The global economic situation is enough to make anyone anxious. Fortunately, a cathartic exercise has existed for centuries to help mankind through tough times; it’s called “writing.” In this day and age of Web 2.0 technologies and 2,000 channels of cable television, it is difficult to remember that some of the oldest “technologies” are often the best.
In fact, with ebooks, iPhones, Kindles, and the like, it is becoming harder to remember that the most amazing technology for delivering words has yet to be improved upon. Often weighing less than 10 ounces, this fascinating piece of “technology” features between 100-600 “screens,” each one capable of holding roughly 300-400 words (on each side!); each “screen” weighs next to nothing and is no thicker than an average piece of paper. It’s easy to transport, inexpensive, and doesn’t fry when you spill coffee on it.
What is this amazing tech? It’s called…. a book, and there has never been a better time to publish one yourself. Stop concentrating on the economy and start concentrating on writing and publishing a book. Already have a finished manuscript? Get it into people’s hands.
Here are the five top things you should do if the current economic climate has rained on your parade:
1. Take care of your future: It’s easy to become unsure about your future if you’ve suddenly found yourself let-go or laid-off from your job. Before you can worry about writing or publishing, you need to make sure basic necessities (like food) are taken care of. The Internet has made job seeking more efficient than ever before. Forget the local paper; sites like Monster (www.monster.com), Career Builder (www.careerbuilder.com) and Craig’s List (www.craigslist.org) offer sophisticated searches to find exactly what you are looking for, quickly and easily. And that leaves more time for … writing!
2. Turn off the news: Right now, the daily news is almost entirely bad news (even more so than usual), and regardless of whether you get your news from the newspaper, the television, or the Internet, there are better things you can be doing with your time than re-reading the same AP News article or CNN broadcast about the stimulus package. Make your own stimulation — start to write again!
3. Start a blog: Blogging is an incredibly cathartic exercise because it offers you an unfettered platform in which to voice your feelings, thoughts, opinions, and responses to what is happening to you and around you. It has been said, “A writer writes.” Blogging makes writing easier than ever. After you’ve been blogging on a particular topic for a while… who knows? You may just discover you have a book on your hands. Our favorite blogging platforms are Blogger (www.blogger.com) and WordPress (www.wordpress.com) but you can find others all over the Internet by conducting a Google search. Already published? Keep on blogging — a blog is a great way to promote your career and your book. For an example of a blog, visit ours: http://outskirtspress.wordpress.com — oh, wait. You’re already reading it.
4. Get published: Self-publishing is getting a lot of press these days. From the recent article in the New York Times which announced self-publishing’s arrival as a legitimate recourse for writers, to the resulting response, there’s no doubt that self-publishing is a far more uplifting topic than the economic downturn. Self-publishing is just starting its climb toward the zenith of public awareness. Even the most prolific self-publishing companies publish less than 20,000 books annually. With 7 billion people on this planet, there are a lot more books out there to publish. Are you holding one of them? Now is the time to publish your book. Click here to start with your own free Author’s Resource Center and 2 free publishing ebooks.
5. Enjoy the fruits of your labor: Different people have different purposes in publishing a book. Some have advice and information they want to share, like Outskirts Press author Sally Shields, who recently appeared on Fox television discussing her book’s connection with President Obama.Yes, some make a lot of money, like our most recent group of Top 5 authors from the 4th quarter of 2008, including Gang Chen, who made a lot of money while sharing a message.
And others want to win book awards. For instance, yesterday’s posting listed our finalists in the 2008 Literary Awards. Check out the posting by clicking here. Then, get excited to enter your published book into the rest of our Spring Awards season (like last year’s Writer’s Digest finalist, Outskirts Press author Daril Bentley).
Whatever your purpose for publishing, Outskirts Press can help you reach it. And if you don’t choose Outskirts Press, at least choose somebody, because writing and publishing a book is so exciting and uplifting. Just read the comments from Tunji Ajayi to the left. We all need some magic. Especially nowadays.
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