Kickstarter Workshop Tuesday November 5: Raise Money for your Writing Career
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November 2013
Kickstarter Workshop Tuesday November 5:
Raise Money for your Writing Career
Guest Speaker Stephanie Pereira of Kickstarter
7:00 p.m. at UW Botanic Gardens
Doors Open at 6:15 p.m.
Join Stephanie Pereira from Kickstarter for a primer on
how to bring a Kickstarter project to life. We’ll look at some
favorite publishing projects from across the site and learn how
to structure a campaign, what kind of rewards work best, how
to spread the word, and other helpful tips
About Stephanie Pereira
Stephanie is Kickstarter’s ambassador to the fine-arts sector. Prior to joining Kickstarter,
Stephanie spent nearly a decade working in the nonprofit arts management sector, and most
recently served as Associate Director, Learning and Engagement at Eyebeam Art and
Technology Center in NYC. She holds an MA in Arts Administration from the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago, and a BFA in Visual Art from Rutgers University.
Meeting location: University of Washington Botanic Gardens, 3501 NE 41st St Seattle, WA
98195.
Meeting recap: Garth Stein on “Selling Your Soul”
by Elisa Page
Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author
and founding member of Seattle7Writers, spoke about
storytelling, the importance of relationships, and his
publishing experiences at the Seattle Free Lances Oct.
1 meeting at the University of Washington Center for
Urban Horticulture.
The Seattle native charmed Seattle Free Lances
members and guests with his humorous story of his
journey to the great success of his third book, The Art
of Racing in the Rain.
Stein’s main advice for long-term success:
“Establish a relationship with booksellers and
libraries.” He explained that readers buy most books
through word of mouth, or handselling. Friends make great handsellers, and by making friends with
librarians and booksellers, authors can get their book to a large number of potential readers.
During the summer of 2006, after the hardcover of his second novel How Evan Broke His Head and
Other Secrets had sold a dismal 400 copies, Stein visited nearly forty bookstores from Texas to Oregon,
doing readings for as few as two or three people.
Though he wound up selling only 2,200 copies, to Stein these trips were essential. Not only did he
make contacts and boost his second novel, he also wrote the first draft of Racingwhile on the stump.
Page 2 Seattle Free Lancer November 2013
The business of writing’s very personal to Stein: “We aren’t just selling books, we’re selling
ourselves, selling our souls, our personalities.” Though writers may tend to shrink away from the
business side of publishing their book — including networking and creating relationships — this is
exactly what Stein says is vital, not only to book sales but also to what he refers to as “the ecosystem” of
writers, booksellers, librarians, and readers.
While touring that ecosystem in the summer of 2006, Stein expanded his idea of a story told by a
dog and made it into a novel. He sent the first draft to his agent. In November, that agent called and
said Garth should throw away The Art of Racing in the Rain and write something he could sell. Stein
laughed as he recalled how he fired the agent during that call.
But still he kept getting agent rejections on the book many deemed “impossible to sell” because of
its canine narrator.
In spring 2007, Stein attended the Literary Lions event held by the King County Library. After he
opened up about his challenges in finding an agent who would take a chance on his unconventional
novel, another writer recommended his own agent. That author? Layne Maheu, whose Song of the
Crow is narrated. . . well. . . by a crow.
Stein wound up with a new agent and a deal with Harper, the imprint of Harper Collins.
Demonstrating further the power of establishing relationships, he returned to all the bookstores he’d
visited that hardscrabble summer of 2006. One bookstore that drew an audience of none for his first
reading filled with 150 people Garth’s second time around.
“Again, it’s all about the ecosystem,”
Stein repeated, and writers need to connect
their art with it. “Writers tend to stay in their
caves, but you have to create balance and go
out to establish relationships. Or else, why are
you writing?
“The purpose of writing,” he continued,
“is to have people read your words. In my
opinion, an unread book is worthless.”
Stein’s hand-selling ecosystem
kept Racing on the Times bestseller list for
more than four years. He concluded the
workshop with tips to authors on how to get
into the ecosystem, be successful, and have a positive impact:
1. Get a publicist.
2. Create a blog and do blog tours, guest blogs, and blog Q&As.
3. Do giveaways and give swag.
4. You are selling your personality, so don’t forget that when you are online. Also, creating a Facebook
fan page is OK, but people really want to be your actual friend.
5. Don’t forget libraries; they are hand-sellers, advocates of your book, and they can buy a lot of copies
of your books.
6. Remember readers are also hand-sellers; they will sell your books.
7. Email people back. Readers who take time to send you email are worth responding to; every person
you email back is a sold copy of your next book.
8. Keep a mailing list, and send a newsletter quarterly at minimum.
9. Don’t violate the trust of those on your mailing list.
10. Bring book plates to events (stickers that you sign and give to readers to place inside your book in
the future if you don’t have any books left to autograph).
11. Talk to libraries to find out if they have a relationship with the local high school, and always say
“yes” to school visits or Skype chats. If you get a reader when they’re a teen, you may get them for life.
12. Never say “Nice to meet you.” Instead say “Good to see you.” You may have met someone before
and it will save you an embarrassing moment.
13. Read at readings, and read well, with emotion. Put your heart and soul into it, because it will show.
14. At readings, don’t read too much.
15. Support the bookstores that support you! Buy books from local bookstores, not Amazon.
Use Indiebound and Kobo. Remember you’re not invisible, you are part of an ecosystem, and
booksellers can tell if you are supporting them.
Page 3 Seattle Free Lancer November 2013
16. Karma is real. Act like it is. Pay attention to what you’re doing.
17. If you’re going to put your soul on the line, you better believe in yourself and your book.
His lecture complete, Stein answered questions, chatted with attendees, posed for pictures, and
distributed Enzo buttons and other swag, all the while a perfect model of his message: You aren’t just
selling your book — you’re selling your soul.
Who’s Who in SFL: Meet Kelsye
Nelson
by Allie Draper
Through her charismatic leadership and extensive networking
on behalf of Seattle Free Lances, Seattle Free Lances Vice
President Kelsye Nelson is well-known among grateful SFL
members. What few may know about, however, is her work on
behalf of local (and not-so-local) writers, which extends far
beyond attracting wonderful speakers to the organization’s
monthly meetings.
Her career has been as diverse as the writers she has helped.
While many are familiar with her role as CEO and co-founder of Writer.ly, a virtual marketplace
designed to assist writers as they assemble their own freelance publishing teams and vice-versa, few are
aware of her marketing and outreach work at Hedgebrook, a literary non-profit committed to
supporting women writers around the world. Young writers, too, have been the beneficiaries of Kelsye’s
talent; she has lent her flair for publicity to early-reading advocate Headsprout, as well as TransACT
Communications, a company devoted to making schools more efficient. Nor has her work served only
local writers. She has taught English at Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan, and crossed the U.S. to share
her social media marketing expertise at national conferences.
There can be no doubt that Kelsye has helped many find their voice and their audience. And now
she’s joined the ranks of the writers for whom she has advocated. With the recent release of Smart Girl,
Dumb Love and Oh Grow Up, Kelsye has become a published author, too.
Q. As a very savvy social media campaigner with tremendous experience building online communities
like Writer.ly, you’ve helped many authors transition into the fast-paced world of writing and
marketing in the 21st century – and now you’ve made the leap as an author yourself!
From what you’ve seen, have the latest advances in technology and communication changed the role
of the author in today’s society? Is it merely that some of the mystique is gone, or has a more
fundamental change taken place in determining who’s writing and what they mean to us?
A. Now more than ever, I believe that every person has the opportunity to be an author. The technology
has made it accessible for many different people to reach readers with their stories. It’s true that not
every novel is bound to be a classic, or even judged pretty good by most standards. I firmly believe that
if someone has a desire to write a story, there are people out there that want to read it. Technology has
made it easier to find the right audience for each book.
Q. What’s next for Writer.ly?
A. So much! We have our PubCamp coming up in November, a one-day writing conference with 18
speakers and three tracks: writing craft, publishing and book marketing. We are also working hard
pitching our company to local angel groups to win the funding to develop our platform further. The
feature I’m most excited about? A project management board that walks authors step-by-step through
the publishing process, providing resources and guidance along the way.
Q. What’s the latest with your book marketing workshops? Who should attend and what will they
learn?
A. My book marketing workshops are perfect for authors that know they can’t simply sit back and
expect book sales to happen, but aren’t sure what to do. There are three coming up. One on author
websites, another on book launch strategies and another on social media marketing.
Q. Now it’s your turn to join the ranks of the writers and organizations you’ve helped; you’re
published! You’ve encouraged so many – what made you finally decide to take the plunge?
Page 4 Seattle Free Lancer November 2013
A. I started publishing the books in the Breakup series because it was too painful to NOT be publishing
anymore. There’s a great Anais Nin quote: “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was
more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
Q. How does it feel to have your books out there?
A. Wonderful! Smart Girl, Dumb Love has gathered a nice amount of reviews. Oh Grow Uphas been
doing well with my fan list as well. I even got fan mail from a STRANGER. That blew my mind.
Q. You’ve spent a lot of time making it as easy as possible for writers to get out there and write!
What’s the biggest obstacle writers face today? What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve faced as a writer?
A. Time. Focus. There are so many demands upon our days, yet so little pushing us to write. I fell into
the trap of always being too “busy” to write. I no longer say I’m too busy to do anything. I say “It’s not a
priority.” That certainly changes perspective. Say that about your writing too many days in a row and
see how suddenly you’ll start to find the time.
Q. Praised for how candidly and fearlessly (and often humorously) they take on tough issues, Smart
Girl, Dumb Love, and its companion Oh Grow Up are getting great reviews! What inspired you to
tackle the grittier side of romance and relationships and the difficulties that today’s women face?
A. I had no choice. These stories crack me up because we’ve all lived them, even me. They’re mostly
true, amped up for good effect. I’ll never say which parts are real and which are fiction. My last
salvation.
Q. What is a Breakup Girl?
A. Simply, a Breakup Girl is a woman who repeatedly, reliably breaks up with things. With boyfriends,
with cities, with careers, with families.
Q. How much do you find you draw from your own experiences in your writing? Were you a Breakup
Girl?
A. Ha! Yes. The name actually came from my daughter. She was telling some boyfriend I’d been dating
for three months that he better hurry up and meet her grandparents soon because they are really cool
and I was probably going to break up with him soon. She said this very matter-of-fact, and gave me the
name that stuck.
That was many years ago. I’ve been with my love Ali for over five years now and we have a house
full of kids and dogs and all kinds of intermingled goodness. But we have a lot of love for the Breakup
Girl. At the very least, she kept things interesting.
Q. Is there anything you can tell us about your upcoming novel, The Secret Life of Sensei Shi? When
can we expect it?
A. The novel should be published this February if all goes according to schedule. This will be a rather
large departure from my short works. Eight years in the making. Much love, time, and prolonged
avoidance has gone into this book. It’s a story I had to tell, about a young American woman whose
marriage falls apart while she’s living abroad in Japan. She turns to a series of lovers, with escalating risk
factors, to lose her identity and separate from the pain of her husband’s betrayal. I swear it has funny
parts too.
Q. What’s on your reading list? Any recommendations?
A. I read about three novels a week, so I have TONS of recommendations.
Most recently, I would recommend Hippie Boy by Seattle’s own Ingrid Ricks
and Beautiful Ruins by Jesse Walter.
_____________________________________________________________
(Right) UW interns Elisa Page, Sarah Bartlett and Allie Draper at October's
meeting, ready to assist the SFL Board wherever needed.
Page 5 Seattle Free Lancer November 2013
Upcoming Writing Events
by Chelsey Slattum
Whidbey Island 15th Annual Writers Conference
October 25-27, 2013
Learn about the business of writing from Kelsye Nelson of Writer.ly and Bob Dunn, a Wordpress expert.
As always, agents and editors will be on deck for critiques and consultations. Ian Moore offers a song-
writing track, keynotes by Karen Finneyfrock and Randall Platt. Science-fiction and fantasy authors
Doyce Testerman and Terry Persun, authors Anjali Banerjee and Peter Mountford all offer workshops.
More info at http://www.nila.edu/wiwc/.
Northwest Bookfest: Navigating the Digital Age
November 2-3 in Kirkland
Curious about eBook sales? Want to maximize your online marketing? Northwest Bookfest has the
answers you seek.
This year's festivities will focus on publishing in the digital world; an increasingly popular topic in
the ever-shifting book business. Listen as expert panels answer questions and give tips on the best ways
to make technology work for your writing. The weekend will also include author appearances and a
variety of workshops to help develop your understanding and use of the digital market place.
To register for workshops, learn more about the Northwest University location, or get ticket details,
visit the NWBF website at http://nwbookfest.com/
'The Graphic Canon' Panel Discussion, Nov. 7, Seattle Public Library
th
On November 7 at 7pm at Seattle Public Library, SFL member Roberta Gregory joins David Lasky,
Megan Kelso and Stan Shaw, local contributors to The Graphic Canon Boxed Set, for a panel discussion
on art and adapting literature. The Graphic Canon is a one-of-a-kind three-volume anthology of classic
and contemporary world literature, re-interpreted by artists. It's been highly praised in The New York
Times, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and many other publications. More
information at http://thegraphiccanon.wordpress.com/
Object Oriented Writing with Travis Jeppesen, Nov. 16 at The Henry Art Gallery
Writer's block: a hindrance at best, and a seemingly immovable wall of devastation at worst. Break up
the rut with a trip to The Henry Art Gallery on Saturday, Nov. 16 as they welcome visiting author and
artist Travis Jeppesen as their special guest and instructor.
Jeppesen describes the process of Object Oriented Writing as “a new form—neither poetic nor art-
critical, yet retaining characteristics of both." Curious yet?
Travis Jeppesen is a novelist, poet, art critic, and playwright currently touring the US for the release
of his new novel, The Suiciders, published by Semiotext(e). Jeppesen’s writings on art and literature
have appeared in Artforum, Bookforum, Flash Art, New York Press, Whitehot Magazine of
Contemporary Art, and other publications. A contributing editor to the online literary journal
3ammagazine.com. Jeppesen lives in London and Berlin. For tickets and additional information visit
http://www.strangertickets.com/events/9073171/workshop-object-oriented-writing
(Left) Eleanor Owen and guests await the
October meeting presentation by author Garth
Stein
(Right) Nancy Finnerty, hospitality chair,
provides a delicious spread, but she's not the
only one. Thanks to Sue Pace and Eleanor
Owen for treats, and Jan Lind-Sherman for the
chocolate cake for Vaughn Sherman's birthday.Page 6 Seattle Free Lancer November 2013
Member News
Gail Kay Haines has an article called "Nuclear Fusion: The Next Energy
Frontier?" in the Oct/Nov issue of ChemMatters magazine. She is working
on an article about the chemistry of nail polish for the April issue. The
magazine is aimed at high school chemistry students, or anyone interested
in science.
Helen Szablya had a glorious trip to Hungary September 4th through 25th.
She went for the Fifth World Conference of Honorary Consuls 15th through
17th of September. She delivered three presentations of her English
language book My Only Choice, 1942-1956 Hungary--one in Pecs (Seattle’s
Sister City), and two in Budapest. On another of her books, The Fall of the
Red Star, she spoke to the American International School, where students
had just finished reading her work. She also gave three interviews with
Hungarian radio stations, one of which will air a profile about her on
October 24th at 2pm. She also appeared in a TV interview on Toronto’s
Hungarian TV.
Ed Lincoln was featured on the front page of the October 2013
issue Northwest Prime Time about his memoir Life Through the Rearview
Mirror. Claire Gebben’s article “Reflections on Title IX” appeared in the
same issue in the Life Perspectives column.
Intern Chelsey Slattum has accepted a position as publicist for the literary
press division of Chin Music Press. While it’s terrific news for Chelsey, it is
sad for SFL, as Chelsey’s schedule is now overloaded and she’s had to resign
as an SFL intern. Congratulations, Chelsey, Seattle Free Lances appreciates
your excellent work. We wish you all the best in your future writing
endeavors.
Bruce Taylor had a story, "Eggs", podcast in episode 51 of Dark Dreams. He
also had a story, "Four Dreams in Miniature", accepted for a new
anthology, Bizarro Bizarro, and has turned in a novella, Industrial Carpet
Nightmare, to Bizarro Pulp Press.
Roberta Gregory joins David Lasky, and other Northwest comics creators
who contributed to The Graphic Canon Boxed Set, November 7th at 7pm at
Seattle Public Library. The Graphic Canon is a one-of-a-kind three-volume
anthology of classic and contemporary world literature, re-interpreted by
artists, and has been highly praised in The New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and many other
publications. http://thegraphiccanon.wordpress.com
Peter Curtis is wondering if any members would be willing to read his
manuscript to provide an objective perspective. If yes, email Peter at
smcurtis2@comcast.net.You can also read
