As the WEbook content manager, I get a lot of mail asking questions like:
Is WEbook interested in publishing the memoirs of a 97-year-old champion tight-rope walker? An absurdist novel based on the life of Jimmy Dean, country music star and father of the pre-made breakfast sausage? A history of manufactured adhesives and their effect on the American postal system?
Well, obviously, I’m deeply interested in the life of Jimmy Dean. But that’s not the point. See, WEbook is different from traditional publishers. We don’t base our decisions on the opinion of one or two (or three or four or five) editors – we base them on the opinion of the entire reader and writer community. In order to succeed, we need a community that is strong, vibrant, and engaged enough to support quality publishing decisions.
That, my friends, means you.
So consider this a call to arms. If you like the idea of a place where you can write, read, and get published without running the gauntlet of the traditional publishing machine or being forced to foot the bill to publish your own work, get in there. Find projects you like – Active Projects is a great place to start – and submit your work.
Or start your own project, but don’t stop there! Check out top WEbooker tahrasep’s guest blog entry on how to find WEbook collaborators on the web, and visit this blog regularly for more pointers from fellow WEbookers on how to get the most out of the site. Above all, get involved! Give feedback to other submissions, join the forums, and find groups of like-minded writers.
My tip of the day? Find a writer you like – there are some great ones in Ex-Pat Journal and 101 Things Every Man Should Know How to Do – and leave feedback for their work. Then visit their profile! Send them a message to say hello, and invite them to read something of yours. Voila! Instant collaboration.
Feeling shy? Start with me. Add me as a friend, and drop me a note to let me know how your WEbook experience is going.
You and me, WEbookers – let’s get this publishing revolution started.
-- Melissa
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