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Publishing Panel Transcript

Getting Published: Report of Panel Discussion with Three Florida Authors for the American Women’s Business Association

Facilitator
Heidi Richards, award-winning author and coach for women’s start-up companies.

Heidi: Norman Mailer said, “Writing books is the closest men will ever come to childbirth.” I’ve given birth to three children and eight books, and I can tell you that writing a book is easier and much more profitable!”

Allow me to introduce our three panel members…

Panel members
Shelley Lieber: Author, publicist and South Florida regional representative/National Association of Women Writers. Shelley has held a variety of positions from senior editor to marketing director to associate publisher in her 30-year career as a writer, editor, publicist and consultant. Today, she plans art exhibits, book signings, and creativity workshops for Visual Impressions Gallery of Arts and Letters where she also teaches writing classes and publishing seminars. She helps writers hone their craft, contact markets, and promote themselves and their work.

Lisa R. Delman: Author of the book: Dear Mom, I’ve Always Wanted You to Know, published by Penguin. Lisa is founder and facilitator of the international Letters From the Heart Project, which was born out of her cathartic experience after her mother suffered a near-fatal heart attack. She encourages women to articulate their emotions on paper via letter writing, initiating a journey that often leads to self-discovery and healing past wounds. Lisa works passionately, connecting hearts of the world through her speaking engagements, Heartshops, teleclasses, and a book series on relationships.

Suzanne Barnett: President/CEO of Abbott-Sterling Publishing. She began her writing career crafting press releases and other public relations projects. Her clients included five Fortune 500 companies. She taught workshops for Palm Beach Community College for nine years. One of those workshops was for people who want to write their own life stories, which led to a contract to write a 60-year history of a successful, three-generation family business. This contract encouraged her to begin Abbott-Sterling Publishing.

Questions

What inspired you to become a writer?
Lisa: It’s hard to pinpoint when I started writing. In fourth grade, I had a comprehension problem and a lisp. I remember being very frustrated in school, trying to find outlets for my creativity. When I went to college, I never took a writing course, but I knew I liked to discuss matters of the heart. My background is in business. When I got my master’s degree in organizational design, I wrote a thesis, and that’s when I realized how much I love to write.

Suzanne: I’ve always kept a journal and enjoyed reading biographies and other non-fiction, which is what I like to write.

Shelley: I’ve never thought about being a writer as something I wanted to be; it was just something I was. I was an English major and entered the publishing world upon graduation. But my vision of myself as a published author came into view about 30 years while I was on vacation, walking alone on the beach one morning, when I “saw” myself on the deck of a beach house in front of a typewriter.

“Plan your work and work your plan.” —Suzanne

How do you start a new writing project?

Lisa: Writing is distinct from expressing emotion, but they’re intertwined. To write, you must learn to express feelings. Writing has no specific form. It happens in segments. I think the biggest mistake beginning writers make is that they try to begin with complete sentences, thinking it has to come out perfectly. There is no such thing. I advise people to begin with creative thoughts. Get them down on paper, then look for a theme or message pulling these thoughts together.

Shelley: The first thing is to have a goal in mind, a reason for writing. Be clear about why it’s important to communicate this message. The second thing you need to do is make sure there’s a market for your message. Those are the two most important things: having your own purpose and directing it toward a specific group. That applies to both fiction and nonfiction.

Suzanne: To get started, create an intention and a plan of action. Plan your work and work your plan.

“You don’t find time to write a book; you make time.”—Shelley

How do you find time to write?

Lisa: I close the doors to my office and surround myself with inspiration: angels, paintings of women, rose-patterned fabric, photographs of people who support me. I’m an intense writer, writing for five to seven hours at a time. I enjoy the writing process, it’s just hard to get into that space, so I meditate beforehand. I recommend you find your own flow. Don’t try to follow another writer’s schedule. If you try to stick a circle in a square, you’ll get frustrated. Know yourself and identify the hours when you’re most enthused.

Suzanne: I wrote my book in the middle of the night because I was working during the day. Inspiration seemed to hit me at about midnight, then I wrote until 3:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. I can sleep in spurts, so this method worked for me.

Shelley: You don’t find time to write a book; you make time. It’s like anything else—you have to set a goal. We’re all busy; we have commitments. Once you set a goal, then you schedule it in. Your goal could be measured by the amount of minutes or number of pages per day. Pages per day is a good way to get started because it’s concrete. You can sit in front of a computer for 30 minutes and have nothing happen, whereas if you know you’re not getting up until you’ve completed a page, you’re more motivated to get those fingers moving.

How do support groups aid in the process of writing?

Shelley: Support groups place you among your peers, giving you encouragement. They provide a place to share fears and problems—and, miraculously, others have found solutions. You get feedback. You learn where they tripped over your words, what could be cut out. So the group gives you camaraderie, support and a place to get your questions answered.

“When people buy a book, they rarely notice who the publisher is.”—Heidi

Should I self-publish or pursue the traditional publisher route?

Lisa: If you go the traditional publisher route, do your research. Learn how the publishing world operates and understand protocol. If you send something directly to publishers, it’s likely they’ll throw it out because they deal with agents 95 percent of the time.

Suzanne: Self-publishing is a good way to get a book in your hand. It usually takes two years to get through the traditional publishing process. Self-publishing provides a tangible book, giving you credibility and something to sell when you go to events. A publisher is just as apt to take your book after you’ve self-published. Are you familiar with The Celestine Prophecy? The author sold millions out of the trunk of his car before a publisher took him on. So self-publishing is not a drawback.

Heidi: The main reason someone might prefer a traditional publisher is the credibility factor, being able to say that a big company will publish your book. But when people buy a book, they rarely notice who the publisher is. If your book is really good and it’s self-published, you can make a lot more money in the short run. In the long run, you can make more through a traditional publisher because if the book sells millions, it’s much easier for the publisher to promote it.

How do you select an agent?

Lisa: Determine your genre and select your agent accordingly. For example, if you’re writing a children’s book and you send it to an agent who represents dark fiction, that won’t be a fit.

“Approach writing a book proposal like a business plan.”—Lisa

How do you write book proposals?

Lisa: Approach writing a book proposal like a business plan. While publishing is about good ideas, it’s no different than any other corporation: it’s about money. Publishers look at the bottom line. When you submit a book proposal, publishers consider whether they’ll make money off the book. Like a business plan, a book proposal is comprised of sections: story description, chapter content, marketing plan, current competition, and author’s credentials. There are many books available to help guide you through the process, including Michael Larsen’s How to Write a Book Proposal, Jeff Herman’s Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, and one published by Writer’s Digest.

Shelley: Don’t write in your proposal that there’s nothing out there like your book concept. That’s a red flag to the publisher that this idea is not marketable and won’t make them any money. (See also: How do you research the market for your topic?)

Lisa: Just to add to that, an important part of a book proposal is to list and describe at least five current successful books that are similar to your book concept. The publisher wants to see if there’s a market for your type of book. It’s not a drawback if you have a book that’s similar to another book that’s done well if yours has a different angle. Be sure to describe that specific angle in the Competition section of your proposal.

“You never waste your time when you’re pursuing an idea from your heart”.—Lisa

What if I’m not any good at writing, but don’t know it yet. Am I just wasting my time?

Lisa: You never waste your time when you’re pursuing an idea from your heart. Anything from your heart inspires you to be your best. Publishing isn’t the only reason to write. If gardening, for example, is what you want to write about and it lights you up—that’s the reason to do it.

Shelley: You can always improve your writing skills. Go to writing groups for constructive feedback. Hire an editor. And read, especially in the genre in which you’re writing. And write, write, write.
Lisa: My dad taught me that we can’t be good at everything, and if you want to become better at something, seek guidance. There are many people who know the writing field. Go to a writer’s conference to learn about it. Hire a coach to help you.

“Woe to the writer who publishes a book without having an editor clean up her mess.”—Suzanne

What is the secret to great writing?

Suzanne: The secret to great writing is to hire a good editor. Woe to the writer who publishes a book without having an editor clean up her mess.

Heidi: There are two kinds of editors: subject-matter editors who are familiar with the subject you’re writing about, and proofreader editors. I’ve always had both on every book and it’s made a difference.

How do you protect your work from copyright infringement before being published?

Shelley: Take precautions, such as not posting your work on the Internet for an online group of people you don’t know. But if you’re working with a very small group of people or a reputable agent or editor, you shouldn’t be fearful. Don’t forget, once you’ve written most of a manuscript, who could finish your book other than you? So don’t let that hold you back. Just be smart about it.

Heidi: Most people won’t steal your concept anyway, because who’s really going to take the time to write it? How many people have had a book inside them and haven’t actually written it yet? I rest my case.

How do you research the market for your topic?

Lisa: Go to a publishing conference: You’ll meet other writers and agents and learn how self-publishing and traditional publishing work.
Shelley: Go to a bookstore. If there’s not another book out on the subject you want to write about, there’s a reason. It means that there’s not enough interest. But for every topic, there are a million stories to tell. So go to a bookstore and figure out where your book idea would come in. Would it be a fit, a complement, or give a new angle? If you can’t get to a bookstore, go to Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com—these sites will provide your first clue as to how viable your subject is.

“Create a buzz. Talk about your book ahead of time so people are expecting it.”—Shelley

After you’ve published a book, how do you promote it?

Lisa: If you don’t like marketing, then hire someone to do it. If you hire a publicist or marketer, ask smart questions about their results. If you love the process, get in there and be involved directly.
Suzanne: Attend every function you can to have your book on display. Keep it on the top of your brain and the tip of your tongue everywhere you go.

Shelley: Create a buzz. A media kit is your first tool: press release, your picture and bio, book reviews. The traditional way is to send that kit out and try to get interviews on local radio shows and in newspapers, and signings at bookstores. After that, get creative. Consider the groups you belong to. Create an email list so you can alert people when it’s out. Go to all the bookstores in your area, introduce yourself, offer to do signings. When you have a book signing, invite your family, friends, and coworkers. Also, while writing your book, create a market. Talk about your book ahead of time so people are expecting it.

Heidi: Publishers don’t promote your book, you do! So regardless of who is publishing your book, you still have to be the strong person behind it. Successful marketing is the key to the success of any book.