Offering timely advice in an era when the burden of production and publicity frequently falls on authors, this essential reference reflects on methods for being focused, productive, and savvy in the craft of writing. Discussing a wide range of essential topics for self-promoting authors, this important guide explores questions such as How can authors use social media and the internet? How does the new online paradigm affect authors, readers, and the book industry? How can authors find the time to both create and promote their work? and What should never be done? Through good-humored encouragement, practical tips of the trade culled from 25 years of experience as a writer, reviewer, editor, publisher, agent, and blogger are shared. Including topics such as personal space versus public space, deadlines, and networking, the benefits of interacting with readers through new technologies is revealed.
Booklife
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Author and blogger VanderMeer (Finch) outlines ways for writers to harness both the emerging power of the Internet and their own creativity in this informative guide. VanderMeer differentiates between a Public Booklife (marketing the book and the writer) and a Private Booklife (strategies to help get words on the page) and suggests that one's ideal Booklife is a dynamic balance of the two. Even though the Web's landscape is constantly shifting, his hints about ways to maximize a writer's exposure—including weighing the pros and cons of Facebook, MySpace and Twitter—can certainly be applied to future social networking sites and blogs. The tips for creating a flourishing Public Booklife will appeal to a wide variety of writers, from those just starting out to those trying to navigate the changing world of book publishing, while the Private Booklife section seems more tailored to new authors. With anecdotes from VanderMeer's own life as a writer, reviewer and blogger, as well as input from agents, editors and publicists, this guide will surely help writers traverse the often difficult journey from first draft to finished product. (Oct. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"This guide will surely help writers traverse the often difficult journey from first draft to finished product." —Publishers Weekly
"Well-organized masterclass in understanding how to fit both writing and a writing career into your life." —Cory Doctorow, Boingboing.net
"Jeff VanderMeer is an extraordinary writer . . . passionate, beautiful, complex, terrifying." —Tamar Yellin, author, The Genizah at the House of Shepher
"One of the things that sets VanderMeer apart is his embrace of technology and media. His online presence is considerable and includes a number of web sites, frequent blogging, a short film adaptation . . . his Alien Baby photo project and even a project involving animation via Sony Playstation." —Wired.com
"A brilliant writer!" —Peter Straub, author, Lost Boy Lost Girl
"I've long marveled at Jeff's mad alchemist-like techniques of creation, promotion, and artistic survival through his artful navigation of brambly networks of writers, artists, musicians, historians, hatmakers, bloggers, booksellers, reviewers, and fans. To steal a line from an Eddie Izzard stand-up act, 'No one can live at that speed.'" —Leslie Ann Henkel, publicist, Berkley/New American Library
"One of the most literary fantasy writers or fantastic literary writers we've got working these days, take your pick." —Ron Hogan, Mediabistro's GalleyCat
"The thing about life is that it's bittersweet. It is both funny and dreadful and horrific and beautiful and everything else. And so to capture that . . . I turn to fantasy for that reason." —NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, a comprehensive book for the modern writer - it's about time,
By tangerine (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer (Paperback)
Booklife is really the first book that addresses the two main challenges facing modern writers: balancing self promotion and the craft of writing.
The first half of the book - Public Booklife - covers online forums like blogging, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and how publishing actually works, all of the practical aspects of writing as a career. The second half - Private Booklife - is about how to become a better and more satisfied writer, with the benefit of the author's own (fascinating!) creative methods as well as insightful essays from other authors. "Web-entrepreneur" Jeff VanderMeer has *25* years of experience (whoa) in publishing as a writer, editor, reviewer, high-profile blogger ([...]), and a whole lot more. He's absolutely the right guy to help writers understand how to become more successful while maintaining integrity and vision. He covers the best ways to use the Internet to increase your profile, the mysteries of the publishing cycle, how to work with publicists effectively, how to create an identity that is in sync with the quality and character of your writing, the process of establishing long-term writing goals, and how to maintain enough personal space to nurture your creativity, and much more. Plus VanderMeer's writing style is enjoyably infused with his humor and genuineness. This book is an absolute must for any writer hacking their way through the jungle of modern publishing. Check it out.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Guide For Creating a Successful and Balanced Writing Life,
By
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This review is from: Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer (Paperback)
Booklife is an informative guide for creating a successful and balanced writing life. VanderMeer breaks the book into two sections: Public Booklife, covering marketing elements, and the Private Booklife, focusing on the writing process - while emphasizing the importance of creating an authentic balance between the two.
The first section delves into online platforms and media opportunities including blogs, social networking (Twitter, FaceBook), book trailers, reviews, podcasts, and dedicated book / author websites, and provides insights to select the most effective and honest strategy. VanderMeer recommends setting goals and outlines how to create detailed plans. In part two, he discusses writing and revision, how to deal with rejections, and setting work schedules. This well-organized, thoughtful book concludes with more than 100 pages of appendices filled with information from and about agents, booksellers, editors, publicists, and published writers.
11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You need this book,
By James Patrick Kelly "Hugo and Nebula award wi... (Nottingham, NH) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer (Paperback)
This is the first time I have ever reviewed a book on Amazon. I have been teaching writing for almost twenty years and have been collecting books about writing for much, much longer. Booklife has easily leapt into my top five and is probably one of my top two recommendations for writing books. Some of what you will read here is advice I myself have given in the past, the rest is stuff I wish I'd had the perspicacity to say. But I don't need to now. I'll just tell people to buy Jeff VanderMeer's new book.
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