You Can Be a Winning Writer. Joan Gelfand
on>
Copyright © 2018 Joan Gelfand.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Cover Design: Roberto Nunez
Layout & Design: Roberto Nunez
Back Inside Flap Photo: Adam Hertz
Mango is an active supporter of authors’ rights to free speech and artistic expression in their books. The purpose of copyright is to encourage authors to produce exceptional works that enrich our culture and our open society.
Uploading or distributing photos, scans or any content from this book without prior permission is theft of the author’s intellectual property. Please honor the author’s work as you would your own. Thank you in advance for respecting our author’s rights.
For permission requests, please contact the publisher at:
Mango Publishing Group
2850 Douglas Road, 3rd Floor
Coral Gables, FL 33134 USA
For special orders, quantity sales, course adoptions and corporate sales, please email the publisher at [email protected]. For trade and wholesale sales, please contact Ingram Publisher Services at [email protected] or +1.800.509.4887.
You Can Be a Winning Writer: The 4 C’s Approach of Successful Authors – Craft, Commitment, Community, and Confidence
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Number: 2018944497.
ISBN: (paperback) 978-1-63353-742-2, (ebook) 978-1-63353-743-9
BISAC category code: LAN002000 — LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Authorship
Printed in the United States of America
For all the dreaming writers of the world
and for Adam, my rock.
Contents
Crafting a Great Piece of Writing
Writing Workshops, Writing Circles, & Write-a-thons
Change Your Location, Change Your Luck: Residencies & Retreats
You Wrote It. Now, Revise: Editing, Rewriting, & Working with Professional Editors
Managing Feedback & Working with Editors
Feedback Loops: Friends, Family, Early Readers, & Writers’ Groups
–Dos, Don’ts, & Challenges–
Building Your Writer’s Resume
Prizes, Awards, & Money
Your Results May Vary: Beating the Odds with Submissions
–Dos, Don’ts, & a Challenge–
The Art of Building Community
Social Media Dos and Don’ts
Building a Fan Base
The Power of YES
Loneliness & the Writing Life
Challenges
Second Guessing: Avoiding the Sand Trap
Meet the Team: Your Publicist and Coach
Keeping Your Own Counsel Takes Confidence
Tooting Your Own Horn: What Does It Sound Like?
You Are a Startup
Book Proposals
Working with Hybrid Publishers, Indie Presses, and Academic Presses
–Dos, Don’ts, & Challenges–