Today’s FriendIndeed is the World Literary Café, providing authors (Indie and otherwise) and readers more perks than you can shake a stick at! Are you a reader looking for great Kindle deals? WLC will point you in the right direction. Want to connect with your favorite author? This is the place. Authors will find everything from promotional opportunities to training to an Author Toolbox guaranteed to make the business side of your life easier. Although there are fees for some promotional and educational opportunities, membership and many of the services offered are free. Kathy recently interviewed WLC founder and bestselling author Melissa Foster about the almost bewildering array of goodies she provides.
Kathy: How long have you been at this?
Melissa: World Literary Café was founded in November 2011.
Kathy: Why did you create WLC?
Melissa: When I began self-publishing there were no avenues for education and self-publishing still held a very strong stigma, so obtaining help was very difficult. During my journey to publication, I decided that I wanted to help authors—that no author should every have to scrounge and claw for information, and there is so much misinformation available, that I wanted authors to have a place where they could turn to and trust the information they’re given.
Kathy: How many hours a week do you spend working on WLC and Fostering Success?
Melissa: Easily 30 hours a week.
Kathy: Tell us what you have to offer.
Melissa: The World Literary Cafe is an online community that bridges the gap between readers and authors, with the mission of paying-it-forward in the literary field, promoting great literature, and bringing together the literary community. The WLC offers helpful promotions to authors, reviewers, bloggers, and editors by creating avenues to bring them together under one umbrella in an easily navigable venue.
Readers interested in discovering new authors and great books will find them here, along with super discounts and the ability to win free books! They can check out our reader programs, jump into our forums for great discussions, and sign up for our newsletter to receive advance email notification of our promotions.
Kathy: And for authors?
Melissa: Our goal is to help authors market their books by providing resources for them to learn how to publish, market, and reach out to those readers on the other side of that bridge. We help them succeed with encouragement, training, and respect. They can get promoted, join the reader forums and author discussions, cross-promote, and sign up for our newsletter to be notified of upcoming events!
The World Literary Cafe’s educational arm, Fostering Success offers pre-publication services such as formatting and cover design, as well as self-guided, effective courses on all aspects of self-publishing, book marketing, and platform building.
Professionals in the author services field–editing, cover design, formatting, publishing, marketing–can get involved and get connected by listing their services in our writing forums, and getting listed in our Author Toolbox. They can sign up for our newsletter and be ready to jump on board.
Finally, we appreciate our blogging and reviewing community! World Literary Cafe will help connect that community to authors and provides a venue for easy access, tours, reviews, and information swapping. Reviewers and bloggers canjoin our team, take part in our discussions, post their reviews. Participating authors will promote those sites.
Kathy: Any numbers you want to share?
Melissa: The social reach for the World Literary Café is roughly 1 million. We pride ourselves on providing excellent exposure for authors.
Kathy: How/when/why should an author contact you?
Melissa: Writers of all levels are encouraged to join the World Literary Café and become part our community, and our educational arm, Fostering Success, will provide effective, proven techniques that are immediately usable to breathe new life into older titles, or help launch and publish new releases.
Kathy: Anything personal you would like to share?
Melissa: I’m a mother, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and chocoholic!
Kathy: Anything you would like to say to authors and/or readers?
Melissa: A big thank you to all readers for supporting the most meaningful skill a person can have–literacy–and to authors, for bringing your stories to life. Share the love for authors!
Be sure to visit:
World Literary Café on the Web
World Literary Café on Facebook
World Literary Café on Twitter
Fostering Success on the Web
Melissa on Pinterest
Melissa on the Web
Melissa on Twitter
Melissa on Facebook
Melissa Foster is a New York Time and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women's fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page.