writing life

I often suggest that writers I’m working with start blogs to start building a platform around their book. My colleague Ashton (of the post below, and not a coaching client of mine, btw) has done just a good job of that, I wanted to send her a shout out and make her blog visible as a model for others of you who are trying to do the same. Again, the site is called So When Are You Going to Retire, and what I love about it is that Ashton has included lists on the side called “Stories I’m hearing,” “Stuff I’m reading,” “Questions I’m asking,” “Zeitgeist,” and then she also has a bibliography link. These categories are great not only for folks interested in her work (whether interest means participating or coverage) but also for Ashton, who can then go back to these links later as she’s ready to return to this material for the book. She’s also written, right up top, the following: “questions? critiques? stories? please comment or email me” to encourage reader response.

Has anyone seen other examples of good platform building blogs? If so, please add them in comments!

I just learned about a new project from Think Girl: “I Was There: Stories from the Feminist Front.” Think Girl’s Executive Director Sarah Morgan explains that she was inspired to begin this project after reading Susan Brownmiller’s description of her work on reproductive rights during the Roe v Wade fight. Writes Sarah, “Her first person account of rallying, flyering, marching and, finally, celebrating struck a cord with me and I wanted to read more.” After reading The Feminist Memoir Project: Voices from Women’s Liberation, she decided she wanted to deepen the dialogue on feminism and anti-racism, to cull past and present stories of activism, and to bridge generational divides between feminists.

In this spirit, Think Girl is asking women of all ages, races and backgrounds to submit stories of their work as activists for women’s issues. (Think: A Radical Chicken Soup for the Feminist Soul.) Their hope is that first person stories of strength, perseverance and courage will serve as inspiration to women and girls as they continue their work in or enter the movement.

Stories will be posted weekly at ThinkGirl.net, and they also aim to publish a collection of these stories.

So what’s Think Girl, you ask? Here’s a bit about them:

Locally, Think Girl bridges women in Metro Detroit: women of all races and ethnicities, of low- and middle-income, of all body abilities, of spiritual and secular beliefs, and from Detroit and the suburbs. They present educational workshops for preteen girls on media literacy and body image, women’s history and feminism, and challenging stereotypes. Think Girl believes in feminist activism that is both global and local. We aim to center women of color in our dialogues and activism, and to represent the ways in which all social justice movements intersect.. Globally, our web site links activists with women’s news, educational resources, and personal writings. We hope to help girls and women understand feminism’s past and present, and encourage them to contribute to its future. We are co-organizing The Feminist Summit, a national conference coming to Detroit in May 2009.

More info here.

For anyone who has taken my “Making It Pop: Translating Your Research for Trade” workshops, here’s a great way to keep it going: I’ll be doing a day-long workshop on nonfiction book proposals at Woodhull’s upcoming writers’ retreat. Tell them Girl with Pen sent you and receive a $50 discount. Details below.

Raise Your Voices: An Intensive Nonfiction Writing Retreat for Women
May 9 – 11
(Retreat starts Friday at 1PM and ends Sunday at 3PM)
Ancramdale, New York

Why: Women are underrepresented as nonfiction authors and opinion writers. In a long weekend of writing instruction and one-on-one critique, participants gain fundamental knowledge of: Op-ed pieces, features, book proposals and pitching ideas. Tuition covers lodging at Woodhull Institute retreat house, food and materials.

More info here. Contact: Elizabeth Curtis at ecurtis@woodhull.org

I’m subverting blog post/comment convention in order to share the Q&A that’s been going on in comments on Laura’s inaugural post here this past week (Book Smarts), because the questions GWP readers posted so far are ones I hear a lot, and I know everyone’s going to benefit from Laura’s responses. Have at it! And please feel free to post in comments book publishing industry related topics you’d like to Laura to address in a future post. – GWP

Blogger Ralphie said…
That marketing thing is difficult. Is it really true that the authors of all those terrific, sensitive, gorgeous-writing-filled books I read were out there “selling themselves” to get their first book published? I guess so, but it all just seems so… sad.

Blogger LauraM said…
I entirely agree, Ralphie. Marketing CAN be hard, and luckily for all of us, there are still editors and agents in this industry who are committed to finding those terrific, sensitive, gorgeous-writing projects without needing all the buzz. But the reality of book publishing is that it’s a narrow-margin enterprise. Want to guess how many books actually earn a profit for the author and publisher? It’s fewer than you think, and the pressure is on editors to champion the books that will make money, not lose it. So if you can offer your editor terrific, sensitive, gorgeous writing AND a solid marketing pitch, then you’ll have a huge advantage. And take heart—these days, having a web presence is very easy, and that’s a great first start to creating a platform for yourself. Start a blog, post on others’ blogs, be active in your writing. Let the rest follow from there. —Laura

Blogger Jay said…
Great advice, thanks! It’s a bit daunting to go back to my proposal and give it the overhaul you suggest but I can see how your suggestions will make it so much better. Do you think it’s worth hiring a professional look over/edit the proposal before I submit it?

Blogger Ericka said…
My problem has been Right Freeway, Wrong Lane. I’ve been in the “industry” a long time, a solid midlist nonfiction writer. And, I’m good at the marketing thing — I have website, blog, lots of PR experience and reading experience and radio and even TV — but my career has largely been for my non-fiction. And now I’m about to send my LITERARY NOVEL out there (in a month or so) and I fear that all that experience in the non-fiction realm won’t translate to the literary world. My “platform” has been parenting writing, and my novel is not that. (Though it is family-based.) Suggestions for how to spin my experience? I’m afraid it will seem like Apples and Oranges.

Blogger Caroline said…
This is so helpful to read right now, Laura, and I’m sure I’ll have questions for your future posts! As you know, I sold (modestly) one book, but now I’m working on something I’m hoping will have a broader audience, and your tips about presenting the proposal are perfectly timed for me. I’ll keep checking in for more!

Blogger LauraM said…
Hi Caroline, I’m so happy you posted! How are you, and how is your book coming along? I’d love to hear. And do ask any questions, I promise I’ll answer them if I can.

Ericka, hi! You know, I think you’re underestimating the value of having had previously published books, even if they are in a different category. The trick is to use those books to show that you have a solid foundation as a publisher writer. Make sure that your bio includes any and all positive reviews, blurbs, and media coverage for anything you’ve published before. And keep in mind that unless it’s a very high-level editor who is looking at your work, it’s not likely anyone is going to expect you to have had previous bestsellers. Midlist is a good place to be … dependable, successful. Just replace “midlist” with “backlist” (read: My books are STILL selling even after several years!), and you’ll be surprised what kind of attention that can get you. —L

Image cred

On June 8, the new Tribeca Barnes & Noble will become a teen literary hotspot as Girls Write Now – which, I kvell, is featured prominently in yesterday’s New York Times – takes it over. Celebrity host Amanda Diva (Def Poetry Jam, HipHopNation, MTV2, Floetry), will turn the downtown bookstore into a showcase for a collection of powerful new poems, stories and essays that reflect an electrifying community of girl writers spanning often hard-and-fast lines of race, age, economics and geography in NYC. For those not yet familiar with GWN, they (we! I’m on the Advisory Board) are New York City’s premier mentoring and creative writing organization for teen girls.

A just quick note on Amanda Diva: talk about crossover. This accomplished poet, journalist, singer, rapper, and radio & television personality is also a scholar, with a Master’s degree in African-American Studies. For more, check out DivaSpeakTV.blogspot.com and Youtube.com/ImAmandaDiva.

See you there!

June 8
4-6PM
Barnes and Noble
97 Warren Street, NYC

I’ve posted here before about my friend Rebecca Segall’s amazing venture Writopia Lab and just wanted to share a quick update for those of you in NYC. Her young (middle and high schooler) writers have been arduously developing short stories, memoirs, op-eds, scripts, and poetry over the past six months and will be sharing them in Bryant Park on Sunday, May 18th, from noon to 3:00pm! One of her writers will be guest posting here on GWP soon, and I can’t wait to share her voice with you all. And mongo congrats to Rebecca, who was just awarded Scholastic’s Golden Apple Teacher Award for “submitting the most outstanding group of submissions on the national level” in the Scholastic Art & Writing event. I just learned she was also nominated by students and selected to be entered into the 11th Edition of Who’s Who Among American Teachers. I’m so proud of my friend, I could just burst.

Yep, I’m looking for an intern to begin work 5-10 hours/week starting between now and May and ending in August. Primary responsibilities will entail:
• pitching talks and workshops to campuses and organizations for Fall 2008
• organizing content for a new website (comfort with WordPress, or willingness to learn, a plus!)

For the first month, compensation will be hourly. Changing to a commission-based payment arrangement will be considered during month two (in other words, the intern could receive a percentage of the fee received for any talk or workshop that she books for me for the Fall).

Qualifications:
• strong writing skills a must
• aggressive outreach skills (email, phone)
• meticulous follow-up ability
• familiarity with Excel spreadsheet
• availability to meet by phone once/week and in person in NYC once/month

Perks:
• networking networking networking!
• opportunity to guest post regularly on Girl w/ Pen
• all work will be done off-site/remotely
• great for someone interested in PR, marketing, book promotion, feminist organizations, women’s studies, the writing/speaking circuit

If interested, please send cover note and resume to me directly at girlwpen@yahoo.com. (To learn more about the kinds of talks and workshops, you can read more about my work over at www.deborahsiegel.net.)

This just in, via Ann Friedman:

The American Prospect’s Writing Fellows Program offers young journalists the opportunity to spend two full years at the magazine in Washington, D.C., actively developing, practicing, and honing their journalistic skills. Each Fellow will write between three and four full-length feature articles. Fellows will also regularly write shorter, online pieces and blog daily for TAPPED.

The Fellows are expected and encouraged to write for other publications, build relationships with editors and reporters, and establish rapport with contacts at think tanks and in academia. The goal is to ensure that, once the fellowship is completed, Fellows will have developed the relationships, track record, and credibility (and clips!) to launch themselves as respected young journalists. Past Prospect Writing Fellows have gone on to work and write for The New York Times, The New Republic, The Nation, The Atlantic, Slate, Salon, Mother Jones, Newsweek, The Boston Globe and many other publications.

People of color and women are strongly encouraged to apply; they are committed to a diverse workplace, and to support their people with ongoing career development opportunities.

But hurry! The next deadline for applications for the writing fellowship is May 1, 2008 (postmarked), and the application package is pretty involved. Please contact Emily Parsons with any questions at eparsons@prospect.org.

Just wanted to share a bit more about a new 2-session workshop I’m teaching this month with fellow writer Alissa Quart. There are still a few slots open, so if you are interested, please either shoot me an email (girlwpen@yahoo.com) or simply register this week, over at the Woodhull site! I’m really excited for this one. Here’s the description:

FINDING YOUR SUBJECT, FINDING YOUR VOICE
A Seminar in Personal Nonfiction
April 13 11am -3pm, April 17th 6-9pm
NYC – locale TBD

So many of us want to put our ideas or personal experiences down on paper, but don’t know how to find our medium or shape our raw material into stories. In two intensive sessions, we will seek to find the topic, style and genre for that which we most wish to express. We will start by asking ourselves questions about what we have experienced in our lives. What’s notable about us and what are we experts in? What are our motives for writing? What specific goal are we hoping to achieve by writing about our lives? After taking a hard look at our interests, work and life experiences, we will figure out whether they will intersect with an audience, what sort of audience, and how to position our ideas and ourselves in order to reach that audience. With this accomplished, we will build out our best article, essay, blog, or book ideas. By the end of the class, each student will have either a story pitch, an outline for a short article or an oped, a start on a personal essay, or an idea for a book or a blog. These written frames will serve as the culmination of our in-class exercises, group conversations, and at-home writing in between the two sessions.

In order to get a better sense of voice, story and topic in non-fiction, we will read a selection of modern essay writers (among them Joan Didion’s Goodbye To All That, a selection from Alexandra Fuller’s Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight, Mary McCarthy, Luc Sante and Jonathan Lethem). In order to get a better sense of blog personae, content, and voice, we will look together at range of blogs with strong personal voices and discuss. For those who decide to create their own blogs as a means of personal expression, we will create them on-site, along with names and domains, learning about blog style, purpose, and community along the way. We will discuss how blog writing differs and overlaps with more traditional forms of personal writing as well.

(Image cred)

Two quick links to share this morning:

A guest post I wrote with Courtney for Marci Alboher’s New York Times blog, Shifting Careers, titled “Notes from an Intergenerational Conversation.” Court and I chew over how generational issues are affecting women at work. We hit on topics from fashion to mentoring and “entitlement.” Comments over there most welcome!

And a recap of the intergenerational feminist panel I spoke on last week at The New School, organized by Ann Snitow. (Thank you, Kristen, for that incredibly thoughtful write-up.)