Your Author Website

Today, I got an unexpected surprise, courtesy of Tripod. I've used Tripod for a few years to host my author website. It's web-based site building that's easy to navigate and understand, especially for someone like me who has minimal experience with HTML. Lately, some great features with Webon integration have been added to improve content for site builders. In a recent newsletter, my site was nominated as one of four "...very strong examples of what you can do with Webon."

Nice. I put a lot of energy and effort into my website because I know it is important tool in building a readership and promoting a career as a writer. I've learned many valuable lessons in developing my own website, but two stand out: even unpublished authors should have a website and your website should always be up to date. Even before I self-published On Falcon's Wings, I kept my website going. It helped me build an interest in my work among visitors to the site. When the book was available, I already had a list of people whom I knew might be interested in reading it. Also, I kept the site updated with current projects, links to writers' groups, etc. An active site with fresh content promotes your writing, regardless of whether it's available now or still a work in progress. 

Don't have an author website? Time to get one.

Decisions, Decisions...

It’s been hard to concentrate on my writing, when so many thoughts that have little to do with the actual writing have been running around my head. Is it time to chuck the manuscript(s) and start fresh? Or, do I self-publish, and if I do, how do I avoid a colossal failure? Should I go back to school and get the MFA my heart says I should? If so, why can't my overworked, tired brain figure out an easy way to make that extra schooling affordable?

Turns out, the decision regarding school is actually easier than anything else - if I can't afford it, I'm not going. Why might I think I can't afford it? One example is the open house at the New School, which I attended in February. Great programs, as are many of the others I've checked out in NYC, but the tuition? I'm still seeing stars from the five-figure quote. I've gotten lots of great advice as follow-up to my post on this topic, from friends, family and blog visitors, but at the end of the day, the tuition is a huge factor in my decision-making. Loans are no longer an option; loans shouldn't be an option for anyone unless they're planning to spend 10-30 years of their lives in misery afterward, or at least, that's my way of thinking in the post-grad world. To think if I had kids, I might still be paying back the law school loans while schooling them...scary! So, my dream of an MFA may have to become a dream deferred, at least until I can drum up the cash. Would be easier to do this if my writing were a paying gig, rather than a source of thankless, penniless frustration...hmmm.

The writing was a little more difficult. I've completed three manuscripts, and I'm currently working on my fourth and fifth. At some point in every writer's life, you start to wonder whether you really have what it takes, whether all those friends and your agent, and the nice folks in your critique groups have all been lying to you for several years, and the inescapable fact is you have not been published because you 1) cannot write well and / or 2) cannot write anything that anyone would want to buy. Or, is it just me who's facing that quandary? Anyway, all my fears and doubts have had a surprising effect; I've been easily frustrated in the past, enough to walk away from something. Still, I haven't deleted the manuscripts, burned my sources and vowed never to write again. I've decided to self-publish.

One of the blessings of having writer friends, both published and unpublished, is that each person brings a varying perspective to my quandary, and lots of love and support. Thanks, you guys, you're the best. Despite feeling overwhelmed, as though I have no clue what I'm doing (really, I'm not joking here, no clue whatsoever!), I've got friends who regularly chat with me on titles and covers, email me all the trends in self-publishing, or have volunteered to provide a blurb, or some selfless promotion. It's also a huge leap of faith to allow the market to decide whether my work is worthwhile. But that's no different from the dilemma facing every author who pursues the traditional route. And, while I don't expect to become filthy rich from self-publishing, Lord knows I don't intend to go broke either.

So, apparently, I'm not as indecisive as I thought, just takes me a little while to make up my mind.

 

Time to Go Back To School?

Shocked at the suggestion? Well, so am I, especially since I'd once sworn to never consider formal education again.  I survived three and a half years of law school, and that was enough to leave me convinced that the next time I'd ever return to any school would be for my kids, on parent-teacher night.

I've heard people in the publishing industry suddenly sit up and take notice of queries which casually mention, "By the way, I have an MFA." But, that's hardly any motivation for me to spend thousands of hard-earned dollars on yet another degree.  And, I'm not pursuing this because I'm bored and have nothing better to do.  My personal, professional and writing lives ensure that I'm always busy.  I'm also not dying to take the GRE just to see how well I'd do on it.  I've taken enough nerve-wracking tests to last me a lifetime.

So, why am I considering an MFA in creative writing? Because, it's what I should have always done. When I was eight years old, I decided to be a lawyer.  No second thoughts or hesitation. Practically every step in life that followed was in pursuit of that goal. Then, in my last year of law school, I realized how much I hated it.  An expensive lesson, but still a lesson learned.  Somehow, along the way, I'd forgotten my love for creative writing, which started in junior high school with short stories written for mine and my friends' amusement.  Even won a top prize in a collaborative writing contest.  Now, I can't imagine anything life I'd rather be doing than writing.  So what, if it took me thirteen years of wandering to figure this out? I may be late in reaching my destination, but at least, I'm on the right path.  One which will hopefully lead to grad school.  Wish me luck.    

Writers' Digest: The Business of Getting Published

This weekend, I'm at a conference in NYC, the Business of Getting Published, sponsored by Writers' Digest. I attended the opening address by Mike Shatzkin and Jane Friedman's session on deciding the best route towards getting published.

This is only the second writing conference I've attended, but I love them, for the chance to network with fellow writers. It's always reassuring to realize that whether fiction or non-fiction, we share the same concerns regarding the current and future state of publishing. Especially when the universal approach from most publishers has become an expectation that their authors should do more (Facebook, Twitter and all social media - promote! promote! promote!) with potentially less (advances, that is).

I'll be blogging about the conference all weekend. Looks to be a good one.

Build It, Blog It and They Will Come...

...Fans and other writers, I mean, not agents and editors. When you're not published, it can seem unnecessary to establish an Internet presence. You don't have a published work readily available for sale, and it's unlikely an agent or editor scanning the Web will come across your work and contact you (God, if only it were that easy). But it's a mistake to think this way, because then you're missing out on the opportunity to build a future fan base and connect with other writers.

In the last two weeks, strangers, old junior high and elementary school friends, and even the principal of my junior high school who reads historical fiction, have contacted me just because I've established a web presence. And a week ago, I met another wonderful writer who's as interested in the Norman Conquest period as I am, and we've talked on the phone and exchanged emails since then. Most of my writing friends have always provided me encouragement, but there's no denying the thrill I get when a stranger or someone unexpected stops by my website, personal blog or any of the other sites I contribute to, just to say, "I love what you're doing and can't wait to read your published works."

In September, I'll be attending the Writers' Digest Conference: The Business of Getting Published, where a few of the sessions will be on building an effective author website, and marketing and promotion. Clearly, an Internet presence is key to establishing a writing career, especially now that publishers spend less than in the past on promoting authors. I'm excited to learn more, so I can hit the ground running when I get my first sale.