Blog Five: Publishing

I am all fired up after being at a writer’s conference yesterday in Hamburg, NY. It was put on by a fellow author, Michael Parzymieso. It was a combination of short lectures by authors, publishers, editors, and several panel discussions, followed by book sales. It took place in the McKinley Mall on a rainy Saturday, a perfect setup for book selling. Between the power-walkers and the mothers escorting their young sons and daughters to sports events, there weren’t spectacular sales. There was plenty of time to talk with other authors at their tables. You learn the most in these one-on-one contacts with people who have been writing longer and have gone through the problems of marketing their books after the excitement of being published. I soaked it in and found myself with enough experience to give advice too.

Publishing is a business churning through chaotic times, with hold-in-your-hand books not in as much demand and the ever-present threat of AI taking our voices away. The publisher I recently sent my newest book to is a shining beacon in the publishing world. It is NFB Publishing Amelia Press, started by Mark Pogodzinski. NFP stands for No Frills Buffalo Publishing, a hybrid company started to give the artist, the writer, the poet a stronger voice in producing their books. Taken from his webpage, he writes that NFB is a community, not a corporation.

So many superb writers are published every year, yet their books flounder in the cut-throat book marketing scene. Traditional publishing also curtails the author’s right to make changes or to decide how the book is released. NFB means no excess, no double-speak, no empty promises. The words on the page are the core, the author is the center, and the book is the goal. Having dealt with another publisher for my last book, this is amazingly refreshing. I am spreading the word about Mark and his well-earned, growing publishing business.

Take a look at the front page again and sign up to get the first chapter of The Image Maker. I think it will make you want more!