Resources to help writers also be editors, designers, and marketers

In today’s publishing world, writers perform a wide variety of jobs. A local writer friend of mine discovered that for herself recently and related her frustration to me.

It would be great if a writer could just write. Instead, we are called to be editors, graphic designers, marketing majors, and social networkers. ~ Stacey M.

Navigating the publishing world is essential to all writers. This is especially true for those who choose to take the indie publishing route, as many are doing.

But having sole responsibility for getting your book out into the world doesn’t mean you have to become an expert editor/designer/marketer/networker. You can hire all those tasks. But since most of us have limited budgets, we must carefully decide what we pay to have done, and do what we can to learn the rest.

Even if you seek traditional publishing, you still must

• Self-edit your manuscript—a poorly written story will never get accepted
• Create and implement a marketing strategy
• Build a fan following via any number of avenues (social networks, email subscribers, website, blog) aka market yourself and your book

There are those who can do all this and do it well. I’m not one of them.

This multi-hat dilemma makes developing relationships with other writers a smart move. I think the #1 benefit of having writer friends is having someone to share the joys and discouragements of the journey.

When I decided to jump into freelance writing, I joined the local writers guild, joined an online writers group, and attended my first writers conference. In all these places I met other writers, new and seasoned. I developed friendships, received wise advice about getting published, and encouragement to persevere.

Writing is solitary enough. Why make your journey alone when you can have like-minded friends along who can encourage you and lead the way?

If you feel you must, or simply want to, become an all-around expert, don’t try to tackle all of them at once.

Resources

For a list of the top 100 blogs for authors and book writers, visit here.

Read here for the top 100 marketing websites and blogs.

For creating graphics, I think it’s tough to beat Canva.com. And they have 30 tutorials to make you a better designer.

Writers groups

• The Writers View is a Yahoo group of Christian writers. A panel of published writers sends out a question twice a week for group discussion. While I’m not as active in the group anymore it was an instrumental resource for me in my beginning years as a new writer.
• Check with your local library about any local writing groups that may meet in your city.

Books (check the library first)

• Self-editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
• Revision and Self-editing for Publication  by James Scott Bell
• Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
• Writing the Heart of Your Story  by C.S. Lakin

There are certainly a whole lot more I’d recommend, but I feel these are good starting points.

Online programs

Each of these online programs has helped me get where I am today.

• Christian Book Academy (affiliate link) from best-selling author Shelley Hitz. This is an amazing program, and if you’re going to pay for one, I’d start here! Shelley won’t teach you how to write or design graphics, but she’ll teach you everything else. The program includes a Facebook community where you’ll make new friends and find lots of encouragement.
• Intentional Blogging, free program from Jeff Goins
• Tribe Writers, charges a fee, Click here to visit Jeff Goins.  (affiliate link)

If you have a recommendation for any of these areas, please share it in the comments.