The mission of the Long Island Authors Group (LIAG) is to encourage, support, and promote authorship on Long Island and the New York area. This group of local book authors joined together to plan and implement activities and events that add to the availability of their books. Long Island Authors Group Bookstore is also the only bookstore in the Westfield South Shore Mall. This bookstore can be found in the Islip Arts Council suite that includes consignment artisan gifts.
How did I learn about this group?
Several months ago I participated in an Authors Showcase. At that Showcase I met several local picture book authors. We got to chatting about these events and trying to market our books. They spoke very highly of this group and encouraged me to apply.
What is the application process like?
The Long Island Authors Group has an excellent website. It is full of information and easy to navigate. It was easy to find the application, requirements and directions for applying.
An applicant must first be a resident of Nassau or Suffolk County. Second, an applicant’s submited book must have an ISBN for potenial retail search. Third, application to LIAG is unique in that every applicant’s submitted book is read in full.
The applicaion form is available for download on the LIAG website; this page also has a detailed FAQ secion about membership and applicaion. Our Membership Committee handles the reading review process for applicants. The response time for an application is four to eight weeks. Once you are accepted there is a yearly dues to pay. When compared to other organizations is affordable.
Why did I want to join?
My reason for joining was simple. I wanted to join to meet other picture book authors. My experience with hybrid publishing is different than those who had their books traditionally published. to share experiences, learn from other authors and to help and support my fellow authors.
What about the meetings?
LIAG has monthly “First Wednesday” dinner gatherings to provide a social forum for members, and to offer a platform for guest speakers to address the group. New members are offered an opportunity to introduce themselves and their books upon their first attendance of a dinner gathering. Information about the night’s highlight, whether it’s a guest speaker, one of our authors speaking, an open forum or a book showcase is announced in advance.
Thoughts …
This is a very welcoming group of published authors who represent a number of genres. They are eager to share experiences, answer questions, and provide support to their fellow authors.
This was a great first meeting. I enjoyed the scheduled speaker who shared her expertise regarding author branding. This is a topic that I have given little thought. She provided exercises for us to complete to help us better understand our individual brands.
I am looking forward to the next meeting and getting to know more of my fellow picture book authors. If you are a published author and live on Long Island, I highly recommend you check out their website and consider joining us.
Requests …
I am so glad you’re here and I thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am grateful that I can share my writing journey with you.
I’m looking forward to helping you as a children’s book writer in any way that I can. Speaking of helping — please leave a comment below and let me know what questions you have about picture book writing.
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One last request …
You can really help this author by leaving a book review on Amazon or Goodreads. You can leave a review for Gertie Saves the Day here or here. Two Wins for Wiley here or here. Reviews can be as easy as 2-3 sentences and should take about 30 seconds to leave and would make a huge difference for me. Need help? Click here.