Self-Publishing

October 8, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Business plan, Denise Grover Swank, Genre fiction, Literary fiction, Literature, reading, Self-Publishing, Steven King
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
October 4, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Arts, Business, E-Books, Self-Publishing, Writer, Writers Resources, Writing, Writing and Editing
October 3, 2013

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

Authors, Publishing, Writing

Business, Financial planner, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Money, Mutual fund, Personal finance, publish, 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 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