The truth about SELF-PUBLISHING

Self-publishing is the publishing of books and other media by the authors of those works, rather than by established, third-party publishers. Although it represents a small percentage of the publishing industry in terms of sales, it has been present in one form or another since the beginning of publishing and has seen an increase in activity with the advancement of publishing technology, including xerography, desktop publishing systems, print on demand, and the World Wide Web. Cultural phenomena such as the punk/DIY movement, the proliferation of media channels, and blogging have contributed to the advancement of self-publishing. - (2008, July 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:20, July 14, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=3&oldid=223389944:

You’ve finally finished the book! You’ve written and re-written, proofed and re-proofed. Every word smacks of wonder and amazement; every punctuation mark defines the genius you are; every anecdote brings a wry grin; every sub-plot weaves magic; every…you get the idea.

Now it’s time to ship that puppy off to the hundreds of markets that spelled out in black and white they were just waiting with bated breath for this very story. Then the waiting begins: grass grows, paint dries, seasons change. Finally you receive a form letter that clearly wasn’t meant for you. Surely, this cold, indifferent, vanilla-coated letter couldn’t sum up your blood, sweat and tears in one check-mark: “not for us.”

Many have fallen victim to the infamous ‘rejection letter’. It’s enough to drive some people to drink…or even self-publication. Because of the difficulty to break through the ‘slush pile’, many are throwing caution to the wind and bearing the expense of self-publishing and ‘print on demand’.

Is self-publishing so bad? Or is it the ‘way of the future’? Join me next week for the first of a four-part interview with first-time author Rita Sexton who made self-publishing her first choice.

Nancy Kelly Allen's final interview on CRITIQUE GROUPS...

SU: Nancy, I've learned so much from you and the others in our group. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this 3-part series on how a critique group works.

NKA: A critique group is vital to the development of a writer, not only in the realm of the craft of writing but the emotional ups and downs associated with publishing. Here's an inside look at the critique group to which I belong.

Members of my group provide emotional support for each other. If a member has a manuscript rejected or another personal problem, we listen and provide words of encouragement. When a member receives good news, we perform a chocolate dance in celebration.

Each month, a member is responsible for generating a weekly newsletter that provides news about grants, conferences, and all aspects of writing, marketing, and promoting our work. Since my group consists of four people, I will be responsible for the newsletter three months (twelve weeks) per year.

The primary purpose of a critique group is to read and evaluate works in progress for each member. My group submits manuscripts, a maximum of 1,000 words per submission, on the first and fifteenth of each month. That means that each member critiques three, 1,000-word manuscripts every two weeks. That also means that each member receives three critiques per manuscript every two weeks. Critique groups require a vast amount of time and effort from each member to be successful, but the rewards gained are invaluable.

If you decide to join or form a critique group, set guidelines. How often will members submit work? What is the time period for critiquing and returning each manuscript? What is the maximum number of words per submission? How extensive are the critiques, line-by-line or general overview? Set guidelines on allowing additional membership once the group is established. Remember to critique the manuscript, not the writer. Be respectful of the writer at all times. Be honest in your critique.

I want the members of my group to be honest in each evaluation of my work and react to my manuscripts as an editor would. Anything less than total honesty is of no benefit to me. I want to know WHY my manuscript didn’t get the contract and HOW I can improve it. If I could figure out WHY and HOW on my own, I wouldn’t need a critique group. The honesty of each member and their varied viewpoints can only make my work stronger, better, and more likely to be accepted for publication. Therefore, I have a responsibility of not taking the criticism personally. I wear my rhino hide when I read the critiques and often think AHA! She’s right! When I read a criticism or a suggestion. Why didn’t I see that? Because I only see from one perspective—mine.

SU: In a few weeks, I'll be posting information about Nancy's new book, THE TRUTH ABOUT PRINCESSES. Can't wait to grab that up for the 'princesses' in my life!

Be sure to catch my interview with author Rita Sexton on her experience with self-publishing.

Nancy Kelly Allen continues her thoughts on critique groups...

NKA: You’ve pounded the keyboard day after day, week after week, creating your story. You’ve spit-shined the revisions, rearranged the sentences, and typed the last word. Now you’re ready to kiss your manuscript good-bye and ship it off to strangers, AKA editors.Not so fast! Mailing you’re manuscript at this time may be a little premature. Consider joining a critique group. Not only will group members view your work with new perspectives, they will also provide feedback, positive and negative. The critique group will hone in on areas of quality writing, praising your efforts, and will offer examples for improvement in areas that need revision.

I’ve been writing for publication for twenty years and have had thirteen picture books and one chapter book published. During that time, I completed revision after revision, relying on my skills, alone.

A couple of years ago I joined, via the Internet, a critique group composed of four children’s writers. In that short period, my critique group has provided professional input into picture and chapter book manuscripts, making each work stronger. This group completes line-by-line, in-depth critiques, rather than general overview critiques. For me, the more specific the evaluation, the better.

Next week: Nancy gives details on how 'our' group works. You won't want to miss that!

Author Nancy Kelly Allen believes in critique groups...

As one of the four members of Nancy's critique group, I echo her praise for this valuable tool. Read on to learn the importance of finding the RIGHT critique group for you:

Critique Groups Provide First-Aid for Writers
By Nancy K. Allen
Since many students will soon be on a holiday break, I’m going to write about tips for writers in a series of three blogs that focus on critique groups.

You’ve pounded the keyboard day after day, week after week, creating your story. You’ve spit-shined the revisions, rearranged the sentences, and typed the last word. Now you’re ready to kiss your manuscript good-bye and ship it off to strangers, AKA editors.Not so fast! Mailing you’re manuscript at this time may be a little premature. Consider joining a critique group. Not only will group members view your work with new perspectives, they will also provide feedback, positive and negative. The critique group will hone in on areas of quality writing, praising your efforts, and will offer examples for improvement in areas that need revision.

I’ve been writing for publication for twenty years and have had thirteen picture books and one chapter book published. During that time, I completed revision after revision, relying on my skills, alone.

A couple of years ago I joined, via the Internet, a critique group composed of four children’s writers. In that short period, my critique group has provided professional input into picture and chapter book manuscripts, making each work stronger. This group completes line-by-line, in-depth critiques, rather than general overview critiques. For me, the more specific the evaluation, the better.

Next week, Nancy provides specific detail as to how our group functions.

R-E-J-E-C-T-I-O-N

R is for the relief of getting my query letter and first three chapters submitted.
E is for the expectation of making it out of the ‘slush’ pile.
J is for jealous-my first reaction to someone else signing a book deal.
E is for the effort it takes to be happy for someone else signing a book deal.
C is for caffeine and chocolate--a writer’s two best friends.
T is for time – seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, but a year before I hear?
I is for inbox-“maybe today is the day I’ll get an email saying my story is accepted!”
O is for the ONE right submission reaching the ONE right publisher.
N is for ‘NO’.

Put them all together and what do you get? The reason I have a day job.

Rejection --a different perspective

REJECTION: I've learned something about rejection letters. Somebody is, at least, giving acknowledgement to my writing. At least they are saying, "I received a manuscript from this writer. I can't use it, but at least I DID receive it." I know this is a tiny step up from no answer at all, but it is a step-up. In some cases, an EDITOR is actually reading my writing--they might not accept it, might even hate it--but sometimes it's being read by an actual, by-gosh EDITOR, (junior, though it may be.) That means, I'm a writer. I'm different from people who do not write. I'm in a class of fellow writers whose brains are overflowing with words that demand to have a voice. I'm special.
And in some cases, I really believe my rejections are due to bad-timing, wrong 'house', duplicate story, or some other mundane reason that had nothing at all to do with my writing ability. I almost never feel 'rejected' anymore--just 're-directed'.

In summary, create a workspace, work on your craft every day, set goals and focus a part of every week to reaching that pinnacle of being a published author. Even the smallest acknowledgement on your part will do wonders for your self-esteem. Example: I recently created a web-site, and I've been struggling trying to get the word out. Recently, an old friend contacted me for the first time in 15 years. I gave him my web address and suggested he 'check it out'. He responded to the 'contact me' section by saying, "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE A WRITER!"
My head swelled. My shoulders squared. Yes, by gosh...I AM A WRITER!

More writing tips to beat the slump...

This week, I pick up where I left off on some more helpful hints that might jump-start your writing slump. By incorporating these hints, I was able to set a goal and keep my BIC.
1. Get serious about documenting and tracking: I'd be lost without my Exel spreadsheet for submissions and tracking. I keep a simple file with the following headers:
Title/ Sent to/ Date/ Method/ Follow Up/ Response
This has served me well as I've been able to stop myself from 'double dipping' on any one agent/editor. I know at a glance exactly when I sent something out and exactly when I should either give up or follow up. Which brings me to # 2:

2. SUBMIT, SUBMIT, SUBMIT!: I'm a fan of goals. Lord knows, I set long-term goals, short-term goals, weekly goals, daily goals, and hourly goals.
If you don't believe that, you should see my daytimer. Sometimes, I can't get anything done for checking up on my goals.
I read somewhere one should keep at least 12 things submitted at all times! Sometimes I go a little over, but most often, I fall way short.
What, you don't submit on a regular basis? Shame on you! I know Lana Turner got discovered when she least expected it, but I doubt if an editor will ever ring my phone and ask me if I'd like to write them a story. I gave up on that happening long ago. Now I CONTACT THEM!
I prefer email queries and we're seeing more and more of that type, but I try to submit something every week, either by email or snail mail. Believe it or not, once you set that goal and follow up for a couple of weeks, submitting is not the difficult job it's cracked up to be. Words I have taped on my home office wall:
IF I DON'T SUBMIT ANYTHING THIS WEEK, I'M GUARANTEED TO FAIL.

Next time: REJECTIONS--you gotta love 'em.