[stylist] Publishing

Wed Jan 2 22:18:25 UTC 2013

Hi Lynda,
Thanks so much for sharing this with us. I knew a little about what you've
done over your career from bits and drabs I've picked up  on this list over
the years , but this really puts it in perspective. I think that the
university community is probably the best place for networking and ease of
access to publishing and workshop opportunities. Things are a bit more
complicated for those of us without advanced degrees and/or teaching
positions. 

That said, your advice is spot on. It's one of the reasons I pursued
prepublication reviews from members of the academic community. In addition
to the prepub workshop I'm doing for education majors at the U. of Scranton,
for instance, one of the professors who likes my book is setting up a
meeting with an official of one of the local school districts; she thinks
I'll be able to get some paid appearances out of it. 

I think that the academic community is a particularly nice group of folks
who are disposed to new ways of looking at things. Not to say there aren't
selfish people there too, but the overall impression from the outside is
that they are approachable. My book is essentially a school adventure with
excursions into fantasy, but I have professors of education and computer
sciences claiming it's a great way to introduce students to the realities of
vision loss. If I had mentioned that possibility to the average person a few
years ago, I think most would have considered it a bit of a leap. For most
of the writing of the book, even I would not have seen the connection .

I also think that many topics, both nonfiction and fiction, can be presented
in a way that ties in with something in the academic world, which is almost
infinitely wide and varied. Part of our jobs as writers is to find those
connections and promote our material accordingly. I've read and heard many
times that self published authors who do the best are those with a niche
market. For a long time, I thought that meant that they had one specific
market. Now, I see it as varying one's promotional approach to take in as
many niches as possible.
Donna

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda Lambert
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 11:03 AM
To: Writer's Division Mailing List
Subject: Re: [stylist] Publishing

As my sister, Patti,  would attest, I have an opinion on everything.  She
would say to this, "YOU are not kidding!" I say this with a smile and a
little chuckle - because I have an enormous sense of humor on most things.

After reading over the discussion on publishing, I realize how fortunate I
have been for the past 20 years of publications of my poetry, articles, and
book. Maybe my experiences have been different due to my profession. I do
not know.  I can offer some advice here through my own experiences. I can
let you know what has worked for me for so many years in my career. Some of
it might work for you.  

My own career has been as an arts administrator ( executive director of a
museum ) and a tenured college professor of Fine Arts and Humanities.   Both
of these occupations provided many opportunities to flourish in my field of
fine arts and literature.

For both positions,   publishing of our work is essential over our whole
career. Promotions are based in part on  visibility in the community and in
our field.  Published works set a benchmark; an example to our students;
credibility in our field; and tenure and promotions in the institution. 

There is no question about it at all; if we teach a subject, we are experts
in that field and publication of work is an enormous part of who we are. Can
you even imagine an English professor who does not publish? An Art professor
who is not in major exhibitions in museums and galleries?  Each has to
provide a detailed list of "Professional Achievements" every year. That is
what keeps the discipline alive and thriving;  no one reaches a goal and
sits down to rest with the laurel wreath on her head.  

My poetry is published several times a year in various publications.  Those
come about because I send  them out to the publications, usually. It has
never been a struggle, but has just happened naturally as I worked at
developing possibilities for them. Rejections are our normal condition and
the sooner we get used to it the better. Move on! You can decide how many
times you will send out a piece of work every month. That is in your
control. Getting it out for consideration is totally in your control  No one
but you can decide how many poems you'll send out this month. But, just do
it and wait for your reply to come back from the publication.

One way my work has been published is because I have been active over the
past 20 years in giving conference presentations.  By doing this your work
is presented by YOU to an audience who has come to the conference and has an
interest in the topic you are presenting. This also opens doors for your
work to be published.  Typically, it will be selected by someone at the
conference who is working on a book, or by the conference coordinator who is
compiling a book on a particular topic.  After your presentation, you are
contacted by the editor and asked to be included in his/her book. I have
never sought out these opportunities, but they have come to me because I was
"out there" with my colleagues, discussing my work and research and was
presenting on it.

When my  book  ( Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage ) was published  it was
because the publisher  had met me through a mutual interest.  The publisher
lived and worked in Washington state; but her mother lived in Pittsburgh,
PA. The mother had read about me in a newspaper, sent it on to her daughter
in Washington, and the rest is history.  They edited my book, did all the
design work, did all the business details on it, and sent me the drafts
several times as it progressed.  It was not difficult at all, and the book
arrived in time for an enormous art opening that I was having to celebrate
10 years of my work in Austria. I was able to have that opening of the
exhibition, be the book-signing launch of the book.  It was an international
event and very exciting. My book is no longer in print, but is still
available through amazon.  And, occasionally, I have checked on it, and
found it for sale in several other countries and at prices that knocked my
socks off. I wonder, how in the world did my book get to India, or other
such countries? It was published by a small press that focuses on a very
narrow audience.

( I received  personal letters from the President of Austria; President
Bush; and a number of Austrian ambassadors and officials who complimented me
on the book and praised me for "being a good will ambassador for Austria. )

When I read of the struggles of getting published, it is surprising to me
because that has not been my experience. All of the professors I work with
have had books published, give presentations at conferences, etc. It is just
part of our job to do this.  It is really an extension of our teaching, and
our lectures. It comes naturally as we work at our discipline every day.  

My advice would be to get your work out before an audience who is focused on
what you are doing.  There are conferences in every discipline there is, and
that is your target audience. There you will meet others in your field, have
great conversations whith others who are lecturing and publishing, and make
the contacts that can get your work published.

Since this is the first week of the new year, it might be a good idea to
write out a road map from where you are, and where you want to be at the end
of this year. Then put in all the steps and goals you have to reach along
the way. Put dates on them, and one by one start working towards each step
that comes next.

The way I work towards what I want to achieve is this:

1.  Write a 5 year plan of goals- be specific and write out exactly what you
want to achieve in the next five years. This is where you lay down the
PICTURE of your PRIZE. What is it you want to GET at the end of your 5 year
journey? THINK BIG.  What you envision, is what you'll be working towards
for the next five years.

2.  Break the five years down into 5 one-year plans of goals. What is the
big picture for each of your five years? Be very specific and write it all
out.

3. Write out 12 plans;  one for each month in the first year of your 5 year
journey. It is good to begin working on this near the end of the year, or at
the very beginning of the new year.  This is the beginning of your journey.
You are laying down 12 little stepping stones that will take you through
your first year. Keep it simple - one little step at a time. With your text
outline, also write out your budget. What do you need to allot for your
goals here? You'll need postage most likely; envelopes; paper. If you are an
artist, you need materials to make your art. Put these things in your
monthly budget.

 Your budget will be an important part of this entire 5-year plan.

Write out what you need to do and how much money you'll need to do it.

4.  You now have a good road map to follow to get to your end goals in the 5
year plan you have written down.

5.  You will make adjustments in your plans as you go. Some of the monthly
goals will be met on time; some will be delayed and can be carried over to
the next month, etc.

Like any good budget or road map, you make adjustments as you go, but you
keep your eyes on the prize at the end of the road. You will be amazed at
where you can go, once you have a concrete plan to get somewhere.

If you are feeling lost at sea, maybe it is because you have not thought out
your plan carefully. Where do you want to be? and How will you get there?
Begin writing!

It is good to keep your plan before you every day. Read it over all the
time.  Burn it into your consciousness.

Lynda

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