Changing Times: Talk Truth to Publishing

Talk Truth to Publishing

I came to the writing life after a career in the mental health profession. Back in the mid to late 1990’s our only option? With rare exception, the traditional road to NY publishers. A hard road indeed. That is, unless one opted for a vanity press most considered unsavory.

We didn’t know it then but the industry was shrinking. Downsizing they began to call it. One of my mentors, renowned author Barnaby Conrad foreshadowed this at the opening of SBWC mid 1990’s conference. Of the 400 sitting in the auditorium that evening, he said maybe two or three would eventually snag contracts from NY publishing. Of course, many of us thought ‘And I’ll be one of them.‘ And I was. Such is the ego of storytellers and a good thing (much of the time) because it keeps us moving forward.

But too much has happened to this industry. ‘Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.’ At the upcoming Southern California Writers Conference, held in San Diego FEB 17-19, 2023 Talking Truth to Publishing is a session I will moderate. I request writers check egos at the door so we can ‘talk turkey’ about options now available. Please come prepared to share your experiences with the publishing tracks now under your consideration that include:

editorial input offered by the platform
distribution via the platform
the costs accrued
marketing offered, whether its yours (self -publishing) or theirs. small press, hybrid, traditional.

Literary Agent Rep’ed Authors

We want to hear from you too. For those who have acquired literary agents, be prepared to talk about:

The time spent searching for agents
The time it took for your agent to sell
What your publisher delivers by way of editorial input, marketing and distribution.
The amount of money you have invested or plan to invest to get your book into the hands of readers

I will facilitate the discussion and offer a list of ‘new publishers’ that have recently cropped up. I hope many Southern California Writers Conference, FEB 17-19 2023 conferees will attend this session, held on SAT morning (I believe). SCWC’ executive director, Michael Steven Gregory, posted this notice on the website where you will also find the specific time of this session.

Please remember, it’s not enough to write compelling prose. Getting your stories read requires a team effort so let’s get a clearer vision of what this entails.

Changing Times: Talk Truth to Publishing