The Fascinating World of Publishing
I used to be shy about writing my thoughts and publishing online. In fact, I used to think everything I wrote wasn't worth anything because it was not in a publication. Now I can see my writing online I know for certain it's true, rather like Lincoln's adage that it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than speak out and remove all doubt. But now that everyone can see my writing, unedited by my fancy New York editors, I rationalize the risks of writing online. The alternative is that some people mightn't ever read my writing at all, so blogging is an easy decision to make. Besides, I've been blogging for years at my other sites. And one result of having blogs and articles with comment sections is that we know readers often draw differing conclusions from the same sets of ideas or facts.
At the Self-Publishing Expo of 2012 in NYC last Saturday, I listened to an expert lawyer-publisher say in his presentation that he expected none of his own books that he wrote to actually sell any copies, and then was glad when they did.
The New York City Self-Publishing Expo was great, by the way. It was the fourth such Expo ever, but the first one I'd attended. Missed a few of the opportunities that were made available to ticket-holders, such as one-on-one sessions with agents and marketers and would definitely make use of the marketing strategists next time. The expert panels or lone speakers were parallel sessions, and it was impossible to see and hear everything without missing talks I would have liked to attend. Listeners were allowed to move freely between talks, but rewarded for doing so with sounds of rebuke and looks of disdain by other writers in the audience. And I would guess most were writers, although the Expo was open to all.
The talks were by big name panelists from the likes of Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Good Reads around the country. They seemed to know a lot about many complex aspects of publishing such as:
1) where to publish and why
2) the editorial side--how to find editors and why
3) the various print and online publishing sites to use
4) the importance of starting small with book reviews
5) new marketing placement vs. traditional publishing timelines
6) distribution, wholesale, and the difference
New York is at the epicenter of the American publishing industry, and the Expo reflected that and was an invigorating and energetic event. The venue at the Sheraton Towers was more than comfortable; it was surprisingly luxurious for a workshop. And I loved the Starbucks in that building, quite possibly the most relaxing I've seen, at a quick glance.
Of course, i think the Expo was totally worth it, and not just because I spent the next few days indoors writing and riding out Superstorm Sandy. I paid for my ticket, so will not second guess any such rash decision made on the spot. The Expo was free to visit the vendors, but there weren't enough of them, maybe thirty, to spend a whole day and be worth my four hour round trip. Everyone else seemed to have paid their $150 ticket to see
expert panels, so I sort of had to pay to get much value. After talks, there was time and opportunity for questions and networking, and that was great. But paying by the talk or paying less, maybe fifty instead, would have been nicer and there might have been more attendees. I guess costs had to be covered, and I can only assume the publishing-related companies chipped in on the overhead.
I have to thank the organizers for this special event, and wanted to say I enjoyed it thoroughly and hope they hold it again next year. The world of publishing is fascinating.
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