Publishing Pathways

In a FB group where I am a member, lots of questions get asked about whether to self-publish, spend time on an agent, obtain an MFA, or what is the best Return on Investment for a writer with stories to share.

I speak a lot about the importance of privilege and various meanings of success in any career or lifestyle. And when I wrote a reply to one person in particular, I knew I had a blog post I wanted to share with MY audience.

So here it goes:

Privilege is definitely an issue, and a lot depends on how much you can bring to the table. If you can get the funding for an MFA -- and there are some scholarships and awards for older women, POC, single-parent (if that applies to your situation). I don't know if enough of them can be stacked to get your MFA for free or at an affordable rate, but an MFA might be cheaper than the full price of a number of writer conferences. And if you approach the MFA like an extended conference -- getting the work done, but really using the time back in school to network, network, network -- you might be able to create the platform(s) and do the other things that will help you publish successfully, whether through the University Press, with an agent-in-training, or some other connection any professor you have might be willing to help you establish.

These are the reasons to do the MFA. I still haven't done it. I went the self-pub on a SHOESTRING route.

Unlike other self pubs who pay (who afford) editors, publicists, cover artists, formatters, and Lightning Source ISBNs, I belong to a few writing groups and have some BETA readers. I use free ISBNs and modify Create Space templates. I don't market the way I should or the way I hope I would if my bills depended on it. I'm a teacher by trade and used my published works as a portfolio to show I know what I'm doing and can teach others through camps and workshops. Nearly all my students outsell me.

Other writers self-pub and make more money. Many spend more money to publish. If they have the money to spend, and they are happy with the result, more power to them.

If you are able to market your own books, if you have friends and family who sell 31 and jamberry nails and all those other products, then you might find it in your best interest to publish for yourself, market yourself, or partner with someone who sells their widgets well.

In this business, like any other, it takes money to make money, so to make money, you will have to be making an investment of some kind beyond writing the manuscript. Then you have to decide what your budget (time, effort, money) is and what you can afford, what ROI you want and the path you are going to take to get there.

I can't tell you what to do, but I can hope that you find all the success you seek. What does success mean to you? What advice would you give someone in your field?

Phyl Campbell is the author of I'm Not Writing a Book Today, the so-called procrastination guide for writers and other dreamers. Her books are available on Amazon. She lives and teaches in York County, PA.

Lacking the Appropriate Holiday Spirit

I'm certainly lacking the appropriate holiday spirit. I'm too pissed at people thinking the world should stop in recognition of only their holiday. I'm tired of trying to please people because it's Christmas when the same people don't give a damn about me or my family any other time of the year (including this one). I want to be nice, but I have limits, and they shorten each year.

So the following are two articles I wrote for Wikinut because I felt writing on there allowed me to get some things off my chest. And I thought I'd get paid for them. (I've made less than $10 since 2013 for my efforts there.) So I need to move all those articles (well over 100) to my blog and get them sorted. Fun, fun, fun.

When I Say I'm Unchurched

This is another article that isn't as rambling, but I still need to re-write and re-post. I tried for a while not to let my website and FB author page be a platform for my religious views, as I felt sure I would lose the few followers I had. But now I have come to realize that the more I speak my truth, the more I hear people respond that I never heard before. Perhaps I am too "in your face." I can be more tactful and sometimes I am. But there is also a time to be the wolf that defends the sheep. There is a time when being silent or appearing so allows other wolves to descend without anyone keeping them in check. I just can't do that anymore.

A Handful of Change

I need to edit the rambling out of this. I'm posting this here and now in hopes to find the link later, do a better job of editing what should have been about five articles, and re-posting it/them here on my blog.

Sunday Reflections: Reflection on Education

This article from the Atlantic prompted the following response:

There are many ways to digest and learn from this: high stakes testing is a mistake (big #1). That's the point of the article -- that and continuing to talk about racial tensions.

But there's an overlooked second idea that the article mentioned but didn't dwell on. It should have.

Courses for college credit taken in HS (including AP and concurrent courses) actually hurt college freshman who intend to use them to graduate college faster (as a pure learning tool, they are fine). When HS students take college courses and do average to well, then college advisers tell them to take more challenging classes when they get to campus. However, these students really need to figure out how to navigate college. They lack the experience to realize how different a college class on campus is compared to an AP or concurrent credit course. Also, since AP test scores and concurrent courses don't count towards a student's college GPA, a college freshman taking junior and senior level classes is at a higher risk of losing scholarships if the first semester of college isn't great.

Freshmen should be taught to take only introductory level classes their first semester. Or, freshmen should be allowed to ease into college, taking only a class or two until they know what they can handle. However, scholarships don't cover this type of enrollment, and the effects of enrolling in too many classes (increasing the chance of failing one or more) or not having the financial aid are equally detrimental to college success. 

If high school students weren't trying to take and do well in college classes, perhaps they would have more time to study for high-stakes testing. Honestly, though, learning how to hold down a job in high school and saving money (for college expenses not paid by scholarships and grants) is probably the best thing a high school student can do for his or her college preparation.  Applying for scholarships would be a second, but students need to talk to someone who is more knowledgeable than the typical overburdened HS counselor or college admissions officer. There is a TON of scholarship money out there, but most students can't find it and spend too much time chasing after the same hundred opportunities as everyone else.  Internet searches turn up more garbage than genuine opportunities. If we employed as many scholarship researchers as we did student loan officers, I think we would turn some of this around.

So researchers and pundits can keep talking about race and the first problem -- high stakes testing may be easy to measure, but what is easy (to measure) is rarely what is best (for anyone). However, until these same researchers and pundits start addressing the other elements of the equation, college students might as well bang their collective heads on ill-fitting desks as they leave college with useless degrees and ever-growing piles of debt. 

Phyl Campbell is the author of several books, including Mother Confessor, Carley Patrol, and Martha's Chickens and the Pirates. She completed a bachelor's degree in four and a half years at a state university paid for by scholarships and grants -- and was the only member of her family to completely fund school this way. Still, it wasn't enough education for her desired career -- teaching. One of many caught in the power struggle that is higher education, Campbell is an advocate for greater transparency in and outside the classroom.