Hello again! There are plenty of things going on for writers right now. One of them is that WordPress did something to my site, and spoiled the look of it. 😕 I’ll get it fixed, but didn’t want to delay this post. So, apologies if it looks odd. The content should be fine 🙂

The CTRWA (Connecticut Romance Writers of America) is hosting its monthly meeting on May 8, and their speaker is Stacey Donovan, Editor of Hallmark Publishing. She will speak about publishing with them and how/why novels are selected to be Hallmark movies. Non-members may attend some CTRWA meetings before being asked to join. Email connecticutrwa@gmail.com for information and the link.

If you’ve written a children’s book and are looking for advice on how to get it published, The Westport Writers Workshop has the answer. Join Valerie Bolling for a virtual Q&A on Monday, May 10 from 12-1:00pm. The author of Let’s Dance answers questions for pre-published and published authors about the query process, an author’s relationship with an agent vs. an editor, critique groups, marketing your book, author visits, and more. Bring your questions to this casual come-and-go lunchtime Q & A session. Click here to register.

Those of you who are in need of an editor or proofreader for your book, can probably find one on Fiverr or by Googling. One that’s been recommended to me is Liz Delton, based here in Connecticut.

And if you’re at the stage where you’re putting together a marketing plan for your book, you’ll need to figure out which keywords will best help you to reach bestseller status on Amazon. They are likely to be the more obscure lists, because there’s less competition there. Try Publisher Rocket for help in analyzing your best choices.

Bryan Cohen runs The 5 Day Amazon Ad Profit Challenge group on Facebook. In addition, he has a podcast – the Sell More Books Podcast, which is probably self-explanatory. And he has a team that writes book blurbs in case you’re finding yours difficult. More information on his website.

The Indie Author Project is an organization that aims to bring authors, libraries, and readers together. They’re looking for books that are independently published, in the category of adult or young adult fiction, written by a Connecticut resident, and available in either PDF or ePUB format. (This requirement is for the judges to access them.) Submissions open in April 2021. Final date to be determined. For more information, visit here. (If you’re not in Connecticut, check the website for your own state.)

If you don’t have time to produce your own book, self-publishing services are available, from 2Nimble, among others. You can have them do the whole thing, or cherry-pick the services that you want, from editing to design to distribution. All their prices are clearly stated on their website.

Here’s a great article by novelist and author of Letters to a Young Writer, Colum McCann: So You Want to be a Writer – it’s not new, but it’s encouraging and uncomplicated.

Sandra Beckwith of Build Book Buzz has updated her 365 Daily Book Marketing Tips series for authors who want a steady flow of book marketing ideas. To get a pithy daily tip in your inbox for just $1 for the year, subscribe here.

Member Alex McNab drew my attention to this: Jane Friedman’s useful article on how to turn your Word document into an eBook. You may find it useful for making a copy of your work, having your book on a device where you can read it and make notes, or even so that you can publish it.

Member Elizabeth Chatsworth gave an interview about her path to publication recently. She’s not an overnight success, but everything she did before made it seem like it when her book, The Brass Queen, made the best-seller lists. Here’s how she did it.

Stay up to date with places to listen to and submit your poetry by following Alison McBain’s monthly blog with all the info.

Hope you found this helpful. Keep writing!