The Techie: Let's Get This Conversation Started
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On the heels of the Tools of Change conference, and on the eve of SXSWi, we're being swamped with news and opinions about the future of publishing. There's less fear in the air, but still the amount of information to absorb regarding topics like digital publishing and online strategy can be totally overwhelming for the lone writer. Confronted with pressure from all sides to "develop an online platform," many authors still want to ask, "do I really have to?"
The truth is yes, you do have to. I know I'm preaching to the choir with many of you. That's why you're here, to educate yourself and take part in the discussion, but even people who've begun to take all the right steps can get lost or frustrated when early attempts don't pan out the way they'd hoped.
Whenever my writer friends find out that I can also build websites and do related obfuscated things, their reactions and questions tend to fall into one of two categories: they have a blog, but want to redesign it or get a whole new one, or more distressing for them, they have nothing, but now need a website and to get on Facebook and Twitter because they have a book coming out in a few months.
Those in the first category are usually already active on Facebook and Twitter, and there's a decent chance they're also using Flickr, Goodreads, or other online sharing networks, so they're a bit more savvy and open to the serendipity of making new connections and meeting people online. They benefit from feeling lucky and have experienced what I like to call Internet magic.
For those in the second camp, it can be a rough go. There's so much orientation required, and tackling a handful of new tools and social environments at the last minute adds a great deal of stress to an already high-pressure situation. This quandary isn't necessarily their fault. They've been writing, for goodness sake! They have lives and maybe they've ignored the computer machine except for typing and emails, and their publisher is no help either. Confronted with attempting today's version of a book tour without the internet at their command, an author can feel as lost as Laura Ingalls in a snowstorm.
To anyone feeling overwhelmed I say, the best gift you can give to your future self is to get started now, and do a little each day to stay ahead of that learning curve. Anyone who claims they can predict the future is fooling themselves, but we can count on the fact that publishing will keep changing in response to society and technology.
Like, what do you have to do, exactly? Well, you have to engage in the whole internet shebang, in various ways. This means finding and reading informative blogs. You'll have to put yourself out there, even if you're shy or too busy. This can mean commenting, tweeting, setting up a Facebook or even a Goodreads account even if you hate the idea of social media. You should definitely blog if you don't already, even if you think you have nothing to say. Remember, you control the faucet. You can control what information is put out there and how much of your personal life is made public. The easiest and best way to do that is to tell your own story, in one way or another. I think that's why many of us started writing in the first place, right?
As a professional writer, you'll also have to educate yourself to the point where you understand that "ebook" doesn't mean any one thing in particular, and hopefully form an idea of where you stand on digital distribution. You may have to move beyond your comfort zone and learn a few new skills, but I promise, it's not that hard once you actually go in and try it.
I'll talk about all these things in intricate, obsessive detail, but for today, we're just starting a conversation.
Step one, do what comes naturally to a writer. Read! Definitely please read all the articles of all the links I've included above. For the first link to Tools of Change, follow their handy links to various wrap-ups that some helpful folks from different walks of publishing have posted.
Step two, get familiar with what'll be going on at SXSWi this year, the first year there may actually be a substantial presence from authors and publisher types (woohoo!).
Step three, enjoy some brain candy with a funny comic on the (often frustrating) subject of digital distribution and DRM.
See you next week!
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You can totally do it, Laura! Once upon a time, I was *such* a techo-phobe!
Serendipity -- you talk about it, and you are it. This is my goal for this year: go from dabbler to maven in the social media world. Thank you so much for sharing!
I'm really going to enjoy this section of SheWrites - you have a regular reader for sure. My last career I was an internet CTO and I'm what you would call an early adopter of all things tech. I love social media, and have actually met some of my best friends online. I live in a small artsy tech town that quite frankly is addicted to 4square and twitter, AND is all the better for it! I'm in love with my Kindle and see ebooks as something that cannot be ignored, but at the same time it will not replace print. There are many books that just don't make sense digitally (cookbooks, photography, crafts, etc.) and there will always be the books you love so much you will need in a more tangible form to place upon a shelf.
I see publishing world being quickly ushered into a new age much the same way music was, let's hope they figure it out a bit sooner and protect the rights of authors.
Fanks! I'm so psyched to be here! My mind's already buzzing with some great questions and feedback. Can't wait to hear about more SheWriters' experiences and address these in future posts!
Mia! We are SO psyched to have you here! Thank you for this inaugural post!!
Actually, I'm releasing my second book as an ebook. I have a different first book, which was published by Prentice Hall the traditional way in 1996: CHILDREN AND THE INTERNET: A ZEN GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATORS. We didn't have ebooks back then. (We don't appear to have had in-house editors, either.)
The book I'm blogging about for the She Writes guest blog is coming out as an ebook first, before the print version: THE ART AND CRAFT OF FICTION: A PRACTITONER'S MANUAL. My husband and I are indie publishing that one.
The decision to publish the e-version first is really an issue of practicality---I've been writing books for my son for several years and having single copies hand-bound by a local woman, and they are chock full of typos and edits I wish I'd caught before printing them. Since I'm editing my own book for publication now (an impossible task, as all professional editors know), I want to have the chance to put it out there for awhile and catch as many typos and editing issues as humanly possible before spending the money on a print version.
It's a flexibility print books have never had. And, in spite of my attachment to printed books, it's an important development in the field of publishing.
Thanks Judith!
Victoria, I definitely agree with you. It's really a question of clarifying what you have, what you want to do with it, and what you want to get in return. I too am a huge fan (almost a fetishist) of the printed book, but not every book need to be a print book, in my mind. I'm psyched you released your first book as an ebook!
I'll be sure to check out the conversation on your blog. Sounds right up my alley!
We've been talking about ebooks and print books and the whole paradigm shift, over on my blog. Today we're talking about a blog post by Craig Mod on the potential of a medium that's not limited to physical pages. I'd love to hear your opinion.
Personally, I'm passionately attached to printed books. I don't own an ereader. But I'm releasing my book first as an ebook.
There's a whole world of internal and external dynamics involved in the issues of how technology is swamping the literary landscape, and it's really a question not so much of sink or swim as clarifying in your own mind what you have, what you want, and what you want to do to get it. The paradigm is shifting in a particular direction, yes, but that means unexpected options are opening up in all directions, and with exponential speed.
All right Mia! Thanks for a great post. There are so many faces and names of writers that pop in my mind while reading (you tell them once, you tell them twice, and then you wait).
Seeing your argument in print, with hyperlinks and all may hit home faster, I sure hope so. You touch upon all the reasoning any one of the nay-sayers has held on to, and your links are great hooks to bring them in.
Best, Judith