My friend Ann Ramsey, author of Me, the Tree and Just Be You, made this book trailer. Ann’s sister, Linda Hickman, is playing the flute, and her friend, Iris Nevins, is on the guitar.
Big round of applause for Ann & Co!
Check it out –
Click here to read my review of Just Be You.
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In your last post about author bios you seemed to be advocating that beginning writers should write for free. I’ve been told writers should never write for free. On the other hand it makes sense to pursue publishing credits. Do you think writers should write for free?
The question is not whether writers SHOULD write for free, but will you be expected to work for free? The answer is yes, you will be expected to write for free, or next to nothing. Whether or not you do write for free is every writer’s choice to make.
First and foremost, as a writer you must place value on the work you do. Therefore when the issue presents itself, if it hasn’t already, you can decide what is best for you and your career. Ask yourself: What’s in it for me? Or if you prefer a less narcissistic approach: What is the value in this assignment?
Once you have a book published, writing for free takes on a whole new meaning. My blogs and book reviews are non-paying gigs but they are part of promoting my published books. What’s in it for me? I gain exposure and build readership.
Finding the value or what’s in it is a little trickier for the unpublished writer. However the truth is, you can’t get something published until you get something published. So there’s your value right there. All writers – whether published or unpublished – need to gain exposure and build readership.
Of course there are endless opportunities to write for free. The best course is to pursue those which you have the most control over. Blogging, book reviews, and newsletters give you the most control and some of the best training.
Blogging is the ultimate control and the easiest. It teaches you self-discipline and intimidates you into posting on a regular basis. It’s a real kick in the butt to visit your own blog and see you haven’t posted for a month.
Writing book reviews gives you exposure to other writers, plus keeping up with what’s new in the publishing world. I have met many brilliant and wonderful writers this way. If you persevere and get those book reviews published, you can make contact with publishers’ publicists to get on their mailing list. You never know where those contacts will lead.
Writing, editing, and publishing a newsletter teaches you just about everything you need to know about the industry you work in. You learn deadlines, layout, editing, graphics, and production. Producing a newsletter can be an empowering experience. The bonus is, you can always sell ad space, which might not pay you a whole lot but will help defray expenses. The same value applies to producing a newsletter for an organization.
Barter is another form of value. Free subscriptions, free dues, free books, and free services are all forms of barter that add value in exchange for your work. My chiropractor once asked me to write a patient report about a treatment I had received. I agreed to write the report in exchange for a $50 credit on my bill.
I will say this, though: Never write without a byline. Always be sure your name and hopefully a link to your blog and/or website will be included in the work you do for free. For example, I won’t write ad copy for free, and you shouldn’t either. The advertiser is going to make money off the ad, so the writer of the text should be paid.
More opinions on writing for free:
Writing For Payment Or For Art’s Sake By Lynette Rees
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I am ready to submit my children’s book manuscript to a publishing company. The guidelines say submissions should include an author bio. I haven’t had anything published yet so I don’t have a clue how I should go about this. How do I write an author bio?
First of all, bravo to you for looking up the publisher’s submission guidelines and following them.
Your author bio can be as short as one paragraph included in your cover letter or enclosed on a separate page. But keep it to no more than one page, if possible, which usually isn’t difficult for beginning writers. Compose it in the 3nd person, as if you are a publicist writing about you. My bio begins, Peggy Tibbetts has been a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators since 1977.
In order of importance you should include:
1. SCBWI membership
2. Publishing credits
3. Awards and/or recognition for your work
4. Writing-related job experience
5. Education
This list should give you a starting point. You can begin your bio by choosing which of the above you can include. It’s important to include SCBWI membership first because with some editors, it can make the difference between having your manuscript read or returned unread.
In her article, Writing An Author Bio That Will Knock The Editor’s Socks Off!, Dorothy Thompson recommends that you include writing groups and organizations that you belong to. Ami Hendrickson advises in her article, Building a Better Biography: “Identify areas in which you specialize, or that you know more about than the average person.” For more information and a sample Author Biography go to Preditors & Editors.
Okay, that covers the nitty-gritty of How to Write an Author Bio. So let’s talk. Are you sure you don’t have any publishing credits? Do you have a blog? If so, include your blog in your bio. If not, start one. Do you write book reviews? Have you ever written a newsletter for an organization? Did you work for a school newspaper? Publishing credits are not necessarily paid published work. When I began my career, I sought out publishing credits by volunteering to do the newsletter for the local food co-op. I wrote a weekly column in the local newspaper for $20. What I’m saying is, if you don’t have any publishing credits, go out and get some.
It’s the same with job experience. I looked for jobs that were related to writing. I worked in a bookstore for 8 months, so I included that in my author bio until I had more experience to report. Then I worked for a tourism research publication, an educational film company, a children’s magazine, and so on.
If you work in a profession other than communications and/or journalism, work on getting something published in a professional publication. For example, if you’re a teacher, work on getting an article published in a teachers’ magazine, or become the editor for the school newsletter. If the school doesn’t have a newsletter, start one. If you work as a secretary, offer to start an office newsletter. It counts as a publishing credit. If you’re a stay-at-home mom, start a neighborhood newsletter or volunteer to do a newsletter for your local school, church, or library, or any other organization dear to your heart.
Don’t wait around for publishing credits, go out there and find opportunities to build them.
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