Writers Are Us Forum Local Libraries and Bookstores..

Hi everyone! Wow...It's about time the site got repaired. I've been trying for days to log on. Well I want to take the time to thank everyone for joining our group and welcome our new members!

My life experience has taught me that active listening and sharing experiences will help us accomplish anything in life. That's the purpose of Writers Are Us. We want to write, get published, and promote our books. That can only happen if we share ideas and information.

This thread is dedicated to local libraries and bookstores in your areas. I mentioned on earlier threads that local bookstores are more willing to bring your books into their stores than larger bookstores like Borders and Barnes and Noble. Print On Demand is not Vanity Publishing like it used to be coined. It's an up-and-coming form of publishing that even large publishing companies are starting to buy affiliates with.

As a self-published author we are in good company. Did you know that Mark Twain self-published Huckleberry Finn? He did that because he didn't want any editor messing up his work. James Joyce self-published Ulysses because he believed it was his masterpiece and he didn't want any publisher to spoil it. The author of the hit movie Legally Blonde also self-published. I find this information encouraging as I deal with corporate companies like Barnes and Noble, Borders, Target, Costco and others. Despite our books being available on their websites, contracts with publishers make it difficult for us to get our books into their stores.

But don't let that stop you!

Many of the store managers at those large companies have some pull and will allow you to leave flyers and bookmarkers of your book available for customers to peruse. The employees of those stores want to help, so make friends with them and they can help talk up your book to customers who ask for a good book to read.

Libraries in your city will also be glad to post your flyers for free and possibly add them to their websites, if you make the right friend. I made a presentation to a local library and they placed an order for my book to be on hand! All I did was introduce myself and tell them what I was trying to do. I never would have thought about libraries until a local author told me their events where a bunch of authors present their books is a good way to promote your book to the community. It turns out that some local libraries work closely with local bookstores and could possibly be encouraged to order a set of your book from your publisher.

And remember to be organized! I went to Bay Books in Coronado (www.baybookscoronado.com) and made a presentation last Monday and the manager called me back that Wednesday to schedule a Meet the Author Event for June 5! She said I was the most organized author she ever met.

I mentioned this to my cover design artist because I was surprised that other authors would not be as organized. I'm still learning as I go! He pointed out to me that a lot of writers don't have the experience I do when it comes to organization (I was in the military and have been a manager for The Home Depot for the past 10 years). When I thought about it then it made sense.

If you are organized and can handle a large portion of your presentation, you can save time and money instead of spending it on an agent. This doesn't mean not to get an agent or some professional help at some point. Before I look in that direction I want to do as much as I can on my own to save costs. There is plenty of information out there to help us get our stories posted.

For instance, Zabaretka.com is a privately-owned website that posts books by new authors to help get our books out there. They have recently uploaded their site to include my book too!

I also suggest to go to Used Books Stores and make friends with the store manager. They usually know a lot of people in the publishing and promoting business who can help you. That's how I got involved in the San Diego City College International Literary Event for This September and October.

That's enough for now! Sorry if it was too long, but I've been aching for them to get the site back up!

Good luck to us and never stop writing!