On February 16, 2019, Kasie visited with Cheryl Nugent, founder of Kentbury, an online community for writers. Here are the show notes:

Introductions:

Dr. Kasie Whitener, GenX Fiction Writer, Process Consultant

Cheryl Nugent, Founder, Kentbury

Theme for the day:

The Changing World of Publishing

Agenda review:

• Get to know Cheryl Nugent
• The traditional publishing world model
• How Kentbury is disrupting the market

Link to the recording

Segment 1

Cheryl is a writer with three books for sale on Amazon.com Your Amazon bio mentions your life as the wife of a diplomat, your grandchildren, and your rescue animals. We can talk about any and all of that as we get to know one another.

Why did you settle in South Carolina? What have you found you like best about SC? What about the writing community in SC?

Did you always write? What drew you to mystery as a genre?

The Light from Maggie’s View is about young women. Why did you choose that viewpoint for the story?

Old Gorge Road is from the policemen’s point of view. How does that create a natural urgency for solving the crime?

Segment 2

Some of our listeners will not be familiar with the publishing industry so we can discuss “how it works” in a few different ways:

When did you decide to publish?

How did you make the decision about which kind of publishing you would choose?

What were some resources that informed that decision?

There are a ton of things written on “the writer’s journey” from a publishing perspective. Here’s just a taste of a few:

Jane Friedman says: Land a traditional publisher, Hire a service, or Self Publish

Writers’ Digest gives an overview of “traditional” versus “self” and says to determine what your goal for publication is. That goal will help you decide.

And a Huffington Post contributor gives 11 tips that begin with “Write Well” — okay, duh. Some other worthwhile tips: Read, research, get a guidebook for nonfiction, and expect rejection. Sigh.

If making money is your goal, there’s an endless source of advice online for that, too:

DIY Marketers suggests you can sell t-shirts, travel tours, or bonus materials to encourage people who are fans of the book to stay engaged

This writer suggests online courses, Amazon affiliates, and paid Medium posts as income boosters while warning away from books as the primary income and paid ads or asking for tips as revenue streams.

When entering a market that’s new-to-you, business professionals will tell you to ask these questions:

• Is the market saturated? Are there a lot of competitors for what you’re doing?
• Are there barriers to entry? Is it difficult to get your product into the market?
• Is there a risk to entry? (like investing in all those pre-printed copies?)
• Do the buyers have bargaining power? Think Kindle Unlimited where readers can “try” the book without you getting paid.

Segment 3

How is Kentbury designed to reverse the traditional publishing model?

What would be the best way for a writer to use Kentbury?

What are your goals for participation in Kentbury? How many people? How often are they online?

The name doesn’t tell us what the concept or platform does; have you gotten any push back on the name?

What marketing efforts have you already made to reach writers who might participate? What about reaching publishers and agents?

Should there be any criteria for work appearing in the Kentbury marketplace? Certification or something?

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