Polish, Then Publish Online

Author’s Advice To Rodney Writers: Polish, Then Publish Online

Mahurangi Friends of the Library are bringing a full time writer to deliver a one day fiction writing ‘crash course’ at their Snells Beach base as part of Winter Words, running May to September.

Northland indie author Michael Botur said he’ll be teaching the unexpected aspects needed to get fiction writing completed and published, in particular looking at the workflow required to get a story polished on the page then published online.

The workshop, held at Mahurangi East Library on Saturday May 26, offers realistic advice on improving voice, character, prose and editing within a piece of fiction writing, but Botur said the bigger theme of the day is understanding that words on the page are just the start, and reaching an audience these days necessitates going online.

Part of the day will focus on bridging what Botur sees as a gap between Northland writers and north-of-Auckland writers – hence Botur will be showing examples of online writing from the Writers Up North virtual community, including electronic newsletters about literature, websites, online publishing and social media.

“Writing is hard, thankless and lonely – but at the same time, there are communities of writers in Warkworth, Rodney, Kaipara and Northland if you know where to look,” Botur said. “So we will study online communication in the workshop and look at how local authors such as J L Pawley and Steff Green get their words out into the world.”

“Things move so quickly in the writing world that publication options which made sense ten years ago may not be relevant anymore in 2018.”

“Writers these days need to understand how readers consume the material on the internet and on paper. We’ll also look at the workflow required to get a piece of writing to perfection, then get it read by an audience online.”

Whangarei-based Botur is author of several acclaimed short story collections and young adult novel, Moneyland, which has gained a following on the world’s largest publishing platform for teenagers, Wattpad – a site which has 65 million unique visitors per month. Botur said he recently blogged about how writers can have too much dependence on literary editors, whereas it is more rewarding to go online and put writing straight in the hands of the audience.

The course is aimed at novice fiction writers through to those with some experience, but Botur said it’s also an opportunity for anyone to learn how to use Medium, Smashwords, Createspace, Wattpad, Bookfunnel, Goodreads and other online platforms.
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Information, cost and easy online RSVP with Auckland Libraries is at:
https://www.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/Pages/event.aspx?eventid=2973

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