What can I expect from Breaking the Code: From published to best selling author?

​

You can expect to find answers to questions about editing, publishing, and marketing your publications. If your question is not answered in a presentation or Q&A session you can personally approach anyone at the Symposium.

​

Why should I attend?

​

You will connect with people who have learnt from their mistakes and can offer solutions or perhaps you have answers to offer other writers.

​

What does my ticket buy?

​

Membership of The Story Mint (TSM) and The World Writers Collective (WWC), access to sessions, lunch, tea/coffee, morning and afternoon tea, a show bag, networking.

​

Will I really end up a best-selling author if I attend?

​

We can’t make promises. We can show you how other people have succeeded and they can tell you what they have done. After that, it is over to you to use the connections you make and the knowledge you gain to continue the journey of developing your writing career.

​

How will registration happen?

​

We will have several people at the registration desk and they will make sure you are registered and get your gift bag.

​

How will I find out about events?

​

We are preparing a programme which will be available on the day and on our websites.

​

Will there be someone to help me find my way around?

​

Several volunteers will answer questions and direct you.

​

Will there be things to buy?

​

Some of our speakers will selling their books and other merchandise. Cash only.

​

Can I get something similar to Breaking the Code on line?

​

This is unique. There are Writers Festivals which feature writers promoting their books and there are Book Clubs. This event is looking at what happens after you are published. 

​

What else is out there to help writers get established?

You can get writing courses on line and you can join a wide range of writing groups. The difference between what TSM and WWC offer is that we combine all levels of communication – personalised as at this conference and online. You get the best of all worlds.

​

What if I am not a published author aiming to become financially secure? Should I be interested in attending?

​

This will be of interest to you if:

• You are a writer because you will meet other writers and people who could be influential in your future 

• You want to support a writer going through the process of finding a publisher or a path to publication

• You are an agent looking to represent writer or already have writers on your books

• You are a bookseller because these are the people whose books you may want to stock

• You are a Publisher because you will be meeting authors who are working on projects that may be of interest to you.

​

The focus of ‘Breaking the Code’ is to examine how writers succeed financially after their book is published. Why?

We have found that many writers set the goal of getting published and do not think beyond that. Often they expect buyers to flock to them the moment it is published. This rarely happens. That is why writers need to think about how they will generate sales in a world that is now inundated with books.

So how can a writer be noticed by readers in this new world?

Sales and marketing is usually in the hands of the author. Amazon publishes a new book every five minutes. www.techcrunch.com/2014/08/21/there-is-one-new-book-on-amazon-every-five-minutes
The driver behind the ‘Breaking the Code’ is the conviction that the answer to this question lies with each of us pooling resources. 

Should I even try?

Every passionate writer has to write and writers are denying an urge as natural as eating if they stop. Here is the good news – more people are reading than ever before. A 2005 Gallup poll put the number of Americans reading a novel at 47%, the highest is had ever been.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/04/the-next-time-someone-says-the-internet-killed-reading-books-show-them-this-chart/255572
A recent poll showed that figure had increased to 88% of people under 30 and 79% of those over 30 so the reading trend is growing. Millennials are devouring books.

So the answer to the question is yes, but write to your market. That is where symposium’s like this come in. They help you to understand what the market wants to read. 

​

How do I register?

​

Go HERE and register.

Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/breaking-the-code-from-published-to-best-selling-author-tickets-45261228553

​

When does the earlybird offer end?

​

The last day of the early bird offer is June 17.

​

What does membership of The Story Mint World Writers Collective offer me?

​

The Story Mint has been going for six years and offers people a way to grow their writing skills by writing collaborative serials and using Stylefit™, a technology that enables writers to find their perfect pitch. It also encourages writers to showcase their work so they can grow their following. The goal is publication and financial success.  

www.thestorymint.com

​

World Writers Collective is an online platform for indie writers.
It is here that readers can become fully immersed within a writer’s work and learn all about your developing career. This is your first step to becoming a paid writer. 

• Have your work edited by an experienced editor, or for free within our Dropbox.

• Join in with the writing competitions.

• And get your work online and in our published yearly short story anthology.

​

I have always wanted to be a writer but haven’t known how to go about it. Do you have suggestions?

​

You start by writing. If you join WWC and TSM you will have all your questions answered by experienced writers who belong to these groups. You will also be encouraged by the community. Members give constructive feedback and help with editing. 

​

Do I have to be an established writer to belong to TSM and WWC?

​

No, both organisations encourage people to join regardless of skill level because we provide the perfect safe place for you to practice and steadily improve. As you do that you grow your following which is good for when you are ready to publish. 

​

What does becoming a successful writer involve?

​

Practice, practice, practice. A willingness to work hard and to share your writing with others and to graciously accept their honest feedback. This bit can be scary but hearing the truth before your writing goes saves a lot of pain. 

​

Should I ask family and friends to give me feedback?

​

By all means do this but be very cautious about how seriously you take their comments. They love you and don’t want to hurt your feelings so there’s a risk they’ll say what you want to hear.

​

Should I use an editor?

​

Always! Editors are distanced from your writing and will be objective about what they say. There is nothing more horrible than having someone point our mistakes once your work is published.

​

How do I get feedback?

​

Form a beta reading group. These are people who read your work and give you their reactions without being worried about offending you. Their remarks will prove invaluable because they give you a reader’s perspective and you can trust that what they say will be honest. You’ve given them a job to do so they will do it. Willingly. The only caveat we put on that is that you ask them to be specific. If they did not like something what was it they did not like and why?

World Writers Collective have experienced editors to help you, and a Dropbox you can use for free.

Go HERE.

​

Is doing a course worthwhile?

​

Yes. It is amazing how much you learn about the craft of writing by attending a course. A degree gives you credibility. But it is also a fast track to avoiding common mistakes about plot, characterisation and general storytelling principles. There are some excellent community courses which are run over weekends. Universities and Polytechnics also offer excellent courses.

​

Do commas in the right place matter?

​

Yes, a comma in the wrong place can give a sentence a whole different meaning to the one you intended. That can be embarrassing. But that is why an editor is indispensable. They pick up on those sorts of problems.

An editor will not write your story but he or she will polish it up.

​

Does writing need to be a passion?

​

It certainly helps because it will keep you going through all the re-writes and editing. No-one writes the perfect first draft.

​

How many drafts are necessary for something to be ready?

​

Do not expect your first draft to be the only one you do. It will be the first of many. Even experienced writers never regard their first draft as the final. I have heard of writers doing as many as five drafts…more at times and fewer on other occasions. But even experienced writers need to re-write their work many times.

​

At what point do I prepare my work for publication?

​

From the moment you put your first word on the page. 

​

What would be 3 key tips you would give to new writers?

​

• Make your reader curious in your opening paragraph and make them care

• Never give your reader a reason to say, ‘so what?’

• Make sure that every word earns its keep and is there for a reason – it either adds to the story, describes a situation or character and does not repeat what has already been said using different words. In other words, avoid verbiage