Popular Posts 2022

More than three years? That’s a fair amount of podcasts/posts/interview/whatever you want to call these things. Which have been most popular? Well, let’s see what the data shows.

As for the podcasts from 2022, give them a year or two to acquire an audience, particularly one that is not subjected to staying indoors during a pandemic.

Thanks for listening; and to our guests, thanks for opening up to the rest of the writing community.

Getting Ready For Our October 15 Self-Publishing Workshop

Our workshop about self publishing is coming soon. October 15th we’ll be conducting an all-day (9AM-9PM) workshop: From Inspiration To Publication. In one day we’ll discuss topics from writing to editing to formatting to publishing to selling your book. 

The previous time we made the presentation was at the local library (thank you, Sno-Isle Libraries and the Friends of Langley Library); and we covered as much as we could in under a couple of hours. It was a bit of a rush. (#massiveunderstatement) This time we’ll give each topic more time. We’re also hosting it in downtown Coupeville, at the Rec Hall, so the setting is sweet, again. 

But what should you bring?

The good news is that you don’t need to bring much, but you can also bring a lot. Whatever way you prefer to take notes, laptop or paper, bring it. (Sorry, no recordings for privacy concerns.) You may just have an idea or you have a completed manuscript; either way there’s enough to get started with. Don’t be surprised if we ask you to describe your project in three sentences. Aside from that, Coupeville has the rest like plenty of restaurants. Park at the building. Pay that day. (check, cash, PayPal) Take breaks if you need to. 

We’ll have wi-fi and presentations, of course, but we’ll also bring publishing and merchandising examples. The very nature of the presentation means we’ll also have the props and support ideas that we use when we present our books at readings and signings.

Don’t worry about signing up. We appreciate knowing how many people to expect, but this is an island thing. There’s no need to be formal. 

We’ll start at 9AM, but should have the doors open before then. We’ll close at 9PM, but there will be breaks throughout the day. We have a schedule but will be flexible because we’ll try to emphasize what you want to work on.

There’s always more to say, but it may be best to hear your questions directly from you. (Contact)

Looking forward to it!

Our Libraries Our Librarians – An Interview With Vicky Welfare

Say Yay! for our local libraries and the librarians who make them much more than buildings with books. Whidbey Island is fortunate enough to have five branches of the Sno-Isle Library system: Oak Harbor, Coupeville, Freeland, Langley, and Clinton. Some day we may manage to interview someone from each, and we started with Langley Library’s Vicky Welfare.

As most writers know, librarians do more than sort books on shelves. That’s been especially apparent during the current crisis because they’ve managed to keep the system operating. An impressive accomplishment. Their current restrictions have ironically highlighted some of the things they’ve always done that don’t require visiting the buildings, like research. With a bit of creativity and adaptation, they’ve also found ways for people to access books, movies, educational content, and generally helping people however they can. (They’ve even left the wi-fi on, which is how we’ve managed to record and upload some of these podcasts. The right parking space helps. Just remember to turn off your headlights if you’re there for a while – inside joke.)

Vicky shared a bit of her story, including a good idea for a bit of musical history; something for us to look forward to. We also talked about what the library can do for writers before, during, and after the writing of a manuscript, then a book, then a product. Click on the links below. Listen in. And, if you have questions and want answers, ask a librarian; that’s something they excel at.

(By the way, Vicky was kind enough to host one of our, Don and Tom presentations about Modern Self-Publishing. This video gives a glimpse of the presentation space we talk about in the podcast.)

Writing on Whidbey Island (WOWI) episode 15 – Vicky Welfare, librarian