Publishing

Looking for Editor for MWSA Dispatches

Hi everyone,

As I prepare for the end of my term and stepping back to focus on my own writing more, it's time to start looking for someone be the MWSA Editor. The definition of this job is -- to select what goes into the magazine based on submissions from the membership and MWSA leadership, supervise copy editors and layout designers. Someone in this role should expect to spend about 6-8 hours a month on this activity. The MWSA Dispatches Editor will also receive buckaroos. 

Experience in this role would be great...however, I'm willing to train someone as well.

The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese: How To Avoid the Traps of Self-Publishing

Title: The Second Mouse Gets the Cheese: How To Avoid the Traps of Self-Publishing
Author: Carolyn Poling Schriber
Genre: Non-Fiction, How-To
Reviewer: Joyce Faulkner

ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0982774559

You've heard the expression, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese." Which would you prefer? You are probably not terribly fond of worms. You don't even want to think about what the first mouse gets.

What does that have to do with self-publishing? Quite a lot, actually. The publishing industry has undergone something of a seismic shift in the past year. If you follow internet discussions about traditional publishing, you'll find authors being urged to make the shift to e-books and self-publishing, because that's where the "cheese" is.

Perhaps so, but the shift is not an easy one. The self-publishing option is full of traps for unwary little mice who jump into the fray without the necessary understanding of what all is involved. Carolyn Schriber’s first self-published historical novel, Beyond All Price, was on life-support for nearly a year. Then it made a spectacular recovery, winning two book awards and remaining on some of Amazon Kindle's "Top 100 Bestseller " lists for nearly two months. That was her piece of the cheese.

Now she is willing to share her story. She blogged about her experiences, starting with the first decision about self-publication. She kept track of her success and failures. She offered snippets of advice to other would-be writers. Now all those crumbs of information come together in an anecdotal account of what she learned and what you, too, need to know in order to get your piece of the cheese.

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Shriber, Carolyn Poling

Publishing 101: What Goes into the Pricing of a Book

Working with Publishers

It’s come to my attention that some members have some misconceptions about the publishing industry and the roles of publishers, editors, agents, publicists, etc. Publishing is a business and as such it is geared to make money, ideally for all concerned. But it does have its quirks and can be frustrating and infuriating at times.

The Healing Power of Writing

As I toured the country last year to do readings from my book, Gated Grief, often, someone in the audience asked me, “How long did it take you to write the book?” That seemingly straightforward question has no straightforward answer. The origins of Gated Grief, a portrait of my father's PTSD from World War II and how it shaped my childhood, lay in my fervent erratic outpourings in the journal I began “keeping” in high school. (strange word: keeping) Some of those entries became a part of the book.

Pages