Pam Goodfellow, author, editor, and publisher and teacher of popular fiction in the UW fiction writing program, updated us on the current state of the publishing industry.

The publishing industry is hurting but so is the whole economy so don't give up on your work. There has been an upswing in sales just recently. There are more opportunities now with the internet and small presses but only 3% of writers make a living solely from their writing, so don't quit your day job.

What's wanted now in non-fiction is self-help work dealing with life in the current poor economic times. Publishers want celebrations of the triumph of the human spirit to get us through hard times.

In fiction, work must be extremely well written because the publisher editing process has been lost in the bottom line emphasis. New editors are, however enthusiastic and know good story telling. Don't worry about trends  - write the best book you possibly can. Fiction is the best teaching tool we have about what it means to be human but it must be written by authors who understand their craft. Be persistant and you will get published.

Persistency means listening to feedback and learning what you don't know. Critique groups are good but you need to know what a critique is. (See our SWA Critique page for guidelines.)

The UW writing program is a good way to improve your work. It's a 2 year program with a safe environment to develop your craft.

Fiction comes from characters and not plot. All the plots have been done. Your gift to the reading public is your voice and the characters you create. Fiction must finished before you can market it. Hire a good editor if you feel you can and the work needs it.

In non-fiction, write your proposal and get someone interested before you spend the time writing it. Your proposals are your business plan, for fiction and non-fiction. Who is the audience, why will people read your book, your curriculum vitae, outlines and synopses, cost analysis, reading samples - these must all be parts of your proposal. The first class in the UW program develops this before you go too far in the writing.

Don't characterize your work too narrowly. Make up a genre if you have to to achieve a broad audience.

If you self-publish, do it right. Hire people to help you get started. If you can sell out your smaller print runs, a big publisher might pick up the buzz and want your book.