[stylist] Publishing

[Lynda Lambert]

Donna,

I am glad I sat down and wrote that today - if it helps just one person it 
is worth it.

I think your pursuit of contacts at your local university can be very 
rewarding.  You have so much to give to others and I can very much see that 
this would be a good path for you to be on. I always brought in outside 
folks to do guest spots in my classes whenever I could. They bring in new 
ideas and students love hearing about what those people are doing in their 
own work. We always have stipends in our budget so we can pay for this 
professional development experience for our classes.

You can also seek their help in finding out about the conferences that would 
be appropriate for your expertise.  Maybe you can make a list of all the 
areas in education that would welcome the knowlege you have put into that 
book, and into your own career. These will be YOUR NITCHES - and yes, pursue 
them all.  You are an expert in a number of things, and now you will want to 
connect with others who are experts, too, because you have so much to share 
with each other.

Once you locate some conferences that you might like to do a presentation 
for, you can get their proposal forms and outline what you want to do at 
that conference.  You can even call the conference coordinator and speak 
with her directly to discuss your ideas and what you might do in a 
presentation.  This just brings you into contact with many other people who 
are very interested in what you know and do.

The audience will ask you questions. Your colleagues will ask you questions. 
They will want to linger to discuss things with you. They will want to be in 
contact with you following that conference. It is the best place to network 
with like minded people. It's very exciting.  I believe you will see your 
work in print through those audiences and conferences.

While teaching full time, I usually did about 4 conferences a year all over 
the US.  I taught in Europe every summer for years, and took students abroad 
at least twice a year.

I did exhibitions of my art work world wide during that time - and had 
publications regularly.  Plus, all professors are required to be involved in 
their local communities and to be in public service through local 
organizations. There were 7 areas that we are required to be involved in, 
all the time, besides in our classrooms.

It all works together.  I will be very interested in hearing how this goes 
for you. Please keep me informed as it goes along - I am very excited about 
your possibilities for connecting with others in this way because I know it 
can be fruitful.

When I set down my 5 things to do to get focused for the big picture, I 
should have said this:

When I began my new position at the museum, this is what the board president 
required of me.  They wanted me to come up with the 5 year plan, and then to 
break that down exactly as I outlined. This is how the museum moved forward.

When I wrote out the 12 months; I made a folder for each month. In that 
folder was all the information and my goals for the month.  I made a 
checklist for the month, and wrote out exactly what needed to be 
accomplished that month.   Those 12 folders were in a folder carrier and on 
a table beside my DESK where I was conscious of them every day.   As one 
month was completed, then I opened the next month's file and began working 
on that month's goals. It is so do-able when you have a clear plan.

I think we forget that whatever we are doing (writing, or something else) it 
is a business. And, to be successful at it we have to conduct it as a 
business.  We are creative people, yet, we have to put on the business hat 
every day, too.  We walk in two worlds, and we have to learn how to move 
back and forth between them.

Most important of all is networking with others who are doing the same 
things we are doing and giving away our help whenever we can.

In the academic world, people help other people and most of us got our jobs 
because of our contacts with others who respected us. When I got my job at 
the college, I had not even applied for it. I did not even know it existed. 
But, someone I did not even know was going to be on sabbatical and then 
retire after that, knew of me and respected my work. She wrote me a letter 
asking if I would be interested in "helping out at the college" while she 
was away. After meeting with her, I agreed to "help out" by going there on 
my day's off at the museum to lead students in discussions in the 
Humanities.
When she came back, instead of my temporary job ending, I was asked to apply 
for a position that would be advertised.  I went through the entire process 
of applying and waited out the long process of the interviews and selection 
committee.  Even though I had taught there for over a year, I still had to 
compete with others from all over the US, and do the same things they all 
had to do, to be considered.  The thing that put me over the top was that I 
had credentials in both English and Humanities, and that is exactly what the 
college needed.
So you just never know what may come your way by simply being helpful and 
giving to others without expecting anything in return.

It is normally the way it works.  It is not about what you will get from 
someone that is of most importance, it is what you will GIVE to them and to 
others that really is the key.  Teachers in higher education are givers; 
they give away their research freely to their students and to their 
colleagues.  They give away through  their class lectures; they give away 
their expertise to others through their presentations at conferences, etc. 
And, really, through your book, you are giving away insight and education on 
many important aspects of what it means to be human. Thank you, Donna, for 
what you do for so many other people through your writing.


 Lynda





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Hill" <penatwork at epix.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 5:18 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Publishing


> 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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