Hey, guys! To celebrate my third blogiversary (coming up in May), I want to do something different—something to pay it forward—but I need your help. It involves a blogfest, new writers, and pretend time travel. Intrigued yet?
I want to compile a free e-book for writers who are just starting on their road to publication, using advice from the most brilliant, up-and-coming voices in the industry: you guys! Here’s what it would involve:
THE PROMPT:
Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication. The only thing I ask is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:
- A lesson you learned the hard way
- Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)
- A writing-related resource you could never do without now
- One thing you’d change about your journey
- One thing you’re glad you did
- Your number one tip for pursuing publication
- Anything else you feel is worth passing on
INFORMATION:
- The name you wish to be credited as
- The title (if any) you wish to follow your name, i.e. author of the series
- One major link where people can find you, i.e. website, blog, Twitter, etc.
- The title (if any) you wish to follow your name, i.e. author of the
- One major link where people can find you, i.e. website, blog, Twitter, etc.
PLEASE INCLUDE:
- Whether or not you give me permission to use your entry in the e-book compilation. Don’t feel bad if you don’t want in. We’d still love to read what you have to say!
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Please note: I won’t be editing the entries, other than to proofread for misspellings or duplicate words. Try to have it pub-ready when you post it. :)
**UPDATE**
The lovey and talented PK Hrezo is going to be joining me as co-compiler! As it turns out, she had a similar idea awhile back, but didn't have time to plan it out. I took it as a great opportunity to work together!
Anticipated FAQs
Q: Do I have to be published in order to participate?
A: It may be easier to answer the questions if you’ve been published (either independently or traditionally), but it’s certainly not a requirement. We’re just looking for friends with experience navigating the authorial waters. You do not have to be published.
Q: Do I need a blog to participate?
A: No, you do not need a blog to participate. Feel free to e-mail me your letter directly or post it via a social media like Facebook or Google+.
Q: How will the book be available?
A: I will format it in PDF, MOBI, and EPUB, and then I’ll make those files available for us all to share. If you guys want, I could also make it a free EPUB on Smashwords, and then distribute it to a few other retailers that accept free titles.
Q: When should I post my letter?
A: Anytime during the week of May 19th!
Q: What can I do in the meantime?
A: Kindly spread the word! You can do this by posting, utilizing your social media channels, rocking the button in your sidebar with a link to this post, etc. Also, I'd really appreciate it if you used the link-up below to sign up. It will help me compile everyone's posts the week of May 19th. I would hate to miss anyone!
Thank you so much! ♥
95 comments:
That's a cool idea!
Do we have to post it or can we just send it to you?
Thanks for providing enough time. Can't even think about writing anything else right now with the Challenge in full swing.
Such an awesome idea. I'm not published yet and going through a lot personally, so I'll let others help you out here.
Fantastic idea! I'm also very grateful that it's not til May 19th - my brain is on short-circuit with the challenge right now. But, I LOVE THIS, and although I'm not published, I would love to join in!
Oh, the link I gave won't exist til May 21st - hope that's OK!!
This is such a great idea. I'd love to help even though I'm not published (except my anthology). I can already answer a couple of the questions though!
Such a great idea!
Brilliant idea, Carrie! I'm in!
You always come up with the very best ideas!!!
Such a cool idea! You rock, Carrie.
I finished Courage. We need to talk. ;)
Thanks, Alex! You can absolutely send it to me without posting. No problems there.
You're welcome! That was my main consideration in making it late-May. I knew all of you A-Zers would be pretty worn out. ;)
Thank you, Natalie. I completely understand there. In fact, if there's anything you need help with, please let me know. I'd be happy to pitch in however possible.
Thanks, Liz! That's absolutely okay. This is the first time I've used this particular linky, so I'm not even sure what all it asks... LOL
Thank you, Nick! We welcome your opinion, most definitely. You have a lot to offer people. :)
Thanks, Ilima! :)
Yay! Thank you, Kyra. <3
D'aww... thanks, Elizabeth! :D
Thanks, Donna! :)
Uh oh... *gulp*
This is an awesome idea. I'm in! :D
Very cool! I'll do it and help spread the word. :)
I'd so love this, though I'm not yet published (either self or trade.)
That's okay. We'd love to hear things from your perspective! :)
I appreciate it, Mr. Wesley! :D
Thank you, Melissa! :)
At first, I thought, "Why wouldn't she invite me?"
Then I saw, "keep it under 750 words".
Bwah! Ha, ha, ha, ha!
I'm in! Xoxo
PS - genius!
That's a relief, I struggle with anything over 500 words. (I'm having to work out of writing flash fiction.)
Great idea! Count me in!
That picture didn't turn out like I expected. But linked up. (I meant to have a picture of my glasses.)
Is it OK if I mention more than one story, if I wrote more than one?
I'm glad to have you linked up! :) Sorry about the picture thing. It seems to be some weird quirk of the link widget.
Sure! I just phrased it that way to keep it from becoming a huge biography or a massive listing—you know how wordy our kind can be. LOL
1. You are invited!
2. You can't describe what you had for breakfast in under 750 words. :P
Chalk one more up to peer pressure!
I mean... thank you. :)
Don't sweat it! There's no minimum, and the 750-word limit is just there to keep things semi-consistent. :)
Yay! Thanks, Steph. :D
Carrie, that is a wonderful way to give back and pay it forward all at the same time. I hope I can come up with something that will help stubborn people like myself understand this crazy industry!
Heather
Fantastic Idea! I'm in!
Great idea! I'm in, too!
Very cool idea! I'm in, too!
Packed my bags. Calendar. Alarm clock. Jammies. Ready
Excellent idea, Carrie! I'm in, and will promote on my blog too. :D
heck ya I will! remember how I said well I haven't been published? I take that back, I just haven't been "book" published. I mean, I did playboy, hustler...jk jk!!! I've done other things :) with you, chibs, and jax...
Procrastination from my current work in progress? I'm totally there!
This sounds like a great way for writers to share their experiences and help others.
Lovely idea for a writer's community.
Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2014, My Latest post
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Signed up from PK's site! Great idea.
Hey, Carrie! How are you?
This is such an AMAZING idea!!!! Of course I signed up! You and PK are tops with me!
Carrie, I signed up. What a great idea! One question, I want to change my thumbnail image and I can't figure out how to do that! Ack.
I'm in.
Sounds fabulous!!
Thanks, Catherine! :)
Hmm, I'm not sure either. This is the first time I've used it. I shall investigate!
Yay! Thanks, Shelly. :)
Thank you, Lynda! :D
Thank you, Heather! I'm sure anything you come up with will be more than helpful. We're all a little stubborn! ;)
Yay! Thanks, Loni. :D
Thank you, Sherry! We appreciate it. :)
Thanks, Tyrean! We're happy to have you. :D
Now that is what I call preparation! :D Thanks, Lee!
We really appreciate it, Clare! Thank you. :)
LOL Other, equally documented things...
Go Team Procrastination! *high five*
Thank you, Sheena-kay. :)
Thank you, Damyanti! :)
Awesome! We're happy to have you. :D
Hey, Michael! Not too shabby. I'm saving up to rescue a shelter pup. :D
Thank you so much, my friend!
Great idea. It sounds like fun, and you give us enough time to rest up from the A to Z before we start. I'm glad to be following your blog. Thanks.
Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com
Thank you, Deb! I'm so happy to have your help with this. :D
Awesome idea. Count me in. :-D
A wonderful way to pay it forward and I'm happy to participate!
Eleyne-Mari @ http://www.writelighter.com/#!blog/cm4o
I saw it at Pk's blog. I'm in.
This is a great idea, I'm in :-)
Yay! Thank you, Misha! :)
That makes me so happy! Thank you, Eleyne. :D
Woohoo! That's wonderful. :D Thanks, Denise!
Thank you very much, Annalisa! :)
I thought it was March 19th, got confused there for a minute. OK my birthday month.
Happy (early) Birthday! :)
What an awesome idea. I'm signed up!
What a lovely idea. I'm not published yet but I can definitely answer some of your questions since I hope my book will be out this year. Drusilla (http://lovedasif.com/)
Aww, thanks, Ellie! I appreciate it. :D
We would love to have you, Drusilla! :D
Carrie,
Would you like us to send you our posts via email ahead of time or would you rather collect them from our blog posts? I want to make this as easy for you as possible. Thank you for pulling this together.
Elizabeth Hein - Scribbling in the Storage Room
Hi Elizabeth!
Feel free to do whichever you prefer. I just ask that if you do post on your blog, you sign up via the linky or let me know some other way so I can find it. :)
Thank you so much for your help in this!
I put my post up early, but I wonder put any other new posts for about 2 weeks.
Is it okay if I write this letter to several different past selves, at different points of the writing journey?
It looks like the linkup's closed. I've been away from home and completely forgot to sign up, but I do have a post! Can I still take part?
Yes! :)
Sorry about that, Emma! The link-up tool automatically closes after a month (free version). I just extended it. :)
That works for me! Thanks, Theresa. :D
I'm IN! I've read enough of these in the past 2 hours alone to convince me. Mine will be Friday--I blog M, W, and F to make sure each blog gets lots of views and I already committed to something for Wednesday.
Sounds great to me, Stephanie! We'd be happy to have you. :D
Great blogfest. Thank you and PK for hosting. I posted mine today.
Thank you, Medeia! I can't wait to read your letter. :D
Great Idea! Thanks for this initiative. I've just posted and linked. Writing my letter has made me think about all the people who have helped me in these last months leading up to publishing my first novel. I couldn't have done it without them. They're a great plus I've gained from the process of becoming an author. I would never have imagined I'd be part of such a supportive group of people. My post is called Creative Altruism. Hope you all like it! I'm enjoying reading the other posts (gradually... there are quite a few!)
Oh, fantastic! We're so happy to have your help with this, Luccia.
That was a great side benefit for me, too. It really made me stop and think about everything I've overcome in the past few years and how my friends have helped me. :)
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