How to Participate in Your Writing Community + BookTok, Plotting tips, & Industry Controversies
How to be a writing-community participant when you're unpublished; PRIDE resources; BookTok; reimagining conflict; story thrulines; ISBN issues; james patterson putting his foot in his mouth; iced tea
Greetings readers & writers,
This past weekend, we were discussing networking and conferences in one of my seminars and a student asked: “Before you’re published, how do you know when you’re ready to go from spectator to participant?”
The first part of this answer is, of course, when you feel ready. Actively participating in your writing community is a (powerful!) way to lay the groundwork for solid marketing. It’s also a great way to grow as a writer. Writing communities can be defined by locale, genre, publishing path, etc. But as an unpublished writer, knowing when, why, and if you should step from the audience into the spotlight can be tricky.
If you’re reading this newsletter, you’re already on your way: begin by educating yourself about writing and the industry. This can take the form of reading guidebooks, following experts online, researching techniques, attending classes, etc. and, of course, writing (and editing) yourself. You don’t have to know everything! But before getting up to teach others, you need to have a shared language/understanding of craft and industry. {Don’t know what you don’t know? Use “How to Find the Right Marketing Support” to identify your gaps in knowledge}
Once you’re starting to feel knowledgable, here are some next steps:
Ways to Participate in Your Writing Community Before You’re Published
Are you an expert? This is a trick question: everyone is an expert in something. I’m not talking about one article you read online that makes you feel like an expert on butterflies; I’m talking about training, deep research, lived experience. What expertise can you bring to an event, interview, or blog feature that you can connect back to writing or reading?
Have you published work in other forms? Poetry, screenplays, science articles, fan fiction — just because your writing may not be book-shaped, doesn’t mean you don’t have valuable insight to share! What about your genre/publishing journey could be useful to writers at large?
Are you a publishing professional? From freelance writers to booksellers to book reviewers to production assistants, the book world has a lot of different, important roles. So you’re already participating! But if you’re looking to connect with fellow writers (and readers!), consider how your unique perspective can be used to educate and inform.
Are you a solid literary citizen? Meaning: have you been an engaged spectator for a while now? If you are actively involved and connected in your local writing/publishing community, then leveraging your developing network can be a huge asset. You’ve invested time in your fellow writers/bookstores/writing centers and your knowledge base from that alone (not to mention your growing circles of colleagues) can push you into participant territory.
Are you willing to work behind the scenes? Not every form of participation needs to happen on stage. Are you will to help coordinate a writer’s retreat? Read slush for a literary magazine? Do scheduling or grant writing or website design for a non-profit writing center? Help a fellow author with their marketing? If you’re not ready to be in front of people, what other ways can you support writers’ and your community?
Participating in your writing community doesn’t have to mean speaking on a panel or hosting an event. It can look like a:
newsletter
blog post
interviewing a fellow writer/expert
writing/sharing book reviews
sharing/retweeting on social media
joining or forming a writing group
How do you engage with writing communities? Which ones? Drop your faves in the comments!
Hark, forsooth! This month we’re featuring Jessica Martin: lawyer, #PitchWars alum, and debut rom-com author of For Love of the Bard*. She’ll be sharing her publishing journey, the unique marketing powers behind promoting adult romance and, undoubtedly, many Shakespearean puns.
Finally, an archives page! Check out all the 2021 and 2022 BMN interviews in one place!
Writing/ Marketing Resources
Just a quick reminder of how to support LGBTQ+ members of the writing and publishing community this Pride Month (and always).
“Is BookTok Changing the Way We Talk About Books?” BookRiot says yes, by focusing on feelings, tropes, and hyperspecific book recs.
Conflict doesn’t have to be us vs. them. Fantasist Marie Brennan examines what happens if we “Reimagine Conflict” {SFWA Blog} as instability and how that provides motion for a story.
Author Melissa Caruso always comes through will brilliant story advice. Check out her Twitter thread on solving story through-line issues:
Industry News
As new 13-digit ISBN numbers are being purchased and assigned, the newest ones are not backwards compatible. This could pose a big problem for authors publishing on Amazon. Author Darcy Pattison explains: “The 979 Y2K Problem for ISBNs” {Indie Kids Books}
Siiiiiigh. “James Patterson Apologizes for Saying White Writers Face a ‘Form of Racism’” {New York Times — free link}.
The Lambda Literary awards, which honor LGBTQ+ writing and writers, were announced earlier this month, amidst some controversy, when Lauren Hough’s essay collection was removed from consideration due to her defense of another author’s potentially problematic book and hostile tweets.
Tea… Maker!
Last issue I talked about how to make the perfect quart of iced tea without any special equipment. If you’re like me and you drink a quart a day, it can be helpful to have an iced tea maker. My powerhouse is an old school hot-brew Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Maker, courtesy of my grandmother-in-law. You can use bags or loose leaf and make yourself a half gallon of your favorite tea in about 15 min. Grandma Hoch’s secret? No ice until after. Refill the reservoir to get twice the tea, then let it cool before serving over ice.
Hope you’re getting some sunshine, fresh air, and inspiration.
~Allison
Writer & Marketing Coach
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*Bookshop.org affliate links! Check out our Bookshop for other recommendations.
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What expertise, can I bring to writing. On thing; 15 years of knowledge gained in the architectural industry. That doesn't count in the publishing industry but there is a crossover, as early stage developments are similar in both industries.
If you can't receive a client brief, you can still envisage what the client expects you to consider at feasibility stage.
- Why is this project/book relevant?
- Can this be built/marketed?
- What building/publishing framework can be used?
- How long will it take?
- Is it sold of the plans or the finished product?