David Wilk on publishing, continued

This post concludes Conference Chair Kathryn Craft’s interview (click here for Part One) with publishing guru David Wilk, who owns and operates Creative Management Partners, a business providing authors a full suite of publishing services. Note: David's individual appointments for The Write Stuff conference are now full.

Kathryn: What kind of author is the most successful at self-publishing? Is self-publishing a viable option for fiction authors? What services do you provide to authors choosing to self-publish?

David: There are as many different types of self-publishing tools as authors using them so there is no single answer to this question. But one characteristic applies to all, I think, and that is commitment to the process of publishing, which not all authors can achieve. Self publishing is difficult to do successfully for any type of book. It's easier to sell nonfiction, but in the current publishing climate, fiction writers are going to need to self publish, or be willing to participate in the publishing process on a regular basis, as fiction is commercially challenged. Services I offer include advice and consultation on every aspect of the publishing process, guidance in which path to follow, how an author can operate as a business, and if appropriate, I can provide any or all of the actual publishing elements an author will need to be a publisher (developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, book design, type and composition, distribution, sales and marketing, and business administration).

K: Your bio says you have "been involved with publishing hundreds of books, including a number of best sellers." Pick one or two of the bestsellers, tell us your role in its production, and tell us why you think it sold so well.

D: SECRETS OF THE CODE was a New York Times Bestseller for 16 weeks and in various editions has sold over a million copies worldwide. I was the publisher of the original hardcover edition of the book and later managed the marketing of the paperback. It was a very erudite and intelligent companion to Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. We did a full on best seller marketing program for the original edition, worked hard to get important support from the retailers, and of course it was a great book published at the right time, with sales minded editors and many brilliant contributors who all helped make the book a success (and though we were riding the coattails of the most successful novel of our time, ours was by far the best selling companion guide for all the reasons given here).

For more about David Wilk, check out these links to his ongoing projects:

booktrix.com (book marketing and consulting), livewriters.com (video sharing for authors and books), writerscast.com (author and book industry interview podcast), chptr1.com (book browsing), readiac.com (curating enthusiastic book reviews) and rvive.com (republishing lost American classics). He writes about book industry matters regularly, and is the Director of Marketing for Good Business International (good-b.com).

Write Stuff registration is now open! Days to Early Bird Deadline for extra registration savings: 27!

The Inside Scoop on The Write Stuff: Part I

The 2010 Write Stuff Conference is coming up fast. Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group President Tori Bond caught up with Kathryn Craft, Conference Chair, and Tammy Burke, Conference Co-Chair, for some insider information about what’s new this year, tips about making the most of the conference, and some advice about networking with agents and editors at the conference.

Tori Bond: The Write Stuff conference usually runs Friday and Saturday but this year it starts on Thursday, March 25th and runs through Saturday the 27th. Can you tell us what’s happening on Thursday? What else is new this year?

Kathryn Craft: Expanded pre-conference activities this year required that we tack on Thursday as well. Our keynote, James N. Frey (HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD NOVEL) actually proposed it: we will offer a two-day workshop with James, "How to Plot Like the Pros," in which he will lead us through the collective plotting of a story in two 8 a.m.–5 p.m. sessions. We hear that former participants have loved it. Since the first conference activities on Friday begin at 6:30 p.m., conferees who choose to do so can participate in both without conflict. This will be a rare opportunity for East Coast writers to interact James, who lives in California, and has a reputation as one of the finest creative writing teachers in the country.

On Thursday night, we'll offer a special conference edition of The Writer's Cafe. This informal networking event will encourage conferees to get to know one another while talking about our favorite subject—writing. The 7:30-9:30 p.m. event is free, open to all conferees, and, if we're pitching work to agents or editors at the conference, we can practice our pitches on one another and gain feedback.

T: How many years has The Write Stuff conference been going on? Why do you feel it has been so successful for so many years?

K: This is the 17th year for GLVWG, which has held a conference in one form or another every year but one, I believe. There are so many reasons for its success—the opportunity to gain valuable face time with agents and editors, to learn more about the craft, to gain insight into the world of publishing, to keep up-to-date on new trends, to network, to refuel the muse—that maybe its very diversity of opportunity is the answer. There's something for everyone. We continue to find new ways to reach out to writers and meet their needs.

T: You’ve attended, and helped organize other writers conferences in the area. What do you feel makes The Write Stuff unique?

K: It's size—small enough for good interaction yet large enough to attract good speakers and agents—and the fact that rather than support a set agenda, we actually listen to the evolving needs of the writing community. A GLVWG member once told me that she had been coming to the conference for ten years and that it held nothing new for her (remember, Joan?). She may not realize it, but I took that comment on as a challenge. Yes, there are some topics we always see requested, like the agent panel or how to write a query letter. But in the years I've been involved with programming we've tried to find fresh approaches and new topics so that conferees both old and new will be stimulated. This is now my 10th Write Stuff conference and I have to admit, I'm going to have a devil of a time deciding which sessions to go to, which makes me glad conference recordings are available to our members!

T: I know that you strive to schedule workshops that have appeal for the widest range of writers. For example, can you talk about why a science fiction writer would be interested in attending the session, "How to Seduce Your Reader" given by romance writer Tracy MacNish?

K: GLVWG is made up of all kinds of writers and our presenters know that. Since we have three breakout rooms to play with, my approach has been to create a fiction track, a nonfiction track, and a business of publishing track so that specialists always have a session they might be drawn to. We do have genre writers heading the fiction sessions; you mentioned Tracy, who writes historical romance. Fiction writers who want to sell their books know that including a little sizzle goes a long way toward selling books. Tracy happens to have a specialty at this, and she can share techniques that can work in any kind of fiction. Our YA writer, Jordan Sonnenblick, creates great characters, so why not learn from the best? Bill Kent can break down the basics of writing action in a way someone who’s done it less may never have considered. When you go to a talk by someone who knows what they are talking about, someone who communicates effectively and with passion, you always take away something worthwhile. No matter the genre, good writing is good writing, and good storytelling is good storytelling.

T: What is your best tip for getting the most out of The Write Stuff conference?

K: The most obvious one is SIGN UP EARLY. You'll save yourself money through Early Bird discounts (discounts end Feb. 25), including Four Points Sheraton hotel rooms at an all-time low of $85/night, and you'll stand a good chance of getting your first choice for opportunities with limited enrollment.

Once you are on site at the conference, though, my advice is to play to your weaknesses. The conference is about opening yourself to new people and ideas and opportunities, after all. Many writers are introverts, so if talking to other writers scares you, use the conference to practice—again and again. Telling fellow writers about your project this year is great groundwork for pitching it to agents next year. If your specialty is creating an effective sense of time and place you might be drawn to Tracy's session on that topic—but maybe what you really need to hear is what a veteran like Molly Cochran has to say about actually finishing all those projects you've started. If you fear the way the internet is changing the publishing world yet still hope to succeed, make sure to attend David Wilk's session on the new rules and tools for writers. Stretch yourself in this way and you will see how quickly a little discomfort will translate into new inspiration.
~~~~~~
Besides her responsibilities as Conference Chair, Kathryn Craft is also a developmental editor at Writing-Partner.com, and writes literary women's fiction and memoir.  

Tori Bond is the President of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group and writes humorous women’s fiction.  

~~~~~~

More from Tori's interview, including responses from Co-Chair Tammy Burke, in our next post.

David Wilk on his favorite topic: Publishing

If you are an author serious about selling your work in today’s ever-changing market, mark these two Write Stuff conference sessions by David Wilk as “must see”: “The Writer as Entrepreneur” and “The New Rules for Writers Who Want to Master New Media Tools and Online Marketing.”

From his home base in southern Connecticut, David operates Creative Management Partners, which provides authors with a full suite of publishing services, from editorial to sales and marketing. His role morphs according to his client’s needs: one day he might help a client develop a marketing or self-publishing strategy, and the next he might execute that client’s plans for him/her, all or in part.

Simply put, David is a publisher who has functioned under many different guises. He has owned or operated at least six different publishing imprints at various times in his life, as well as managed imprints for companies for whom he worked. He has been closely involved in the publishing of hundreds of titles as distributor, sales or marketing manager, or publishing consultant, including a number of best sellers. Print, electronic publishing, digital marketing strategies—David has done it all. Working with writers and publishers to help them connect with readers is his primary work. Writing and editing words in any media remains his primary passion.

What follows is an interview Conference Chair Kathryn Craft conducted with David.

Kathryn: Writers attend The Write Stuff to learn more about craft, to network, and to beef up their publishing industry IQ. Let’s start with a definition. With so much of the industry in flux, how would you define “publishing”?

David: Publishing is the interface between the writer and the reader, whatever that looks like in practice. I’m coming to The Write Stuff conference to help writers understand how the business of publishing works now and what they need to do if they want to make their way in the latest and still evolving ecosystem of books and readers.

K: How did you educate yourself in so many areas of the publishing industry?

D: Learning by doing. I have been involved in writing, editing, publishing, book wholesaling, distribution, sales, marketing, and online business going back to 1970. I am deeply interested in every aspect of the business of books and its meaning and impact on our culture.

K: Are you a writer? If so, what is/are your area(s) of interest?

D: I have always been most interested in writing poetry and experimental prose and continue to write sporadically. These days my writing tends more toward the expository—explorations of culture, technology and change, as well as political involvement with issues relating to ecology and climate change.

More from David, including his involvement with a New York Times bestseller, in next week’s blog.

Readers: do you have questions about how your own project fits into today’s publishing industry? Do you wonder how the future will affect writers, e-publishing, e-reading, royalties, the role of agents? Do you want help developing a strategy for marketing or self-promotion? Do you wonder whether self-publishing would work for you? Then you’ll want to talk to David. As a Write Stuff conferee, this opportunity is available—for FREE! While he doesn’t want to talk about specifics of writing, he will give opinions on subjects, concepts, and marketability for the first five conferees to sign up for a ten-minute consultation with him. So don’t delay—make sure your Write Stuff registration is postmarked January 15!

And watch for an announcement—the conference website will soon go live!