Publishing Stories to Build an Audience
We had a full house, with nearly 40 attendees at the October monthly meeting listening in on “Publishing Stories to Build an Audience,” presented by Sheryl Stillman and Cheryl Lynn Dratler.
Regardless of genre, authors can reap benefits from publishing short works whether it’s through contemporary online magazines, the New York Times, or literary magazines or journals. Advantages include:
- Refining one’s voice
- Creating name recognition and credibility
- Exposing editors and readers to an author’s style; and
- Building a following
Sheryl discussed the freelance approach to publishing personal and reported essays, referencing the work of Estelle Erasmus, author of “Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published.” Additionally, she detailed the steps she and others follow from mining story ideas, to researching potential publishers, to finding objective data and experts to interview. Pointing out information editors want to see, Sheryl covered creating an effective title and drafting the critical query letter to the editor.
Cheryl Lynn similarly focused on avenues for publishing short fiction, creative nonfiction pieces, and poetry in over 1000 literary journals and magazines. She made short mention of using writing contests for gaining exposure. She described flash fiction and nonfiction, generally stories between 250 and 750 words, and the role they can play in creating visibility for authors.
Both presenters emphasized the need to focus on high quality craft, attention to detail at every step, and the importance of in-depth research of publishers and contests. Together, they stressed conducting an extensive study of already published articles in target magazines or past winners of contests for both poetry and narrative work for the best success.
Here is the presentation GCWA Publishing Essays Program_HANDOUT. Or, if you weren’t able to attend and wish to view the recording, email Christie Zarria at czarria57@gmail.com.
Business Items
- We were excited to continue welcoming new attendees at each of our GCWA monthly meetings.
- There will be no meeting in November. Instead, our final gathering of the year will be the Gulf Coast Writers Association Holiday Party on Saturday, December 7, 2024, from 3:30-5:30. Join us for this opportunity to socialize with fellow writers. Look for the invitation coming soon to your inbox for all the details!
- Tamiami Tale Tellers Tellebration, an annual showcase of stories November 23, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Masonic Hall/Peace Community Church at 17671 Pine Ridge Road, Eight readings, including Mary Charles. Admission is free.
- Ginger Wakem announced that after a fabulous six-year writing journey, her mystery thriller, “Trust No one, Promise Nothing” is now available on Amazon. The “buy now” button is activated on her website. If you’re a fan of intricate thrillers, this riveting tale of love, betrayal, and the pursuit of redemption will keep you on the edge of your seat.
- Patti M. Walsh’s newest book, “Hounded,” is now available for pre-order on Amazon. This is Patti’s second novel and is best described as the Karate Kid meets Percy Jackson in a middle-grade contemporary novel based on Celtic mythology.
- John Siko is an active guest on podcasts, promoting his book, “Anatomy of a Wrongful Death Lawsuit.” He has three podcasts under his belt and three more scheduled. John has done both audio and video podcasts. He strongly recommends using a professional service to develop a robust podcast component for a marketing campaign.
- Member, Roger Baker, gave an enthusiastic update on his progress, working with FreisenPress on his newest book. Marc Brick of FreisenPress, presented a program on publsihing to GCWA members at the January 2024 meeting. FreisenPress is an employee-owned, small publisher providing authors with professional services from editing through marketing. Roger answered questions and discussed how the company’s menu-driven model is working for him. We will try and get FreisenPress back for another program in 2025!
