Today I’m blogging from Omaha, Nebraska at the Nebraska Writers Guild conference, where I’ll be speaking later in the day on current tools and trends in self-publishing. Coming to these conferences can be a fantastic benefit to authors, no matter how you plan to publish. Networking, getting up close to editors, agents, and other publishing professionals are all outcomes you can expect when attending events in person. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great education right where you are, and I would suggest you start with these articles today:
Hugh Howey on Salon
Self-publishing is the future — and great for writers
“With self-publishing, you learn your craft while producing material. You win over your fans directly. You own all of your rights, and your works stay fresh and available for your lifetime (and beyond). Nothing goes out of print. I think this advantage is difficult to fully appreciate.”
Seth Godin on Seth’s Blog
100 days later
“The problem with a great launch strategy is it just might sabotage your real goal, which is a project that lasts. The risk of changing your product or service so that it launches well is that you may end up changing it into something that doesn’t hold up.”
Carolyn Steele on Indies Unlimited
But I Don’t Want a Blog
“You can use WordPress for any sort of website. It’s not difficult and you instantly have access to the usefulness of widgets and plugins, plus the ability to edit whenever you please. The SEO is a breeze, you can add all manner of social media buttons and woofers and tweeters without ever having to pay a geek to do stuff you don’t understand. Here’s how…”
Suw Charman-Anderson on Chocolate and Vodka
What do readers want from frontmatter and endmatter?
“Perhaps it’s just that a title page is for many people a key part of the visual language of the book, it’s comforting and expected. That ‘declaration of bookiness’ is still important, so whilst removing it might make logical sense, does it make emotional sense?”
David Gaughran on Lets Get Digital
Self-Publishing Grabs Huge Market Share From Traditional Publishers
“This staggers me. 30% of the top-selling e-books on Amazon are self-published, beating out the biggest authors from the largest publishing houses in the world – as well as titles from Amazon’s own imprints.”
More Appearances
This is the season for writers’ conferences, publishing conferences and other events that can have a big impact on your development as a writer and publisher.
Here are two great opportunities if this appeals to you:
IBPA Publishing University (Chicago, April 26-27)
This is probably the premier event for indie publishers that’s held every year. Join top industry professionals and publishers as well as indie authors for a full slate of courses and instruction. Highly recommended. I’ll be presenting on blogs and websites that sell books, and on book design to sell.
Author U Extravaganza (Denver, May 2 – 4)
Come to Denver for an amazing 3 days of networking, learning, and socializing with fellow indie authors and publishing pros. I’m really excited about the opportunity to present a 4 hour workshop on how authors can use blogging to build a sustainable career in publishing. This is going to be a unique experience, but I’ve been told that there are only a few seats left. If you’re interested, act now and grab one of the remaining spots.
If you come to Chicago or Denver, please make sure to say hello, I’d love to connect. And there will be time for “Ask a pro” consultations at both events.
See you there!
Photo: bigstockphotos.com Author U link is an affiliate link.