witter (ˈwɪtə)
vb – (often foll by: on) to chatter or babble pointlessly or at unnecessary length
n – pointless chat; chatterCOLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY – COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED, 12TH EDITION 2014 © HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
historical fiction fan? stay tuned for tomorrow’s book review for:
this week’s witterings
Three years ago, I was at a crossroads in my writing career. I’d jumped on the Indie Publishing train in 2011 when the industry boom was in full swing. It really was a matter of perfect timing.
I’d always wanted to be a published author like my childhood heroes Lousia May Alcott (Little Women) and L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables). I was already writing short stories and researching publishing avenues when I discovered many of my favorite new ebooks were written by Indie authors.
My research took a whole new track. Instead of agents and publishing houses, I reached out to the authors I admired. Amazingly, nearly every one of them wrote back with advice on how to begin my publishing journey. I followed their advice, and for the first few years, it was fantastic. Until the boom ended, and personal tragedies took precedence over writing.
After a year’s hiatus, I came back to publishing to a whole new world. Many of the authors I had followed were no longer publishing. The ones still around either rocketed to stardom or cut comfortable corners into their perspective niches. Many of the methods I had utilized at the start of my career were null and void, I just wasn’t aware until it was too late.
The strategies that kept my fellow Indies above the water as the market became saturated, continued to shift. No matter where I looked, I just couldn’t seem to find the right resources or answers online. So many articles said so many different (often contradicting) things. Needless to say, the books I released in that interim struggled. I was on the verge of giving up when I first heard about the Women in Publishing Summit.
I’ve tried just about all the methods you’ve probably already heard. I’ve participated in countless workshops, webinars, and purchased courses (most are money vacuums btw). I wasn’t sure what to expect from the WiP Summit; if it was worth the ticket, or if I would add it to my pile of regrets.
But that didn’t happen. For the first time since starting my career, I found myself surrounded by a community of women who understood. Women who had been on very similar journeys. Some of their careers had soared to the stratosphere, but most were the “middlemen.” Not so well-off they didn’t have time for us small folk, but so business-savvy every word I gleaned was pure gold. For the first time in years, I found answers that weren’t conflicting or confusing!
The truth is that there is no right answer or right article that will transcend your writing career. This is something the ladies at WiP speak often of. It’s mostly hard work and a lot of luck for measure (but mostly work). It’s not easy, and three conferences later, I still haven’t “cracked the code” for my personal success. But I do have the knowledge I need. I know the methods that should garner results. Above all, and what’s really important in my opinion, is that I’m still writing. I didn’t give up, not even after the chaos that has been this past year.
For those of you who have gone on this year’s Women in Publishing journey with me, I hope you have found the courage to make your dreams happen. I hope you have found hope, and the will to put in the work. If you haven’t had the opportunity, it’s not too late to grab your All-Access Pass and play catch up. There’s so much information packed into this conference, that if you’re like me, you’ll be watching for months to come.
#beinspired
Goals for this week
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Catch up on Women in Publishing Courses 😀
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Spend one day this weekend simply reading
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“Show up” to Yoga and Ballet practice
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Jennifer Silverwood 