Community Member: Austin Community College Creative Writing Department

Special Guest Post: Austin Community College student, Jean Synodinos, shares her experience taking classes in ACC’s Creative Writing Department!

Once upon a time, I was infatuated with the myth—nay, the mystique—of the lone writer. A tortured (but gifted) soul, she labored well into the wee hours of the morning, surrounded by books and day-old coffee, tapping out her words while frogs chirped in the tree outside her window. Only in this dark solitude might she conjure an appearance from her mighty muse. Surely, I believed, this was how great stories found their way into the world.

As an introvert who still clings to solitude like a baby to its blanket, this myth validated me.

I reveled in the assumption that every committed writer was equally divorced from the world, and I would thrive as a member of an association whose members refused to associate.

But a myth is a myth is a myth. Yes, every writer benefits from “a room of one’s own,” but those four walls can’t tell you how to fix that first draft.

I bumped up against this truth two years ago. My commitment was real, my intentions were pure, but my writing was stupefyingly awful. This isn’t me being adoringly self-deprecating; on re-reading one draft, I actually laughed to the point of tears at a scene I’d hoped would make others weep with grief. That dark night of the soul was sincerely humbling.

I had no idea how to fix my work. Not a clue. But at least I knew that—myth be damned—all the self-study in the world wouldn’t help as much as taking a class. Still, as a “woman of a certain age” (bless the French), I feared finding myself adrift in a sea of young ‘uns with whom I shared nothing in common. I wasn’t too old to learn (we never are), but was I too old to return to class?

Quick answer: No. Any age is a good age to be in class. More importantly, every one of the six creative writing classes I’ve taken at Austin Community College has driven a stake through the heart of that lousy myth.

Maybe you’ve never considered the idea of a semester in class, or you’ve mulled doing it “someday.”  Perhaps you’ve scanned a course catalogue, or you might be but a few keystrokes away from enrolling. Wherever you are on this spectrum, let me assure you that your craft will improve. Substantively.

But the icing on the cake, the benefit I hadn’t considered, and the reason classes will forever be part of my life going forward is community.

We may write alone, but community brings our work to life. It brings us to life. In class, we find the diversity that expands our thinking and challenges our assumptions. We find that the focused company of other writers has a way of opening our own creative spigots. We learn a common language and find common cause because, in a room full of like-minded souls, we share a common bond: the urge to tell a good story.

The community found in a classroom also helps overcome “imposter syndrome”—that scratchy mental yammer insisting on our worthlessness whenever that mythical muse has failed to make an appearance. Through a structured, safe, and wildly supportive environment, classmates come to cheer each other on. Strangers become friends, continuing to connect long after the semester is over. We learn to be good literary citizens in and out of the classroom.

The COVID-19 pandemic has isolated us like never before, but classes—even online classes—keep us connected. In fact, now is the perfect time to enroll. ACC’s creative writing program is online for the spring semester, and you don’t have to live in Austin to take advantage of this exceptional faculty.

I still love my solitude, and I still write while the tree frogs sing. But the world is a lot larger—and richer—because of classes. I hope I meet you there soon.  

— Jean Synodinos, ACC Student

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Thanks, Jean!

To learn more about enrolling through continuing education, click here. Or you can call or email the department chair, Charlotte Gullick, at 512-913-4479, cgullick@austincc.edu

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member: Austin Community College Creative Writing Department

Special Guest Post: Austin Community College student, Maya Landers, shares her experience taking classes in ACC’s Creative Writing Department!

The idea that writing is a solitary pursuit has been thoroughly disproven: we realized that behind every great person is another great person, or two or three or twelve, whose ideas and encouragement offered a crucial form of support. I know that writing requires connection more than isolation, but it wasn’t until I started taking creative writing classes at Austin Community College that I realized how accessible — and how vital — a writing community could be.

Taking classes at ACC has introduced me to a range of voices and perspectives that I might not have otherwise encountered, both in the classroom and in the literary canon. It’s all too easy to get lost in my own particular world, studying only the authors and regions and worldviews which are familiar to me. Suggested reading lists and classroom discussions have led me to some of my favorite new-to-me authors, and they’ve also introduced me to ideas that I hadn’t yet considered.

When I write by myself, my writing practice seems like just that: practice. I write in my journal or on my laptop, and I accumulate pages and pages of half-formed ideas that never make it past the first draft. Taking a creative writing class allows my writing to shift from practice to product. Knowing that someone else will read my drafts inspires me to work harder and write better, and having a deadline also gives me permission to stop: at a certain point, I have to put down my pencil and share my work with someone else.

Before I took creative writing classes, I didn’t share my writing with anyone. I loved to write but it felt too personal to share: I imagined that the stories or essays I wrote would reveal some aspect of myself I’d prefer to keep hidden, or would touch on some concept that I’d rather ignore.

There’s something exhilarating about sharing your work. Writing is ultimately about communication, and a community — of peers and mentors, other writers — forms a critical part of that equation.

Right now, as I find myself physically separated from many of the people and activities that I used to enjoy, I turn to words more than ever. Books offer some consolation, but at the end of the day, I still find myself searching for a more personal connection. The creative writing classes at ACC have shown me the power of a writing community, and I’m so excited to continue participating in Austin’s vibrant literary scene.

— Maya Landers, ACC Student

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Thanks, Maya!

For more information about Fall courses, click here, and to learn more about enrolling through continuing education, click here. Or you can call or email the department chair, Charlotte Gullick, at 512-913-4479, cgullick@austincc.edu

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member Q&A: The Writing Consultancy

“I have gained so much knowledge and wonderful friends volunteering at Writer’s League events, watching authors grow at the annual A&E Conference and witnessing so much talent make its way into print.”

– Britta Jensen

The Writing Consultancy offers mentoring and coaching for stories in development, a range of editing services for fiction and non-fiction, and literacy tutoring.

In addition to supporting and promoting authors, The Writing Consultancy is a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with founder Britta Jensen to find out more.

Scribe: Tell us a little about the Writing Consultancy and the work that you do.

Britta Jensen: I started the Writing Consultancy to meet the needs of writers who might fit into one of the following three groups: authors seeking to get published, writers pursuing indie publishing, or aspiring writers wanting to improve their narrative skills and voice. For fifteen years I taught secondary creative writing and literature. In the evenings, I worked with authors I met at writing conferences on developing their manuscripts. Years of working with both these populations spurred my desire to blend my favourite parts of teaching and editing to create a holistic approach I felt was missing from a lot of editing services. Some writers want a more hands-on approach: a mix of editing and writing instruction. Others want incisive, honest feedback on their manuscript to get it published, while others need mentoring: a mix of writing instruction and project planning to guide them through finishing a book that otherwise may linger on their hard drive for years without finishing the book. I wanted all three of these services to be available to writers, but also at a price that would allow as many authors as possible to achieve their publishing dreams.

Scribe: What is the biggest takeaway from working as a writing consultant, editor, and mentor? 

BJ: One of the biggest advantages of working with me is that there isn’t any middle man. The Writing Consultancy is just me, Britta Jensen. You get a lot of one-on-one attention as a result. I have a broad base of knowledge: characterization, plot, dialogue, thematic issues, story structure, and a huge treasure trove of exercises and techniques. It helps that I started out as a playwright/poet and had many years of Off-Broadway theater experience to solidify my knowledge of story structure (while reading novels by flashlight backstage). I make it my goal to first identify what is working well with an author’s developing voice and story and then focus on ways to restructure their narrative to bring clarity to the reader. Clients appreciate my honesty and high level of detail in my feedback. My primary goal is for my clients to go further than publishing a book: I want them to be the writer they envision becoming.

As a mentor, a lot of clients appreciate the accountability part of our relationship: I design deadlines that will work with their vision for their book, we create benchmarks for achieving those goals (often crafted around their job and life circumstances), and I check-in with them regularly before and after we meet. I love working for a longer stretch of time (usually for an entire book) with an author and watching them progress. As result, I feel like an advocate of their work: the relationship doesn’t end with the project’s conclusion.

As an editor and writing consultant, clients like that I sit down with them and answer all of their questions. Built into the cost of editing is a block of time for meeting one on one (either in person or via phone/video conference). Since half of my clients don’t live in the Austin metro area, the outbrief helps a lot with outlining next steps and clarifying anything that may have come up when they reviewed my edits. All editing clients receive a letter with their developmental or copy edit that summarizes my feedback to help them parse through all the notes in the margins and tracked changes (which can be really overwhelming without that editing letter).

To make sure that clients feel I’m a good fit for their project I always offer a thirty-minute free consultation via phone and offer a sample critique.

Scribe: As a writer yourself, what is one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?

BJ: Develop a vision for your work. This might sound self-evident, but there can be a lot of conflicting advice about the writing process floating around if you aren’t thoughtful about where you want your writing journey to go. If you elucidate your vision, your individual goals (I’d love to publish ten stories by age fifty), and what benchmarks will help you feel successful, when the hard knocks come you still have a navigable pathway before you. Critique partners, professional editors and mentors can also help you refine your vision as you learn more about your process as a writer, which will be unique to your circumstances and skills.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

BJ: The best thing about moving to Texas was definitely the Writer’s League. I wish I had known about it while I was still living overseas because you have so many great online classes! I have gained so much knowledge and wonderful friends volunteering at Writer’s League events, watching authors grow at the annual A&E Conference and watching so much talent make its way into print. Because my life has always surrounded literacy, it is wonderful to feel like I’m “with my people” and can support fellow writers, get new ideas for my books and learn from seasoned veterans. Writer’s League truly fosters a growth mindset in authors and that is essential in our careers! One worry I had when I moved to Texas, after twenty-two years living overseas, was that I wouldn’t be able to connect with people stateside. Writer’s League has such a diverse group of people to learn from. I’m so honored to be a member of this organization!

Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down? 

BJ: Two Texas author’s books I’m enjoying at present are: Nicky Drayden’s Escaping Exodus and Tears of a Trufflepig by Fernando A. Flores. I’m in awe of both these authors magnificent minds and wonderful prose.

Scribe: Anything else you’d like to share? 

BJ: A lot of writers ask me how I find time to write my books. My biggest discovery, when I transitioned from a playwright to novelist, was creating consistency of practice. I’m the daughter of a professional musician. As a kid I had an allotted time when I could practice voice and piano every day. And if I didn’t practice six days a week, I was in big trouble. When I took that same approach to my writing, it made it a lot easier to draft and edit. Consistent practice, even if it’s twenty minutes, means I don’t waste time forgetting what I edited, or having to spend hours reconnecting with a manuscript via my notes in Scrivener. (This has all been while working full-time). Early mornings tend to be golden. No one is awake to bother me and I’m free to get lost in my work. I’ve written five books as a result of seeking the best time to work, staying consistent in writing/editing my work 4-5 days a week and constantly looking at ways in which to be more efficient with my time. As a result, I feel like I have an aspect of my writing career that is within my control.

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Thanks, Britta!

Click here to visit The Writing Consultancy’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member Q&A: Childress Business Communication

“Find a community of writers to keep you motivated and engaged with the latest developments in the field. WLT is a great place to make friendships with other writers. Find a group, and become active with them.”

-Cindy Childress, Ph.D., founder of Childress Business Communication

Childress Business Communication is a writing consulting firm based in Houston, Texas. Their mission is to empower their clients with engaging, effective communication strategies. They’re passionate about helping professional service providers and coaches develop a strong, consistent brand.

In addition, Childress Business Communication is a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with founder Cindy Childress, Ph.D., to find out more about her and her company.

Scribe: You have a Ph.D. in English. How did you decide to transition from academia to owning your own business?

CC: As I was in the last semester of my Ph. D., my husband got the opportunity to move overseas for his career in oil and gas. I have always loved to travel and was interested in living abroad, so we spent seven years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Balikpapan, Indonesia. While overseas, I had a dependent visa, and I couldn’t find a job. I almost joined the faculty of the Islamic University of Malaysia, but the day after my final interview, Israel sank a flotilla of aid that was going from Turkey to Palestine, and there were protests at the American Embassy in KL. The university feared I would be followed by such protests if I joined their campus.

So, I returned to America having been President of two expatriate women’s groups and having gained experience in corporate sponsorships, events, and memberships. But I hadn’t done a single hour of paid work for seven years, so I couldn’t even get an interview for administrative jobs, must less anything befitting my education and experience.

I returned to my creativity and created my own job as a freelance writer to start building a portfolio. At first, my intention was to become competitive for a position as a ghostwriter in a book writing firm, but my business grew quickly, and now I create positions for other talented writers and creative professionals. I use all my skills from being a writing professor to train my team in the new genres of content writing and sales copywriting on digital platforms.

In graduate school, when my colleagues and professors said they didn’t think they could possibly function outside academia, I felt puzzled. The myth that if you’re too educated, you have to stay behind the walls of the ivory tower is absurd. Knowing exactly who my audience is and how I need to communicate in order to be effective means that I am where I should be–wherever I am.

Scribe: You are one of several team members at Childress Communications. Tell us a little more about your team members and their specialties.

CC: Clare Martin’s second book of poetry from Yellow Flag Press was released this year. I have known her since we were in an informal poetry critique group together in Louisiana, and she founded and edits the Mockingheart Review. Her skills in poetry and creative nonfiction are perfectly adapted to writing snappy ad copy and compelling, emotional prose.

Susannah Russell has a J.D. from the University of Houston and spent the last five years as a technical writer for a major company. Her experience in writing powerful, successful long-form prose made it a no-brainer to invite her to join the team. She’s doing a great job on our full-length book projects.

Donnette Brown is our Creative Growth Strategist, and she holds an M.B. A. She allows me to stay in my left-brain while she picks up the right-brain tasks for daily operations to make sure we stay profitable and maintain our relationships with clients. We created her title to reflect the many facets of her role.

We just added Morgan Mitchell to handle more of our social media and content writing needs, as well as to do some in-house writing for the business. She brings graphic design and video editing skills, alongside a strong desire to tell stories across social media platforms.

Scribe: As a writer yourself, what is one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?

CC: Don’t measure your success by anyone else’s. Just keep writing and paying attention to your craft. Don’t be afraid to go outside the box and do something no one else is doing. Also, find a community of writers to keep you motivated and engaged with the latest developments in the field. One thing that happened to me overseas is that I was without a community for the first time, and that made it harder to keep writing. WLT is a great place to make friendships with other writers. Find a group, and become active with them.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

CC: Writers need each other and need to support each other. If you write in isolation, then when you publish, even if it’s with a big publishing house, you will have a harder time promoting the book than if you had already been building relationships with groups like WLT, other writers, and the venues that are friendly to writers, like indie bookstores such as Brazos Bookstore and BookPeople.

Being a community member is about supporting the events and activities that WLT brings to writers across Texas. Meeting other writers and finding out about their writing processes and goals is helpful to my business, of which a fair part of it is editing manuscripts and creating author platforms, but it’s more about uplifting the entire literary community. For every writer that creates a better book and sells more of them, that helps all of us by further dignifying the craft.

Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?

CC: Jamie Brickhouse’s Dangerous When Wet was delightful start-to-finish. [Editor’s Note: Brickhouse was the Keynote Reception Speaker at our 2017 WLT Conference. Find out more about the 2018 Conference here.]

Scribe: Anything else you’d like to share?

CC: Even while book publishing houses are struggling to find their place in the changing digital economy, the appetite for good writing and storytelling remains. Be brave, be bold, and don’t wait for anyone else to figure it out. Your stories need you to tell them.

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Thanks, Cindy!

Click here to visit Childress Business Communication’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member Q&A: Kallisto Gaia Press

“Be true to your craft but share your vision and your work with your tribe. Community will give you an anchor.”

-Tony Burnett

Kallisto Gaia Press is a nonprofit literary organization and publisher focused on supporting writers at all stages of their careers. They don’t shy away from experimental or unusual approaches to literature, and their goal is to promote finely crafted writing with an expressive and meaningful voice.

In addition to supporting and promoting authors, Kallisto Gaia Press is a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with founder (and WLT Board President) Tony Burnett to find out more.

Scribe: Tell us a little about why you founded Kallisto Gaia Press, the meaning of its name, and its mission.

Tony Burnett: Formed in 2013, Kallisto Gaia Press was originally intended as a hub for emerging writers of any age to find a venue for publication. In late 2016, with several other scribes and literary enthusiasts, we incorporated as a nonprofit and modified our mission statement. We seek to publish and promote writers from underserved communities alongside established voices while insuring that our authors are compensated for their art.

The name, Kallisto Gaia, originates in Greek mythology. Kallisto, loosely translated, means “most beautiful” and Gaia means “earth.” Of course, as in most myths, there’s a lot more to the story and it’s a nail-biter. On our website (www.kallistogaiapress.org) there is enough info about the origin to send you down that rabbit hole.

Scribe: What is the Ocotillo Review?

TB: The Ocotillo Review (TOR) is a literary journal in print format that publishes in summer and winter. Our desire is to give voice to an international sampling of journalists, storytellers, and poets from viewpoints that reflect diversity of culture and open lines of communication. Oh, and did I mention we pay? Details can be found on our website.

Scribe: How can writers submit to the Ocotillo Review?

TB: We take all submissions through Submittable. We charge a $3 reading fee that we split with the Submittable website. That allows us to receive an unlimited number of submissions and the software enables our all volunteer staff to manage the submissions effectively. It also helps pay the writers we publish. Submissions for TOR are open August 15th through October 31st and January 15th through March 31st. Guidelines are listed on our website and occasionally change.

Scribe: What is the Texas Poetry Calendar?

TB: Betty Davis and Lianne Mercer founded the Texas Poetry Calendar in 1999 as a planner/calendar/journal containing poetry from Texas-based poets and poems with Texas as their subject. It has featured work from Texas Poet Laureates and other award-winning poets along with emerging poets from many backgrounds. To my knowledge we will be the third publishing company to produce the TPC. We were fortunate enough to be chosen by Dos Gatos Press to continue this iconic Texas tradition. We are grateful to have Cindy Huyser agree to edit the first edition under our imprint as she has edited six of the previous ten Calendars. Submissions of Texas related poetry for the 2019 calendar will open December 1st 2017 and close February 10th 2018. Watch our website for further details.

Scribe: As a writer yourself, what is one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring writers?

TB: Be true to your craft but share your vision and your work with your tribe. Community will give you an anchor.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

TB: The word “community” says it all. I work with a number of writer-focused organizations and I can say from experience that not only is the WLT one of the premier writing organizations in America, it also serves statewide as an umbrella organization. The WLT works with other writer groups, universities, schools, and libraries to maximize the impact of its members’ focus, be it on craft, community, or the business aspect of our chosen art form.

Scribe: Here at the Writers’ League, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down?

TB: That’s a tough one. This last year has been a banner year for Texas’ writers. One book I remember reading in one sitting is Owen Egerton’s new novel, Hollow. After reading it I took a short nap and started back at the beginning to grasp how he’d pulled it off. I’ve followed his career for years and each book seems to eclipse the previous masterpiece. I’m a fan.

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Thanks, Tony!

Click here to visit Kallisto Gaia Press’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member Q&A: The Authors’ Assistant

 

 

 

 

 

 The Authors’ Assistant provides editing, publishing, and promotional services to writers of almost every genre. Based in Austin for almost two decades, the Authors’ Assistant’s tagline: “Do you want to be read?” has been a resounding yes for scores of authors who have seen their publishing aspirations become a reality.

In addition to being a successful business devoted to the success of authors, The Authors’ Assistant is a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with Danielle Hartman Acee to find out more about them.

Scribe: Danielle, the Authors’ Assistant is, to quote your website, “a one-stop shop for writers.” What motivated you and Mindy Reed to create The Authors’ Assistant and describe the value in offering a “one-stop-shop” to a writer?

Danielle Hartman Acee: I must give all the credit to Mindy for The Author’s Assistant business model. She had the foresight back in 1996 of offering aspiring authors a chance to have their work professionally content and copy edited so they could submit immaculate, well-crafted manuscripts to agents, publishers, and provide publishing house caliber editing services for those who decided to indie publish when the term was still very taboo.

I joined The Authors’ Assistant in 2009 when Mindy realized the indie authors she worked with required a system to help them upload their print and ebooks to Amazon. She also noticed new prospects of connecting authors with readers through social media. Mindy and I are passionate about educating ourselves on the latest editing, publishing, and promotional gold standards in the rapidly changing publishing industry. The value in a one-stop shop is that our clients are guided by professionals through every aspect of publishing, while steering them away from predators who too often want to capitalize on aspiring writers’ dreams.

Scribe: The Authors’ Assistant offers half-hour consultations for free. What can a writer expect from a consultation with you and what’s the best way to schedule one?

DHA: During a consultation with Mindy and/or myself, an author can expect to receive a brief overview of the services we offer, how we work together, and how our services might be customized to their specific needs. The sessions allow us to obtain the information necessary to prepare a list of recommended services and an estimate.

Scribe: Your bio states that you believe in “building readership by targeting an audience via organic social media use.” Can you elaborate on this?

DHA: It has become common practice for marketers to recommend authors purchase “likes and followers” in order to look attractive to agents, publishers, and potential readers. The Authors’ Assistant realized the majority of these pay for follow strategies aren’t marketing to the authors’ readership, and sometimes not even to real people! What The Authors’ Assistant strives to do is teach and assist authors in how to build a social media platform that will attract actual potential readers and also how to use the latest tools and techniques offered by each social media platform in order to connect and grow a genuine audience.

Scribe: What do you see are the one or two biggest challenges facing writers who are just getting started?

DHA: Developing an entrepreneurial and networking spirit, and balancing a writing and marketing life.

Scribe: What’s your biggest piece of advice for meeting these challenges?

DHA: BEFORE you publish, use your writing to develop your readership. If you look at any current authors’ success stories you see three commonalities: 1. The author typically starts out indie. 2. The author built a huge social media community that begged the author to publish the work the author previously and willingly gave out for free through blogging and social media networking before. 3. The author was discovered by agents and publishers because of their huge indie presence and strong following.

Scribe: Pick one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down.

Mindy Reed: Those Bones at Goliad: a Texas Revolution novel by Judith Austin Mills.

DHA: Too often, Texas history is focused on events surrounding the Alamo. This novel follows settlers from Georgia and Mississippi who find themselves drawn into the turmoil of the Texas Revolution. The author’s ability to put fictional characters into the historically accurate telling of Goliad makes for informative and riveting reading. This is a must read for anyone interested in Texas history.

DHA: The Monkey House by Boyd Taylor. The story is the third in the Donnie Ray Cuinn series, which follows a young Austinite from UT graduate school, up to the Panhandle to practice law, and then back to Austin to help old Austinites fight new development in Austin. Taylor’s satirical writing style makes me laugh aloud at the self-deprecating and lovable characters. I am a native Austinite who loves to reflect on the changes happening to the city and I know I’m not alone.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

DHA: The Authors’ Assistant’s underlying mission is to not only ensure well crafted writing, but educate authors on current publishing trends. The Writers’ League of Texas offers invaluable courses in writing technique and development, which helps Texas produce some of the best writers in the world. How could we not support such an integral program that mirrors our own?
Thanks, Danielle!

Click here to visit The Authors’ Assistant’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

 

Community Member Q&A: Wild Horse Media

 

 

 

Founded by Billy Huckaby in 2005 and based in Fort Worth, TX, Wild Horse Media Group is a multi-media company that includes imprints Eakin Press, NorTex Press, and Wild Horse Press as well as a retail company Cowboy Bookworm which specializes in books and other merchandise about the West.

Wild Horse Media Group is also a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with Billy Huckaby to find out more about them.

Scribe: Wild Horse Media Group is made up of several imprints specializing in books about Texas and the West. Can you give us a little background of how your company came together and how you got into the book business?

Wild Horse Media: I have always been a bit of a book nut, dating back to elementary school. I am an old newspaper and magazine editor and publisher, so book publishing seemed a pretty natural progression. I started Wild Horse Press and Cowboy Bookworm in 2006 and in 2013 we formed Wild Horse Media Group and acquired all of the assets of Sunbelt Media, which included Eakin Press and NorTex Press. Ed Eakin was a legend in Texas book publishing and I am honored to be able to carry on what he started. He got started in book publishing back in the 1950s with Clarendon Press. In the 1960s he launched NorTex and in the mid-70s Eakin Press.  I was amazed at the number of titles Eakin published and the variety of titles. There are well over a thousand titles in print and you can name about any subject and Eakin published a book on that topic at one time or another.

Scribe: On your website it mentions you offer “Custom Book Publishing.” Can you tell us more about this service and how interested readers should get in touch?

WHM: NorTex Press was the custom publishing arm of Sunbelt Media and they published a lot of county and city histories. They also did a lot of church histories. We have taken on a couple of custom publishing projects since acquiring NorTex but we are still tweaking the business model. Our primary focus at the moment is traditional book publishing. But anyone that is interested in book publishing is welcome to contact me.

Scribe: You taught a workshop at Texas Christian University on Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing in February of this year. What’s one way the industry has changed in the past few years that writers should be excited about?

WHM: I start every discussion on the current state of book publishing by saying, “The great thing today is that anybody can get a book published and the worst thing is that anybody can get a book published.”

There is a lot of junk being published and unfortunately all of those books flood into the market and it makes it harder for the better books to break out and be successful. But a couple of great aspects of book publishing today are the Internet and print-on-demand. The Internet allows us to sell and market books worldwide and is vital to the book publishing process. Print-on-demand has been around for some time and Ed Eakin was a pioneer in the process with probably the first print-on-demand system in Texas. The technology today provides a quality product and for a reasonable price. We are a great example since we have more than 1,000 titles.  When I started in book publishing print-on-demand was not available and you had to print roughly 3,000 copies of a title for the cost to be economical. That means we would need warehouse space to store roughly three million books. That is just not economically feasible. Print-on-demand also allows us to print and distribute books worldwide, without having to print books in the United States and then ship them to Australia or Great Britain. There are certainly book projects that require a traditional printer, but print-on-demand is a viable option for most books and all of the major publishers are using print-on-demand for some of their books.

Scribe: What do you see as the one or two biggest challenges facing independent publishers today?

WHM: The biggest challenge for an independent publisher is competing against the big publishing companies, just as it has always been. The other issue is Amazon and how they dominate the industry in several different areas. They have killed off many of the brick and mortar bookstores and with their CreateSpace and Kindle publishing platforms, they are by-passing publishers all together.  Amazon has also tried to meddle with the relationship between authors and publishers in the past trying to dictate royalties and book pricing. It is no secret that Amazon wants to and tried to dominate and control the book industry in every way they can. But at the same time the book publisher needs Amazon since they are the primary outlet for selling books. I guess you could call it a bit of a love/hate relationship or a necessary evil. But I do think the tide will turn and we will see more independent or mom and pop bookstores. There are great independent bookstores out there like BookPeople and Brazos Bookstore, so they can obviously be successful.

Scribe: How is Wild Horse Media adapting to meet these challenges?

WHM: Since we acquired Eakin and NorTex it has been an almost three-year struggle getting those imprints back on-track and making sure all of the titles are available and in-print. In 2016 we intend to focus on marketing and sales at the grassroots level. We have more Texas and Texana titles than any other publisher and we are going to focus on Texas and the Southwest as our marketplace.  We are also going to be highly selective in the titles we print and focus on quality book projects.

Scribe: Pick one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down.

WHM: Unfortunately since I spend so much time reading manuscripts and working on book projects, I don’t get to read a lot of outside books. But we recently published a book titled, “Black Holocaust: The Paris Horror and a Legacy of Texas Terror.” It was written by E. R. Bills and recounts one of the darkest times in Texas when people of color were not only tortured and ultimately put to death by fire, but often for crimes they did not commit. It is a tough read due to the graphic text and photos, but it is riveting and should make people stop and think about race relations and how cruel seemingly normal and average men could be to their fellow man. The entire time we were working on the book we kept commenting how timely it seemed considering the current state of race relations. As soon as the book was released it got to number one on Amazon’s Hot New Releases list in African American history. The book has also been placed on the recommended reading list for African American scholars by The Journal for Blacks in Higher Education.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

WHM: It is important to have organizations like the Writers’ League of Texas that can represent not only authors, but also serve as a conduit to keep everyone involved informed about what is going on within the industry. I have always been impressed with the educational opportunities they provide to members and the public. It is important that companies such as mine support the organization financially so that they can continue the work and expand the services to members. There are a lot of companies and associations out there that promise people the world and they fail to deliver. I think the Writer’s League of Texas not only delivers, but is an organization that the more you put into it, the bigger the return.

Thanks, Billy!

Click here to visit Wild Horse Media’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

 

 

Community Member Q&A: Stephanie Barko

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Barko’s award-winning clients include traditional publishers and their authors, small presses, and independently published writers. She promotes nonfiction & historical fiction exclusively.

Stephanie Barko is also a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read her interview below to find out more about her company.

Scribe: You were in high tech marketing before becoming a literary publicist. What drew you to the publishing industry?

Stephanie Barko: An editor in a writing circle I frequented ten years ago noticed that I had a keen interest in promoting the group’s writers. Later that year I realized that there always seemed to be something I was promoting, even as a kid. When I looked for a post-corporate professional direction, the dynamic nature of the publishing industry felt exciting to me. Indie publishing was barely getting started and I was curious to see how it would play out.

Writers and professionals I knew in the publishing industry embraced a cooperative business model and that appealed to me too.

Scribe: What do you like most about working with authors?

SB: I’ve always loved working with creatives. I like the author who trusts my advice and appreciates my results. Likewise, I expect authors to deliver solid craft. Authors like to work with people who appreciate their writing, and publicists like to work with authors who appreciate their messaging.

Scribe: What do you see are the one or two biggest challenges facing authors today who are working to market their books and attract a readership?

SB: The first challenge I see is the bounty of competition out there in any given subcategory, and the second challenge is motivation. Competition can be dealt with using clever positioning, but motivation is personal. The motivation it takes to connect with readers, on top of everything else an author is expected to do, is significant. However, when an author’s motivation to connect is present and genuine, you will see a loyal band of followers trailing behind that author.

Scribe: What’s your biggest piece of advice for meeting these challenges?

SB: Get help with book marketing so you can keep writing and do the things that only you can accomplish, like autographing books and appearing in chat rooms.

Scribe: You’ve recently created an app called DIY Book Platform to help new authors market their book. What motivated you to create this and how does it work?

SB: I created DIY Book Platform to help writers who could not afford to work with me. I wanted writers on a tight budget to have a quick and easy way to document their own platform. DIY Book Platform is an interactive web-based app. With the app’s help, authors answer questions that illustrate a forum and following for their upcoming release.

Authors pay $99 for 45 days of access to 49 questions. Although some authors get through the sequence in a single session, there’s plenty of time and helpful notes to support writers along. At the end, users download, print, and then use the platform they’ve created to acquire an agent or publisher.

Scribe: Pick one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down.

SB: Mayhem:  Three Lives of a Woman by Elizabeth Harris

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

SB: Not every state has a statewide writing association, but Texas does. An organization like WLT can provide a sense of comradery and shared purpose. The way I see it, WLT and Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist are united in keeping Texas authors in the spotlight at state and national levels.

Thanks, Stephanie!

Click here to visit Stephanie Barko’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

Community Member Q&A: Yellow Bird Editors

 

 

 

 

Yellow Bird provides a wealth of editing services as well as private writing coaches to writers of fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. Founded by author Sara Kocek (Promise Me Something) and based in Austin, TX, Yellow Bird editors are an accomplished band of editors of varied literary backgrounds.

Yellow Bird is also a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview below with Sara Kocek to find out more about the services they offer.

Scribe: Yellow Bird offers an array of editing services for writers–manuscript critiques, content editing, first chapter critique and query letter review & edit, to name a few. What’s some good advice for a new writer deciding what type of editing service to choose from?

Yellow Bird: If you’re uncertain about which editorial service to begin with, I almost always recommend our standard manuscript critique. This usually gets you the biggest bang for your buck, since you’ll receive feedback on a range of issues, including plot, structure, character development, dialogue, narrative flow, transitions, and even how your book fits into the marketplace. Another great option is a First Chapter Critique & Line Edit. In addition to a feedback letter addressing the strengths and weaknesses of your first chapter, your editor will also provide comments in the margins and suggested line edits directly into the text. It’s a nice, affordable way to test out an editor and make sure you have good chemistry before committing to working together on the full manuscript.

Scribe: How do you match a client’s project to a Yellow Bird editor and how does one get in touch?

YB: Prospective clients should fill out the inquiry form on our website, which asks for key project details (e.g. manuscript length and genre). Most importantly, we ask for a brief description of your project and the type of help you think you need. The more thorough you are in your answers, the easier it is for us to determine which editor on our list would be the right fit for you. If you already have a synopsis (or even jacket copy) written out, please feel free to include that—we love synopses! Our Project Coordinator reviews each inquiry and reaches out to the editor(s) she thinks would be the best fit for the project. From there, she makes an introduction so that the client and editor can be in touch directly to discuss details. Our Project Coordinator also takes care of issuing contracts and invoices so that our editors can focus on the work they do best.

Scribe: Yellow Bird offers college essay coaching for teens and creative writing tutorials for both kids and teens. Can you tell us more about those services?

YB: Absolutely! We work frequently with kids and teens, though we require a parent to be the primary point of contact. For kids between the ages of 8 and 15, we offer one-on-one creative writing tutorials via email on a weekly or monthly basis. The student receives a fun creative writing prompt, writes a short story or poem in response, and emails it back. We critique the piece of writing, noting both what we love about it and how it could be improved. The critique consists of a 1-page single spaced letter. This is a fun, affordable way for motivated students to receive one-on-one attention from a published author.

With regard to college essay coaching, we do more than help applicants improve individual essays; we guides students through shaping their entire collection of essays and short-answer questions to hone the overall message they send the admissions office. We are available both for coaching (guiding the student through the writing process) and editing (improving existing drafts). Most coaching and editing sessions are conducted via email and phone.

Scribe: What do you see are the one or two biggest challenges facing writers in the editing process?

YB: Being too close to your own work can be a huge challenge. If you’ve read your draft (or even your first chapter!) a dozen or more times, it becomes very difficult to see it objectively. That’s why bringing an editor or a smart critique partner into the process is vital. And once you’ve decided to work with a professional editor, half the battle is knowing what kind of editing you need. So many writers come to Yellow Bird looking for copyediting or proofreading when they would be better served by more holistic feedback on plot and structure, usually in the form of a full manuscript critique or developmental editing. There’s no point in spending money on line editing if the big-picture elements of your story (plot arc, character development, etc.) need work! You’re better off investing in a standard or extensive manuscript critique, doing a round of revision, and then moving on to line editing.

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

I love The Writers’ League! Every time I teach a workshop or attend an event like the annual Agents & Editors Conference, I know I am surrounded by “my people.” Also, having worked for the League (currently as the Contest Manager and formerly as the Program Director), I know first-hand how dedicated and hardworking the team is. The Writers’ League gave me a sense of community when I first moved to Texas, and now I am excited to give back as a community member.

Thanks, Sara!

Click here to visit Yellow Bird’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.

 

Community Member Q&A: Editor World

Editor World offers editing services for books (fiction and nonfiction), academic works, resumes and other business-related materials. Founded by Patti Fisher, the company is based in Newport, Virginia, and employs editors with backgrounds in academia, published authors, and other writing professionals.

Editor World is also a proud Community Member of the Writers’ League of Texas. Read the interview with Patti Fisher below to find out more about them.

Scribe: Can you tell us a little bit about your background and the philosophy behind Editor World?

Patti Fisher: While completing my doctorate in family finance, there were many international students in my program.   I started editing papers for other graduate students and then started working for a few companies that offer online editing services.  I continued to work for these companies while searching for a faculty position and started to think about creating a new online company.  I used the strengths of those companies but also focused on providing quality customer service and having good communication with editors.  I then worked with the local Small Business Development Center to get things started and launched the company in 2010.  Editor World’s strengths are the quality editing services our editors provide and the firm turnaround times that clients can rely on.

Scribe: You offer a free two-page sample edit to new clients. How does a potential client take advantage of this?

PF: To use the free sample edit feature on the Editor World website, individuals first need to register with a name and valid email address.  The list of currently available editors can be viewed on the site, and most editors offer a free sample edit.  If they do, there is a “Free Sample Edit” button at the bottom of their profile.  Clients upload a page or two and can download the sample document from the website after it’s edited and uploaded by the editor.  Editor World asks editors to return free sample edit documents within 2 days.  We have a variety of experts offering editing services through Editor World, so this feature allows clients to pick the editor whose style is the best fit for their project.  Registered clients can also use the message system to communicate with editors.

Scribe: What advice would you give a writer who is searching for an editor for the first time?

PF: I always recommend that clients use the message system to contact potential editors and to utilize the free sample edit feature before submitting a document for editing.  This helps the client know what to expect from the editing process.  When working with any individual editor or a larger company, the client should look for feedback from previous clients and ask about both quality and the editor’s ability to meet deadlines.

Scribe: What do you see are the one or two biggest challenges facing writers in the editing process?

PF: One of the biggest challenges writers face in the editing process is finding an editor who is a good fit for the project, understands what the writer wants, and will meet deadlines.  We get many calls and emails from writers who are looking for a new editor because they aren’t happy with a previous editor, and it’s generally because (1) the quality wasn’t good, (2) the editor changed the writer’s voice, or (3) the deadline wasn’t met.

Scribe: What’s your biggest piece of advice for meeting these challenges?

PF: As with any relationship, communication is crucial.  The writer needs to provide relevant information to the editor so he/she can work on the document accordingly, and the editor needs to answer any questions the writer may have.  Clearly stating the expectations is also important.

One of the benefits of using a company that provides editing services, whether it’s Editor World or another company, is that the company generally oversees the quality of editors and makes sure that editors are meeting deadlines.  In addition, online ratings and reviews of editors and companies can be helpful for writers trying to choose an editor.

Scribe: Pick one Texas-related book that has come out within the past year that you couldn’t put down.

PF: The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate

Scribe: What’s important to you about supporting the Writers’ League of Texas and being a community member?

PF: I first heard about the Writers’ League of Texas because of the Agents and Editors Conference.  After attending the conference in 2014, I went to the 2015 Summer Writing Retreat, and was so pleased with both.  The programs benefited me as the owner of a company that offers editing services and also as a writer.  No organization in my area offers the same selection of workshops, retreats, and conferences for writers, which is why it’s important for me to support the Writers’ League of Texas.

Thanks, Patti!

Click here to visit Editor World’s website.

Are you a business or organization interested in getting involved?

Community Membership is a great way to connect with the Writers’ League’s membership base and share news and information about writing-related services and events. For more information on Community Membership click here or call our office at (512) 499-8914.