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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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Congratulations, Alice Munro!
Munro is a very deserving author indeed, who has not only given great insight and pleasure to her readers, but has been a model and inspiration for so many authors, perhaps especially those of shorter-form fiction. Like Borges, she has shown that rich fictional worlds can be created in the span of a few pages. Continue reading
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The Great Novella Tournament of Champions: Billy Budd v. The Secret Sharer
The Great Novella Tournament of Champions celebrates a classic literary form believed to be poised for a comeback. The judge is a long-time fan of the form who is in the final stages of self-publishing a novella of his own. Off we go! First up in our celebrity novella deathmatch are a couple of 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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Are Authors All Narcissists?
Where does the desire to write fiction come from? Eagerness to tell stories? Desire to connect with people? Fame and fortune? Defeat death? Does it all boil down to unfettered narcissism? I don’t mean their fiction tends toward navel-gazing – it may or may not. I’m asking whether at the heart of all impulses to 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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What They Knew #8
“If you live long enough, you’ll see that every victory turns into a defeat.” –Simone de Beauvoir 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
Jacke Wilson 