#AmWriting

by Jena Gregoire (Editor ), Ashlynne Laynne, K.C. Stewart

Knowing what you know now of writing, publishing, and putting your art out into the world, if you could go back to the day you sat down to start typing in your very first manuscript, what words would you offer to yourself? Words of encouragement? Words of advice? Caution against certain pitfalls? Would you change anything about how you got to where you are today?

The publishing community is so much bigger than it was before the self-publishing boom and it continues to grow exponentially every day. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a handbook or support group. #AmWriting is a collection of letters written by authors from all different corners of the publishing community. The letters provide words of encouragement or advice to those just starting out or those who have become discouraged in their art. At Pure Textuality PR, we believe in supporting each other as a community, and we felt this project would be a good way to bring writers together and maybe give some new artists just the right nudge to keep going.

100% of the net proceeds of #AmWriting will be donated to The Wayne Foundation, a charity dedicated to offering aid and services to young women victimized by illegal sexual exploitation and the sexual trafficking of minors. For more information about The Wayne Foundation, you can visit them on the web at http://waynefdn.org.

#AmWriting features letters from more than 60 authors, including Jeaniene Frost, T.J. Michaels, Kendall Grey, and many more!

Contributing Authors: A.D. Ellis, Amy Joy Lutchen, Andrew Jericho, Ashlynne Laynne, Becky Flade, Beth Dolgner, Brandy Dorsch, Brenda J. Pierson, C.L. Foster, Cassia Brightmore, Cecilia London, Cherron Riser, Cithara Patra, Courtney Houston, Crystal Dawn, E.J. Stevens, Elizabeth Sharp, Ella Col, Emily Cyr, Emma Nichols, Erin Hayes, Erynn Crittenden, Felicia Starr, Gabbie S. Duran, Geri Glenn, Harlie Williams, J. Nichole Parkins, J.B. McGee, J.M. Gregoire, Jamie Summer, Jeaniene Frost, Jess Haines, Jessica Cage, Jody Pardo, K.c. Stewart, Karina Espinosa, Kasey Belle, Katie Kenyhercz, Kendall Grey, Kory M. Shrum, L A Cotton, Leyla Kader Dahm, Louisa Lo, M. Never, M.L. Steinbrunn, Mary Crawford, Michelle Mcloughney, Mike Gonzales, Misha Carver, Misha Elliott, Muriel Garcia, Nicole Zoltack, Pamela K. Kinney, R.A Mizer, Rachel Walter, Rebecca Sherwin, Renee Dyer, Sara Dobie Bauer, Serena Kearney, Shakuita Johnson, Shannon Bell, T.J. Michaels, T.L. Manning, Tracie Podger, and Xandra James.

Genres: Nonfiction

Unknown Binding

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Bestselling author JENA GREGOIRE was born and raised in New Hampshire, USA, and despite her abhorrence for any season which dares to drop to a temperature below seventy degrees, she still currently resides there with her two children and several furbabies. Always a passionate reader, her love of urban fantasy books inevitably morphed into a love of writing them. She is currently working on two series - the Hellfire series and the Executioner series.

Reviews

[Mary Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every writer should keep #AmWriting on their bookshelf. It is a wonderful resource for new writers and veteran writers alike. All of us feel alone and lost in this journey at some point. This book reminds all of us that we have more commonalities than differences as writers. It is a humorous, helpful guide through the journey of becoming a successful author. Although many of the stories are humorous, they provide solid, honest tips on pitfalls to avoid in the industry. If you are even thinking about becoming an author, this is the book for you. If you have been in the field for a while, this is a great book to remind you how far you've come.

[Amy Lutchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I wrote a letter.

Yes, the letters are good - I enjoyed reading each of them.

Yes, there are many many many pitfalls when publishing your first work of art.

Yes, I hope you take the plunge and do it yourself, because it is oh so fulfilling.

[The Library From Scratch · Rating 4 out of 5]

The star rating does not reflect the authors who put their efforts into this wonderful cause.

The star rating has everything to do with the irony of not editing the collected letters for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes made throughout.

This collection of letters from authors to their younger selves could easily inspire a new generation of writers.

As someone who was a childhood wanna be author who watched her friend self publish after high school, I relate to this on many levels.

But this took me over a month to finish because it felt like it was never going to end. And no matter how inspiring it felt, I couldn’t push myself past or around it to read something more engaging. Single-handedly this killed my reading grind for over a month (2/9-3/17).

I’m glad this behemoth of a page count is over. And I’d gladly recommend this to someone in a writers block or potentially wanting to read something up lifting. It just wasn’t really for me. And that’s ok.

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