This Week in the Blogs, July 30 – August 5, 2016

POSTED ON Aug 7, 2016

Shelley Sturgeon

Written by Shelley Sturgeon

Home > Blog > Self-Publishing, Social Media > This Week in the Blogs, July 30 – August 5, 2016

Do you get to relax on the weekends? Really unwind? Reading and writing are two of my favorite things to help me relax. So, reading about writing and self-publishing is the perfect combination for me. If that works for you, too, check out this week’s articles and don’t miss the list of book fairs and writers conferences at the end of the post.

Devin Joubert on CoSchedule Blog
This Is How To Write An E-book And Publish It On Amazon KDP
“Want to get more mileage out of the content you’ve already created? Ever thought of writing an ebook and getting it published on Amazon?”

Steven Spatz on BookBaby Blog
Ignore This Holiday Self-Publishing Timeline at Your Own Peril
“If you want to publish in time for the holidays, your plan should include room for all the production processes and your publicity push. This self publishing timeline will get you published and ready for holiday sales.”

Kevin Tumlinson on How-to For Authors
New Universal Links from Draft2Digital
“On 2 August, Draft2Digital, ALLi Partner Member and one of ALLi’s favorite book distributors, introduced a new service called “Universal Book Links,” or UBL. We asked Kevin Tumlinson, Draft2Digital’s new Director of Marketing, to tell us more about it.”

Frances Caballo on Social Media Just For Writers
Not Sure of the Lingo? 59 Social Media Words to Learn
“You can’t learn to speak Spanish if you don’t commit to memory vocabulary lists. The task of memorizing the meanings of “el pan” (bread) and “las galletas” (cookies) may be boring, but the wok it takes to learn the vocabulary will be worth it when you visit Spain, step into a bakery, and know how to order fresh bread or cookies.”

Ruth Harris on Anne R. Allen’s Blog …with Ruth Harris
How to Right Size Your Book: A Writer’s Guide to Addition and Subtraction
“Despite what you may have heard to the contrary, size does matter. At least, when it comes to books.”

Too Good To Miss

Jane Friedman on Jane Friedman
A Definition of Author Platform
“Author platform is one of the most difficult concepts to explain, partly because everyone defines it a little differently. But by far the easiest explanation is: an ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach.”


All the World’s a Book Fair (or Writer’s Conference) Calendar


Decatur Book Festival (September 2–4)

Decatur, GA

Spend Labor Day weekend with other authors in this open-to-the-public three-day fair. The keynote event will be a celebration of the life and works of Pat Conroy, featuring friends and family of the author of Prince of Tides and The Great Santini. This festival is in conjunction with Art/DBF, curated by ArtsATL.

Dragon Con (September 2–5)

Atlanta, GA

It doesn’t get more serious and real than the 30th Annual Dragon Con, where you’ll find all things sci-fi and fantasy. There’s a parade, a burlesque show, and a puppet slam! There will be also be autograph sessions and a “Labyrinth Masquerade Ball,” which I believe has something to do with the David Bowie Muppet movie, not masks in a maze.

Open Book Cape Town (September 7–11)

Cape Town, South Africa

After reading about Dragon Con, I was hoping that Cape Town was a magical place where everyone dresses up like a superhero, and I was right! Because while this conference has a huge gathering of major authors from around the world, and a “Poetica” workshop, it also has a great Comics Fest on September 10 and 11.

Colorado Gold Conference (September 9–11)

Denver, CO

Keynote speakers are Robert Sawyer and Ann Hood. There will also be a slew of agents and editors, mentors and special guests. Lots of rooms at the Renaissance Hotel will hold seminars for beginner, intermediate, and professional writers.

San Francisco Writing for Change Conference (September 10)

San Francisco, CA
This show takes on big ideas while attempting to make the publishing world more accessible to the little guy. Pitches, workshops, inspiration. Change the world!

Kentucky Women Writers Conference (September 16–17)

Lexington, KY

I tell you no lie: Mary Carr is the headliner here. Her book The Liars’ Club may very well have started the memoir craze, and no doubt inspired many of the women who will be at this conference. This conference will also feature Dan Spiotta and Crystal Wilkinson, and will focus on poetry, fiction, nonfiction and playwriting.

Göteborg Book Fair (September 22–25)

Göteborg, Sweden

In the aftermath of Brexit, this fair is touting its spirit of European inclusiveness, which I think actually means a celebration of all things Europe, as opposed to a euphemism for the spirit of the Republican convention. Physicist Christopher Galfard will discuss the universe, and Karen Armstrong will challenge our notions of role of religion in war. The theme of this fair is “Freedom of Expression.”

Tokyo International Book Fair (September 23–25)

Tokyo, Japan

Click on this link if you want to exhibit. They’re expecting 470 exhibitors and 40,000 visitors. There will be a world book and culture fair, a children’s book fair, a natural sciences book fair, and a humanities and social sciences book fair. There will also be an ebook zone and a books accessory zone.

Chicago Writers Conference (September 23-25)

Chicago, IL

This one is about getting into the nuts and bolts of the publishing world. There will be seminars on demystifying the publishing world, freelance writing, branding, submission, monetizing your writing, networking and technique. I told you September was serious!

Word on the Street (September 25)

Toronto, Canada

Lisa Moore, Mona Awad, Steve Paikin, and André Alexis are some of the many authors gathering to showcase Canadian literature. There will be an art project where sculptors interpret novels. Toronto’s a great town. Check it out!

RomCon (September 30–October 1)

Denver, CO

All genres of romance! There are author-led games and speed dates with authors. I can’t tell if this is a literary event or a key party!

Photo: pixabay.com

Shelley Sturgeon

Written by
Shelley Sturgeon

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