It’s the holiday season and therefore a good time to support fellow writers. A few of my students have written ebooks that might speak to someone on your holiday shopping list.

I highly recommend them all!

Late-Onset Hearing Loss: A Parent’s Perspective of What to Do When Your Child is Diagnosed by Krysty Krywko

Reader response:

While reading your book I cried, because I wish someone would have spoken to me the way you speak through these lines. I can imagine that reading it when I received all the news about my daughter would have been like having a true friend by my side.

It would have allowed me my own emotions and given me the assurance that I was a good parent. For the parents who read your book it will be a different story. Reading what you had to say is making me feel differently about myself now.  Thank you so much!

~ Ketty Nazario, mother to child diagnosed with late onset hearing loss

More info and about Krysty Krywko.

• • •

Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too by Malia Jacobson

Reader response:

Two days after I bought Ready, Set, Sleep, my 11 month old son just slept through the night for the FIRST time! I couldn’t be happier! This e-book is full of practical easy to follow information, for new parents or those who just need a “refresher” on sleep. Useful, relevant, and informative!

~ Michelle Armstrong, mom of two

More info and about Malia Jacobson.

• • •

Mother-Daughter Book Club Meeting Planner Guides: Collection One by Cindy Hudson

Reader response:

The meeting planner was a lifesaver. I work outside of the home full time and have 3 kids 10 years and under, so I don’t have a lot of time on my hands to think up good questions or activities. The questions in the meeting planner were at the right age level, specific to the story, and fun to answer (i.e. none of them made the girls feel like this was work).

~ Amber H., Huntington Beach, California

More info and about Cindy Hudson

• • •

What To Expect From Your Adopted Tween by Judy M. Miller

Reader response:

As an adoptee, I wish What To Expect From Your Adopted Tween had been available to my adoptive parents when I was an adolescent. I am recommending it to everyone I know who has, or will have an adopted child in their lives.”

~ Linda Hoye

More info about Judy M. Miller

Thanks for spreading the word about these wonderful ebooks!

]]> http://christinakatz.com/gift-this-now-or-with-your-forthcoming-gift-cards-as-applicable/feed/ 2 http://christinakatz.com/21-tips-for-nanowrimo-success-for-any-type-of-30-day-project/ http://christinakatz.com/21-tips-for-nanowrimo-success-for-any-type-of-30-day-project/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:05:39 +0000 @thewritermama http://christinakatz.com/?p=3795

I like NaNoWriMo.

For one thing, I heard the creator, Chris Baty, speak at Tools of Change for Publishing a few years back, and I feel that he has good intentions for writers.

For another, I said in three of my last four posts that writers need to put writing at the center of their careers and NaNoWriMo helps you do just this.

Also, NaNoWriMo is not just for novelists anymore. Any writer can use the premise behind NaNo to accomplish whatever goal they want to accomplish in thirty days.

This gave me an idea of a couple things I would like to accomplish in the next thirty days. So I have decided to use NaNo in a very low-key manner to help me get them done.

I won’t bore you with the details because I’d much rather you thought about what big goal you might be able to accomplish in 30 days if you broke it down into 30 steps and then attempted to do it.

Got any ideas?

Once you do, here’s 21 tips for getting your work done alongside the rest of your busy life:

1. Up and at ‘em! Get up earlier (or go to bed later).
2. Exponential productivity. Consider your most productive time of day and work then.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t make a big “Look-What-I’m-Doing!” festival out of your work. Just feel good about getting it done each day.
4. Stay grounded. Share your satisfaction with getting your work done in a low-key way. Hopefully, it’s contagious.
5. Choose support wisely. Talk to supportive people about your writing success, but don’t mention it to people who have historically proven incapable of cheering you on towards your creative goals.
6. Steer clear of “Crazy-makers.” Short definition: folks who interfere with you getting your work done. Just stay away from them for 30 days. It’s good practice.
7. Team up. The team you want to join is the most focused, committed, productive team. Take care of your own emotional needs.
8. Don’t get fanatical. Be of NaNoWriMo without becoming a NaNo maniac. If NaNoWriMo takes over your whole life, your friends and family might start getting annoyed.
9. Be as social or anti-social as you like. Don’t bow to peer pressure. Trust your gut in all things. If adding writing a novel to your daily routine is as much as you can manage, it’s enough. You can make the decision daily to suit your comfort level and needs.
10. Balance your act. Recognize that big writing goals require communication of your intentions and needs, while still requiring you to be mindful of other’s goals and needs. It’s all a big balancing act—so keep your balance.
11. Have a rough, flexible outline. Remember, that it’s not written in stone. Play with it as you write.
12. Think in scenes. Write the scene or chapter you really want to write today. Who says you have to write the darn thing in order? Nobody. That’s who.
13. Break it down. Break down the things you want to write into 30 parts. Start each section freshly each day to accomplish the maximum number of drafts.
14. Break it out. When you “accidentally” create a new direction in your WIP, just break it out into a new section on your list, jot down what you know you want to say, and get back to what you are working on today.
15. Update your progress. Once a week look over your outline again and tweak it as needed.
16. Be a pro, this might get published. Start considering yourself a writing professional as soon as possible, because if you are working steadily towards a big writing goal, you are acting like one.
17. Check it off. Have a method for noting what you’ve drafted in your outline that feels festive to you. (Gold stars, anyone?)
18. Carry it over. Once you discover you can get and sustain writing momentum, start asking yourself why you don’t stay as productive and engaged the rest of the year. Start to consider that maybe you can!
19. Consider this a practice writing workout. Think about the marathoner. How does he get and stay in shape? It’s all about the daily workouts. So is this.
20. Make NaNo-think part of your daily life. What do you want to keep and what do you want to leave behind? You will know when you are done.
21. Enjoy the writing ride! Whatever you are writing, whether you “win” or not, you are learning things about your creative capacities and they are worth their weight in gold. Walk away with a clearer understanding of what makes your creativity hum, and you will definitely win.

Happy writing!

[This post has been updated with Mark's USA travel schedule at the end of this post for the folks who asked for it! Happy headshot hunting!]

Sure, I can. And with pleasure because I’m a big fan of this photographer.

Mark Bennington has been taking my headshots for the past several years.

See?

So, if you see a picture of me and I look halfway decent, chances are very good that it’s thanks to Mark Bennington.

So if you see me looking like any of these photos…

It’s all thanks to Mark and his friendly lens.

Of course, when Mark is not around, and I am not speaking or presenting, I usually wear jeans, an old t-shirt, glasses and a baseball cap. (And my Writer Mama baseball cap, of course!)

If you are in the Bennington fan club, link your headshot to this post in the comments. I can’t wait to see it.

If you decide to contact Mark for headshots, please tell him Christina sent you, even though I’m pretty sure he hears this a lot.

Here’s all the ways you can connect with Mark: http://about.me/markbennington

As you would probably expect, Mark charges more for multiple looks than he does for just one look. You can read his tips on how to take your own great headshots in my book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Available wherever books are sold!

Mark’s US Writing Conference Tour Schedule:

February 16-20, 2012: San Fransisco Writer’s Conference in San Fransisco
April 26-28, 2012: American Society of Journalists and Authors
July 19-22, 2012: Pacific Northwest Writers Conference

Mark also swings through Portland, Oregon several times a year.

Contact Mark directly to get on his mailing list at mark bennington at sbcglobal dot net

Sometimes you just need a short-hand way to encapsulate all that you do.

And thanks to Jane Friedman, I have now found a way.

At the bottom of Jane’s recent newsletter, I saw a little social networking button for a site called About.Me.Com.

Curious person that I am, I thought to myself, “Hey, what’s that?”

I clicked on the button in Jane’s newsletter, which you should really sign up for if you haven’t already, and this is what I found.

I was impressed. And I wanted to learn more. So I clicked here and learned more in about two minutes.

Sold.

It took me about an hour to create my page. But I’m happy with the initial results.

Let me know what you think!

Check out my about.me profile!

And when I set up my About.Me page, I got a free pack of 50 biz cards from Moo.com, which will come in handy at my live launch party for The Writer’s Workout on December 4th at the Wilsonville Public Library. There will be cake! Hope to see you there.

Do you know any moms who are involved with mother-daughter book clubs?

Cindy, where did the idea for mom-daughter book club planning guides come from?

I often hear from moms and librarians who lead book clubs, asking me for ideas of what to do at their meetings. I know from my own experience that planning a book club gathering can be a challenge. It takes time to figure out how you’ll lead the discussion, what kind of activities you want to pull together and what food to serve. The guides I have created put all these ideas into one document along with a book review and an interview with the author to make planning a meeting easy.

It sounds like you have a depth of knowledge about the inner life of mother-daughter book clubs, how did you become such an expert?

It all started when I created my first mother-daughter book club with my oldest daughter ten years ago. I started another with my youngest daughter three years later. A few years after that, I developed MotherDaughterBookClub.com to provide a resource for moms, librarians and others who were in groups of their own, and I have learned even more from readers who write in to ask my advice or tell me of their success stories.

What are the benefits of mother-daughter book clubs for those readers who might be considering starting one with their daughter or daughters?

There are so many benefits I could go on and on, but if I had to narrow it down to just a few, these are the ones I think are most important.

1. Mother-daughter book clubs help you stay closer to you daughter as she grows.
2. They help you connect with the broader community around you, such as other moms and daughters, librarians, teachers, and more.
3. They keep moms and daughters reading for fun, which has proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote overall literacy throughout your life.

How do your meeting planner guides make a mom’s job easier when she’s hosting a mom-daughter book club at her house?

I’ve included way more ideas than can be used for one meeting, so a mom can choose the ones that will work best for her group. The activities and recipes in the guides include options that are easy as well as those that are more complicated, so she can pick what works with the time she has available as well.

Are there other ways to use these meeting planner guides that might not be immediately apparent?

When moms buy the collection, the whole group benefits from easy planning for six meetings. For some groups, that’s a year’s worth of book clubs. And of course, if you like the recipes you can use them even when you’re not planning a book club meeting.

One of your daughters has gone off to college and now off for a year abroad, do you credit the mom-daughter bookclub you started together for keeping you close today?

Absolutely! Being in book club kept us talking through the most difficult teen years, and reading the same books that she did gave me insight into issues that were important in her life.

Which part of being an expert on mother-daughter book clubs is your favorite part?

I truly believe mother-daughter book clubs change lives, and if I can help even one more get started by doing what I do, that makes me very happy.

You can learn more about Cindy, Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, Cindy’s Guidebook, and her new collection of Meeting Planner Guides at her website.

Thanks for helping me support Cindy’s Meeting Planner collection launch. I appreciate your help spreading the word!

Wow. I am really impressed with the 2012 Writer’s Market. There are so many things that I like that I will just list them. Here goes:

I appreciate Robert Lee Brewer’s level tone throughout the book. And I quote, “While the changes [in the industry] can seem dizzying at times, I’m sure of one thing: There will always be a need for engaging and talented freelance writers.”

I think a level, realistic tone is becoming increasingly hard to come by, but you’ll find it at the heart of the entire 2012 Writer’s Market and especially in Robert’s article “The Uncertainly Brave New World.” (43-46)

Don’t miss Marc Acito’s feature on “Perfect Pitch: Pitches That Never Fail.” Not only do I just enjoy reading anything Marc Acito writes, I felt inspired to be a better pitcher after reading this helpful and lighthearted advice. (pp. 27-33)

I enjoyed the “Build A Platform: Or You’ll Miss The Train” feature by Jeff Yeager. Jeff is so funny and easy to relate to that every writer should really read this article to see how to get those qualities into what you write. He put lots of great storytelling techniques into his article and gave some good advice about platform building, as well. (153-161)

Make sure you catch Robert’s interview with Jane Friedman, “Social Media Master Shares Secrets To Success.” The lead is very clever and Jane offers up some great tips, as always. (pp. 188 – 194)

And you simply must read Robert’s interview with Chuck Sambuchino because…well, there is some big, fat news in there, if you have not heard it already. Really, really big news. Go, Chuck! (pp. 195-200)

I’ve already mentioned that I am featured in Kerrie Flanagan’s article on “The Art of Promoting.” Here’s a quote that reflects something I can’t say often enough, “Consistent and constant self-promotion are key to publishing success, regardless of whether you self-publish or traditionally publish…it’s not any one self-promotion technique an author uses, it’s using all of them.” (pp. 169-172)

And now for the scavenger hunt portion of this recommendation. See if you can find a teeny-weeny, computer chip sized photograph of me somewhere in your copy of Writer’s Market. Let me know in the comments if you can find it!

And happy writing for publication, writers!

For over three years, Abigail Green has been teaching alongside of me. She offers two levels of classes in essay-writing: Personal Essays that Get Published and Personal Essays that Get Published, Level Two.

You won’t be surprised to hear that Abby’s students don’t just write personal essays, they write personal essays that get published.

Abby has published more than 150 articles and essays in regional and national publications including American Baby, Baltimore Magazine, Bride’s, Health and Smithsonian.

I hear my students talking about what a great instructor Abby is all the time. But don’t take my word for it. Try out her level one class for yourself. The next one begins on August 24th. Students register by August 16th. You can thank me later!

In the meantime, I asked Abby some questions about one of her favorite topics—writing essays that get published.

CK: What is it about essay writing that keeps you coming back to the form?

Abigail Green: When you’re writing about your life and your experiences, you have an endless source of material. People often ask me where I get my ideas for essays and the answer is “all around me.” I never run out of ideas.

I also like writing essays because it helps me process things in a different way. E.M. Forster, I believe, said “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” That’s how I feel about writing essays.

I appreciate the creative outlet that essays provide. I am doing more corporate writing these days. While it pays the bills, it’s not as fun, which is why I continue to write personal essays.

CK: How long have you been writing essays for publication and what have you learned in the process?

Abigail Green: If you count op/eds as short personal essays, which I do, then the answer is since high school, when the local paper published my opinion piece about playing rock music at tennis tournaments. It was the ’80s, the era of Agassi and acid-washed jeans. I was against it, for the record.

Since then I’ve published all kinds of personal essays, from long literary pieces to health essays to humor. I’ve learned that absolutely any subject can be “essay-worthy” if it’s well written. Most essays I write, and most of my students’, are not timely or tied to news or trends in the way that reported articles are; they’re evergreen. For instance, you can publish an essay about your experience as a new mom even if your kid is 20.

CK: What are students most surprised to learn about essay writing, when they take your classes?

Abigail Green: That while essays are based in fact, you are “allowed” and even encouraged to shape the stories as you wish to make them interesting and meaningful. There’s no rule saying you have to write about events in chronological order or leave in every detail. Some of the best personal essays read like great fiction, only they’re true.

What kinds of growth have you seen in your own essay writing efforts and those of your students?

Abigail Green: In my own essays, I have seen them become less stiff and formal, more personal and creative. I attribute this largely to writing a personal blog for five years. Three 500-or-so word posts each week for five years is a LOT of writing. It’s allowed me to try new styles, generate material that later gets turned into essays, and get instant feedback from readers. I think blogging is a great practice for any writer.

As for my students, in my Level 2 class there’s an exercise where they write about the same anecdote from a “telling” perspective and a “showing” perspective. Many of them are used to writing in a certain style and not mixing things up. So it’s a thrill for some people to discover a new writing technique. It’s another tool to add to their repertoire.

When class is over, what strides are your students most proud of making?

Abigail Green: Most of them are thrilled to have at least two complete, polished essays (and cover letters) ready to send out for submission. We do a lot of revising and reslanting in class, and while essays are never truly “done,” by the end of class students have gained the confidence to send their essays out into the world. I’ve had several people get their work accepted during the class or very soon after.

Abby Green teaches Personal Essays that Get Published, Levels 1 and 2. A longtime freelance writer, her articles and essays have appeared in numerous regional and national publications. Her latest essay, “Taking a Page from My Own Book,” appears in the August 2011 issue of Skirt magazine. You can find out more about Abby on her web site, www.AbigailGreen.com, or her blog, www.AbbyOffTheRecord.com.

So much of what is on the Internet is yada, yada.

But every once in awhile something makes you stop and say: “now THAT is cool.”

This is one of those things.

Erica Jong was a big literary influence on me when I was in my twenties.

Her first novel, Fear of Flying is NOT likely to make it onto the list of high school reading by women authors (if you’ve read the book you know what I’m talking about) that I am curating.

But if I were making a list of important college-level reading, this book would be right at the top. If you have not read the book, I suggest you do.

If you like it, then pic up a copy of Jong’s latest book, Sugar In My Bowl, Real Women Write About Real Sex, and then, if you dare, pen your own.

So, come on. Do you have a story to tell about the best sex you ever had?

If so, I dare you to write an essay about it and try to win this award for $1,000.00!

More info here. Deadline June 2012.

And P.S. If you need help with essay writing, check out Abigail Green’s upcoming class, Personal Essays That Get Published, which starts August 24th. More info here.

Well, folks who live in the Pacific Northwest, you are in luck. And anyone who wants to beat the heat and come to Seattle or Portland the first weekend in August is in double luck.

Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about the return of the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Association Conference and the Willamette Writers Conference.

There’s only one snag. They are both on the same weekend. I’m not sure who thought this was a good idea, but I’m going to cast my vote for restoring the conferences to two separate weekends next year. All in favor, say aye!

By now you’ve already made your selection so I am not caught on that particular hot seat (phew! that was close). Here’s a quick list of who you won’t want to miss at each conference.

PNWA: August 4 – 7th

Register Online Here

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW LOCATION

Don’t miss a chance to get your headshots from Mark Bennington

***Don’t miss an opportunity while you are PNWA to stop and chat with my friend, photographer Mark Bennington. Mark is a great guy and you will enjoy meeting him even if you don’t need a new headshot. (But chances are good that you do need a new headshot, right? I mean we all need a fresh one every couple years.) Mark is a total pro and he’s offering an outrageously low price for his services. If you swing by please be sure to tell him I sent you.***

And while we are on the topic of Mark. Check out this awesome photo book project that he’s working on about Bollywood actors in India (and America). He’s already got interest from a publisher in India and I bet he’ll have an agent and US publisher very soon.

Thursday:

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Don’t miss “Self-promotion for the Introvert” with Lorraine Wild and Kim Kircher.

Friday:

8:30 a.m. Show up early to catch Writer’s Digest’s Chuck Sambuchino talk about “Pitch Perfect” (Chuck has a new book out, ask him about it!)

11 a.m.

Agent’s Forum: Listen with particular care to what my agent, Rita Rosenkranz is looking for because she’s awesome.

3:30

Catch Chuck Sambuchino again for a session on “Everything You Need to Know About Agents.” (Ask him after about his book.)

4:30

Be sure to attend the author book signing. Chatting with authors as they sign your books is always fun. (You can get Chuck’s books.)

11:30 a.m.

Don’t miss another chance to learn from my agent, Rita Rosenkranz. Her topic will be, “How to Write an Irresistible Nonfiction Book Proposal.”

Saturday:

8:30 a.m.

Sorry to keep asking you to show up early but you will want to catch Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada’s preso on “13 Ways to Make Yourself Irresistible to any Agent or Editor”

10 a.m.

I’m a sucker for marketing and self-promotion topics and although I’ve not met Susan Wingate, we’ve corresponded. (I called her one time when her Facebook account got hacked.) Her session “Get on Board the Starship of Publishing” sounds interesting.

9 p.m.

Don’t miss the author autograph party! Fun, fun, fun! (And another chance to get Chuck’s books.)

Sunday:

10:30 a.m. I don’t know Bob Mayer personally but this workshop in “The Warrior Writer” sounds right up my alley. I’d check it out. (And you could sleep in a little after the big party the night before.)

• • •

Willamette Writer’s Conference: August 5-7th

Register Online Here

Be sure to swing by the Barnes & Noble Book Table and pick up copies of my books. They give back a percentage of profits to support Willamette Writers in supporting writers. Be sure to tell Page Jordan I sent you.

Also, if you plan to follow the conference on Twitter, then Porter Anderson (@Porter_Anderson) is your guy to follow. He’ll be live-tweeting the entire conference and he’s darn good at it.

Thursday:

Don’t miss your chance starting at 7 p.m. (Get there early to sign up.)

Agent/Editor Pitch Practice (This is how I got the attention of Jane Friedman for my first book Writer Mama in 2005—at the Pitch Practice. Let those pitches rip, people!).

Friday:

8:30 a.m.

Definitely check out Sharlene Martin’s “Crazy Queries” workshop. Sounds fun.

10:30 a.m.

Ooo, I would not miss this panel on “E-media—E-books, Self-publishing, and Twitter” with Jane Friedman as of panelists. (Jane is one of the foremost thinkers on e-media and the future of publishing. I’d shadow her all conference if these are topics that interest you. Full disclosure: Jane has also been my editor and publisher. )

For fiction folks, check out Laura Whitcomb’s “It’s Just So Crazy It Might Work.” Laura has spoken at my author series and she has some great tips and strategies, you won’t want to miss.

1:30 p.m.

Don’t miss “Blogging 101″ with Jane Friedman. Have you seen her blog, her guest blogs? Her interviews? The woman is omni-present. Nuf said.

Ooo, fiction folks, don’t miss Hallie Ephron on “Plotting a Page-Turner.” Hallie is great. You will love her and everything she says.

I like Roseanne Parry and her topic, “Character & The Seven Deadly Sins,” sounds truly helpful for YA folks.

3:30 p.m.

Don’t miss Gigi Rosenberg’s “Fund Your Writing Projects,” if you are thinking you might ever want to seek funding for any of your writing projects.

Fiction folks will want to head straight on over to Hallie Ephron’s “Details to Make Or Break a Character.”

Children’s writers won’t want to miss Roseanne Parry’s “What Makes It A Children’s Novel?”

Saturday:

8:30 a.m.

I’d be interested in “Words & Pictures: Writing for Comics,” with Anina Bennett. I don’t know the presenter but the topic sure sounds interesting.

Ooo, have you seen Eric Witchey’s handouts? They are thi-ick! Fiction writers won’t want to miss them and him talk about “Mythic Power From Your Life.”

I don’t know Kim Cooper Findling, but this is a good kind of workshop for any nonfiction writer to attend, “Anatomy of a Magazine Article.”

If you are writing a picture book or thinking of writing one, definitely go to Addie Boswell’s “Picture Book Pacing & Poetry.”

10:30 a.m.

Nonfiction writers, I’d definitely check out Peter Bowerman’s session on “Taking The Reins Of Your Own Publishing Journey.” (Moms may want to check out my new e-mail class Micro-publishing for Mom Writers.)

Hallie Ephron’s “Mixing Internal & External Dialogue” sounds really interesting for fiction writers.

Leigh Anne Jasheway is funny, and this session looks to be both entertaining and useful. I’d check out “Comedy As A Nonfiction Tool.”

1:30 p.m.

Definitely do not miss “Three Models for Using Twitter to Grow Your Career,” with Jane Friedman. Why? This is why.

Fiction writers, don’t miss another chance to get one of Eric Witchey’s big, fat handouts (but don’t just pop in and ask for a handout b/c that’s not cool). His topic this time is “Partying Your Way To Publication.”

Ooo, fiction writers, tough call in this slot b/c Bob Dugoni’s session, “Getting Started And Staying Headed in the Right Direction,” sounds really good, too. I would not want to have to make this choice.

Kim Cooper Fielding tackles a topic that every writer wants to learn more about in “Engaging the Senses in Travel Writing.”

Addie Boswell’s “Illustration Techniques for Writers” sounds interesting for children’s book writers.

3:30 p.m.

Once again Peter Bowerman and I are on the same page (although, full disclosure, I’ve never read his work) with his “Build Your Own Writing Empire.”

Fiction writers, once again you have a terribly tough choice between Eric Witchey and “Ed Ace and the ABCs of Fiction” and Robert Dugoni, “You’ve Got the Power.”

Leigh Anne Jasheway’s creativity workshop, “How Thinking Like A Five Year Old Can Help You Become A More Creative Writer,” sounds fun, if you are feeling a bit information overloaded at this point of the conference.

Sunday:

8:30

I’d catch Monica Drake’s session, “What Can A Sentence Do?” Sounds interesting.

Also Robert Dugoni’s “Catching An Agent’s Attention,” is a must-learn topic.

And if you are writing YA, don’t miss Christine Fletcher’s “Talk To Me” session on voice. She’s great.

10:30

Gary Corbin is a fun guy and if you are interesting in staging any of your writing, I would definitely check out his “Get Your Story A Stage.”

I would be loathe to miss Jane Friedman’s, “Thinking Beyond the Book.” This is necessary medicine, writers, and I promise, it won’t hurt.

Oh, man. Another impossible choice for fiction writers. Bob Dugoni on “Playing God” or Bill Johnson on “Spirit of Storytelling.” Good luck!

See what Christine Fletcher has to say about plot in YA in her session, “Then What Happens?”

1:15

Don’t miss Jane Friedman talking about “Audience Development 101.” This goes for writers in all genres, not just nonfiction.

Fiction writers won’t want to miss Hallie Ephron’s “Fly High, Fly Low Revision” session. After all, so much of writing well is rewriting.

If you are interested at all in Playwriting, Cynthia Whitcomb is a always a great teacher.

3:00

Sage Cohen marries two topics she excels at poetry and productivity in “The Productive Poet.” You probably don’t have to be a working poet to get a lot out of this session.

This panel moderating by Ellen Urbani on writing critique groups sounds interesting, “How To Find Or Create Your Ideal Writers Critique Group.” If you are interested in this topic, you may also wish to check out Becky Levine’s book on the topic from Writer’s Digest, The Writing & Critique Group Survival Guide.

At this late point in the conference, “Improv Your Writing” with Gary Corbin sounds fun.

Children’s writers or anyone interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder should definitely check out, Pamela Smith Hill’s session, “Writing YA in Hard Times.”

• • •

The end. All the attendees collapse in a giant, brain-bursting heap.

This was a lot of information to cover, but I hope, if you are attending either conference, and I hope you WILL pick one and attend it, that this list is helpful and saves you some of that writer’s conference there-are-so-many-choices-that-my-head-is-spinning feeling.

Have a great time! Buy lots of books! And then put everything you learn into action!

While we were attending the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference earlier this year, I challenged Jane Friedman to write a book on the future of publishing. Much to my surprise, she took me up on it.

On April Fool’s Eve, I posted an interview with Jane just prior to the unveiling of “The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations” on April Fool’s Day.

I thought readers would be interested in hearing first-hand what it’s like to self-publish a short, smart, humor e-book, so I asked Jane for another interview this time with a behind-the-scenes look at the e-book creation process. I hope you enjoy it.

Christina Katz: Okay, so I challenged you to write an e-book and you agreed. Why in the world did you say, “Yes”?

Jane Friedman: Ha! My first thought was: No one cares what I think about the future of publishing, and I’m personally and professionally tired of speculation.

But then it occurred to me that I might have fun with the topic. I do know the issues inside and out, so once I decided to engage in a little satire, I got excited about the idea.

I also came up with a strict framework. Having a structure to play off of was important to idea generation and my enthusiasm. In this case, the framework was “14 variations on the future,” inspired by Elgar’s work, “Enigma Variations.”

I was also curious to see if an online (and real world) following would translate into people who’d pay money to read my writing. At this point, people can read most of my advice online for free. They may have to pay to hear me speak, but the writing itself is delivered free of charge, with the exception of the Beginning Writers’ Answer Book from 2006.

Christina Katz: But writing an e-book that is high-enough quality to charge money for is not an easy undertaking. You must have had some concerns at the outset. Would you be willing to share some of them?

Jane Friedman: Yes, I had 3 primary concerns.

1.     Even if by reading the entire work you had a better understanding of the issues at play in the publishing industry, I was still writing humor. Humor is not something people often pay for, no matter how high quality it is.

2.     People will pay good money for information that benefits them. But they rarely pay for speculation—at least in the publishing field! And since I was writing about the future of publishing, what else could my e-book be called except pure speculation?

3.     I knew the work would be quite short, especially given the fast turn-around time. It ended up being 40 pages, and that’s with images and a generous design. (Still, though, it probably takes 20-30 minutes to read.)

Christina Katz: How many folks helped you with the e-book production process and what roles did they play?

Jane Friedman: The only help I needed was editing. I had two very good friends—who I later treated to a celebratory launch-day dinner!—help me with the content development, punch lines, and line editing. I did the design and production work myself, which was not difficult. I’ve been doing that kind of work for 15 years.

Christina Katz: Can you give us a quick thumbnail overview of the phases you had to take the e-book through to go from zero to published in just a couple of short months?

Jane Friedman: This is how I’d describe the stages:

• Inspiration and planning stage. I came up with the structure and started outlining what I would write.
• Draft stage. In one sitting, I wrote the entire work longhand. (Not typical for me, but that’s how it worked out.)
• Revision stage. When I typed out my longhand manuscript, I also revised and added content as I went.
• Editing stage. I sent my manuscript to two trusted friends (who are also editors, yay!), who turned it around in less than a week.
• Production stage. While my friends edited the manuscript, I set up the design templates and created the front and back matter. I also created the images at this stage.
• Final production stage. After I had all the edits back, I incorporated them into the final manuscript, dumped the copy into my design template, and took care of all layout/design issues. Then I proofread a printed copy with a friend in one evening, made final corrections in the file, and outputted a PDF that I made available for sale within minutes on Scribd.

Christina Katz: Which part of the e-book creation process was your favorite? Which part was your least favorite?

Jane Friedman: The transition from production stage to final production stage was nerve-wracking. I had a deadline to meet that wasn’t negotiable in my mind (April Fool’s Day), but I was depending on the good graces of my friends to serve as editors (for free), and I was reluctant to start selling without their feedback. Lucky for me, they finished up in time to go live April 1.

My favorite part—as it is with every project—was the idea generation stage. I love coming up with the premise and structure. Ideas are always lovely. Once you make them concrete, you have to struggle through making them live up to the ideal that’s in your head.

Christina Katz: You are pretty tech-savvy, which technologies did you make use of to create the e-book and how user-friendly were they?

Jane Friedman: I used Adobe InDesign to design and layout the book, and to export the PDF file. InDesign is a program that I used for many years while working in traditional publishing, so there was no learning curve. But it’s expensive software for a writer to buy, and not easy to learn without formal instruction.

I used no other technology to create the e-book, aside from taking pictures with my iPhone and adjusting them in Apple’s Preview, a very elementary photo-editing software.

Christina Katz: Any pros vs. cons to approaching the short-form e-book vs. the long-form book? Which do you think you prefer?

Jane Friedman: I don’t think I prefer either at this point, speaking as an author.

However …

Projects that extend over a period of many months or years do have a tendency to get boring for me. It’s probably why I’ve stuck with blogging for so long. It’s fast-paced, there’s lots of fun and value in it, it gives me a writing outlet, but I don’t have to keep revisiting the same material again and again. I get to vary the topics/issues and suit some of my own whims.

On the other hand, I like building things of solid quality and substance. And a long-form book does that. So I still look forward to those projects as well—it just requires me to be disciplined and passionate about what I take on.

Christina Katz: Are you hooked? Will you write more e-books? Or will you be too busy following through with this one for a while?

Jane Friedman: This e-book project gave me a tight deadline, and it kept my interest. And while I’ll spend a bit more time nurturing it—producing a Kindle edition, for instance—I consider myself through.

I am indeed considering what new e-book project might be next. I’m sure I’ll attempt another, but something more information-driven—not humor or speculation.

Probably the No. 1 topic that I’m asked about is online and social media. So perhaps I’ll do a full-length e-book addressing that. That said, if I’m contracted to write a long-form book for Writer’s Digest, all bets are off.

Jane’s Bio:

As the former publisher and editorial director of Writer’s Digest, Jane Friedman is an industry authority on commercial, literary, and emerging forms of publishing. She has spoken at more than 200 writing events since 2001, and is known within the publishing industry as an innovator, cited by sources such as Publishers Weekly, GalleyCat, PBS, and Mr. Media. She has been a speaker at BookExpo America, an adviser to Digital Book World, and recently served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, to review 2011 grants in literature.