Open mike at Laura’s! Stop on by.

Sigh. I love my followers. They are so gracious and full of wisdom.

That was my last comment on Friday’s post. We’ve been talking about Nathan Bransford’s attempt at self promoting, which did end up with sales. He reminded his readers and some of them responded very positively. #goNathan

You’ve been listening to me ramble on about agents, promotion, and the publishing industry. You’ve offered up your wisdom and opinions in the comments. I love that we all approach publishing from a different angle with different experiences. I love that we will all choose our own path.  #stillfiguringoutmypath

So, it’s your turn. What have you been thinking about? Have you read an awesome book this summer? What are your concerns with where you are at in the publishing journey? What are you doing this summer to grow as a writer? Tell me one thing you learned this last month concerning your writing? #plentyofquestions #answerone #noexcuses  #humorisallowed

Thanks everyone!

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26 Responses to Open mike at Laura’s! Stop on by.

  1. Laura July 25, 2011 at 11:52 am #

    I’ll be at the ocean all day today but I’ll check in when I get home! 🙂

  2. Louise July 25, 2011 at 11:53 am #

    The one amazing thing I have learned this month is that limiting my writing time has actually made me a better and more productive writer. Before, I would just sit down here or there to write, first spend some time checking out Twitter and Facebook, fritter a bit, and then only get a drop or two of creativity squeezed out. Now, I know that I only have one shot a day for writing, either during the littles’ naps or right after they’ve gone to bed and before I collapse into an exhausted stupor myself, and man, that narrow window of time is churning out some amazing productivity.

    Who’d have thought?

  3. Kris Asselin July 25, 2011 at 11:56 am #

    Hey Laura! You’ve had such great topics at the blog this summer–there really is so much to be thinking about in publishing lately! I’m busy working on a WIP, finishing a couple of Work-for-hire projects, and hoping for some movement on another project that is out in the world right now. It’s been a fairly productive summer so far for writing, for me.

    I love seeing what everyone has to say about promotion, agents, and the options in publishing. It is an exciting time to be a writer!

  4. Stina Lindenblatt July 25, 2011 at 12:41 pm #

    Eek! I could have answered this an hour ago, but now my brain is blank. This summer I’m reading a few more books on writing. And of course I learned tons of great things at the RWA conference.

  5. Sara McClung July 25, 2011 at 12:44 pm #

    I’ve read a TON of awesome bokos this summer 🙂 I’m rereading GRRMartin’s series. Shatter Me, by Tahera Mafi. Girl of Fire and Thorns, by Rae Carson. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor. All AWESOME.

    My concerns about my journey? I just need to freaking sit down, open my document, and get the words flowing again. It’s been a while.

  6. Karen Lange July 25, 2011 at 1:23 pm #

    My biggest concern now is regarding self discipline. I’ve had a ton of distractions, big and small, this past year, and it can be challenging to stay focused.

    Currently working on a novel, collaborating with a friend, so this has been one motivating factor. I am actually finishing up our one sheet this week. She is going to the Phila. conference soon and has appointments scheduled. We thought it would be a good idea to take the one sheet and some chapters to see if there was any preliminary interest.

    Have a great week! 🙂

  7. Ava Jae July 25, 2011 at 1:37 pm #

    I read Divergent this summer and LOVED it. I am beyond excited for Insurgent and the movie. Ha ha.

    I’m currently editing two WIPs and brainstorming a third, so I’ve been keeping busy.

    Concerns about the journey hmm…I think I’m not alone in wondering which path to take (self-publishing or traditional). I change my mind pretty much every day.

    Ah well. I guess I don’t have to worry about it quite yet…

  8. Lydia K July 25, 2011 at 1:37 pm #

    The promotional stuff has been really fascinating. I really enjoyed your posts from last week.

    These days I’m just battling the fear of the next, new chapter-to-write. I fear the unknown. Just my one weirdism.

  9. Jemi Fraser July 25, 2011 at 2:41 pm #

    Enjoy the ocean! 🙂

    It’s been a fun summer so far! I’ve read a few good books – one of my faves was India Drummond’s Blood Faerie 🙂

  10. Donna K. Weaver July 25, 2011 at 2:43 pm #

    I’m almost at the end of my break from writing, and I’m getting kind of itchy to get started again. I’ve got a couple of critiques yet to come in, and then I’ll be ready to stew on the suggestions and comments before doing my (hopefully) last edit. Then I have to decide if I want to try querying or self publishing. *sigh*

    I finished an absolutely delightful book last night. It’s called “Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School)” by Laura Josephsen. I’ll be doing a review on my blog later on after I’ve thought about it a bit.

  11. Leigh Moore July 25, 2011 at 3:56 pm #

    wow, what great timing! I was already doing this on my own blog… albiet in sort of a veiled and hinting manner. And really it’s not so much frustration with publishing as it is just second-guessing my own decisions. *sigh*

    I missed all the hullabaloo over Nathan promoting his book on his blog. But I don’t get it. It’s his blog. It’s his book. It seems expected that he would plug it there. Right?

    <3

  12. Lisa Green July 25, 2011 at 3:59 pm #

    Well as you might have noticed, I’ve been a little sucked in to the world of Harry Potter this past week or so. And the thing I’m reminded of by JKR is that perseverance is essential!

  13. Leslie Rose July 25, 2011 at 4:19 pm #

    I’ve learned so much from your posts this summer. You help navigate the murky waters of what’s up in publishing. My favorite reads so far this summer have been DIVERGENT, POSSESSION, REVOLUTION, and STARCROSSED.

  14. Margo Berendsen July 25, 2011 at 5:04 pm #

    I’ve been reading TOO much this summer and not enough revising. I really don’t like revising. Thus… procrastination.

    And, it’s not that I don’t like self-promotion, but with four little kids and a job, I just don’t see how I would be able to self-promote and while also writing to deadline like most authors are expected to do.

    So I tell myself when it comes to revisions, “What’s the rush? It’s not like I can really jump into the publishing world yet anyway, even I did get a lucky break.”

    (But it’s probably just another excuse for procrastination!)

    Hope you had a wonderful day at the ocean!

  15. Tana Adams July 25, 2011 at 6:02 pm #

    I’ve had to make adjustments in just about every part of my life this year but mostly with my writing. I hate to sound cliche, but when every door closes, it might just be creating a path to an entirely different set of doors. Change is not always a bad thing. And for once I’ve embraced it.

  16. Heather McCorkle July 25, 2011 at 6:11 pm #

    I’m excited about the changes in the industry. I think in the end things will turn out better for authors, and that is a change that’s long over due!

  17. Steena Holmes July 25, 2011 at 6:22 pm #

    This summer is flying by! I’m trying to rewrite a story due in a month, work on some self-pub cover designs for some new authors and waiting on some submissions.

    Enjoy the ocean 🙂

  18. Kelly Polark July 25, 2011 at 8:34 pm #

    I’ve had a very distracted summer from writing! I hope to get back to it this week for a bit but probably not gung ho til kids are in school!

  19. Susan Kaye Quinn July 25, 2011 at 9:19 pm #

    I learned that patience is not my forte. #knewthatalready #havetobereminded #lots 🙂

  20. Kristin Gray July 25, 2011 at 9:44 pm #

    That ending that I can’t quite nail?
    It will never come together if I don’t try.
    So . . . show up for work. Sometimes, you get surprised.

    • Laura July 26, 2011 at 1:53 am #

      Awesome everyone! Thanks for sharing. We’re definitely all on the same journey but different too. And lots of us are debating similar issues! We’ll get it figured out one way or the other.

  21. Laura Josephsen July 26, 2011 at 5:30 am #

    Wellll…I’ve learned how to format numerous types of ebooks, upload them, gotten up to my elbows in html coding and templates, etc., etc….that counts, right? #hopeitcountsbecausemybrainismushafterallthis

  22. Traci Kenworth July 26, 2011 at 10:18 am #

    I’ve learned to trust my instincts when it comes to my writing (something it’s taken for me forever to learn in life). When something’s dead in the water, it usually is.

  23. Blond Duck July 26, 2011 at 11:26 am #

    Fellow YA and MG writer popping in to say hi! I just released a self-pubbed YA and I’m scared to death. I want to believe I can be like Amanda Hawking and become well-read without a publishing company, but honestly, I fear no one will care and it will simply languish in the universe. I’m going to go check out your self pubbed post!

  24. Heather Sunseri July 26, 2011 at 11:33 am #

    I’m learning a lot about God’s timing this year in many areas of my life, and I’m starting to embrace His timing. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

  25. Patti July 26, 2011 at 2:41 pm #

    So far this summer I’ve learned just how much I love reading.

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