Shirley Hershey Showalter

Farmer's daughter, turned college professor, then college president, now foundation officer. Publications include The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Christian Century. Writing a memoir about growing up Mennonite in America, 1948-1966. Seeking others who read, write, and teach nonfiction/memoir. Goal: read and review 100 memoirs! Read More

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The New Publishing Rules: Seth Godin’s Fascinating Talk to Publishers

If you are an author or hoping to become one, you are entering a field in great flux. Maybe chaotic is not too strong a word to describe the world of publishing right now. In such a time, a good guide makes all the difference.  Seth Godin, who has written ten bestsellers, using totally new marketing methods such as sending Purple Cow milk cartons in the mail and giving away e-books for free, understands the new rules extraordinarily well.  He’s making them up as he goes.

It’s hard enough to be a writer, you may say.  Do I really need to be a blogger and marketer also?? Well, no, if you are Anne Lamott or Kathleen Norris or Mary Karr.  But if you are not already established, you may benefit enormously by understanding some of Seth Godin’s principles. By embedding the video he republished on his blog, I hope to help memoir readers and writers benefit. And I am giving him permission, a concept he coined, to continue marketing creative publishing ideas.

What do you think? Will you try any of these ideas? Did you get inspired?

  • Gutsywriter
    I watched half of the speech and am unable to get back to the middle without listening all over again from start.
    I love Seth's ideas and his phrase, "The enemy of an author is not piracy, it's obscurity." Thanks for sharing this video with us. I shall listen to the end about blogging, tomorrow.
  • I get Seth Godin's blog in my Google Reader and find his ideas really stimulating. He seems to have an angle of vision just a few degrees off plumb--which, in his case, results in some really creative ideas.
  • Gutsywriter
    Finished listening to Seth. Love the advice. I shall check out Squidoo.com. Wasn't sure how you can create your own Oprah on YouTube. Does he mean video tape yourself speaking about topics that are informative to others? I often wonder how to take advantage of making something for YouTube, and combining it with my own blog. What do you think?
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