finding readers

'How does a solitary writer attract attention in the age of mass culture?' asks Robert McCrum on Books in the Observer, 27th February.  It was hard enough for the majority of writers even in the old days when publishers sent out review copies and used their contacts to get mentions in the leading book columns.  After the initial flurry of attention, all went quiet.  It was down to word of mouth: recommendations passed from individual to individual.  Now a potentially vast arena has opened up.  'Word of mouth' has become blogs and tweets to the world.  But who's listening?  It still comes down to finding your audience - readers and followers.  If you have a name and a following to start with - as Margaret Atwood does - then you have a readymade audience.  She doesn't need to sell her wares.  She must just like chatting to fans.   For others without such a following, what's the answer?   Is there anyone out there who will read this and respond?

not so much either/or, as and/and

I've come across so many, often heated, arguments over the rival virtues of print over digital, and vice versa.  It sounds as though many people think there has to be a choice between the two; or that digital will take over and therefore they must shout loudly for or against. 
It seems to me absurd to think it's a matter of either one or the other.  Both are brilliant in their own, distinctive ways. 
What will surely happen is that writers and publishers will hone content more closely to suit the vehicle on which it will be read.
I want to encourage writers to submit to WRD short fiction and nonfiction that can be easily read on handheld readers.  Short-ish novels, essays, true life stories --- new, original, quality writing is what I'm after. 

editors and editing

2011-02-19 There was a very comprehensive article in the Guardian the other day about the continuing demise of publishers' editors and editing.  A writer depends on another pair of eyes and an objective brain on the job, once the completed work is ready.  The impossibility of provding an editing service myself on this digital site as part of the submission fee means that writers have to be responsible for their own editing.  If they can't do it themselves, there are lots of good people who offer this service.  As a general rule, the work is put on the site as submitted.  It pains me if I know I'm uploading work that needs copy-editing. 

PR release

Take Back Control

I found an article published in Canada that echoes all the reasons why I set up WritersReadersDirect. 
http://thetyee.ca/Books2011/02/04/BookNet
If anyone reads my blog, do have a look at this link. 

PR

I'e discovered a site called PRLog which I'm trying out.



New Opportunities for Talented Fiction and Nonfiction Writers

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