to work with the many enthusiastic booksellers across the country to bring new and established authors to readers everywhere.”

On the industry marketing front, actor-musician Tyrese Gibson “Tweets Onto the Bestseller Lists” with his memoir, using his contact with 1.8 million followers through Twitter. There’s a lesson to be learned here, as Tyrese discusses his Tweet-loyal fans:

“They’re following you for a reason–they want to know about your life, your thoughts, your feelings, the things inspiring you. So whenever I’m doing a video, or a new song, I think of them as my audience. I tend to tweet about things that will catch their attention. My followers are spoiled–they’re just there waiting!”

Author Bob Mayer echoes that sentiment in his discussion of his decision to self-publish his backlist and even his new titles in “The Hybrid Writer: Balancing Traditonal and Self-Publishing.” He makes the point that,

The writers who are being successful now are those who understand promotion is an integral part of their success. Authors must connect directly with readers via social media. The published author with a strong backlist has the potential to connect to a whole new generation of readers and they don’t need a publisher to do so.

To help with your efforts in the social media direction, Jane Friedman guest blogs at Writer Unboxed on “5 Reasons Why Your Online Marketing Doesn’t Work,” mentioning that, “You have to sell the sizzle.” That may be my new motto…

And that’s all for this week. Happy Writing!

Your Industry News Team

WRITERS’ CORNER: June 22, 2011

ONLINE CLASSES/WORKSHOPS:

SPONSOR:  Outreach International Romance Writers

TITLE:  What Comes After The First 3 Chapters Blues: Dealing With The Middle Of Your Story

DATES:  July 1-28, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Beth Daniels

DESCRIPTION:  This course helps you figure out the middle of the story when you know how it begins and ends. Instead of writer’s block you come up with a middle that will have readers/editors wanting to keep turning the pages. REQUIREMENT: students must have at least three chapters (or 45 to 50 pages) of a story written or have a detailed, written plan/plot of how the story opens on through approximately the first 50 pages.

DEADLINE:  June 28, 2011

FMI:  http://www.oirwa.com/?page_id=63

SPONSOR:  Outreach International Romance Writers

TITLE:  ROCK HARD BUT WITH A HEART OF GOLD

DATES:  July 1 – 15, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Caridad Pinero

DESCRIPTION:  This course offers tips on creating rock hard alpha heroes and how to balance their rough exteriors with a heart of gold. It reviews the needs of such alpha heroes, namely, kick butt heroines who are strong enough to handle the most powerful man. It includes a review of the two archetypes with examples of such characters from popular fiction.

DEADLINE: June 28, 2011

FMI:  http://www.oirwa.com/?page_id=63

SPONSOR:  Lowcountry Romance Writers

TITLE:  Use-of-Force Workshop

DATES:  July 8 – 29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Rory Miller

DESCRIPTION:  This course provides information on Use of Force as it is taught to Police Academy officers. You will learn: what constitutes a threat; how officers are taught to discern when force is appropriate and how much to use; how the constant possibility of a dangerous situation affects every other aspect of the job.

DEADLINE:  July 6, 2011

FMI:  http://lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/#JUL

SPONSOR:  Lowcountry Romance Writers

TITLE:  M&Ms for Characters—Motivation and Milieu

DATES:  July 8 – 29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Sharon Mignerey

DESCRIPTION:  This workshop looks at motivation from the perspective of your protagonist’s history, comfort, and emotional connection. Motivation is key to having characters move through a story in a way that feels natural and organic. Motivation includes the big “why” that drives the story question and the little “why” that focuses on what a character wants in this scene right now. Of all the techniques to build well-rounded characters, these two provide the necessary fodder to create unforgettable characters.

DEADLINE:  July 6, 2011

FMI:  http://lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/#JUL

SPONSOR:  Lowcountry Romance Writers

TITLE:  Urban Fantasy Workshop

DATES:  July 8 – 29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Pat Hauldren

DESCRIPTION:  This class defines Urban Fantasy and explores the markets available and how each market expects different aspects of the same genre. It also studies the current publications in the genre, including adult, YA, and children’s subgenres, and compares your own manuscripts to these. Throughout the class you work on improving our manuscripts to meet market needs.

DEADLINE:  July 6. 2011

FMI:  http://lowcountryrwa.com/online-workshops/#JUL

SPONSOR:  Carolina Romance Writers

TITLE:  From Homeroom to Last Bell: The Hero’s Journey in YA Fiction

DATES:  October 3 – 28, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Linda Gerber & Jennifer McAndrews

DESCRIPTION:  This workshop explores the commonalities of teen heroes whether they are jocks, burnouts, geeks, or chavs. They can each fill a character archetype found within the YA heroine’s journey. Learn to identify the twelve basic steps of the journey, the routes teens tend to take, and the archetypes met along the way.

DEADLINE:  October 3, 2011

FMI:  http://www.carolinaromancewriters.com/october11.

SPONSOR:  Carolina Romance Writers

TITLE:  OMG, I *heart* it: Writing the YA teens will love

DATES:  September 5 – 30, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Suzanne Lazear

DESCRIPTION:  This class explores what teens expect out of a YA novel and how to write the YA story you want to tell in a way that appeals to teens. In this hands-on class, we’ll work on the mechanics of writing YA and how it differs from writing for adults including creating realistic dialogue, characters, worlds, and plots teens can relate to, tone and pacing, and other differences and avoiding common YA pitfalls.

DEADLINE:  September 5, 2011

FMI:  http://www.carolinaromancewriters.com/september11.htm

SPONSOR:  Northeast Ohio Romance Writers

TITLE:  Secrets Of A Contest Diva: Making Writing Contests Work For You

DATES:  July 4 – 15, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Gemma Halliday

DESCRIPTION:  This workshop provides helps for you to do your best in contests. We’ll be going to go tips and tricks for making your manuscript rise to the top in writing contests. Where to enter your specific manuscripts, what judges look for, and how to maximize a contest final and turn it into a sale!

DEADLINE: July 3, 2011

FMI:  http://neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/Workshops

SPONSOR:  Celtic Hearts Romance Writers

TITLE:  Historical Angles: Writing Historical Fiction

DATES:  July 1 – 29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Beth Daniels, aka Beth Henderson, JB Dane

DESCRIPTION:  This workshop looks at every angle from which a historical novel can be written and branches into the research necessary, the creation of believable characters, settings, details, and looks at some of the practitioners. Some of the diversifications include: a historical personage as the main character; fictional characters working with historical personages; and fictional characters within a real historical event or merely within a historical period/society. There are also the distinctions between brutal depictions of war, a view from the other side, the many faces of historical romance, the historical setting in mystery, and alternative history in fantasy and science fiction.

FMI:  http://www.celtichearts.org/workshops.html

SPONSOR:  Celtic Hearts Romance Writers

TITLE:  Viking Age Britain

DATES: July 12 – August 9, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Sharron Gunn

DESCRIPTION:  The course explores Viking Age Britain: Scotland, Ireland and the north of England. It examines the society and culture of the period—battling and feuding, farming and feasting, the role of women, societal laws and honor. Sagas such as the Orkneyinga will be used to illustrate the Viking Age. Historical accuracy was not the purpose of the sagas; they were great entertainment and contain wonderful information about Norse life a thousand years ago.

FMI:    http://www.celtichearts.org/workshops.html

SPONSOR:  Celtic Hearts Romance Writers

TITLE:  All About POV (Point of View)

DATES:  August 1 – 29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Cindy Causey

DESCRIPTION: The workshop discusses all elements of POV: different kinds of POV; changing POV–when and how; organizing scenes for POV before you write; tips and pitfalls for conveying POV character’s actions, thoughts and characteristics; tips and pitfalls for conveying non-POV character’s actions, thoughts and characteristics; miscellaneous tips and tricks.

FMI:  http://www.celtichearts.org/workshops.html

SPONSOR:  Yosemite Romance Writers

TITLE:  Call of the Wild: wolf lore, truths and myths every writer should know

DATES:  July 11-29, 2011

INSTRUCTOR:  Eva Gordon

DESCRIPTION:  This workshop is for writers interested in writing about wolves and werewolves but want more background on the basic biology and behavior of real wolves. Writers will learn why the wolf evolved from admired archetype to savage, evil nemesis of man. The course will include original interviews of a few famous werewolves and the workshop will end with the students creating their own myths based on their created shifter characters.

FMI: http://www.yosemiteromancewriters.com/id33.html

ONE DAY WORKSHOP:

SPONSOR:  Northeast Ohio Romance Writers

TITLE:  Book-in-a-Day with

DATES:  August 6th, 2011

TIME:  8:30 a.m – 4:00 p.m

LOCATION:  Holiday Inn Select, 15471 Royalton Road, Strongsville, Ohio

INSTRUCTOR:  Debra Dixon

DESCRIPTION:  Debra Dixon’s successful book GMC: GOAL, MOTIVATION AND CONFLICT began as a popular interactive workshop. Combined with the Hero’s Journey, this full day Book-in-a-Day workshop provides the tools any writer needs to pull a book together.

DEADLINE:  August 1, 2011

FMI:  http://neorwa.com/index.php/Events/DebraDixonWorkshop

CONTESTS:

SPONSOR:  Utah RWA

TITLE: 19^th Annual Heart of the West Writing Contest

ELIGIBILITY:  Published and unpublished authors

FORMAT:  Electronic submissions; rtf file

SUBMIT: First 20 pages of UNPUBLISHED, COMPLETED ms

DEADLINE:  July 15, 2011

FMI:  Krisseev; rules and entry form: http://www.utahrwa.com/howcontest.html

SPONSOR:  Rose City Romance Writers

TITLE:  Golden Rose Contest

ELIGIBILITY:  All writers of romantic fiction (RWA and non-RWA members), unpublished in book-length (40,000 words or more) in the last three (3) years and any member of RWA who is not eligible to join RWA-PAN.

FORMAT: Electronic. Doc or rtf file.

SUBMIT:  First 50 pages of completed ms. Optional synopsis not judged.

DEADLINE:  August 1, 2011 midnight PDT

FMI:  http://www.rosecityromancewriters.com/contest.html

SPONSOR: Colorado Romance Writers

TITLE:  The Heart of the Rockies — DEADLINE EXTENDED!

ELIGIBILITY:  Unpublished

FORMAT:  Electronic only

SUBMIT:  First two chapters and a 1-5 page synopsis, 35 pages total max.

DEADLINE:  June 30, 2011

FMI:  www.coloradoromancewriters.com

SPONSOR:  SpacecoasT Authors of Romance

TITLE:  Launching a Star

ELIGIBILITY:  Unpublished

FORMAT:  Electronic

SUBMIT: First twenty-five pages of your manuscript – no synopsis.

OPEN FOR ENTRIES:  July 1, 2011

DEADLINE:  August 25, 2011

FMI:  http://www.authorsofromance.com/contest/

SPONSOR:  Music City Romance Writers

TITLE:  Melody of Love

ELIGIBILITY:  Not published in category entered (see rules for specifics)

FORMAT: Electronic

SUBMIT:  First 25 pages max

DEADLINE:  September 1, 2011

FMI:  http://www.mcrw.com/index.php/2010-melody-of-love-contest/

CONFERENCES:

SPONSOR:  New Jersey Romance Writers

TITLE: Put Your Heart In A Book Conference  “Empower Your Muse

DESCRIPTION:

DATES: October 21-22, 2011

LOCATION:   Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel, Iselin, NJ

FEES: NJRW Member: $190.00; Non-NJRW Member: $210.00

DEADLINE TO REGISTER:  September 15, 2011

FMI:  http://njromancewriters.org/index.php?/conference/put_your_heart_in_a_book_conference/

SPONSOR:  Desert Rose Romance Writers

TITLE:  Desert Dreams Conference: Registration Open

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Allison Brennan

DESCRIPTION: First 50 paid registrants for conference will be placed in a drawing. Ten will win a spot sitting next to an editor or agent at the Saturday luncheon. This allows one-on-one time with an editor/agent in addition to the appointment included with registration.

DATES:  April 27-29, 2012

LOCATION:  Chaparrel Suites, Scottsdale, AZ

FEES:  RWA early registration (through December 31, 2011) is $215. Non-RWA early registration (through December 31, 2011) is $235. Prices increase $20 on January 1, 2012.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER:  March 15, 2012
FMI: http://www.desertroserwa.org/conferences/Phoenix-Romance-Writers-Conferences.php

PROMOTION OPPORTUNITY:

SPONSOR:  Greater Seattle Romance Writers

EVENT:  Emerald City Writers’ Conference

DATES:  October 28 – 30, 2011

WHAT’S NEEDED:  We’re collecting books, pens, and other fun items for Goody Bags to be given to conference attendees. In addition to these traditional promotional items, we also welcome gift baskets and/or gift items that can be given away as door prizes or used in our raffles.

FMI: You can mail your Goody Bag items to either of the following addresses:
Laura Navarre
11320 Lakeside Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98125
OR
Debby Lee
20121 Shamon Ct.
Centralia, WA 98531

Publishing was still mulling over trade show take-aways from BookExpoAmerica this past week. Among the more positive reports was this upbeat summary, The Serious Business of 21st Century Publishing, by journalist and publisher Peter Osnos. Osnos reported that:

The overall sense in publishing is that, rather than being pushed to the margins of the information and entertainment revolution, the industry is making dramatic changes with skill and flexibility that surprises everyone involved.

Meanwhile, the industry take on author marketing, promotion, and social networking strategies came to the fore as romance novelist Cathy Yardley sparked discussion about finding one’s Right Reader; Jane Friedman blew open a persistent myth about Introverts and Marketing; SocialTimes.com Megan O’Neill reported on Portuguese publisher Leya’s efforts to draw in young readers by posting stories on the FB Wall; and Neil Glassman provided another perspective on social networking in his profile of journalist Nick Kristof: Making a Difference with Tweets. Though two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Kristof came slowly to the social networking world, he advocates responsibility and integrity within its focused parameters:

…the reality and immediacy of raw text and video benefits from informed perspective and curation. 140 characters can be profound, but that does not mean they always are.

And speaking of persons of integrity, at Writer Unboxed, Jan O’Hara continued her two-part interview with former-agent-now-author Nathan Bransford. And agent Courtney Miller-Callihan offers some in-depth advice on author-agent protocol. Hint: Write a fantastic book!

In an interview at 1st Turning Point, Dorchester Editor Leah Hultenschmidt says, “Authors who have a strong network of contacts in the romance and bookselling community definitely have a leg up when submitting. The more friends you have to help spread the word, the wider your potential audience.”

This is one reason our WF chapter is so valuable. By the support we give each other and the genre, we’re affirming that there’s a market for women’s fiction.

Steve Jobs: 7 Lessons from a Marketing Genius by Carmine Gallo is a great blog on marketing any product. Books are a product! One of the 7 lessons is creating a “Twitter-friendly headline.” According to Gallo, when Jobs “introduced the MacBook Air in January, 2008, he said that it is simply, ‘The world’s thinnest notebook.’” Simple and powerful!

Looking for an agent? Writer’s Digest has a list of 24 Agents Who Want Your Work. 11 of the 24 are looking for women’s fiction.

Anyone thinking of querying a BookEnds agent should wait until the end of January. Jessica Faust and Kim Lionetti are taking a query break. On her blog, Jessica says says she stopped taking queries in the beginning of October. Since she began her hiatus, “there’s at least an extra hour in every day to work with my clients, get my office organized or even, on those rare evenings, put my feet up and read something I don’t have to. More then that though, it’s been a really nice mental break for me.”

If You Build It, They Won’t Come: A Guide to Author Websites is a GREAT article on websites. It gives percentages of what readers want in a website. And on how a website helps sell books. Did you know “Book shoppers who had visited an author website in the past week bought 38% more books, from a wider range of retailers, than those who had not visited an author site”? Neither did I, until I read the article.

Librarians visit websites, too, according to Susan Gibberman, Head of Reader Services, Schaumburg Township District Library and RWA’s 2008 Librarian of the Year. In her Romance University blog, she gives the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly about querying librarians.

She adds that library patrons can request books from librarians. I’ve done that with The Lost Recipe of Happiness by Barbara O’Neal (aka Barbara Samuel) and The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh. In both cases, I brought the book to the library and actually put it in the acquisitions librarian’s hands so she could read the first pages for herself.