I love to offer writers free tips to help them with their work in progress, whether it's a short story, a novel, or a memoir. But I feel as if I've let folks down in recent months because the blogs just haven't been flowing. It's not that I haven't wanted to be with you. My lack of blogging has been an unfortunate side effect of my latest novel, The Gentleman Poet, which launched in September. For the uninitiated in the publishing world, this is how it works…
The author spends a year (or two, or in this case, four) researching and writing his/her novel. It takes another 12-18 months for the publisher who buys it to complete the editorial process, announce the book in their catalogue or website, and produce printed copies. During those months of waiting for the publisher to do its thing, the author will respond to suggestions from the editor for revisions, review the copy-edited manuscript, and read the galleys (page proofs) for errors. But even more of the writer's time will be devoted to "getting the word out" on the book. That means lining up venues for book signings and speaking engagements where the book might also be sold, hunting for special sales opportunities, lining up blog tours, contacting alumni associations and other organizations that might help promote the author's book in their newsletters. In short, the author is out there scrambling to prepare the world for "The Book"!
In my case, while waiting for The Gentleman Poet to appear in local independent bookstores, the chains, and on websites like Amazon, I was also teaching at The Writer's Center in Washington, D.C. and keeping up with my talented clients, whom I mentor and edit through www.writebyyou.com. You could say I was a pretty busy gal. But now I'm drawing the line. I need to get back to my writing buddies and give them the support I've always tried to offer in my blogs. Nothing fancy, just common sense advice on writing, either for personal satisfaction or with an aim to publish. So tune in when you have a free moment. I hope to also offer a few freebies in the upcoming months. When I do I'll post the news here. In the meantime, I'll also be posting guest blogs at a few favorite sites. You might enjoy checking them out, particularly if you enjoy historical fiction. Below are a few to start with!
Happy writing all…Kathryn
A few neat blogs for writers and readers. You may see me there!
http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
http://SimplyAli.blogspot.com/
