Emails from Medium have been appearing in my mailbox for a year or more, and I never stopped to wonder how the content was created. One of our members, Alison McBain, is a content provider on the social media platform and told us how it works. Anyone can set up an account and post their work on it. You can share previously published articles, blog posts on your own page, and you get information back as to readership, etc. People can subscribe to your page, and follow you. You can even earn money from your writing. Check it out here.

This November sees another popular author event at the Norwalk Public Library – Indie Author Day. Member Bette Bono brought this to my attention, since she’ll be there, talking about her new book, Fear Itself. The event takes place November 12-13. The library is hoping to have a “hybrid” format with some in-person events, some by Zoom. If you’re interested in participating, contact Cynde Lahey at the Norwalk Public Library. NB. You don’t need to be a Norwalk author to participate, simply living in Connecticut and published by a small press or self-published.

Struggling with the title of your book? Kristen Paulson-Nguyen , self-styled “title doctor,” might be the very person you need, according to member Kate Mayer. There are some great examples of titles and subtitles on her website, so you can see what she does before committing to anything.

The New York Times is well-known for its Modern Love column. It’s notoriously difficult to have a submission accepted there, but you might want to try your chances on their Tiny Love Stories page. And by tiny, they mean no more than 100 words. They’re looking for a true story of love from your own life — happy or sad, capturing a moment or a lifetime. Include a picture taken by you that complements your narrative, whether a selfie, screenshot, or snapshot. Some of these have been published in a book, Tiny Love Stories. Check out their submission requirements here.

The Writing Academy runs a series of virtual classes on various aspects of writing, from fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and more. They include courses like Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy, Mystery Writing, and Adapting a Novel into a Screenplay. You can take the classes any time, and either buy them individually, or bundle them for a fixed rate of $19 per month for three, $29, per month for five, or $99 for thirteen.

Trello is a website where you can design your own project outline. You can use it to outline your novel, or plan all the things you need to do if you’re ready to publish. There are various templates, and you drag boxes onto them to add whatever you need, including photos of your characters, for example. The free version should be fine for writers, but you can subscribe for a few dollars more if your project gets more complex.

If you’re planning to use a small publisher, traditional or hybrid, you should check them out before you do. A few sites keep tabs on these companies, and flag warning signs if people report them. They’re not always completely accurate, so check a couple of sources if you can. I have sometimes approached authors who’ve published with a company to get their take. But if you don’t have time for that, here are a couple of sources. Writer Beware runs a regular blog on their searchable site, and The Alliance of Independent Authors has a Watchdog feature that checks service providers for those who want to self publish. They also have a list of approved service providers.

Hope you find these useful. I’ll see you next month, and in the meantime, keep writing!