Maryville Public Library Director Presents Information to Group

Last night, August 27, the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writer's Guild met for its regular meeting. The presenter was Stephanie Patterson, Director, of the Maryville Public Library.

Stephanie provided a wealth of information related to the library's role in the community, as well as its local goals and objectives for the 2019-2020 period, and provided information related to the NWMO regional goals for 2019-2023, in which the library plays a large part.

In addition, Stephanie answered many questions related to how the library makes its decisions regarding book purchases and retention, as well as how it addresses updating of the library's many other resources. She also discussed the issues that librarians face today as they are being called upon to do much more than their predecessors decades ago as technology has grown, and larger social issues and expectations for services change.

Included in her presentation was information related to local authors, briefly discussing the expansion of self-publishing and how that is affecting decision making. What are the trends in various genres? What materials are used to determine how purchases and resources are acquired? What is the process of deciding what books are retained? Do book reviews make a difference in the decision to purchase? Issues such as cover art, internal art, audience, and subject matter that all authors need to keep in mind. She provided some insights into e-books and some of the changes that are taking place that affect pricing and access.

As the meeting came to a close, Stephanie answered questions. Her expertise and education in these matters made the meeting a very productive one and gave attendees a lot to think about as they move forward with their individual projects, hopefully with some insight on how to partner with the local Maryville Public Library, and other libraries. Based on her presentation and information provided the Maryville Public Library appears to be on track with respect to their mission, which is to "help the citizens of Maryville (ages birth to death) succeed and enjoy life through reading, learning, creating, and connecting."

We thank Stephanie Patterson for taking the time to speak to our group and for providing so much useful information and insight.

Writing Group Calendar

To make information more accessible to the public regarding meetings and events related to writng, a Google Calendar has been set up for the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild, where meeting information will be posted, as well as member book signings, poetry readings, presentations, and special events, conferences, book launches, or special appearances that may be of interest to members. 

A Very Interesting Discussion

This is a very interesting presentation. The presenter is Steven Pinker. The video includes the follow-up discussion with host Ian McEwan, and some excellent questions from the audience. Enjoy. 

April Meeting

Don't Update Your Author Page When You're Sick

When you're stuck inside due to illness, there really isn't much you're interested in doing. The laundry, dusting, vacuuming, and scrubbing of bathrooms is so far down on your list of desired tasks that it may never see daylight. Such is my plight today.

Since I get bored easily, I decided I would spend my quiet time between naps and doses of Advil and alternating cups of hot tea and cranberry juice to catch up some work on my author page on Amazon. Many don't know it, but they may have unpopulated fields waiting for content.

As diligent as we try to be in filling in all fields for consumers to browse, there are some that don't seem to work well and don't cross over from where they were added to the information pages. Don't rush out and try to do them right now, though.

I don't think it was the fever inhibiting my efforts to update that necessary content on my page, but rather it was a glitch in Amazon's author page system. I filled them in, clicked preview, clicked save changes, and . . . nothing. I closed the browser and restarted, and that helped on a couple, but then even it didn't work after a while. So, I sent them an email that said, "Hey! This isn't working for me. Fix it." I'm sure they'll get right on that, because I am their only author.

They've been very good about responding to my previous requests to fix stuff. And, I hope they do get it fixed, because it is essential in making your books turn up in those all important searches on their site, and we all want to have our books show up in those, often. So, you might go to your Amazon author page in a day or two, especially if you haven't visited it in a while, sign in, click on the "books" tab, and then go through your books to make sure you have filled in all the sections that you can. But, be forewarned, it might not have been fixed in the last ten minutes. It might take them a little time. You may just want to drink a hot cup of tea and eat some cookies while you're waiting.

A Blog Worth Knowing

In my recent blog travels I came across Sidebar Saturdays, which seems to provide writers a wealth of information, from the legal perspective, on how to protect yourself from the many issues that can arise with respect to crafting novels, nonfiction, and other types of books. I would encourage the group, and anyone traveling through on their own blog scouting adventure, to take some time to read the posts.

Congratulations to Our Local Readers!

Congratulations to all those who participated in the Summer Reading Program at the Maryville Public Library, Maryville, MO this summer. Wow, more than 10,000 books read. That's impressive. A special congratulations to the winners of the program awards.🏅We're proud of you all.

And a special thanks to the entire staff at the library that works so hard to make this program a success every year. We don't always say it, but you make the library a great place to be.

Keep turning those pages, readers, and we authors will keep writing so that you will have new stuff to read when you're ready.

#amwriting #fiction #nonfiction #authors #writers #library #readingchallenge#poetry

Maryville Daily Forum

Library names summer reading winners

MARYVILLE, Mo. — The Maryville Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge drew more than 330 participants this year.

MARYVILLEDAILYFORUM.COM

An Interesting Article on Book Awards for Self-Published Authors

This is an interesting article and the comments from Tara Johnson at Writer's Digest are thought-provoking.

"“Fifteen years ago we got books that weren’t much more than copies from Kinkos,” said Tara Johnson, who manages the self-pub awards program at Writer’s Digest. “Now I would say that 95% of the books that come in look basically the same as the books you might see coming from a major publisher.”

This is an interesting article and the comments from Tara Johnson at Writer's Digest are thought-provoking.

"“Fifteen years ago we got books that weren’t much more than copies from Kinkos,” said Tara Johnson, who manages the self-pub awards program at Writer’s Digest. “Now I would say that 95% of the books that come in look basically the same as the books you might see coming from a major publisher.”

According to Johnson, the number of submissions has grown in step with the level of quality. Nearly 2,900 submissions poured into the Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards in 2014. Writer’s Digest also received about 700 submissions this year for its Self-Published E-Books Awards, which was founded two years ago for self-published authors who choose not to go down the printed path." From the site - [Note: this article was originally published in February 2015 and was updated on April 10, 2017.]

My only question is, why is there still a distinction made between "traditionally published" and "self-published" when it comes to the contests? A good or bad piece of work, regardless of the publishing mechanism utilized by the author of the work, should be granted the same consideration when being evaluated.

Just my opinion. What are your thoughts on this, members? Many of you are both traditionally published and self-published. Does it concern you or bother you to know that your self-published works may be considered less credible or of lower quality, without closer scrutiny, merely because they weren't "traditionally published"?

DIY: Book Awards for Self-Published Authors

With hundreds of thousands of self-published books hitting the shelves every year, indie authors need to find a way to stand out. Book awards for self-published writers are one way to do that.

PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM

Kelsey Noble is Blooming With Books!

We are pleased to announce Kelsey Noble is the final winner of the Blooming With Books basket donated by the Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writer's Guild. Enjoy the basket of books and goodies Kelsey. We're sure you'll find hours of entertainment inside. Congratulations!

Literary Speaking

There are a great number of notable literary journals out there where authors can submit their work for consideration. Many also have award contests that unpublished and emerging writers can enter to gain exposure. Many of the journals have somewhat longer lead times for publication than monthly magazines, usually several months, and like those they have something that is of supreme benefit for writers . . . loyal subscribers that devour every issue. 

In my online journeys in search of reputable publications here are just a few that I have gleaned from the cyber fields. Most of them have been around for quite a while. That fact alone means they must be doing something right. 

Ploughshares  A publication of Emerson College. View their submission guidelines. Share information about their Emerging Writer's Contest with an aspiring writer. 

All Aboard for the Glimmer Train! This is a creative literary journal with a longstanding readership. Polish up that short story you've been meaning to send in and submit it. You can view their guidelines for submissions here and find out more about their Family Matters contest, and how they help new writers get off to a good start. 

The Missouri Review is another publication where new and previously published story writers may get heard. Info about submitting to regular issues and contests can be found here. All those poets and writers out there should give it careful consideration. 

For a more comprehensive list of publications you may want to check, and even subscribe, to the publication titled Poets & Writers and check out their online database of publications. This database lets you search by genre and subgenre so you can more effectively focus on publication best suited to your particular writing or poetry. There are so many to choose from. 

Hope these little tidbits help. Have a terrific day. 

Susan

Thanks For The Support!

Photo by Jennifer Seipel, Maryville Hy-Vee

The Maryville Chapter of the Missouri Writer's Guild would like to thank everyone who attended the book sale & signing and purchased books and stopped to pick up brochures and chat with the authors. It was a very busy day and we're glad you have taken such an interest in the works of local authors.

We particularly want to thank Hy-Vee, Darren and Karla, for providing space for our group to hold the book sale and for the encouragement and support for local authors. And particularly Jennifer Seipel for helping with getting the video posted.

We are grateful to Nodaway News Leader reporter Kathryn Rice and Maryville Daily Forum staff writer Tony Brown for publishing the interviews and information concerning the event as well as the articles about local authors and their books. We know many people read your publications and commented to us that they saw the articles in your papers.

We want to thank the Nodaway County Historical Society Museum for their support of local authors, and for providing another venue for folks to purchase books. We trust your bake sale fundraiser was a great success Saturday (I snagged my share of goodies!). We are looking forward to your military exhibit on December 7, and your reopening in the spring of 2017.

We also want to thank Minnie Lane, Maryville's newest gift and collectibles shop at 112 E. Third Street, owner Melody Blair, for carrying books by local authors. We hope your new business is a great success!

Writers in attendance were: Don & Sue Nothstine, Amy Houts, Irene Alexander, Lee Jackson, and Susan Cronk. 

ShowMe Writers Masterclass Coming Soon!

This information regarding the ShowMe Writer's Masterclass Conference was recently received. This is a valuable opportunity for writer's to hone their skills a bit and maybe pick up some great new writing habits. Take a moment to check out the information.

Advance reservations are recommended. Sounds like a great lineup of talented instructors. http://www.showmewriters.com/

The Missouri Review's Annual Contest is Now Accepting Submissions

This flyer related to The Missouri Review's annual contest was recently transmitted. Please take a moment to consider this valuable opportunity. If you wish to read more about it, click here.

Maryville Authors Sign Copies at Hy-Vee Store

Maryville area authors were graciously hosted at the Maryville Hy-Vee store on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Everyone had a great time. Here are just a few pictures from the store's Facebook page.

Author Nancy Lantz signing a book. 

Author Carol Coffelt

Author/Publisher Lee Jackson

Author Bob Bohlken and wife, Mary.