I found a site that’s mainly geared toward small press publishers but I believe it can help writers as well, especially if self-publishing is being considered. They have a newsletter in pdf format that any one can read and get a jucy peek into the publishing world. In their July issue there are several articles worth reading, including Titles Sell Books with criteria on an effective book title and book signing do’s and don’ts.

St. Louis Publishers Association

Why would an author need to know how to write a good press release? Well, in today’s publishing market, writers are doing as much marketing as their publishers, in many cases more, in order to successfully sell their books. Knowing how to write a good press release will enhance a writers visibility and if done well can get them interviews with the national press. Even if you’re only wanting to get your website noticed, a well written press release can accomplish that.

I admit that I haven’t a clue as to how to write a successful press release. I was given the task of writing one for a close friend (who is not a writer) so I went in search of how to write a press release. I read a lot of how-twos, so many my mind turned to mush. I just could not rap my mind around all the marketing hype I was assaulted with. I dislike hard-core marketing and most of what I read was just that, hard-core marketing hype that started to all look the same, regardless of the product or services being marketed. Ugh!

I set back and asked myself what kind of marketing will get my attention? My answer - something unique, usually in the form of information on the company, its creators and why they ventured into their chosen field, development of the products or services and what they will do or not do for me. I have purchased many books after reading or seeing an interview with the author. It wasn’t the author’s book that intrigued me as much as what I learned about the author that would send me to Amazon.com with my credit card handy. Yes, there have been times when I was disappointed in the actual book. The author was a much better speaker than a written storyteller but for the most part, I have enjoyed the books I’ve purchased this way.

A few months ago, while looking for websites to add to my resource directory, I came across a site called Publicity Hound. There I found this article, Authors and Speakers: Don’t Pitch Your Books or Programs as Story Ideas by Joan Stewart, that really peaked my interest. It’s well worth the read and could open doors to anyone wanting to market their writing, speaking, and website, regardless of the products or services being provided, especially if being provided or marketed online. I went to The Publisity Hound site and discovered that Joan is now offering a free Press Release tutorial via email. There’s a short quiz that will tell you if you know how to write an effective press release. If you discover that you don’t, then all you have to do is sign up for her free 89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases and you will receive a new lesson in your email for 89 consecutive days.

I signed up and who knows, I may get real good at writing press releases and be able to charge big bucks for that service.

While doing a little research on Flash Fiction I came across other terms for short-short stories; microfiction, 55fiction, drabble and nanofiction. What they have in common is that they are all under 2,000 words and must have a protagonist, conflict, obstacles, and some kind of resolution, with the exception being nanofiction. I’m not sure I understand what nanofiction is exactly but Here is how Wikipedia describes it.

Microfiction is usually 300 words or less and 55fiction must be a maximum of 55 words. Flash Fiction can apparently be anything under 2,000 words as long as it’s a complete story. However, I’ve also read that it must be 1,000 words or less in order to be classified as Flash Fiction. I’ve decided that it’s just another term for short-short story. However, the idea that it could be a short-short story developed from a “Flash” of inspiration is appealing to me, even if that inspiration came from a story prompt or from something else.

I found an interesting list, Ten Reason to Try Flash Fiction, that provides a good overview of the benefits a writer can get from writing Flash Fiction.

My first introduction to Flash Fiction was on a writes forum, Scrawl: The Writers Asylum, where they have a Flash Fiction challenge every Saturday evening. The challenge is timed and the subject to be written about is posted just before the challenge start time. Those who participate post their stories immediately after the deadline and then everyone gives feedback. Participants also do a chat after all the stories are posted and commented on. The challenge isn’t meant to produce a finished piece of work. It’s meant to get the writers creative juices flowing. There’s not enough time to edit, which keeps the internal editor from participating and often a raw story will emerge and be developed further after the challenge. For me this would be the place to start exploring Flash Fiction, probably because it lacks any kind of expectation.

I’ve added a few articles on Flash Fiction to a new category in my resource directory. There is a growing marketplace for Flash Fiction and I will be adding some of them to that category as time permits.