Working Titlez

Most writers workshops involve hundreds of people. Which is a good thing — many people to meet, connect with, network with, and learn from. But what if you could enjoy a different kind of experience? A handful of writers and a couple of pros. Three days of personal interaction focusing on you and your writing? Throw in a magnificent fall in a lovely Vermont inn. Sound good? It sure does to me. I’ll be there. Come and join us! Downloade a PDF of the workshop details and schedule here. Maralys Wills, writing teacher extraordinaire, and yours truly, will be leading a small group of writers over three days, from October 11 to October 13. We’ll cover everything from the essential great first page to the current climate in the publishing landscape. Plus there will be plenty of one-on-one opportunities and instruction tailored to the student’s needs.

Okay Boys and Girls: How many times have you heard me say that speaking engagements are the BEST way to sell books, especially for non-fiction writers. The second piece of advice I preach over and over is to garner as many Amazon reviews as you can. Here’s a two for one tip: When you sign a book at at workshop or speaking event, hand it to the buyer and say “I hope you like it, and if you do, please write a review on Amazon.” People may love your book, but it may never cross their mind to post a review if you don’t plant the seed. Don’t obsess over a few reviews that aren’t five star. It is preferable to have a few reviews that aren’t — the reviews appear much more genuine (and not like only Mom and your best friends wrote reviews). Oft-published author Maralys Wills loves sharing her writing knowledge with others. She’s created a classy little message to readers via this sticker that goes in her books. Among her books is Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published. Now she’s working on a companion book, titled Buy a Trumpet, Blow Your Own Horn: Making Bucks from Books.

Great news this morning! Three of our books placed in the National Indie Excellence Awards — Higher Than Eagles by Maralys Wills and The Home for the Friendless by Betty Auchard are Finalists in the Memoir category, while Friendless received a second award in the Interior Design category. And Dancing in My Nightgown, also by Betty Auchard, WON the Indie Excellence Award for Non-Fiction Audio. What’s extra-wow is that Betty, herself, is the narrator. Local production house Dog & Pony Studios were producers. So proud of everyone involved. Here’s book designer Sue Campbell’s report.

Rejection, Smajection! Repeat the Maralys Mantra: DAMN THE REJECTIONS, FULL SPEED AHEAD. The fourteen-times published author shares her tips and tricks for not only getting those acceptances, but how to polish that manuscript so it sparkles so much an agent couldn’t possibly reject it.

Wanna Free Copy?

Post a comment about rejections (or acceptances) to this post and you’re automatically entered into our DAMN GIVEAWAY. We’ll randomly pull a winner from the proverbial hat. We’ll contact the winner for an address and ship it off to you post haste.

Meanwhile, if you can’t wait and want to read an excerpt right now, visit the Damn the Rejections website.

Back by popular demand, we’re reprising our Nuts & Bolts Workshop for Authors.

Saturday, from 1:00 – 5:30 PM, we’ll cover publishing basics from submissions to industry trends, followed by manuscript polishing and what to expect from the editing process.

Sunday, from 1:00 – 5:30 PM, we’ll present a new workshop, specifically for memoir writers.

Presenters include Author and Writing Teacher Maralys Wills, Book Editor Jami Carpenter and Publisher Carolyn Hayes Uber. This is the perfect opportunity to get the lay of the land and ask questions. Location: Clark County Library on East Flamingo in the Main Theater.

Writing can be a lonely vocation. Writers’ conferences and workshops can be invigorating, inspiring and an investment in your career as an author. There’s a multitude opportunities for writers to engage with other authors, meet agents, learn the ropes and network. I’ll be using this space, periodically, to alert you to recommended writer’s events.

Bruce McAllister Workshops
Writing coach Bruce McAllister is a master at helping authors find their voice, polish their work, and navigate the path to publication. His workshops, held in Southern California, are highly regarded.

Saturday, March 14, 2009
GETTING YOUR NOVEL WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED IN 2009
A Workshop in Choosing the Novel That’s Right for You, Getting It Written, and Using the Guerilla Tactics the New Book-Publishing Marketplace Demands
Saturday, May 2, 2009
MEMOIR, BIOGRAPHY, SELF-HELP, TRAVEL, NATURE, BUSINESS AND EVERY OTHER KIND: WRITING AND PUBLISHING YOUR NON-FICTION BOOK IN 2009
A Workshop for Writers of Non-Fiction Books of All Kinds
More info  >>>Bruce McAllister

Nuts & Bolts Author’s Workshop
Join me and my colleagues, author Maralys Wills and editor Jami Carpenter for a practical workshop full of tips, tricks and “lay of the land” advice on writing, editing and getting published. Best, it’s free! Download a workshop flyer here.

April 4th, 11 AM to 3 PM
Clark County Library
1401 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas

Publishing Basics – How It All Works
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Las Vegas publisher Carolyn Hayes Uber will explain the basics of the publishing industry from the big New York publishing houses to smaller independent presses to the scary world of self-publishing. Find out how to evaluate your options, whether you need an agent, and what to expect during the publishing process. More info >>>Carolyn Uber

Polish Up That Manuscript!
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM
Veteran author Maralys Wills incorporates both solid tips and a fresh sense of humor in her advice to writers. Sparkling manuscripts are the result of self-editing and careful polishing. She will share tricks of the trade to elevate your manuscript from good to publishable. More info >>>DamnTheRejections

The Mechanics of Editing
2:00 – 3:00 PM
Professional editor Jami Carpenter explains why every author needs an editor. How do you find the right editor, what are the different types of editing? Should your manuscript be edited before submission to agents and publishers? Learn how to ensure a happy and productive author/editor relationship and more. More info >>>RedPenGirl

Las Vegas Writers Conference
April 16-18
Sam’s Town, Las Vegas
Join writing professionals, agents, industry experts and your colleagues for three days in Las Vegas, Nevada, as they share their knowledge on all aspects of the writer’s craft. This popular conference offers great opportunities to meet (and pitch) agents and publishers as well as hone your craft with an outstanding faculty.
More info >>>Las Vegas Writers Conference

The "Rock Star" of Writing, author Neil Gaiman (photo by Andrew Taylor)

The annual Vegas Valley Book Festival just concluded. Held for the first time at the Historic Fifth Street School, the new venue helped contribute to the “best yet” festival. What a whirlwind of activities devoted to the celebration of reading and writing! There was something for everyone from the Target Children’s Book Fest to a plethora of programming for aficionados of graphic novels and comic books. The craft of writing was furthered with workshops on everything from character development and point of view to authenticating crime stories. Over eighty individual authors had sales tables and poets performed in the courtyard. Stephens Press was well represented with our own sales area and several of our authors gave presentations in the auditorium. Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist Mike Weatherford interviewed celebrity columnist Norm Clarke, whose newest book, Vegas Confidential: Sinsational Celebrity Tales debuted at the festival, and Norm didn’t disappoint, shaing some “scoops” with the audience that hadn’t hit the media yet. Next up, author and editor Geoff Schumacher (Howard Hughes: Politics, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue) interviewed Laraine Russo Harper, author of Legal Tender: True Tales of a Brothel Madam. Laraine shared her experiences running a legal brothel with plenty of wit and funny stories. Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published author Maralys Wills took the stage along with yours truly. The audience asked many questions following the tips presented for improving manuscripts and seeking publication. The festival was “bookended” by a pair of star authors. The opening keynote, Neil Gaiman drew a capacity crowd of fans for his body of work (Mirrormask, Stardust, American Gods, and more). The Brit-born author gave a long and rambling talk about modern culture, authors who’ve influenced him and his writing, and read from The Graveyard, his newest title. Pulizer Prize winner (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union) Michael Chabon gave the closing keynote address. His essay-like talk covered a lot of territory from Legos to the uber-insulated life our children live today. Interestingly, both Gaiman and Chabon talked about the “crap” their children read — or that they read as children — and observed that while it may not have been literature, it added to their perceptions and body of knowledge. Or, as Neil put it, “great stuff can be grown in crap”. Key sponsors incude the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the City of Las Vegas, the Clark County Library, and Nevada Humanities. It takes a lot of people and a lot of support to pull off such a successful event. I’m heartened and encouraged to see this annual event really come into its own.

No, you're not seeing in quadruple! The publisher (me!) was so enamored with the four vibrant proposed colors for the cover, that the book was printed with all four. Cartons arrive at the bookstores with all four colors, which make an impressive display on the shelves.

Oft-published author Maralys Wills shares trials, tribulations, and plenty of tips in a far-ranging interview with Paula B. on The Writing Show. The hour-long audio interview can be downloaded from the site or via the podcast section on iTunes.

Wills is the author of some dozen books, the newest of which is DAMN THE REJECTIONS, FULL SPEED AHEAD: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published.

Says Ray Newton (former National Coordinator for Reader’s Digest Writing Workshops): “Wills takes readers of the fast-paced freeway into the colorful scenery of a bumpy, but genuinely educational secondary roads to show them the realities of the highly competitive writing and publishing industry. The book is possibly one of the best professional road maps on the market.”

Rejections are the predictable bane of the writer’s world. Maralys not only tells of her own sometimes unconventional approaches that have resulted in published books, she shares her wisdom of twenty-plus years teaching novel writing at the college level. Damn the Rejections is an adroit interweaving, chapter by chapter, between the BUSINESS of writing and the CRAFT of writing.

Or at least the grocery store!

I so enjoy our authors sharing their “life-as-an-author” stories and this is a good one. Maralys Wills (Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead and A Clown in the Trunk) writes:

Recently at Ralph’s Market, the manager asked as I checked out, “Penned any new books lately?” (he’d been part of my book signing at the market last year). “Well, my book on writing has just come out,” I said. Just then, the woman behind me said, “You’re a WRITER? I belong to a writing group.” That was the beginning. While the manager stood by and grinned, the two of us exchanged phone numbers, she proclaiming that her group would LOVE to hear me come and speak, and I answering that I’d LOVE to come to her group. Quickly handing the woman a sheet of paper, the manager had the look of someone who’s just pulled off a major match-making coup.

And that, Dear Authors, is just how it works. The writing group appearance will undoubtedly result in another referral to speak elsewhere, Maralys will talk to the manager about another signing at the grocery store, and she’ll gather a few more fans and sell more books.

On a related note, I recently heard that authors should “autograph” books, not “sign” them. Why? Celebrities autograph (books, objects, even body parts!), their signatures are valued, and authors need to elevate their “celebrity” status. At Stephens Press, we’re making some moves that direction, advertising signings as “Author Appearances” where they will be “talking to fans and autographing books”. True, not true? What do you think?

The dramatic scenes are what keeps us reading a great book, eagerly turning the pages, oblivious to what may be going on around us. Let’s admit it, most phenomenal books are a series of dramatic scenes, some big, some small, strung together with some connecting “stuff” inbetween. Not relegated to “action” stories, dramatic scenes are the meaty parts of everything from romantic comedy to high angst. Stephens Press author Maralys Wills knows of what she speaks — as an author of twelve published titles in multiple genres AND a 20+ years college teacher of novel writing, she knows her way around a dramatic scene. Maralys offers an article on the Downloads page that analyzes the art of writing the dramatic scene. Even if you don’t write yourself, but enjoy the well-written story, you’ll find the structure behind the scenes fascinating. The newest Maralys Wills book, Damn the Rejections, Full Speed Ahead: The Bumpy Road to Getting Published will be available in October. An adroit blending between the craft of writing and how one gets published, the book is an insider’s guide to authorhood.