Jane Friedman Shares Her Best of 2011

Illustrator Lena Shiffman gives us visions of fun in the snow. Now all we need is snow. You can see more of Lena’s work at: www.lenashiffman.com  or https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/illustrator-saturday-lean-shiffman/

Jane Friedman shares a list of the best advice she gave in 2011 as a handy reference.

My Absolute Favorites

■You Hate Your Writing? That’s a Good Sign! This was one of the most tweeted articles I wrote in 2011.

General Advice

■How to Avoid Being Fooled by Bad Writing Advice. This is where I advocate you seek out advice that offers thoughtful nuance rather than extreme perspectives for the sake of garnering attention.
■My Secret for Battling Procrastination. I include screenshots (and a worksheet download) of my 2-step method.
■3 Questions Every Creative Person Must Ask. This post was brewing in me for a period of months. Huge discussion in the comments.

Getting Published

■The Basic Pitch Formula for Novelists. Short, sweet, and powerful.
■Where to Find Free Marketing Listings. A resource guide on how to find agents and publishers for your work.
■Back to Basics: Writing a Novel Synopsis. Includes a list of great resources.
■Are You Worried Your Ideas or Work Will Be Stolen. I wish this were the first thing every aspiring writer read, based on the number of questions I get about it.

Marketing and Promotion

• A Checklist for Marketing Your E-Book. Based on some of the oldest principles of marketing, the 4Ps.
• A Critical Marketing Secret: Don’t Go It Alone. The importance of relationships in any marketing effort.
• Draft Your Platform Action Plan: 5 Worksheets. Some of my best hands-on tools are right here.

Self-Publishing & E-Publishing

• Self-Published Authors Have Great Power, But Are They Taking Responsibility? I believe in author empowerment and independence. But writers need to understand the need for professional assistance, too.
• 5 Things Beginners Should Know About E-Book Publishing. I review the basics.

http://janefriedman.com/2011/12/21/my-best-advice-for-writers-from-2011/

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy