Publishing
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What They Knew #9
“No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money.” –Dr. Johnson Continue reading
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Madame Slushpile Rides Again
This long Salon article by Laura Miller covers the battle at Goodreads between readers and self-published authors. High Priestess Miller once again bemoans the democratization of authorship, which in her view is marked by average readers, who, now that agents and editors can be bypassed, would be exposed to the horrors of the slush pile… Continue reading
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An Update of the Self-Publishing Update
When I put together the last progress update I forgot I had to buy my own ISBNs. I bought the block of 10 from Bowker which set me back $250, dramatically increasing my costs thus far. That climb from Level 8 to Level 5 just got a lot steeper. Ah well. I guess the fair… Continue reading
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Literary Gatekeepers and “Trends”
Great new interview with highly successful indie author Denise Grover Swank over at Simon Whistler’s Rocking Self Publishing podcast. The interview covers a lot of ground, with the primary focus being Swank’s three-part post Business Plans for Self-Published Authors. I’m sure there’s a lot of good advice in the business plan, which I haven’t read… Continue reading
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Marketing Self-Published Literary Fiction
So much to agree with in this James Campbell post from 2012: A quick summation: yes, there is a difference between genre fiction and literary fiction; no, genre fiction is not necessarily ‘lower’ than literary fiction or mere escapism; yes, literary fiction has just as many cliches and tropes as genre fiction; and yes, there… Continue reading
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Self-Publishing Progress Update
Drafts complete: Yes (five) Extensive revisions complete: Yes (four) Assessment to move forward: Yes (two) (both novellas) Website operational: Yes Beta reader feedback incorporated: Yes (one draft, multiple readers) Editing complete: Yes (one) Formatting for Kindle finished: Yes (except for back matter) (one) Cover design: In progress (one) Preview on Kindle device: None Uploaded to… Continue reading
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Writing and Writers: The Levels of Financial Success
Level 1: The Lottery Winners Riches beyond compare. This is the land of writers with amusement parks based on their characters, ownership of professional sports teams, etc. Level 2: The Serious Earners Writers can pay all their bills solely from their writing. No financial support from spouses, parents, savings. Level 3: The Hacks Same as… Continue reading
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The Author as Publisher (Dream? Or Nightmare?)
Another fascinating and informative post from Kristine Kathryn Rusch. This time about the use of contract addendums to grab the rights of authors. Are you ready to stand on your own and keep the publishers and agents out of the equation? Here’s a litmus test. Which of the following best describes you and your feelings… Continue reading
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Jonathan Franzen, Horse’s Ass
In anticipation of his forthcoming book, the Internet has been having fun with Jonathan Franzen’s astonishing recent article What’s Wrong With the Modern World. I’ve done my share of piling on. It might be time to remember just what a horse’s ass he is. The Jonathan Franzen Horse’s Ass Quiz Which of the following is… Continue reading
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Storytelling and the Marketplace
I’ve been writing a long time. I can divide my writing into three phases: the phase when I was trying to tell a story, the phase when I was trying to write something suitable for an agent, and the (current) phase when I am again trying to tell a story. Writing for word count might… Continue reading
Jacke Wilson 