The May Fullerton Writers Meetup topic, “Making your writing pay. Multi-channel marketing for today’s writer” was especially timely and interesting. As I take creative writing courses and focus on my goal of becoming a published author, I’m learning much from people who are in the industry. Some of it has dampened my spirit but not completely burst my bubble. I’m getting better informed and revising my plans but not abandoning hope altogether.
The focus of this meetup get-together was how to use existing systems to establish a platform for your writing and then market to it. Teresa Truijillo led the discussion. She has been in the printing and publishing industry for thirty years and works with writers to polish their writing and find their niche. According to her, there are 15,000 organizations that will pay for submissions. That means there is a market out there; it’s a matter of working your way into them.
It’s important for writer’s today to create their own fanbase or market before gaining the interest of a publishing house. Each book on the market only sells around 3500 copies and authors make a (small) percentage of the sale price. Thus, selling one book is not a way to get rich quick. The more prolific writers and best-selling authors make money over time, as a function of the collective percentage gained through sales.
Once you use some of the frees tools, you can create a writing resume in anticipation of submitting a manuscript to a publisher. The most successful way to do that is to break down and contact a literary agent once your manuscript has been edited and proofread. That means hiring an copy editor for the best results. Teresa plans to make hiring an agent the topic of next month’s meetup. However, she did make it clear that a reputable agent will not charge you except for postage and copying.
Here are some free ways to promote your writing and get paid before hiring that agent and making the rounds to publishing houses. If you have other suggestions, please add them.
CreateSpace - CreateSpace from Amazon.com allows you self-publish by uploading articles, chapters of books or complete books for free. The public can download these items for a fee you set. Earn money from royalties without having to pound the pavement or send out proposals. https://www.createspace.com/
Pubit! Barnes and Noble offers it’s own version of e-publishing which distributes directly to the Nook market. http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home
Smashwords! Another free e-publishing and distribution platform. Authors control all areas from sampling to pricing. Smashwords changes constantly with user feedback. http://www.smashwords.com/about
A few others or do your own Google search for “free-publishing”:
Lulu.com
HiddenCave
EServer for arts and humanities articles, free of charge
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