The world has changed, and with it the craft of writing. In addition to the difficulties of putting pen to paper, authors must now contend with a slew of new media. This has forever altered the relationship between writers and their readers, their publishers, and their work. In an era when authors are expected to do more and more to promote their own work, Booklife steers readers through the bewildering options:
-What should authors avoid doing on the Internet?
-How does the new paradigm affect authors, readers, and the fundamentals of book publication?
-What’s the difference between letting Internet tools use you and having a strategic plan?
-How do authors protect their creativity while still advancing their careers?
-How do you filter out white noise and find the peace of mind to do good work?
Award-winning author, editor, and Web-entrepreneur Jeff VanderMeer shares his twenty-five years of experience to reveal how writers can go about:
-Using new media: blogs, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, podcasts, and IM
-Effectively networking in the modern era (why it’s not all about you)
-Understanding the lifecycle of a book and your role in the publication process
-Finding balance between your public and private lives and personas
-Creating a brand and identity tied to your strengths and your writing
-Working with your publisher: editors, publicists, marketing, and sales
-Taking the long view: establishing short- and long-term professional goals
-Getting through rejection and understanding the importance of persistence
-Enjoying and enhancing your creative process and more
Jeff VanderMeer has been involved in the publishing industry for more than twenty-five years and in many capacities. His award-winning novels have been published in fifteen languages and his nonfiction has appeared in the Washington Post, the Barnes & Noble Review, and the Huffington Post. He is a regular contributor to Amazon’s book blog Omnivorous and his short fiction has appeared in Wired. He is an editor of anthologies for Bantam, Pan Macmillan, and Tachyon (The New Weird, Steampunk). He has conducted master-classes and given workshops all over the world including at the Brisbane Arts Center in Australia and the University of California at San Diego. VanderMeer is also a frequent guest at such multi-media venues as Utopiales in France, the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida.
Jeff VanderMeer is the best-selling author of City of Saints and Madmen, the noir thriller Finch, and the quintessential guide to writers, Booklife. His award-winning novels have made the year’s best lists at Publishers Weekly, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Wall Street Journal. His nonfiction and reviews have appeared in Washington Post Book World, the Huffington Post, and the New York Times Book Review.
Jeff VanderMeer is the best-selling author of
City of Saints and Madmen, the noir thriller
Finch,
Annihilation, and
Borne. He also is the editor of several canonic anthologies (the Steampunk anthology series,
The New Weird). His award-winning novels have made the year’s best lists at
Publishers Weekly, the
San Francisco Chronicle, and the
Wall Street Journal. His nonfiction and reviews have appeared in
Washington Post Book World, the
Huffington Post, and the
New York Times Book Review.
