I promised the students from the Kamloops Young Authors day that I would issue a 55 Fiction challenge – so HERE ARE THE CONTEST GUIDELINES.
What is 55 Fiction? It’s a story that contains 55 words or less. Challenge yourself to keep it short and to the point – but see how cleverly you can tell your story in just a tiny amount of time. (see first comment on this post for a sample) read more…
Are you located in the Vancouver area and interested in developing your skills in various areas of writing for children?
Jared and I are pleased to announce we are teaching a new workshop series for the western Canada chapter of the Society For Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) designed to help members develop their craft of writing for children, in addition to some new dates & topics for our Preparing For Publication series that is currently offered in the Vancouver Area. See website for upcoming dates and topics.
Developing Your Craft Series
Laura Lavigne and I will be chatting about what it takes to publish a book on Chez Laura Radio on June 22, 2010. Here’s a link to the show description.
We will be pre-recording the show that day (due to a scheduling conflict) so if you’d like to call in with questions, you should call between 9:30 and 10:30 am PDT on June 22nd. The number to reach us at is 347.945.6642 and we’d love to help get you some answers to your questions.
We’ll be talking about book publishing, the steps involved and the skills you need to pull it all together successfully. We hope to see (well, I guess hear) you all there!
Sometimes I feel a bit like this guy. Only with more sparks.
Hello to all and my apologies for a rather extended absence from the blogosphere. I took a little break from my own social media world to make sure that all the other areas of my life were caught up on their to-do lists and generally re-align my life.
Despite my best efforts at procrastination (you laugh, but I’m not at all kidding) I’ve turned in a manuscript, almost finished another (both really short ones for the ESL market), handed over the presidency of CWILL BC to some very capable other members and then spent the past week polishing up the Gumboot Books website and setting in motion our marketing plans for the next 12 months. All in between presenting at 4 conferences in the past 5 weeks… so much for my weekends!
Jared and I are putting on a two day workshop in Victoria (May 22 & 23) to teach you everything you need to know about writing, selling and marketing your book project so you can turn those great ideas of yours into a way to generate some income!
It’s the perfect time to avoid ferry line-ups, and take advantage of the long weekend to make a giant leap towards living your dream of being a published author.
From 9am-5pm on Saturday, we’ll focus on writing, editing, book design and layout and actually getting your book into print (including e-reader books and e-books), and then Sunday (9-5) is all about how to generate a demand for your book and build up your readership. You’ll learn about planning events, marketing your book locally and how to generate a buzz online using websites, blogging and social media to your advantage. With each registration, you’ll receive a copy of our newest books – Self Publishing For Profit, and Book Marketing Mixology to guide you through the process all the way through your project.
While best taken together, you can register for only one day or the other if you like. We’ve got an early bird registration special available right now – but register soon as the price will go up after May 10th.
For more information, or to register – please visit our Live Your Dream Workshops website at www.liveyourdreamworkshops.com.
I’ll be presenting at the upcoming Shuswap Lake International Writers’ Festival in Salmon Arm at the end of May and was interviewed a couple of weeks ago by Barb Brouwer for the Salmon Arm Observer about the festival and what I’ll be doing there. If you’d like to read the article, just click here.
Last week I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Rich Daniels from EZ Rock FM 91.5 in Salmon Arm. We were chatting about the upcoming Shuswap Lake International Writers Festival which I’ll be attending.
I’ll be teaching a workshop on writing for children and getting published, as well as giving writers feedback and help with their work during the blue pencil sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday night, I’ll be presenting some of my own writing at the Writers’ Coffee House to take place in the Salmon Arm Art Gallery.
If you’re in the area, come on out – we’d love to see you. If not, then you can still listen to the interview below. The station was kind enough to give me permission to post it on my blog for all those who didn’t get to hear it the first time around!
Just click on the link below to listen…
Are you being dragged kicking and screaming into the social media realm?
Sure, you use FaceBook for pictures of the kids, and you read your competitor’s Twitter stream, but how do you really use these tools to talk to your market, and lead the pack?
The Book Broads – Kim Plumley, Angela Crocker and Peggy Richardson – are putting on a workshop you might be interested in. It’s all about using social media for your business (or book) and it’s being held on Saturday, May 15th in Nanaimo, BC.
Detailed information and registration is available online at: http://thebookbroads.eventbrite.com
I was interviewed by Susan J. Whitfield about writing and publishing, and the most recent book to actually hit the stands (The Pirate Who Lost His Aarrr!) and it is now up on her blog and available to view for all those who are curious.
READ THE INTERVIEW ON SUSAN’s BLOG.
I found the process really enjoyable, and it’s great to have writers interviewing people they know (or have never met in person!) online as it means we get to connect with people in completely different parts of the world.
I’ve decided that I know lots of really interesting people who you all might be curious to know more about, so I’m going to start “Feature Fridays” where I introduce you to someone interesting who’s involved in the book world every Friday, and give you a peek behind the scenes into who they are and what they do. If you think you should be one of those people, just comment on this post and leave me your email/website and if I think you’re a good fit I’ll send you instructions!
You could win a spot at a book marketing/publishing workshop! Kamloops contest closes April 16th.
Would you like to learn how to promote your book more effectively?
Do you have an out of print book that you own the rights to and would like to see back in print?
Do you dream about publishing a book to supplement your income?
Live Your Dream Workshops teach you how to do all of those things, and THEY’RE GIVING AWAY A SPOT AT ALL 6 OF THEIR UPCOMING WORKSHOPS! To enter the contest for your area, or to register for a workshop, visit their website at http://www.liveyourdreamworkshops.com. For Kamloops – the deadline to enter the contest is Friday April 16th, so don’t miss out!
The workshops are facilitated by Vancouver based Crystal Stranaghan (www.crystalstranaghan.com), who has worked as a publisher, editor, book designer, publishing consultant and creative writing mentor on more than 50 book projects of all kinds, and Jared Hunt (www.jaredhunt.ca), who is an experienced writer, editor, creative writing mentor, game designer, publishing consultant and an expert in new publishing technologies.
Kamloops: Self Publishing For Profit (April 24), Book Marketing Mixology (April 25)
Victoria: Self Publishing For Profit (May 22), Book Marketing Mixology (May 23)
Prince George: Self Publishing For Profit (June 5), Book Marketing Mixology (June 6)
Visit www.liveyourdreamworkshops.com or call toll free 1-888-739-1119 for more information.
