new community for writers

I’m a big fan of online communities. Yes, of course, there is facebook and twitter, but the ones I love the most are truly community based and offer writers real opportunities to connect with one another. The ning network seems to be host to many of these, such as shewrites, poemata, and the freelance writers network. And now there’s something new.

Earlier this week, the folks at Writer’s Digest magazine sent out announcements for the new Writer’s Digest Community, hosted on the ning network. At the time of this writing, there are just under 700 members but we can expect that to grow rapidly. Why? Because writers need community. We like to network. We like to befriend similar minded people. And… because it just makes sense. We need to market and promote our work and that means using every reasonable available opportunity to do so.

My profile is located here, so please do drop by. If you write, please also consider signing on for your own profile. This is especially true if you don’t yet have your own website. Your profile page will allow you to post a brief bio, links to your other sites, and you can even do an RSS feed of your blog if you have one. Most importantly, you can join a group and meet other writers, thereby expanding your community base. We’re writers. We need to support one another.

As I am new to the Writer’s Digest Community, I am still adding content to my profile page and getting to know others in the network. But if it’s anything like the other communities I belong to, it’s worth the half hour it will take to add more info and start connecting. I can’t tell you how many opportunities I have stumbled into by playing an active role in these online groups. You’ll mix and mingle with other writers, yes, but you will also come into contact with agents and editors, festival organizers, book reviewers and everyone else who plays a role in publishing. If you can make it to an online community even once a week, you can vastly increase your network and tap into new opportunities.

If you join on to Writer’s Digest Community, let me know how it goes. Also, be sure to ‘friend’ me so I can keep up with your news and events.

Thanks for stopping in today! I wish you all a great weekend and will see you on Monday. Have a great weekend.

thank you Rochester Writers

The 2nd annual Rochester Writers Conference has come and gone and what a wonderful event it was! Congratulations and thanks must go out to Michael Dwyer for programming such a successful conference.

Now, to my regular blog followers, please excuse me as I share some information specifically for the benefit of those who attended my lecture at the conference. It’s okay; you can eavesdrop. Of course, for Monday’s post you know I’ll be sharing a recap of some of my favorite moments and resources from the conference for all to enjoy. But for just one post, I must do this, if you will:

***Attention Rochester Writers Conference Attendees***

Thank you so much for all of the kind words and feedback you provided after my session: “Promote Your Writing by Building an Online Presence.” I very much appreciate the feedback and discussions we had throughout the day and I am pleased to hear there was something I could offer you in my presentation. Please do not hesitate to contact me (lori@loriamay.com) with follow-up questions or if you need clarification on anything, or simply wish to discuss a point further. I welcome your emails.

There were two things that came up in post-session discussions I want to offer up for the benefit of everyone who attended the lecture.

First, many of you asked if I have any other workshops or sessions coming up in the future, within this region. The answer is yes and if you wish to be notified of workshops, lectures, critique opportunities, and other such activities that are happening within the area, please do let me know so I can be sure to email you with details.

I would like to request your assistance, if I may, since I have been discussing options with a few regional venues and we need to narrow down our options. So, if you are interested in workshops, lectures, etc, please take a moment to email me (lori@loriamay.com) and let me know the following:

1] What topics you would like to explore in a more intense workshop setting? Are you interested in additional skills development and resources pertaining to online marketing? Are you interested in participating in a craft-writing workshop, with poetry, fiction, and/or non-fiction? Do you want to take part in a workshop that assists you with writing query letters, synopses, and polishing the first three chapters? Please let me know your area of interest.

2] Also, if you don’t mind letting me know the town/city you live in, so I can be sure to offer the desired workshops to those regional areas where there is interest, it would be helpful. If you can, also let me know which days of the week work best for you. I’ll try my best to accommodate your requests, so please don’t be shy!

Secondly, something that came up after the lecture was on the topic of sharing portfolio samples or examples of your writing on your website, blog, etc. Specifically, the question came up about publication rights and selling to a publication once you have published your piece online.

First, to be clear, anything published online is published. Period. Thus, while I encourage you to share a small sampling of your work on your website or blog, be sure this is something you do not plan on marketing for sale – as is – to publishers. Once it’s been published – anywhere - you have used up your first time rights. That’s not to say you can’t sell future work on the same topics you share on your website; it’s just very unlikely you will find a publisher (magazine, book, etc) who will be willing to reprint the same exact piece.

Thus, my suggestion is that you only post articles or excerpts online that are either a) previously published and for which you have had the rights returned to you, or b) do not have any intention on submitting to future publishers. As a substitute, you can very easily draft a sample to reflect your work, but keep the sellable stuff for selling.

If you have any additional questions about this topic, let me know. I’m happy to discuss this further.

Again, thank you to all who attended the lecture and please do drop me an email to share your feedback, ask questions, or inquire about future workshops. I’m hoping to hear from those of you who want to participate in future workshops, courses, etc, so let me know your responses to my above questions, by sending an email to lori@loriamay.com.

It was a pleasure meeting you all today and I look forward to hearing about your writing successes!

Keep in touch!