Publishing

October 23, 2013

The Case for CodeX

Ed Finn and Joey Eschrich argue for the need to replace the word “ebook”: We need to embrace digital reading as its own medium, not just a book under glass. That means imagining a new language for reading as an experience, starting with a new word to use instead of book. Their solution comes from Continue reading

Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing

Business, Codex, E-book, Ed Finn, Joey Eschrich, Neologism, Publishing, reading
October 6, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Book, E-Books, Genre fiction, Literary fiction, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Writer, Writing
October 5, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon.com, Apple, Beta reader, Book, Book design, E-book, E-Books, Genre fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, IOS, Kindle, Kindle Fire, Literary fiction, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Writer
September 30, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Arts, Christmas, Conrad, Fiction, Homer, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Storytelling, uncle, Word count, Writer, Writing
September 28, 2013

The Author Who Lived Dangerously: A New Model for Publishing

This is a true story: So the author writes a 30,000-word story and finds himself in literary limbo. Even though he’s achieved some success with his previous books, magazines aren’t willing to publish a story this long. They only have so many pages, after all, and adding extra paper will be expensive to print and ship. Continue reading

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Author, Book, Genre fiction, Jonathan Franzen, Literary fiction, novella, Publishing, Saul Bellow, Scott Turow, Writer, Writing
September 27, 2013

Streaming Television and Digital Publishing

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, has an interesting perspective on television viewers and their desire to have control over what they watch. He starts with a historical analogy: “Two hundred years ago, a lot of fiction was written for magazines. It was a serialized format for novels. And then book manufacturing got cheap enough where you Continue reading

Publishing, Writing

E-Books, House of Cards, Literary fiction, Netflix, novella, Orange Is the New Black, Publishing, reading, Reading (process), Reed Hastings, Self-Publishing, Television program, Writer, Writing
September 26, 2013

Rise of the Novella?

Some interesting speculation that digital publishing, with its lower overhead costs, will lead to the rise of the novella. And why not? Readers like reading them, authors like writing them, but most importantly: sometimes that’s how long a story should be. It’s the difference between Monty Python ending a scene abruptly vs. SNL stretching one out Continue reading

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Amazon, Krusty, Literary fiction, Monty Python, Publishing, reading, Self-Publishing, Simpsons, Writer, Writing
September 25, 2013

Grandma’s Memoirs: A Self-Publishing Thought Experiment

When my grandmother was approaching 90, she decided it was time for her to write her memoirs. Why not? She had lived a full life, spanning nearly the entire twentieth century, from her girlhood in Europe during World War I, through immigration to the United States, all the way to the the end of the Continue reading

Publishing, Writing

Angela’s Ashes, Christmas, Ellis Island, Grandparent, Memoirs, New York City, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Switzerland, United States
September 24, 2013

A Good Sign You’re a Candidate for Self-Publishing

…is when you submit your manuscript to agents and find yourself hoping they will reject it, because their acceptance will interfere with the plans you have for running your own shop. Continue reading

Publishing

Candidate, Facebook, Manuscript, Publishing, Writer
September 22, 2013

The Mindset of Independent Publishing

Another great post from Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who writes: After thirty years of living like this, it’s really hard to understand that the first three weeks of an indie-published book mean nothing more than three weeks five years after the book’s initial publication. Every week is the same. I still struggle with that mindset. It’s Continue reading

Publishing, Writing

Arts, Betsy Brandt, Breaking Bad, Genre fiction, Kristine, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Literary fiction, Publishing