Originally posted on Reading The Universe:
Hello Everyone! It’s certainly been a while, and frankly there are no excuses. I do get the emails reminding me to post each week (which I set up myself!), but whenever I think ‘Oh thats what I need to do tonight’, it slips my mind again. Bad bad bad.…
Category Archives: Writing & Publishing
“I thought that my mothers fans would be angry with me”
It’s really impossible for any of us who haven’t experienced it to really comprehend abuse from a parent. But that experience becomes even more complicated when the abuser is famous. The Guardian today reports the abuse allegations against Marion Zimmer Bradley by her daughter Moira Greyland. In doing so it spoke directly to Greyland. ThisContinue reading ““I thought that my mothers fans would be angry with me””
Why writing workshops fail, and why you need one
Imagine a group of mechanics, faces grimed with sweat and dirt, hands grazed by friction burns, overalls grubby with grease. Imagine them standing around the carcass of a motor car, stripped down to its component parts, sucking their teeth about why it won’t run. “It needs more oomph.” Says one. “Oomph?” Says another. “Yeah, oomph.Continue reading “Why writing workshops fail, and why you need one”
Before Their Books Were Famous, These Authors Worked the Following Odd Jobs
Originally posted on Coffee and Bookaholics:
It may seem as though all the famous writers have full-time writing jobs to which boost their chances of their novels selling and hitting the bookshelves. However, by looking through the authors etched in literary history, this is far from the case. Many of our iconic authors worked odd-end…
Writer’s Digest cuts links with Author Solutions
David Gaughran reports that Writers Digest has cuts its partnership with Authors Solutions. This is highly significant as a bellwether of publishing industry attitudes to the controversial vanity publishing operations run by Author Solutions. Author Solutions aggressively pursues strategic partnerships to lend credibility to its scammy practices. More importantly, these partners help keep the pipelineContinue reading “Writer’s Digest cuts links with Author Solutions”
WaPo on the politics of Dave Eggers
I glimpsed Dave Eggers once, very briefly, as he flew out the door of the 826 Valencia project in San Francisco. I was there learning about what it takes to build a world class literacy focused NGO from the ground up. He was just dropping in to the project he had helped found. He was impressivelyContinue reading “WaPo on the politics of Dave Eggers”
A modest proposal to combat Amazon (oh and piracy)
My last post on Amazon for a little while, I promise. As previously noted Amazon have cornered the digital marketplace for ebooks, which has the potential to mean the end of booksellers and publishers as we know them. Once Amazon have destroyed the industry infrastructure, there is little doubt they will bring down the 70%Continue reading “A modest proposal to combat Amazon (oh and piracy)”
Why Author Earnings makes sense
Hugh Howey and his team have published the latest Author Earnings update. And the story, as with all previous updates, is that self-published authors (working primarily through the Amazon Kindle marketplace) are doing very nicely thank you. In fact, much better than debut authors published by the Big 5. The data and methodology used toContinue reading “Why Author Earnings makes sense”
Amazon is not a bookseller, and why that matters for writers
Technology behemoth Amazon is in the firing line of publishers, authors and the combined might of the literary world again today. Like the ultimate alpha predator Godzilla on a rampage across Tokyo, Amazon crushes a little bit more of the publishing industry just by moving. And it’s about as worried by the protests of writers asContinue reading “Amazon is not a bookseller, and why that matters for writers”
We DO need diverse books.
Watching the #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtag scrolling up the screen on Twitter. Hundreds and thousands of people a minute adding their voice to the conversation on diversity in writing. We need diverse books, writers, characters and more. I needed to see this today. The genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy that I enjoy reading and write inContinue reading “We DO need diverse books.”
A Nebula award shortlist that makes me feel good about SF
The Nebula award shortlists have just been announced by the Science Fiction Writers of America. And they are excellent. Focusing on Best Novel… We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler (Marian Wood) The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (Morrow; Headline Review) Fire with Fire, Charles E. Gannon (Baen) Hild,Continue reading “A Nebula award shortlist that makes me feel good about SF”
Welcome to viral book selling
UPDATE: sadly Baboon Fart Story reached #9 on the narrower >General bestseller list, selling a mere 21 copies before being pulled by amazon. But still an interesting example of a book catching some viral publicity. Today a book called Baboon Fart Story climbed to #9 on the Amazon bestseller list. The book featured the wordContinue reading “Welcome to viral book selling”
Damien Walter 