Do You Want to be a Successful Writer? Do You Want to be Published?

Then check out my publisher's new blog by clicking the pretty screenshot picture below. 

Yes, this is a shill post. But if there's anybody I'd shill for, it would be these guys. Mostly because they gave my book, The Edge of Legend, life and hope when things had gone dark and the light was getting bright at the end of the tunnel.

Sorry if I come off all car salesman-y here or whatever. But trust me on this, as a journalist: They really want to do good things for writers. 

The purpose of their blog is to explore writing and publishing and provide resources, insight, and guidance to writers passionate about their work. Of course, you'd know that by going to the blog, because that sentence is, like, everywhere. 

I'll be writing, or helping write, most of their blogs over there. Basically, I'm passing along the lessons I learned and meticulously recorded over the past three years since I graduated from college and lit out on this freelancer's career.

I learned from some of the best and brightest writers in the industry, spoke often with some of the best agents and editors in publishing, and by the time my book was published, it was like I'd gotten a doctorate in writing and publishing studies. 

The end result was me with a book and armed with knowledge that's helped me take some dreamlike steps forward in my writing career. Now, I'm writing for ESPN The Magazine, the largest sports magazine in North America, and I'll (probably) soon be published in several other national magazines as well. 

I'm not telling you all that to brag about me, but to heap praise and thanks and love on Port City Publishing. They're good people. I'm happy to work for them now. 

It's a brutal and competitive and soul-draining world out there. The publishing industry is dark as everything else. When you're in, if you've got the talent and get the right people on your side, you're golden. But it's hard to get there. Sometimes, you just need a little help, a little guidance. That's what Port's there for. That's why I believe in them and am staying so involved with the company. 

I considered CreateSpace. Lulu. Tate. And the conclusion I drew was, in general, "Really, that's it?" Their quality was average at best. Their service was average. And what they charged me compared to what I would earn was a stupid ratio that would have just been a poor business decision on my part. 

There are lots of great traditional publishers out there. If you can get a deal with one, and you're happy with them, by all means, go for it. 

But if you're looking at self-publishing/independent publishing, then check out Port. Before I hooked up with them, I was looking at self-publishing options. Lulu. CreateSpace. Tate. And on. Some were okay. Others were downright seedy. Back-alley, ski-mask types, those guys. 

That's the major problem in the publishing world right now. Not traditional publishing. Traditional publishing will always be here, will always be around. Times are hard right now, yeah, but they'll find a way. I'm not worried about them.

What worries me, and what concerns the people at Port, is how self-publishing companies totally prey on the ignorance of writers. It's not the writers' fault. They're passionate people who just want to tell their stories. A few Google searches shows them CreateSpace, Amazon's self-publishing service, or a few others that are even worse. Port will be unpacking the problems with these guys in a near-future blog post, so I don't want to steal their thunder here, but trust me—they're not giving authors all they should. 

So yeah, I'm shilling for Port because I love them, but I also don't say anything I don't believe. Click here for Port's website, and check below for some links to some of Port's web pages. 

Writing | Editing | Coaching | Branding | Marketing | Publishing

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All that to say: Be on the lookout for, on top of all the other random crap I post up here, writing and publishing thoughts related to the things they post at their blog. 

Authors need to protect themselves, their assets, their rights, and they need to respect themselves and their projects' worth. 

Port gives them that. 

And that's why I've rambled on for 700 words about this whole thing.

Anyway, I'm done now. Thanks for listening, and please, give Port a look. You'll be glad you did.