David A. Miller, II provided sought-after advice to aspiring authors at the "Get Writing, Get Published!" talk held March 6 at the Lower Macungie Library. Miller, whose most recent spy/adventure novel is "Time Birds," explained to attendees how the publishing industry has undergone significant changes and how best to take advantage of those changes.

Self-publishing, working with an agent and marketing were some of the topics covered.

"You cannot do it yourself," Miller emphasized, strongly urging anyone interested in writing to join a local group. He recommended organizations such as The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group (www.glvwg.org), the GLVWG-sponsored Writer's Café that meets monthly at the Palmer Library or the Bethlehem Writers Group (www.bethlehemwritersgroup.com) which meets regularly at the Reese Library at Moravian College or at the Giant Marketplace Café in Coopersburg.

Each of these resources for new or experienced writers provides them with feedback, advice and support. Having other people on your team read your work and tell you what they get from it helps you to see if you are effectively communicating your ideas.

Writers should start a blog and don't ignore Facebook and Twitter, Miller added.

"This is part of the village you need."

Miller also recommended attending "The Write Stuff" writers conference, an annual event presented in March by the GLVWG.