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Adventures in PubSmart (Part One) by Kate Tilton

by Martina Boone

PubSmart is a new conference for writers – but before you sigh and say “not another writer’s conference,” take a closer look. PubSmart was created to bridge the gap between publishing routes. PubSmart is about learning how to publish smarter no matter how you publish – indie, self-publishing, or traditional. Finally.

I was honored to be able to attend the first annual convention. I went in with the expectation of meeting connections and friends, and hoping to learn more about publishing. And PubSmart delivered more than expected.

Instead of focusing on the differences between publishing methods, the sessions were on topics every author needs to know about. Master classes were held to give authors an in-depth look at topics such as metadata and social media. Authors and professionals from all publishing backgrounds held sessions on authorpreneurship, getting reviews, editors, and more. PubSmart is the first conference I have ever known to focus on the business of writing.

Now that you have an idea of the concept behind PubSmart, let me give you a sneak peek at some of the sessions and keynote highlights. Due to the wealth of information at PubSmart this will be the first of six posts featuring different events from the conference, so sit back and enjoy!

Master Class

IBPA’s Mini Publishing University: Publishing Smart in the Modern Age
Speaker: Angela Bole, executive director of the Independent Book Publishers Association

This was a two-hour mini version of IBPA’s publishing class. The session focused on the great democratization of content and how authors can stick out of the crowd of free content online now that anyone can publish.
Tips for authors: 
  • Create a code of ethics. This is something IBPA has done and it is a good practice for all professionals. 
  • Professionalism matters. 
  • Pay attention to your brand as an AUTHOR; your brand is who you are as an artist. 
  • Whatever you publish, find others who are publishing the same and learn from them. 
  • Be generous and it will come back to you. 
  • There are two kinds of digital content, reflowable content (ebooks) and fixed layout/static content (print books, pdfs). Therefore your ebook does not need to look like your print book. 
  • Metadata is king! Correct metadata is vital to success as an author. Learn about metadata and how to use it. Many authors skip this step. 
  • A detailed subtitle can help your book be found, but remember you cannot use an author’s name in your subtitle (tip via Hugh Howey). 
  • For textual descriptions of your book, put the most important things first. Avoid complex styling, and do not copy and paste from Word. 
  • Subject headings are NOT keywords. Use only two to three subjects from the industry approved list. 
  • Avoid using “general.” The more specific you can be, the more your book will stand out. 
  • For your cover, the longest side of your digital image should be 1,000 pixels or more. 



Highlights: 

  • We must promote publishing smarter instead of the idea that anything we write is automatically worth publishing. (It isn’t.) 
  • ebooks is still a growing market; don’t let the “statistics” fool you. 
  • Romance/erotic fiction is still the top selling genre in ebooks while cookbooks are last. 
  • The competition between ebook distributors is good. If one controlled the whole market they would make the rules instead of the authors. 
  • There has been a shift from ereaders to tablets for reading, so authors now have to compete with other forms of media as well. 

Angela Bole is the executive director of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). For more information about IBPA check out there website, https://www.ibpa-online.org. If you have any questions about this article, publishing, or social media I would love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below or connect with me on my website, katetilton.com.

Related articles:

About Kate Tilton:

Kate Tilton has been in love with books for as long as she can remember. Kate believes books saved her life and strives to repay authors for bringing books into the world by serving as a dependable author assistant. A cat-lover and fan of many geeky things, Kate can likely be found curled up with the latest Doctor Who episode, plotting world takeover, or assisting authors and readers in any way she can. Kate is also a self-proclaimed Twitter addict. You will find her hosting #K8chat, her own creation, every Thursday night on Twitter from 9-10pm Eastern.

The rest of the dates that we will be posting about PubSmart are

April 26th (part two)
May 8th (part three), 10th (part four), 22nd (part five), and 24th (part six)

So make sure you follow along with the posts!

Martina Boone

Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Apr 24, 2014
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Craft of Writing | Getting Published

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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