Before I had a chance to even mention it, the October 26 one day seminar "Publish Now!" at the Writer's Center in Bethesda MD (near Washington DC) has sold out. Sincere apologies to my workshop students... all I can say is, do sign up for the Writer's Center's newsletter because obviously I am not so on-the-ball in the blogging and newsletter department. On my Resources for Writers page, I will be sure to post some of the material for my talk, a break-out session on traveling writing and interactive ebooks, so stay tuned.
One of the speakers this Saturday will be my fellow Writer's Center board member, Wilson Wyatt, editor of the Delmarva Review, who shares this article (PDF download) in the Maryland Writers Association Pen in Hand, "Publishing in the Digital Age".
My own adventures in self-publishing ebooks continue-- rather intensive this very morning as a matter of fact, because I just uploaded to Kindle my translation of Francisco I. Madero's Spiritist Manual of 1911 with the all-new title, Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero's Spiritist Manual Introduced and Translated. This required more Advils than I would like to admit. (Don't get me started about iTunes' iBookstore.)
A few of the interactive books I'll be mentioning in the seminar
Mary Lynn Patton's Sounds of Mexico / Sonidos de México
Rick Shapero's Too Far
My own "The Building of Quality"-- the iTunes (iBook) edition includes a video and an audio Q & A.
My own Los visitantes iTunes (iBook) edition, also made with the iBook author app.
My own Podcasting for Writers, both iTunes (iBook) and Kindle editions.
And of course, my own Metaphysical Odyssey Into the Mexican Revolution.
And I'll also be talking about publishing travel writing and podcasts. My main experience here is with the "Marfa Mondays Podcasting Project: Exploring Marfa, TX & the Big Bend in 24 Podcasts"-- listen in anytime.
A few preliminary thoughts:
1. The whole experience of self-publishing ebooks is not so much something you can figure out once-and-for-all, but a wriggling target (just when you've got it figured out, they update the software!!)
2. Design matters (and it's expensive, sometimes)
3. Marketing digital books to customers via amazon.com is a very different enterprise than trying to sell books in bookstores (uyy there is a reason why publishers keep such a big slice of the pie)
4. The bar to publication is so rockbottom low now...and it is terribly tempting to skimp on or even skip the editorial process.
5. Now what I really want to talk about is rare books. In other words, enough with the candy store, let's get back to the chocolate factory!
Much more anon, and especially about rare books.
