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USING INSTAGRAM to PROMOTE YOUR WORK
This intriguing article is made up of marketing ideas from publishers. Enjoy!
And Happy Holidays, everybody!
Joe
Fantastic, Nikita! I pasted it into a Word file so I could print it out. I’ve gotten to the point where my eyes get really fatigued reading online, probably because I’m on the computer all day long! But I’m very excited to read the story. Congratuations!
A fine interview on being a “hyphenated writer.” Surely the best way to make a living by the pen! William Stafford called this “moving in the little ways that encourage good fortune.” Here’s wishing you all good fortune!
Six Things Quan Barry Learned from Being a Multi-Hyphenate Writer
I can’t swear to the accuracy of the entries in the linked 2022 Guide to Manuscript Publishers, from Authors Publish. which includes close to 250 publishers who don’t require authors to submit through agents. Here is the link, which expires soon, so grab it while you can for free: https://authorspublish.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Final-The-2022-Guide-to-Manuscript-Publishers.pdf
Don’t be shy! Get your work out there! Best of luck, my friends….
I never thought about this either! How many other unwritten rules are we violating on a daily basis? Jeesh.
Sally, you might want to give Persea Books a try. https://www.perseabooks.com/contact
They are a small but significant literary publisher. Your novella might be up their alley. But you will need to do a good, concise query letter. Useful advice on that here: https://nybookeditors.com/2015/12/how-to-write-a-darn-good-query-letter/
Another route would be to make the novella part of a collection of shorter fiction. Have you been working on any stories?
Cheers!
Joe
I never got into reading “trashy novels,” although I’d pull a hamstring stretching for a definition of such things! I guess, for me, it would come down to formulaic writing, unrealistic characters and plots, etc. But “unrealistic”—what does that mean? I think about Lord of the Rings, or any non-trashy fantasy novel, and it seems like we’re talking about an “unrealistic” story made real by the force of its language. Take a very trashy concept–a middle-aged man becomes obsessed with a teenage girl, manipulates her into a sexual relationship, and finally commits murder in an effort to keep her from dumping him: the driving idea behind Lolita. Trashy idea, brilliant novel–thanks to the force of its language.
Not sure why I’m going on like this! All just to say that you’re right about learning from whatever we read, but we learn more from good books than from “trashy” ones! 😉
Another very useful piece, the text of a workshop talk given by the excellent writer C. M Mayo, called “On Seeing As An Artist: Five Techniques for a Journey to Einfühlung”: https://madam-mayo.com/on-seeing-as-an-artist-five-techniques-for-a-journey-to-einfuhlung/
Her insights remind me that I often tell students that they should read only for pleasure but read as writers when they’re doing it. Whatever your favorite escapist reads are (Simenon mysteries, Louis L’Amour Westerns, love-lost-and-found á là Danielle Steele, etc.), you should still make yourself aware of structure (sentences, paragraphs, scenes, plot) and the way characters are transformed by their desires and the inevitable blocking of those desires. Note-taking not required, but awareness—YES.
Excellent writing advice from George Saunders….
Some great advice here on the process of submitting a book manuscript: The Seven Most Common Manuscript Submission Mistakes.
Worth looking into!
Congratulations, Nikita! Very exciting. “Bourbon Penn” was not at all on my radar, but oh my, their covers alone are promising for the strange work inside. “Black Hole Elvis” will have a good home there.
My finally had (a month late) the book launch for my new collection (pix and video here). The launch helped land the book on the Small Press Distribution Service’s monthly bestseller list. Hah!
Keep writing, amiga. Write a travel piece about the South of France, for cryin’ out loud! With so many people choosing not to travel, there’s bound to be a market for articles by people who chose otherwise….
Cheers!
I know I posted this before, but since the deadline is looming, I thought I’d post it again. Especially with you in mind, Kirk….
I’m with you, Kirk! It’s so hard to write about one’s own work, especially when it’s complex and unusual. I had to write the website description of my new book and agonized over it. “Imposter syndrome” is right! It hit me when I wrote the description and will hit even harder when the box of author’s copies arrives: the things always look somehow “unworthy.” Well, that’s the imposter syndrome!
Regarding your description, it’s verygood, very intriguing (I would think) to any agent. I would suggest only two changes if you use this for the public. One is to cut “Her story is one of impossible love, crowded with desperate spectres and heart-stopping obras de arte.” It strikes two notes that my reading of the ms. so far doesn’t support: romance novel and horror novel. I don’t see the book as leaning toward these subgenres, and the sentence itself isn’t specific enough to capture the real tenor of the story. Secondly, in the second paragraph, I suggest taking out “I believe….” There’s nothing wrong with asserting a vision of the book’s audience, which doesn’t depend on your belief but on the nature of the story.
That’s it! Otherwise, a winning description!
