As we enter those lazy days of summer, hope that you’re able to take some time to relax and maybe catch up on some reading. And, if you’re looking for reading material, I’d recommend this week’s selection of great posts from some of my favorite writing and self-publishing blogs.
Jane Friedman on Jane Friedman
The Age-Old Cynicism Surrounding the Dream of Book Writing
“While speaking and tweeting at the International Digital Publishing Forum at BEA this week, I had the opportunity to hear Jane McGonigal speak. (She’s well-known for this TED talk.) She shared this statistic: More than 90% of young people in the United States say they want to write a book someday.”
Lynne Cantwell on Indies Unlimited
I’m somebody now: Facebook Verified Pages
“One of my favorite misquotes is from Steve Martin’s movie The Jerk. The phone book delivery person stops by and hands Martin’s character a copy, and Martin goes off in raptures (here comes the misquote – ready?): “The new phone book’s here! The new phone book’s here! I’m somebody now!””
Jane Sutter Brandt on Build Book Buzz
How to sell out at a book signing without being a celebrity
“I recently returned to my hometown of Burlington, Iowa, for a signing of my first book, Sutter’s Sodas Satisfy: A Memoir of 90 Years of Sutter Drug Co., about my family’s business, which existed from 1903-1993. … It was an amazing success: I sold every book that I had with me – all 99 of them. The book store owner ended up taking orders for two dozen more that day.”
Ruth Harris on Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris
REALITY CHECK: Mixed Martial Arts For Writers
“No two ways about it: You ARE going to suffer. … How do I know? Because I’m a writer and all of these things—or variations of them—have happened to me.”
Elspeth Futcher on The Blood Red Pencil
Author Self Promotion: 6 Things to Remember
“It is one of the ironies of the writing life; most writers are introverts who must morph into extroverts when it comes time to promote their wares. This isn’t just about changing hats, it’s more like changing skin.”
Photo: bigstockphoto.com
Thanks for the shout-out for Ruth Harris’s post on our blog. It’s been a popular one for us. Ruth is not only a NYT million-seller, but she’s been a Big 5 editor, too. So she really knows her stuff! Bad stuff happens in publishing and we need to know how to bounce back.