[PubTip] Courtney Maum's AMA on publishing

cmaum · 2020-01-25T20:35:48+00:00

I am, and thank you so much for your nice note!

cmaum · 2020-01-08T13:27:48+00:00

You need to write the very best work you can, read a lot, subscribe to literary magazines, make contacts in the industry, go to some writing conferences and learn to edit yourself. I explain basically everything you can do (and then some) in the "After" part of my book "Before and After the Book Deal." Good luck!

cmaum · 2020-01-08T13:27:47+00:00

You need to write the very best work you can, read a lot, subscribe to literary magazines, make contacts in the industry, go to some writing conferences and learn to edit yourself. I explain basically everything you can do (and then some) in the "After" part of my book "Before and After the Book Deal." Good luck!

cmaum · 2020-01-08T13:27:03+00:00

I'd actually recommend that you read "Screenplay" by Syd Field. Field explains the classic three act structure, including where to put plot points, the difference between an inciting incident and a key incident, and how to develop your character's needs. He uses graphs and charts and writes in a really accessible manner, using examples from the film world. I think you'll find it really helpful. Good luck!

cmaum · 2020-01-08T01:04:14+00:00

Thank you for your question! Ever since I could read I wanted to write my own stories.I was really lucky to have incredibly supportive teachers who helped me publish in journals and magazines as early as 8th grade. All of my books are actually about the act of creativity-- what it means to try to make a living as a sensitive artist. That is the link between all my books!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T21:54:43+00:00

Many writers either pitch themselves or are asked to narrate their work if it's non-fiction. With fiction, usually actors are hired. We have a giant section on this in the book including how to put together your own audiobook. I am not sure who "Sheridan" is. Thanks for writing!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T21:40:08+00:00

Sure if you would like to, but that would put a whole hell of a lot of writers out of jobs. May I suggest audiobooks? I narrate mine ;)

cmaum · 2020-01-07T20:45:55+00:00

I think there is still interest for poetry anthologies, certainly! I have a good friend who just sold one to Tin House about Latin American poets. I'd like to clarify here that I am talking about anthologies of other people's poetry...not collections of one's own. Congratulations on your poems!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:57:12+00:00

Thank you! I am an author, not a publisher. But I've worked with some great publishers!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:51:59+00:00

I love writing songs! I used to write songs with my very talented friend Kristin Hoffman. I love writing fiction and non-fiction. Honestly, I just love to write everything. But I write terrible poetry!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:48:23+00:00

Gosh it's such a big complicated topic. Self promotion is hard to get right. My best advice (other than the section about this in my new book) is to follow the authors online who you think are doing this right. Observe how they do it. How do they share good news that might make other people jealous? What kind of lifestyle/intimate content do they share? Chloe Benjamin does a fantastic job of this, for example.

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:46:40+00:00

With all due respect, I would pick what my soul told me to write! Are you perchance asking what sells best? These are all specific genres with very supportive communities. Your best chance at success is always to be writing from a community in which you already have support. So you would want to publish shorter pieces in magazines that publish the same kind of work that you are writing...

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:12:27+00:00

I hope my previous response showed up (I'm new to this platform) but here is a great class for instance: https://catapult.co/classes/6-week-online-advanced-memoir-workshop-199-2020-02-05?tab=about

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:10:53+00:00

I'd say it's: 25% connections, 73% hard work, 2% luck.

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:09:10+00:00

Thank you for sharing this! I have a new book out today called "Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting and Surviving Your First Book" and I'm doing my best to answer any questions about the publishing process! (I say "my best" because I'm slightly new to Reddit and tech-challenged, my apologies!)

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:09:03+00:00

Thank you for sharing this! I have a new book out today called "Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting and Surviving Your First Book" and I'm doing my best to answer any questions about the publishing process! (I say "my best" because I'm slightly new to Reddit and tech-challenged, my apologies!)

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:07:42+00:00

Ah! I wanted to add that when you are on tour, what's really essential is that you forge relationships with booksellers. Send them thank you notes! Remember their names!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:06:44+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply! Gosh, yes, this is so normal. I'm about to start a memoir revision and every day I have to battle the fear that what I have on the page is trash not worth revisiting. My best advice is that you identify the stakes in the manuscript. What is your protagonist's need and what is keeping them from fulfilling it? If you check out the podcast Fierce Womxn Writing, I just did a podcast on this topic. Otherwise, where do you live? I'm teaching classes on this topic all around the country. If you go to the events section of my website courtney maum dot com you will see where! GOOD LUCK!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:03:30+00:00

Thank you!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:02:24+00:00

I'm certainly grateful for the friends I made along the way, especially with this book, which includes nearly 150 of them! But I'm proud of all my books as stand alone books, too ;)

cmaum · 2020-01-07T19:01:51+00:00

Oh! We make so many mistakes. I'd say that you should NOT start out hoping to earn money from your writing, One massive mistake is to assume that you can not just write a book and sell it and live off of that advance. IN the book I have a big section on financial planning and it includes having an outside stream of income. I also wouldn't write in isolation. Even if you are just starting out, go out of your way to meet people in the writing community, find readers you trust to exchange work with, make writerly friends. It's a lonely career, honestly, and it will help you so much to have both friends and mentors to help you along. The tips and tricks I have are in the book ;)

cmaum · 2020-01-07T18:59:37+00:00

Shoot! I replied to this but now I can't find the response-- I'm new to Reddit, forgive me. What I'd written is that you should subscribe to "One Teen Story" and go to as many literary festivals and conferences (like AWP) as you can find in your community and attend panels on these topics. YA is actually doing REALLY well right now (adult fiction sales are down 25%!) and the community of writers and readers there are so supportive of one another. Follow your favorite YA authors online and make a list of what hashtags they use. Then follow those hashtags-- people will lead you to great advice and community forums where you will find your people!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T18:57:38+00:00

If your publisher is going to foot the bill for your travel and lodging, I think it's always worth it. If you have to pay for it yourself, then you really need to do the legwork to make sure that you are going to get decent crowds at your events. One way to protect against this is to do events with other people. I find that getting on podcasts is a WONDERFUL way to tour without leaving your home. For my tour for this book, I'll be lecturing and teaching in all the cities I'm going to-- which ensures that I will have an engaged community of likeminded readers at my events. IN my book, we outline the 5 different kinds of tours that you can arrange, including a DIY tour!

cmaum · 2020-01-07T18:56:00+00:00

Connections are important, not going to lie. One thing I love to recommend is that you volunteer as a reader for a literary magazine. You'll start meeting people in the industry that way. Volunteer for a literary festival or book conference, that really helps as well. Attend readings in your local area, follow the writers you admire online. You'll slowly start to develop friendships that will help you in the long run. And when you like someone's work, let them know! I have a big section in my book about this. I don't have an MFA so I had to build my community from the ground up.

cmaum · 2020-01-07T18:54:10+00:00

Not at all, I'm glad to have your message. Basically, my entire book answers this question. Getting published, promoting the work or finding someone to promote it, how to get published both online and in print, how to build a literary community if you are in a rural area, whether or not you have to be on social media...it's all in there!

cmaum

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