Any writers out there????

[Jajika]

When must stick together. It's important. I have received so much help and cheer from other writers.

I received tons of support from the California Writers Club. I met these folks when I was still considering writing this book.

I met them at their small writers conference. I joined and found the support, advice and experience made all the difference.

Without their support, I know my experience would have been much more difficult or impossible.

 

[farmergal]

I'm a writer too. What a great thread! I just want to send out words of encouragement to everyone else... in this business you have to get used to rejection (even if you never really do).
I'm a reporter and aspiring author... I'm represented by the same literary agent who represented Three Cups of Tea. She's working on getting my non-fiction book about farming published. (The book isn't entirely written, it's just a book proposal now.... I made the mistake with my first book of writing the entire thing first, but that's not really how non-fiction works, and a lot of times editors will ask you to edit a chapter or an outline more to their liking, so it's a lot easier to edit a partial manuscript than a full one!!)

Good luck to all!!
-Lynda

 

[Jajika]

Hey FamerGal:

Congrats and good luck.

You and I have lots in common. I'm a "former" reporter and now just recently an author.

You are right on about non-fiction. I had a proposal, and then went on and completed the book.

In some ways the editing process would have been easier, that's for sure. Publishers do want to shape the book, unlike fiction. Although, many fiction authors are put through similar trials.

In my favor, which is unusual, my publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, chose my book because it was complete and they were in a hurry to get it out onto the market.

With hindsight, it was a very bad idea. They put me through h...l with the three-cycle editing process in three months. It was awfull.

They didn't change the facts or the story, --because it was true--- but secquencing changed a lot. I don't have any problem with that, except they wanted an addiitonal 40,000 words in four weeks!!!

Right, sure, no problem.

Are you f....en kidding me????

Sounds like you have an agent who is experienced, and therefore believes in your project, otherwise she would not waste her time with you.

More later, but welcome, welcome, welcome.

Would you share more about your new book?

 

[moduckman]

I used to be a reporter as well. Back in 1980 I was the youngest sports editor for a daily paper in the state. I started working for the paper in circulation at 14 after school and worked my way up.
Things didn't work out. I got married and wanted to start a family and the money just wasn't good enough. I still string now and then for them and that is how my book came about.

 

[Jajika]

Sports, eh? Boy, are you singing the song of 95 percent of all newspaper people, huh?

The money stinks...unless you become one of the rare major top ten dailies. Not too many of us ever made that chair.

It's too bad, because I'll bet like me, you loved your job. Working as a reporter never seemed like work.

I, like all news people, have some great war stories. I did some crazy things in the name of getting my story. It was so much fun.

On one occassion, I hung out of the belly of a helicopter to get photos of a forest fire. I was strapped in around my waist and chest. What a ride! My photos were on the front page of my paper, the San Francisco Chronicle. I wasn't a regular photographer, but I was there to do my story and I had a camera.

For a while I didn't have to live on my salary which really makes it easy. Of course that is not usually the case.

Unfortunately for most of us, we get tired of being poor.

However, I really believe that the skills we learn as journalist are stills that are excellent for most anything in life. Not just for writing, but focus, process information, detail, and of course, raising chickens!!!!

 

[moduckman]

I've gotten lucky enough to get a picture in a national sports magazine when they discussed college players in the junior college ranks and have also had two photographs printed in a history book of juco basketball. Never got a cent since they belonged to the paper, but it's stioll neat.

I got to visit with a lot of famous people, but we were more of a local paper, 10,000 subscribers, and I really enjoyed a few of the longtime coaches in the high school ranks.

What is really bad about the poor pay is that my father was general manager of the paper. He celebrated his 50th year there in 2008. It is also the place I met my wife, who was the circulation bookkeeper at the time. As a matter of fact, I proposed to her in the conference room of the paper on Friday... Friday, June the 13th.

Celebrated our 28th anniverary in November.

P.S. We only dated a month before I popped the question. It was love at first sight.

 

[cackle]

I am not a writer but my husband is. Here is a you tube interview he did back in October.

 

[L&Schickens]

I am a writer. I self published one book, but did not continue my contract. I would love to find an agent or a publisher that would publish my work but have not found one yet.
I write fantasy fiction and romance and have a horse story that I am working on as well.

 

[Xtina]

I'm a business plan writer. The chickens don't help me much with this, except that one time I wrote a plan for a poultry supply company in Mississippi. My job is fun and interesting to me, but I'm sure not so much to other people. I got into it by accident, but it's perfect for me. I basically write two sections of every business plan I'm assigned: the product summary and the market analysis. Oh, and half of the executive summary. But I've written all sections in the past, excepting the financials (I'm not math-minded!).

I would love to get into other types of writing. Journalism, and nonfictional books in the style of The Omnivore's Dilemma or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. But for now, I just want to hold on to my job in this crappy economy. I just took an 18.75% pay cut to stave off more layoffs in the company. I was happy to do it so that more of my friends don't get laid off, but boy is it going to be tough for us to make it through!

If anyone here has advice on where to go for freelance writing projects, I'm all ears. I want to both broaden my horizons and get more money in the extra time I now have, since my hours were cut to make up for the pay cut. I've checked out places like Elance.com and Guru.com, but none of those sites seem legitimate.

 

[Jajika]

What an amazing variety of writers have popped up. but not a surprise really.

Where to begin.

I just finished watching the YouTube of John Ramsey Miller--I love mystery. Those are going to be my next purches for my bedstand.

He is really famous! Wow. I loved his story. Thank you so much. Please tell yuor husband you know a non-fiction (creative non-fiction) writer that reads mostly fiction for pleasure.

My book just out is "Taking Aim At The President" by Geri Spieler, (Palgrave Macmillan)

It is the story of the middle-aged mother, doctor's wife and the only woman to ever fire a gun at a U. S. president and missed his head by six inches.

Her name is Sara Jane Moore.

Business writing. --Hey, writing is writing. I could never do technical or business writing. Talk about detail!

The absolute best place to go for freelance is Writers Market. It is put out in hard back, year after year. It is also available online.

Advantage for hardback--less expensive. Online, more expense, however it is updated constantly and you can sort your searchs.

Meant to tell everyone this:

If you are searching for an agent, publisher, editor: Before you sign or decide to go with them, go to "Preditors and Editors" first. Look them up. This is very important.

So---looking for help here and I'd welcome advice from anyone in our "Writers out there?" group. Also, I know there are several folks here who have joined who have writing spouses. Would you share with them as well please.

I've just had my first book published. What a vertical learning curve.

I did my initial east coast book tour which is done in the first couple of weeks after the book is launched. I guess to get the word out as an announcement.

Now, back home. Some more scheduled readings. Book store readings in and of themselves are not that much. But they give you a reason to contact local media and hopefully get a mention in the paper.

I'm now faced with taking on more responsibility to market the book without the big publisher support as in the beginning. I have two book deal, but I need to get this book some numbers. It gets a great response when people know about it. It fits into true crime, so that helps, although it is also biography and politics.

I wrote a reading group guide...

Any marketing suggestions?

Thanks.