Turn Your Beat Into A Book

Turn Your Beat Into A Book (summary: writers)

Garth Beyer

I attended a conference that hosted a panel of writers and publishers. Happy to share what I took from the writers panel with you.

  • 10 tips that one writer gave
  • Think about writing before reporting. Reporting will be natural and more apparent the deeper you get into the story.
  • He or she who hesitates “gets scooped.”
  • What you need:
    • To be gregarious
    • To prepare
    • To know when to cut bait (get out of a situation)
    • To have faith in the project
    • To make something new
  • When writing a book, always try to find more time. Time that is constructed for the sole purpose of writing.
  • “Most important picture is the next one, not the last one,” said a the photojournalist.

Lastly, and worth not having in a bullet point, always try to keep a project going.

Turn Your Beat Into A Book (summary: publishers)

Garth Beyer

I attended a conference that hosted a panel of writers and publishers. Happy to share what I took from the publishers panel with you.

  • Writers are not looking to get published to make money.
  • Publishers care about taking time to make sure everything is right in the publishing process. BUT, they are ignorant in their use of others’ time. (Certainly not all publishers, but definitely the ones on the panel.)
  • Stated by a publisher’s rep, “Writer’s quit too early. It’s fear of success.”
  • Bad movies and books are out there because writers didn’t give up.
  • Most money comes from speaking engagements.
  • You have to push the book. You’re the marketer.
  • Having articles criticized is one thing. Having your book criticized is another.

After the conference, I am even more sure that self-publishing is the way to go.

Oh, and start marketing now.