Between jobs and looking to publish your book? These classes can help -- Career Center Blog

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April 10, 2011

Between jobs and looking to publish your book? These classes can help

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By Michelle Goodman
NWjobs

We all know involuntary unemployment is no picnic. But as some of the nation's pink-slipped have noted, the upside of losing your job is that you finally have the time to pursue those long-neglected hobbies and side projects.

[Jennifer Worick and Kerry Colburn | Photo by Gregg Snodgrass]

One NWjobs reader said he started writing country songs while looking for a new job last year. He's since assembled a band that plays popular pubs throughout Seattle.

Another reader started her own Etsy shop while between jobs. She now has a thriving crafting business, which she tends to evenings and weekends when she's not at her new day job.

Yet another reader used the extra time unemployment afforded her to turn her modestly-read blog into a money-making venture that now supports her family of three.

Again, none of this is to say that unemployment is some grand staycation. Not everyone views an involuntary break in employment as a gift. Most of us can't afford it. Many of us could care less about starting a band or launching an online business. And among those who do, not all will have luck or interest in turning their side pursuits into a full-blown career.

Still, if I had a buck for everyone who's ever told me they have a book they're dying to write, I probably would have retired long ago. In fact, I'm willing to bet my IRA that a sizeable percentage of unemployed folks have considered using their time off to start (or finish) writing a book they hope to one day sell.

If this sounds familiar but you have no idea how or where to begin, you're in luck. This spring, wildly successful local authors (and former book publishing executives) Kerry Colburn and Jennifer Worick are offering would-be authors a series of workshops about the business side of book publishing.

Called The Business of Books with Jen & Kerry, the talks draw on Worick and Colburn's 40 years of combined publishing experience (between the two of them, they've published a 40 books), promising to provide "insight, inspiration, and tools for navigating the world of publishing." Here's what this publishing dream has on deck for April:

Thursday, April 14, 7-9 p.m. How do you get from book idea to saleable non-fiction book proposal? In this workshop, Worick and Colburn help aspiring non-fiction authors Prepare to Get Published. Learn what publishers look for in a book idea, author, and proposal; how to best market what you have to offer; and how to research and target the editors and agents who can help make your publishing dreams a reality. $40 per person; register here.

Thursday, April 28; 7-9 p.m. Whether you have a manuscript collecting dust in your desk drawer or a kernel of an idea you'd like to spin into a full-blown book proposal, Worick and Colburn will discuss how to Pick Your Publisher. Learn the pros and cons of going with a large publisher, a smaller niche publisher, or self-publishing, and discover which publishing option is best for your particular book idea. $40 per person; register here.

Both talks will be held at Seattle's Hotel 1000. For more information, as well as upcoming events and workshop discounts offered by Worick and Colburn, see their website.

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com