The debate over ebooks and their printed ancestors rages on. I see no reason for them to be at war with each other. GUEST POST : Emily Cooper (rusticwriter) is a freelance writer, typesetter and editor. She is a soon-to-be-graduate of ‘Creative and Professional Writing’ at Nottingham University and enjoys capturing the strangely beautiful andContinue reading “Can’t print and digital media all just get along?”
Author Archives: Damien Walter
Are you wasting your time on social media?
The onslaught of online information is endless. Is the time thirsty sponge of social media just wasting your time? GUEST POST : Sadie Greening is an aspiring crime author, creative writing student and mother – follow her on Twitter @octaviagrey If it is then you are not alone. I’m new to the social media sideContinue reading “Are you wasting your time on social media?”
57% of American teenagers are media makers
From Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture : Media Education for the 21st Century. What does it mean to live in a world where 1 in 5 people are bloggers? That’s the world we are entering according to a report of the MacArthur foundation. And it certainly tallies with my own experience of working withContinue reading “57% of American teenagers are media makers”
The rise of the artisan author
The community of SF writers has reason to dislike digital copying, or “piracy” as it’s commonly labelled in the tabloid press. Genre writers exist, by and large, in the publishing mid-list, where mediocre sales might seem most easily eroded by the spectre of illegitimate downloads. SF, fantasy and horror are also the literature of choiceContinue reading “The rise of the artisan author”
Closed to Print Editions
I am closed to print editions of books to review for the time being. Read on for more information why. At some point after I started writing for the Guardian books blog, people started sending me books. When I started writing my own column, more people started sending me books. A couple of years on,Continue reading “Closed to Print Editions”
70’s era J G Ballard on the X-Factor
Previously unseen archival footage, or Jim Worrad buggering around in his front room? You tell me.
Selling Out is about trust not money
Imagine you are a doctor. The population you treat are sick. You have two medicines. One tastes bad and has some horrendous side effects but will over time make your patients better. The other tastes like honey and gets you high as a kite but has no real medical value, unless you count dying withContinue reading “Selling Out is about trust not money”
Writing and the attention economy
As a writer you are asking for the most valuable commodity your readers have. Time. Each of us gets a finite portion. No sum of money can buy us any more. And the demands on it are ever greater. The novel evolved at a period in history when the constituency of its readers had muchContinue reading “Writing and the attention economy”
Damo’s Sci-Fi prophecies for 2013
2012 has been a year of transition for science fiction and fantasy literature. SF’s reputation as home of the Bearded White Male hides a more interesting story. SF is the literature of geeks, and today, geeks run the world. Geek culture isn’t infiltrating the mainstream: it is the mainstream. And geeks come in all ages,Continue reading “Damo’s Sci-Fi prophecies for 2013”
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick
Philip K Dick’s partially autobiographical chronicle of 70s hippie drug culture takes place under the eternal sunshine of southern California. Even the book’s nighttime is saturated with the electric glare of strip mall lighting and the glow of the television screen. And in a society that never switches off the lights, the dark has becomeContinue reading “A Scanner Darkly by Philip K Dick”
Alif the Unseen
It is significant that all of our great religions were born in the face of oppression. Moses led the Israelites from slavery under the Egyptians. Jesus challenged the power of Rome. The Islamic calendar begins with the migration of Muhammad and his followers to escape the persecution of Meccan tribes. Even the awakening of GautamaContinue reading “Alif the Unseen”
Why Standard Manuscript Format matters more than ever
For the last few days I’ve been following the editorial pains of friend and fellow British Fantasy Award judge Hal Duncan on Twitter. I don’t know what it is Hall is editing, I’m just glad its not me having to do it! Like, actually, I think the Turkey City Lexicon should start with the GuessingContinue reading “Why Standard Manuscript Format matters more than ever”
Damien Walter 