Jane Friedman: My Embarrassing College Poetry

Not exactly sure how we got on this subject, but Jane is talking specifically about the ways you can publish your work online. She suggested doing it in a well, polished way. But to prove how easy it is to get it up, she showed how she recently put up all her old "embarrassing" college poetry.

Check it out here (hope she doesn't demote me--or worse, make me post mine--for linking to it):
http://poetryebooks.net/sample/3140/janes-embarrassing-college-poetry

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems

Jane Friedman: More on "Audience First, Book Second"

Authors who established an audience first before selling the book to a publisher: Scott Sigler, Seth Harwood, Chris Guillebeau, Chris Brogan.

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems

Jane Friedman: What Type of Writer Are You?

1. The "God" Category—You want to be published by the big six publishers, make millions of dollars. In fiction: Story is king. In nonfiction: Platform, platform, platform.

2. "Growing" Category—People who are starting out and are focused more on the writing and have room to grow in the marketing world.

3. "Authority" Category—Do you know your audience better than a mainstream publisher? (This is especially key in nonfiction writing.) Small publishers may also be in tune better to specific, niche audiences. This is key for any author looking to target a key group of readers.

(Jane's in-depth breakdowns on these were great. Good insight on what it'll take on your end to work toward the goals of each category.)

Do you fit into one of these categories? Which one?

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems

Jane Friedman: Publisher is Thinking Only About Money

Think about it like this: Any changes publishers want to make to the book is what they believe will help increase book sales. They want to make money--probably as much, if not more, than you. They basically want what's economically best for your book--and that's ultimately a good thing.

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems

Jane Friedman: Note to Nonfiction Authors: Platform comes first!

Book second. Without a strong platform and topic, creating demand your book will have a difficult time finding it's place in the market.

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems

Deciding the Best Publishing Route for You

Jane Friedman, editorial director and publisher of WD is now on stage, giving us the inside scoop on how to decide whether to traditionally publish or self-publish.

(I gave the intro. Went OK. Got a compliment on my sweater. That was nice.)

POSTED BY BRIAN A. KLEMS
@BrianKlems