Author: Ari Goldfarb
If you are a local author, I highly recommend checking out the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair this weekend (Saturday April 9th – Sunday April 10th). See Facebook event.
2016 marks the tenth anniversary of the free event, which is hosting close to 100 venders, publishers, and small presses under one roof. The fair takes place on 453 Porter Ave (right by Symphony Circle). You can make a full day out of it—last year the food trucks came out in full force and once I left (falafel sandwich in hand) I found a nice bench in Allentown to read a couple publications I picked up. What makes this event so special is that it is far more than just a moving library; this is a chance for you, as a new writer or illustrator, to get your name out there.
Last year was my first year living in Buffalo since I graduated high school in 2010. I went to the fair, unsure what to expect, and was blown away. People are not just there to sell their product; they want to establish relationships with you (so bring business cards if you have them).
These are the presses and publishing houses new writers should approach. They are eager to discover new talent, and help bring out your potential; I recommend you read the work a small press publishes before pitching them to make sure it lines up with your own style.
I was rejected 9 times before I was published.
While indie publishers do not have the same audience as a Random House, or a Harper Collins, they will help expand your brand; I published my first book with an indie and now I have a small fan base in Texas.
Publishers come from all over to meet local readers and writers. If you are working on publishing your first or second book, this might be the fair you meet your next distributor.
In honor of the upcoming Small Press Book Fair, I wanted to share 8 tips I have learned as writer since graduating from college. I hope you find them helpful.
Literary Journals
Literary journals are the first step to success. You need to get your name out there in order to establish an audience. This is not as scary as it sounds. I’m not talking about thousands of screaming fans, or even hundreds. All you need are a few people who like you enough to hit the retweet or share buttons on social media. I signed up for an account on PW.org my senior year of college and searched the literary journal database for online publications accepting poetry and short story submissions (with no reading fee). Do not be discouraged by a “No.” I was rejected 9 times before I was published. Once you add that first publication to your writing resume, more will follow.
The General Idea
Once you feel you are ready to start writing novels, the first thing you should do is articulate the general idea of your manuscript. I write a two sentence summary of my book idea at the top of page one before I begin writing. This becomes useful when querying publishers. If you can’t tell a publisher what your book is about how are they going to sell it?
The Writing Routine
Establish a writing routine. Some days you just don’t want to write, but like working out you will feel so much better once you reach your goal. I aim for 2500 words a day when I am working on a rough draft. I always say don’t write bull crap, write fertilizer so something can actually grow from it. I say this to encourage letting your imagination run loose. Write as much as you want; fill the pages with as many details as you like. It doesn’t matter how rough the first draft is, all that matters is that you put enough out there to find what you’re looking for in edits.
The Shortcut
Not only did I write notes to myself at the top of my manuscript, but also at the bottom. While it is important to establish a daily writing routine, sometimes a heavy work schedule gets in the way. This makes maintaining engagement in your fictional world difficult. By writing a quick couple of sentences at the end of every writing session you create a shortcut into your fictional world. That way, if you accidentally miss a couple of days of writing you do not have to re-read an entire chapter.
No Social Media
Limit your social media. It is too easy to justify why you are on there. For me I used to tell myself I was just engaging with potential fans and growing my brand but in reality it was just a time suck and helped me procrastinate. Unplug whenever you are about to write.
Read Daily
I read at least 50 pages a day. This is very easy to accomplish, especially if you have the Kindle app on your phone. There is no rule saying you need to sit down and read all 50 pages in one sitting. I read up to 10 different times any given day (Just sneak a few pages here and there.)
Don’t Plot Too Much
This is tricky because some people live for an outline. I admit plotting milestones have come in handy for me in the past, but sometimes you just need to let the story write itself. You will learn about your characters while you’re writing, and eventually they will act all on their own. All you will need to do is articulate their actions.
Be Authentic
Just Do It: There is no right or wrong way. We have been taught so many rules on writing that so many great authors have ignored. We are told to avoid adverbs but the Harry Potter series is notorious for using them. We are taught to use simple dialogue tags like “he said” or “she asked,” but Catch 22 has an over the top dialogue tag after almost every verbal interaction. As long as you write something entertaining, emotional, or thought provoking you will have some sort of audience. What’s really important is that you are authentic.