Jay Gale recently traveled to network with several different types of writers’ groups, the first being the Cape Cod Writers Center, where Jay met 40 writers, each anxious to become a published author.

Traveling back north, Jay took advantage of being in Boston to attend a Trident Booksellers & Café author event on Newbury Street and later that evening, participated in a creative writing workshop sponsored by the Boston Public Library, where Jay got to exercise his own personal love of writing.

Before returning to Portsmouth, Jay enjoyed the best Mexican meal that Boston can offer at Beacon Street's Sol Azteca. It was just as good as it was twenty-five years ago when Jay stumbled in on a cold, wintery afternoon, while working as a hydro-geologist to save the world from itself.

Stacy Clark enjoyed meeting Washington Post Environmental Writer, Juliet Eilperin, at Brooklyn, New York's independent bookstore, WORD, where Eilperin discussed her book, "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Eilperin also spoke at a Wildlife Conservation Society event at the Bronx Zoo's Center for Global Conservation. Later, Clark spoke with actor and screenplay writer, Alessio Bordoni, who expressed excitement about posting his next play on INKUBATE. 

It's been an exciting week!

We are delighted to find so many new and published writers signing on to Inkubate to create their Writer Profiles and upload their works! One early adopter of Inkubate is Peggy Bedingfield, a published author (“In the Arms of the Father”), a journalist, a former Air Force weather analyst, and a dog-groomer!

Bedingfield lives in East Texas and several days ago she was browsing the Half-Priced Books store in Rockwall. She asked the seller if there were any new books on writing and the computer search returned Áine Greaney’s latest release, “Writer with a Day Job" (cover jacket seen below). As noted in our last post, Jay Gale, Inkubate’s Co-Founder & Principal of Publisher Relations met Greaney last Friday at her book launch in Ipswich, MA!

Bedingfield described how she devoured Greaney’s guide in two days and laughed out loud over the author’s recollections of “writer’s block regularly leading to an incessant desire for chocolate Sundays” and the fact that “writers continually talk to themselves when writing, causing others to conclude they are insane.” Bedingfield rates Greaney’s guide 5 stars and hopes other writers enjoy it too.

Our next post will include answers to the questions we received from writers this weekend. In the meantime, feel free to contact us with additional questions, as they arise.

Thanks for posting!

Stacy Clark: stacy@inkubate.com

Jay Gale: jdgale@inkubate.com

Jay Gale was fortunate to meet author, Áine Greaney, last night at Ipswich, Massachusetts’ Book Nook, where Greaney was launching her new guide, “Writer with a Day Job.”

When asked by Jay what she believes it takes to make it as a published author, Greaney remarked, “You have to have persistence, and, frankly, you have to be a bit nuts, too!”

Quiet laughter ensued as the writers in the audience nodded in approval…after all, it does take a certain kind of resilience and determination to persevere in an industry where traditional formulas for success are so often obscured by random forces, such as luck and timing.

Following Greaney's reading, Jay had a chance to speak with several attendees of the event and explained that rather than charging writers for the opportunity to be paired with the publishers and editors they aim to reach, Inkubate will pay writers each time their work is “Discovered.” One writer, already under agent representation explained that she signed on to Inkubate and created a profile that included the contact details for her agent who was representing one of the three works posted.  

“This approach works well for represented writers”, Jay commented. “If a publisher is interested in a work that they see, they’ll know how to connect with you via your agent’s details…so rather than being a disadvantage to you or your agent, it’s actually a boost for everyone to be seen and considered online. Inevitably, it will enhance both your value and theirs in the marketplace,” Jay added.

Another visitor stated that they see traditional Discovery as a kind of false science. Jay agreed and added, “And the alchemists are laughing at the Isaac Newtons of the world who want to apply real standards and experimental controls to the process of identifying promising new works.” The ensuing discussion involved what many writers in attendance believe is the need for an organized 3^rd party solution. “What many publishers view somewhat pejoratively as a slush pile, we actually see as an opportunity..." Jay said, and added, “...with smarter tools, drilling through to find what you’re looking for quickly and efficiently is a breakthrough for publishers and writers.”

With roughly 450,000 freelance writers in the U.S. who work a day job, just as Greaney does, Inkubate is designed to be the one-stop shop for both busy writers aiming to be seen and busy editors aiming to find more time to pursue the real joys of publishing – pairing manuscripts with illustrators, marketing writers’ national book launches and cultivating promising young writers.

Inkubate congratulates Ánie on her success!

Inkubate Principal & Co-Founder, Jay D. Gale (seen below) writes on his experience attending last night's N.H. Writers Project meeting at The Common Man in Portsmouth:

It was a treat to be part of the New Hampshire Writers Project Monday night and to have a chance to discuss the publishing industry with so many talented individuals. A special thanks to John Herman for welcoming me to the group!

We convened at The Common Man on State Street in downtown Portsmouth. Sharing drinks and a meal, we discussed a broad range of literary topics. The group was dynamic and curious and the conversation memorable. In the fun, relaxed atmosphere I enjoyed fielding a few key questions about Inkubate.

John asked what we believe will be the greatest advantage for publishers and agents. I pointed to Inkubate’s efficiencies and what we believe will be considerable savings for the industry. With less money spent on “Discovery,” we hope that publishers and agents will seize the opportunity to invest more time and energy cultivating aspiring writers, strategically marketing their work and delivering new books to market faster. We believe that this will be an important competitive edge for an industry in transition.

When asked why the group would want to be early adopters of Inkubate, my answer was easy: Writers are key to preserving the competitive forces that support a vibrant publishing environment. While BETA testing the publisher and agent Discovery tools, we expect our partners will be carefully exploring our content so that they can provide us with meaningful feedback. So, this will, undoubtedly, be a great opportunity to be seen and reviewed in detail by a publisher and/or agent before the community of Inkubate writers and artists grows significantly larger.

We’re excited to see that Foster’s Daily Democrat featured Inkubate today in their Business section: http://tinyurl.com/4yeez2p. Please share this link with your writing and publishing colleagues and feel free to contact me with your questions.

In the meantime, I’m looking forward to next month’s meeting. Thanks so much for your hospitality!

-Jay D. Gale, Principal & Co-Founder

jdgale@inkubate.com

603-491-1168