How To Publish Your Book Fundamentals

How To Publish Your Book Fundamentals - Virtual Conference

For anyone thinking about and wanting to write and publish a book, here is an opportunity to get the guidance and support you need to become a PUBLISHED author! FEB. 19, 2022

Sign up now and join us February 19 for the 4 HOUR event ($40 registration)

REGISTER NOW

 #selfpublishing #authors

Alan Spector - A Writer's Journey

St. Louis Publishers Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Lessons Learned: A Writer’s Journey from Baseball Fields to Battlefields  -- presented by Alan Spector

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”

In that regard, in 2006, when I was developing the manuscript of my first book, I was at a family gathering and asked a would-be-author cousin how her book was progressing. She excitedly reported she was working closely with her agent and editors at the publisher toward a final draft. In return, she asked me how I was doing on my early draft and what kind of feedback I had received. “Feedback?”
She was incredulous, “You mean you haven’t shared your work with others yet? When are you going to get out of your cave?”
I immediately knew what she meant, and added “get out of my cave” to my list of things I was learning about being an author. Sure, I had interviewed people for my book and done a lot of research away from the confines of my computer, but I was enjoying the actual writing process so much I hadn’t reached out to others to get any critical feedback.
My next steps were to 1) join a local writer critique group, 2) register for a couple of writers’ conferences, and 3) develop a list of willing beta readers — the first of which was my wife, who is now the more-than-willing first-reader on all of my manuscripts and is ecstatic when she gets to wield her red editing pen.
My list of lessons learned continues to grow, and First Lady Roosevelt was right. I’ve been learning from others’ mistakes — because I’m out of my cave. And I’ve been making plenty of my own. Here are but a few of the lessons that I’ll be glad to share with you in more detail at the SLPA meeting on February 8:

• Don’t quit your day job… unless you already have.
• Grow thick skin… rejection is inevitable.
• Everyone will have an idea for your next book… and some of them are good.
• Self-published? Tolerate Amazon… but market to direct sales.

I also look forward to hearing what you’ve learned from your mistakes and those of others — oh, and from successes as well. If you’re like me, you’ve had both. I hope to see you and learn from each other on February 8.
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Our regular Monthly Meeting location
(the second Wednesday of every month)

THE HEIGHTS: Richmond Heights Community Center
Argus Room
8001 Dale Ave.
Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Here's a link to Google Maps for location and directions.
Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking. Business meeting begins at 7:00 PM and continues till 8:30 PM or so with networking continuing afterward till about 9.

Polish Your Pitch: The One-Minute Book Marketing Challenge

Join the St. Louis Publishers Association on December 14 for Polish Your Pitch, a unique opportunity for authors to practice their book-pitching skills and get invaluable feedback. Learn how to hone your "elevator speech" at this special SLPA book-marketing session, hosted by SLPA past president and book marketing master Bob Baker.
Make no mistake: Your ability to clearly communicate who you are and what your book is about will lead to more publicity, more readers, and more sales. As a self-promoting author, you need to learn this skill.
At the December meeting, one by one, authors will take the hot seat and have one minute to describe their book. A panel of experts will critique each pitch and make suggestions on how to make it more concise and enticing. Audience members will also be encouraged to offer feedback, as time allows.
Current SLPA members will be given preference for the author hot seat spots, then we'll take volunteers from the audience in the remaining time.
It's a great opportunity to polish your book pitch, whether you get direct feedback on your pitch or you simply observe the advice that other authors get. So bring your best pitch to the next meeting!
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Our regular Monthly Meeting location
(the second Wednesday of every month)

THE HEIGHTS: Richmond Heights Community Center
Argus Room
8001 Dale Ave.
Richmond Heights, MO 63117

Here's a link to Google Maps for location and directions.

Doors open at 6:30 PM for networking. Business meeting begins at 7:00 PM and continues till 8:30 PM or so with networking continuing afterward till about 9.

Monthly Meeting Admission

• Members – FREE
• Non-member Guests – $10 per person, cash or check at the door

(Guest fee will be applied to Membership if you decide to join at that meeting)

How to Publish Your Own Book: What You Need to Know

St. Louis Publishers Association How to Publish Your Own Book

Have you been thinking about writing a book (or perhaps you have written one) and are curious about how to publish it yourself? In this four-hour workshop, we’ll cover the realities of independent publishing, how editing and design can make your book look great, options for getting your book into print, sales channels, eBook production and tips for book marketing.

(These classes fill up fast so don’t delay)

 Presented by the St. Louis Publishers Association. 

Register through STL Community College for the class: 
WRIT:704 • 681 (<—important number) 
• Sat 8am-12pm Nov. 5 MC - SO, 109 
www.stlcc.edu/ce 314-984-7777

STLCC fee is $39 and for those over 60 its $24.50