Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer [Paperback]

Booklife is really the first book that addresses the two main challenges facing modern writers: balancing self promotion and the craft of writing.

The first half of the book - Public Booklife - covers online forums like blogging, social networks such as Twitter and Facebook, and how publishing actually works, all of the practical aspects of writing as a career. The second half - Private Booklife - is about how to become a better and more satisfied writer, with the benefit of the author's own (fascinating!) creative methods as well as insightful essays from other authors.

"Web-entrepreneur" Jeff VanderMeer has *25* years of experience (whoa) in publishing as a writer, editor, reviewer, high-profile blogger ([...]), and a whole lot more. He's absolutely the right guy to help writers understand how to become more successful while maintaining integrity and vision. He covers the best ways to use the Internet to increase your profile, the mysteries of the publishing cycle, how to work with publicists effectively, how to create an identity that is in sync with the quality and character of your writing, the process of establishing long-term writing goals, and how to maintain enough personal space to nurture your creativity, and much more. Plus VanderMeer's writing style is enjoyably infused with his humor and genuineness.

This book is an absolute must for any writer hacking their way through the jungle of modern publishing. Check it out.

Booklife is an informative guide for creating a successful and balanced writing life. VanderMeer breaks the book into two sections: Public Booklife, covering marketing elements, and the Private Booklife, focusing on the writing process - while emphasizing the importance of creating an authentic balance between the two.

The first section delves into online platforms and media opportunities including blogs, social networking (Twitter, FaceBook), book trailers, reviews, podcasts, and dedicated book / author websites, and provides insights to select the most effective and honest strategy. VanderMeer recommends setting goals and outlines how to create detailed plans. In part two, he discusses writing and revision, how to deal with rejections, and setting work schedules. This well-organized, thoughtful book concludes with more than 100 pages of appendices filled with information from and about agents, booksellers, editors, publicists, and published writers.

Jeff VanderMeer is a writer who's done a little bit of everything, whether it's publishing compelling fiction, editing his own anthologies (as well as co-editing with his wife, Anne), going on book tours for author appearances, or presenting writer workshops around the country. He's the sort of guy who has a lot of say about writing and publishing and advice he can offer just about any level of writer. Fortunately, he's done just that in his new book, Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer.

Booklife is a book for any kind of writer whether he's someone who's never published anything and is looking to make it in the business, or whether she has a few books under her belt and is looking to make it really big. Booklife has a little something for every type of writer. The book is divided into two parts: Public Booklife, which covers how to present both yourself and your work as a writer, how best to organize and carry out successful signings and book tours, and - most importantly - creating and managing your goals so you can really make it as a writer. The second part, Private Booklife, covers some of the mechanics of writing, how important feedback is - and not just from friends and family, and using some of the lessons from the first part of the book in different and constructive ways to make your writing the best it can be.

And it doesn't all end when you reach the last page of Booklife, there is the booklifenow.com website, filled with helpful articles, tips and strategies, updated three times a week, and affiliated with Publisher's Weekly Booklife portal. Booklife is not just a book, but a whole package experience that gives you ideas and suggestions to help you achieve your goals; it's not necessary to do every thing this book tells you; it's up to get what you want out of it, which depends on how much work you put into it. But Booklife will certainly help you along the way to becoming that bestselling writer you've always dreamed of.

Originally written on December 11th 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.

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