Everyday Canvas

On Publishing

Prompt: Do you think published authors should participate in writing workshops to help other writers accomplish their writing goals? (Kind of like paying it forward) Have you ever attended a writing workshop with a published author? Would you go to one if it was available near you?

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They are already doing that, and they have been doing that. Nowadays there are even workshops whose focus are totally geared toward publishing.

I attended a workshop on novel writing with a YA novels author. This was in 1985. She did teach the basics of writing a novel, though, and not all that much on publishing. She mentioned publishing, but publishing was a whole different ballgame then. I recall that she said, “If you don’t have any credits to your name, write a cookbook. They are almost always accepted for publication.” She stressed on amassing publishing credits first, no matter how small. At the time, self-publishing was practically impossible and unheard of, although I knew in other countries people did that to a very large extent.

The basics she taught, as she guided us along, were nothing new to me, but I enjoyed the class for the camaraderie and the other people in it, and the teacher herself was a very nice person, too. I don’t think I would attend any workshop now on anything because my real life wouldn’t allow it. At the time, though, I enjoyed all the workshops I attended for different things.

In addition, in Writing.com, there are already groups that focus on publishing. Even I focus my reviews of other writers here on what could be acceptable to the today's editors and publishers in general.

In WdC, several groups on publishing came and went. Those that are still in working, to the best of my knowledge are:
Vivian has her own publishing establishment. Check out her newsletters and her port. She has written a great deal of information on the subject.
The same goes for fyn ’s Wynwidyn Press. The submissions for 2016 WdC anthology is still open, with all the proceeds going to RAOK and the Angel Army.
Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC has an FSFS group that also has its eye on publishing, also.
And Voxxylady 's "On Our Own: Indie-publishing Group"  is another group that is still open, if I am not mistaken.