Have you considered what the news of falling book sales may mean to you?

"Publishers Weekly, 6/13/2007

Bookstore Sale Slides Continued in April

After falling 6.8% in March, bookstore sales dropped 6.0% in April, according to estimates released by the Census Bureau this morning. The decline lowered bookstore sales in April to $909 million. Bookstore sales have fallen every month this year, and were down 4.3%, to $5.10 billion, in the January-through-April period. Sales for the entire retail segment were up 3.1% in April and 3.8% in the first four months of 2007. "


If you're a writer attempting to break into the publishing industry, this particular report should give you a pause. Commerce determines what makes it to publication as much as if not more so than the artistic merit of a particular work. The continuing decline in book sales indicates that it will become that much harder to get a traditional publishing deal in an already highly competitive market.

This report shouldn't discourage you; it should provide you with a reason to consider other ways you can make it to publication. If you're reading this, then you already know that the internet is full of publishing opportunities, blogs, e-zines, websites of every style, form and dimension, live and reach their reading audiences on the internet. So while you're pursuing a traditional deal, what other irons can you put in the fire to build a portfolio of your work, and maybe a bit of self-publishing success? (Read my post about why writers should blog.)

Market Recommendations: Krista Barrett's Weekly E-zine

If you're looking for markets, a writing job, a way to network with other writers, and solid free-lance advice, check out Krista Barrett's Writer Gazette. Each weekly issue, is full of opportunities like these and more. She also offers writing classes and her writing texts are available for purchase at Lulu.com. You can also promote your work and accomplishments in the Writer Gazette (Remember, there's no such thing as too much pub).

Get To Know Other Writers

As writers, we spend a great deal of time working in solitude. I believe that in order to produce a continuous flow of meaningful work, a writer must strike a balance between living their craft and experiencing the world in which the live. It also means forging relationships with other writers.

Writers must challenge themselves to expand their circle of relationships to include more writing colleagues. I've started building more connections online, because as a parent my time is somewhat limited. I also attended the Kansas City Literary Festival last weekend and picked up some great information there as well as joining a few mailing lists. Other possibilities are writing conferences and author events in your area.

There are several benefits with getting to know other writers. The more writers you know the better informed you become regarding the publishing industry and the writer's craft. Getting to know other writers allows you to build a circle of people with whom you can workshop, exchange constructive criticism or even plan events of your own. It helps you keep perspective when you interact with other people taking on similar endeavors; being a writer is great, but it's not easy.

Here are a few links to get you started:

Gather.com

Associated Content.com

My Writer's Circle.com

Edit Red.com