Organize a Writers Coffeehouse Where You Live

Last night, I enjoyed my second Writers Coffeehouse, hosted at the lovely Malaprop’s Bookstore. The authors guiding the evening’s discussion were Jake Bible, Jamie Mason, and Nathan Balingrud.

Who’s who: If you love NaNoWriMo, you’ll likely have a strong appreciation for what Jake Bible does, writing and publishing one novel every month. Jake shared a lot of insights about podcasts, productivity, and mobilizing your fans. Jamie Mason, a thriller writer, referenced an exciting $35,000 study recently conducted by the International Thriller Writers, which specifically explored the question, “What makes people buy a book?” (That’s not verbatim, but you can read more about the organization here.) Last but note least, Nathan Balingrud also co-led the event, and his name might sound familiar to readers of The Writing Life blog because I’ve talked about Wonderbook so often. Nathan’s quoted several times in that book, and he’s also mastered the art of mellow, authentic, meaningful social media handling. As one person put it tonight, “Nathan’s Facebook feed is like a literary salon.” Want to learn about how to handle yourself through social media? Find these three authors on Facebook and study what they’re doing. You’ll be miles ahead of most folks, and well-prepped to set a good example yourself.
But what I really want to call your attention to is the fact that even if you don’t live in Asheville, there might be a Writers Coffeehouse near you. If not, why not start one? Here’s a note about Jonathan Maberry, who started Writers Coffeehouse. They’re “branded,” in a way (I think?), so definitely read up on this trend first, but once you’ve done your homework, if you’re fired up to start Writers Coffeehouse in a city near you, it’s a win-win.

 

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