Why you should go to the next Writer's Digest Writers Conference

     The reason a writer with a good novel should go to a Writer's Digest Writers Conference is for the opportunity to meet with publishing professionals. Their input, advice and even their facial expressions as you explain your book are invaluable, even if you do not find an agent. After having self-published a book alongside 2, 999,999 other writers I've learned the importance of god advice and networking.  

 

How a writing conference works:

     The 2011 WD conference took place in the Sheridan Hotel in New York City. In one large room packed with writers from all over the country, and from every genre. Most of the morning was spent listening to people in the industry talk about the state of book publishing. Most of the presentations were about self publishing, which my wife thought was a very ominous sign. We spent the morning listening to advice about marketing, promotion and how to build a writers platform. Everyone listened politely, but we all knew why we were all there - to meet a book agent.
 

     After lunch we gathered in a large room filled with anxiety and about two dozens little desks. Each desk had two chairs, in one sat a literary agent eager to discover the next James Patterson, the other one was wanna-be authors. Lines formed quickly, so take my advice, do your research. All the agents who will be attending are listed in the WD web site so know who you want to see before you get to the conference. Focus on the ones who are looking for your type of novel. You will probably only have enough time to visit the ones you picked out - time moves fast.  

 

     Prepare your elevator pitch. What is that? Well, imagine if you were in an elevator and suddenly Steven Spielberg gets on. He strikes up a conversation as he pushes the 20th floor button. "Oh, you're a writer?" he asks. "Tell me about your book." You have a minute to tell a great director the plot, setting, characters, inspiration etc.of  your book before he  disappears forever. You must be able to convey everything about your book, and you, in one quick elevator ride that can change your life. Don't take the elevator pitch lightly, write it down, practice it. Have it memorized and fine tuned.  Your pitch will also be valuable for marketing purposes later on and may even be your  advertising. We were only given 2 minutes to pitch our novel to each agent and then it was time to move on to the next. During your speech some of them will smile, some ask questions, others just stare at you, be prepared for that. You will get in line again until everyone has heard your pitch.  

 

This was my elevator pitch: "Confessions of an Internet Pornographer is a book about a cab driver who builds an erotic web site, in a desperate attempt to make a better life for his family. With no idea what he is doing. Jose, his wife and his in-laws build an erotic web site dedicated to the secret fantasies of it's members."

 

     You really don't need to carry a bunch of manuscripts. This may sound obvious in our digital world, but just in case one of you was wondering - agents meet dozens of writers and can't carry 50 pounds of paper home. If they are interested in your book, you can send them the material via    e-mail or submit the material as per their specifications later. If you must bring a sample of the work, bring the first couple of chapters.

 

     Now, as you all might know I do not have an agent, and although my book's concept and plot received favorable attention at the 2011 WD conference it was subsequently turned turned down. In the end I had to self publish my book and after having done so I now know why I was turned down. My book was too risky to publish. It was a self publishing venture from chapter one, I just didn't know it. It's okay, because it is exactly the book I wanted to write. It may not be making me money or famous, but some day, when I am a successful world renown author. I will look back and read it with great love and pride.

     Yet despite my failure to secure a literary agent on my first go-around, I still believe that anyone with a finished book must go to a writers conference that offers a chance to pitch your book to a literary agent. I have every intention of going to another conference when the book I'm currently working on is finished. This years WD conference was in L.A. which is the setting of the book I'm currently putting together - a missed opportunity.
  
     Come 2015 I'll be traveling wherever for another chance to pitch. Why? Because it is the best way for us to stand out above the crowd. The agents might not remember your name, but they might remember your story. Maybe they will remember your enthusiasm, your personality, your passion, your voice. There is nothing like a face to face encounter.

     You should also go because it is fun to be surrounded by others who love to write and share similar dreams. You should have seen the look of desperate hope we all wore that day. Lastly, it is a chance to take a cool trip. In New York my wife and I took tour buses, saw a Broadway show and ate anything that wasn't moving.

  

Good luck to all! For now I  will continue writing into the wind.

 

Luis Mario

 

 

P.S.

 

WD is not paying me for this post, neither is anyone associated with anything anywhere. 

Confessions of an Internet Pornographer is FREE July 4th!

My book is back on Amazon's Kindle Direct Library Program. 

I will be FREE to all Kindle owners tomorrow July 4th at Amazon.com.  

What's good and bad about Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing program..

I recently ended my novels enrollment in Amazon's KDP program; it was in their lending library from January through March of 2013. Maybe my experience will help some of you decide if it would be worth your while to join.

I ran my first giveaway on one weekend in January, my second was a two day promotion starting on St. Patricks Day, and the third was a one day giveaway at the end of March.

The book was borrowed by 267 people: 163 in the US, 94 in the UK, 6 in GER, and 2 times in Canada.

What I have concluded is that the KDP program is a very effective tool to get your book into reader's hands, but it should be used as part of a larger marketing and promotional plan. Let me explain.

Whats good about the KDP program:

     If sales of your book are slow to lackluster, for whatever reason, giveaways are a fantastic way of putting your book into reader's hands. Your book is suddenly available to people all over the world. Ten years ago, it would have cost you thousands to advertise in a single U.S. magazine. My book has been downloaded, borrowed or purchased, over three hundred times in the U.K. alone. And it feels just as incredible as you think it does when someone in Europe likes your book. 

     Amazon's KDP program is also cost effective. It costs me $20.00, per copy, to ship three paperback novels to the winners of my Goodreads.com giveaway. I had to order the books from Createspace and then ship them to three different cities. Not cheap, worth every penny, but not cheap. I have yet to give the paperback away overseas because of the shipping costs. 

What's bad about Amazon's KDP program:

     Amazon KDP customers do not win or buy books, they borrow them. It does not bind them in any way to review it and it does not mean you will be getting ANY reviews, or likes on Facebook. But that can be said of any giveaway. I just thought it was worth noting. I gave the book away in 2012 on Goodreads, 201 people requested it, 3 women won a copy, one of them gave me a review (a four star review on Goodreads). 267 people borrowed my book on Amazon.com during my last KDP enrollment, and none have reviewed it.

     Keeping the book in the program can kill your bottom line. You will miss out on the money you could have made from those people who actually are willing to pay to read your story. The Amazon KDP program is a great way to get the book out there, but if sales are good, you may want to reconsider. Not only will Amazon not be paying you for the units borrowed,  you can't sell your e-book anywhere else. You cannot sell, or give away your book on any other digital device during your membership. You are under an exclusive contract to distribute your book digitally only through Amazon. That's okay for three to six months, but as the months pass you may want to receive compensation for your hard work. I stress this point because I am not a big believer in giving your work away for free, or for 0.99 cents for that matter, I'll tell you why some other time. I dream of becoming a working author one day, able to pay all of my bills from my writing, so giveaways are just one of the tools I think a writer should use to distribute their book. 

There are more good reasons to enroll your book in Amazon's program than not, but don't forget to try some of the other venues available for book promotion.
 

Well, I hope this post helps some of you. Until we meet again I will continue writing into the wind.  

Luis Mario

My review of Eddie Huang's new book, Fresh Off the Boat.

    

     Just finnished reading a really funny book I'd like to recommend to all of you. It was written by a Chef named Eddie Huang, and is entitled Fresh Off the Boat. The book is a very funny, well written book about a loving and dysfunctional Chinese family trying to find their way in America.  Anyone who grew up in a third world home, and stepped out into first world America every morning, will appreciate this book - be they Chinese, Latino, Irish or Pakistani. His childhood is filled with love, confusion, sadness, irony and a lot of humor. This book clearly and lovingly conveys the struggles and hard earned successes of growing up in the states. It does a wonderful job at staying light and humorous with funny stories about his family. His Dad is hard working but mean. His mother is caring and strong but clueless. I loved the Chinese dialogue, and non-Chinese readers will appreciate his translations. The scenes with his parents are hilarious. Eddie and his family are both fascinated and appalled by America, especially the food. His descriptions of Asian and American food are delightful and it is obvious that food is a friend and refuge. Chief Huang’s love of the smells, textures and symbolism of food have even influenced his writing. He is also very adept at diving deeply and letting you see feel the pain and loneliness that permeated almost every day of his life, but he does not submerged for too long and laughs are frequent.

     The novel adroitly tells the story of the family’s immigration to Orlando Florida in the mid 1980’s. And while it may seem like a family’s story on the surface, it is really about a confused little boy who grows into a pissed off young man trying to survive in multiple worlds. I grew up in Bronx, New York. In our black and tan neighborhoods there were so many of us we were safe - we belonged - but that was not true for Asians. The book clearly relays the bigotry and prejudice Asians have endured in America, and it made me look at the immigrant experience through different eyes.

     Huang’s voice is casual and rough but capable of passionate and tight prose reminiscent of Junot Diaz, the Dominican-American writer. From their casual regional English to their mutual understanding of the hilarious irony of real life. Unfortunately, like Mr. Diaz, Mr. Huang uses street slang a little too often. Sometimes the vernacular language is unfamiliar and confusing. I would be happily reading and be jerked to a sudden stop by an awkward phrase. Luckily it did not happen often. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, and I will certainly be checking out this authors next book.

Writing Inspiration

I read this while traveling the Internet. I hope it inspires.

 

"I first began writing short essays in my journals as well as poetry. My first publications were in small literary magazines and campus publications. I have since gone on to publish 18 full length books in my lifetime, and my poetry, stories and articles have appeared in hundreds of magazines. My work has been translated into six languages. But I have written perhaps 3,000 poems over the past thirty years, over 500 articles and stories, and 36 full length manuscripts. So only about 15% of my writing has been published. That means that 85% of the work I sent out came back with rejection slips (or I received a notice of rejection by email). My conversations with other widely published writers suggest that 10%-15% of submitted work being published is about average. So, it is important to believe in yourself as a writer; to feel that you have something to say and to have the faith that sooner or later if you persist, an audience for your work will be found. In the meantime, you keep sharpening your skills, keep reading, and keep open to a wide range of interests.

And of course, keep writing. What I have found is that only a small part of the time do I feel inspired, or fired up with a genuine desire to communicate something. Many days I just show up at my desk and work away at a project with each word being drawn out with the same pain and difficultly as a reluctant tooth at the dentist’s office. However, even on those dull days I am learning discipline; I am practicing my craft, and I will be ready with the words and the style when the inspiration comes as it always does sooner or later. I should also note that for most of my writing career I also worked as a teacher. So that meant correcting papers long into the night. Most of my “real” writing took place on weekends, Christmas vacation, spring break, and in the early morning.

The best advice I ever had from a fellow writer was from the poet, William Stafford, and I will share that now. When I told him that sometimes I found it difficult to make time to write, that I was locked in by the demands of family and work, he said, “Get up when the house is quiet, before the day actually begins and do your work then. Most places you can still be free if you wake up before other people.”

So, in the early morning hours of each school day I would get up early, do a short meditation and then sketch out a few paragraphs in my journal, or a draft or a poem, or an idea for a story. This was my real freedom from the daily work or teaching and the other demands of the day as a parent. And, day by day, year by year, those pages added up to books. Now I have the time to work on my writing full time, thanks to William Stafford. “Most places you can still be free if you wake up before other people. “ How true, in so many ways.
Michael Hogan
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

 

Gave my book away to 206 people.

Just gave away my novel for free on Amazon. I am participating in their Kindle Direct Program. I agreed to make digital copies of my book exclusively available to certain Kindle customers, and they allow me to give my book away 5 days in the next three months.

My first give away was a success. 203 people downloaded it. I am hoping they all enjoy it and maybe even leave me a good review. It's been  months since anyone has written a review. I'll be giving it away free again, February and March.

I also had a Goodreads giveaway. I offered 3 paperback copies of my novel to only U.S readers. 200 people requested it. 3 people won copies It was wonderful practicing my signature, signing my books, and shipping them. I hope I get to sign thousands more someday. When I get some money I'll do a European and Asian give away - the shipping costs are ridiculous. I think my book will do well in England. 56 people from the UK downloaded it digitally, and 2 from Canada.

So, the people at Absolutewrite.com were right. Book give aways on Amazon and Goodreads are excellent ways of building buzz for your book and getting your novels into reader's hands.

Until we meet again, I will continue to write into the wind.

Luis Mario