Determined not to start the new year with an overflowing Inbox, I forced myself to dive in and deal with every single scrap of paper that had accumulated over the months. I know what you’re thinking. Yes, I actually do have a painfully tangible Inbox as well as a virtual one. I’m happy to say that they’re both under control again, and that I’ve rediscovered some writing news I’ve been meaning to share for weeks and/or months. Here are three writing news items that surfaced:
- If you’re a woman and you write or simply like to read, check out http://shebooks.net/ . Whether you call their format short e-books or long-form stories, Shebooks says that it publishes “short memoirs, fiction, essays, and long-form journalism by some of the best writers in the United States and beyond, both well known and yet to be discovered. Each Shebook is between the length of a magazine article and a book—long enough to immerse yourself for a plane ride, or a good read before bed. “
- For years I’ve been talking about how a book is the calling card that people don’t throw away. It’s the one marketing tool that establishes instant credibility and sets you apart from the competition. Dan Kennedy (with Matt Zagula) weighs in on this in No B.S.: Trust-Based Marketing with a chapter called “Publish or Perish”. In the past this expression has been used almost exclusively in a university context, where professors had to publish in order to maintain or advance their careers. Kennedy makes the case that anyone promoting a business needs to differentiate oneself and become the authority. There’s just no better way to do that than with a book.
- Speaking of books, it turns out that seniors are turning to self-publishing. With on-demand publishing, they can actually afford to tell their stories and get those books to family and friends, onto their local library shelves and even onto Amazon and other online bookstores. I’m heartened by the fact that history is being preserved this way, especially after interviewing Steven Spielberg about the Shoah Foundation which raced against time to record the testimonies of Holocaust survivors before they grew too old to remember. So if you or someone you’re close to has a book inside of them that they’re having trouble getting out, just let me know. I’d love to help.
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